“...Fine… I suppose…” Mia simply mumbled her answer out.
“My condolences for your colleagues. They were meant to lead a long life.” Mia nodded in agreement at Lydia's remark. “After all, it's your fault those women lost their lives.”
Mia couldn't believe what she heard. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“It is exactly what I said. Their blood is in your hands. Even after explicit warning, you still interfered.” Lydia elaborated monotonously. Her sympathy was seemingly replaced with scorn, directed towards only Mia.
“When? How?”
“Oh, seems I have to start from there… On July 18th, that is almost two months ago, you might have received an order from your Chief to transfer the case to higher authorities.”
“So, that was your doing?”
“Yes, it is. I heard sob stories from the Chief herself, how you threw a tantrum for the case. Poor Canepa…”
"Obviously! I did most of the legwork and almost got the culprits myself-"
“Except those culprits would be using you as a blood bag, if it weren't for your Chief and my agent. I actually wanted to recruit you before you went off the grid, that is. And look where that led to…” Lydia sighed. “Anyways, I took the burden off your hands, so why are you angry?”
“After I transferred the case, I couldn't look the families in their eyes as a result. They trusted in me… they believed in me… that I can put those monsters to justice. Until you barged in and disrupted everything!”
“I care less, Ms. Kazuma. The fact is your actions have endangered the community, made two casualties and almost exposed the world, of the Paranormal. Based on that, I should've tied the loose ends. On the spot.” Her threat reminded Mia of Luca's threat. She realised that Luca disobeyed a direct order, sparing her. She was meant to die last night.
"If you have realised the gravity of the mess done, then take this.” Lydia handed her an earpiece. “From now on, you're one of us. If you have any doubts, you can ask-"
"Now, hold on a minute! I'm not joining here. I've no intention of joining-"
“No. If you're not tied, then you're stitched. Into the cloth. That's how it's always been. Now, run along, I've work to do.” With that, the meeting ended. For Mia, it was sour. A bout of unexplained wrath boiled within her, making her stomp around like a storm.
The thunderous slam of the door opened Lydia's eyes into reality, her awareness resumed.
‘Oh my, how time flies…’ Switching on the computer which is in-built within the desk, Lydia gleaned through new info.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Luca, new mission. Meet me fast. By the way, bring her too.” She called through her earpiece.
“Nice style, my dear. I'm seeing you in a new light.” Lydia complimented on noticing her hairdo.
“Yeah, never knew Mia with short hair is something I needed to see.” Lydia could sense the feeling of plain infatuation in Luca's tone.
“Luca, Mia, let me brief you on this mission. There is an abandoned building that is gaining infamy for dozens of mysterious disappearances. Although it's suspected to be a feeding ground, nothing is set in stone. Just search around and gather some info. It must be relayed to other divisions. If possible, find and dispel the root cause on the spot. Am I clear?” Lydia briefed.
“Yes, ma'am! But ma'am, Mia is still a newbie… what to do?” Luca asked.
“You need not worry about that. She will be provided. Now, get moving.”
Two hours later, the watch beeped 12 as Luca and Mia stood before the entrance of the building. After checking their gear, they both stepped inside.
Instantly, their surroundings went dark. Mia fumbled to grab her flashlight, while Luca stood frozen. To their horror, day became night.
“Great… Mia, stay on guard.” Luca sounded annoyed when he whispered.
“Why are you so tensed?” She whispered back.
“We've entered ghost territory. The night sky now is just an Why does it have to be ghosts?”
“What's wrong with that? Aren't you strong?”
“Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I can fight spirits. I can only sense them at most. Remember, this is a scouting mission, not a hunt.”
“Then, what are we going to do?”
“I'll avoid places that have strong presences. Meanwhile, you follow me and collect evidences to prove the boss wrong. This place was never a feeding ground in the first place.” Luca clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“And how to do that?” Mia asked.
“The earpiece has an in-built camera. See this sensor here? Luca pointed a blue-rimmed sensor below the receiver. “Hold the earpiece like a TV remote and keep your finger on the sensor and voila, photo! Straight to the boss's computer.”
Mia was impressed on hearing the technology behind the earpiece. Soon, she started working, under Luca’s guidance around the site.
Time passed as their investigation continued until Luca stopped Mia in her tracks.
In the middle of the chilly corridor stood a tall, lanky ghost, twitching and twisting scarily.
“Mia, back steps. Slow…” Luca instructed in a whisper
He felt relief when Mia went out of the corridor, but his bad luck invited danger when the floor below his foot creaked.
Loud footsteps grew louder and closer as the ghost sprinted towards Luca. With a hoarse roar, it swatted him away, sending him flying.
Luca broke through a wall, back first. He was mostly unharmed, thanks to his vampiric strength. Still, he was no match for the ghost. He also knew Mia will be in danger she was spotted.
“Hey, ugly! You wanna piece of me? Come and get it!” Luca taunted the ghost and baited himself to be the ghost's target, leaving Mia out of harm's way.
After a lengthy chase, dodging and slashing whatever was thrown at him, Luca got trapped into a dead-end. The ghost blocked his path, with a look of raging hunger.
“Curse this…” Luca grumbled angrily, stood his ground to fight the ghost, when it started to glow with a blue light.
The light engulfed the ghost completely, forcing Luca to shield his eyes. Afterward, the light died, the ghost disappeared and in its place, lied an arrow.
As Luca bent down, picking up the arrow to check it, the corridor echoed with footsteps.
Out of the shadows emerged a bespectacled man, armed with a crossbow. His calm demeanour and allegedly triumphant smirk slightly irritated Luca.
“Who are you?” He demanded.
Before the crossbowman could say anything, screams filled the corridors.
“Out of the way!” Luca shoved him in panic and sprinted out of worry for Mia, with the crossbowman on his tail.
[To be continued]