"A barter?" Without understanding what the little boy was referring to, Lola raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror and disbelief at the child's words. Again, she remembered what she had listened to, a moment ago. A chill ran down her spine thinking about what he was implying.

"Destroyed... some men? With his hands and mouth?" she repeated in a thin voice, feeling her pulse quicken.

Arturo nodded solemnly, not taking his innocent gaze off her.

"Yes, with his big hands like this," he gestured as if tearing something apart. "And with his long teeth. Ar is a very strong monster who protects Juana and me."

Lola was struck speechless, the words caught in her throat. Could that...being that had left the chilling "offering" at her house be the same "friend" the little boy was talking about? It couldn't be true, there had to be a mistake, it must...

"Arturo, sweetheart. How long have you been with that... Arnaud?" Juana asked at that moment, her expression darkening.

The boy tilted his little head, pensive.

"Hmmm since he took me out of the village where I lived before," he replied simply. "He took care of me and brought me things to eat when I was alone. We slept during the day in a den underground because he can't go out in the sun."

Lola let out a muffled exclamation upon hearing that last part, memories of the fantasy books she read as a child swirling in her mind.

"He can't go out in the sun? Please..." She stood up abruptly. "Then you're going to tell me that this Arnaud is... a vampire?!"

Arturo blinked in confusion at hearing her, tilting his head without understanding that term. Instead, Juana paled suddenly, arriving at the same realization.

"Oh, Virgin Mary..." she murmured, raising a hand to her chest. "Explain everything Arturo, what else have you seen of this Arnaud?"

The boy shrank slightly at their reactions, frowning in bewilderment.

"Well Ar is my friend. He saved me when they killed grandma Maria and stayed with me because I didn't have anyone else," he explained with a dismayed look. "Sometimes he growls a lot and only eats raw meat when he's hungry or talks weird, but he would never hurt me..."

Lola shook her head, both shudder and disbelief in her expression.

"No, Arturo. That's no friend, he's a lunatic, a degenerate who drinks blood and... thinks he's a vampire!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists.

The boy frowned, wrinkling his little nose indignantly at the woman's words.

"That's not true! Ar is not a degererade, he always protects me!" he rebuffed stubbornly. "He killed the men who killed grandma Maria because they're evil!"

Juana hurried to intervene, placing a hand on the little boy's shoulder in a conciliatory gesture.

"Shh, there, there honey. We mustn't get so upset, you have to understand this is for your own good," she told him gently. She looked up at her friend with an urgent gesture. "Lolita, try to calm down. I don't deny that this... Arnaud could be dangerous from what Arturo tells us. But we can't jump to conclusions, maybe he has an explanation for his behavior, maybe he was born..."

Lola could not believe what she was hearing, pursing her lips as she shook her head frantically.

"How can you justify him, Juana? That spawn could have hurt us and I don't know why he didn't!" she shouted with growing hysteria. "He's a sicko who tore those men apart with bites, Arturo himself said so!"

"Stop, stop please!" Arturo's voice suddenly interjected, his little eyes brimming with tears of rage. "Ar is not a psayco, he wouldn't hurt us! He loves me and takes care of me, he's my friend! A-although I don't know why he abandoned me... but he's not bad!"

He howled the last part in a broken voice before turning and running into one of the rooms, sobbing hard. Juana watched him leave with great sorrow and sadness, before turning to her friend with a reproachful look. She shook her head slowly.

"Lola, look at yourself. You've frightened the little one..." she whispered bitterly. "I know all this is shocking and hard to process, but you can't let yourself get carried away like that. There's still so much we don't know."

She got up and headed for the room where Arturo had locked himself, not without giving her one last meaningful look.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"And it won't help anyone if we torment the child any further, he has suffered too much already."

She left Lola in the room, sunk in her own anguished thoughts as she debated between wariness and growing guilt. Arturo's muffled sobs echoed through the house, breaking her heart.

♢♢♢♢

The phone began to vibrate in Lola's pocket just as Arturo had fallen into a deep sleep after so much crying. The young policewoman looked at the screen and frowned when she saw Miguel's name on the incoming call.

She walked to the little kitchen so as not to disturb the child's sleep and answered in a murmur:

"Miguel? What's going on?"

"Lolita..." Her old mentor's gruff voice sounded tense, even somber. "I need you to listen carefully, okay?"

She fell silent, sensing the gravity of the matter from his tone. She nodded silently even though he couldn't see her.

"I just received a report about a terrible shooting at Mrs. Juana's house," Miguel continued in a subdued voice. "There was an intense shootout and they found... blood everywhere in the back warehouse. The cowards fled after the altercation."

Lola stifled an exclamation of horror, bringing a hand to her lips. Her mind immediately imagined the worst about what could have been the fate of her dear friend.

"Blood? A lot of blood?" she asked in a choked voice. "Good heavens Miguel, what do you think could have happened?"

A dense silence followed on the other side of the line, only broken by the sound of the veteran police officer clearing his throat laboriously.

"That's what I fear, mija. We don't know what happened or who was responsible... But you know how the situation is around here now. Those cartel bastards don't mess around."

Lola squeezed her eyes shut, dismayed at the possibility of her sweet friend suffering at the hands of those ruffians. If it weren't for Juana being right across the room, safe and alive. Now she would be terribly worried and unable to sleep.

"Miguel, listen to me: Juana is here, with me," she assured him in a firm voice. "She and Arturo managed to flee in time before that attack, it seems they knew about it. It seems that's why they escaped from their home."

Another silence followed from the other side, this time of utter disbelief. Finally, Miguel let out a harsh snort that could well have been a dry laugh.

"Well, well... So the old fox does have more lives than a cat," he muttered with a hint of relief in his voice. "Although I don't know whether to be glad or worried. What the hell is she doing with a little kid?"

Lola glanced sideways toward the living room, where Arturo was napping peacefully on the sofa and Juana was covering him with a blanket in a protective gesture.

"It's... a long story, Miguel. But the important thing is that they're okay and safe for now."

A brief pause ensued before her old mentor spoke again:

"I'm glad then, Lolita. If the old lady is with you over there, it's much better for everyone." A note of concern crept into his voice as he added: "Just make sure to keep her hidden and out of trouble for a good while, you hear me? Things around here are not good for them to return."

Lola nodded gravely, even though he couldn't see her.

"Don't worry Miguel, I don't plan to let them get exposed again. They'll stay with me for as long as necessary."

An awkward silence followed her words. Lola could almost feel the curiosity struggling within her old mentor before he finally expressed it:

"And... What about you, mija? I've been keeping an eye out and you haven't sent me good news about your performance over there." He cleared his throat before adding with a hint of reproach: "Are your superiors leaving you in the cold? Or making you do the hard labor while your colleagues scratch their balls?"

Lola pressed her lips into a thin line, annoyed at having to lie. But she knew Miguel couldn't help her with her situation, whatever the cause.

"It's not that bad, Miguel. You know how it is for rookies, we get the heavier shifts while we work our way up," she tried to play it down with a nonchalant tone. "It's about gaining experience."

On the other side, Miguel remained silent for a few moments, weighing her words. Finally, he snorted softly.

"If you say so, rookie. I just hope they're not underestimating you because you're a woman. You've always been capable of more."

It was Lola's turn to remain quiet, nibbling the inside of her cheek restlessly. If only Miguel knew...

"And you, how have you been?" She cut him off before he could insist further. "Things over there must be hectic, I imagine."

Another tense silence came from the other side. It was almost as if she could sense her old friend debating inwardly about what to reply.

"Ah you know, mija... The usual," he finally replied with a weary sigh. "Lots of bastards out there and not enough decent people to stop them. But we manage as best we can."

Lola frowned as she caught the sadness and discouragement in his voice. What was really going on over there?

"Well... Just be careful and don't let your guard down, okay? And as soon as it's safe, let me know so Juana and Arturo can return. It would be good if you could file the report of the incident so they can replace some of her merchandise."

"Don't worry, it'll be the first thing I do," Miguel promised with renewed energy. "Now take good care of them and don't let them get into more trouble. That old troublemaker loves messes."

Lola gave a slight smile at his tone of feigned exasperation.

"I will, I will. You take care too, Miguel. And don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything."

They said goodbye and Lola hung up the phone with a weary sigh. She stared blankly for a few moments, reflecting on everything Miguel had told her... and what he hadn't.

No doubt, her old friend was concealing the gravity of the situation in the town. But honestly, she hadn't been entirely truthful about her reality here in the city either. Even more important, what happened in the warehouse? Blood everywhere and intense gunshots...