“What do you mean I don’t have enough credits to request for backup, chief? I’m being hunted for goodness sake! My life is in danger!”

“Oliver Harred committed suicide in his cell? But I…” Anya’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Are we afraid of the mafia now? We’re the goddamn police! Clara Harred’s turning this city upside down. We need to take her head on; there’s no more time for-”

A loud click sounded in her ears before she could plead further. The detective sunk to the floor in defeat, burying her face in her hands.

“Help me…”

Anya flicked her head upwards, looking around at the stone cold walls around her. Her surroundings were dim, and the mediaeval architecture was not making the place look any cosier. A chill ran down her spine as her shaking legs propped her up.

“Is… someone there…? Help me…” the ghostly voice repeated itself.

“Hello?” Anya’s voice rang out louder than intended, coated by more nervousness than she had hoped to let on. She drew her gun and walked towards the scratching sound against the door at the end of the hall.

This place is so creepy… Why’d you leave me here alone, Jon…

Anya drew a deep breath and pushed the door open slightly. She peeked in and flinched as a hoarse cry greeted her.

“Mind the water, girl!”

Anya flinched at the sight of the woman strung up by silver strings in the middle of the room. Small containers of water surrounded a pentagram drawn on the floor with some kind of glowing substance. The woman dangled above the demonic symbol had her head hung downwards. Her black hair covered her face partially, but Anya recognised her anyway.

“Lucy, am I right?” Anya asked the woman. “Who did this to you?”

Lucy craned her neck to look at the inspector as her lips curved into a slightly terrifying smile. “Ah, Jonathan’s roommate. Pray help me shift all those containers out of the room. Oh, and don’t let the water touch the ground.”

“Why?” Anya bent down to pick up two containers.

“Because if they do, I’ll be frozen in my place for twenty four hours just like Jonathan last night.”

A look of realisation dawned on Anya’s face.

----------------------------------------

Moving the containers of water away was the easy part. Getting Lucy down? Not so much. The strings that held her up seemed unbreakable, and the knots that held them together were complicated and numerous. It took the ladies a solid hour to finally free Lucy from her bindings.

“Thank you so much, my dear.” Lucy rubbed her wrists tenderly. “So Jonathan has finally decided to show you his workplace. I knew something was up between both of you.”

“What, no!” Anya exclaimed. “He’s hiding me here because I’m being hunted by the mafia.”

“How very clever of him.” Lucy grinned. “I suppose he was expecting that a vampire could scare them away.”

“A… what?”

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“Oh, you don’t know?”

“Know what?” Anya blinked in confusion. “This is a personal security agency, isn’t it?”

“No, it isn’t. Sorry I’m late, Anya. I fell asleep for an hour.”

The ladies turned behind to the sound of Jonathan’s voice. He walked slowly to them, his clothes still damp from the rain. Anya ran to him and hugged him tightly.

“You aren’t hurt… Oh thank god…” she cried out. “Where did you go? Harred’s gang is still out there and the police won’t help. What were you thinking, going out like that? They could have hurt you!”

Jonathan gave her a wry smile. “Trust me, they couldn’t even if they tried. The bulk of her men are dead. I suppose there are still a few scattered around, but the gang has mostly been dismantled.”

“What? How?” Anya asked in surprise.

“You went after them, didn’t you?” Lucy folded her arms with a disapproving look on her face. “Let me guess, they tried to hurt Anya and you hunted all of them down. We talked about this, Jonathan. Revenge isn’t-”

“I’m sorry for being human, alright!” Jonathan retorted. “They killed Oscar! They killed my only family left in this world! They deserved every bit of what I did to them.”

“But you don’t deserve any bit of what’s coming for you,” Lucy said grimly. “We immortals are powerful. We must keep our wrath in check, lest they roll over the world and invite our own demise. You’re on a slippery slope, Jonathan. Duncan locked away my powers with his silver strings and trapped me in a room filled with holy water when I confronted him. Vengeance has rendered him blind, even to his friends. Your fate will not be any different if you let it consume you like it did to him.”

Jonathan kept his silence, looking away dejectedly.

“I’m so confused. What do you mean ‘immortals’?” Anya turned to Lucy. “You’re an immortal too? What is this place, really?”

“Of course I’m immortal, dearie.” Lucy smiled warmly at her as her fangs started showing themselves. “I’m a vampire. This is the headquarters of the Immortal Paranormal Association.”

“I’ll bring you up to speed about everything, Anya.” Jonathan looked at Lucy. “If that’s okay with you. We could all use some help right now.”

Lucy nodded.

----------------------------------------

“So this Duncan guy is headed to Tennessee, and you need to stop him before he poisons the pastor.”

Lucy nodded. “I’m guessing that’s his plan. It’s not like he told me directly, but there’s no other reason why he would be collecting black widow fangs.”

“Might I offer an alternate conjecture?” Anya said. “It’s very possible that Duncan’s target isn’t Paul Newman, but the members of his church instead. That way he can make Paul feel the pain of losing the people he loves without killing himself.”

“That’s even worse,” Lucy gasped. “Taking the lives of so many… the elixir is going to react in an equally brutal manner and take away his life even more painfully. We cannot allow that to happen.”

“I don’t know if I still want to stop him, to be very honest,” Jonathan muttered. “Perhaps this is the peace he needs. He’s lost so much; it’ll be cruel to force him to live such a wretched existence with nothing left in his life.”

“I know how you feel about Oscar.” Anya held his shoulders. “And I won’t pretend that I can even come close to the place he has in your heart. But you still have me; you still have us. And… and…”

Anya choked a little. “When the day comes for me to leave you, you still have your colleagues to keep you company. Relationships are not treasured because they lasted forever, Jon. They are treasured because they once held a place in your heart. So please don’t do this to yourself. It…”

She looked away. “It hurts me.”

“Those were very wise words, girl.” Lucy patted her head gently and turned to Jonathan. “I don’t know if you ever regarded Duncan as a friend, but he is family to me. I implore you, Jonathan. Please don’t give up on us now. Please… Please help to save my family.”

Jonathan basked in his silent brooding for a little while longer, before smiling at Lucy. “When you put it like that, how can I not help?”

“Let’s go save Duncan, shall we?”