Fred glanced at the nine of them that are sitting around the table. He did not feel the pressure of fear in his heart when he considered the offer and considered this with deep and long thought. Val stood behind him like a sentry that glanced at all of them when he had an itch on his face that needs to be scratched. Fred waited when he heard the knock that is upon the door. Val turned towards that knock and opened it when Lake the Accountant came through the crack with his face being bigger than normal.
“There is a phone call for you. It’s Donnie.” Val pondered through the door and closed it.
“What do you have to offer if I say, ‘yes’?” Fred lifted the cigarette, placing it into his mouth, sucking in and tasting the sweet nicotine that is filling up in his lungs.
“We will offer you protection with a down payment in your personal care of $3,000 down. You will still be paid of your work at the bar but you can free roam this opportunity anytime you desire. I please you won’t abuse it.”
“So you are saying that someone in your operation is a spy?”
Gracco looked down and twirled his fingers in between his hands when his sighed in great distress. The others looked at Gracco while two of the nine spoke in secret with their voices not raising a hair. They nodded their heads when they got their attention from Gracco when they spoke in voices that adheres an accent that is not from around here.
“We believe that we should consider the reports that came from the base of operations that should not be disclosed to such said human.”
Fred felt a little hurt by that, thinking he is less than these bloodsuckers when he didn’t even glance at them for the sake of them feeding off of his emotions.
“Yes. The reports are animate. We will consider of writing this conglomerate affair in due time but now we will need an answer if you will help us. We know that you used to be an enemy of our creation but you working here are believed to be endowed to what you are really finding. Are you willing to stay with us and do what is necessary for a pay of $75,000 after the job is finished?”
Fred felt like falling out of his chair with the currency of a lot ringing in his head like the bells of Notre Dame. $75,000, he never thought of that being what he is working for when he used to hunt vamps for about $60,00 on an annual income. There is no tax involved in this job. There never is any tax in this world that is not believe on any common person until they see too much that is for them to bear.
“Can I have some time to think about it?”
Gracco raised his hands over the table, smiling like a man who opened the candy store for the children to come in and savor the sweet juices of life. His eyes peered into Fred’s like reading every page in his mind that is so fine that it will cut to the bone if not careful. What are they thinking? Fred felt like his soul just dipped into a cold bath that is chilling his gut into an icy ball. What are they thinking of doing?
“If you like to sit and have a drink with us that will be fine. If you have something else that needs to be done then that will be fine as well.”
Fred convened the thought for just a spell before Val came back into the room with the door still open.
“I need you to come with me.” Val ordered when Fred with hesitation got up from his seat and walked with Val out the room.
“Keep that in mind. I will ask again.” Gracco of the leading nine asked again when Val nodded his head and closed the door.
“Donnie has something going on at his docks when a girl showed up there, covered in blood. I don’t know if she is bitten but I want you there to comfort her.” Val insisted with his presence while he walked to the table to collect his gun and sword and wrapped them both around his waist.
“What should I do, tell her that she was bitten and she has AID’s or something from some biter? I never used to do well in the circumstances of keeping people calm. I’m serious sometimes.” Fred looked at what Val is doing when Val gave him a look that has the feel of something prickly in those eyes that are giving him the chatter in his bones.
“You will do fine. Just the sight of me will make her want to flee if she came up with both of these weapons upon me.” Val rapped on the weapons that are on each side of his hips.
“What will happen if we find out that she is bitten?”
“Then we will give her a choice.” Val gazed into his eyes when Fred sees the red glint in them. Fred didn’t want to look into them any longer when he rolled his eyes away. They got together and met at the Gran Torino that is sitting outside The Wild Clover when Val and Fred both jumped into the car.
“You might want the .38 that is in the glove compartment.” Val notion at the hatch that is within the dashboard when Fred looked at the door and then cocked his head when he looked back with that worried expression screwed on his face.
“I don’t really want the gun.”
“Why?”
“I made a promise not to use one anymore.”
Val looked at him with his mind inferring what the hell is wrong with him when he looked out the window for some clarity before looking back at Fred with his mouth turned down, shaking his head when he reached over and unlatched the glove compartment door and retrieved the gun from the light that is burning inside of it. He closed the glove compartment door and then opened the gun and dropped the bullets into his long and slender hand. He gave the gun back to Fred when Fred felt like there is some sort of electricity rattling through his body.
“Take it.” Val groaned.
“I don’t want to.”
“You’re not afraid of weapons but something inside does not making any sense. You need this to survive.”
“I made a promise…” Fred gulp when his eyes darting around.
“…To her not to use one anymore.”
“Why?”
“She showed me a better way to live before she disappeared.”
“Then why are you working for us. Wouldn’t you say that is worse?” Val questioned this when he dropped the gun upon the center console with his hand clutched around it. The red glints in his eyes are bigger now.
“I’m working for you because I don’t know what else I can do. I can work at a bar but being bored is too much for me to bear.” Val looked at the gun before looking out of the window when Val raised the gun from the center console with the bullets in his other hand.
“Here; let me show you something?” Val opened his door and vanished into the air as Fred followed.
Fantasy