The Omegas Collector

The knife sank into the flesh with astonishing ease. Had he been close enough, he could have heard the sound of the blade cutting and penetrating deeply. He had few memories of his father, but he hadn’t forgotten this one: his father in the kitchen saying that knives should always be kept sharp, while he did just that with all the cutlery in the house.

And following his father’s instructions, the knife he was using was very sharp; it had to be if he wanted it to pierce and penetrate with precision and not veer off course, at least until it reached and pierced the little heart of that scum.

The body, though unconscious, felt the pain of the flesh being pierced. The back arched, the legs tensed, the whole body writhed in pain, even the arms rose in an almost automatic attempt to protect itself, though in vain.

He smiled as he watched the futile efforts of a body trying to survive without knowing it had no chance of doing so. When he felt the handle stop, he pushed it a little further and yanked it out. His hand was stained with blood, but it was nothing compared to the amount that would soon gush from the wound, so he had no time to lose; he needed the area clean so he could finish his work.

He placed the knife on the tray, wiped his hand on his trousers, and picked up the box cutter. The best tool for what he wanted to do: leave his mark there in the middle of the chest, the symbol that would show the world the kind of scum that being had been when it was alive and was now nothing more than dead flesh.

Alan came out of the bathroom naked, drying his hair with a towel. He went to his room, put on a t-shirt and loose trousers, and then went to the kitchen to make himself something quick to eat, a sandwich. He was hungry, but it was already quite late, and he didn’t feel like cooking. Being a boss had many advantages, but it also had quite a few disadvantages, and one of them was the obligation to attend endless meetings where everyone seemed to have many important things to say, but when it came down to it, they were neither important, nor useful, nor beneficial to him or his unit.

He left the plate with the sandwich and the bottle of beer on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa. He’d heard about a very interesting new series about a chef and a model posing as a chef’s apprentice. North had also told him that the undercover model was his type, so he was very curious to watch the series.

Unfortunately, his curiosity was only slightly satisfied. Five minutes after he started watching the episode, the phone rang. Alan put it on speakerphone first before answering.

“What’s up, North? Did you miss me?”

North had called shortly after Alan left the meeting to inform him about the discovery of a body showing signs of violence lying on the hard shoulder of a quiet country road. North was Alan’s second-in-command in the homicide unit.

“I’m at the death scene and… I just saw the body… Alan, do you remember the case that happened shortly before you arrived and that’s still unsolved?”

“The one with the Greek letter on the chest?” Alan had already stood up and rushed to his bedroom. North was very experienced in homicide and wouldn’t call his boss unless something serious was happening.

“This victim… has the same omega letter in the same place…” North’s words felt like a heavy weight on Alan’s chest. “Alan, you know what that means, we probably have a serial killer on our hands…”

“Let’s take it one step at a time. It’s likely, but not certain. Let’s not rush into anything. What do you want to do? Do you lead the investigation and I’ll provide support?”

“I’d rather do it the other way around. I think the case, the cases, are serious enough for you to lead the investigation. I’ll be by your side, like before.”

“Like old times,” Alan smiled.

“Exactly,” North smiled back. “Besides, it’s obvious that when the bosses find out about this, they’ll want you to take charge.”

“By the way, have you spoken to the forensic doctor? Sonic was on duty today, right?”

“Yes, but he did what I did, called for backup. His boss was in charge of the first death, and they’ve decided he’ll take care of this one too.”

“Is his boss that omega they say is quite rigid and not very good at making friends?”

“What happens is that he takes his job very seriously, unlike some others. And he’s also shy.”

“Anyway, tell him to wait for me to arrive before doing anything. And inform His Honour that I’m taking over the investigation.”

“Your orders,” North replied jokingly.

“Send me the location. See you later.”

Alan hung up, adrenaline already coursing through his veins. Two murders, the same symbol on their chest. He was missing a lot of information, plenty of details, but it couldn’t be a coincidence.

He got dressed and styled his hair in a second, and in two seconds he was at the door, ready for action. He went out, but went right back inside to spray himself with pheromone blocker. Laws aside, he had a feeling he was going to have to work long and hard with that forensic doctor, and doing so with a man furious over a minor oversight wasn’t exactly his dream come true.

Sonic’s boss was peacefully lounging on his sofa at home with a bowl of popcorn and a soda, ready to start watching the series Khaosuay had insisted he watch. “Love Doesn’t Have Long Beans,” or something like that, a rather strange name, by the way, but the characters seemed very interesting, especially the chef, according to his friend and employee. Well, he’d watch the first episode; the good thing about it being streamed on a paid platform was that he could watch it whenever he wanted, or rather, whenever his schedule allowed. After 20 minutes of the episode, Jeff was already smitten with the chef character.

“Why aren’t there men like that in real life?” he said aloud, staring at the main characters on his TV screen.

His work phone rang. Surprised, he looked at the caller ID, because he hadn’t expected it to ring again that night. Sonic had informed him of the homicide, following standard procedure, and he wasn’t expecting any more calls until the next day.

“Tell me, Sonic, is something wrong?”

“Jeff, do you remember your last homicide?”

“Yes, it was about a month ago. The one with the ‘omega’ symbol tattooed on his chest. Why?” Jeff asked, silently hoping the suspicion that had just crossed his mind was a mistake.

“Another body has turned up. It looks like a violent death. And it has the same symbol as the first body. Jeff…”

“How much time do I have?”

“Probably a little less than 10 minutes. The patrol car is already out looking for you.” So you’re taking the case then?

“You know I am, don’t worry, but I’ll need you to help me with the autopsy and be the second signatory. Is North handling the investigation?”

“No. Given the seriousness of the matter, his boss is going to. He’s on his way too.”

“His boss? They say he’s a bit of an alpha, always bragging about how much he knows, and also that he’s authoritarian.”

“You’re just hearing baseless rumours. He doesn’t brag, but he knows a lot, he’s very intelligent, and he’s not going to keep quiet just to avoid upsetting someone who doesn’t have a clue. And as for being authoritarian, that’s a lie. He just doesn’t like disrespectful treatment. Look, he’s the boss. If he doesn’t give the orders, who will?”

“If you say so. Let him know I’m on my way if he gets here before me. And don’t touch the body. It’s ours.” “Yes, they already know.” Everyone knew that the body couldn’t be touched until the coroner arrived, but Jeff couldn’t help but remind everyone of the rules over and over.

“Well, sometimes they forget. Did you call the judge?”

“Yes,” Sonic said. “She already knows you’ll be handling this.”

While Jeff finished getting ready, he sprayed himself with pheromone blocker. He carried one in his bag, but it was always better to leave the house prepared. He absolutely didn’t want to make the mistake of looking like a fool who couldn’t control his pheromones in front of that police inspector.