Page 27 of If They Knew

“Hey, everything’s going to be fine, I promise,” Tyler says, gently wiping her face with a cloth. Kelly doesn’t respond. She just sits there quietly; her blood-shot eyes fixed on the floor.

Mary speaks up, drawing my attention to her. “I was in the middle of taking inventory of our medical supplies.”

“And I was dealing with a personal issue,” Logan adds, glancing at Kelly. “What happened to her?”

“What kind of personal issue?” I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

“If I wanted you to know, I wouldn’t have said personal,” Logan replies in his usual assholish manner I’ve become accustomed to lately. “Now, what happened to her, and what’s this emergency meeting about? Tyler wouldn’t tell us anything.” I run my fingers through my hair and let out a ragged breath.

“We have a… situation,” I answer, trying to find the right words to explain Kelly’s actions.

“Clearly, or I wouldn’t be here, so what is it?” Logan demands. Everyone in the room stays silent for a moment. “Well? I’m waiting. Are you going to tell me, or are we just going to sit here in fucking suspense all goddamned day?”

“Julie and I went up to grab some breakfast and —”

“Kelly became a badass and killed John with a dinner fork,” Julie says abruptly, like it’s something Kelly should be proud of.

Mary gasps at Julie’s words. “The asshole deserved it,” Julie replies.

“What the fuck? How did this happen?” Logan asks.

“It’s a long story,” I say.

“Make it short and tell me. We can’t have people killing people without consequences; the whole ship will be in an uproar.” Ignoring his snide comment, I look to the back of the room and see Mary standing with her hand still over her mouth. She glances around the room, then back to Kelly.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

Kelly doesn’t answer. Tyler speaks up instead, “Yeah, she’s fine.”

“Once again, can someone tell me what the fuck actually happened?” Logan demands. His voice is growing more irritated by the second.

“Julie and I went to breakfast like we always do,” I say as I rub my hand over my beard. “John walks up, trying to make small talk with us. Suddenly, there are screams, and Jake and Brent are pinning a woman to the ground, demanding she empty her pockets. I asked what was going on, and John said people have started taking their rations to their rooms to eat, and that if they didn’t eat in the dining room, they won’t eat at all. He then lost his shit on me and Julie after I told him he couldn’t do that, then he basically threatened us. Then, from the back of the room, Kelly comes up and gets in his face; he’s a dick to her as well, and after he tries to punch her, she loses it. She picks up the fork, jumps on his back, and stabs him in the neck multiple times. And now we’re here in a meeting about what our next steps should be.”

“Well, fuck me,” Logan says, massaging his temples. Then his face lights up with a smile, and he bursts into laughter. “I guess I should say thanks, Kelly. That guy was a total power-hungry asshole, and now there’s one less thing to worry about. Honestly, I was ready to take him out myself.”

Not the reaction I was expecting. We all give him a look of surprise.

“Logan, this isn't a joke. This is serious. She killed someone, and people are going to ask questions and demand she be punished. We can't let people just go around killing each other.” I look over at Kelly, and she is still staring at the floor. “So what are we going to do now?”

“We don't have a jail to put her in. So what are our options?” Logan asks.

“We can take away her food rations for a few days as punishment,” Mary says.

“No, I'm not letting her go without food,” Tyler says.

“Well, Tyler, what do you suggest? She killed someone. Taking away food sure seems like a pretty light punishment if you ask me.” He doesn’t answer, and I can tell he is contemplating what to say. “Or, we could barricade her in a room like a prison cell. Would you rather us do that?” I ask. Looking around the room, no one else says anything. They all just stare blankly.

“I'm fine without eating. I really am sorry.” Kelly says.

“Sorry doesn’t bring John back, or prevent the rest of the passengers from acting out,” I snap back. Julie grabs my hand and I pull it away.

“I actually like the idea of building a prison cell,” Logan says, grinning like all of this is some kind of sick comedy show for him. I can't fucking stand this guy.

“No. We are not locking her up. She will go without food for three days.” I quickly change the subject before anyone else can object. “So, who's going to take over John's job? We need someone we can trust and who won't try to control everything.”

“You're right. That can also be part of her punishment. Since Kelly is the one who killed him, she should take his responsibility,” Logan answers, his gaze landing directly on Kelly. “Kelly, you're going to be the one to take over John's job, and then you can explain to each person you see why you did it.”

“Okay,” Kelly says quickly, as if trying to change the subject. I stare at her, studying her, reading her lips as she whispers under her breath, “I can’t believe I did this again.” Again?