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Text copyright © 2025 Jan Herrington
⚠️ Content Warning: This chapter contains death and the threat of violence.
Last time on TSA
He tried to scream, but water entered his lungs. His struggles grew weaker, his fists slowing until they finally stilled. His body went limp beneath my hands. He wasn’t moving. I froze, the realization hitting me.
“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling. I released him, my hands shaking.
I didn't mean to kill him.
Viktor ditched Klaus. Now he has to tell the gang waiting inside. The storm has passed, but the tempest is just beginning. There's no way he can explain what happened in the alley. The only plan left is to keep lying. Each lie buys another breath. This time, Chai’s whispers won’t be there to save him.
Chapter 10
I pulled Klaus's body out of the water.
❊❊❊
His eyes were closed, his chest still. I put my fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse, but there was nothing.
“No!” I said again, louder this time, almost a full-fledged scream, “I didn’t mean to.” Panic surged through me. A wave of guilt and fear threatened to drown me. It was something I had felt before—a feeling I knew all too well.
I dropped to my knees beside him, my body trembling as I began CPR. I pressed down on his chest, counting under my breath. I muttered useless words to myself like they would help bring him back.
The rain pounded against me, cold and unrelenting. I kept going, ignoring the ache in my arms, the tightness in my chest. Time seemed to stretch, every second an eternity, as I fought against the inevitable.
Despite my efforts, nothing happened. Klaus was gone.
I sat back, my hands falling to my sides. The storm raged on, the water pooling around us as I stared at his lifeless body. He was dead, and I killed him.
❊❊❊
The rain slowed to a drizzle.
I had no choice but to let what happened sink in. What the hell was I supposed to do now? I couldn’t go back to the gang, I’d be dead on the spot—and well... I can’t go to the police either.
“Viktor?”
Klaus gasped for air, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. I didn’t have time to react before I saw his eyes open. They weren’t Klaus’s eyes.
He was still sprawled out in the ditch, head above water level. I felt a weight lift off of me, as if something had been pulled out of me.
I stumbled back, my pulse hammering in my ears. Klaus was dead—I saw him die. But now here he was, freakishly animated.
“Why did you kiss me? That’s gross, man.” I heard him say, but it wasn’t his normal tone. It was sarcastic, it was light.
“What… what the hell?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“It’s... me,” Klaus said, his voice shaky and disoriented. “Ch—Chai.”
He blinked, flexing his fingers as if testing them. “I think I jumped into him.”
“You… what?” The words got stuck in my throat. “Chai?” I was still shaking from the fight, from the… murder.
He groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. “I don’t know how it works, okay? One second I’m in you, the next I’m… here.”
Klaus—or—Chai, was right. I had felt a strange pressure lifted from me. I don’t know how it happened, but I think Chai’s soul left my body and went into Klaus’s.
I touched the earring to see, to check. Nothing appeared, no apparition, no voice, nothing. This was legit.
Klaus pushed himself upright, his movements unsteady, like a deer learning to walk. The body was still alive, barely, but he was no longer Klaus. His body was a husk, and Chai was the one controlling it.
“This is bad,” I said, my voice raw. “This is so bad.”
“No kidding,” Chai replied in Klaus’s deep voice. He shook out his arms as though trying to get used to the body. “But standing here isn’t going to make it better. We have to go back. Now.”
He was right. If we took any longer, someone was going to come out to see what was taking so long. I nodded numbly, my feet moving on autopilot as we started back towards the warehouse.
The weight of what had just happened hung over me. Chai’s presence in me had lifted, but now, it was replaced by an entirely new type of burden.
✹✹✹
When we walked through the warehouse door, the gang was waiting. Conversations died as heads turned in our direction. The sound of dripping water echoed in the silence. Both of us were drenched, leaving a trail of puddles in our wake.
“You two are soaked,” the woman who had accused me before admonished.
Mei's black bob was sharply cut, framing her face. She had a whole sleeve of tattoos on her muscular body, like Chai did. They looked to be in a traditional Japanese style. The chain straps holding up her tank top glimmered in the dim lighting.
Her eyes narrowed. “What happened to you two?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My mind raced for a good explanation, but every lie I could think of felt weak.
“It was raining,” I said finally, the words coming out more defensive than I intended. Her skeptical gaze lingered on me.
“And that? You slip?” She pointed at my face, her tone cutting. I felt my cheek and looked at my hand. Blood. My pulse quickened.
I hadn’t thought about the injury, hell, I had barely even felt it in the chaos. I needed an excuse, something plausible. Before I could speak, Chai—still wearing Klaus’s face—stepped forward.
“That was me,” he said, his voice gruff and confident. “He needed a little wake-up call, so I roughed him up. Gotta make sure the newbie can handle himself.”
The room went still for a moment, the tension thick enough to cut. Then someone laughed, breaking the silence. The contagious sound spread throughout the gang members. I sighed in relief as I realized they had bought the story.
“So, he’s with us now?” Mei raised an eyebrow, but seemed to relax herself.
“Yeah. He’s pretty tough. Takes a beating well.” Chai said, as Klaus, nudging me with his elbow. I forced a faint smile, trying to play along.
My chest felt tight, the relief of their eased suspicions clashing with the surreal horror of the situation. Chai was convincing. Too convincing.
He must have known Klaus when he was alive, that’s how he knew how to play the role so well. But still, it unsettled me. The way he slipped into the character like it was second nature.
Mei sighed. “Well, welcome, whoever you—”
“Dmitri. His name’s Dmitri.” Chai cut her off.
She chuckled. “Alright, you commie. I'm Mei.”
The crowd dispersed, the tension in the room dissipating as quickly as it had come. I followed Chai into the corner of the room. As soon as we were out of earshot, I grabbed his arm, squeezing him tightly.
“What was that?” I hissed while controlling my volume.
“Improvising,” he replied, pulling his arm free. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
I stared at him. Klaus’s face held an expression that was both familiar and alien. “You can’t just pretend to be somebody.”
“Why not?” Chai shot back, his tone sharper now. “You saw them. They bought it. As far as they’re concerned, I’m Klaus. That keeps us both alive, doesn’t it?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. He was right. As wrong as this all felt, as unnatural and dangerous as it was, it was our only option. If the gang found out about the truth, it would be over.
Chai leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Look, I know this is messed up. Believe me, I didn’t ask for this. But we’re in deep now, and this is the only way we get out of it alive. So, unless you’ve got a better idea, shut up and play along.”
I clenched my jaw. I hated this, every second of it, but there was no other choice. The gang was watching, their eyes on us every now and then. Their curiosity was not entirely satisfied.
I forced myself to straighten up, to focus on the role I had to play. For now, we’d bought ourselves time. I just hoped it would be enough.
The man with the scar, Joseph I think, called Chai—Klaus—should I say Chaus—over.
Chaus walked over to Joseph and Mei into a huddle. They talked in a hushed fury. Occasionally, one of them would glance my way. Klaus was their boss, so they'd go with whatever he said. Right?
I stood in the corner, feeling entirely out of place, awaiting my fate. If Chaus couldn't convince them, I wouldn't leave this room alive. Just then, Joseph broke from the group and headed over to me.
“So, you’re here to stay, huh?” he said, his tone casual, but there was nothing casual about the way he stared me down, suspicion on his face, clear as day.
“Mei seemed to be okay with it,” I replied.
“Yeah, well, Mei says a lot of things.” He stepped closer. One might say 'in my face', but Joseph towered over me, my face in his chest. "Me, though, I don't trust you. Let's go outside. You'll make a mess on the floor."
Damn. Not this again.
Continue to Viktor’s Case Review.
