In the Silence
Robin’s Arrest — A Ficlet
Scarlet opened his computer on the rickety table and looked at the faces gathered around him where he sat in a folding chair in the gloomy basement. “I should warn you,” he said, unusually serious. “This is hard to watch.”
John’s stomach swooped, and he clenched his hands together, digging the fingernails of his right hand into the back of his left.
Scarlet tapped the screen, and the video started.
A figure stood in the middle of the video feed, hands raised. Police officers with guns moved in from all around, and the figure’s head turned. His face caught the light, and John gasped involuntarily. It was Robin.
He’d known — they’d all known — but having it confirmed still hurt John’s heart. And then, it got worse.
The officers rushed in and pushed Robin to his knees as he put his hands behind his head. And then one of them cuffed Robin’s temple. It was like a dam breaking as fists started to fall all over Robin, knocking him to the ground where he curled into a ball as booted feet took over from the fists. In the silence of the CCTV feed, the violence was eerie and horrifying.
Beside John, Marian broke the quiet with a choked sound, and Stutely said in a voice as cold as ice, “Fuckers.”
