"Got a text message?"
I quirk a brow, "What?"
"It's probably not the first. That's how I got here."
I need a break from this madness. I don't think my brain had time to process anything. I'm running from Drunks. I saw a woman and then she was splattered against the walls. My mind snaps back to something I hadn't thought of for a minute. My goddamn brother. I left his ass in the car with that zombie. I can't even text him.
I dig through my back pocket for my phone. Finding his contact, I text it, I doubt it'll work. "You know the Ghytto doesn't allow signal." Experience informs me. "The streets are alive here. For some reason the calls don't go out unless you're working from the tower." She pokes her cheek and looks at the ceiling. "Though some people say if you're near it. You can reach outside."
That's suspicious. I can travel back and forth— "E, have you heard of Dareion Bass?"
"Huh? He's a student. Basketball member, he used to play football but then he quit."
My memory is failing on me. What was her name? "Did you know Dareion personally?"
"Nope. I know his girlfriend, Gezi Joyner. She's a practitioner at school." Explains Experience. "So, I heard Gezi was fucking with Yajeel Harper. But Gazi was going around telling people, he was cheating on Taylor Harrell. Now, Taylor, ain't really a threat."
Hood nonsense. "What's wrong with Taylor?"
"She's a crack addict. Like, I mean, cannibalism." Experience contorts her lips. "She and Yajeel were always arguing because she's a cannibal! And Taylor would lie, supposedly—you didn't hear it straight from me—" I roll my eyes. Girl, get on with it. "Taylor sometimes goes to the tower, and they said she talks to someone working for the black market. Now that wouldn't be such a bad thing if there weren't multiple black markets in Virginia."
That's true. Virginia Beach Black Market, Wise, and Portsmouth. The Wise Black Market is near the main building of the Department. While the Virginia Beach location is the former building. Regal pulled a raid on guards, and they moved to Wise.
I remember the line up like it was yesterday.
Experience continues with her ghetto tale. "Taylor was on the phone. And then she lost her phone three days later and she was paranoid the whole week."
"What happened to her phone?" I'M SO TIRED OF ASKING WHAT. I'm on a fucking what adventure. "I heard she threw it away, but she said she really lost which turned into, it got stolen."
If that ain't the biggest bullshit I've ever heard. "Where's her locker?" the plan is simple even if it doesn't have a damn thing to do with the focus. I check my phone at the list of demands.
Find him.
Every time I talk, I lose a tooth. I go around flashing my mock. When they caught me, I still didn't squawk. They threaten to take me, give me insulin shock. So, I crossed puddles, ended up in Bangkok. Did the same thing again, now bodies laying with chalk.
And the list of items was, teeth, wings and a heart.
[Every time I talk, I lose a tooth. I go around flashing my mock.] That has something to do with the teeth item, possibly.
[When they caught me, I still didn't squawk] No snitching that still aims at the mouth. Speaking so that's another teeth clue.
[They threaten to take me, give me insulin shock] That could be connected to death. The wings clue.
[So, I crossed puddles, ended up in Bangkok.] Bangkok is in China. I don't know anything about it. I face Experience, "What's so important about Bangkok, China."
She snorts, "Bangkok is in Thailand. You must be thinking of Beijing or Shanghai."
"Either way, what's so special about it?"
"Red light districts, Buddha, Markets… not a lot that I know." She's no damn help. "Why you ask?"
"Headcount gave me a fucking riddle." I read her the text message, the Drunk lifts its head. "He gave you that to?"
I look at him, "Did you get this?" In my head I'm hoping this is a prank and he simply called the wrong number. "I have the heart…"
My eyes widen. That's good but why do I feel so ill? "What did you do with it?"
"It's in the closet. In a bucket." He says. "I had to tear it off a student. I think it was Dareion." I've been hearing this name and don't know anything about the person. "E, what was Dareion like…" I expect Experience to answer but Jugs speaks instead. "Dareion was a playboy. Got three girls pregnant, on purpose. I say pregnant, I should call him what he is."
"What's that?"
"A rapist. Gazi is his girlfriend and Yajeel Harper went out with Taylor. But somebody saw Dareion fucking with Taylor."
What does high school drama have to do with this? "You definitely go here. Are you sure you don't remember your name? I can look you up…"
"I don't know…" he stares at his hands. "What am I?"
"do you remember your height?" I'm six feet seven. I feel way taller, at least seven feet. "I don't think I was a big guy." He says.
"That's weird," Experience taps her chin. "I've never heard of a height change in Drunk vampires."
"I recall a black room. He said I was in the school."
I bow my head, some of this is self-explanatory. "So, you got kidnapped?"
"I guess…" he coughs, it's dry. He hacks up a thing, it clanks to the floor. Experience gets out of her seat to pick it up. "Gnarly." And she just criticized me for saying sweet. She slides the gunk off and splashes it down on the floor with her fingers. "It's a key."
"A key to what?"
"I don't know."
"Why did you eat keys?" I question Jugs.
"I didn't know I did." He says. Experience glowers and places the key on the counter. "Well, we gotta find out later. What about the riddle?"
"We need teeth, wings, and a heart. Jugs says he has the heart."
"Teeth?" he peeps. "What's the riddle?"
I show him the text message. "Did the same thing again, now bodies laying with chalk." He points out. He gets up off his hide legs, "Outlines. You need teeth to complete an outline."
Thanks to the undead team, we solved a fucking mystery. What the hell is my damn life? What does this have to do with my mother? I pick up the sound of keys. Experience is typing through names and opens another window to search outlines for a ritual. "Jugs, come here, let's see if we can find your face."
"Probably not." What a depressed being. The Drunk wraps the table and looks at the computer of students. She clicks pass Dareion Bass; I stop her. "Duplicate the page. I want to look at it later."
She does. She goes back to looking through students. Jugs stops her after eleven faces have passed. "Me" he points at the screen. "That's me."
"Seamus Harlow Payne."
Experience looks at him, "You've been missing for six years."