Sleepwalking

two

Ivan reeks.

He smells like he hasn't showered in two months. He just hopes that the smell will come off in one shower. He's covered in blue and purple goop, from that monster. It's dried by now, but it looks like someone drank too much Blue Malibu and puked on him. Miko held her nose the whole ride back to Headquarters and told him that even her eyes burned when she looked at him.

But now he's at home where he can stand in his shower for as long as he wants. So much for a normal night. He can't stop thinking about it. How her body just transformed by him swiping along her lipstick smear. How it screamed. He knows that he should try to forget about it, but what good will that do? It won't solve the problem.

Monsters. How? In Los Angeles, the city of freedom, there are monsters disguised as people. He buries his face into the palms of his hands. Steaming hot water trickling down the nape of his neck and to his back. He wishes he could stay in his steamy shower for the rest of his life.

By the time Ivan's in bed, he realizes that he can't sleep. The monster rests on his mind. How it moved. How it breathed. He wonder how many more of them there are. Who made it, how it got here.

The city's in danger, and he feels as though it's his responsibility to fix it.

"Sleep at all, Detective?" Miko greets sleep-deprived Ivan, who has been chugging coffee all morning. Dark moons curve under his eyes and he scowls. "Me neither." She admits with a small sigh. "But here you go."

A manila file is placed into his hands. It's ultra thin. He doesn't think he's ever seen a file so thin. He sits up at his desk and opens it, revealing a few pictures of Addie Rosencrantz. There are pictures of her entering the bar, and sitting in the corner. A few papers with where she was born and lived, and some random CCTV pictures are shoved in there as well. But there's nothing suspicious about the girl at all. She worked a normal job in an office, had a normal life with friends. No spouse--ever.

"This is it?" Ivan groans and Miko nods her head, her bangs bobbing. "How am I supposed to work with this?" He waves the folder in Miko's face. She pushes his hand out of the way, and sits on his desk.

"Honestly, I don't know. All we've got is that, and what we experienced. If we're going to start hunting these things... guns don't even work." She mutters, covering her mouth and chin with her palm. "Your traditional melee weapon thing worked, but what a miracle that was. Imagine if they evolved or could get bigger and eat us--"

"Miko, please." The Detective rubs his forehead, sighing. "We'll figure it out. We should just start at rule one. Tracing her footsteps. Maybe we'll find something. Ask her friends."

"Friends have already been interviewed. They're horrified." She bites her thumbnail, brows furrowed. Ivan's never seen her so nervous. She's usually uptight and always addressing him as Detective or Sir. Let alone sit on his desk. Ivan doesn't mind the bonding moment, but if Miko is worried, then there's something big going on.

Three knocks at his office door. "Come in!" Ivan calls, and Miko slides off of his desk. It would be seen as unprofessional. It's their boss, Joonho. He's a fat man with a tendency to yell, but also be over affectionate.

"My favorite employees." He grins, his chubby cheeks growing in size. "Heard about your mishap with a... monster."

So he doesn't know what to do either. Ivan concludes, raising his head. He can feel the level of anxiousness rise in the room, heaving with every breath. "We won't disappoint." Miko gives Joonho a reaffirming nod, a smile, and that's the signal for him to leave. Once he leaves, she's back on his desk, legs swinging. "I need a cigarette."