not down here

who: Corey
where: the tunnels
when: late afternoon

Corey was having an incredibly bad day. There was no other description that fit, it was just bad, all the way around. With the violence so widespread above ground, there were floods of people retreating to the underground. Which meant they were flooding into her territory. And a lot of them were fine. A lot of them lived there or at least lived there part time. But not everyone. And some of the fights, they even started to spill down into the tunnels, for one reason or another. Sometimes people were chased in, sometimes they started something on their own.

Either way, she was spending a ton of her time putting out fires. And with her ribs still broken, and little help going on, there wasn't much she could do but keep going, keep ignoring everything she could, and keep putting more and more people on guard duty. As she walked up to the latest scuffle, she saw several people standing back, not edging in to stop it. She was about to ask why when she saw it. In the faint light, she saw that gleam of metal, a blade. And as she watched the scene more, she realized she wasn't seeing a fight. She was seeing a murder. Whoever that teenager was that was on top, he wasn't just punching the one beneath him repeatedly, he was stabbing him. And the unfortunate victim...well, they weren't moving anymore beyond twitches and the movement from the force of the blows.

She stopped, watching, before she brought up her slingshot, took careful aim, and let the steel ball fly. It was a threat she often passed out, though it was the first time she'd ever made good on it. But people knew the rules. You didn't bring topside bullshit down below. The tunnels were a separate world so far as it's inhabitants were concerned. And after spending all day reminding people of that little fact, she was done. Especially considering she was seeing a level of brutality that she knew was alive and well down there. Alive, well, and possibly looking for an excuse. Well, she wasn't happy to give it. There was a balance to maintain, and this was part of it.

The ball caught the boy directly in the side of the eyesocket, and sent him falling to the side off of the dead boy. The crowd gathered, looked back to see her there, and they all pushed back as she walked forward. The boy had one hand clapped up over his eye, or what used to be his eye. She looked down at him, slingshot still held out, just in case. "This isn't happening. Whatever conflict is going on up there? It doesn't get brought down here." she said, tone clear, even.

The kid stared up at her with his remaining eye, and the grip on the knife he had got more steady. Corey brought the slingshot up and aimed squarely at his staring eye. "I will blind you." she said, tone entirely merciless. She meant it. "I'll get you before you get me." she continued. "Leave. And tell everyone what happened to you. Better spread the word fast. Anyone who brings this down here is walking out less than whole--if they walk out at all."

Wisely, the kid with the knife took off, heading back out towards the light as quickly as he could manage down an eye.

Once he was gone, Corey walked over to stand over the corpse on the ground. The kid was young. Younger than the one she'd hit was, that was for sure. And he was most certainly dead. She was positive he wasn't going to be the only casualty of whatever was happening. Looking back at the crowd, she didn't say anything for a few long moments. "Sanctuary is available." she said. "But anyone causing any trouble gets ejected immediately, with as much force is necessary to protect people. I want every entrance covered. However many you need to keep it covered, that's what you take. Take more than you think you need...we don't want to be treading through blood." When she was finished, a few broke off to go spread the word, but most of them stayed there, to guard that entrance. Corey started walking back into the blackness of the tunnels. "Find a place for him." she called, voice echoing a light bit. They didn't have graves, per se, but they had places they put people, where they'd be brought back to nature, as it were. At least he wouldn't be left to rot in the streets, or even in the tunnels.

Now her job was to make sure no one else joined him. At least not down there.