Green Desert - Chapter 2.5.1 - Bhanar

Pí‘oro gripped the handgun. He was serious. “I must go,” I told the policeman. I hung up the phone, almost missing the hook. Whatever the Kılímıs were doing, it was illegal. Unlicensed slaughtering of animals. Of pets. The dog, Sıpa‘ı, thumped his tail on the floor, watching us. My knees wobbled.

“Calm down, son. Everything will be all right.” Pí‘oro’s eyes darted to Sıpa‘ı, the blood, the groceries on the counter. He lied. “Why don’t you clean up the blood like a good boy.” The overweight man released the gun and gestured to the crimson spill.

I nodded and lunged for the rags. The police were coming. Everything would be fine once they arrived, that was certain. They’d take Zhíno away. They’d probably arrest the Kılímıs, too. And I’d be finally free of this madness. College was going to be a breeze after this. I laughed as I pushed the rags around on the table, collecting the blood.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, nothing.” I knelt to clean the floor.

Fírí stormed in, demanded, “Nar, come with me. We got to rescue Zhíno.”

Rescue? Did she think I was insane, too? I shook my head.

She glanced at Pí‘oro. Loudly, shrilly, she repeated, “We got to rescue Zhíno.”

“Wait a minute, missy,” the old man growled. He removed the gun from his belt. “Nobody’s going nowhere.”

The doorbell rang.