OF THE NIGHT ∘ Seth Gecko

17 | Live With It

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ADDITIONAL CAST

Kate Del Castillo as Silvia

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
LIVE WITH IT

THE HOT WEATHER feels like a weight on my body as my gaze wanders around my surroundings. Little towns are probably the best place for us to be in, but they're not that different from one another and it makes me strive for a change of scenery. That, or being bored and hot is affecting my mood. My gaze moves from the police station I've been sitting in front of for a while now to the book about Mexico that I'm holding open in my hands. After I wandered around the town, I found myself here, doing some research for Seth about how the local police station works, not that he actually asked me to do this.

The real reason to why I'm sitting here is nostalgia. The local police station is very small — it only has one floor, three patrol cars parked at the front and not a lot of movement in and out of it. It's not the most similar to where I used to work, however, it's enough to make me dwell on my memories from my station. I liked going to work, didn't even mind the paperwork that much. I liked the rush that I felt whenever an emergency had to be dealt with and even as a rookie, I liked being a part of something that makes a difference in the world. Sure, a police department isn't solving poverty or fighting for world peace, but it was doing enough in my city.

You can say I'm on the other side of the fence now; living on stolen money, running away from one place to another and tensing up whenever I see any form of law enforcement near Seth. I wonder if my former colleagues would hate me if they knew about my current situation. Then, I push my thoughts and memories away. There is no point in dwelling on my previous working place, no matter how many good memories I have of it, considering the people there abandoned me in my time of need.

After closing the travel guidebook, I give my ponytail a tug and stand up. I feel like I've spent enough time outside for the time being and I head towards the motel we're staying now. It's only a fifteen minute's walk there, but it's enough to make me feel like a sweaty mess.

Entering the motel room we're staying in, I'm very surprised to see Seth there, sleeping. He's lying on his side peacefully and a few steps later, I notice there is a pillow supporting his back. I've seen scenes similar to this one before and I can feel my heartbeat rising as I stare at Seth, hoping that I'm wrong about this.

Then, something catches my eye — a syringe, a lighter, and a spoon. Unfortunately, it means I'm not wrong. No, I think to myself. No, no, no, no, no, no. He didn't overdose, I can see from the steady rise and fall of his chest, but Seth simply using drugs is bad enough.

For a few seconds, I stand there and stare at him before I shake my head, close my eyes in disappointment and sit down on one of the chairs in the room to take off my shoes. I don't try to be very quiet or careful, my current mood making me wish that Seth will get back into consciousness.

He doesn't.

I lose track of time after that. My mind is too focused on taking in what's happening and trying to decide how to face Seth when he'll regain consciousness. It's much harder than it sounds since I feel a strong mix of confusion, anger, and sadness. Pointlessly, I try to understand when Seth started with the drugs, but I can't think of anything that could have hinted on him using them or even starting to. It makes me feel worse.

Personally, I never had a run-in with drugs, at least nothing more than some weed, which was before I started at the police. Aside from that, I only took part in a few drug dealers arrests, but that's it. I don't know what to do with Seth and it makes me pace restlessly around the room. After a while, I even take a short shower to try and calm my nerves, yet it only makes me feel more distressed.