End of Watch

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Judas Carmichael hated rain. He also hated the orc that stood in groups across the street from him. It didn't help that his partner belonged to the same social class as they did. It also didn't help that the orc group hated his partner. 
They were throwing up gang signs behind the other man's back, pretending to shoot at him and it wasn't the first or the last time they would do it. 
"Hey, Ruvik!" He barked, finally tired of standing in one place while the other man decided whether he wanted an orc burger or a bronto thigh. Both smelled like death. "Today, please! Geez, I swear four elves have died in the time it's taking you to decide on that garbage."

Judas shook his head. "I don't remember very much about it. Get in the car..." He muttered, getting in the passenger side. "There's nothing else to say. Last I remember she wore the earrings."

"Don't tell me what to do with what you sold to me, woman." Kandomere hissed, giving Viola a disdainful look. "Get out of my sight, both of you."

“And nothing else, right?” Ruvik asked with a giant smirk as the car roared to life.

Viola found herself shoved to the feet of a woman she didn’t even know was her mother.
 “I could make her compliant, my lord. Would that please you?” The elder female breathed.

"nothing else." Judas said as the car pulled out into the evening. His thoughts were on the little elf and for some reason he could see her as she stood with two others. But that didn't answer any questions he had.

"Nothing pleases me except getting my power back. Take a team and get my books back from that woman. Do not fail me this time." Kandomere hissed.

Ruvik had grilled Judas the entire way to the elf district, and was still doing it as they entered the shookshop. He never stopped to think that Judas could now do the same to him and his little ‘crush’.

Celia nodded her head and bowed low. “I will bring you the shop girl, you can make her talk.” She breathed, leaving her daughter alone with Kandomere.

"We're closed!" Molly shouted from the back when she heard the jingle of the doorbell. She cursed herself for not locking it. She was packing books, deciding it was best if she simply left the shop altogether.

"I saw the human you were thinking of." Kandomere said when they were alone. "Why did you save him? Hide him from your father? You have never lied to him before."

“Good. Safer.” Ruvik remarked as he walked ahead of Judas to where Mollie’s voice came from.

Viola sucked in a choking breath, unable to understand how this man knew what she had done, who she had been with. “I didn’t even see a human, just someone in pain.”

"Ruvik. You're looking better." Molly looked up from the box she was crouched over and smiled. "All healed up and a hero I hear. Good for you. What brings you back here?"

"Lie." The word was spoken bluntly and cruelly. "You saw in him and opportunity. You planned to use him to escape your cage, little bird. Why didn't you follow through? You were so close."

“Got any more cookies?” Ruvik asked with a grin. “Wait... why does it look like you’re packing up?”

“Close to what? I had no where to go, nowhere to live. No untraceable currency. I may be naive, but I’m not stupid.” Violet replied rather thinly. The last thing she needed was for anyone to realise she she had given that human her earring in the hopes she would one day see him again.

"I'm leaving. I sold the building to the shop next door and I'm getting out of LA. This town is a mess. It's getting worse all the time." Moly admitted sadly.

"And hiding a bloody badge from your father was smart?" Kandomere asked her, his eyes never leaving her face.

Ruvik seemed somewhat panicked by this new information. “So... you’re just leaving? What about moving to a better neighbourhood?”

“I wasn’t hiding it.” VIola protested weakly. “I just... got curious.”

"My dad was killed for these books and the money in the till. Which by the way was a whopping twelve dollars. I'm not sure I want to follow his footsteps that far. I don't believe in the ancient fairytales like he did. And I damn sure don't want to die for them either." Molly admitted. It was odd to her that this was something she'd never told anyone. Why was this so easy to tell to him?

"Curious about a human? Why? Why not ask your father? They are like cattle. Scum of the earth. There is no need for them. When the dark lord rises again he will wipe them out like he very nearly did two thousand years ago." Kandomere purred. "No need to worry your pretty little head over humans."

Ruvik glanced around, genuine sadness in his eyes when they again came to rest on Molly. “Why did you never just ask for help?” He breathed.

“Perhaps it is simply time for the elves to end?” Viola shot back hotly. “The whole lot of them are nothing more than pretentious assholes!” She added.

Molly rose to her feet, her chest rising and falling quickly. "Who am I supposed to ask for help from? You of all people know that's a stupid question. I called the police the night my dad died and they never showed up. He bled to death on this floor right where we're standing and no one came. I was five. Standing here holding my father's hand screaming for help that never came. You'll excuse me if I don't bother anymore!"

The slap Viola received was hard enough to send her to her knees. "Never talk about your people that way." Kandomere hissed. "We are gods. We are king's. We rule the world. You had better start figuring that out before you die like your father." He hissed

Ruvik was staring open mouthed at Molly. “And humans just let this happen?!” He demanded, turning his attention to Judas now.

That was all it took. Kandomere could have done anything to Viola, but never hurt her father. The young elf launched back to her feet, scratching her nails across Kandomere’s beautiful face before attempting to flee again.

"You're looking at me like I'm responsible for the whole human race. You're kidding right?" Judas muttered, rubbing at his cheek. "That was a shit thing the cops did to her but it wasn't us. You should have figured out by now that not all cops are good. There are bad guys too, Ruvik. Your fucked up dream of being a good guy is just that. Fucked up." 
"You see." Molly said softly, turning back to the books. "What did you come here for anyway?"

Kandomere grabbed her by a handful of her violet hair and slammed her back against the wall until the fight left her. When he was done he dropped her slender frame to the ground and walked away, instructing his people to lock her in a room until he'd calmed down.

“You still think there can only be good or bad, nothing in between.” Ruvik told his partner sadly before turning his gaze back to Molly. “Alright, I’ll be clear... we needed your help.” He told her gently.

Viola remembered seeing Kandomere’s boots as he walked away,  it little else. She had hit her head several times, and finally everything faded to darkness.

"Cops needing my help. That's rich." Molly snorted, dropping a heavy book into one of the boxes. "With what? I told those guys at the station everything I knew about the shooter. Not that it mattered. He was very dead and an elf."
Judas suddenly felt sick to his stomach, his head on fire. There was something wrong and he wished he knew what.

For some reason, Ruvik felt he couldn’t lie to this woman. “Judas is being framed for the kidnap of a daughter of a very rich and powerful elf. They have his badge with blood on at the scene, but I know it wasn’t him.” He blurted, not noticing that the man in question suddenly looked a little panicked.

"What does that have to do with me? What can dusty books do to help a kidnapped elf?" Molly asked, again pushing to her feet.
Judas needed air he turned to head toward the front of the store when he saw the shaows passing. "Ruvik...they're here." He hissed. "Keep her safe."

Molly wouldn’t get her answer, once again she was grabbed by Ruvik and forced to hide somewhere out of sight. “Whatever you have in here... those people out there really want it.” He breathed as he drew his own weapon. “If we’re going to keep you safe, we need you to understand we don’t want the same thing they do, okay?”

"It's a cellar full of magick books. Fairytales about Jervik the great orc. He was saving them for some orc... I can't even remember his name now. Geez, Ruvik. The books are molded..the cellar flooded years ago. There's nothing worth saving..." Molly whispered.
"Then why are they willing to die for it?" Judas hissed. "Why are they willing to kill for it?'

“Molly, you need to take us down there.” Ruvik insisted, trying not to sound so eager. “If they are willing to kill for books... we need to find out what they are.” He added, though pressed a hand over Molly’s mouth when he heard footsteps growing nearer.

Molly's heart pounded in her chest as Ruvik held her close. She held his wrist but not like she wanted him to let go. With her free hand she tapped the floor beneath them, showing him the fine seam in the wood.
Judas stood against the book case with his back pressed to the wood, his gun to his chest. It was one person this time with a light step. This wouldn't be a hard fight.

Ruvik heard it too, his eyes met Judas’, and he nodded. It was a silent agreement that he would keep the human safe while his partner handled whatever this new comer was. “Go. Now.” He whispered against Molly’s ear as he let go of her. 
As luck would have it, Celia burst around the bookcase only once Ruvik and Molly were no longer there. The luck just wasn’t hers.

Molly pulled the cellar door down only once Ruvik had pulled himself inside. Then she pulled a flashlight from a cubby in the wall and flicked it on. 
Just as she said the books were ruined and damp. Not one of them was untouched by mold. "You see?" She said softly. "Just junk. My dad died for junk."

"Don't move." Judas said, his gun against the elven woman's cheek. "Put your hands up and don't move."

Ruvik took a moment to look around, then shook his head. “Your father died protecting something he obviously cared about, how can you call that junk?”

“How can I put my hands up if I can’t move?” Celia purred, simply to be awkward.

"My father left me with nothing but a woman who hated me and a store full of dusty books about heroes who don't exist. There's no such thing as heroes, Ruvik." Molly said softly, hugging herself as she stared at a swollen book on the floor. 

"Do it or I'll put a bullet right between your eyes, woman." Judas hissed. "I don't give a shit if you are an elf."

Ruvik found himself simply staring at Molly. “Heroes aren’t there when we want them... only when we need them.” He breathed, daring to reach out and tip Molly’s chin up slightly. 

Celia smiled, her dark lashes brushing her cheeks as she glanced down at the floor. The small woman didn’t say anything more before Judas would find himself on his back, his gun sliding across the dusty floor.

Both of them would miss the fact that the swollen book had begun to glow as their eyes met. 
Molly didn't know what to say. For the first time in a long time she truly felt like she needed someone. 

Judas saw the light through the floor boards even as he slid across them. "Fucking Bright...you guys think because you can do magick you're better than everyone else." He grunted, trying to push to his feet. "Where is the girl?"

“You make awesome cookies.” As soon as the words left his mouth Ruvik inwardly groaned. He sounded like an idiot.

“I don’t think it, I know it.” Celia informed Judas, already there to push him back to the ground with her foot between his shoulder blades.