Night Witch (Book 1) ✔️

9 - An Ogre of a Day

The next day I'm assigned four duty calls before lunch and I take them all just to keep busy. There's nothing else to do but wait.

This time I don't go to my favorite food cart, I just go to the one with the shortest line. I order a sandwich at random and carry it and the iced coffee back to my desk. I finish my coffee absentmindedly as I continuously click refresh on my email, waiting for something, anything.

"Uh, Sullivan, you feeling okay?"

"Huh?" I turn to face Udial who's staring down at me with a frown.

"You hate gomelly, but I can smell it from my desk. And you've eaten half your sandwich."

I look at my lunch and sure enough a brown, smelly relative of the mushroom sticks out of my sandwich. I pick up the top piece of bread and see that it's full of gomelly, feta, and vegetables. I scrunch up my nose, trying to ignore the now obvious smell wafting from my food.

"Why'd you have to point that out before I finished it? Now, I have to eat it aware of the gross stuff."

He just kind of looks at me.

"I'm just a little distracted but I'm fine. Go back to work, Udial. Today's my last day."

"Wait, you told Klurgak? What did she say?"

I grimace. "I haven't exactly told her. I have to ask her to call Central and finish my recommendation today. But Monday Kit goes back to school and we're leaving afterwards. They all smell blood in the water so I doubt she'll last long. I'm just waiting to hear back about a place for us to rent."

"Klurgak won't take it well."

"I know, that's why I've been putting it off." I glare at my sandwich before tossing it in the trashcan next to my desk, the strong smell wafting back towards me.

I realize my error as it starts to fall. I stretch out a hand and the sandwich freezes in the air with a flick of my wrist I move it up the aisle to Omadi's trashcan and let it fall. I'm not going to be the one tortured by that smell for the rest of the day.

"She's going to be more upset that you didn't give her warning," Udial warns before walking back to his desk.

I grumble but know he's right.

With nothing else to do, I push back my chair and stand. I tug my leather jacket to straighten all the invisible creases then set my shoulders. Walking with purpose, I head to the corner office in the back left of the precinct.

A dirty silver plaque on the door reads 'Lieutenant Klurgak'.

I knock and wait, trying to slow my heart as it speeds up every second.

"Enter," The voice sounds like gravel rubbed together.

I walk in and shut the door behind me, falling into a practiced stance. My feet stay hips width apart while my hand are clasped at the base of my spine.

Klurgak doesn't ask much, but one goes above and beyond for respect when facing an ogre. Especially when she already lets me get away with not wearing regulation uniform. So, I'm extra polite when I speak with her face to face.

Plus, she's intimidating as hell.

Her skin is grey and mottled and while small by ogre standards, at nine feet tall and over 500 pounds she dwarfs any human member of the squad. Her green eyes flash at me as she looks up over her desk.

Everything in her office is built larger - the desk standing five feet tall, her laptop screen a small TV with a special keyboard made for the larger races. She squints at me but I don't take offense as ogres have poor eye sight and glasses that fit them were a pretty penny even on a lieutenant's salary.