The Monster Attack
The woman who claimed to beTrisha by name , a middle-aged woman with a frantic look on her face, burst into the Cliff's office, out of breath. "Please, you have to help me! It was like nothing I've ever seen before!" Cliff and Dora exchanged a skeptical glance. "What are you talking about, ma'am?" Cliff asked, his tone calm.
Trisha's eyes bulged out. "The creature! It attacked me in my shop last night. It was around 11:45 pm. I was closing up when...when it just appeared out of nowhere!" Dora's curiosity piqued. "What did this creature look like?" Trisha's voice trembled. "It was huge, with scales and claws. Its eyes glowed like embers. It smashed my display cases and took all my gold jewelry!" Cliff raised an eyebrow. "A monster-looking creature stole your gold jewelry?"
Trisha's face reddened. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you the truth! It was like something from a nightmare!" Dora leaned forward, her eyes locked on Trisha's. "We'll investigate, ma'am. But we need more details. Can you describe the creature's size, color, anything distinctive?" Trisha nodded, her words spilling out in a rush. "It was at least seven feet tall, with dark green scales and razor-sharp claws. Its eyes...oh Gush, its eyes were like burning coals. It moved so fast, like a blur!" Cliff and Dora exchanged a look, their skepticism slowly giving way to intrigue. This was no ordinary theft report. Something strange was going on, and they aimed to get to the bottom of it.
"Ma'am, we'll send a team to your shop to investigate," Cliff said, his tone reassuring. "But we need you to stay calm and think. Is there anything else you remember about the creature or the attack?"
Trisha's eyes welled up with tears. "Just one thing...it spoke to me. It said, 'You have something that belongs to us.' Then it vanished into thin air!" The room fell silent, the tension palpable. Cliff and Dora knew they had a bizarre case on their hands, one that would push their skills to the limit.
"Who did the creature refer to as "us?". Cliff asked with eyes gazing at Trisha. Dora quickly interrupted and tried to respond to Cliff's question.
"Maybe the creature is dual in nature or may simply have an accomplice we do not know about." Dora replied nervously. Shortly after that, Cliff and Dora decided to visit the crime scene for further investigation. Both Cliff, Trisha and Dora walked swiftly into a saloon car parked at the garage and drove off en route to Trisha's gold shop at Nelson avenue about two kilometers away from the gas station at Berley, their minds focused on the task at hand. As they arrived, they saw the extent of the destruction - shattered display cases, scattered gold jewelry, and a sense of unease in the air.
"Okay, Trisha, show us exactly what happened," Cliff said, his eyes scanning the scene. Trisha led them through the shop, recounting every detail. Dora listened intently, her eyes scanning the area for any clues.
"And then it just vanished into thin air?" Dora asked, her skepticism evident. Trisha nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you the truth!" Cliff examined the broken display cases. "Looks like our creature was looking for something specific. Dora, what do you make of this?" Dora crouched beside a shattered case, her eyes fixed on a small piece of torn fabric. "Cliff, look at this! It's a scale, and it's not from any animal I know." Cliff's eyes widened. "This just got a whole lot weirder." As they continued to investigate, the tension mounted. They knew they were dealing with something extraordinary, something that challenged everything they thought they knew. Suddenly, Dora's phone rang, shrill in the silence. "Wait, I need to take this," she said, stepping outside. Cliff turned to Trisha. "Ma'am, can you think of anything else that might help us?" Trisha's eyes clouded. "I remember something. It said, 'We'll be back for what's ours.' I think it's coming back." Cliff's expression turned grim. "We need to get to the bottom of this, fast." After what seemed like ten minutes gone, Dora returned back to where Cliff and Trisha were standing, she threw her attention immediately towards the shelf area. Dora walked swiftly towards the shelf and noticed a familiar object on the floor beside the shelf. Dora's heart pounded as she stooped to pick up the object which happened to be a special kitchen knife, her fingers trembling. "What the...?" she whispered, her eyes fixed on the familiar handle. Cliff and Trisha were too engrossed in their examination of the shop to notice Dora's discovery. She turned the knife over, her mind reeling with questions. How did her kitchen knife end up here? The same knife her mom had given her in Westwood, the same knife she had used countless times to prepare meals. Dora's thoughts were a jumbled mix of fear and confusion. She couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister was at play. She hesitated, her eyes darting towards Cliff and Trisha. Should she tell them? No, she decided. This was her secret, her burden to bear. With a deep breath, she slipped the knife into her pocket, her heart heavy with fear. She couldn't shake the feeling that something strange and catastrophic was lurking somewhere.
"Hey, guys, I think I've found something," Cliff called out, his voice breaking the silence. Dora's heart skipped a beat as she turned to face him, her eyes fixed on the small piece of parchment in his hand.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Cliff's eyes were grim. "It's a message, written in some sort of ancient language. But the words...they seem to be shifting, like they're alive." Trisha's eyes widened. "That's impossible." Cliff's face was set in a determined expression. "We need to decipher this message, figure out what's going on." Dora's mind jolted, her thoughts torn between the mysterious message and the knife in her pocket. She knew she had to keep her secret hidden, but for how long? Cliff and Dora sat at their desks, pouring over the evidence they had gathered. "Alright, let's think this through," Cliff said, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "We have a creature that's seemingly looks like a monster, can scale walls, and has an eye for gold jewelry. What does that tell us?" Dora leaned back in her chair inside Trisha's shop, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "It tells us we're dealing with something supernatural. Something that defies the laws of physics." Cliff nodded. "Agreed. And the message on the parchment...that's our key to unlocking this mystery." Dora's eyes snapped back to Cliff's. "You think it's a clue to the creature's origins?" Cliff's face was set in a determined expression. "I do. And I think our best bet is to consult an expert in the field of ancient languages."
Dora's eyes widened. "You mean Dr. Lee?" Cliff nodded. "The very same. We need to contact him as soon as possible, Dora." Dora thought for a while and replied quickly back to Cliff. "I will handle that tomorrow morning then." Dora assured them. Dora and Cliff left the scene and returned back to the office. Ever since they left Trisha's shop, Dora's mind had never been at peace. She shot her office door after her shift ended and walked thoughtfully into her car en route to her house. Dora's eyes were fixed on the road ahead, but her mind was a thousand miles away. She couldn't shake the image of her kitchen knife from her thoughts. How did it end up in Trisha's shop? The more she thought about it, the more her head spun. She slowed down at a stoplight, her eyes glazing over as she tried to piece together the events of the past few days. The date with Cliff, the attack on Trisha's shop, the strange message on the parchment...it all seemed to be connected, but how? As the light turned green, Dora hesitated, her foot hovering over the accelerator. Something didn't feel right. She felt like she was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. With a sigh, she pulled over to the side of the road, her mind racing with questions. What was going on? And why did she feel like her life was spiraling out of control? Dora's heart pounded hard as she frantically searched her kitchen drawers, her hands shaking with each passing moment. She had been right, her knife was indeed missing. A sense of dread washed over her, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios. She quickly moved on to her bedroom, her eyes scanning every inch of her room. That's when she saw it, or rather, didn't see it. Her official gun, her trusted companion, was nowhere to be found. Dora's breath caught in her throat, her body frozen in fear. How could this be? She always kept her gun safe, locked away in her bedside drawer. But now, it was gone. Her mind raced with questions, her thoughts a jumbled mix of fear and confusion. Who could have taken her gun? And why? The same person who took her knife?
With a shaking hand, she reached for her phone, her eyes fixed on the screen as she contemplated on whether to call Cliff. But something held her back, a nagging feeling that she was in this alone. The silence in her room was deafening, the only sound her ragged breathing. Dora knew she had to act fast, to retrace her steps and figure out who was behind this. But as she stood there, frozen in fear, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being trailed, but by who?