For as long as he could remember, Viktor always wanted to be a police officer. Maybe it was the justice aspect of it, or maybe it was the power you get as an officer of the law, there was just something so appealing to it. He had done everything he could while living in his grandparent’s home to train, going over textbooks, practicing in the yard, anything he could do to secure his future. As he sat in the red, velvet train seat next to a stranger, he thought of all the possibilities with his new life. Waking him from his thoughts, the train halted to a stop abruptly, the conductor calling out, “We have arrived in Eldham. All those getting off, last call!” Viktor leapt from his seat, bumping his fluffy hair on the roof above him. He threw his small bag over his shoulder and rushed off before the large doors slid shut, preparing to continue its journey. As he stepped off the platform, he breathed in the thick, yet soft air.

“Hey! Kiddo!” He heard a name shout from behind the sea of people looking for their loved ones.

“Uncle Maxwell!” He shouted, dropping his bag and flinging himself into his uncle’s arms. It had been years since he saw him, it truly would be a new beginning for Viktor.

“How you been doin’ little buddy?” He asked, patting Viktor’s back.

“I’ve been pretty good,” he lied, “what about you? Moving to the big city and all.” He pushed the conversation forward.

“I mean, life can’t get too much better in the big city but, there is quite a lot of work when there’s this many people in a town.”

“I’m sure.” Viktor laughed, picking up his bag.

“So, I’m guessing you didn’t think about where you were going to be staying or working when you got here, huh kid?” He laughed, walking back towards the exit.

“Well, I guess not. But, couldn’t I come live with you?” He asked, quickly following the older man.

“I would say yes, but I just moved in with my girlfriend, and I don’t think she would be very happy with freeloaders.” He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck.

“Well, I’m sure I can find somewhere to stay. But, what about work?”

“You still want to be a law enforcer?” He asked, stopping in his tracks in front of the shorter man.

“Of course! I’ve been training and studying and-”

“Well then I think you found yourself a job.” He interrupted.

“What?” His uncle turned around; a grin plastered across his face.

“I pulled a couple of strings, but luckily for you, I think I have a spot open for an intern.” Viktor was at a loss for words as his uncle stuck out his hand. “Whadya’ say, partner?” He asked in a midwestern accent.

“It would be my honor!” Viktor took the larger hand in his own and shook it vigorously.

“Come on, kid. I can find ya a place to stay for a bit. Don’t worry about it.” He turned and continued his path, Viktor following suite.

As they arrived in front of tall building, Viktor stood in awe. The sight in front of him, the biggest police department in the country, was in front of him.

“Pick your jaw off the ground and come on.” His uncle nudged, playfully. The two men walked into the large, stone walls where meetings were being held, calls were being made, and where, in Viktor’s perspective, dreams come true.

“Hey, Maxwell!” One of the other police officers approached his uncle, patting Viktor’s back, “This the new kid?”

“Yup. The one and only, Viktor Hargrave.”

“Oh, you’re a part of the Hargrave family! That was one of my first cases as an officer, such a tragic one.” Viktor and his uncle shared the same glance, the air becoming thick.

“Well, let’s introduce you to the team.” He said, moving past the awkward silence filling the room. After the introductions, Viktor was thrown into the sea of madness of the case they were working on currently, the case of the Grim Reaper.

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“So, what do we know about this guy?” One of the officers asked.

“Well, he has been on a killing spree for a couple of years, he’s seemingly killing random people, for all we can tell.” Another answered, looking down at his folder.

“Do we have a motive? Or an idea of who it could be?” Viktor’s uncle, who prefers to be called officer when in his workplace, asked with a tint of annoyance in his voice.

“Yes, sir. We believe it may have something to do with the gang that has been terrorizing this town.”

“Well obviously, but who is in the group is what I’m asking, damnit!” He was becoming more and more frustrated, hitting his hand on the desk.

“Well, we think that the criminal has to be younger, it seems to be all graduated students that have been murdered. They all have the same year of graduation, even though it was roughly two years ago when they did.”

“So, we’re looking at a kid killing these people?” Officer Maxwell retorted.

“We believe so, officer.” Another officer responded.

“Sir, do you think he may think he is a vigilante, bringing justice, perhaps?” Viktor asked, reading through the reports of death.

“Why do you say that Viktor?” Officer Maxwell asked.

“Well, it seems all of the victims have had some type of criminal record whether that be stealing or being a registered sex offender. More the latter.” The room was quiet.

“See, this is what you are being paid to do, this kid isn’t even being paid! And this is his first day!” Officer Maxwell patted his new intern’s back and smiled proudly. The next few months was filled with sleepless nights for Viktor, trying to figure out this strange case. His diet consisting of microwavable treats, coffee, and candy, his body was hating him but his boss wasn’t. Finally, Viktor made the connections one night, he had a suspect. After a year of research on this case and the victims, he found a suspect! He leapt from his chair and called his uncle, who was sound asleep in his apartment.

“Hello?” A groggy voice answered.

“I think I figured it out!” Viktor jumped up and down like a child on Christmas who had just received a puppy.

“Slow down, kid. What did you figure out?”

“I think I have a suspect for the Grim Reaper case!”

“Kid, we dropped that case last month, you know this. You didn’t stay up this whole time working on that case, did you?” His uncle’s voice was becoming cleared, meaning Viktor’s loud voice was waking him up.

“No, but I have been working on it in my free time.” He lied.

“Well, go on into the station and get yourself some coffee. Bring whatever you have to prove it and we’ll talk, okay bud?”

“Right! Thank you, Uncle Maxwell!” He hung up the phone and slipped on his uniform, sliding his shoes on as he stumbled out the door. He flew onto the night-bus and waited anxiously to arrive at his destination, knee bouncing to the rhythm of his heartbeats. Finally, the bus stopped at his destination, and before the driver could announce where they were, he was out the door, running up the steps of the police department. He quickly tidied himself up before walking into the madness of the office at night.

“Hey, Viktor, whatcha doin’ her so late?” Officer Jackson asked.

“I think I have a suspect for the Grim Reaper case.” He said, a smile plastered across his face.

“Kid, we dropped that case a month ago, you aren’t still hung up on it are you?” He asked.

“Look, I think I have a probable list of suspects and I know it’s one of them. I just know it.”

“Well, okay. I’ll go get the ‘big man’,” he made air-quotes with his fingers, “unless he already left for the night.”

“He’s on his way back.” Viktor smiled, sitting at his small cubicle, setting his bag on the desk.

“Ugh, that means he will be energy deprived, I’ll go make some coffee. Do you want any?” He asked, reluctantly.

“Sure!” He smiled, his knee still bouncing from anxiety. After about an hour, Officer Maxwell finally arrived, walking in groggily.

“Took you long enough.” Officer Jackson joked, handing him his now cold coffee.

“Yeah, yeah.” He took a sip of his coffee and made a disgusted face.

“I’ll go heat it up.” The officer said, walking away defeated.

“Now, let’s see who you think it is, kiddo.” He took the folder from Viktor’s hands and looked through the files. “I have to hand it to you; this is very well done.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“It seems pretty reasonable. Now explain to me without the folder who your number one suspect is.” He said, setting the folder next to him.

“Okay so,” once Viktor started going, he didn’t stop, “Azrail, we don’t know his legal last name, but he goes by Azrail. He is a graduate from the local school, graduating the same year and in the same district as the victims. He has been on and off the grid his whole life, only reappearing around the time of the killings. He lives nearby, is unemployed, but still can afford to buy luxury items. He had written a paper his senior year, called Justice. He wrote about how the world is a messed-up place, and that people need to find the real definition of justice. This 100% matches with the killer’s motive, and” he took a deep breath of air, “this would perfectly match him to the recruitment criteria of the local gang.” He finished, winded.

“Wow. That’s impressive. How long can you hold your breath?” He joked. “Honestly, I feel that all that you have in here is enough for you to interrogate hi m if you can find him. I hear he is back off the grid again,”

“I already did.” Viktor pulled out a list of coordinates, all crossed off except for one that was circled.

“Again, impressive. We will reopen the case and I’m going to do you a favor, kid. I’m going to make you head of the investigation and start paying you. You’re old enough to legally earn money and have been for quitter a while. I just needed you to prove that you could take on such a task.”

“Really?!” Viktor gasped, nearly falling out of his chair.

“Really and truly, little dude.” He laughed.