Days Union Oneshot Book [DISCONTINUED]

WHY'D YOU LET HIM COOK 😭😭😭 (Pt. 1)

A/N: Request from @Marrowin ! I'll be splitting this chapter into two parts to get this request part done and leave the parts I wanna add in for later since the events of the second part have been mentioned in an earlier chapter!

!!! TW FOR BLOOD, GORE, AND CANNIBALISM IT GETS REALLY GRAPHIC IN THIS ONE, SO IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THIS, PLEASE DO NOT READ !!!

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"Are you sure you wanna take on this case..?"

Officer Leon took another huff of the cigarette, an exhausted exhale blowing the dark smoke into the air. The cramped office's stuffy air was already hard to breathe in, but the smoke only added one more struggle for my lungs. I adjusted my scarf up higher on my nose and hung my head, the brim of my fedora protecting me from the officer's judgmental eyes. I could already tell what he was thinking—the same as every other client I had worked for.

Here in the Union, you usually expect someone you hire to be 'built for the job,' as people often put it. But my eyes squinted just a pinch too much and my feet marched just a little too loudly to be made for a detective. No, I was cloned to be one of many brainless facility workers in a big corporation owned by some greedy tycoon owner. Just an insignificant cog in a machine gilded with a reputable name, enough to cover up the abysmal treatment of its staff.

But with enough defiance, the Goddesses would let you stray from your fate.

"I'm certain." I squared my shoulders and straightened in my chair. Officer Leon ducked his head, trying to soak in a decent look at my features. My sunken eyes should have been a good sign to him—a symbol of my near-zealous dedication to the enigmas landing in my hands.

He crossed his arms and reclined back in his chair. "You know how crime scenes can be, Mr. Kold? They tend to be on the... gorier side." Streaks of dull moonlight peeked through the lines of the blinds, the soft white glow dancing along the edge of the desk and the wrinkles of Leon's blazer. It perfectly contrasted the pitch-black shade of the office, the darkness perfectly blanketed along the shadows over Leon's eyes and left side to paint him in the brooding scene straight from a noir film.

I tilted my head up by just the slightest degree to expose my eyes right below my hat's brim. "I'm not the type to get queasy easily, Sir."

"Alright, just warning you," he shrugged before plucking his cigarette out of his teeth and snuffing it out in the ashtray. The remaining eye on his face took the chance of my vulnerable eyes abandoning the safety of my hat to narrow his glare upon my face. "This is a serious thing, Mr. Kold. I don't know your experience, but I'm hoping you know what you're getting yourself into. And let me tell you—it's not pretty."

"I am well aware, Sir." I was not one to sing my own praises, but the cases I had taken up for my clients in the past had quite a wide range of terror. From gruesome duel sights still sticky with blood to dark, stench-tainted halls lined with abused food clones in filthy cages and rags for uniforms, I was certain I could work my way through anything.

Officer Leon huffed, almost as if he meant to chuckle. "I see... Well, then." He reached to a shelf beside him and slipped out a pale-yellow file with "CLASSIFIED" stamped in red on its cover. He tossed it onto the desk so that it slid perfectly in front of me. "It's yours, Mr. Kold. A hundred Uion if you crack this case."

I slipped the file gingerly into my leather bag and gave a tip of my hat in gratitude. "Thank you again, Officer." As I walked out of the office, the sound of the file jostling in my bag drew my attention away from my swiftly beating heart. I picked the file from my bag and opened it, greeting me to the unpleasant, stinging odor of whiskey.