It's been a pretty shitty day. As if washing dishes for hours on end wasn't bad enough, you just had to run into Kai. His cocky face, coupled with his scummy behavior, made your mood plummet faster than you could even blink. Your shift is over now, but you can't help but feel apprehensive as you step out of the building, worried that he's still lurking around somewhere. You certainly wouldn't put it past him.
As it turns out, though, Kai isn't the one waiting for you.
Caleb is.
"[Name]!" he grins. You blink in confusion, since you weren't expecting to see him today. You thought he wasn't scheduled to work.
"Did you get called in to cover for someone?" you frown. "I didn't think you were working today."
"Nah. I went out to buy some things," he says, lifting up a grocery bag, then flashing you yet another grin. "And since I was in the area, I figured I'd stop by to see you after your shift was over."
You're always happy to see him, but before you reply, you furiously glance around for the umpteenth time, just to be sure that Kai isn't still around.
The last thing Caleb needs right now is to run into that prick again.
"Uh, is everything okay?" Caleb asks, frowning a bit. "You look a bit jumpy. Did something happen at work?"
Leave it to him to pick up on your discomfort. Well, you suppose you weren't being terribly subtle in the first place, but whatever. He doesn't need to know that you ran into that douchebag. He'll just get worried, especially since you basically picked a fight with Kai. You should count your lucky blessings just to have gotten away in one piece.
You shake your head. "It's nothing. Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad I got to see you today. You went shopping, so are you headed home now?"
"I was gonna walk with you for a bit, then head back, yeah," Caleb nods. He pauses for a moment. "Um... actually, my house is nearby, so if you aren't too busy... did you want to stop by for a bit and hang out?"
You blink.
He's inviting me over?
How long has it been since you went over to someone's house? The last instance you can recall is when you met up with Felix, and that was certainly not for fun. You honestly can't remember the last time someone invited you to hang out. It's a shitty thing to admit to yourself, the fact that you've had virtually no friends for as long as you can remember.
But things are different now. You have Caleb, after all, and Elliot too. Two friends might not sound like much to most people, but for someone like you, it means more than you can even express.
Besides, when it comes to friends, it's supposed to be quality over quantity, and you certainly feel like you've struck gold with these two.
Even now, you're still not really sure what you bring to the table, or why they even want to spend time with you, but you'll do your best to cherish them. You'll prove that you're a friend worth having.
"Sure," you smile. "I'm not working another job today, so I can hang out for a while."
Caleb's cheeks redden. "R-Really? I mean, awesome! I'm glad you've got some time to spare. I bought a bunch of snacks, so we can pig out back home. I also have consoles if you want to play games. You liked some of the ones we played at the arcade, right? Like Mario Kart."
You remember doing an atrocious job at virtually every game you played back then, but Caleb is babbling on all excitedly, and you have no intention of dashing his spirits. It's also good that he can still talk about the arcade trip fondly, despite how it ended.
True to his word, it doesn't take long to reach Caleb's apartment, and he pauses before unlocking the door, a sheepish look overtaking his expression.
"Um," he blushes, "I haven't really cleaned up recently, so I'm sorry if it's a bit messy."
You chuckle. "Relax. I'm hardly one to judge. I should show you my apartment at some point. Then you'll get where I'm coming from."
"You'd be okay with me coming over?" he blinks.
"Hm? Yeah, of course. My place is pretty crappy, but if you don't mind checking it out at some point, I'd be happy to have you." You smile happily. "We're friends, right?"
Caleb's blush deepens, and after a hasty nod, he opens the door and steps aside to grant you entry.
You're not sure what mess he was talking about, because the place looks perfectly fine to you. As expected, it's nicer than your apartment. You know that Caleb isn't drowning in money either, but without any debts weighing him down, he's been able to do pretty well for himself.
You'd like to think that one day, once you've put this whole nightmare behind you, you'll be able to thrive too.
"Make yourself comfortable," Caleb smiles. He starts unloading the groceries he bought, most of which are snacks, and he lays them out into various bowls.
You sit down on the couch and wait for him. He's around your age, so he lives alone, but you've heard him briefly mention his family once or twice. You're not sure where exactly they live, but they definitely stay in touch. He's got a younger brother, from what you remember.
All your family's ever done is let you down. But at some point, once you're doing better financially and have found yourself a proper career, you'd like to start a family of your own. And you swear to never mistreat your future children or burden them, the way your own parents did.
"Did you remember something funny?" Caleb asks. He brings the bowls over and sets them onto the coffee table, then plops down onto the couch. "You're smiling," he remarks.
"Huh? Oh. Not really. I was just... thinking of the future. I'm trying to imagine things to look forward to, I guess."
You know that starting a family is impossible right now, not to mention that you're still so young. For the time being, you need to focus on yourself. If you stay diligent and do whatever you can to get through the most difficult period in your life, then only good things await you.
Surely.
Caleb smiles again. "Yeah. There's lots of things to look forward to in life. Even when everything seems really hard, don't give up. It'll be worth it in the end."
You don't mean to, but when he utters the words, you find yourself staring at his injured nose. The swelling has gone down by now, but some of the bruising still remains, and you're sure that even if he won't admit to it, recovering hasn't been an easy process.
"Does it still hurt a lot?" you can't help but ask.
"Huh? Ah, you mean my nose." Caleb gently pats the area, then grins. "Nah, it's a lot better now. The painkillers they prescribed me really helped. It's no big deal, and best of all, it doesn't look crooked or anything, right? U-Unless the doctor was lying to me when he said he was able to align it nicely..."
"It looks fine," you reassure. "I just feel bad that you've had to suffer for no reason."
Remembering your meeting with Kai earlier, and how he didn't feel guilty in the slightest, just adds to the feeling of injustice. Life has always been unfair, and you know that all too well, but still. It sucks when good people like Caleb get screwed over.
"Don't worry, [Name]. I might not look it, but I'm pretty tough. Although I guess I'm a little embarrassed that you had to see me lose a fight," he admits.
"What? But he was a vampire. And he attacked you out of nowhere. I doubt anyone would've stood a chance."
"Yeah, but it still made me feel a bit lame. It won't happen again, though," he insists, and he even flexes his bicep, revealing a surprising amount of muscle mass.
You crack a grin. Here you are, worrying about how he's been wronged, but he's as optimistic as ever. Perhaps you should stop dwelling on it. The odds of you running into Kai are slim to none, after all. You're sure as hell never going back to that arcade again.
"Here," Caleb offers, handing you one of the bowls. "Try some of the snacks. I'm gonna load up Mario Kart if you're down to play a bit."
"Fine, fine," you sigh. "But... go easy on me, okay?"
Caleb laughs. "I'll do my best."
Unsurprisingly, your losing streak persists.
...
"[Name]. I only know her first name, not her last name. But I've written down a general description of what she looks like, and I have her phone number saved, if that helps at all."
The man frowns as he stares down at the piece of paper. It's true that he's tracked people down with relatively little information to go off, but it seems strange that his client knows so little about you. Normally, he gets requests from overly jealous partners who are trying to find out if they're being cheated on, or angry divorcees who are hoping to get some dirt to use in court.
"It doesn't sound like the two of you are that well acquainted," he remarks, "since you only know her first name. Also, it would be a different story if I could bug her phone and track her location, but it isn't so easy to track her based on a phone number alone. Does she own a vehicle? It'd be more useful if you gave me a license plate. Also, I could hide a GPS tracker under her car to figure out where she is."
"I'm not sure if she owns a car or not. But I know for a fact that she regularly sells blood at Plasma Inc. You're bound to spot her going into the building at some point."
The man frowns again. "If you know which places she frequents, why are you asking me to track her down? It seems like you'd be more likely to stumble across her on your own. Keep in mind I'm not refusing your request. I'm just a bit confused, is all."
"It's too risky for me. I've been blacklisted from the place, and if anyone sees me, they might call the cops. Not to mention that she'd probably freak out and never go back. And if that happens, I won't be able to find her ever again."
Felix crosses his arms. He's been in a terrible mood these past few days, and it's all your fault.
Just what exactly went wrong? Granted, he may have gotten a bit carried away and taken a little too much of your blood, but it's not like he put your life at risk. You were perfectly fine, and besides, he promised to be more careful from now on. He assured you that it would never happen again.
And yet, you still dismissed him so cruelly. You threw a fit and got him blacklisted from the program. He can still remember the way all those people looked at him. As if he was some sort of monster. Some sort of freak.
He hasn't done anything wrong. Is it really his fault that nearly all blood tastes awful to him? Is he really not allowed to want something, especially when it's the best thing he's come across in his whole life?
Anyone else in his position would have done the same. Everyone has things that they desire, and it just so happens that what he desires most right now is your blood. He even offered to compensate you with a generous sum, so it's not like he was trying to take it by force.
Yeah. It's not his fault. If only you hadn't made such a big deal over nothing. Then he wouldn't have had to resort to such measures.
The only person to blame here is you.
"I thought you were a private investigator," Felix scowls. "Isn't this your job? I told you everything I know about her, and where you're most likely to find her, so what's the issue? She doesn't recognize you, so she won't have her guard up. I'm sure you've tailed people before, so you can follow her home and find out where she lives. That's what I'm paying you for."
The investigator makes a stern face. It's true that this is his job. It's a filthy occupation that involves all sorts of shameless work, and he can admit to it. He's done plenty of things that he wasn't proud of in the past, but at a certain point, he stopped losing sleep over it. He realized that even if he didn't accept the job, some other lowlife would. The world is a massive shithole, and no matter the time or place, someone will always end up being screwed over.
However, this case is special. It gives him pause.
For the very first time, his client is a vampire.
The details of the job are especially harrowing. Felix must have been meeting with you through that program, and for whatever reason, he's been blacklisted and no longer has the right to see you anymore. The fact that he wants to track you down now can only mean one thing.
He's after your blood.
It's obvious what Felix will do once he finds you. He'll take what he wants, without giving you a say in the matter. A dull pain shoots through the investigator's chest. He tries to ignore it, but everything about this situation makes him feel unwell.
If he accepts this job, and sees it through until the end...
He may very well be responsible for the death of an innocent woman.
"Well?" Felix glares. "What's the problem? If it's not enough money, I'll pay you even more. I don't care what it takes. I have to find [Name]. It's no longer an option."
The investigator swallows. Even more money? Already, he's being offered a huge amount. It's the only reason he stuck around this long after discovering the person who commissioned him was a vampire. He may have spent the better portion of his life doing dirty work, but he's certainly not immune to fear, and just being in the same room as Felix is making a nervous sweat break out on his neck.
He shouldn't accept. He really shouldn't. But... what will happen if he refuses? Will this vampire even let him refuse?
Will he be able to leave here in one piece?
The investigator's eyes drift down towards the ground. No. He's being ridiculous. He always comes prepared to these meetings. In fact, he's got a gun holstered and hidden under his clothing. A bullet wound is enough to restrict even a vampire's movements. He could surely buy himself enough time to run away.
It's not that he's not entirely unafraid, but he can't try and pretend as if fear is his only motivator right now.
In the end, it all comes down to the money.
He's being offered yet another dirty job. If he succeeds-which he has almost no doubt that he will-a young woman will find herself victim to a powerful vampire. It's a situation you can't possibly win. Once Felix has you in his clutches, your fate is all but sealed.
He can save you. He can escape right now and pretend like this meeting never happened. Perhaps Felix will fail to secure another private investigator, and eventually, he'll give up on you.
It's no exaggeration to say that right now, your life is in the palm of his hands. Maybe it's finally time he makes the right decision. Maybe he can finally atone for all the shitty choices he's made, and all the innocent people who've had to suffer because of him.
"Getting cold feet?" Felix frowns. "Then how about... I pay you this much?"
He jots down the new amount on the piece of paper, and immediately, the investigator's eyes widen.
It's a lot of money. In fact, it may very well be the most expensive job he's ever taken on. With this much money, he can afford to take it easy for a while. Maybe he can even give himself a little break. Go on vacation and leave this shitty job behind, at least for a while.
The investigator's eyes darken, and as he reaches out to grab the piece of paper, he knows he's already made up his mind.
"I'll do it," he says. "I'll find her. You have my word."
Felix's lips split into a wide grin, revealing his fangs in full.
Money really is the greatest of evils.