Around him, the others began to giggle and thrash as well, stumbling over each other, crawling in circles, smearing their own blood across the ground as they rolled and laughed like broken puppets.
The noise drew people out of the black market compound. One by one they appeared at the entrance, staring in disbelief.
"What happened to them?"
"They all just... snapped?"
"They deserved it. They've killed too many people. Half our goods used to be taken the moment we walked in. Anyone who refused was beaten or disappeared."
Murmurs swelled, unmasking years of fear and resentment. Secrets that had been buried in silence spilled out now that the tyrants lay twitching on the ground.
Robert heard every word. He couldn't speak to deny it. Couldn't shout. Couldn't defend himself. Only that idiotic laughter kept escaping his throat, cruelly turning his humiliation into entertainment for the crowd.
