Mornings in the flat smelled like bacon, toast, and groggy contempt. RJ was a morning person usually, just not today. He and one of his roommates, Lucas, had been up until three in the morning to sort out all of the details of last night’s bombing. The bosses had ordered all of the psychologists and social workers to stay late to receive the traumatized and hold any minors who were affected. Needless to say, the two young men were tired. The other two roommates, Amelia and Noah, were sympathetic, only not enough to break from their morning routines. 

	The radio played the local news station, which was still covering last night’s story. 
“Four humans have been found dead. The rest of the casualties are reapers. Could it be that the infamous gang, Death to Reapers, is the perpetrator? Could it have been a suicide bombing group? As of right now, 8:15 AM, there has been no one to come out and claim responsibility. All we can say for now is that we all need to be careful, reapers espe-” it suddenly stopped as Noah unplugged the radio. He was NOT a morning person and yet another terrorist act was not aligning with his daily agenda. 

	RJ stared blankly into his bowl of Lucky Charms. His hazel eyes were not shiny as usual, but glossed over, dead looking. He was wearing  what he woke up in, simply a pair of black jeans and his glasses. He yawned, blinked, and then checked his phone. Just then, it rang, making everyone in the room startle. 

	“Hello?” RJ answered, with a deep morning voice. “Yes sir.” He looked up with mild annoyance on his face. “No, I can handle it. Okay, let me get a pen and paper.” RJ slowly got up and grabbed a pen and a pad of sticky notes from the counter. He leaned against the kitchen door frame and stated that he was ready for the caller to continue. He scribbled down an address in his sharp cursive writing and hung up. 

	“Damn, what do they want you for this time?” Lucas asked. He was also annoyed by the call. The boys were promised to be given half the day off due to their overnight shift last night. 

	In the next moment, before replying, RJ’s face lit up to its normal sun-shiny state. He looked at the address on the yellow square with excitement and love. “There’s been a noise complaint,” he blurted. His three roommates stared at him incredulously. Noise complaints don’t usually elicit this response from RJ.  “They’re reapers.” RJ explained. Everyone nodded in sudden understanding. 

	RJ went and put on a long sleeved olive green t-shirt and slung his bag across his chest. He walked back into the dining room to grab a set of keys from the rack on the wall next to his bedroom. 

	“I’ll pick you up at noon, Luke,” RJ said as he was heading out the door. 

	“Don’t bother. I’ll just call in sick today,” Lucas called after him. He wasn’t sure RJ heard him, as he was too far down the hall already, door wide open. The three roommates sighed deeply and continued to have a bacon filled morning. 

	RJ skipped down the stairs, jumping over the last few steps of each flight just to go faster. He left the apartment complex through the garage, found his car, and headed to Rosen. It was a shorter drive than usual. RJ was speeding down the road with a sense of urgency and adventure fueling him. 

	He pulled up a few houses away from the address he was given just in case something went south, as things often do at this job. He shuddered at the memory of some angry citizens going at his partner’s new BMW with crowbars and wrenches as they tried to peel away. The last thing he wanted was for that to happen to his own white Nissan. RJ snapped out of it and got out of the car. His pace as he walked towards the house was quick. He used his long legs to accelerate the process. 

	RJ walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. He took one step back from the door, folded his hands behind him in a ‘Hello, sir, would you like to buy some Boy Scout popcorn?’ kind of way, and waited patiently.