SYNDICATE - Season 1 - Episode 9

Episode 6 years ago

SYNDICATE - Season 1 - Episode 9

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Carol looked at the legs of a coworker that was wearing a skirt. She had always thought that girl in particular was hot. The girl was talking to some office “s--d muffin” that almost all the females swooned over. He smiled and winked at the girl. Carol made a face and rolled her eyes. Her last girlfriend, Ashley, had left Carol because Carol “complained too much.” Carol snorted. Ashley would complain too, if she had a job like this.

Carol dragged her practically lifeless body from the building at five o’ two. Overtime would be the end of her. She walked a few hundred yards to the bus stop. Her apartment was only a few miles away, so she never found a reason to buy a car. Carol would rather invest her money in recreational vehicles. She boarded the bus and sank into a chair next to an older man. He smiled and winked at her. She ignored him. Kickboxing was at seven tonight, and then re-runs of ER would be playing until ten. Kickboxing was the one tiny gem of light in her day. Carol’s cell phone buzzed. It was her mother.

She rolled her eyes and ignored the call.

The woman was always trying to set her up with prominent and wealthy women. It was pretty obvious from a young age that Carol was homosexual. She always dressed and acted like a boy, she would copy her older brother on everything. Her dad and brother didn’t care that she was gay, they were so la!d back. Her mom, on the other hand, was a little too overzealous about it.

She was still thinking about her family when the bus stopped at her station. Deep in thought, Carol almost didn’t get off the bus. At the last second, she jumped up and hurried off the vehicle. It was still quarter of a mile or so to get back to her apartment. She didn’t see him coming. So when he tackled her to the ground, it took a few seconds to register what was happening. The sun was low in the sky, and she had taken the shortcut through the small alley. This wasn’t the first time she had been jumped, only the first time she had been attacked from behind. She was being held down. There were two of them.

Her attacker fought hard to try and keep all her limbs in check, but at one point, one of her arms got free. That was his fatal error. She grabbed a nearby rock and smashed it into his head. He yelled in surprise and pain, and rolled off her. The other attacker was grabbing her bag. It was a woman. She put up her fists. The woman turned to run.

Carol rolled her eyes. This woman had made so many mistakes, it was laughable.

Mistake number 1: her hair was loose.
Carol grabbed the woman’s blond hair, and felt no obligation to be gentle. She ripped the woman’s hair back, jerking her head up and back. The blond fell to the ground.
The man jumped up to attack, but she gave him a hard uppercut to the jaw and he dropped like a sack of meat. Carol blocked the woman’s feeble kicks, s-------d her, and punched her in the face multiple times.
The woman spat out blood, her eyes rolling back. The blond had fainted. Carol regained her feet and kicked the man a few times in the ribs. He sputtered and coughed. And then, for her own fun, and for good measure, she alternated between the man and the woman, kicking them in the ribs and the back.
She wanted them to feel the effects of their pathetic little attempt for weeks to come.
Her male attacker barely conscious, and the woman completely passed out, Carol rolled her eyes and went to pick up her bag.
If someone was going to attack her, she at least wanted a good fight. Carol looked for her bag, then found it being offered out to her by the outstretched hands of a movie-star looking man. He was smiling at her.


“Hello, miss,” he said. “My name’s Will. What’s yours?”
* * *
It was evening. Will and Murphy and many of the other non-permanent members of the household had left for the night. Lia only had minimal interaction with Kieran all day, and she was feeling upset. She always liked Kieran’s company. She saw him and Alice on their way to his room. Alice was talking in her gruffy voice, and coughing. Lia smiled to herself and left.

She came in the next afternoon to a silent house. Lia hung her coat in the employee closet. She saw her mother come shuffling up to her.


“Lia! We’re short- staffed tonight, so be diligent,” her mom said.


“Mom, what’s going on?”

“Oh… I forgot to tell you. Alice passed away early this morning.”