37
Working for a job was something Jasper had never been used to while growing up.
Sky had always been the breadwinner of the family.
His brother had always refused to let him work, which was why spending the past week at the pharmacy felt both exhausting and overwhelming.
Juggling work responsibilities while keeping up with school only made everything more stressful.
It had been such a busy and draining week that Jasper had not found the time to visit a bar—a simple promise he had made to himself so he could finally pamper himself, even just once in his life.
There would be other chances, Jasper thought as he rolled onto the other side of the bed.
Despite everything, Jasper was the type of person who thrived under pressure.
He was beginning to adapt to his new environment.
Miss Zabeth, Miss Marian, and Miss Norma were always willing to guide him whenever he needed help, making the adjustment easier.
With their support, he was gradually learning everything he needed to know.
One of his biggest tasks was memorizing the medications and their classifications so he could locate them quickly whenever needed.
The pharmacy was far from a high-tech establishment where a few clicks on a computer could instantly retrieve products through automated machines.
It was a small, privately owned business that relied heavily on manual labor.
Everything—from picking and packaging to stocking and labeling—was done by hand.
Jasper did not really mind the workload.
What intimidated him more was dealing with customers and attending to their needs.
Every day brought a different kind of person through the door.
Some were impatient, some were slow, some had memory loss, some were guessing medications based on colors and shapes, some were hot-headed, some were grumpy, and others carried an air of entitlement.
He was not used to being spoken to harshly, nor was he comfortable forcing polite conversations with strangers.
He was beginning to realize that customer service was far more exhausting than the physical work itself.
“Can you make it faster?”
“I need those round and pink pills.”
“I don’t have a prescription.”
“Just give me Sildenafil!”
“I accidentally put it in. Do you have Plan B?”
“Are you new?”
“Are you sure you know what you are doing?”
“Fuck this pharmacy!”
“Give me the Pharmacist!”
There were moments when Jasper felt like bursting into tears.
After all, he was still new to everything.
Whenever customers became difficult, he did his best to understand where they were coming from, reminding himself that many of them relied on maintenance medications, particularly antihypertensive drugs.
Perhaps their frustrations were rooted in worries and struggles he could not see.
Miss Zita, however, was an entirely different story.
She was smiling, warm, welcoming, and incredibly approachable.
Jasper rarely saw her throughout the day since she spent most of her time in the patient counseling area, but he had grown fond of her kindness.
Sometimes, her gentle treatment made him unexpectedly shy.
There was something about the way she looked after him that reminded him of his mother.
For the past few days, Jasper had been staying in the staff room. He was grateful that Miss Zita had allowed him to sleep there without hesitation or conditions. In fact, she had been the one to insist.
“It’s a staff room, and you’re part of my staff,” she said.
After Jasper explained that he sometimes arrived late because of his daily commute, Miss Zita’s concern only deepened.
“Are you comfortable sleeping in the staff room?” she asked. After a brief pause, she added, “We have plenty of spare rooms in our house if you’d like to stay there instead.”
Jasper quickly shook his head, politely declining the offer.
“Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness, Miss Zita, but I’m really comfortable staying here.”
“If that’s what you want, then I won’t force you,” she replied with a reassuring smile. “My cousin Norma sleeps here occasionally. The two aides, however, have families waiting for them at home, so they rarely stay. All of my staff are welcome to stay here whenever they need to.”
She paused before adding, “But are you sure you’ll be okay being here alone most days?”
Miss Zita’s voice carried genuine concern, as though she still hoped to convince him to stay at their house instead.
Since the pharmacy only operated until midnight, Jasper had not expected Zita to worry about him so much.
He reassured her repeatedly that he would be fine.
Her kindness, hospitality, and trust touched him deeply, especially considering they had only known each other for a short time.
“If you’re really certain, then I won’t insist,” Miss Zita said at last. “And you don’t have to worry too much. My son sleeps here sometimes, whenever he feels like it. Though, to be honest, that only happens once in a blue moon,” she chuckled softly. “He can’t stand the smell of medicines.”
What Miss Zita had said about her son the other day was always running through Jasper’s head.
Tomorrow would mark his first full week working at Annel’s Pharmacy in Town, yet he still had not met her son.
Not that he was excited about it, but Miss Zita had said a couple of times she would introduce them to each other since they were around the same age, but it never happened.
The more Jasper thought about it, the more he felt that there was something unusual about the family.
He had never seen her husband visit the pharmacy either.
Jasper pushed the thoughts away and turned back onto his side, realizing he was beginning to pry into matters that were not his business.
Sleep refused to visit Jasper. More than two hours had passed since the pharmacy closed, yet he remained wide awake.
A glance at the clock told him it was already approaching three in the morning.
Fortunately, it was Sunday, which meant he did not have to report to work.
Jasper planned to head home before sunrise to do his laundry and gather a few necessities.
More than that, he wanted to check on his brother.
Throughout the entire week, Sky had not replied to a single message or answered any of his calls.
Jasper had been trying to reach him all week, sending messages and making calls, but Sky remained completely unresponsive.
It had also been nearly a week since both Sky and Jude had stopped attending school.
At first, Jasper had not thought much of it, but as the days passed without any word from either of them, his concern grew.
Something did not feel right.
Jasper climbed out of bed before his endless overthinking could drive him crazy.
He headed to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, not bothering to switch the lights on.
The glow of the full moon casting through the large glass window with its curtains drawn open was enough to illuminate much of the room.
With the bottle in hand, Jasper walked over to the window and leaned against the concrete frame, taking a long drink. His gaze drifted to the moon, dazzling brilliantly in the quiet dawn sky. It shone so brightly that the surrounding stars were nearly washed from sight.
The view was relaxing. The sky was calm and beautiful in the serenity of the early morning.
Jasper was admiring the scene in front of him when a bat suddenly darted across his field of vision, flying hurriedly past not far from the window, startling him slightly.
Jasper touched his chest to calm himself down and looked at the moon again.
It was past midnight, and it somehow scared the hell out of him.
He caught his breath even more when he heard a crackling noise coming from somewhere.
As he tried to locate the sound, he figured it was coming from the drugstore.
He jumped slightly as fear suddenly arose in him when there was a shattering sound of bottles, which he was certain were bottles of syrups and suspensions.
Tiptoeing silently across the floor with bare feet, Jasper made his way toward the door, forcing himself to be brave. He pressed his right ear against it, trying to make sense of the sound outside. But his heart nearly stopped when he heard unsteady footsteps growing louder and closer.
Jasper’s breath caught in his throat.
Without wasting another second, he rushed back to the lower bunk of the double-deck bed and pulled the white blanket over himself, hiding completely beneath it.
His heart hammered wildly against his ribs as the doorknob turned and the door slowly opened.
Clamping both hands over his mouth, he felt cold sweat bead across his skin.
“Ahh, fucking bullshit!”
A drunk man’s voice echoed through the room. The stranger continued to mutter incoherently, his words slurred and difficult to understand. Yet something about the voice felt disturbingly familiar.
No way. Not in a million years. That’s impossible. How come? Jasper’s thoughts raced.
“Damn it! T-this isss a fuuckingg baaad day.”
The man groggily complained, his tongue stumbling over every word. Jasper’s pulse thundered in his ears. His chest tightened so much he nearly forgot how to breathe.
“Fuck!”
The man cursed again as he staggered across the marble floor. Each uneven step seemed to draw closer to the bed where Jasper lay hidden.
Please, not here. Jasper prayed mentally.
“Fuuuuck thisss fuucking bullshit,” the man slurred, his voice coated with alcohol.
Hidden beneath the blanket, Jasper fought to keep his panic under control. Fear gripped him so tightly that he suppressed his breathing, afraid that even the smallest sound would betray his presence. Every muscle in his body remained rigid. He did not dare move an inch.
“I’m f-fucking strrrooong. Nooo one caaan beeeat the hell out ooof meee,” the man rambled drunkenly, his words twisting together. “I-I’m not druuunk…”
Yet the more Jasper listened, the more convinced he became that he had heard that voice before.
“Ayye…aym a d-doctor. I’m a fuuckinnng doctor. The first aid kit is supposed t—”
A loud crash suddenly erupted, and glass shattered somewhere in the room. Jasper nearly jumped out of bed. His heart skipped a beat. Before he could process what had happened, a heavy thud followed, as if someone had lost their balance and fallen to the floor.
“Ahh, fuck!” the man groaned. “God damn it!”
Jasper pressed his hands tighter against his mouth, desperately suppressing any sound. His heart pounded so violently that he feared it might burst from his chest.
He did not know what to do.
But one thing was certain.
The man was hurt.
Gradually, the noises died away, leaving the room engulfed in silence once more.
But Jasper remained frozen beneath the blanket.
Then the silence went by for ten minutes or so.
By then, sweat was pouring from Jasper’s body.
His clothes were pasted to his skin, and the mattress beneath him had become damp from perspiration.
Yet he still did not dare to move, waiting for any sign that the danger had truly passed.
When Jasper felt like everything was under control, he slowly peeled the blanket just under his eyes and peeked cautiously at the surroundings.
Once everything was clear, he slowly uncovered his face wholly.
He felt like his heart wanted to jump out of his mouth when he saw a body lying on the floor.
He covered his mouth with his hands and stared at the body for a couple of minutes, kicking the side of his body for any sign of life.
The man on the floor did not move, and he seemed to have already fallen asleep.
Jasper could not get a clear look at the man’s face.
It was turned toward the side of the mini table, and the shadow it cast concealed much of his upper body.
Jasper walked scrupulously to the far edge and located the switch so he could see who he was or if he was really fine.
Jasper made sure to keep a safe distance from the man.
The guy could be pretending to be unconscious, or worse, suddenly lunge at him the moment he got too close.
To be on the safe side, Jasper grabbed the angled broom leaning against the wall, holding it as a weapon in case the stranger tried anything.
Jasper had a strong suspicion that the man might be Miss Zita’s son, considering what she had told him the other day about her son occasionally sleeping in this room.
Then again, it could just as easily be her husband.
After all, Jasper remembered locking the door before going to bed.
The only people who should have been able to enter were those with keys.
Well, unless a thief had decided to break in.
Right. It had to be Miss Zita’s son.
But wait. The man had mentioned being a doctor before passing out.
Jasper recalled that Miss Zita’s son was still studying medicine and was yet to become a doctor. That meant the man was more likely to be her husband, who was already a licensed physician. It certainly could not be Miss Norma, either. The voice was prominently male.
Nevertheless, Jasper could not shake off his concern.
The man had obviously been drunk. Judging from the groans, curses, and the painful sounds he had made before and after falling, he was definitely injured. Not to mention the sound of broken medicine containers he heard crushed a while ago. The man might have stepped on them.
Reluctantly, he slipped out and reached for the light switch. The moment the room lit up, everything he thought he knew came crashing down.