"You go ahead with them. I will look after it here. The team must be arriving in a couple of minutes."
Miranda patted her friend on her shoulder and comforted. Jackline was in no better condition to stay behind and witness all those horrific things once again with her eyes. She was just about to turn to board the ambulance when she recalled something and said to Miranda in a whisper voice.
"There seems to be somebody upstairs. It looks like a different creature. Be careful and not let it escape. It must have attacked them."
Miranda raised her brows at the mention of the creature. But she did not think much about it as she would witness that once he would go upstairs. Gesturing Jackline to go ahead she stayed there until the ambulance vanished out of her sight and she heard the siren of police vans. Striding upstairs she went ahead towards the bathroom. The other police officers have arrived as well and started with their stuff of interrogation and searching around the house to collect any evidence and understand what must have happened.
Meanwhile, upstairs as soon as the door of the bathroom was opened, Miranda's eyes widened. She looked at the odd looking creature or maybe human who was lying lifeless on the ground.
"Inspector Carl!"
She called out for one of the inspection officers who had arrived and put on her gloves. Walking near to it, she squatted and tilted her head to have a clear view. The creature was sure enough having a little trait of a human but not whole. It's face resembled every organ a human has yet with different characteristics. It's eyes were a little bit larger than normal humans have with no eyebrows and through her nostrils, there was a short green pipe that was coming out. It's mouth was not even slightest similar to that of any human. Instead it had flangs that were pointing out and the teeth looked like those pointed canines ready to devour anyone. Miranda could even see a bit of blood stain around the teeth. She guessed that either Aunt Adela or her husband must have gotten injured with it.
"Miranda, did you find out something? The…" Inspector Carl had just entered the bathroom when her thoughts diverted into something else and her mind registered a state of shock and surprise. She was one of the colleagues working alongside Miranda and Jackline in the investigating bureau.
"What is this, man?" her brows were furrowed together and her tone contained a tinge of puzzlement. Miranda stood up and placed her hands on her waist and said while shrugging her shoulders.
"This… I don't know. But this very creature or human, may have attacked Jackline's relatives."
"Human? Will you be referring to such a horrible creature as human? C'mon, even animals are much better than this. It must be a monster." Inspector Carl pressed her lips together and gulped down a few mouthfuls of saliva when she said that. Sure enough fear was bubbling inside her and she could not help but clasp her hands together. No matter how many thousands of cases she had solved in her life, this was precisely one of the craziest cases that she had ever come across. But what was predicted, when all this was just a starting? There were going to be more attacks and more horrific sights to witness since the reapers were now aware about the protector being alive!
The body was taken away to the forensic department and Miranda and others remained back while collecting evidence from the house. Sadly, they did not get any positive leads. Meanwhile the other inspectors who went to the neighbourhood to enquire about what actually happened here, they returned back with empty hands. It was shocking that even after so much of chaos had happened here, nobody was even aware of it. And the most shocking part was that nobody heard anything.
"Were they all sleeping so soundly that nobody heard even the slightest sound?" Miranda could not help but turn her face into an ugly scowl. How was this supposed to happen? So much destruction was done in the house, yet nobody was aware of it.
==
"Ma'am, her dressings have been done. You can take her home. As for Mr. Jonas Benjamin, he needs to stay back for today for further tests and observations."
A nurse came near Jackline who was sitting on a bench outside a ward with her head lowered down. When Jackline heard it, she sighed and turned towards the ward from where her aunt Adela came out with a bandage on her head and hand. She immediately stood up and walked towards her.
"How are you feeling, Aunt?"
Adela looked weak and her face was pale. She was hardly able to open her eyes properly due to the anaesthetic that was given to her. Jackline held her by her shoulders and helped her to get into their car before she took the driver seat and started the engine. She looked at her aunt from the rear window who was looking at the passenger seat behind and said in a low tone.
"Uncle needs to stay back for today. They will monitor him."
Adela opened her eyes and looked outside the window. Her face was still pale and she looked very weak. Mustering up her strength she parted her lips and asked Jackline.
"Do you believe it now?"
Jackline's eyes flickered at that question. If she was supposed to say no, then she would be even lying to herself. But living in the modern era, how was one supposed to believe in these things? Even though what she witnessed back at her aunt's house could not be ignored but from inside she was still waiting to receive some other news probably that would be different from what she was thinking. her silence did not make Adela angry, instead she just smiled weakly. At least the appearance of these reapers and species would help her in making Jackline believe about her lineage and identity.