CH 10: MIDNIGHT MOONLIGHT

After leaving the <<Wild Hunt>>, his future workplace so to speak, Adam asked the driver, to bring him to his part-time job. Since it was a time of festivity, the traffic was awful.

The traffic in LA, a major city in America with a ludicrously high population, was already a cause for concern for the citizens. Now that it was a time of festivity… No words could properly describe the amount of frustration the drivers and the travelers as a whole felt due to this never-ending jam. The same was for Adam as well.

He seriously wondered if he should simply get down from the car and take the subway back. After all, this was taking quite a bit of his time, leaving him both frustrated and anxious about the time.

The place where he worked in the past was a rather simple job at a fast food joint. Honestly, it was basically the easiest kind of job to obtain for a young student like him.

Students like him would literally flock for jobs like these in the hopes of at least earning their first set of income, however meager that may be. It was hard-earned money that they could call their own and use it for whatever they wished without feeling burdened.

Due to that nature of this sort of work, Adam virtually didn't have any reason to come here and announce his inability to work any longer with them. He knew that a thousand more were willing to take his place at any moment. But the manager of this place had been very kind to him from the start. Sometimes, he even helped him in adjusting his schedule to a degree where it was beneficial for him rather than the overall work atmosphere of the joint itself.

The least he could do, in that sense, was to give the news of his resignation himself, being present in front of him and delivering him by word of mouth, rather than through some lousy 10-second message or voice call. The manager truly deserved more than that.

Thankfully, Marcus, the manager of the restaurant, had been very understanding of his situation when Adam had explained that he had found a new job with better pay. He was truly the slightest bit sad after having lost a diligent hard worker like Adam. Kids these days just didn't have this sort of dedication and personality to them, after all. Nonetheless, he also felt happy for him for being able to land a better job than the one he could offer.

However, he started feeling slightly worried and wondered if Adam was dealing with drugs or any illicit substances in this new line of work of his. It was the intuition of an experienced worker in play here. His reasoning was somewhat exaggerated but definitely logical, seeing the current circumstances. One didn't need to be overly smart to see that all the clothes he was wearing currently were branded and very expensive. His keen eyes were immediately able to see through everything.

He knew enough about Adam to know for a fact that Adam couldn't afford such clothes easily but he was no busybody. That was just not his style. Furthermore, he believed Adam to be a responsible young man and considered him highly as a respectable and conscientious adult of the society.

"If you need any help. Know that my business will always be open for you."

Adam smiled at the goodwill and warmth that the man was showing to him. The only thing he could do now was to keep this gratitude in his heart.

"Thank you."

However, no matter how grateful he felt or how much appreciated he was due to his sentiments, it didn't change the fact that… Coming back here would only mean that he had failed in his endeavor. And there was no way Adam let that happen. The life of his mother depended on this fact.

Soon after, Adam bade his farewell to the staff members. He wasn't particularly close to any of them and for some, he did not even know their names. The only one he had been close to was the manager of the place, after all.

But it didn't change the fact that he had worked with them for some time already.

Like this, Adam closed a page of his life from here on. He didn't know what awaited him in the future, but he knew for certain that there was no choice other than to succeed in this endeavor of his.

———

[Los Angeles, 11:40 pm]

'It's become quite late. Much more than I initially thought it to be.'

Not only was the distance between his part-time job and his home rather long, but also the current situation of the road wasn't really helpful to his dire circumstances. Going out in a car during a festivity was just asking for hell, especially so in a city like LA where people flocked like ants in the streets.

Adam was strangely feeling a sense of anxiety as the clock slowly edged toward the time representing midnight, 12 o'clock. It wasn't even a curfew per se and there was no one there who would scold him for his inability to uphold his promise, or should he just choose not to.

But still, he felt bad, felt agonized even. Like a tingling at the back of his head, urging him to go home as fast as possible.

'Mother really trained me well, didn't she?'

He chuckled, chalking his growing headache up to simple anxiousness that was set into him by his mother.

Still,

"Please, is it possible to accelerate even by a little?"

The driver released a sigh, "Look, dude. This is the fifth time you asked me this same exact question. Things are what they are. I am tired of this shit like anyone else on this road is and I can assure you I'm much more frustrated than you are. If you aren't happy you can just get out right now."

Clearly, this time he was not facing a very kind driver like the one he met during his visit to the hospital. But Adam did not feel begrudged by his behavior. He had indeed been quite insupportable by his repeated pleading and demand of a hopeless action on the driver's part.

Looking outside of the car, Adam could more or less recognize the surroundings.

By using his phone he was able to see that it would only take him ten minutes of walking to reach his home if he were to get off now.

His neighborhood was pretty safe all things considered and it was only near midnight. Very far from being late into the night. It should be safe enough to have a brisk walk home and reach his destination by midnight.

"Very well, could you drop me off then? I'll just walk the rest of the path."

"You sure? I was already paid the full fee for bringing you back home. I won't be able to give some of the fare back to you, unfortunately. Company rules."

"Yeah, no worries, man. I understand."

"Your choice bro."

The driver simply shrugged at Adam's response. He was able to get rid of a tiring customer, get the money, and finish earlier. Three birds with one stone.

There were no losses for him so he did as he was asked and simply left Adam on the side of the road.

Now alone, Adam sighed lightly. Everywhere, he could see people walking while being disguised in Halloween costumes. From the traditional monster outfits to more outlandish appearances like superheroes or more revealing designs that questioned the intentions behind the cloth choice.

'I should really get going. I'll be late otherwise.'

Something in the back of his head was telling him that he could simply stay and enjoy. That he had no reason to go now. After all, even if he was a few minutes late at home there was no way Cecilia would know about that, right?

It was then that his phone vibrated. Taking it out, he could see a message from Shuri.

[Are you hungry? I am currently on my way to your home. Cecilia asked me to spend the birthday with you.]

'Dear mother of mine really thought of everything, didn't she?'

She could be rather smothering when taking care of him. It was one of the reasons he rebelled when he was younger, after all. Constantly being called a mama's boy wasn't good for one's ego. Now though, he was old enough to understand just how priceless such caring attention was for him. So, he found himself cherishing it even more.

[Not home now. But not far. See you. Also, I hope you brought more than a simple pizza.]

He chuckled a little, then, putting his hands in his pockets, he began to walk in the direction of his house. The street he took was narrower than the main road but it would cut the time necessary for him to reach home on time.

'I should study a little before sleeping today.'

He needed to do some research about the topic of Gigolos and what it exactly entailed.

He was clear about the fact that he lacked any sort of formal and literal training in the matter and as such if he wanted to succeed he had to show his best or at least show that he was willing to put in the effort to become a suitable worker.

At the very least from the discussion he had with Yui, he knew that he would need to broaden his horizons and learn many things in order to keep the conversation with his future clients interesting. To captivate their attention and shower them with the presence they dearly wished to be with.

'I wish I could memorize things easier or simply learn faster.'

Adam shook his head, there was only so much one could do in the limited time of a day.

Adam was smart. He knew he was. But he considered himself to be simply book smart rather than being a genius with innate talent in memorization and optimization of gathered wisdom and knowledge.

———

As Adam continued to walk while thinking about how he could optimize his time for the better, he suddenly felt that something was amiss with his surroundings.

The sounds of partying, cars running with their buzzing sound and wanking horns, and people screaming or singing were now so distant they seemed they were coming from kilometers away.

No matter where he looked in his surroundings, he could see practically no one. Not even a shadow of anything or anyone.

'This is…'

He could feel his heart beat heavily, as if it was about to burst out of his chest.

Something was telling him that he needed to leave this place and hurry back home.

As fast as possible.

Adam didn't know nor understand where this instinct came from but he understood that his situation was weird and decided to earnestly listen to how his instincts were directing him.

But, just as he moved, he began hearing muffled groans and sighs of pleasure. Sounds he was extremely familiar with…

The voices were coming from the corner of the street next to him.

Stopping and putting his back against the wall, Adam felt his blood rush everywhere around his body at staggering speeds. He didn't understand why he was hiding; couples having sex outside was nothing new in a free city like LA or even the entirety of America. They were the ones who should be ashamed to do such a thing in the open.

But his feet just wouldn't budge from that spot.

'I need to move. If I don't and I am caught I might be taken for a pervert.'

Trying to give a logical explanation to the growing fear in him, Adam felt like a lump was blocking his throat.

The sound of breathing became heavier and louder until the woman released a cry of pleasure.

The moan indicating her rapturous climax was suddenly replaced by a gargled sound and a metallic scent drifted in the air.

'This…'

A terrible idea came to him, but he refused to accept it. Surely this was just the result of his imagination.

His hopes were crushed when he began to hear the sickening sounds of something being torn apart and the scent of blood became even more overpowering.

Adam's expression couldn't help but change into one of absolute despair and dismay. Images of the article he was reading this morning flashed in his mind.

'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!'

He cursed inwardly but this time, rather than thinking of running, he fought all his reflexes in order to just stay still on his spot. His mind was panicking but he knew that he could not continue like this lest the next dead body would have the tag name of Adam sticking out in the morgue.

'No sudden moves. No loud noises. Complete Silence. Focus Adam!'

Adam didn't know if his hunch was correct. But he didn't plan to verify it either. Not in this perilous situation. He was no hero, even though he was a good fighter there was no way he was going to confront a possible murderer.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

His heart was moving erratically, almost ready to pop out of his chest. Never in his life had silence felt so heavy and suffocating as it did right now. Each second felt like a day and he prayed for the time to pass as soon as possible and take the possible murderer as far away from him as possible.

He waited in silence, unwilling to make the slightest sound. Hiding in the corner and waiting for the murderer to leave.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for long. The sounds of departing footsteps were heard in the next moment, slowly yet surely drifting further and further away.

Soon, the street fell into complete silence again.

'Did the murderer leave?'

He didn't dare to confirm. Taking out his phone, and covering the screen against his stomach, he wondered if he should call Shuri or 911 at this moment.

'No. I can't have Shuri implicated in this situation.'

In the end, his hand settled on the shortcut for Yui's number and began to write without taking a look at the screen.

[Danger. My coordinates. Don't call. Just send help]

The moment he pushed send he felt like he had gone through a literal marathon. Despite the chilling temperature, he was sweating from all the pores of his body.

'I am alright. This is alright. Nothing will happen. Yui will find me. I just have to stay calm. Do not pani–'

*Step*

"I must say. You are a very interesting fellow. Too bad, I am not really interested in men's blood."

"Ah…"

A flash of pain sparked along his vigilant mind.

"Ah…"

Blood began to flow out of his trembling lips. Looking down with disbelief, he could see something like a shadow of a hand passing through his chest, where his heart should be located, before withdrawing and leaving a gaping hole in his chest.

As his vision went dark and his body fell to the ground, blood flowing out of his fatal wound, his last thought was that he should have really listened to his mother and stayed at home tonight.

On his phone, the hour shown was [23:58]

His breathing stopped exactly at [23:59:59]

Then finally… At [00:00]...

*Thump*

Blood began to flow in his body as his heart started beating again.