Sirius —

Sometimes, do you ever hear something but don’t quite grasp it right away, leaving you to wonder if you actually heard it correctly in the first place or even if you heard it at all? But after a second, it clicks just like that, like a snap of the finger. And you realize you did hear it, or at least you managed to.

To me, right now, this very second that very problem was occurring with a sounded that sounded muffled—at least, that’s what I initially thought. However, after taking a moment to really listen, I began to realize the words being spoken.

“Grimes…”

It was hard to make out who was looming over me. A dark figure, primarily because of a harsh white light sitting just past their shoulder, hung there, obscuring my vision and blurring them to an almost unrecognizable shape. Then again, I can assume my vision was still adjusting from a haze that lingered from what felt like a long nap.

“You shouldn’t get up too fast!” They spoke, their voice heavy with concern.

That voice…

I recognized it—at least, I think I do. The pitch and tone. Trying to piece it together left me with a searing pain in the backside of my head.

“Wh-what…” My voice crawled out, slow and muddled, each letter a laborious effort. 

“Grimes…” They repeated.

Thankfully, my vision finally had come to. Lines were drawn with sharp edges, and colors were stationed to their usual hues, where one would expect of certain things. Just before me sat a dreary, grey, and white gloomy room. The stench of the dead tickled my nose like some strange viscous soup brewed together by left-over body parts. Just kidding. There was no such smell, but it was concerning how I was lying on a table with a white sheet covering my legs as if dressed for the next serving.

“This is…”

“A morgue,” answered the voice, finishing my sentence. Finally, putting a face to the tone, I could see who was hanging about by my side with a look of worry.

“Macie…?”

“Oh, thank God. When I got the call, my heart stopped. What sort of nasty business have you been up to since I’ve been away? I knew it. You do need me as your trusty sidekick.”

“What? Shut up.” Taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I turned to her. “Where… No—why are you here?”

“The, the morgue…? Is your hearing still not working? Of course, I would be here. I am your emergency contact, silly. When they told me that you got shot in the head…”

“S-shot?” I tried to recall how I ended up in this place, but the very moment I thought about it, my head felt like it was about to split open.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” chimed voice.

It’s sweet tone, sultry tone drew my attention to the corner of the room where a peculiar woman sat. She had long, orange hair framed by a slender face adorned with long lashes. Her striking crimson-colored eyes sparkled behind glasses that I suspect weren’t prescribed. For a moment, her fangs glinted playfully behind her supple lips, which curved into a mysterious smile.

Immediately an instinct came over me, centering on one feeling—to fear her. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but the hairs on my neck bristled, and my skin felt foreign. Instinctively, I shifted Macie further away from the woman sitting there, entirely devoid of any presence. 

Frankly speaking, I was uneasy and unsure if she was even real. A figment of my imagination given her existence held no sound. If not for her words, I would have never even noticed her.

“Who are you?”

“Before we get to that, let’s clear the room, shall we?”

She snapped her fingers.

A vacant expression took presence upon Macie’s face. Not another word was uttered from her as her hands dropped me and her posture straightened. The next thing I knew, she was moving to the door to leave. 

I tried to stop her, but as I rose, my legs gave. Nothing but a stumbling fool, a baby deer on ice who lost control of her own legs. My salvation came from a sturdy grip and a slight lean upon the table to my side.

“Careful little one,” she warned.

“Shut up!”

“You aren’t fully healed. Much to my advice, it would be best to refrain from doing anything too drastic so soon. That includes heeding my earlier words—recollecting the moment of what happened to you, at least not yet, not until you’re fully healed. One well-placed silver bullet shot to the hippocampus, oof. Most vampires would take days to recall even who they were. Not you, though. Not that I’m surprised.”

After gaining some semblance of feeling back into my legs to steady myself properly, I stared off at the door. Macie was already gone, leaving me alone with this mysterious woman.

“What the hell did you do to her?”

“It’s alright, just some hypnosis. You and I need to speak privately, after all.”

Hypnosis? Is this really what it looks like? I’ve only heard of a handful of people who recognized such a genuine ability exists. Even fewer can identify an individual capable of executing it.

“Why would I want to speak with the likes of you? Who are you?”

There was some concern. A question lingering in the air for me to pluck. All I needed to do was just say the words.

“It is quite a parlor trick, isn’t it? But don’t worry. You’re not under it. Vampires can’t induce the suggestive influence on one another. You have your eyes to thank for that, among other things.”

It was as if she had read my mind, supplying an answer to a question I had not even posed yet. 

“Piss off!”

“Quite a snappy one, aren’t we? Be wise about this little one. I am nothing like the lowlife thugs you have been dealing with up until now.”

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder—it was hers. Instantly, she had abandoned her seat and stood by my side. Her grip was gentle, yet every fiber of my being screamed for escape. Only a brief moment had passed before she let go to take a stroll around me. Her heels tapped against the floor to alert me of her presence this time. 

She made herself really comfortable by taking to the table I had just risen from to sit. Her brow was soft with a curious gaze. She was studying me.

“What—”

“Who, little one, and it is Evelyn. I know all about you. Sirius Hush Grimes. A private detective who deals in special cases for the very discreet or, at the very least, the ones involving those that lurk in the shadows. Here’s the thing. You should be more careful when snooping about.”

“Is that right? What does it matter to you?”

“Just call me a concerned citizen, that’s all. There’s been a lot of rumors about you. No name, just some persona. A mad bat, a vigilante who might have a few screws loose, asking some rather interesting questions.”

“My questions shouldn’t be a problem for a concerned citizen, so let’s cut to the chase. What do you want?”

“It’s quite simple, I suppose.” She paused for a moment before tossing a bag to my feet. “’Tis the season of giving after all, isn’t it? So I am feeling a bit generous.”

Inside were several barely translucent bags that held a dark red liquid. Each was labeled, of course, with specific details and, among other things such as files and photos.

Taking but only a second to glance through them left me more suspicious than curious. 

“I have to wonder what exactly is in it for you.”

“Of course you do. But as I said, I am nothing more than a concerned citizen. As a medical professional, I can’t stand by while someone is hurt. It took you four hours to recover from that shot to the head. If they had known what you were, things might have ended up a bit differently.”

“How so?”

“For starters, they got away. Shot you with a silver bullet, and those aren’t cheap. Even enforcers of the law are sparingly supplied such. Suffice it to say, whoever tried to kill you is well-armed, well-connected, and well-supported. All the hysteria caused by the scene, now nothing but hushed murmurs, despite it being in a very public place. If you don’t believe me, turn on the news, love. To do what they did and make it all go away just like that requires…”

“Hypnosis…?” I asked skeptically, eyeing her in the corner.

My words only inspired a smile to cross her face. Her whole spiel didn’t come from a place of concern or worry but out of what looked to me as an inconvenience. 

Admittedly, it was hard to get a read off of her. Her words, tone, mannerisms, everything seemed suspiciously catered to feed me that notion, yet I wasn’t entirely convinced of that either.

“…powerful friends.”

“I’ll ask you again, what do you want?”

This Evelyn woman, took to causally having a little smoke break to herself. Her gaze tracing along everything and nothing at the same time, before falling back on me.

“A month ago, you had handled a case on a private cruise vessel from here to London. Before it left, you managed to locate a serial killer hiding among the passengers. I must admit I was impressed by your skills, though you lack a certain level of refinement.”

“What are you on about?”

“What I am on about is that you need to be better at paying attention and being careful before you open Pandora’s box, love. Because once it’s open, it can’t be closed. On that ship, there was something far more dangerous than your little serial killer. If it got out, who knows what sort of hell this city would have been in. But I am not here to talk about that. What I am referring to is your little vendetta.”

Her words moved me to lurch forward. Before I knew it, I could feel my fangs flashing. “How do you—”

“How adorable,” she interrupted, her smile a razor’s edge. “No need to shoot such a harsh glare. Relax yourself, I am inno need of getting my clothes dirty.” She paused, leaning just close enough to make me uncomfortable. “Even if I was, do you really think you can take me in your state?”

The thought crossed my mind on several fronts. How I would restrain her should it come down it. Could I really take her? Would she still be so forth coming in chattering about with such a practiced smile, telling truths that felt like lies,or lies that carried the weight of truth? 

Not even sure how strong she is, or how she pulled that stunt earlier. Despite the deliberate openings she left—vulnerable spots that seemed almost choreographed—something kept me hesitant. Each exposed vulnerability felt like a carefully laid trap. She was right, and the admission burned. Killing vampires wasn’t a simple task. Speed, endurance, and sheer luck were critical, and right now, I was running dangerously low on all three.

“You search for a monster, yes? A particular one at that.”

“You know?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. As I said, I am nothing more than a concerned citizen who doesn’t like folks getting unnecessarily caught in the crossfire. Be smart. You are a detective, after all. Now, if you will excuse me, I am a doctor, and my patients are waiting for me upstairs.”

The last puff from her last drag bellowed from her nostrils, quite smoothly if I had to rate it. As for the smell it quickly was over taken by the blood bags by my feet. They weren’t only thing that drew me in to linger about in my thoughts. But they sure did hold my primary attention.

Bashfully, I took to draining them individually. My fangs piercing the barely translucent plastic. The sweet nectar ran down my throat, making my body feel whole. It wasn’t enough. Nowhere near close, especially given how long it had last been. 

I could only curse under my breath, as if felt like the floodgates been open. Striking myself off from the very thing I need the most for so long had riddled my body with a terrible affliction. My hands trembled with a craving for more now. Steadying them required me to breathe slowly as I collected myself.

Focus. Focus. Get control over yourself. The hunger doesn’t control you. You control it.

After wiping my mouth clean, I finally opened the door to see that Macie had been there all along, sitting on a bench down the hall. Her face was still expressionless, her eyes transfixed on nothing but the wall in front of her.

“Macie…”

My words seemingly snapped out of the trance. Her posture relaxing ever so slightly before turning towards me.

“Oh, Grimes! Thank goodness. They told me to wait since I am not family, but the news worried me.”

“Are you alright?” I asked. I suspect her words were spurned by the effects of the hypnosis. “Do you remember anything about the woman?”

“Of course, I am not alright. When they said that you had been shot over the phone—I had rushed right over. But…but when I arrived…”

Macie’s words trailed off as if she was lost in thought. Her focus went elsewhere as she dazed off into nothing in particular. It was brief before her attention fell back on me, and words came to her lips again.

“Grimes… Oh my goodness! Are you alright? I heard…”

“Yes, I am fine. You should head home before it gets too late.”

“But it’s only midday. Oh no, are you mad at me for going into your phone without permission and putting myself as your emergency contact? I know, I know, we talked about this, but come ooooonnn.”

Honestly, I had half a mind to give it to her for several reasons, but I shelved it to the side, worried that her psyche was probably not in the best condition right now.

“It’s really alright. Go home and get some rest. I will give you a call if anything else comes up.”

“But…”

After some persuasion, I finally managed to convince Macie to leave and go home. She’s peculiar—always has been—but pales in comparison to the doctor who had just handed me those intriguing snippets of information. Her words had burrowed deep, alluding to my vendetta. A closely guarded secret that few people knew of. 

But I scoffed at the details of what I truly found. In the folders she provided a series of documents. Various areas circled and highlighted a name—Samuel Hummings.

The name was familiar, but I couldn’t place it as I had never seen the man’s face before.

“Wait a minute...”

The more I read, the more I connected the dots of the various information provided. It had nothing to do with my ownpersonal searching, rather the very recent new case I had picked up. News articles, DNA reports, eyewitness accounts. I had several concerning questions about how that woman had procured these, but if this was true, then that meant my suspicion about the missing children was correct. It wasn’t just the Piper; it was Samual Hummings, the one who had been caught several years back and was reported dead within his cell. 

How was he still alive?