Chapter 96 - Charity
Translator: Doggotranslation
On Sunday, the werewolf Benjamin woke up wrinkling his nose and sat up from the bed. There was an uncomfortable smell that emanated from the basement of the Grande Funeral Home. It was the smell of a vampire after overeating. In order to recover the severely injured Ian, Zach kept feeding, and then it seemed as if the ‘blood change’ three days ago repeated again, except that both sides changed positions.
The blood of animals cannot heal the flames’ damage to a vampire. After Anthony left, Ian was like a torn body without a soul. The newly grown muscle skin became dry and necrotic after a while.
He needed more advanced ‘food’ – human blood. There was no such ‘food’ in Zach’s blood bank, but Zach had a better one, his own blood.
The flame that burned Ian came from himself, and the damage he suffered was much worse than the time Zach was attacked by a hunter a month ago. So this process continued from Thursday afternoon to the present – the first day of Alpha’s transformation cycle.
Benjamin got up from the bed, his sturdy chest rising and falling, taking a deep breath, calming the restlessness in his heart. He looked at the mirror beside the bed, and his eyes surrounded by dark brown fluff also looked at him from the mirror.
‘Feel it? It’s there. Benjamin, feel it...’
Benjamin looked away, grabbed the short shirt beside the bed, and threw it toward the mirror, covering the thing in the mirror. He didn’t want to listen to his other consciousness. For these three days every month, it would incite to crush the throat of that “Toreador”. Benjamin didn’t think this month would be different.
When he left the warehouse, the Gale couple had also gotten up and glanced at the werewolf who was standing outside the Grande Funeral Home, hesitating to enter. Spell thought for a while, and handed Benjamin a wooden jar.
“What is this?” Benjamin remembered that he had seen Spell using this wooden jar two days ago. Opening it slightly, the tangy fragrance almost made the werewolf whose senses began to increase faint.
Spell did not answer, and asked, “How is it now?”
Benjamin had tightened the wooden jar, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and it took a while before he showed a hint of surprise. The irritability in his heart had disappeared, and all the senses seemed to be elevated again, but they were all plated with a feeling of ‘colorfulness’. Even the unpleasant smell that overflowed from the basement was softened. It wouldn’t make him feel friendly, but at least it wouldn’t make the werewolf want to rush to bite...
“Great.” Benjamin held the jar and looked at it carefully. His mind was now very clear, and he had the idea of not wanting to return this thing to Spell.
“You can have it.” Spell said lightly, “It’s the payment for living here these few days.”
“Thanks.” Benjamin raised his eyebrows and stepped into the Grande Funeral Home. Maybe Zach would not have to go on a diet in the future.
historical
After breakfast, Lola came by as scheduled, with Trisha who had only met once. She looked pallid and haggard, with hair scattered around her forehead, and could not say anything useful except “thank you”.
Because Zach had been occupied by other things, Benjamin took over Grande’s business temporarily. So when Lola asked Grande to hold the funeral of Trisha’s husband in an imploring tone, Benjamin agreed without hesitation. Hence they were here today.
This is a charitable undertaking. Old Hank contributed the coffin, Alice contributed time to clean the body, Benjamin accepted a plastic bottle full of coins and gave a grave.
This is a funeral with a minimal standard. There were no fancy hearses, no church services. Only Benjamin drove the Grande’s hearse to carry the coffin to the cemetery. The temporarily hired farmer stood inside the crowd, waiting for the farewell ceremony to end so that the coffin could be buried.
Benjamin was leaning against the car, far from the cemetery, but he could still hear the priest in front of the grave, quoting the word “righteous” in the Holy Scripture, as if the person buried was a saint.
In a sense, it was actually quite fit. It’s just that the person who he believes is not God the Father, or God the Son, and the thing for which he sacrificed is not righteous.
“Good morning, James.” Benjamin turned his head and said to the detective whose shoulders were still a little bloated.
James frowned, staring gloomily at the distant crowd, “What will happen to him?”
Benjamin did not answer, as Zach said, the Grande family didn’t care about this person.
James, who didn’t get an answer, closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing. This funeral could appear, it meant that someone had acted before the detective.
“Wells doesn’t remember anything. He doesn’t even remember that he had resigned.” James changed the subject and mentioned the former civil servant who was taken away by him on Wednesday night, “His life is ruined.”
“Are you blaming us?” Benjamin glanced at James and asked. His tone even sounded like Zach, and after Benjamin finished speaking, he himself also felt strange.
“No.” James didn’t notice Benjamin’s strangeness. He seemed to be immersed in his own world and gave the answer directly, “It was me who let you intervene in this matter, which led to all this.” James lowered his head, “I’m blaming myself.”
Zach had told him that Wells was a pawn that he used to help him.
Benjamin cast aside the feeling of strangeness in his heart. The werewolf was one of the Grande Brothers, who was overly ‘sympathetic’. He patted James on the shoulder. He didn’t deny, nor did he admit it.
James stood in silence for a while, took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Benjamin.
“What is this?” Benjamin frowned and opened the paper. It was a list.
James did not answer, but said something that seemed irrelevant: “From now on, you do your thing. I do mine. ” The detective’s eyes were looking at somewhere else with a hint of inexplicable emotion, “I hope our business will not overlap again.”
Benjamin frowned and looked at James. He wanted to ask something, but James had no interest in continuing to chat. He simply turned around and left.
Benjamin looked at the list again, and he had some impression of some names on the list. It seemed to be the names of new arrivals to Barton that James had found out after he recovered his identity. For some reason, the detective never shared this list after Grande took in Madison.
Benjamin glanced at James’s back. The injury on his shoulder was not completely healed. The werewolf could even smell the blood and medicine under the clothes, which made the general’s son’s posture a bit awkward. Benjamin folded the list and stuffed it into his pocket.
The werewolf was just taking the job of the vampire temporarily, he was not interested in educating James.