The X Files | Levi Ackerman

File 2: A Rather Strange Case

The thunder boomed outside as the rain pounded on the rooftops.  The chilliness of the droplets seeped into the office, along with some of the wind that blew relentlessly outside.

Levi groaned as he sat back in his chair, loosening his white cravat as he let out an exhausted yawn. Papers littered his usually spotless desk, and the mere thought of disorganization brought the detective a massive migraine. Rubbing the bridge of his nose him in between two tense fingers, Levi reached over and pulled out a small drawer in front of him, snatching a bottle of pills that conveniently fit his predicament. He shook out two small oval pills and plopped them into his mouth, chugging down a whole water bottle with the medicine.

He sighed, glancing at the clock.

12:52 am

Levi groaned.

The detective was working late tonight; the case he was about to solve was just within his reach. A few more hours of analyzing evidence and the case will be closed.  Rubbing his eyes once more, Levi took a deep breath and picked up his pen, scratching marks into the scattered pieces of paper to link the facts together in one strong, logical explanation.

By four in the morning, Levi had cleaned up his cluttered desk and filed everything to its neatly order once again. He set his reading glasses on his desk and walked away, grabbing his coat from the back of his swivel chair and snatched his keys.  He exited the office, letting the doors swing closed behind him.

He drove in the icy rain, tugging his coat on at a red light as he made his way downtown. The droplets tapped softly on the hood of his car, the windshield wipers squeaking a little bit as they moved across the glass in fan-like motions. Levi, though it was frosty outside and his fingers grew numb, didn't bother to turn on the heater.  It was a habit now, as well as driving in silence without anything to fill his ears but the gentle hum of his engine and the soothing sprinkling of the rain upon his roof.  He drove down the freeway, his face plain and a bit hostile from sleep deprivation. He had to come back to the center at six anyways, so spending a little time at the bar would help kill the time.

Levi glanced at the clock once more.

4:29 am

He let out a scoff, flicking his icy gaze back to the slippery road before he could cause an accident; being groggy from fatigue was enough.

Arriving at downtown Trost, Levi parked in front of a local bar, the neon sign flickering as the sun peeked up from the distant horizon.

Slamming his door and locking his vehicle, the detective trekked through the rain and mud towards the pub.

"Oi, Ackerman!" a voice called from the counter. "I was wonderin' when you would show up!"

"Hey Hanji," Levi greeted the woman, arriving inside the tavern and tousling his moist jet-black hair to the side.  "You're still here, huh?"

"Well of course I am!" Hanji scoffed. "Have a seat!"

"You don't need to tell me twice," Levi muttered. The detective took a chair at the bar, pulling out a box of cigarettes and lighting one up with one of the candles that lined the bar. He took a long drag of the cig before tapping some of the ash into a tray. "The usual, if you would please."

"One Scotch Mist, comin' right up!" the woman piped up.

"Thanks Hanji," Levi sighed, taking another drag out of his cigarette; he sighed.  "I've had a long day."

"No kidding," the bronze-haired woman scoffed. "It's five in the morning, for Christ's sake!"

"You don't need to remind me," Levi groaned, rubbing his temples.  "This case was a bit more tricky than the rest."