Sir

January 9, 2023
"Sir you're trailing blood everywhere." "Don't worry, it's not mine."
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One

Claire stared off into the middle distance as she waited for her soulless shift to end at the equally soulless retail establishment she currently found herself employed. Claire had worked here for 5 months now and was starting to develop and deep and hearty disdain for this retail establishment. But one does not survive in this world without fealty to retail establishments. Claire's true passion was, not this.

She had made some questionable choices since graduating college. Like many often do Claire met someone and as often happens when one meets someone decisions are made. Claire traveled with this someone to the ends of the Earth, or at least the ends of New England. During these travels Claire found what it meant to be truly free. She was a bona fide adult with her own desires. She was for the first time at the helm of her destiny. Unfortunately Claire found that her helm was steering a dingy in an ocean of larger more purposefully driven ships. Her life with that someone made her feel like she was where she was supposed to be. She felt that this is what her life would always be.

The foundations of her relationship with that someone were, to the untrained eye, strong. Upon closer inspection the cracks were a little more obvious. And cracks have a tendency to grow bigger, and harder to repair with time. The cracks became too deep and too difficult to repair. And it seemed to Claire that every time she attempted to repair one crack another would form. Claire found that foundation repair was a two person job, however, she was the only person making an effort. And when only one person makes an effort the foundation crumbles and collapses. When the relationship collapses there is often no other course than to part ways with that someone.

Claire parted ways with that someone and took what she had of a life in a few boxes. She found herself in a new place but with many new places they are very similar to the old places only with different faces. She thought she knew what freedom was while she was with someone but she found a new freedom. Lonely freedom. Loneliness is dark. It is easy to lose yourself in the darkness. Claire is in the middle of that darkness at her current job at this retail establishment when the door slides open. The soullessly cheerful door chime pulls her attention away from the darkness for a moment as the man who entered the door walks past her register. He was covered in blood and as he walked through the store a red sticky trail followed him.

Two

"Ah, sir" Claire couldn't believe what she was seeing. This man just strolled in off the street and brought with him a good amount of blood. The man didn't react as if he were in a trance. He continued deeper into the retail establishment. Claire tentatively followed him giving him plenty of space while carefully studying him, like a interested cat. The man was walking through office supplies, housewares, slowing in the bath department and looking down every aisle. He entered the towel aisle, found the biggest whitest towel and picked it up off the shelf. He studied the towel briefly and after squeezing it gently he buried his face in the towel and breathed deeply.

Again Claire said, "Sir, you're trailing blood everywhere!"

"Don't worry," he said lowering the towel "it's not mine" with a warm smile.

Claire stared dumbfounded. How could he be so nonchalant? This was an excessive amount of blood. Someone or something was servery injured if not dead and this man came into this retail establishment and chose the admittedly overpriced towels to clean himself off.

"Do you need help? Does whoever that blood belong to need help?" Claire was having trouble keeping the panic out of her voice.

"Well it's not going to need this blood anymore" he replied with a snort.

The man was tall and thin but he appeared to have some muscle. It was hard to tell under his blood soaked suit. His hair was shoulder length and slicked back showing a sharp nose and angular jaw. He wasn't unattractive. Claire told herself that his attractiveness wasn't the highest priority at the moment. However, should she need to provide a description to law enforcement perhaps giving him a good once over wouldn't hurt. Her thoughts snapped back to the issue at hand.

"Who is this blood from? Are you a murder? Are you going to murder me?" All very good questions.

"What." He replied. It wasn't a question, it was a correction. "What this blood is from was not a who."

"What?!" Claire was getting a little frantic.

"This is the blood of the Bear Demon Gorgorh," he replied coolly. He had wiped most of the blood off his face and hair. He was working down his jacket. He had picked another towel from the shelf and thrown the first to the floor. Claire, between frantic questions, wondered who would clean this up because this retail establishment didn't pay her enough.

"Bear Demon? GooGoo? What the fu-" Claire started.

"Gorgorh," he interrupted, "I have been tracking it for some time. It killed a very important dignitary and I was hired to rectify the situation." He a subtle accent that Claire couldn't quite place. He didn't sound American. Again Claire reminded herself that his accent wasn't the top priority at the moment.

He moved down a few feet to the display of bathroom mirrors and inspected his face. He had dark stubble as if he hadn't shaved in a few days. He inspected his eyes and found a little more red then the other and tutted under his breath. He looked at his nose and a small trickle of blood was trailing down to his upper lip. He wiped it off and showed the blood on his finger tips to Claire and said with a smile "Huh, I guess some was mine."

Claire's jaw hung slack. The gears in her mind were beginning to slip and she couldn't come to grips with what was going on in front of her. He brushed past her to exit the aisle. "Could you direct me to your water closet? I'd like to freshen up." Claire didn't follow him out of the aisle and just stared ahead at the heap of bloody towels on the flow.

"What?" she replied as she slowly turned to follow him out of the aisle. He did not wait for her. He continued through the store his trail now only boot prints.