The weekend, an oasis, a time of recovery from a hectic work week. Having proper days off meant that I could finally clean my room out and fill my fridge. With a proper home cooked meal in front of me, being a loaded omelet, with a cup of orange juice to get me going. Well, with that, today was off to a great start.

  I wanted nothing more than to sit back, watch something on my antenna television, but there wasn’t a lot to watch. Getting cable would be too costly, and the number of channels I had access to was rather limited. At best, I could watch the news and informercials, but that felt like a waste of time. And it wasn’t like I needed an odd assortment of gadgets for the low, low price of five payments of 19.99 dollars, shipping and handling not included.

  I could also crack open a book or pull out my phone and eat away at my minutes calling up places for more options on leasing out a warehouse, but I had other plans.

  Today, I was going to the police station.

  I arrived around midday, hopefully Grim would be out for lunch, or just out. The station itself was rather nice, the building looked like it belonged in a comic book or movie starring a hardboiled detective. The large building was bustling with officers moving about. Cars were packed in the lot, with an underground lot protected by a barricade and manned by a pair of officers.

  Inside, the station was equally bustling. A low murmur of chatter, broken by the occasional ringing of a phone. There was a line at the front desk that I settled into. The smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air, making my fingers itch. That, and the smell of coffee.

  At the front was a large reception desk. The desk itself was broken into a variety of booths of a sort with the receptionist behind glass. The desk took up the majority of the entrance, a few benches were set along the wall, with potted plants in the corners. The reception desk was like an island, and a path further back led deeper into the station, whereas signs announce where the paths to the left and right went.

  Swiftly, I was brought to the front. “Welcome to the Purgatory Police Department, how can I be of help today?” The receptionist, a man said.

  I wasn’t quite sure how to word what I wanted, so I just went with the most direct approach. “I’m relatively new in town, and when I arrived, I may have lost some items of importance. I was told the station may or may not have them in a lost and found?” I questioned.

  “Ah, yes, of course. If you go to the left, you’ll arrive at the impound. We keep everything there, lost and found, confiscated goods, the whole works.”

  “Right, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome, now, Next!” They called out as I walked to the left, down the hall towards a door like every other door in the station. A wooden door, a solid wood door not one of those questionable particle board wooden doors with a reinforced glass window on the face.

  Stepping through the door, I came to a much larger area. There was a small corner desk, manned by a pair of officers. A man and a woman. The moment I entered they perked up and stood at attention.

  “Excuse me, I was told I could retrieve anything I may have lost here?” I asked as I approached the desk.

  “Yes, you can. Can I have your name?” The female officer answered.

  “Prima, Prima Belle.” I answered. The woman quickly typed it into the old computer.

  “Right, we have a few things here…” She starts, the male officer leans over, to look at the monitor.

  “I can get the box from the back.” He says calmly, the woman nods.

  “That would be great, now, if you would follow me?” The female asks, directed towards me.

  I do that. We walk to a side door, into a larger lot underground. Vehicles were here, a wide variety of them. Anticipation welled up inside of me as we continued down, only for me to exhale it out like a punctured balloon.

  “According to our records, this is yours, yes?”

  “Yeah… it is…” It was my car. Burned, wrecked, totaled. Just one look and I knew it was done for. How it even was here without further falling apart, I had no idea.

  “Well, we’ll be glad to be rid of it. Unfortunately, the city doesn’t have a junkyard or a means to deal with it, so we’ll have to ship it out…” She pauses a moment to count with her fingers. “You’ll end up having to pay for that.”

  She then gave me a number…

  “I… are there any alternatives?”

  “We can hold it for up to a year. That is the general policy for lost and found. Once that year is up, whatever we have is put up for auction to be sold off or sent out to be scrapped.”

  That wasn’t quite what I meant…

  “If you don’t want it scrapped, we can deliver it to wherever you have in mind, but that would still incur a fee.”

  Of course it would… I take a moment to approach the metal husk and put my hand on it. It was like family, an old friend. I still remember when I’d been given it... The car had been in good condition, but was old when I first got it, and only got older as the years went by…

  It got me from place to place, it was there for me when I had to sleep inside between jobs and places. There were so many memories…

  I let out a final sigh.

  “I don’t have the money now, can I pay the fee later?”

  “You can, as I said you have a year. If, in a year you still haven’t paid, we’ll send it out, but we will put an additional charge on your bill.”

  I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this? This was probably what I thought would happen. Barring the extra fees. Kind of feels like going to the bank expecting an inheritance after a relative’s death, and only getting their debt…

  “Right, thanks… was there anything else? The other guy mentioned a box?”

  “Some personal items survived, if you would follow me?”

  And I did… Back at the desk, I went through the box. Somehow, they looked like they were in much better condition. Spare clothes I had lying about. A medical kit that was in the trunk, burned, but somehow fine. A few odds and ends… eventually I found my old wallet. It was crisped.

  Out of curiosity, I opened it up. My old identity card was burned. The writing illegible, the picture burnt out. My old cards were all a melted mess. Cash burnt; coins melted into an odd puddle that clung to the fabric of the wallet.

  The more I saw the damage, the less I hoped, but… Inside a fold of the wallet, I felt something. My heart was in my throat as something was pulled out. Pictures, photos, memories. A picture of me and Alex, with my portion of the picture burned away in entirety. A photo of my university professor, a smile on his lips, he wore glasses and leaned on a cane. Then, there was an old photo I have of the man that taught me martial arts. A conflicted look on his face as he gave me a belt for completing my training.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Finally… The final picture gave me pause. Again, like all the photos, any existence of who I had been, had been burned away. Yet, in this photo, was that man. He looked commanding, His hair slicked back, sharp nose like a hawk. I very much wanted to rip that photo apart, just looking at him brought back terrible memories.

  Yet… That heat building in my chest was so easily exhaled. Replaced instead with an empty void. He was dead… and he was no longer my problem. Sighing, I bundle the pictures and toss the ruined wallet back into the box. Then, I took stock…

  It was bit, not a lot, but a bit of stuff. My old phone had survived. It wasn’t a smartphone; I never saw the reason for it. I used an older phone, which was said to be indestructible. A saying that proved itself true, the phone was burnt, scorched, but otherwise looked usable. It didn’t work, but that’s because it probably needed a charge.

  “Is that everything?” I ask to be sure.

  “Yup, that’s everything.”

  “Alright, I’ll head out then… and I’ll make sure to bring the cash to get rid of my old car…” Funny how that works. I came here hoping for an opportunity and all I did was get myself in trouble. Though, I’d probably be forced to pay eventually and if I never came, well, I’d never get these photos back.

  Still, what a disappointing trip. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find an old used car. With no other reason to be here, I headed out. It was fine, up until I came to the front door. The moment I was about to step out, a familiar voice called out to me.

  “Well, hello there little rabbit.” I froze, a part of me wondering if I should bolt. In the end, it wasn’t like I could just run.

  “Hello back to you, Grim.” I called back, Grim was standing by the reception desk. She motioned for me to come closer, so I did. She eyed the box in my hand with understanding.

  “My apologies.” She started with. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

  “No, no, its fine. I got what I came for, and well, I also owe money for my scrapped car.” I said with a shrug.

  “Ah, that so? Well, if you want, I can help you out with that?”

  Could she? “That would be nice, but… why?”

  “Well, for one, you’re new here. I also have a request for you, if you don’t mind hearing me out.”

  I mulled that over for a moment then sighed. “Why not. If it’s just hearing you out, I don’t mind.”

  “Great, mind following me to my station?”

  For the third time today, I just followed. I feel like this might become a theme here. I was led past the reception desk, where it looked like processing was taking place for criminals and such. A set of stairs led down to the station jail, and another set of stairs that led up went towards the offices.

  The main area was rather large, a fountain with a statue took up the center of the space. At the back, between the stairs was a small stage for reasons unknown. There were a pair of circular iron support beams on the opposite ends of the floor as well, closer to the reception desk.

  We went to the second floor, and she led me to a small office with her name on the door. Once inside, she offered me a seat and when I sat down, I set the box down at my feet.

  “Coffee? Water?”

  “Water is fine.”

  In the corner of the office was a small counter, on it was a small coffee pot, as well as a water dispenser. Grabbing a paper cup, she filled it, the sound of the dispenser emptying with a glug-glug, was about the only sound I could hear with the door shut.

  The glass surrounding her office was frosted, not allowing anyone to look in or out. Grim’s desk was a nice, thick wooden desk. Atop it were well organized stacks of papers and utensils. An old computer was set on it at an angle, with the keyboard set slightly off center.

  Various photos were on display. The photos were of the other special investigators like her. Notably, the pictures had different years and each year, there were new faces and old faces vanished. With Grim being one of the few present in all of the pictures.

  The office was an odd spot of serenity in the chaos of the precinct.

  Grim handed me a paper cup filled with water, taking me out of my inspection of her office. With a sigh, she settled into her seat and faced me.

  “So, before we talk about business, I do have to ask. How have you been since we last met?”

  “Good.” I answered honestly. “Work has gotten less hectic, meaning more time off, which means I can further practice what you told me.”

  “That’s great. If you don’t practice or push yourself, it won’t be long before you find yourself trapped or worse.”

  “I get that. I went to the library, got a silver membership and have been going over some of the basic books.”

  “A good call.” She answers back, I continue talking about what I’ve been doing, and she nods, speaks or asks questions when appropriate.

  “Which comes to why I’m here. I had a car that wrecked, and I was hoping it wouldn’t be that bad.”

  She nods. “A good plan as any… especially if you do plan to lease a warehouse. Do you already have a spot in mind?”

  “I do.”

  “A nice start, but you still do need a car.”

  I nod.

  “I might know a place, let me see.” She reaches into a drawer and pulls out a literal brick of business cards. She rifles through them, tossing some in the trash, others went right back into the drawer, eventually she gave me one.

  “Rust Belt Auto?” I mutter.

  “It’s run by one of us. He’s a real metal head and buys junkers to fix up. Our city doesn’t manufacture vehicles, so the costs are inflated as we have to rely on the port for them.”

  “Who do we import from?” I ask the crucial question.

  “Depends… Technically, from nobody.”

  “Nobody?”

  “Have you ever ventured beyond the city limits?”

  “Just once, when I arrived. It was endless desert.”

  “Yup, the furthest you can go is by taking the main road right out of the city. You’ll hit a bus stop, and then… nothing. Doesn’t matter what direction you go, you’ll always find yourself back at that bus stop.”

  “I… are you serious?”

  “Completely. You also can’t fly too high, and don’t bother trying to swim out. It’s much the same. If you dig, you’ll hit the sewers eventually, and if you keep going down, you’ll arrive at Tartarus.”

  Again, with the Tartarus, but…

  “What are the limits?”

  She shrugs. “Nobody really knows. All we do know is that as the city expands, the limits expand with it. People think that when we get large enough that we can eventually reach the moon or further… Though, I have a feeling when that happens, we’ll end up fighting something.”

  “Like moon people?”

  “Something like that.”

  Ominous… Then again, that sounded like a distant concern. Just in case… “How long has this city been around?”

  “I wouldn’t know… A couple decades at least? Maybe a century? Nobody here is old enough to answer that question, I think.”

  Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but it seems like I had time to worry about that. If it even happens.

  “Well, thank you for the card, and can we move onto the main topic?”

  “Mm? Ah, yes, you see, I have a meeting with someone today, unfortunately I have received a rather annoying monthly visitor and cannot meet them. As it stands, I’m stuck here doing paperwork until I recover.” I wasn’t dense… I could immediately understand what she meant.

  “Who were you meeting, and how does this involve me?”

  “Someone reliable, they live in the lower quarter, and I was going to ask them to teach you, if you were up for it.”

  Notably, she didn’t give me a name. Did she want to keep it a secret for some reason?

  “Alright, but why are you meeting this person?”

  “Have you seen the news lately?”

  “A bit, seems to be a rise in disappearances lately…” I pause, it clicks into place. “Is this about what happened two weeks ago? With Tabitha and Diana?”

  “Yes, exactly. We’ve received a tip that whoever is involved with these disappearances is in the lower quarter. Unfortunately, as an officer, more specifically, as a member of the special investigation task force, I cannot enter the lower quarter without support.”

  “And that person is your support?”

  “They are, they…” She pauses. “They have a bad reputation. A lot of people are out for them, and even if our official policy is to stay uninvolved, they remain the best chance to find whoever is doing this.”

  “How so?”

  “We believe the one behind the disappearances is someone chosen by Sheep.” She said that with a heavy tone.

  “A Sheep chosen? Is that bad?” For some reason, it reminded me of something, but… I couldn’t quite place it.

  “Last time a chosen belonging to Sheep went renegade, half the city was destroyed.”

  “Oh…” Yup, that sounded familiar.

  “Yes, it’s bad, Sheep contain incredible potential for who they are and simply leaving them to their devices can bring about a lot of trouble.”

  “And this someone is special how?”

  “They were the one that killed that sheep.”

  Ah… “So, are they like you? A hunting dog?”

  “No, they are a rescue dog. Though, they are a bit of an oddity even among rescues.”

  “And, why do you want me to meet them? Yes, you planned to have them teach me, but why am I there as your proxy?”

  “Their word cannot be taken into account as evidence for reasons.” I could tell Grim was annoyed with that. “Consider it petty politics. She did nothing wrong, officially, but a lot of forces are after her…” She sighed.

  She? Guess she let that slip.

  “I don’t like it, but… I want someone I can trust by her side. I can’t necessarily trust anyone else in the precinct with this, and you shouldn’t know enough about the incident to be against her.”

  Again, ominous.

  “What do I get out of this?”

  “There is a bounty for information, if you do this, I can forward some cash, bronze coins, and a silver coin or two, plus, I can pay the fee for disposing of the wreck.”

  Did I want to do this? It was my day off after all… and yet… Knowing that all that awaited me when I got home was boredom… I guess I’m doing this.

  “I’ll do it, but… will I be safe?”

  Grim smiled. “You’re bound to be safer than anywhere else in the city, she is after all, the strongest denizen of this city.”

  And with those final words, we hashed out what I was supposed to do.