Contents
Thirty-One
Overview
Arthur’s group ambushes Jayne and Ronnie to warn them that King Sorrow is closing in by Easter. A terrifying manifestation bends a streetlamp, Allie shows serpent eyes, and “EASTER” is carved into the Ranchero’s window. Panicked, Ronnie and Jayne flee. Colin admits he fabricated an extra defense to coerce help clearing Arthur’s mother before parole.
Summary
Arthur arrives early behind Shut-Up-And-Eat-It to control the meeting with Jayne and Ronnie. When Ronnie approaches, Arthur smashes his knee with a hammer and topples him. Jayne reaches for a gun, but Gwen slams the door on her, Donna unloads the weapon, and Colin and Van neutralize Ronnie’s butterfly knife.
The group explains they came to help by urging Jayne and Ronnie to flee. Arthur warns King Sorrow is closing in by Easter. Jayne, gaunt and frantic, admits Sorrow has haunted their home and shows “EASTER” scratched into the Ranchero’s rear window. Colin offers a supposed additional defense only if Black Cricket clears Arthur’s mother of the planted shiv before her parole hearing.
As tensions spike, Allie touches her serpent mark and her eyes veil, then return crimson-gold with slitted pupils. The nearby streetlamp’s bulb explodes, and the pole groans, bending into a hook as an unseen mass bears down. Ronnie tries to fire the unloaded pistol; Donna holds the magazine and mocks him. Jayne insists the dragon is present; Ronnie panics.
Ronnie disowns Jayne and attempts to flee, reverses into a dumpster, and Jayne scrambles back in before they speed off. The etched “EASTER” flashes as they go. The friends realize King Sorrow shielded them, while Arthur is shaken by the display of power.
In the aftermath, Van demands Colin’s “other defense,” and Colin admits he lied to force help for Arthur’s mother’s parole. The group stands amid the ozone-scented dark, watching the ruined lamp spit its final sparks, grasping the immediacy of Sorrow’s threat and the narrowing window to act.
Who Appears
- ArthurLeads an ambush, injures Ronnie, warns Jayne and Ronnie about King Sorrow and Easter.
- JayneGaunt and terrified; admits Sorrow’s hauntings; sees “EASTER” on car; flees with Ronnie.
- RonnieKneed by Arthur, disarmed; panics at Sorrow’s manifestation; tries to abandon Jayne, then flees.
- AllieDisplays serpent-linked eyes, signaling Sorrow’s protection; tosses unloaded gun back to Ronnie.
- Colin WrenCalm mediator; proposes flight; leverages parole demand; later admits the extra defense was a lie.
- GwenDisarms Jayne by slamming the door; expresses remorse yet supports the plan.
- Donna McBrideSafely unloads the pistol; strikes Ronnie; retains the magazine to prevent shooting.
- VanHelps neutralize Ronnie, lowers radio, challenges Colin to reveal the supposed defense.