All throughout the interrogation I was brooding over this deception, loathing the moment I first laid eyes on that snake. Involuntarily, I also thought back to the other visitors I had had prior to that moment. Before I had a chance to really consider much, a word popped up that caused me to flinch and lose concentration.
“Don’t say that.” I commanded swiftly.
“Say what?” asked the snake. Taking a page out of his book, I refrained from answering him. My original intention was for him to forget what he said and leave me alone, but the snake said the accursed word again!
“I told you not to say that!”
“Say what? Blood?”
Recoiling, I answered as calmly as I could, “Yes, that word.”
“Oh, you have a problem with the word ‘blood?’”
Growing angrier by the second I spat, “What part of ‘don’t say that’ do you not understand?!”
“What I don’t understand,” he started with just was much rage as I had, “is how you can obsess so much over blood—”
“Stop—”
“To the point that you ‘collect’ blood—”
“Stop—”
“From innocent people and call the stuff ‘nectar?’ How do you sleep at night knowing that you’re practically swimming in your victim’s blood?!”
“STOP IT—STOP IT—STOP IT!!!” I shrieked. Jumping from where I sat I continued, “How dare you use that disgusting word around me! How dare you assume to think that you could possibly understand my passion?!”
“It’s demented!”
“‘Demented,’ is it?” I sneered. “Perhaps I should tell you that your profession could be labeled as the same way?”
He smiled in spite of the situation and asked, “Oh, really? And how does being a cop make me demented?”
Rolling my eyes at this spark of incompetency I told the snake, “Isn’t it obvious? You and your kind obsess over the darkness of the human heart to the point that no one is safe from your condescending gaze. You refuse to see the beauty of this world and go out of your way to prove that, in fact, there isn’t any left in this world. Only animals subject to the whims of primitive and selfish nature.”
“You can’t seriously be trying to lecture me on ethics?”
Partially ignoring him I asked, “When was the last time you bothered to stop and enjoy the world around you then? Go on, tell me when?”
Infuriatingly, the snake refused to answer my questions again. Changing the topic, he stacked his folders in a neat pile and said, “We’re done here.”
“Good, then I can collect my nectar, go home, and forget I ever met you.”
“Not so fast. We’re going to be holding you here for a while pending further investigation. In the meantime, we’re going to be doing some DNA testing on the blood we confiscated from you.”
Panicked, I exclaimed, “What?! You can’t do that!”
[BEAK]
“I have a court order that says I can,” he said coolly. At that point, knowing that there was no way out of it, I completely lost my composure. All I could think of was how this wretched snake was going to defile my precious collection, which had taken so many years to acquire, with his filthy hands and soulless lab equipment.
Lunging at him, I meant to take that court order and destroy it. Instinctively he began to fight back my assault. I’ll admit that I was impressed with his strength and cunning; the other animals I had fought before slaying them hadn’t up nearly as good of a fight. Then again, what do you expect from a conniving snake?
Luckily, I managed to snatch the court order from his coat. Triumphant at my success, I managed to rip the nasty thing in half before I noticed something that captured my undivided attention: nectar. Apparently the snake had tripped and hit his head on the edge of the chair as he fell to the ground, and now the divine fluid was slowly oozing out of his wound.
“My dear detective,” I started slowly as I was enchanted by the sight, “what beautiful nectar you have.” I knew right then and there I had to have it. Strange, isn’t it? How the vilest of beasts have the most delicious nectar?
Despite the dazed look in his expression, the snake still managed to put up a fight! But I wanted that beautiful crimson more. Just before I could silence this creature and claim my prize though, I heard the door to the interrogation room open, followed by a single ear-piercing gunshot.
Then I was no more.
