Chapter 1
A man with a concerned expression entered the office.
“Sir, we’ve detected increased activity on the outskirts of the city. There was almost none for a long time, but over the last few weeks, it’s been getting more and more intense.”
“Thank you. I’ve noticed it too. Find out who it is,” said the man in the suit, turning towards the window. He had a sinister expression in his eyes and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
“Yes, sir,” said the young man obediently and left the office. He returned about an hour later with a folder in his hands.
“I have the information you requested, sir,” he said and handed him the folder. The man opened it and immediately afterward slammed his fist on the table, making the papers stored on it jump.
“That damned priest again!”
Philip was sitting in a bar, finishing his third glass. Around him, loud music, scantily clad girls, and men trying to find a way to get the last bits of clothing off them.
“Philip, admit it. When was the last time you went out, to have fun somewhere?” Philip laughed.
“I’m out often. But not with lunatics like you,” he said cheerfully. Katy sat down next to him and took a sip from his glass. “Hey, watch it, young lady. One more time and I’ll arrest you.”
“And I’ll let you go again,” said Sabina, when she and Ross joined them. Marcus shook his head with a smile. The good mood was interrupted by Philip’s phone. Everyone made equally disgusted faces.
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” Philip said apologetically.
“Ah, fine. Let’s go,” Sabina declared, taking her coat and purse.
“No. Stay put. I’ll handle it. I’ll call you tomorrow if it’s worth it.” She nodded to him.
Philip arrived at the crime scene.
“So, what’s going on?” he asked his colleague.
“See for yourself,” he said and led him closer. It was a deserted alley in a district at the end of the city.
“There’s nothing here.”
“Exactly.”
“And the victim?” Philip asked, puzzled.
“Neal Raily. In the ambulance. Nothing was stolen from him. At least not money or his watch.” Philip nodded to him and went to the paramedic.
“How is he?”
“Not good. He lost a lot of blood. He has a deep wound on his back. The edges of the wound look as if they were burned, but the object used to attack him must have been very sharp. It’s like a clean scalpel cut. But of substantially larger dimensions.”
“Thank you,” said Philip and ran his hands through his hair. He returned to the spot where the boy was found. There was nothing there except a puddle of blood. No signs of a struggle, no fingerprints. Someone had just stabbed him there so quickly that the boy didn’t even have time to realize it, and just as quickly, without a trace, disappeared. Philip had a strange feeling at that place, one he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He tried not to pay attention to it. He didn’t return to the case until Monday at work. He called the hospital, but the boy still wasn’t able to give a statement. Besides, he had another pile of paperwork on his desk. But the unpleasant feeling from that place remained. At eleven at night, they called him again for a mugging. The same place, the same method, no traces. Philip began to feel uneasy. He sensed what was happening and feared what was to come if his instinct wasn’t deceiving him. In a corner of his soul, he hoped he was wrong. But on Wednesday, in the middle of a rainy night, his phone rang again. He was just sitting in the kitchen talking to Mark. He looked at the number worriedly and picked up. It was, of course, Sabina.
“Let me guess. Another mugging in that hole,” said Marcus.
“That’s the third one.” He shook his head and was texting someone. Then he took his coat, said goodbye to Beauty, got in the car, and headed to the crime scene.
Lara was sitting on the couch, staring into space. She was exhausted and tired. Tim came from the kitchen behind her, carrying a cup of tea and coffee in his hands, which he placed in front of her on the table and sat down next to her.
“It hurts,” she said without moving even a bit. Tim stroked her back.
“I know. And it will for a while longer.” She said nothing to that, just reached for the cup. Tim received a message. He sighed and shook his head.
“I have to go. They need me.” She looked at him sadly and nodded.
“Something serious?” she asked as he was putting on his shoes.
“Apparently yes. The police don’t often send me texts.”
“Do they only want you?”
Tim held his breath for a moment and straightened up.
“Do you want to come?”
“Maybe I can help.”
“Lara, you don’t have to go.”
“Are you afraid I can’t handle it?” He came closer to her and grabbed her shoulders.
“You can handle more than anyone I know. I just wanted you to rest.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I’ll wait.” Lara ran into the room and changed her clothes. A moment later, they were in the car. Neither of them spoke until they approached the destination, when Tim broke the silence.
“Do you feel it?”
“Yes. This whole part is just saturated with it.” After a while, he parked and they got out of the car. A bit further away, they saw police cars and a cordoned-off area. Philip hadn’t arrived yet, so Lara took out her hospital ID.
“I’m a doctor. I’ll take a look at him,” she said. Tim crouched next to him and touched his temple. The boy immediately woke up and looked at them in fright.
“Just relax. It’s going to be okay. Just breathe. Slowly,” Tim said to him. The boy took a few deep breaths and his gaze cleared. Lara crouched next to him from the other side.
“Hi,” she said to him.
“Hi,” he greeted her and tried to swallow, but his mouth was completely dry. They watched him quietly. “What happened? Who are you?”
“I’m Tim and this is Lara. We’re trying to find out what happened. Do you remember anything?”
He tried to sit up. Tim offered him a hand, but the boy winced in pain.
“What hurts?” Lara asked him.
“I feel like everything, but mostly my back.” Lara looked at his t-shirt. It was damp with blood. She lifted it a little. Underneath, he had an ugly wound.
“That’s nothing. They’ll take care of it at the hospital. You’ll be fine. What’s your name?”
“Andy.”
“Andy, do you know who did this to you?” Tim asked him.
“I don’t know. They didn’t introduce themselves,” he said nervously.
“Yeah, yeah. Easy. Just try to remember at least one of them,” Lara asked him calmly. Something surfaced in Andy’s mind.
“He had a tattoo. On his left forearm. I didn’t see all of it, but it looked like a scorpion. And behind his ear. I don’t know. Some symbols. They had masks, but when he was leaving, he took it off. He already had his back to me.” Lara froze.
“Lara?” Tim asked her tensely. But she didn’t answer him. Tim turned to Andy.
“Andy, thank you. You’ve helped us a lot. Help is on the way. You’ll be fine.”
After a while, Philip also arrived. Sabina had come a moment before him and was talking to one of the policemen. He went straight to them.
“I’m listening,” said Philip.
“Again. That’s the third one in this district in the last week. Something is happening here. This doesn’t look like an ordinary mugging. It’s not about thefts. Someone in this district is simply eliminating people.”
“Sabina, relax. How is he?”
“He has a wound on his back, he’s in shock, but when they take him to the hospital and treat him, we’ll be able to talk to him.”
“Does he have a name?”
“Andrew Nerton.”
“Why are criminals always attracted to the night and such miserable weather? Can’t they ever commit something on a sunny day?” Philip grumbled.
“Wouldn’t you like them to just bring you a pie and coffee?”
“I wouldn’t be against it,” Philip smiled and continued. “Hopefully, this time we’ll know more.”
“This time?”
“I contacted an acquaintance of mine. He might know more about these unusual muggings.”
“So a consultant? Where do you have connections? Everywhere?”
“Believe me, Sabina, almost everywhere. If I’m not mistaken, they’re already with him.”
“Hi,” Tim greeted him.
“Hi. I’m glad you found the time. Lara, good to see you.”
“You too. It’s been a while.”
“This is my colleague Sabina Williams. Sabina, these are my consultants, Lara and Tim.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Sabina said and shook hands with them.
“So? What should I put in the report?” he asked them.
“That monsters from another world are running around here.”
“Very funny. This is the third one, Tim.” He looked Philip directly in the eyes.
“Philip, if you didn’t know what this is about, you wouldn’t have called me. And find Richard. This needs to be stopped, because he won’t be the last. Lara?”
But she suddenly grew serious and almost grabbed Andy’s hand. The sound of an approaching ambulance could be heard.
“Lara, we have to go,” Tim said to her, but she held on for a while longer. He leaned down to her and firmly grabbed her shoulders to help her stand up. Then he leaned down to him for a moment. With his palm, he closed his eyes, and Andy fell into some kind of sleep. “Let’s get out of here,” he finally said, and on the way, he didn’t forget to bump into Philip. Sabina looked after them, stunned.
“Will you explain that to me?” she asked him. Philip looked very tense. He was trying to keep all his emotions under control.
“Not here. Come to my place for coffee.” Sabina looked at him uncomprehendingly but didn’t ask more. They got in the car and headed to Philip’s place. Mark was just making tea and preparing to continue writing. Beauty didn’t even think about getting up from her rug; she only lifted her black furry head for a moment and continued sleeping.
