"So then he like, started following me home and everything. I was so scared. I called the police on him though. Serves that pig right."
"What a stalker... all that because you didn't give him your number? That's why you always gotta give 'em fakes. You tell 'em that you'll text 'em later and pretend like you're interested and everything. The losers who are ugly and never get any bitches usually fall for it hook line and sinker. They get so excited that a girl is finally into them that they don't even get a bit suspicious of you, and let you leave without any trouble."
"Haha, damn right. I've been doing that a lot recently and it works every time. You'd think they would learn by now, but I guess they're so desperate that they let their hopes get up again and again."
As her two friends continued their conversation, Eclaire remained slightly behind, not commenting on the contents.
'Isn't that... exactly what you two were complaining about before?'
'You were talking about how you hate that guys aren't loyal and are always just out to hook up with you, but aren't you exactly the same?'
'You get those people's hopes up, just like some of the handsome guys get your hopes up, and everyone loses in the end.'
As the conversation continued, Eclaire felt herself getting further and further from the girls that she thought were her 'friends'.
She was new to college - in her first semester at the time. She had met these two in a class and they had seemed nice enough at first, but the more Eclaire listened to them, the more she questioned whether they were really the people she wanted to be hanging out with.
"Hey, Eclaire! You're getting behind. We're gonna be late if we have to wait for you!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry! Just thinking about some things. Haha..."
Rushing up to the girls with a smile, Eclaire laughed things off.
"I'm gonna need you today. It actually helps a lot to have one like you around to take care of the creeps. For some reason they tend to go for the plainer ones like you. Maybe it's because they think they have a chance?"
"Pfft..."
"Ah... I mean..."
Bang!
As Eclaire was in the middle of responding, the sound of a gunshot resounded through the dimly lit street, at which the three all froze in place.
"Stop right there! The next one won't be a warning!!!"
"Shit! Let's get out of here!"
"The cops! Run!"
As soon as they heard the shout, the two girls that Eclaire was with seemed to rush off, leaving Eclaire baffled as she found herself unsure of the situation.
'Eh? Why did they run? Did they do something wrong?'
Suddenly, a man emerged from the alleyway that the gunshot was heard from, rushing past Eclaire as he panted and heaved.
Unable to react, the man ran right past Eclaire, at which a number of policemen rushed out from the alleyway, all of them heading straight past Eclaire as they ran after the man.
'Eh?'
As if in a daze, everything happened so fast, leaving Eclaire completely unable to process what had just occurred.
Yet even so - in that instant, as one of the cops rushed by her, she overheard a certain whisper from one of the policemen.
"I'm done with these people. I'm going to kill him."
----
The men rushed by her, heading into another alleyway as they chased after the criminal.
'I should just leave them alone.'
This was the first thought that Eclaire had as she watched the policemen rush into that alleyway.
'This is none of my business.'
However, as if her very body rejected her own mind, she stepped forward.
'That man is a criminal. He... he probably deserves to die.'
She told herself such things, yet even as she did so, her slow steps broke into a run.
'He probably did something horrible. And those policemen... are just ensuring that justice is done.'
Everything in her mind told her to stop.
However her heart would not allow such a thing.
'I have to stop them.'
----
Why was she running?
Eclaire did not know.
It made no sense.
'I... can't just let someone die like that.'
Even if they were a criminal, didn't they deserve another chance?
Wouldn't killing them only deny the opportunity to try again?
'If we get rid of all the bad people in this world rather than try to heal them... then won't everyone die a wicked person?'
She understood that her actions right now were foolish - yet she did not stop.
Instead, she ran even faster, to the point where she was sweating and panting.
'What if I don't make it in time?'
She thought not about whether she was even capable of doing anything - only focusing on being present so that she could accomplish SOMETHING.
'What if that man dies... without a chance to atone for his crimes?'
It was a story that perhaps she should never have involved herself in - yet it was one that she wanted to change.
'I won't let it end here.'
For deep in her heart - there was one slight hope that she clung onto.
'Maybe... just maybe... if someone saves that person... they will change their ways and find a reason to live for.'
Eclaire was not naive.
No - she understood well the pains and suffering of the world.
And that was exactly why she knew - just how rare it was for anyone to stand up for another person.
And just how little it took for someone's entire life to be changed.
'A single act of kindness... there are some people who live their entire lives without seeing such a thing.'
Taking a deep breath as she turned a corner, the man was in a standoff with three police officers.
"Drop the gun!"
"N-no! You drop yours! I'll shoot! I really will!"
"DROP IT! NOW!!!"
Among the three officers, Eclaire immediately picked out the one who had whispered underneath his breath - the one who had the intention to kill.
'I know what to do.'
Her actions were completely foolish.
Indeed - even Eclaire herself understood the immense risk that she was about to put herself under.
Yet there was no hesitation in her heart - for she knew well the stakes of this gamble.
'Even if I die here... I won't regret this.'
For she would have died in order to save a wicked man from being killed without any repentance - and perhaps the very man who shot her would be forced to reflect upon his actions after killing an innocent girl.
At that instant, Eclaire jumped in front of the one who was determined to kill.
"Stop this!!!"
She spread her arms, blocking the man with her body as she stood in between the two, at which the other two officers immediately pointed their guns on the girl.
"Who are you!? An accomplice!?"
And that momentary surprise, created by Eclaire's reckless actions, were enough to give the man a moment to run.
And so he ran.
"Ah! Wait! I wasn't trying to-"
The man ran faster than any of the policemen could comprehend, darting off as he turned the corner and left the group in an instant.
Before she even knew it, Eclaire found herself surrounded by three policemen - one of which was determined to kill.
"Shit... he got away. But it looks like we've gotten something else to take in."
Glancing back, the man who had intended to kill let out an exhausted sigh, placing his gun on the forehead of the girl.
"So, you're working with him? No... if you were, there's no way you would have jumped in like that. What's your relationship with that man? A lover, perhaps?"
"Er... n-no... I... I've... never seen that man before... in my life..."
With the weapon pressed so firmly on her forehead, Eclaire lost all courage as she weakly shivered, barely even able to speak as she muttered to the man.
"Ah... I see. So you just jumped in out of nowhere. Is that what you expect me to believe?"
Without a shred of sympathy, the man leaned in, bringing his face mere inches from Eclaire's as his warm breath was plastered all over her face.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out right now, girl."
----
The fear and terror that spread through Eclaire's body at that moment was indescribable - something which far outweighed any sense of justice that she had shown just moments before.
Regret.
She regretted her actions.
If she could try again, she never would have done something so stupid.
"..."
Barely able to move, Eclaire tried to open her mouth, yet could not make out any words.
Never before had her life been in danger.
Never before had she truly faced death in the eyes - yet right now it stared her down as if they were in a contest - one that she would most certainly lose.
"P... please don't kill me..."
Barely able to whimper out this plea with tears in her eyes, the girl shivered as she looked to the irritated cop, who only glared her down further at her words.
"Or what? What are you going to do if I kill you? Oh... right. You'll be too dead to do anything."
With a menacing expression, the man pulled back the weapon before shoving it into Eclaire's mouth.
"MMPH!"
"Well, girl? How are you going to make up for this? Let's say your story checks out. Let's say you're just some random bystander who felt like playing hero and saving a man from us oh so cruel policemen. Do you understand the position you're in?"
Pointing back to the alley, the man continued to force his gun into the mouth of the woman, to the point where she was gagging on the barrel.
"You just let our only lead go. That was our only source of information on this case, and because of YOU, we've lost that information. Do you know what that means for you?"
Reaching at his side, the man slapped a pair of handcuffs onto the girl, chaining her without hesitation.
"Your little game of hero has just resulted in the obstruction of justice."
Pulling his weapon out of the girl's mouth, Eclaire began to cough and pant as she took in a breath, having been denied oxygen for such an extended time.
"Cough! Cough... huff... huff... urgh!"
Slam!
As she hacked away, the man slapped the back of the girl's head with the barrel of his weapon, causing her to fall to the ground as she heaved for breath.
"Take her in. I don't want to see this woman's face again. One of you will be reporting this to the chief."
With these words, the man made his way off, his face reddened with irritation.
Standing up slowly, Eclaire's vision was hazy as she tried to gather her bearings.
A sharp pain stung from where she had been hit, and she continued panting as she looked to the other two officers.
"Why would you do such a thing?"
One of the officers - a tall and thin man - looked to Eclaire with a combination of pity and condescendence.
"Is it really true that you have no connection with that man? I find it hard to believe that someone is stupid enough to do what you just did even for someone they do know."
Thinning his eyes, the man motioned for Eclaire to follow him as he interrogated her.
"Much less for someone you don't even know."
The other officer pushed Eclaire from behind, at which she began to walk between them, her cuffed hands hung low as she hung her head as well.
"Er... well, I just... I overheard the other man whisper that he was going to kill that man... so I just thought that I had to stop him... and... that was the only way I could do so."
"So without hesitation you jumped in front of a gun? Without any reason? Without knowing or understanding the situation?"
The man spoke as if her actions were absurd, laughing quietly to himself.
"What if he had shot you instead?"
With this question, the man paused for a moment, turning around as he awaited Eclaire's answer with interest.
As he did so, the girl raised her head, meeting eyes with him, and wiping the saliva from her mouth, she spoke with a strange amount of confidence.
"That was a risk I was willing to take."
----
"A risk you were willing to take... you say. For what? For someone you don't know? That man was a criminal. He works for a casino that has robbed so many people of everything they have. He cheats people for a living. Knowing this, would you still have saved him?"
The interrogation continued, however Eclaire stood firm in her declaration.
"Justice cannot be done to the dead. Or are you all just mere figureheads who like to use that word to defend your actions?"
Suddenly however, the conversation flipped around, and Eclaire became the interrogator.
"So you believe that by killing him, we would have denied the opportunity to enact true justice... is that what I should take your words as?"
"Take it as you wish. What are you going to do with me?"
Closing his eyes as he took a breath, the man began to pace as he considered Eclaire's question.
"Without question, you've just committed a crime - obstruction of justice. If you're tried for such a thing, you can get up to 10 years in jail, depending on the gravity of the situation. And given that this is such a crucial case that you've interrupted, I would say that's about right."
As the man laid down this judgment, Eclaire was left unable to say anything in response, to which the man continued.
"However... that is only if the case is significantly hindered by your actions."
"What is this case you've been talking about?", Eclaire asked.
As he was posed with this question, the man seemed to smile ever so slightly, as if he were enamored by her interest.
"You see, we've been going after a growing mafia syndicate. They've been relatively untouchable by low rank officers like us, so unless we have some very compelling evidence, we won't be able to obtain a search warrant. Basically... we policemen have our hands tied."
As he approached the woman, the man's grin grew with each step he took, until he stood right in front of her with a wide smile.
"However... what if a mere civilian were to do some investigation for us?"
"Are you suggesting that I do your work for you?", Eclaire questioned.
"If the case isn't hindered by your interference, then I think we can overlook your offense."
With this response, the man held out a hand towards Eclaire.
"What do you say, girl?"
As she was presented with that hand, Eclaire knew not what to do.
It was true that she had obstructed justice.
It was true that a criminal was let loose - and that his organization would continue doing whatever horrible things they were doing as a result of her own interference.
But more important than anything - Eclaire would be able to go free without any issues if she just accepted this offer.
"Alright."
Holding out her cuffed hand, Eclaire took the hand of the man, at which the sound of rattling chains could be heard while they shook.
"I'll do it. I'll help you get your evidence on these people."
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement."
"One more thing though."
However before the man could continue, Eclaire stopped him in his tracks.
"Can you get these off me?"
----
For the first time in her life, Eclaire rode in the back of a police car.
Having come to an agreement with the officers, she was now locked into helping them. Refusal to do so would only result in her actual arrest, and running away would likely only make things worse.
"You don't seem like someone who knows the first thing about the criminal world, so I guess I'd better inform you a bit about how things are going to go down. Ever been to a casino before?"
"Er... no."
"Perfect."
The man's response made Eclaire tilt her head with confusion, to which the man replied as he held one hand on the wheel.
"You're going to play the role of an innocent young woman who has no idea that she's about to get played. Ah, wait. You're already perfect for that role, aren't you?"
Laughing to himself as he roasted Eclaire, the woman could say nothing in response to the officer's commentary.
"To put it simply, we're going to give you a hefty sum of money, and you're going to gamble with it. 90% of the time, casinos will let a promising customer win a few times while they're being reserved with their funds. They're going to give you the idea that you're on a winning streak so that you start betting big. Get the picture?"
"Mmm... I understand. So I start winning a bit and get the casino's attention. Then what?"
"That's when you start to bet a little more. Open up a bit - not too much though. See, the casinos - there's nothing more that they hate than someone who is ready to run. So you've gotta show them that you're hesitating - that you're not going to take any big risks, and that you don't believe in "having a lucky day"."
"Having a lucky day?"
"That's right. See, the idea of a lucky day is what kills anyone that enters a casino. It's what causes people to be reckless and throw everything away all at once. Normally, nobody would even consider betting their entire life's fortune on a single dice roll."
Thinning his eyes, the man spoke under his breath, just loudly enough for Eclaire to hear.
"But the amount of people I've seen throw away their lives on something so stupid... is more than I can count."
"You hate them, don't you?"
Suddenly, Eclaire asked this question to the officer, who jerked up at her question.
"Maybe it was a family member or a loved one... or maybe it's just the sheer amount of people you've witnessed being cheated... but you hate casinos, don't you?"
"Damn right I hate em. Why would I have any sympathy for those cruel bastards who rip people's hearts out and then act like they've done nothing wrong?"
"You're actually a kind person, aren't you?"
The gentleness in her tone, the strange amount of empathy that she emitted with her words - something in the woman's statement made the officer shiver.
'This girl...'
He continued to drive, having been silenced by her words, mulling upon their meaning.
'What the hell is going on in her mind?'
"I'll help. So what do I have to do after that?"
"If you keep hesitating, the casino will reward you more and more, trying to get you to bet big. So when you've garnered all the attention of those bastards... here's what you're going to do."
----