Dot lets tears stream hotly across her dirty face. She knows why those women are in there. In a methodical – pure – rage, she takes apart the walls of every room in the lower floors one after another, until only the basement remains. Its walls come apart easily under her fury – they have been waiting for such a thing. The catacombs are just there and all the undead gather as she walks toward the entrance and lifts up her hammer one last time but she does not go hard, she taps and then uses the claw end of the hammer to clear away what she needs. Dot carefully opens up a shallow altar; two skull heads look at each other. One has fine, long horns.

1977

Flat 7F7

Queen Bee (21) Santa baby, please put a sable under the tree, for me

REFLECTED IN the ceiling mirror is a pool of blood. It spreads out on a large, round, purple shaggy rug. Ali lowers his shotgun as Bee wipes her dagger off on the rug. She stands back neatly – to assess her handiwork.

The two young women watch her. One exhales a long curl of smoke from a joint.

– 圣洁的狗屎, one woman says.

– Holy shit indeed, Bee agrees.

The other woman opens a bag of crisps and stuffs a large handful in her mouth and crunches loudly.

– What? I’m hungry!

Davey stands at the window, looking down toward the street.

– There’s police coming into the stair!

– You fucking what?

– What do we do with the bodies?

– Bathroom, and we need candles, okay? And you two need to come through here, Bee snaps.

The woman puts her crisp bag down, visibly annoyed.

– Okay!

The shag rug is rolled up and shoved down the back of the fish tank. Two slim men’s bodies are taken down the hall into the bathroom. Both of the women stand at the door looking at Bee as if she’s mad while she takes her clothes off.

– I need you – yes, you – the prettier one – take your clothes off.

– You’re not my type, Bee.

– I want you to look like you’ve been in this bath with me – hair wet, towel wrapped around you – come on!

The whirlpool bubbles up on full jets.

– Your friend must pretend she is taking care of the boys through there. If they search us and find these two idiots, we will all go to prison and I don’t think you’d like Cornton Vale one bit, I fucking hate the place. What are your names?

– Bai.

– Audrey.

Both girls nod.

There is a knock.

Audrey quickly wets her hair and pulls a towel around herself before going to answer the door. She opens it slowly and looks up, half-wearing the towel. Her hair is dripping.

– Oh, we’re sorry.

The police officer glances down the hall.

– We heard there was a disturbance.