Addiction

Blake had to find a way to distract the man sitting in front of him. He thought back to anything that could help him out. Anything Ethan said which could lead to a different topic. Eventually, his mind settled on a comment that seemed innocuous at first. 

"Sorry, but did you say something about me earlier?"

"Hmm?"

"I think it was something about me not being very social?"

Ethan thought about it for a bit before realizing what Blake was talking about.

"...What about it?"

"You also said, he told you that. Who were you talking about?"

It seemed like Ethan's attention had fully been diverted now as he took the time to consider how he should respond to Blake's question. After a while though, it was his turn to distract Blake from the issue at hand.

"By him... 

I was referring to your father."

The words uttered left the room in complete silence. Blake simply stared at the man staring ominously back at him. 

A reaction was what he was after. He only said to that to throw Blake off and get him to reveal something unintentionally. Despite Blake understanding this though, he couldn't help but wonder, what if he's telling the truth?

Gritting his teeth, Blake finally responded.

"My father? How exactly did you know him?"

"Well, I worked with him. I guess you could say I was a co-worker of his."

There was an intense look in Blake's eyes. If it was at all related to what he found at the funeral, he had to ask. At least, that's how he justified it to himself. 

"Then if you don't mind me asking. What were your jobs exactly?"

"You're way more interested than I thought you'd be."

Blake smiled wryly.

"...Well, his work must have been very interesting, considering he never bothered coming home."

Ethan seemed to soften his gaze in response to this. 

"I shouldn't have told you. Sorry, but I can't give you any more details."

"Huh, is it classified information?"

"Something like that.", Ethan mumbled.

He shrugged Blake off and went back to thinking to himself again. Seeing this brought Blake back to his senses. Cursing himself in his head, Blake tried to think of something else to grab Ethan's attention. And as he scrambled, he desperately tried to revitalize the previous topic.

"Why can't you tell me?"

No response.

"I'd really like to know more about my dad."

No response.

Blake had unintentionally thrown away the perfect diversion. And now there was nothing indicating Ethan was willing to continue chatting with him. The more time passed, the more concerned Blake became.

No matter what Blake said, he was met with total silence. His brain started fixating on all the tiny noises in the room. The vibrations of the air conditioning, the sound of their breathing, and especially the clock's constant ticking kept interrupting any potential train of thought.

*Tick tock, Tick tock*
Everything around the two of them started moving in slow motion as Blake put his entire being into coming up with a solution. As he did, he heard Ethan mutter something.

"...His cousin, huh?"

*Tick tock, Tick tock*
The room started to distort in response to those words. Blake needed something, anything that could hook Ethan and keep his attention.

*Tick tock, Tick tock*
Eventually though, Blake realized he was overthinking it and started asking himself the most important questions for his situation. What was Ethan after? What did he want from Blake? What was he here to find? And they all had the same answer.

Finally, it clicked for Ethan. He instantly stood up and made his way to the door, but before he could get far, he heard something he couldn't ignore.

"The pocket watch..."

Ethan turned around slowly.

"...What did you say?"

"The pocket watch. It's the only thing you could be here for."

"...So, you do have it."

"I did, but I gave it to the trucker..."

Ethan looked at him blankly.

"I checked him already. He didn't have it."

"Huh? But I know I gave it to him. I had to after he threatened mom."

A brief silence.

"But from what I've heard, you're not especially close with your mother. So, why risk your life for her?"

Blake took some time to consider the question. With a static face, he looked at the window. He couldn't help but get lost in his reflection. It was impossible for him to tell if it was his future self or just a normal reflection, but either way, it seemed broken in some way.

"It wasn't for her. I... was just curious is all."

"Well, regardless, that still doesn't explain why I didn't find anything on the trucker."

Pretending to seriously consider the possibilities, Blake pressed his hand against his forehead.

"That's true. But I feel like we're overlooking something."

"You've admitted to taking the pocket watch already. And the fact the trucker didn't have it means you still do." 

"And what if he didn't have it because it was lifted from the scene?"

Ethan's eye twitched.

"Explain now."

Underneath his blanket, Blake pulled out his phone and laid it on the bed. 

"I can't say for sure because I passed out pretty quickly, but I heard someone. Another person speaking outside the truck."

Blake swept his fingers across the phone's screen and unlocked it. 

"Was it a man or a woman?"

"A man for sure."

He was typing away at a text screen attempting to communicate with a newly added number. 

"Do you remember what they said?"

"It was something about... Ah it's right on the tip of my tongue."

Ethan was starting to lose faith in him. Blake hadn't finished typing yet though.

"But I know I'm close. I just need a little more time. If this is really important to you, then you wouldn't mind waiting just a bit longer for a lead, would you?"

The man said nothing in response. He just picked at the lint in his pockets as he considered his next move. Eventually though, he sat back down in his chair.

Blake was one muscle twitch away from grinning. He changed the subject one more time. 

"How about a card game to pass the time?"

He raised a pack of cards as he said it and handed it to Ethan.

"Do you know how to play Big 2? If so, could you deal. It still hurts a little to move."

Ethan responded with a couple of nods and passed out the cards with little resistance. And finally, Blake had finished typing. 

Just as Ethan dealt the final card, Blake hit the send button. Despite the game just beginning, he had already won.

Thirty minutes passed. 

"Oh, I just remembered something."

Ethan leaned forward.

"It was an officer.", Blake said.

"What?"

"Right before passing out, I heard an officer arriving on the scene."

Blake pointed at Ethan smugly.

"He might be your man."

The door to the room slammed shut and Blake was alone again. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief and finally allowed himself to lean back into his pillow. His brief respite was shortly interrupted though.

"Nicely done.", his reflection said.

Blake didn't even look for him this time.

"I can't say the same for you. You almost screwed me over. Twice. What are you sabotaging me for?"

"Well, it's fun."

"That can't seriously be your reason, right?"

"You say that as if you don't agree."

Silence. Blake couldn't say anything to that.

"Please. I know better than anyone how to entertain myself."

Even if Blake wanted to respond, he couldn't. 

*Ring ring*

Throwing his blanket to the side, he grabbed his phone and answered the call immediately. 

"How did it go?"

"...Well, I did what you told me to.", Lena responded.

She was driving away from a cemetery and sounded a little creeped out as she spoke.

"But using the flowerpot like that..." 

"I wasn't going to visit anyway."

What Blake said would have stunned her into silence if not for the more pressing issue.

"Hey, what was this all about anyway? Wouldn't it be better to call the police if you're getting involved with something dangerous?"

"I don't want to..."

"What!? Why not?"

A brief silence.

"Thanks for your help. But don't come back to the hospital. You're going to be watched from now on so try to lay low for a bit."

"Wait, Blake-"

Blake hung up the phone, which left his screen on what was supposed to be a list of his contacts. There was only one registered number though. He stared at it for so long his eyes started to burn. After a long while though, he decided to turn the thing off and lightly toss it to the side. 

Turning over in his bed, he closed his eyes and finally let himself rest.