Jared grabbed Charles's collar. Maybe it was because Charles kept delaying the things he wanted, or maybe it was just hunger, but Jared was furious. "I've been very patient with you since twelve hours ago, and I desperately need to get you out of my sight right now. I'm trying not to be mean to you, but you keep playing! Stop fooling around and give me my dog!"
But Charles knew Jared would never hit him. He knew Jared very well; he knew how to handle his anger. So, he stayed calm and gently pinched Jared's cheek. "After you take down their vampires. Okay?"
Jared stood now at the bus stop, sheltering himself from the rain that kept coming. He had refused Charles's offer to spend the night with him—he knew how it would end. Returning home with nothing but Herman's bloody collar, Jared felt bitter inside. Charles was right; Jared couldn't hit him. He felt so weak for being unable to do something mean to someone, and it cost him being manipulated like this.
He had no choice. Charles kept Herman captive and wouldn't even tell him where he was. Jared couldn't think of anything else but to agree to take the mission.
Under the city lights, Jared watched the metropolis in silence. It was just him, the smoke from burning cigarettes, and the neon lights. He noticed how meaningless life in the big city seemed; companies gave you money to spend on other companies, who then gave your money to their employees so they could spend it on their companies. It was all about exchange, waiting for the months to end, while living like a machine that kept working to make the money flow from hand to hand.
"Is this all life is for?" he thought. "Is this why our mothers suffer for nine months, risking their lives to deliver us into the world? Just to keep the money flowing? Someone born to work on someone else's dreams?"
It felt like there was no choice but to participate in this crazy money game.
On a nearby billboard, the face of one man caught his attention. His androgynous features confused the mind but also intrigued it. He was beautiful—his gentle feminine smile and the way his lips moved while promoting a product he was paid for.
Jared wasn't a fan of any music band, but that man was popular enough for Jared to know his name.
Jean Arvin.
"Because you are beautiful, just the way you are," the billboard declared.
Others might admire how beautiful Jean was, and Jared admitted he was a beautiful man. Jared loved beautiful men. However, something about Jean just felt wrong. His smile tasted bitter, his feminine glances suffocating. That's why Jared always carried a black marker. Whenever he stumbled upon one of Jean's posters, he would doodle on it.
"Fake." He whispered to himself about Jean Arvin. "Why are you so fake? and why I don't know what makes you so fake? Is it because you are... a vampire?"
A red bus passed in front of Jared. On its body was another image of Jean Arvin's face, printed in huge size, smiling at him. The advertisement read, "Red gloss or blue gloss? The choice is yours." It was just a lip balm ad, but the words stuck in Jared's mind even after he boarded the bus: "The choice is yours."
The choice is yours.
Three years ago, Jared and Charles were on patrol when their senior officer gave them an unsettling order: plant false evidence on a random cargo ship.
The ship they stopped was harmless, carrying nothing but cows, its crew bewildered by the unexpected inspection. Their senior handed Charles a small box, supposedly containing illegal drugs, and commanded, "Hide this on board. Make it look legit."
Jared frowned. "Wait, this is not right."
The senior officer's expression hardened. His jaw tilted up a bit, challenging Jared in a fist fight if he dares to defy him. "We have arrest quotas to meet, rookie. No arrests, no funding, and we'll all be out of jobs. You think I like this? It's how the system works."
"What kind of trashy system is this?!" Jared glares back on the senior, but before the two clashes, Charles pulled Jared away.
He told Jared, "I don't like it either, but what choice do we have? We're just newbies. We have no power. We still weak."
Only the weak have no choice.
This clearly emphasizes Jared's position in his dynamic with Charles. It explains why it's always painful when dealing with Charles, as if Jared has no choice but to agree—otherwise, Charles might leave, something bad might happen, or he might choose someone else over Jared.
Jared might be bigger than Charles, but something has made Charles more dominant, pushing Jared to submit to him.
What's holding you back, Jared? Why do you always have to follow Charles's rules?
Even among friends, they would always ask Charles to handle Jared so he would follow the rules, so he would stop doing what he likes. They called Charles "Jared's whisperer," a reward for taming him with gentle domination.
But, reality check: what choice does he have now?
Nothing. He's still the weak Jared he always was. His body looks tough, and his appearance seems dangerous. But inside, he's just a weakling who has no choice but to agree with someone who keeps getting what they want from him. Isn't it ironic? He judged Jean Arvin as "fake" without even knowing why he came off that way. Yet the one hiding behind a tough exterior is none other than himself.
I'm not weak!
His anger rises, and neurons in his brain calculate all the possibilities, desperately searching for any choice Jared has right now.
Jared opened the pet finder app, which allowed him to locate Herman through DNA tracking. His heart raced. Herman was only a few hundred meters away. Jared stood up and stopped the bus, running toward the pinpointed location.
It was an animal shelter, and at this hour, it was already closed. All the lights were off, and there was no sign of life. A chain curled over the glass door handle, sealed with a padlock. This was going to look bad on CCTV, but it was the choice he made. He shot the chain with his laser gun, melting it so he could open the door.
The noise woke several dogs in the shelter, causing them to howl and bark. In a few minutes, people would be drawn to the scene, so Jared didn't have much time.
"Herman!" Jared shouted inside the shelter, but the only response was hostile barking from unfamiliar dogs.
"Herman!" he shouted louder, frustrated. He checked the pinpoint location again, but there was no mistake. Herman was here, according to the GPS.
And then he heard it—Herman's howl.
"Herman!" Jared found him scratching at the cage bars, furiously trying to get into his best friend who keep calling on his name. Jared hurriedly hugged his dog, even though they were separated by the bars. "Don't worry, buddy. I'm getting you out of here!"
Jared gripped the bars and tried to pull them apart. It was impossible for an Earthling to accomplish, but Jared channeled his Argonarian talent, calling upon the gorilla spirit. A new tattoo began to form on his chest, glowing white as it emerged on the surface of his skin, depicting the image of a roaring gorilla. Soon, the cage bars creaked and bent under his strength.
"There he is! The vandal! Call the police!" someone shouted from afar. Jared had prepared for this. It was going to be a hard chase. He might make it, or he might end up in jail. But either way, he had made his choice.
At least this choice would send Charles an important message: he has choice.
The cage bars broke, releasing the dogs from the cages. They ran wild out of the shelter, but Herman lunged toward Jared. Jared held his loyal friend tightly as Herman licked his face, whimpering.
"I missed you too, buddy. Let's go, Herman. Follow me!" Jared ran out of the shelter.
While the guard had been busy trying to secure the loose dogs, Jared and Herman ran side by side. As they reached the parking lot, Jared realized that the guard had arrived a few minutes earlier on a motorcycle.
Hearing the approaching police sirens, Jared turned back to the shelter and punched the guard in the face. "Give me your keys!" Jared twisted the guard's finger in a threat. The guard fumbled in his pocket and handed over the motorcycle keys.
Wasting no time, Jared took the keys and hurried back to started the motorcycle in the parking lot. As if understanding what to do, Herman jumped onto the back seat and snuggled inside Jared's leather jacket, securing himself by nestling his head behind Jared's neck. It reminded them both of their old times on Earth, where they'd done this many times before.
Jared started the motorcycle and escaped the scene just before the police car arrived at the animal shelter.
The wind whipped against his face, and Jared had never been so happy. He had a choice. At first, it felt scary because he wasn't used to it, but afterward, it felt so freeing.
"We did it, Herman!! Woo-hoo!!"
The dog responded by licking his face.
The police might not chase them now, but they'd figure it out in a few minutes, so he had to hurry to put the next part of the plan into motion: outer space.
Escape Charles at all costs!