cursed is the twenty-fourth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Dismemberment Galore! The Gore Gore Girl. It was originally released on August 19, 2021.
Plot[]
At her workplace while she cuts up a corpse, Sawyer the Cleaner notices an elegantly designed key fall onto the ground, picking it up and examining it. Later at the Yellow Flag, Sawyer is shown wearing the key as an earring on her left ear, gaining Shenhua's admiration. As Shenhua asks her whether the key is real or merely decorative, several policemen enter the bar loudly and walk to the counter. Shenhua listens to them, hearing the police panic about not being able to find a key, causing her to immediately look at the surprised Sawyer. One officer asks what the key is for, and the second cop is not sure, but the third mustached cop says that it is more of an antique with a long history of bloodshed.
Elaborating, he states that the key got into the police's possession recently but is in the arbitration of Hotel Moscow, and Hotel Moscow will lose face if the Russians do not find the key. Additionally, he says that some thug took the key from the evidence room and left, and the cops clink their glasses and drink as Bao discreetly eavesdrops. Hearing the entire conversation, Shenhua advises Sawyer to take off the earring and immediately go home. After the two women and Lotton leave the bar, Sawyer goes to her work place and Shenhua asks if she wants to stay at her place tonight, but Sawyer thumbs up that she will be fine. Once Shenhua tells Sawyer that she will contact her about any news, she and Lotton leave as Sawyer closes the door. Entering the cleaning room, Sawyer turns on the lights and is greeted by three street thugs, who smile maliciously as the leader sits on the table, asking her if she found anything key-related while she chopped apart a man in the room earlier that day.
Seeing the key on her ear, the man laughs that he did not have to torture her after all, ordering her to bring the key to him. Calmly noticing the many cigarette butts on the floor, Sawyer presses a button on the wall, and little drops of liquid sprinkle from the ceiling. Thinking that the sprinkling liquid is water at first, the three men scream loudly seconds later upon realizing that the ceiling has dispensed a corrosive liquid, and Sawyer covers her mouth and exits the room, calmly walking down the hallway. Behind her, she hears the men call for her since they have escaped the lethal sprinklers, so Sawyer violently removes a nearby wall panel and grabs her chainsaw from inside, powering it up. As the short-haired man declares that he has to tell her something, Sawyer turns around and thrusts her chainsaw into the short-haired man who charged into her. In great pain, the man urges her to listen, but she cuts him down in half and afterward walks out of the building.
Later the same night, one of the police officers from the bar runs to the other two and tells them he found the key-thief, elaborating that he died in an unrelated gunshot wound and his body got sent to a cleaner. Surprised by the info, his fellow cop recommends that they leave immediately since other groups are racing to find the key as well. Arriving at Sawyer's work place, the three officers come across two bodies around some gaseous sodium hydroxide inside the cleaning room, covering their mouths to protect their lungs. As one cop says that the two men belong to a different group, another cop thinks to himself how the cleaner has pushed back people who were looking for the key, thinking that he can focus his attention on the cleaner. At that moment, their third cop associate calls for them since he heard about an ongoing brawl between some men and a woman with a chainsaw, fitting the description of the cleaner.
Meanwhile, Sawyer does not look back as she runs from two men who yell to her that they come in peace. When the blond man puts his hand on her shoulder, she immediately turns around and thrusts her chainsaw at him, terrifying the other pistol-wielding man. Coming across the bloody scene, the three police officers are surprised and notice two other men running toward Sawyer. As one man pleads with her to calm down, she throws her surgical scissors straight at his head, piercing his forehead and surprising his comrade. Although the other man pleads with Sawyer not to kill him since they can take the key off her hands, Sawyer swings her chainsaw over her shoulder and swings it downward, cutting down the man. The three cops notice Sawyer's key earring glimmering in the moonlight as she cuts the man, relieving them. One cop remarks that he can kill her now, with the other two giddily encouraging him, reasoning that it will be easy especially since there are no witnesses around and laughing.
Sometime later the next day or so, Balalaika greets Sawyer while the former leans her back against her car. Smoking a cigar, she apologizes for the three cops who gave her trouble, elaborating that she had the three disappeared due to their incompetence. Additionally stating that she hears all news of commotion in the city, Balalaika clarifies that she does not care who owns the key but prefers it in police custody. Speaking about the history of the key, she informs the mellow but confused Sawyer that Hotel Moscow took the matter into their own hands on the condition that the police would guard the key, saying that the key is a relic of a man who held a certain interest in Roanapur. According to her, there is a rumor that whoever owns the key can take over the city, but she confidently comments that Hotel Moscow already has the right to the city. Summarizing that the men who wanted the key probably do not know about such history anymore, Balalaika calmly concludes that the key has no more significance to her.
In response, Sawyer tries to remove her key earring but Balalaika waves her hand, telling Sawyer that she can keep it if she truly likes it. Walking closer to Sawyer, Balalaika states that there was another reason that she wanted the police to hold the key, chillingly smiling and whispering to Sawyer that anyone who holds the key will die, making Sawyer shudder. Turning back to her car, Balalaika tells Sawyer that she is the first person to hold the key and survive, waving goodbye and adding that it is probably best that she holds the key. After Boris stands by and leaves with Balalaika, Sawyer watches them leave and then instantly holds the key in her left hand, blushing and flashing a giddy and wide smile.
Notes[]
- The (colored) title page featured in the original release was not included in the chapter's re-release in Volume 4; a different page of Sawyer finding the key is used instead.