You felt like you wouldn't need much, if any backup and were in no mood to waste half the night getting a crew of your boys together to hunt all these gals down. Best to just get the job over and done with, get paid and investigate this new lead the bartender offered. You had all the fighting and investigative skills you'd need already, now all you had to do was get to work.
After about ten minutes of walking through a light drizzle you came to a small apartment complex that was basically half a step up from a cheap motel. All it was really missing was a giant neon sign with flickering letters out front and a rat or cockroach infestation. Ah well, you were here for business rather than pleasure so the setting of your little visit was of very minor consequence.
You headed inside and lied to the front receptionist that you were making a late visit to a close friend, asking for a key to the room listed on the napkin that the bartender gave you earlier. The woman behind the counter, a somewhat unamused and world-weary looking lady in her late 30s or early 40s, merely rolled her eyes and shuffled some papers on her desk as she painted her nails a bright shade of pink. "At this hour? What's the visit about, sir? Collecting a debt or something?"
You let out a soft chuckle as you dug out a few large yen notes and casually dropped them on the top of the stack of papers in front of her as her eyes widened a bit. "Something like that..." you replied smoothly. "May I please have that key now, ma'am?" She muttered what sounded like a curse under her breath as she scooped up the bills and let out a long sigh.
"Alright, cowboy. I don't know what your business here is and I don't want to know. Be quick, don't disturb anyone else and don't do anything loud or violent. I hear gunshots or fistfights and I'm calling the cops." the woman said sternly as she picked up a key and dropped it into your open palm. "You're really lucky I'm underpaid and need the money."
You give her a wink and a smile, thank her and get on your way down a dimly lit hallway as she rolls her eyes again and resumes painting her nails. When you come to room 17 on the upper floor you knock on the door and wait a few seconds for a reply. When you are met with nothing but silence you insert the key and open the door slowly.
You weren't expecting an ambush but you kept a hand on a concealed tanto knife inside your suit as you carefully stepped into the room and flicked on the nearby light switch. The room flooded with dull yellow illumination as a couch, a small kitchen area, a tv set and a bunch of scattered trash all came into view. Flies buzzed about dirty paper plates and empty beer cans and a smell not unlike rotting garbage slowly floated up to your nostrils... the whole place was a mess.
"Holy shit, what a smell!" you grimaced as you instinctively pinched your nose and made your way over to the couch to take in the rest of the room. Just as you were pondering whether or not to take a seat on the mostly clean cushions you heard what sounded like a groan coming from the bathroom.
Knife at the ready you quickly moved over to the door, ready to strike if someone jumped out at you. "Anyone there? I'm just here to talk." you whispered cautiously, just loud enough to be heard only by anyone inside the tiny room. No reply. After a few tense seconds you tighten your grip and force the door open, only to be caught completely off guard at what was now in front of you.
There on the floor in a bloody heap was a short fat asian man with cuts on both his wrists and a tiny razor soaked with fresh blood sitting on the edge of the nearby tub. "My God..." you whispered in uneasy surprise as you slowly advanced closer. The man let out a groan that half sounded like a sob as he twitched on the floor. Whatever you want to do, better act fast!
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