Chapter 5 “Intel”

hearing the news reporter on the television talk about the daily crime rate dropping, i slowly wake up to look around. another day of not dreaming, seems like something ive never done since dante died. ive never had a genuine dream, and i don't think i'll ever have one ever again. Dreams are like a false reality..a mirage, some people are so stuck that mindset it's almost impossible to pull them into reality.

i sighed and decided to go look at the time. 10:17 am. i glanced at the television and a photo of the girl from that night pops up. "the suspect of the murder is still on the run but some people think it could be a hoax. investigators are looking into the case more." the female anchor says. "yes, that poor girl looked so frightened. now it's time for the weather", the male one says, and it cuts to weather. i tuned it out for a minute as i went go do my morning ritual. once i finished looked at the notes and letters from the now dead "Takahiro Blaine". i start with the small things like letters to buyers and auctions about selling illegal products and..photos of his own sister.

letters to their presumed father about certain deals about her. just things about his sisters torture and how he wanted to sell her. i sighed shook my head in disgust and put everything away. i sat in the chair pondering about why would he do something like that. i mean she seems like a nice person. i closed my eyes to think about how to move forward until my train of thought was interrupted by the sound of my stomach telling me it's hungry. i open my eyes and went to my kitchen to see what i had. cup noodles and instant foods, not the most healthiest choice but i can hold me off until i have to actually start my day off.

*"Ring..Ring..Ring.."*

i look at the phone before putting my instant food aside to answer it only to be met with the same voice.

"did you get the information i forwarded you last night? i'm sure you had plenty of time to review and look at it. tell me what did you find?"

"of course, he sold illegal items such as drugs, guns, and other narcotics to parts of the world. he also has contact with his father about deals involving the girl."

"anything else?"

"he has videos and photo documentation of the things he and others done to his sister." i say thinking back to the words the girl said after killing him

"tsk tsk, that's no way to treat a girl let alone your own blood, But besides that the girl, Aemii has moved locations. find her and spy on her for the time being. learn her schedule and even job and school locations. the more information you have, the closer you get to finding who killed Dante" the voice says then the line disconnects.

i looked out the window into the city streets as the mix of human and hybrid carried on with their days. "what a strange world we live in.." i say to myself as i carried on with making my food.

i eventually finished with what i needed and got ready to leave for the day. walked into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror then down to the mask i had in my hands. small flickers of my past ran through my brain as i kept looking. i closed my eyes and sighed as i put my mask on..i left the bathroom to now start my day off. "let's go find us a bunny..".

*Two Weeks Later*

After weeks of spying on her i gained enough about her to know how she moves. she's a simple person outside of her home yet complex once inside. she doesn't show emotions well as the only look she has on her face is the look of being dead inside. she doesn't wear anything to mens liking as she stays in baggy hoodies and pants.

i decided to go interrogate her about her brother and any connections he had with him.

waiting till it was a little late in the night since it felt right i left the safe house once more to go find her again. not wanting to be seen by the public i swiftly made my way to her home, shadow hoping or just turning into smoke. once i arrived i watched her a little from outside as i looked for a way in. in that moment she looked towards my direction as i quickly hid somewhere. "damn..for a girl like her, her senses are strong.". i muttered and decided to go through the vents. turning into smoke once more i made my way in through her vents. i sat in there for a while as she talked to herself.

"why am I so paranoid?..even if that person was here they would've ended me by now. matter of fact I would've been dead the day he first appeared. damn Aemii get a hold of yourself" she said putting her head down. i took this as an opportunity to appear in front of her and once her head risen panic arose around her. she began to tremble. "t-this can't be real..i-i thought that was fake..yea I'm dreaming.." she said to herself as she began to slap and pinch herself in a attempt to wake her up, but failed to do so. i watched her every move as she looked around. Within a split second she was already at the stairs running up it.

i was taken aback by how fast she was. i stayed in place for a moment only to follow her after, unfortunately losing her. i looked around in her guest room, nothing. the next room which was..full of plants..why does she have a room like this? she wasn't there so i moved onto the the last room, and that was her room. it was darker in here compared to the other rooms. i looked around for things that looked off, her desk was filled yet organized with school things and mail. her bed was a mess and had posters and "fairy lights" with polaroids hanging from them. i looked at them and it was just a photos of her and places she thought looked nice. most of them being areas with high vegetation and flowers. i looked away to the only place left, and that was her closet.

i waited for her to come out which took forever. in the meantime i searched in her room, looking at school information, bills, and a book that had lock on it. maybe this could have things in it. the lock looked very vintage but it was in very well condition. i picked it up to feel it and noticed little tabs coming out of it. "him.." marked one of them. i eventually left it be for now but nothing else here was of importance or related to what i needed. that book thought..most definitely has things i need..but i need to gain her trust and not scare her away..what more could she be hiding?

*"creaaaaaak.."*

my eyes jolt towards the closet as it opened and she peaked her head through. she looked at me and freaked out once more. she screamed so loudly my head felt like it was about to pop. she was about to run again but before she could before i grabbed her. she moved around violently and fought back. she kicked me numerous times in the legs and even bit me. i groaned in pain but she started to get tired and give in. once she calmed down and gave up i let her go and watched her hug her knees in defeat. "what do you want from me..?" she said in a bleak tone. "i did what you asked of me..i told no one about what i actually saw. are you here to just end me too..? if so..make it painless..i've experienced to much of it in my life.." she said while staring at the ground.

"if i wanted to kill you i would've done it that night. i'm here to speak about your brother."

"my brother..? he's dead." she said finally looking at me.

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Word Count: 1417