- Ethan Egan -
"Jesus, you look destroyed...you know you can go ahead and take a nap whenever you need it..."
Alvy spoke, concerned. Pausing mid-type on his laptop.
"I'll rest when we've killed those bastards..."
"Ethan, you're not being reasonable...we didn't want to kill them, we just wanted proof..."
Dainan added, meekly.
"Proof doesn't matter anymore, no one listens anyway. We just need to get rid of them. When they're gone, I won't have to think about it anymore. When they're gone, I can rest."
I couldn't have had a proper night's rest the entire week. Hours of sleep slimming down with each day that went by without progress.
Alvy had taught us quite a bit of good information.
The eyes only turn red when threatened or eating. Their teeth are unnaturally sharp, though it wouldn't be clear by just looking at them.
They can drink but can't eat, which just didn't make sense to me.
And, if you cut into a certain area on their chest, the blood would be black.
But why only there?
Alvy said he wasn't completely sure with that one, but assumed it has something to do with the way a person was transformed into a Red-Eye, seeing as he'd already hypothesised it focused on the chest.
"Ethan, please sleep...you're not yourself..."
Dainan begged.
"I will, I will...just not right this minute, okay?"
"Aaand...there! If I've gotten it right, we should have access to all the security footage in the city. Man, that was a lot quicker with the help of a cop."
Alvy grinned.
"You're welcome. Now, where do you think we should focus on looking? Is there anywhere you think they might be likely to stay?"
"I dunno...they're more about blending in, so it's not like they'll be all that easy to find...however, I have gotten quite the eye for spotting the little fuckers. So we'll see."
Alvy spoke, leaning in and squinting at the screen, his eyes glancing over each detail as he clicked through the different cameras.
"You know, if you'd have done this two days ago, I would have arrested you..."
I smirked, using his shoulder to push myself back onto my feet.
"Yeah, but you're working for me now, officer. No rules, no boundaries, just like you said. No matter what it takes, we'll get rid of all the monsters that are hiding out in your city. Don't you worry."
"Well, we're one down out of who knows how many, so you better get to work. Keep your eyes out, kid. I'm going to sit down for a minute, I need to think."
"Sure thing, Ethan."
He grinned, childishly swinging his legs as his eyes glued back to the screen.
I stumbled through the house, collapsing onto the dirty sofa I'd slept on that morning. Eyes heavy, body numb, I reached for the half-empty can of beer beside me, lifting up to my lips in one, natural motion.
Three years sober.
What a joke.
With silent movements, Dainan awkwardly stepped over discarded takeaway boxes and empty cans. What was initially just Mason's mess had sadly grown because of me. I knew I'd clean it up eventually, there just wasn't much point right then. Besdies, some of the takeaway was Alvy's mess.
Gently sitting himself down beside me, he seemed uncomfortable. Hands on his lap and eyes only glancing at me a few times.
"...um...don't you think you've already had enough tonight?"
He spoke, voice uneven.
