"I understand," Darren muttered, shuffling over to the morgue drawer with Sylvester right behind him, an incision knife poised. Sylvester watched as Darren sorted through the clothing options in the drawer, finally settling on a white short-sleeved shirt and a miniskirt. He handed them over, saying, "This is your waitress uniform."
Sylvester smirked and, without warning, kicked Darren in the groin again. Darren crumpled to the floor with a yelp. "What the hell was that for?" he groaned.
[Seriously? Why'd you do that?] Hagrit's voice sounded, equally stunned.
Sylvester picked up the clothes from where they'd fallen and began putting them on. "Just wanted to make sure you wouldn't try anything while I was getting dressed," he replied, slipping into the shirt.
[All right, that's smart.]
"But I wasn't going to try anything!" Darren protested from the floor, his face twisted in agony.
"Yeah, well, I'm not one to take chances," Sylvester replied, finishing up with the miniskirt and checking himself out.
Damn, this shirt shows my whole cleavage,and the skirt… my whole ass is practically hanging out. Was Cara a slut?
[Who knows, but that's how most diners and restaurants dress their waitresses here. It brings them huge tips.]
'Guess some things never change, sex sells in every universe.'
[I Wouldn't know. I haven't been to other worlds,] Hagrit replied dryly.
With Darren still moaning on the ground, Sylvester turned back to the drawer, rummaging for something to cover up. Finding a long brown leather jacket, he slipped it on and tied the waist belt, giving himself a once-over. "Now this is more like it," he muttered, shoving his long black hair backwards, then turned to Darren. "What do you think, corpse fucker?"
Darren glanced up with a wince. "It… it looks good on you."
[At this point, You're just toying with him.]
'Oh, but I'm only getting started,' Sylvester replied telepathically.
He glared down at Darren. "Get up! Once you drop me off, you can come back here to your little crypt and sleep all you want. Now, put your shirt back on and call the other idiot in here."
Darren stood slowly, pulling his clothes back on with shaky hands. "If I call him, he'll know something's wrong. I usually spend up to an hour in here, but it's barely twenty minutes …"
Sylvester stepped closer, his gaze cold. "An hour? Jesus! I don't have the patience, scream for him. Now."
When Darren hesitated, Sylvester punched him hard across the face. Darren gasped, then yelled, "Bernie, get in here! Please, man, I need your help!"
Sylvester darted to the doorway, lying in wait. As soon as Bernie rushed in, before he could say a word, Sylvester pounced, locking him in a chokehold from behind. Bernie struggled, but Sylvester tightened his grip, drawing on the self-defense moves he'd learned in police academy classes in his former life. Bernie's struggles weakened until he slumped to the floor, unconscious.
"Jesus, you killed him!" Darren cried out.
Sylvester checked Bernie's pulse. "Cool your jets. He's just out cold," he said, watching Darren sag with relief. Then, Sylvester rummaged through Bernie's pockets, extracting a wallet and pulling out all the cash.
[Why are you taking his money?]
'I think I deserve a little payment after what they were about to put me through,' Sylvester thought, pocketing the cash.
[50 points.]
'Why am I getting 50 points?'
[You did something out self interest and the system approves.]
'Oh, so I get points for doing something like that. Hmm, I guess am going to fully be embrace my dark side.'
'By the way, weren't you about to give me a mission before these creeps interrupted us?'
[Ah, yes.]
Suddenly, an image appeared in his mind:
[First Mission (Main Quest): Get Back Home (Inactive)]
[Main Reward: 200 points]
[Skill Reward: Charming.]
[Side Quest: Exploit Your First Target (Inactive)]
[Reward: 100 points]
[Failure to Fulfill Missions in next 24 hours will result in System Shutdown and you will be dead in both worlds.]
'So, it is either do it or you die?'
[Yes, pretty much.]
'Damn! That is bleak. Are all missions going to be a do or die affair?'
[No, not all. Some will be left to you to decide, but most will be decided for you.]
'This doesn't make me feel any better. Do I have to activate a mission before fulfilling it?'
[Rewards will be awarded to you once you have fulfilled a mission, whether you have activated it or not.]
[Should I activate the Missions.]
'Yes, let's make it official. I'm already in the thick of it anyway.'
[Quests Activated. Countdown has begun.]
Sylvester turned to Darren. "What are you waiting for? A public service announcement? Move it—let's get out of here."
Darren scrambled toward the door, clearly hoping to make a break for it, but Sylvester grabbed him before he could dart outside.
"Please don't kill me," Darren whimpered. "I have a wife and kids."
Sylvester caught glimpses of Darren's memories: a wife and two young children. He was telling the truth this time.
"You have a family, yet you spend your time fawning over corpses. You are twisted beyond saving." Sylvester pressed the knife closer to Darren. "Try to run again, and I'll kill you, got it? Don't test me, I have a taste for blood and I will easily use yours to quench it."
Darren gulped, nodding. "I understand. Just… Please don't hurt me."
"Good." Sylvester gestured toward the door with the knife. "Now, calmly walk out of here and take me to your car. No sudden moves."
Darren nodded nervously, head hung low, he walked slowly out of the morgue, Sylvester stayed close, the knife pressed into Darren's back, ready to strike if needed.
They exited the building, and Darren led him to a Toyota Prius car in the parking lot. They both got in, with Sylvester climbing into the passenger seat, keeping an eye on Darren as he gripped the steering wheel, his hands shaking, as he started the engine and drove them out of the parking lot.
"So… where do you want to go?" Darren asked hesitantly.
"You know where I live," Sylvester replied with a smirk.
Darren's face paled, and he swallowed hard. "Y-yeah, okay." He turned onto a side road, heading toward the upscale neighborhood near the mayor's house. The silence in the car was heavy, broken only by Darren's occasional nervous glances.
"You know, Darren," Sylvester said, breaking the silence, "I have a question. You ever stop to think how sick it is to want a woman only when she's dead?"
Darren gripped the steering wheel, his eyes locked on the road. "I… I just… I never thought of it that way."
"No, of course you didn't," Sylvester sneered. "Men like you never do. Too busy thinking only about yourselves." He glanced over, noting the sweat starting to bead on Darren's forehead.
Just as Sylvester prepared to berate him further, two humanoid creatures shot across the road in a blur, causing Darren to slam on the brakes. Sylvester caught a brief glimpse. The humanoid creatures had fangs, blood-red eyes, skin pale as moonlight. They looked just like the vampires he had seen in movies.
"What the hell was that?" Sylvester shouted, his pulse racing.
Darren swallowed hard, glancing at him with wide eyes. "They're vampires and they are most likely coming back to fuck with us."
The words shook Sylvester to his core. He quickly read Darren's thoughts, praying he was lying, but no, it was the truth. Those were indeed vampires.