The people feared the night of the Victorian buildings as much as the night of the bare village of the Middle Ages. Doors and windows barricaded. Tall, dark buildings loomed the night, casting massive 10-meter-long shadows that resemble eldritch horrors.
The heels of police officers clamped down hard on the stone beneath, casting shadows that dwarf houses. The criminals that don't run are the hidden evil of London. 10 nights, 10 butchered bodies.
The police station, the only place piercing the darkness. The commissioner smoked his pipe, an elderly man balding with white hair, a large man with a belly. The captain came in with newspapers, "Another murde."
The commissioner puffed smoke, "So I've heard."
"No... it was no killer... it was the phantom again."
The commissioner raised his eyebrows and read the paper. The captain said, "What do you suppose his motive is?"
"I believe this story is bollocks, a simple hoax."
Midnight struck, the bell rang, the whole of London was still awake, many people were too scared to fall asleep at night as killers barge in their house to carve their skin, for fun. People don't go to sleep until the sky turns blue.
In an abandoned building, a man holds jewelry in his hand, covered in blood. He laughs, showing his teeth sharpened with a knife. He gives of a manical cackle.
A piece of wood falls down, the rats scatter, "Who's there!?" Silence. "Show yourself, coward!" Loud clamping sounds reminiscent of an officer. "Damn cop," the killer pulled out his knife.
From the shadows, a large figure spreads its arms, showing its massive limbs resembling that of a bat. It wore black clothes and it had a face reminiscent of an elderly man with a bowler hat but pale with slit eyes, needle like teeth, long black hair, and half a meter long claws on each fingertip. It grins widely.
"W-what the hell are you!" the crook screamed and lost his footing. The thing spoke in a deep voice that echoed through the building. "Don't be afraid, I'm just desperate for a little affection." It walked towards the crook, its shadow engulfing him before screams filled the building and were only heard inside the abandoned space not reaching the outside.
The police came an hour later, a pool of blood in a single spot, only teeth remained. The commissioner arrived late, walked past the other officers, and saw the scene. "Always late when we have a crime scene, huh, Alfred? Well, let me fill you in, I guess that your hoax is real." The commissioner looked down at the blood, "Anything is possible these days." The captain scoffed and walked past him.
The commissioner saw something on the ground, looked around at the other officers, then bent down and picked it up. It was a small bloody piece of cloth. He covered it with his handkerchief and put it in his pocket, smiling as he exited the building.