An Evil Within Us

Goodbye Boston

"Really Joseph, calm down, we saw just saw each other last year at Christmas!" You pleaded into your phone. "I know, I know... it's just that I'm just so happy to get to see you every day now. Let alone we'll be doing the things we love side by side," you thought for a second. "Wait, how do you even know we'll be partners? Heck, I could get assigned to some random guy who's taller than me, and you know I hate that." There was a silence between you two. Not an awkward one though. Being friends for 18 years helped to learn what the other was thinking or feeling. Right now Joseph was thinking so you let him think in silence. "I don't know. If you get assigned to someone else then I'm sorry. But I'd just be happy to be in the same building as you, ya know. We've been on opposite sides of the country for many, many years now," Joseph exaggerated. "Dude! I've been in Boston. You're near Chicago. That's not even half of the US. Seriously, just chill." You paused. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just kinda stressed right now. My flight leaves in less than a day and I still have some packing to do. I'll call you before I board the plane and tell you where to pick me up. Okay, Jojo?" He took a breath. "Yeah. Okay. Be careful. Have fun. Don't forget anything. Bye," he concluded. "See you in a bit." And at that you hung up.

You looked out your hotel room window you booked after you sold your apartment a few days ago. The sky was dark, but it usually was due to all the smog that came from the city. You worked as a detective at the Boston Police Department and you were getting transferred to Krimson City. It was a place you've never heard of so you looked it up as soon as you found out the news and found that it was a city about 40 minutes west of Chicago. As much as you were going to miss your partner Zoe Fräns from Boston, you were relieved to be moving somewhere smaller. Being in the big city wasn't scary, it was just much more dangerous.

You checked the time on your phone and it said 11:24 PM, so you decided to try to lie down and go to sleep. As you started to close your eyes, memories from your and Joseph's time spent together flooded in. You thought of the time when you first met. Although you were only 10, you remembered it vividly. It was the moment that changed your life because you had never been happier. You were on the swing set alone and a boy walked over. He sat on a swing next to you and said, "I've never been the best at making friends. But will you accept my request?" When he said that you instantly smiled, because that's exactly how you were. Very shy, not good around lots of people. When he saw your smile, he smiled, and you've been the best of friends ever since. You've helped each other become more friendly towards others so you could both branch out your relationships. When you were in 9th grade, you decided you wanted to become a detective. Joseph had originally thought about working for the FBI, but after you wrote out two pages worth of pros and cons of becoming a detective, he changed his mind and decided to follow the same career path as you.

Suddenly, a loud alarm was blaring in your ear as you awoke. You must had been dreaming about the memories, because it was your alarm clock that was waking you. It was 8:00 and your flight was leaving at 2. You needed to get the rest of your stuff packed so you did. You saw a text from Joseph appear on your phone. It said, "Dont be late for ur flight and dont forget anything." So, following Jospeh's advice for better or worse, you double-checked that you had all your belongings. You did, so you walked over to your room and turned on the TV. The local news channel came on and the screen said it was 9:30. A story about a police chase came on, and you sighed a sigh of relief knowing that you could catch a break for once. You weren't going to be a part of the team at Krimson until a few days after you arrive so that you could get some time to settle in.

After flipping through many different channels and finding that nothing was on, you decided to check out of the hotel and head for the airport, that way you could be nice and early and not chance missing the flight. You walked out of your room and down the hall to the elevator, all your luggage in tow. A man was there waiting for it, too. He looked at you and then looked away, and then looked back again. You didn't look at him but you could see out of the corner of your eye that he was staring at you. "Have we met before?" He asked, still staring at you right in your face. As soon as you looked at him, you recognized him as one of the criminals you had interrogated once. He was found guilty of multiple charges of drug and alcohol smuggling. You quickly looked away and at the elevator to make sure he couldn't get a better look at you and flip. "N-no, I don't seem to recall meeting you," you replied, keeping a firm stare on the door. As if it heard your prayers, it opened, and you walked in. He watched you walk on and all of a sudden he made a face. Not a pleasant one, either. "Hey! I know you! You're the bitch that busted me and sent me to jail for 5 years! You son of a bitch, I wish I'd never seen your face again!" While he was busy rambling, you had pressed the button that sent you down to the lobby. He tried to rush in before the doors were closed and made it, sort of. He would have made it all the way in if you hadn't punched him in the face. He flinched back grasping his nose, which was already filling up with blood. "Shit! You better watch your back, kid, because I'm gonna kill you if I ever get my hands on you! Ya hear me, bitch?!" The door closed. You took a deep breath, knowing that it was over, and that you'd be checked out by the time he got to the lobby by stair. "Good god," you said aloud, "some people are complete, utter psychopaths."

A satisfying ding alerted you that you had reached the lobby. It was busy down here because of the holidays coming up. It was June 30th and everyone was traveling everywhere for the 4th of July. You managed to push your way through the sea of bodies to the main desk where the poor workers were very clearly exhausted and overwhelmed. "Hi, I'm from room 289, and I'm checking out," you half-yelled to be heard over everyone else's voices. "Name, please," the lady said. "(Y/N) Pellegrini, that's P-E-L-L-E-G-R-I-N-I." You were used to being asked how to spell your last name ever since you were little, so it just became a habit to do so anywhere you went. "Alright, you're all good. Thanks for choosing Applewood Home Suites, and have a good holiday," She replied tiredly. "Thanks, you too." You finally trudged through the people one last time to make it to the rotating doorway. Man, how you hated these things. Always walking to the speed of someone else. Walk too slow and you'll get smacked in the rear. Walk too fast and you'll smash your face. But, before you knew it, you were out of there and into the streets. The sun was already shining on your face and it felt nice.

Now was the tough part: you needed to call a taxi. You stood on the street for minutes that seemed like hours before you finally waved one down. You hopped in as soon as it stopped and he asked where to. "The airport," you replied, and he gave a simple nod and started driving off. You noticed something odd about this taxi driver. He had an unusual taste in music. Most cabs will have either 70s and 80s rock or Today's Hits. This one was playing a piano and strings piece. It was nice and you liked it. Calming, in a sort of way. The more you listened the more it sounded familiar. "Excuse me, sir, but is this Debussy?" You inquired, not expecting an answer. But he did. "Yeah, it's Clair de Lune, my favorite of his. It's a stress reliever for me, what with this crazy job and all. Hey kid, you look like you're still pretty young, so here's some advice- never, ever become a taxi driver. It's horrible work." You smiled at his comment. You were actually 28 but you definitely looked much younger. "Thanks for the tip, mister. But I must ask, if you think it's so horrible, why do you keep doing it?" The cab stopped at a red light. "It's simple, kid. No one else will do it because they all know what it's like. I suffer through it so others don't have to." The rest of the ride was in silence other than the soft melody of Clair de Lune in the background. When you reached the airport, you paid him, gave him your thanks, and wished him luck on the rest of his job. He smiled and drove off. It was nice to have pleasant interactions with people you don't know. It brightened up your day.

You turned and faced the airport. It was huge. You've never actually been to an airport or ridden on a plane, so this was a totally new experience for you.