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It was fun until she saw their faces.
Sneaking through the city, hiding behind crumbling houses and busted pipes and throwing rocks to distract the cops on duty, was fun. In that little rush, Little Sally had felt like one of those spies that Officer Lockstock told her about once. She’d giggled behind the fifth trash can, so giddy on the high of playing that the cop that was close by had actually heard her, turning his head this way and that like he was trying to dislodge sounds from his ears.
Her life was nice. Collecting pennies all day was alright, she supposed. She could spot a coin from miles away anyway, and the search gave her the same sort of thrill every time she found one. Officer Lockstock let her chat to him and gave her pennies and answered her questions instead of ignoring her or telling her that she asked too many. She had Archibald with her, and his fur had only worn down a little bit throughout the years. Officer Lockstock didn’t know how to sew or anything, so he’d told her to be careful with Archibald. She would be. She’d take good care of him.
But she couldn’t take care of Bobby Strong when she saw him all the way up on the rooftop of the UGC building.
He usually had a tortured look on his face; she’d seen it every day since she could remember, always hovering around the amenity. Always hoping he’d look her way just once. She’d followed him to the hideout because he was the best thing to ever be in her life.
…Next to Archibald and Officer Lockstock, of course.
But then she saw Officer Lockstock and that other cop, Barrel (she suppressed a shudder, remembering all the times he’d startled her whenever she spoke to Officer Lockstock) next to Bobby on the rooftop. It felt wrong, like seeing Hot Blades Harry and Little Becky Two-Shoes in separate places. Except Harry and Becky were always together, and Officer Lockstock and Barrel and Bobby Strong almost never were.
When was the last time they were ever in the same scene? Back when they met Hope in Scene Three, Little Sally answered herself almost immediately. She always tried to remember everything about the people she liked. Which was really just Officer Lockstock and Bobby, so it really wasn’t an awful lot of people.
Anyway, she was getting distracted. The point was, Officer Lockstock and Barrel were holding Bobby’s arms, and there was something dirty red over Bobby’s eyes.
Blood?
Then Officer Lockstock pulled the red off of Bobby’s face, and she realised that it was meant to be a blindfold.
What are they doing up there? she thought desperately. She wanted to ask Officer Lockstock, but for once, she couldn’t. He was too high up. She could only watch and listen as she heard Ms Pennywise and Hope sing together, only watch and listen as Fipp appeared with the others and they started singing all together.
Only watch and listen as Bobby put the pieces together.
Only watch and listen as he screamed that death is Urinetown.
Only watch and listen as they started singing again.
She didn’t like this song. Too many people were singing, and she didn’t really care for anyone besides Officer Lockstock and Bobby.
(Okay, so she didn’t like any song with Hope in it. But come on! All that girl had going for her was her looks. Little Sally bet that she didn’t even know what metaphysical meant. So much for The Most Expensive University in the World.)
Distantly, she remembered Officer Lockstock telling her that his and Barrel’s names together- lock, stock, and barrel- meant everything, all at once. And in that moment, all she could see, all that mattered were the three on the roof: Officer Lockstock- her Officer Lockstock, the one who answered all her questions and helped her clean Archibald and gave her pennies- and Barrel, their hands still stretched out from pushing Bobby, who was teetered on the edge and tipping.
Tipping-
She could only watch as- as- AS-
…
She wished she hadn’t come to look. She wished she hadn’t watched.
Was there some way to unsee things? Could she do that?
The image of Bobby plummeting-
There was a crunch that reminded Little Sally, absurdly, of what Officer Lockstock had described to her as ‘cereal’. She was glad she was poor so that she’d never have to eat that.
Bobby looked horrible. All- the same red that had been on his eyes- except- it was all colour and everywhere and- it was all red and ugly and she had never hated red more in her entire life.
It felt like there was an awful raw hole in her chest too, but she edged closer to Bobby anyway. She had to be close to him, even if he looked- like- that-
“Little Sally,” Bobby rasped suddenly, and she screamed.
“I’m sorry!” Her hands went everywhere and she almost dropped Archibald, fumbling with him in her hands to stop him from falling into the red. (Blood. So much blood everywhere and it was all red oh god how could she ever see that colour the same-)
“Listen, please.” Bobby’s eyes were barely moving and it scared her. Why couldn’t he move anything, why couldn’t he just- she didn’t know- be alright? Again? Could he just-
“Tell Hope. Tell her…”
She was barely listening when he spoke to her. For once, there was no dreamy-eyed admiration.
Only heart-wrenching horror, stained with blood.
And when Little Sally heard the thumps of leather police boots, she ran back to The Secret Hideout with half an inch of wet blood creeping up her dress.