Act one "Last Chance"
Last Chance coffee is a circular rusting building located on the Bass Vegas Strip.
This bustling city offers some of the classiest chum you've seen in nautical miles. The biggest commercial district in the great blue sea. The strip alone keeps this place up and running. You wouldn't know this from the looks of this place. The service is mediocre and my wormttata is still cold in the center. It's been too long since I enjoyed a meal. Then again, I can't remember the last time I had lunch somewhere different than this crab trap.
The red algae blooms healthy in wall crevices. Years ago they had this Ick hazard of a restaurant indefinitely closed because one of the cooks forgot to open the only window here.
Tony (26/M) was a hardworking shrimp from Filter City. It's a shame I tell you, that pink son of a shrimp had the best fried kelp in town. And it's not speciest if it's in the dishes name.
It was his last shift of his week, the poor barnacle! I was there that morning, it felt claustrophobic. There were many fish/invertebrates the place was packed. I remember Tony looking sickly. I assumed he was tired, but I keep wondering why I didn't question it , maybe at the time to not seem rude. I was always amazed on how little nutrients were needed to keep him awake. He would go days without an ounce of food. Never took a lunch break. That shrimp could talk every word out you ever thought to speak. The customers thought he owned the place, Sometimes he would only sleep a couple hours in the storage area and would come right back to his station. And always came back with a good mood. Tony had his reasons to work. His wife had just delivered 30 shrimplets. Weeks before they hatched he had asked me about DNA testing prices, but played it off as a joke once he found out it was 10,000 shellys per cotton swab. That day he was quiet, confused, it's like he wasn't there. It wakes me up at night why I didn't notice it was the first signs of oxygen deprivation. I tried to make small talk but as I was talking Tony without taking notice quickly ran into the kitchen to throw up. The owners of this establishment were old sharks. Members of the Shiver. He complained to them
how ill he was feeling. The old sharks showed little care. He was told the diner rush was coming and left a newly hired puffer it was his first job. When the cafe closed for the weekend, the only ones inside, left to wash the dishes, were a tired Filter feeder and an unknowing fat fish inside. At 10:30 p.m. only 00:05 min until closing time, Tony asked puff to please keep washing the dishes he only wanted to lay down early in his storage closet once he closed the door he was only alive for 25 more minutes. He had wanted to watch an erotic film of his girlfriend on his phone so he decided to lock the door in case puff were to accidentally storm in. When puff started to feel faint of oxygen he could no longer concentrate on tasks. He ran to ask Tony for help but it was already too late. The clip she sent was only a couple seconds long so Tony the shrimp looped it. In the specific moment the played the video he started to convulse from lack of oxygen knocking his headphones from his phone. Puffs last memory was the sound of a loud 15 second loop of a shrimp orgasm. The owners found them 2 days later. Their rotten corpses leathery and dried up. Puff was completely flat and stuck to the ground. They couldn't completely scrub puffs taxidermied corpse from the kitchen wall and ground B.V.P.D. Has been notified by many health inspectors about the Treadmarks in the kitchen ground. Many of the inspectors that try to shut them down dissapear or are bought out .Sharks will work you to death and pay little. Us worm eaters don't want to be involved with them, These are the kind of fish you don't want to owe. You'll end up working for them only if you ask them for favors. They are always on the move, it's in their nature. Razor sharp blades for teeth! It's horrible, I've seen them strategically tear into sunfish making sure each bite leaves the brain intact to keep the meat as fresh as possible. The monstrosity! Luckily the B.V.P.D. can test shark guts through their cavities with a test strip. It gives us solid evidence. It tests fish DNA presence. Carnivores aren't allowed to eat other citizens mostly anywhere since hundreds of years. They get a discount on chum and worms. The chum buckets around here take government incentives to compensate for the chum that carnivores devour everyday. Store
owners still complain about them not being enough and commonly show their distaste for carnivores. Some places not allowing their entry at all [no carnivores sign] can you blame them? We are told the lie that the laws in place will stop their hunger for our flesh. But won't stop them, that's why we're still here. Picking up the mess they leave. Trying to figure out who this young fish is from his waistline down. it's created tension between us. It makes us feel like prey. Maybe that's all we are.
A blue and brown cichlid wearing an oil stained apron brings the appetizers for the two detectives. -All right officers who ordered the spiralina?. The Seasoned Detective Fyn drops his smile. That's Detectives young lady,
-my mistake detectives. I haven't seen you around this place, and I know most folk round here
-Just tell me what you want to drink and it's on the house
-Hehe oh you scallop. I'll take a Mudfish keep it dirty. This is my rookie now they got the best unit on the force showing him the ropes.
-Oh! Nice knowing ya! You should've told me more of you were coming. I would've got you a bigger table.
-very funny. I appreciate the drink.
-Thanks for keeping us safe Detective Fyn, The strip isn't what it used to be I'll tell you that!
We need all the help we can get. And I know how hard it's been for this station to keep officers.
-Hey don't scare him too bad, he hasn't had his 50 hours in yet!
Suddenly Detective Fyns radio received a transmission.
-I'll be there immediately.
Thousands of Crimes go unnoticed, it's not our choice. We can't be everywhere at once, as much as we try it. Bass Vegas never sleeps
It can't, if the money ever stops circulating The Shiver loses money. Rent is astronomical and brick and mortar shops depend on the amount of tourists. Most of store owners pay The Shiver for protection against their own criminal organization. Corrupt fish in charge have made crime a way of life. The big fish always eating the little one.