"Shall we go, Jerr?"
Connor wanted him to inquire the corpse and meet the neighbours of the victim.
But as soon as he turned around and saw his painful expression, Connor was forced to question him.
"Are you alright, buddy?"
Jeremy felt a sharp pain in his arm but nodded in agreement immediately with a forced smile.
"Oh, yes. Let's go, I want to wind up everything for today already."
Connor never really understood his weird behaviour and habits, because Jeremy had been like this ever since he lost his wife in an accident.
They both approached the staircase which soon turned into an elevator as soon as they stepped on it.
'I don't have much time to play this game anymore,'
Jeremy held his arm in pain and felt it paralysed.
'I have to find this criminal to put him behind the bars, before my time is up in this world.'
They both exited the building and headed towards the skybridge Jeremy had seen before.
"I believe the doctor had already devised some conclusions by now, we should head fast to the lab."
Connor walked a few steps ahead of Jeremy, who had been sweating profusely by now.
'Fuck! No, no.'
He could feel that his body was about to change again.
'I can't change here in broad daylight. I must find a way to head back home.'
Jeremy was aware of the familiarity of the symptoms and didn't want to scare anyone.
In the era driven by technology and science whereas no one believed in superstitions and stupid curses, Jeremy was stuck in the middle as a gateway perhaps.
The orange glass on the sides of skybridge shone bright powering up the whole residential buildings which were adjoined.
Jeremy looked up in the sky where a visible shield of energy was glowing, to protect and purify the atmosphere while maintaining the temperature.
'It's not even hotter than usual, why am I sweating like this?'
His shirt was wet from armpits and breath was getting heavier.
"Hey, you don't look good to me."
Within his confusion Jeremy didn't notice Connor paying attention to his dawdling.
"Don't push yourself, no one will grab you by collars for procrastinating for a day."
He chuckled while describing the perks and privileges given to Jeremy.
No doubt whatever he said was true because Jeremy was one of the best detectives and the mayor of the city loved him.
"Hey, you know I have never taken advantage of that."
The honest detective rebuked him while glaring at his pal.
"Yeah, yeah I know. Now let me drop you home, let that ass get some rest."
Connor supported him by wrapping arm around his shoulder.
He supported Jeremy throughout and both reached a luxurious residential area, well no doubt the whole was laced with technology at every step.
"Watch your step, man."
Connor politely guided him considering Jeremy's swaying condition.
They both crept into a glass elevator which was outside the building and headed towards the particular apartment.
With the elevator being outside the building it prevented the ratio of crimes, because no fool would dare to invade with higher chances of getting seen.
Well, of course there was no other way to go inside.
"Thanks, bud. I'm feeling better now, you can head back to your work."
He stopped him on the doorsteps and without any resistance Connor obliged.
"Argh! My head."
He pressed his thumb over the device box and within a click the door lock opened. The apartment lit up automatically sensing the footsteps.
Jeremy walked inside the glum apartment holding his head, with each step the pain grew stronger.
"He...he is coming. Gah!"
Somehow he reached the lounge when he stumbled on the floor breathing heavily.
His vision got blurry for a moment and the wrist burnt as he groaned. Soon before he was about to pass out the full wall digital screen shone bright.
[Hello, dear Jeremy.]
A figure appeared on the screen holding a scythe and was clad in a black cloak. He had no face which scared Jeremy that he immediately backed off.
"Y- you...you!"
He immediately recognized the 'death' and knew it was about to come to meet him.
[Yes, me. I'm disappointed in you Jeremy that despite being given so much time, you are still incompetent to solve this riddle.]
Jeremy knew that he had to unfold this mystery of psycho killer or else something bad will happen. No doubt he had this gut feeling the day he opened his eyes in this world.
All he had acknowledged was some information he searched and a few facts filled in by others.
Detective Jeremy Grayson was the only son of two university professors who died in a car crash. He completed his education in an orphanage funded by the government.
In his adolescence he got recruited in a cybersecurity agency which also dealt with other crimes. And being the youngest member the seniors threw their burdens on Jeremy.
On an unfortunate day he got into a mishap and when Jeremy woke up from his slumber of six months, he was a completely new person.
Risen from nobody to somebody the whole city loved and admired, the one who was infamously known; Jeremy had no information about himself.
Whereas every citizen had memory chips implanted in them Jeremy had nothing such privilege. Or perhaps somebody deliberately removed all data about him.
Nonetheless, from that day 'death guy' used to appear in front of him out of nowhere.
"It's not easy to catch him, he is so sharp. A mastermind indeed."
Jeremy defended himself but the death guy clicked his tongue in disappointment.
[Then think like him. You have to catch the killer, dear Jer. Or you know the consequences of failing.]
The death guy stated and banged his scythe, although Jeremy could only hear the sound of metal clang.
But on his side the light bulb burst scaring the detective and he vanished from the screen, leaving the LED off as it was.
Jeremy had already acknowledged that whatever tasks this death guy had been giving him; all of them somehow must benefit someone.