Someone Is Always to Blame

"It's Monday. We need to hurry, or we'll be late for class," Bobby said, seemingly unaware of the vampire massacre they'd just been through.

Boom!

In the distance, the bar that had been open until dawn exploded, leaving nothing but a massive crater in the ground.

Seated in a helicopter cabin, Ethan said, "Mission accomplished. Call in the helicopters."

The cleanup was typically left to the workers who cleared the area before blowing everything up, but since he was in a rush, Ethan decided to skip that part. Not without first taking some talc from a nearby trucker.

He remembered Aisha, the girl who had begged him to save her father.

"Sir, no other survivors have been found."

Ethan stared at the large pit surrounded by abandoned trucks and sighed. He checked the time and, knowing dawn was approaching, asked, "No more movements in the vicinity?"

"Negative. There are no traces of additional vampires."

"Process the survivors, burn this place, and let's go home," Ethan said, holding a necklace he'd taken from one of the trucks.

Once again, they had won, but for his soldiers, the victory was bittersweet. Who knows how many people have died in this place?

That was the life they led.

…

Hours passed, and they managed to return an hour before classes started. Since Ethan didn't have any morning classes, he could afford to arrive a little late.

When he got home, he quickly showered, changed into a suit, and headed straight to the address where Aisha lived. She had asked him to find her father, and at the very least, she and her mother deserved a direct answer.

Knock, knock, knock.

It was past eight in the morning; he really didn't know if anyone would answer the door at this hour.

"I'm coming." A woman's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Ethan waited patiently. He was in no rush.

When the door opened, Ethan saw a woman with a very tired expression, but there was a glimmer of strength in her eyes, as if she needed to show she was strong.

He understood that feeling better than anyone else.

"Yes? Who are you?" she asked.

"Excuse me, I'm Detective Ethan Winchester. I have news about your missing husband," Ethan said, pulling out a blood-stained necklace with a wedding ring.

The woman received it and closed her eyes as soon as she took the necklace.

"My condolences. If it helps, we killed the one responsible," Ethan said. After fulfilling his duty, he turned to leave.

But before he could reach the door, he felt someone approach him. It wasn't a threat, so he didn't move, and in that moment, a soft blow, more symbolic than painful, struck his back.

"Why didn't you save him?" Aisha, who was about to leave for school, knelt on the ground as tears filled her eyes.

Ethan turned to face Aisha, now on the floor, and said, "It was impossible to save him. When we arrived, there was nothing we could do."

"Couldn't you have been faster?" Aisha asked, a sharp pain piercing her chest.

She had lost her father. Before today, she had hoped he would return unharmed, but now she realizes her father, whom she had been waiting for, has died unexpectedly.

"There wasn't much that could be done," Ethan said, not letting himself get sentimental.

Aisha's mother rushed to her daughter, looked at Ethan, and said, "Please forgive my daughter. She doesn't handle her emotions well."

"It's fine. You'll receive a more detailed report later. Ethan then got into his car and drove away.

He knew this would happen; it was no surprise.

Everyone blamed him for not saving their loved ones, but whom did he blame when he needed to be saved from the clutches of his own family?

Ethan was suffering too. He had dedicated his entire life to serving others, only to receive this kind of treatment day after day.

"Damn day…" Ethan muttered as he pulled over to the side of the road.

Today had been terrible, and without sleep, his mental energy was running low.

But he still needed to visit the girl who had seen the vampires. She would be of great help in hunting dark entities more precisely.

Besides, he had to fulfill his promise to Derek. And, by the way, he also needed to clear things up with those superhumans who had tried to kill him a few days ago.

There were so many things to do, and he never had the time—he never did.