Annalise sat stock still in the interrogation chair, her lip ravaged from nervous habit. Two officers calmly waited across the table for her to answer their questions. ‘The last 48 hours had been a living hell’, she thought, ‘this is nothing more than the cherry on top’.

“You can’t just sit there forever, you know.” The female officer on the left, Cassey, said.

“No disrespect, ma’am, but she could sit there for months without issue, so…” The younger male officer, Jordan, said, trying hard to hide a smile. Annalise laughed through her nose for a moment. She could, albeit uncomfortably, sit in this chair for the next half year before her hunger got the better of her.

“Thank you, Jordan, I’ll remember how helpful you‘e been when it comes time for peer reviews.” She placed her hands on the table and pushed herself up before heading to the door. “In that case, I’ll be back in six months to ask you again. Come on, rookie. Unless you plan on keeping her company.” Jordan got up to follow her, hitting his knee against the table and knocking over his chair.

He held his knee for a second while he looked at Annalise. “Please, can you just cooperate a little bit? They’re only a suspect, we aren’t looking to arrest them yet.” His eyes twinkled, full of naivety.

“You know we can’t promise that. But, your partner is much better off in our hands than they will be if the Artiglio’s find them first.” Cassey said, turning back to face the others.

“I don’t… we aren’t a part of this, we never wanted to—“ Annalise raised her head as she spoke. Cassey interrupted he, walking back to the table.

“You are now. We know you aren’t personally affiliated with the Crocs, but you’re in this mess now. I’m sure you think we’re useless in their feuds, but we can still protect you and yours. Help us out, and we’ll help you.” Cassey said, placing a hand on the table.

“Okay, but you have to help them, even if they resist you can’t hurt them!” Anna pleaded.

“You have our word. Jordan, grab me the bag.” The junior officer picked his chair up before reaching into the duffel bag beside him. He took out a blood bag, Annalise recoiled at the sight.

“You were able to collect that much…?” Her voice had begun to shake.

“We have good reason to believe they’re still alive and well, try to stay calm. I promise we’ll bring them back safe.” Jordan reassured her. He placed the bag on the table in front of Anna. “Do you need a straw, or…? I don’t really know how you do these things.”

“No, of course she doesn’t need a straw.” Cassey leered at him for a moment.

“Actually… that would be helpful, if it isn’ttoo much.” She looked straight down at her lap, her face slightly red. Jordan reached back into the bag and pulled out a plastic straw.

“You brought a straw, and stored it in the evidence bag?” Cassey brought her palm to her face while shaking her head.

“I thought—“ Cassey raised a finger to silence him.

“Just… get to tasting it, please.” Cassey was exhausted, having spent the better part of two years on this investigation. Annalise carefully placed the bag upright and unzupped it slightly. She cautiously inserted the straw and held the bag in both of her hands.

“What’s wrong?” Jordan asked.

“I… I really hate blood, especially when it’s not fresh. Just give me a second please.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a brief moment, she brought the straw to her lips and took a long, slow drink. She shivered, struggling to hold back a gag.

“Anything?” Cassey asked, glancing at her watch.

“Let’s give her a minute, maybe it takes a bit for the memories to come through?” Jordan patted Cassey on the shoulder.

“I don’t feel anything… I’m sorry, I’m still really new to this. They would know how to do this…” She squeezed the bag in her hands as tears started to fall.

“Hm. It was worth a shot, we’ll take you back home and—“

Jordan slammed a hand on the table. “We can’t just leave her to die because she wasn’t able to help us!” He dropped his kind demeanour, scowling at his partner.

“Watch it, rookie. We have enough on our plate as is.” Casey said, staring Jordan in the eyes.

“Hmph, Anna? Do you think it would help if you could focus more on the memories?” Jordan asked, turning away from Cassey.

“Maybe…”

He reached into the bag and pulled out a blindfold. Cassey glared at him. “Of course, just go ahead and use the evidence bag for everything. Why not take it as a carry-on while you’re at it.”

“I came prepared, didn’t I?” Jordan placed the blindfold on the table. “This might help, there’s already no sound in the room, maybe taking away your sight will help.”

Anna picked up the blindfold and tied it around her head. “I hope so…” She took another moment to prepare before drinking again. She took a deep sigh and placed the straw in her mouth. Several long seconds passed as she drank more and more of the blood. After a minute of silence, she dropped the bag, spilling what remained of its contents. She held her head in her hands and groaned. Jordan and Cassey could hear the grinding of her teeth through her pained sounds.

“Are you alr—“

“Shut up!” Anna yelled, interrupting Cassey. “I… I can see it…” Jordan had a slight smile on his face. “I know where they went, I know who took them…”