Chapter 9.1 - Curse

It was one of those nights. A night when you can feel your fluffy hair all over your body. A night when you hear the sounds clearly from afar. A night when your nose is sensitive with no apparent purpose. Today was that kind of night.

It was clear what this night meant. They were not far from here or they were coming. Ben was sitting on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed. They would eventually come if he waited, but it had been faster than he had expected. However, after some time, he still couldn’t feel their presence.

The fact that they still weren’t there when Ben was sensitive, meant that he may not be the target, although they are nearby. Miller said they would come in time even if they didn’t do anything, but Ben couldn’t stay still. He didn’t want to increase the number of victims, and most of all, he wanted to finish work as soon as possible, so he decided to move.

Ben didn’t prepare the bullet separately. He checked that the last bullet he had made was still in the magazine and loaded it.

When he came out of the house, Ben was more sensitive than ever. Even if he tried not to, it was pure instinct. Ben always thought it was a curse, but this wasn’t so bad if it could help him deal with them .

Ben tried to have a lighter mindset than usual. He kept reminding himself that he should be the prey, not the hunter.

Midnight. The streets were quiet and deserted. If he met McDowell Jonas with his spirit intact, he planned to ask him what kind of relationship he had with Miller.

Now the moderately warm wind tickled Ben’s face, signaling that something dangerous was just around the corner. It felt so good that he wondered if he came out for work.

Ben walked down the alley, as he kept sensing it. He was paying close attention to feel the smell of them . Seeing how sensitive he was, Ben didn’t think it was a small number.

Entering a residential alley full of red brick houses, Ben licked his dry lips with his tongue. The smell was so intense that his whole body wavered. It wasn’t just one person. Ben stopped walking.

“Don’t waste your time and just come out, will you?”

“Heh, what’s going on? You’re faster than I thought. Did you really develop while being with Miller?”

He had a childlike tone. Ben turned around slowly. It was clear, it was the one he saw in the dark alley that one time.

The deep blood smell mingled with the strong rose scent pierced Ben’s nose, making him dizzy, even though it happened just because of one person. Ben didn’t say it, but he recognized at a glance that he was McDowell Jonas.

“Hi~”

Jonas waved his hand and smiled as if he was so happy. No matter how hard he tried to feel it, he couldn’t feel more of them around him, so Ben looked at him, being suspicious.

“Ah, I’m alone, so you don’t have to be on alert, chief inspector Benjamin.”

His outfit didn’t match his frivolous tone at all. Ben couldn’t understand how such a guy led their organization, so he slowly looked at Jonas from head to toe.

“It’s hard to judge just by appearance.”

Jonas mumbled as if he had read his thoughts. Ben, as he was used to, touched the weapon he had on the side.

“Ah, that’s cheating. I’m alone and unarmed.”

“Why would you even need weapons?”

Ben spat out in a blunt voice while showing his hands, proving he had nothing. Jonas looked up and down at Ben despite his aggressive words. Then, he joyfully laughed on his own.

“No matter how much I look at you, I still don’t understand. Having the two brothers in a house must be crazy. One likes a Dhampir and the other one, a human.”

“What are you talking about? If you’re here to take me, why don’t you just do it?”

“Me? Why?”

Jonas spoke steadily, as if he had never laughed. The dark voice quickly changed the flow of the surrounding air. His poor emotional control made Ben hold his gun tighter. It smelled stronger than before.

“Why would I take the chief inspector when it’s going to be even more interesting if I just leave you be?”

Jonas shrugged and made fun of Ben. The dark night sky suddenly weighed down Ben’s shoulders. He didn’t think he should talk to Jonas anymore.

Ben’s legs were starting to shake. Suddenly, the thought that he had to rely on the gun he had now, the one that contained only one bullet, made a chill pass through his back.

Who was in front of him was dangerous, more than anyone he had ever met. Warning lights started ringing in Ben’s head. Maybe he brought the cell phone with a tracking device, so Ben searched in his pants’ pocket to check.

Ben, while he was getting very nervous, heard an exaggerated tone as if trying to make a theatrical line.

“I’m disappointed. I thought a Dhampir would recognize and deal with one of them at once, but Miller proved to be very clever.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Make yourself clear.”

“Uhm, where should I start?”

Ben didn’t know why, but Jonas looked really excited, as if he were a predator who was agonizing over whether to tell Ben his secret or having him as food.

To get to his senses, Ben pinched his leg and swallowed dry saliva.

“But you shouldn’t try to kill me.”

Jonas said something like ‘Ah, this will be good ‘, provoking that Ben opened his eyes at the words that he couldn’t really understand. Straightening his back and pressing his lips straight, Ben stared at Jonas.

Jonas felt Ben’s energy change, so he clicked his tongue.

“That look sure is scary, but it’s because of me that you were born.”

“Don’t say trash. The guy who did that to my mother is already dead.”

“But you can still call me Mom. Although I’m not the one who did it.”

Jonas shook his head as he affirmed it. Then, he made his eyes sharp and stared at Ben.

“No matter how amazing you are, it’s hard for a Dhampir to develop this much. Without a doubt, it was because of Miller”

Jonas kept saying things that he couldn’t understand at all, and Ben’s head began to hurt.

“No, given that you didn’t recognize him, maybe a Dhampir who was born on Saturdays’ ability was just a tale.”

Ben looked at Jonas talking all he wanted with his lips pressed.

“Your gaze is telling me that you’re about to kill me. You weren’t capable of recognizing Miller at a glance, or maybe Miller had the audacity to trick you.”

Ben took a deep breath and tightened the pinch in his leg. He had a strong hunch that Jonas would be more happy if he collapsed here.

“Ah!”

Jonas suddenly clapped his hands and laughed as if something had come to his mind.

“By the way, you couldn’t shoot me when you saw me for the first time, right? It’s not that you didn’t know it, but you’re clumsy, fearing I might have been a human being, and you don’t want to kill one. But we don’t care about morality and pretend to be a human being, so that’s why you don’t use your ability properly. If I were you, I would just stab or shoot without thinking twice.”

Jonas spoke excitedly in an exalted voice as if he had got the answer to a problem that had not been solved.

“So that’s why you were so full of doubts about me and think I’m a fool for missing the timing?”

Ben couldn’t keep up with Jonas’ words, which were very fast. No, more precisely, Ben’s head seemed to refuse to accept it.

“I don’t think you’re smart because you still don’t understand.”

Jonas pointed his finger at his head with a killer smile. From Aiden to Jonas, Ben swore at them in his mind because all of his recent encounters seemed to keep treating him as a fool.

“Did Miller tell you? If you wait, we will take you? And when we’re in the Holy Land, he will come to save you and destroy us?”

Ben couldn’t answer anything that he said. Jonas laughed excitedly as he leaned back as if he already knew he was right.

“You’re still so dramatic, Miller.”

“What’s your relationship with him?”

Ben, who had just been listening all along, managed to ask what he was curious about. Jonas stared at Ben with a dumb look on his face as if he really didn’t understand what he had asked him.

“Relationship? We’ve been enemies for 400 years.”

Jonas spoke slowly as if he were being generous. Ben’s legs were forced to remain in the same position, as he trembled at hearing the word 400 years from Jonas’ mouth. He managed to put all his strength on his legs, which had almost collapsed.