Chapter Text
[The Carlen Household, That Thursday 2 Years Ago]
"Okay Gwen, you can do this," Gwen tried to reassure herself as she sat in the Jen's car.
“It's just like when you drug grandma with her meds, only instead of having blood pressure, they’ll be dead.” Gwen looked at herself in the rearview mirror, not feeling to confident in her own pep talk. She met her own eyes in the mirror, the blond haired stranger looking back at her looked less than confident in the plan. "Okay okay Fuck fuck fuck I can't believe this, Okay Gwen you can do this. Be Jen, walk in, pour whiskey, add death, take money, take Max." Gwen looked over her make up one last time, grabbed the bag from the passenger seat and got out of the car.
The walk to the front door was excruciating, every step brought a new way the plan could fail, and new hitch, the bag of whiskey and poison feeling heavier and heavier. Finally after what felt like miles, she was the front door. Two knocks...
"HELEN! GET THE FUCKING DOOR"
Okay, Gwen though, that's definitely Mr. Carlen
"GET IT YOURSELF YOU LAZY BASTARD!"
Gwen knew these people were trash, but she expected they'd at least pretend to be functional humans, apparently not though.
After what felt like and eternity the door finally cracked open, in the illuminated frame stood a thoroughly unpleasant woman, a swisher cigar hanging from her mouth spewing a thick cloud of smoke around her head, her face was stretched grotesquely in a way Gwen recognized from her trashy TV as a botched Botox injection, and when she spoke her voice was strained and scratchy in the way only a longtime smoker's was.
"Oh Jen dear, I just thought you weren't coming you're so late." Her tone was sickenly sweet, but there was a sure air of disappointment in her voice.
"Yeah, There was an emergency at the office, some ring got busted or something and we all had to fill out stacks of paperwork" Gwen's voice came out in the valley girl accent like she'd rehearsed, Mimicking the recording of Jen.
"Ugh, I swear I'd put a bullet between my eyes if i had to deal with all that shit like you do, I don't know how you stand it.΅ She stood aside and let Gwen step into the house
"A job's a job, ya know?" Gwen took a quick glance around, she expected a flophouse like you see on TV, but it was a perfectly nice suburban household, the only filth inside was the Carlens.
"I understand, it's hard out here for us women." Ms. Carlen nodded solemnly, as if she had every done a days legal work in her life Gwen thought. "You bring the bottle?"
"Yep, got it right here" Gwen said cheerily as she lifted the bag, dread filling her up, she was sure that Ms Carlen was going to ask for it.
"Good girl, I'll go get ya money while you go pour our shots, You having one tonight, or are you still on that detox bullshit?. She snubbed her cigar out in the ashtray and lit another one.
"Nope," Gwen was almost astounded by how perky she sounded, despite where she was, those high school acting classes must have done more than she thought. "Gotta detox 'till all the evil bad stuff it outta me!" She put on the biggest smile she could just like she had seen Jen do in the videos.
"Oh my, I so admire you're commitment, I can't even keep to a diet for a week," Ms carlen put her hand over her heart, like she really thought cheating on her diet was the worst thing she did. "Alright sweetie I'll meet you in the living room." and she left gwen alone at the doorway to the kitchen.
Gwen made her way into the kitchen and grabbed 2 tumblers off the shelf, grabbing the bottle from the bag as she replayed the previous conversation in her head, she almost couldn't get over how casual the woman acted, like she had never done anything wrong.
As she poured the amber liquid into the glass and horrible thought struck Gwen, What if she hadn't? Sure the 2 seemed rude to each other, She had seen the files Jasper had, but none of them were official, he could have made them himself, she was just taking his word that these people sold kids into child porn, and tested drugs on them. What if he was lying? What is David and Jasper lied to her to get her involved and do the dirty work? Gwen stopped for a second, looking at the two full glasses of whiskey.
No, she trusted David more than these two random people, and besides, good people don't need to pay off social workers, Right? Before she could hesitate again Gwen took the two small baggies of powder Jasper gave her and dumped them into the glasses, getting it over with before she lost her nerve again. She watched as the powder dissolved into nothing. The deed was done, now to finish this, and hope she wasn't making a terrible mistake (You are Making a mistake, she thought)
Carrying the glasses into the living room she was met with the Ms. Carlen holding a stack of cash, and Mr Carlen holding a purple can of La Croix.
"You can drink these right sweetie? I picked them up yesterday, I wanted you to be able to toast with us tonight, we got some big news today!"
Gwen was still astounded by how genuinely sweet Ms Carlen sounded, “Yeah, I can cheat a little with one of those." (She actually bought special drinks for me because I don't drink whiskey? For Jen, because she doesn't drink whiskey, Gwen corrected herself)
(This is a mistake, Jasper lied to me, I shouldn't be killing these people, holy shit I can't let them drink this, I need to spill it or someth-)
"Yeah," Mr Carlen interrupted her thought, "Vinnie said he can use the little brat upstairs, 10K a trip" He laughed in a sickening way, like what was left of his soul flew out with every expulsion, chilling Gwen's Spine with it's icy indifference.
(He can't mean...)
"Kid’s dark enough to make it over the border without questions, and speaks english well enough to make it back.” (Border? with Max? nononono) "Said the way he started off fighting wasn’t great, but it’s easy enough to beat that out of them ya know." (fuckfuckfuckfuck These people are monster's Jasper didn't lie)
Gwen was almost ashamed that she had thought of spilling the glasses now, ashamed that she hadn't trusted David. She didn't wallow in her shame long before Ms Carlen interrupted.
"Barb made an offer at the Salon if that doesn’t work out, almost 10k, that’s alot for a brown kid too, normally they only want white kids or asian kids" (Please stop talking, drink the fucking poison and die already) "and after his parents told us they were cutting our pay for this little experiment of theirs, well we had to supplement our income somehow, we can't even move kids through the house with him here..."
"We almost got fucking busted because of the little brat setting that fire to get the police here, Fucking little bastard, I shoulda broke his other arm too" Mr carlen said as he lifted his glass, Ms carlen following suit. It took Gwen a moment to remember her role, she was so lost in the horrible things she had just heard, trying to process it all that she almost broke character. But she stuck to the plan, put on the fakest most disgusting smile she had ever put on, and cracked open her can.
"Cheers" The three voices in unison, all three disgusting to Gwen's ears, like the words themselves had gone bad. Gwen sipped at the disgusting sparkling water she'd been offered. The Carlens continued to talk, but Gwen ceased to listen as she watched them down their drinks and set the empty glasses on the table.
It was done, there was no going back now. Gwen waited, zoning out staring at her can and the stack of money on the table. She didn't even register Ms. Carlen's voice repeating Jen's name, waiting for a response to whatever she had said, but whatever the question was was lost as Mr Carlen grabbed at his chest, coughing up blood and foaming at the mouth but Gwen was sure it was an accusation at her. The world went silent to Gwen. She knew what she was here to do, but actually seeing it was something else. Jasper had told her what would happen, but nothing in her life could have prepared her for actually seeing someone die, for watching them convulse and throw up as their systems shut down. After a few seconds Ms Carlen's cries to her husband were silenced as she too started convulsing, for a quick moment her eyes locked onto Gwens, She reached her hand out to the fake social worker, but whatever she was saying was lost for the blood and vomit clogging up her throat. It only lasted for about a minute, Gwen looked away from the corpses on the couch, trying not to think about how it was her fault, she wanted to run, to get as far away as possible, but her job was only half done. As she stood on shaky legs she caught a glimpse of herself in the wall mirror, seeing a shaking crying mess, with fear stricken eyes, she realized that Ms. Carlen wasn't accusing her, she was reaching out for help, reaching out to the terrified social worker who had no more idea than them why this was happening. She forced herself to keep her head forward, to not look back at the bodies on the couch or the empty glasses on the table, those were Jasper's Coroner's problems now. She had one more thing to do and after all of that not even hell could stop her from finishing this job.
Gwen wandered almost in a daze around the house until she found the bathroom, wiping the makeup off her face and recognizing herself again, well save for the blond hair that is. She made her was to the staircase and stood at the base, collecting herself. This was the one part of the night they hadn't planned that well, nobody was sure exactly how Max would react, what would he do, would he recognize her? She gripped the banister and decided that now was the time to find out. Arriving at the top of the stairs she looked around, unsure which room Max was even in, She started trying doors and on the fourth attempt found the door barricaded from the inside.
Bingo.
"Max?" She called out, hearing a noise from inside the room. "Max are you in there?"
"What the hell do you want Jen, did-did they not pay you enough again?" The boy inside was definitely Max, and he sounded terrified, It broke Gwen's heart to hear him like that.
(Wait, Jen? Shit.) Gwen realized she was still putting on the accent
"No, No it’s me Gwen, David sent me." She dropped the voice and used her own.
Silence. then finally after almost a full minute, Max spoke. "How the hell are you doing that, what did you do to them you sick bitch! I swear if you hurt them! You were just jealous because Gwen never did any stupid fucking blood rituals or detoxes and still looked better than you, You're never going to be pretty you crazy bitch!" Max's voice was absolutely shaking, was he really this worried about her, Gwen thought?
"No Max, it's really me, Gwen, from Camp Campbell, David sent me to get you, it's a long story but we need to leave now, we only have-" Gwen puller her phone to see how long they had until the cops and coroner were supposed to arrive, "25 minutes before the cops get here."
"Cops Jen, really, what the fuck are they gonna do, huh? Get payed off by Harold again?" Max's voice was sounding angrier and angrier with each syllable and Gwen was getting more and more exasperated to match.
"Look Max, we really don't have time for this, I'm Gwen, Jen is like probably dead I think, and so are the Carlens and we need to leave, Now!" Gwen really wasn't sure what happened to Jen now that she thought of it, Jasper had just told her that she was "Taken Care of" "Max, do you remember Parent's Day at the camp, me, you, and David went into Sleepy Peaks for pizza and while I was getting the car you hugged David for a split second, You though nobody saw, but I did, and only the 3 of us know that it even happened. Does that prove who I am enough?"
Again, silence behind the door, followed by a shuffling noise as Max removed the impromptu barricade. He cracked the door open slightly, only an eye visible as he peaked out. "Why are you blond?"
"I had to pretend to be Jen to get in here, long story, I'll explain on the way."
Max studied her face for a moment, Gwen was glad she decided to wash the make up off. After Max decided it really was Gwen he threw the door open and hugged her.
The first thing Gwen could have never prepared herself for was Max hugging her and crying, The second thing Gwen could have never prepared herself for was how Max looked.
He was dressed in an tshirt and pajama pants, but Gwen could tell how thin he was, Max was never exactly a big kid, but now his face was gaunt and sunken, and the tshirt that should have fit him now hung like a drape, his arms were covered in cigar burns and his right arm was twisted and had clearly been broken and never cast properly. He was covered in small cuts and marks but Gwen wasn't sure if they were self inflicted or not. The whole sight was too much for Gwen at once, the contrast between the Max she knew at camp and the kid clinging to her now was too much, if she hadn't heard what was left of that classic Max attitude she would have almost believed this was a different kid.
After the short embrace Gwen told Max to grab his stuff and follow her, Max ran back in the room and grabbed a ruffled teddy bear from under the mattress, Clearly the toy was contraband in this household, Gwen was actually impressed he had managed to hold onto it. She took Max by the hand and led him through the house to the front door, Max only stopping once at the door to the living room.
(Fuck) Gwen thought, she hadn't wanted Max to see that.
"What- What if they wake up?" Max said, the fear rising in his voice."
He thought they were unconscious, Gwen gripped his hand again, thanking god that Max didn't realize what had happened yet, she wasn't sure if she could deal with that right now. "They won't, trust me" She looked at the two on the couch, her eyes drifting to the stack of money where she left it on the table. (Fuck it) she thought, strolling over to pick it up and put it in the bag with what was left of the whiskey.
"Fucking really, Gwen?" the boy threw his arms up, Gwen was strangely excited by his outburst, it let her know the old Max was still there, these people hadn't broken him entirely.
Gwen shrugged. "They don't need it" she said as she joined the boy again.
Max gave one last weary glance back at the figures on the couch before following Gwen out of the house and into the car.
The ride was calm in a weird way, Gwen thought over the night, amazed at how smoothly everything went, she was sure that they wouldn't take the drinks or something fucked up would happen, but no it all went according to David's plan, (Until I almost fucked it up) she thought for a split second before pushing it down, she hadn't fucked it up, it all went according to plan, Max was on his way to David's. She would get payed, and then this would all be behind them.
Max played with the radio for a bit before deciding on some rap station, not a word was spoken between the two, but from the way Max was acting Gwen could tell he was more relaxed than he had been in a while. She glanced at the clock, Jasper's friend would be at the house by now, taking the bodies and cleaning up the glasses, removing every trace of her mal doing. It almost didn't feel real, the words echoed in her head, that she was a murderer, that she killed someone, but every time they did she shoved them down, thinking instead of the kids she had saved, that she had saved Max.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, listening to music and chit chatting, nothing serious, but it was nice, it had been so long since Max had anybody to talk to that wasn't trying to do something horrible to him, and though he wouldn't admit it, he was relishing in the positive attention from Gwen.
it was almost a 6 hour drive to David's house, and it was hard dark by the time they got there. The two shambled into the house, expecting to pass out in the living room until David woke up.
Gwen wasn't really sure why she expected that, knowing that David was an insomniac.