Update [3:45 AM]
Oakridge Estate Garden
The cold night air swept through the place. Step—step—step.
Heavy footsteps mixed with the rustle of bags approached slowly.
And the moment his body stepped into the moonlight, his features became visible. It was Ethan, his gray eyes drifting aimlessly from exhaustion.
WHUUMPFF!
The bags hit the ground, releasing a strange white smoke with a smell exactly like boiled meat with no seasoning at all.
WHUUMPFF! … HAAhh
Ethan threw himself onto the cold, damp grass in a wave of fatigue.
He looked up at the sky—there wasn't a single shining star. Only… gray clouds struggling desperately to hide the full moon's beam behind their darkness.
Huhhh. Ethan sighed wearily, stared at the sky for a moment, placed his hands behind his head, and murmured:
Haaah… looks like my ghosts are getting one more tonight. "Hehm."
He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, the scent of night grass brushing his nose, while the wind toyed with his hair, pushing it left and right as it pleased.
---
The next morning, on the road leading to Lost Coast, California, a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class W140 (the Ghost) cruised forward.
Hhhrrhh… khhhh… hhhrhhk…!
Ethan's snoring echoed inside the car, his face pressed right against the passenger window, drool sliding down the glass.
Gabriel slowly shifted his eyes from the road toward the sleeping Ethan. He rubbed a hand over his face tiredly, gripped the wheel with both hands at the turn, and muttered:
"You'll clean the window when this is over."
A few minutes later, the car stopped at the edge of a cliff where the crashing waves below slammed violently against the rock.
Gabriel stepped out, walked to the other side where Ethan slept, leaned down, stared at Ethan's face for a few seconds, smiled, and then…
WHOOA! — THUD! — OW!
He opened the car door, sending Ethan tumbling straight onto the hot asphalt.
Ethan sat up, dragging his hands down his face in exhaustion. The moment he lifted his head, his eyes narrowed from the harsh yellow sunlight covering the road.
Gabriel chuckled silently as he enjoyed Ethan's confusion, leaned a little, extended his hand and said playfully:
"You're still cleaning your drool off my window."
Ethan opened his eyes in annoyance, tilted his head back, groaning:
"…Oh for God's sake!"
Gabriel grabbed Ethan's hand to pull him up, smirked, and said teasingly:
"You should've thought twice before sleeping in my car."
Ethan got off the ground and started brushing the dirt off his pants irritably. He glanced at the trunk, then at Gabriel:
"The keys. Let's finish this crap quickly."
— "As you wish."
Gabriel tossed him the keys. Ethan caught them in the air, and the moment he opened the trunk…
"Oh my God!"
Ethan shouted in disgust, immediately covering his nose with his hand, turning toward Gabriel from behind his palm:
"Gabriel!"
— "What?"
Ethan pointed aggressively at the bags inside the trunk:
"Why do they smell worse this time?!"
— "Nothing new. I just mixed in some minced sardines with the meat. They were expired too, so the rot would intensify and attract the fish."
— "That's even worse!"
Gabriel smirked slightly, lifted one of the bags, walked to the cliffs, and tossed it. The harsh waves toyed with it until it tore apart.
Ethan pursed his lips in disgust, grabbed one of the bags quickly, and ran to throw it as fast as he could. He watched it fall, tearing open even before reaching the water.
Gabriel leaned over the cliff to see how it fell, then turned to Ethan, lips pursed in impressed approval:
"Nice throw. This way the fish can eat the meat immediately."
Ethan blinked in surprise at Gabriel's reaction, which made him laugh as he said:
"Wait—really?"
HAHA! "Yeah, I meant to do that."
Gabriel replied instantly from inside the trunk:
"No, you didn't."
— "OH COME ON!"
Gabriel threw another bag straight at Ethan's chest. Ethan's left foot slipped off the cliff's edge—he almost fell. He hurled the bag toward the road with a THUD! and threw himself in that direction.
Ethan stood there, legs trembling from fear, staring at Gabriel in shock. His voice shook as he said:
"D-did you just… try to kill me?"
Gabriel walked over holding the last bag, stood beside Ethan for a moment, and said as he tossed it:
"But you didn't die."
"Hm… no."
"I thought you'd catch the bag just fine, but I forgot this place has a lot of rocks."
— "Rocks?"
Hehhha— I literally saw my life flash before my eyes!
"And all because you forgot I was standing on the edge! On rocks!"
Gabriel laughed through closed lips, walked back to the car, started the engine, and gave Ethan a teasing look:
"— hm-hm. Don't worry, you didn't die. Which means… your instincts still work."
And at that last sentence, Ethan whipped his head toward him, eyes wide, breathing faster, until he grabbed Gabriel by the collar in fury, shouting:
"You're joking?!"
"You literally almost killed me!"
— "And are you dead now?"
— "Uh…"
Ethan's words halted in his throat. After a moment of thinking, head tipping slightly in reluctant agreement, he bit his lip:
"You know what I hate about you, boss?"
— "What?"
— "You make the illogical sound… logical."
Gabriel smirked, placed his hand on the wheel, and the car began moving again.
---
Update [12:00 PM]
Dr. Harris' Office… Toxicology Lab
Ethan's legs swung restlessly. He lifted his tired eyes toward the ceiling as black smoke-like arms began forming above the cabinet.
He stared at them with bored eyes, slipped his hand into his pocket, took out two pills, swallowed them, and ten seconds later the arms began fading slowly.
Ethan's gaze slid to Gabriel, who was speaking with Dr. Harris:
"So? What do you think?"
Dr. Harris looked at the floor while scratching his chin:
"I think it would be a good idea. Let me call my brother first and convince him."
— "Take your time."
Gabriel turned back to Ethan.
As soon as he sat down, Ethan asked:
"So? What did he say?"
Gabriel gave a small smile:
"They're coming for dinner tonight. So… we need to prepare."
Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement. He whispered loudly:
"Yes!"
At that moment, Dr. Harris returned, his white mustache lifting with his smile:
"He agreed."
Gabriel's eyes sparkled briefly. He stood, smiling, and shook Dr. Harris' hand warmly:
"That's great. Believe me—you won't regret it."
— "Ha! I'm sure of that."
— "Alright. I'll see you and your brother at my mansion tonight at seven."
As Gabriel and Ethan walked out of the office, Ethan paused, stared at Dr. Harris with a wide grin, raised his hand like a finger gun pointed at him, and whispered:
"Bang."
Then he followed Gabriel, but his eyes stayed on Dr. Harris until the last second.
Dr. Harris heard the door close, looked at the spot where Ethan had been standing, and muttered in confusion:
"What the hell?"