Ashen

Part Eight

A week and a half since their first day, the partners were scheduled for their first turn on the night shift. Jasper took the stairs running to the third floor, part of his afternoon/evening-long attempt to keep his energy up. Reaching the top in a little over ten seconds, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the bullpen. For a moment he was shaken- he recognized none of the nighttime officers, and it was as if he'd crossed from that door into a parallel universe. Calm returned, however, as he caught sight of October in the middle of the room.

She was carrying a backpack that seemed, to him, to be half her size. It looked like she had prepared for a stakeout rather than confrontational work. As he neared her, sidestepping the human officers milling about, he noticed she was clutching a mug of coffee like her life depended on it.

"You ready for the night shift?" At the recognition of his voice dripping down from above, she gazed up into his eyes, an odd combination of jittery and determined.

She presented the drink as if it was the holy grail. "I've got this, and two extra thermoses in my bag, as well as roughly a million Ashetone energy bars." This mildly disturbed October was a new one, and Jasper raised his eyebrows, silently goading further information from her. She sighed, releasing the tension in her shoulders, as disappointment clouded her features. "I tried to sleep late in preparation, but I woke up early instead, and couldn't go back to sleep. So, hopefully caffeine will save me."

This blunder was so perfectly imperfect for the woman that Jasper felt himself smile while saying. "Hopefully."

"How about you?" She sipped at her mug as Jasper shrugged.

"It's been a few years since I pulled an all-nighter, but I think I'll manage."

Smirking into her coffee she proposed, "I'll kick you if you fall asleep."

Jasper mimicked her expression. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think breaking my bones will help us do our job."

"Okay, I'll poke you." October began walking to the elevator, having grabbed the keys to cruiser number 4 and been informed yesterday to follow their normal patrol route. "And I'll make sure to hold back." She assured him as she pressed the button for the lobby. "You might get a bruise, but you can power through it."

Jasper simply nodded. "Here we go, then."

9:00PM through 1:00AM was horrifically busy. In the dark, fear of the Diseased was triple-fold, even for experienced Hunters. Several times the partners were called to blocks where the streetlights had gone out, burst in an electrical surge, or were shattered by rocks and never replaced. The limited view of their flashlights darting across the blackened landscape never seemed quite enough. At least with excellent daytime work under their belts, they were able to adjust- but exhaustion hit them with far greater force.

After 3:30AM, the attacks seemed to peter out. To save gas, they parked in one of neighborhoods with the highest rate of sightings, and sat in waiting.

Side by side, they tilted the seats slightly back for comfort, and had the heat on full blast, warming their legs in defiance of the bitter outside winds. It felt like forever since their last call when October- too lazy to lift her head or open her eyes- asked:

"What time is it?"

Jasper, not needing to move his chin to see the dashboard clock from his higher vantage point, answered. "Four AM."

His partner heaved a huge sigh. "And I'm all out of coffee."

"You tired?"

"A little." Irises adjusting to the streetlamp streaming light into the passenger side, October gazed toward at the man. "You?"