Ghosts of the Past

Bloodletter:

That ‘un was a screamer, aye? [Sick humor twisted my lips into a sneer that would have sent the whelps at camp scurrying back to hide ‘neath their mahmens’ skirts. I paused over the sink to study my new reflection in the grime-smeared mirror, the water from the tap running crimson as I held my hands beneath. I’d not yet grown accustomed to the face staring back at me, though the eyes were still mine own.  I’d not bother with such trivialities but the constant searching eyes of the human population made it necessary to blend in as much as possible, lest my ‘messages’ be found ‘fore my quarry could receive them. “He wasn’t the only one…” I’d heard the Forelesser mumble though he stood well away from me, unable to yet stomach being close. Just as well, were he near me now, I’d have garroted him with his own entrails for his words. Eyes narrowing to pin him with a withering stare, I stalked across the room, smirking as he backed away until he flattened against the wall, his powdery stench stinging my nostrils. I towered over him, the not-so-subtle jab at the payment the Omega had taken out of this body forcing a shudder from me, nightmarish flashes of the rutting I’d endured raising bile into my throat. Swallowing back, I bared lethal canines at the pale abomination ‘fore me.] Perhaps ye’d have the stones to repeat yerself, ye’ rank bastard. [Pulling my dagger from its scabbard, I bring it under the Forelesser’s chin, digging into his flesh and tilting his dead eyes to mine.] I thought not. Let’s be clear here, ye’ dribble of horse piss. Ye’ may grab yer ankles for yer master as often as ye’d like but, until he returns, yer mine to command and make no mistake, I’ll bury my blade in yer empty heart in a second and not skip a step in my mission. Now, has the last been found? [He nodded, a small twitch of the head in acknowledgement as he cleared his throat and pushed the blade away with a disgusted look. “It has. Caldwell PD showed up before the body even cooled. Though I don’t understand the point of castrating him.” I grinned evilly at that, the cries of the male had warmed my heart as I’d used the pliers to tear away the delicate tissue ‘tween his legs and watching him bleed out onto the oil-slicked asphalt. The body count had risen, the slaughter of the human females unfortunate enough to bare semblance to my offspring’s beloved shellan now joined by the tattered remains of civilian males caught too easily while passing nights in the human taverns that lined Trade.] Tis’ the same favor I granted Vishous on his transformation. More than that, ye don’t need to understand, lesser. Ye’ need to do as yer told and wait. @JodisVishous will see it and he will come calling. [Satisfied with the way he slumped as I stepped back, I turned and plodded back to the window, staring through the splintered glass pane into the night. Vishous would soon start following the trail of carcasses to me and if he was as intelligent as rumors bade me believe, he’d come alone, without the Brotherhood at his flanks. When he found me, it would be on my terms and I would have my vengeance. Grinning to myself at the things I would do while my young cried out to his cursed mother, I slid my dagger back into place and spoke low, keenly watching the shadows dance in the streetlights below.] I’m comin’ fer ye’, Vishous. You and yours. And this time, I’ll not be stopped. 

Vishous:

The giggles and soft babbles of my young, Sahv, echoed through the tunnels of the mansion as four of us made our way back to the Pit to enjoy the last hours of the day with our mates. A cheerful Sahv smacked my cheek to get my attention with his tiny growls, “dadda’s” , and “mama’s” which earned him winning smiles at First Meal with the rest of the brotherhood and our family. Keeping my hand on the bouncy young I chuckled and softly set him on his feet, helping him walk the last few feet to the door of the Pit. After the gruesome find a few days ago in patrol with the cop I had finally started to relax, the Old Language symbol carved into the female’s skin was beyond weird but as far as I knew it could’ve been a slashing by a disturbed stalker, and, as shitty as it may sound, that was no more my jurisdiction than vampires were to Caldwell’s finest. Chaotic chatter filled the air until we passed security to settle into the living room of our place, the cop instantly parking his ass on the couch with Sahv hot on his heels to get some sorely needed uncle time, Jodi following after him to make sure nothing happened, I couldn’t help but grin. This was what I had been missing when I was tied up in hell, pun intended. Marissa joined the cop on the couch and I settled on the loveseat. Scratching my goatee, I contented myself with watching the scene before me until my female shoved today’s newspaper in my face to avoid having our boy eat it. Chuckling, I straightened the paper earning the evil eye of my female who was trying to hide her smile. Quite badly, if I may say so myself. My eyes fell on today’s headline and the humor drained from my features going unnoticed by everyone else still watching Sahv’s antics. Sitting up straight, I reread the headline one more time before I got into details. Clearing my throat, I looked around and masked the worry that had flared to life with this little revelation. Fuck. Me. Running. Excusing myself from the small gathering, I headed to my office, waving off the concerned stares from both my partner and my female. I didn’t have anything but a bad feeling that made my skin crawl and I wouldn’t worry them with gut instinct, no… this was just a very bad coincidence and there was no need to put them on alert. Especially not my very pregnant shellan. She’d been through enough and I was not risking her or the young she carried. Taking a deep breath I shoved the newspaper to one side of my desk as I parked my ass on the chair in front of my Four Toys. Firing the tower of circuits to life, I keyed my way through the back door I’d created in CPD’s security wall with a self-satisfied smile. They’re encryption was laughable, I should just set up my own password. The amusement was short lived and I sobered as the files popped open on the screen. This wasn’t good. In fact, this was Orwellian double-fucking-plus ungood. “STRANGE SERIES OF DEATHS CONTINUE…. The police have yet to release an official statement regarding the strange mass murders of victims of both sexes in the Caldwell area... The body count has risen in the Trade Street killings… With no visible correlation between the victims save the symbol cut into the bodies, the police are no closer to finding the perpetrator of these heinous crimes…” Reaching for one of my blunts, I lit it up and continue to study the uncut reports from the Caldwell police. Apparently, the cops have had a very busy past couple of weeks, this latest.. a prostitute I was sorry to say had serviced me in the past, had been number four in a rash of deaths that left the Caldy PD scratching their heads and locking their doors. Pictures of the corpses, their faces contorted in shock and horror, splashed over the files, their bodies dumped like garbage in the back alleys of the Caldwell bar district. Holding the blunt between my fingers, I went over the details of the first three murders, given that the first one I had a up-close-and-personal with the last victim, I wanted to familiarize myself with the others. Investigators had come to the conclusion that the victims had been used in a sort of ritual, given that all the bodies had been drained dry and used as a canvas, assuming that the mark cut into their graying flesh was the killer’s signature. Wrong, assholes. Blowing out a cloud of smoke, I studied each and every picture taken from each crime scene. Examining autopsy photos and the scant evidence the killer had left behind, It was clear as fucking day what the women had in common… I saw it every night when I woke up. All brunettes, dark eyed and fair-skinned, curvy and in their late twenties or early thirties. A sick feeling set in the pit stomach. Every one of them, so like my shellan and every one marred with a ‘V’. No other identifying factors, clothes ripped to shreds, and with rough gashes on the side of their necks. Fuck. This had all the earmarks of a civilian going around town with a taste of brunettes and yet, something nagged at me. We’d found lessers dumping that body, not a vamp. Or, perhaps we’d been wrong? Had they found a vampire feeding and hauled ass before they could take him out?? If so, how was he calm enough to dematerialize without me or Butch noticing? Had the lessers gotten rid of him before we caught up to them? For all we knew there could’ve been more around the area when we got those two fuckers a couple of blocks over. I pinched the bridge of my nose, head aching with the possibilities sparked by what was displayed on the screens. Something wasn’t fitting. The lessening Society was all over this and that settled it firmly in the “Shit WE have to deal with” side of the ledger. Fantastic, true. The family of those poor females would never get closure if this was passed on to our side of the law. Shaking my head, I flipped on through the files to find the other murders the article had been talking about, coming into a few dead ends with other minor crimes before I hit the big one. The slasher was apparently a believer in equal opportunity, males had been dropping like flies on this end too. Digging a little more, the details had my blood running cold in my veins, the shock enough to make me crush the bud of my blunt on the ashtray when my mouth went absolutely dry. Detectives had not seen any relation between these murders and those of the women, because although they held no similarities other than their timeframes being enough for the murderer to commit both. However, the men had been castrated and had their thighs savaged with sliced designs, probably while the victims had been alive.- Fuck. Me –hoarse words falling from my lips, I rubbed my knuckles against the inside thigh of my leathers. Way too close for comfort. As my female liked to say, shit just got real. I was reporting both of these to Wrath and with or without his permission I would keep an eye the streets around Trade. With a shaky hand I reached for the bottle of Goose, the only liquid allowed in my office, for emergencies such as this. The pieces were coming together and they pointed at one thing. The killer wanted me to see his handiwork. Uncapping the vodka, I took a swig and sighed at the burn I felt in my throat, resting the bottle against my leg and raking a gloved hand through my hair. Something worse than me was stalking Caldwell now. I had a bad feeling and we all know how well those pan out. Sweet Fade, there’s was no sleep written in my near future. Carrying the bottle with me, I stood and turned from the grisly reports and crossed to the window, looking out at the glowing aura that marked the lights of downtown. Something was out there trying to get my attention- You have it now, fucker.