Chapter 1:Unknown Beast
"Let go of me." A young woman struggles to free herself from the hold of two hefty men. Her cries and pleas are swallowed up by the eerie and silent alley. No soul to be seen, no one to cry out to for help.
"Stop acting up, it's not like we're going to harm you." One of the hefty men smiles lustfully as he gazed down on the woman's barely exposed breast. "Just one round won't hurt right." His mate coax her and harshly squeeze her.
She yelps in pain and cries out. "Help me, help please I beg you. Someone save me."
"Screaming is futile for your lungs dear. No one is coming to save you." Both men begin to undress her forcefully. The moon shines dimly and grey clouds slowly covers it's light.
A silhouette of a man stands in front of them, his upper body is soaked in the darkness and only his bare feet are seen. "Help me please, they are trying to rape me."
The woman stretches out to the man but receives a hard slap across the face. "Shut up bitch." The skinny man growls. His mate brings out a dagger ready to attack the man in the shadow.
At that point every sound heard seized. All chirping crickets and howling wind comes to a halt. A demeaning pressure falls upon them, the deadly intent of the man and bloodlust took form as his body began to make sounds of cracking bones.
"What in God's name?" The skinny man let's go of the lady and gradually steps back. Heaving breaths and echoed growls engulf the area.
"What are you?" The man who had a dagger in his hand shook violently as beads of sweat rolled down his face. The creature lunges forward and pounces on the man.
"Ahhhhhh!!"
Blood painted the brick walls as the beast tore apart and devoured the man. His mate who is totally crippled by fear stares at his lifeless friends with disbelief in his eyes.
"No, no oo." He tuck behind his tail and head for the heels. But that was only futile, just as he was about to take a corner the beast jumped on his back forcing his entire body to collide with the brick ground. Bones cracked harshly and flesh tore like a serenade in a musical.
The lady who had pleaded for saving now had her hands covering her mouth. She was engulfed with the fear and imagination of being torn apart by the demon in front of her.
' I'm going to die'
' what is this?'
'someone please save me'
Words rattle in her throat but got couldn't leap. Sweat poured down her face and fell on her dress.
She flinched when she noticed the beast had devoured the men and had turned his attention to her. Tears rolled down her eyes as she stared into those flamey eyes, it looked almost as if she was being burnt by fire.
GROWLS
She held her gown tightly and gulped in continuously as she waited to be a meal. The beast gradually made his way towards her it's eyes never leaving hers. Her breath hitched when it stood right in front of her. Sweat rolled down her face and her body grew pale with every passing second. The huge beast which was completely swallowed by the shadow leaned in and sniffed in the woman's scent.
After a few sniffs it completely backed away from her and jumped into the roof of the closet building. It disappeared into the darkness and gradually the clouds wined away from the moon. The sight of the completely massacred and decapitated bodies came into sight.
The young lady who had been screaming for help a moment ago, had now lost her voice and sanity.
THE NEXT DAY.
Lawrence stepped down from the carriage, there was a huge crowd who stood around an alley by the street. He looked round the place, all he noticed were people who came to feast their eyes on the end scene of a crime before going out to publish their own ideas.
"They might think we're here to arrest them if you don't stop looking at them like that." He felt Nicholas pat his shoulders as he stepped down from the carriage.
"I find it very inconvenient to think a rogue would appear in the central part of the kingdom." Ruth stepped down right after him. Lawrence didn't say a word instead he walked over to the crime scene.
The crowd soon began to step aside once they noticed the military police had arrived. Murmurs and solo scoffs filled in on Lawrence's ears, he could hear the people badmouthing the police.
"What can they do now?" A fat baker who stood at the fore front of the crowd glared at Lawrence intensely. Ruth and Nicholas stood aside and watched him.
"Shouldn't we help him or something?" Ruth looked a little bit wary. "He doesn't do well in crowds."
"Did you ever wonder why Lawrence rose to the rank of Captain in a short time?" Nicholas stared at Lawrence with pride and admiration.
Lawrence walked over to the woman who was out cold on the ground. Her eyes glued to the gore in front of her. He bent over to scan her face, he could already tell she witnessed it first hand.
"Who were they to you?" He asked in a calm soothing voice that penetrated into her ringing ears. The strawberry blonde slowly raised her head and turned to Lawrence who's face was a few inches from her. Tears brimmed her eyes and her body shook lightly. "Believe me, you're safe now." Lawrence smiled warmly and gently pat her head. He noticed a few parts of her clothes was torn almost exposing her body.
He pulled off his jacket and covered her up gently. The lady who was engulfed with fear and shock, was now laser focused on the man who looked like a ray of sun basking her skin. Tears rolled down her eyes and her lips pressed against each other.
"I work at a bar down this street." Lawrence squatted to her level and paid rapt attention to her. Ruth's eyes widened while Nicholas grinned. "I had finished my work for the day and was ready to go home. Just as I left the bar and waved off my co worker I was jacked from behind and my mouth was seal with a clothe." Tears dropped on her skirt and her hands gripped the jacket that was wrapped around her. "They had already started to molest me when a stranger walked over to us." She turned to the side were the crowd stood and pointed at an imaginary space where another stood. "There, he stood there. He didn't say a word neither did he lunge forward."
"Isn't he supposed to be jotting, Commander?" Ruth tailed Nicholas who was making his way towards Lawrence.
"I don't think there's any need for that." He replied and stopped a few feets away from the crime scene.
"Then there was a sound of bones cracking, and then…" she paused for a while as horror plastered on her face. "Then…" she held her mouth and shook her head. Lawrence stroked her head gently and gave her a reassuring smile. The lady pale eyes softened. "The beast saved me."
Her words caused an uproar amongst the crowd, the crowd began to murmur in disbelief, even ruth looked shocked to hear that."Just when I was about to be raped it killed the men."
"Did you see what it looked like?" Lawrence asked calmly, she shook her head in response and then sighed.
"It was too dark, I couldn't see his face." She started slowly. "But… he's eyes." She continued as though she was entranced by something. "It looked like burning flames, no it felt like there were flames around us."
Lawrence's gaze darkened and his smile stretched deeper than usual. Nicholas as well had a stoic expression on his face. "Thank you for your help."
He stretched his hand out and helped the lady to stand. Some men from the crowd walked over to her and a few women who were her age mate. Lawrence turned to the massacred men behind him, his gaze darkened as it scanned through the large claw mark that jabbed out the spine of one of the dead bodies.
"Lawrence, let's go." Nicholas turned to leave while Ruth waited for Lawrence to walk beside him.
"I never knew you were such a gentleman." She smiled brightly as she flashed her lashes at him. Her eyes trailed down his upper body which was hidden underneath the black long sleeve he wore. Lawrence didn't say a word, he had his own thoughts to tend to. They both got into the carriage and left the scene.
Nicholas stared at Lawrence with calculative eyes, Ruth who sat beside Lawrence creeped her body closer to him. "What do you think attacked them?" He asked.
"It's definitely a rogue attack." Ruth butted in quickly, her eyes trailing towards the window were Lawrence's eyes were glued to.
"You're right on that one. Only a rogue would decapitate a human like that." Nicholas had a hint disbelief in his tone.
Lawrence smiled darkly and let out a dry laugh. "It isn't a rogue." He stated. Ruth tilted her head confused while Nicholas kept a sharp gaze on him. "If it were a rogue, all three would be dead." He relaxed his back on the seat and craned his neck to the ceiling. "A monster who appears human at first, but then changes form still maintaining it's sanity."
"Where are you driving at?" Ruth nudges his shoulders a little. Lawrence turned to her with a sharp gaze that knocked her back to her senses. "I'm sorry." She quickly pulls back her hands and scooch over to the end of the seat.
"There's a monster out there. One that probably changes form and killed two men who abused a lady." Nicholas said to Ruth who was a little bit sober.
"Let's pray it still kills rapists." Lawrence added. "If it changes it's mind, we'll have more bodies to clean." Ruth gently rested her head on the window and fiddled with her hair. She wished Lawrence would at least show some emotions towards her. She gently turned to him and stared at his ethereal beauty. Nicholas who decided to act oblivious to the whole thing rested his arm around the seat and smiled.
'Who is this new killer?'
Chapter 2: A Father's Sin
Monisha stepped out of her laboratory with bagged eyes, her crimson hair was scatterings around her body and her face. Her pale skin glimmered underneath the dimly lit candles. She looked tired and distressed. Pulling off her black lab coat she flung it to the hands of a maid who stood by the door. The sound of clicking chains and subtle growls are buried by the thud of the metal door.
She made her way up the far stretched staircase.Her maid who tailed behind her quietly had her mouth pressed against each other.
"Why don't you take a break dear?" Eliana emerged from the shadows with concern irked in her face. "At this rate you might break down." She could see the exhaustion that had wrinkled her skin.
Monisha completely ignored her and walked past her. Her eyes were glued to the door that was at least a hundred steps ahead.
Eliana frowned deeply, she wasn't sure what worried her the most. Monisha breaking down from fatigue or breaking down from countless failures. "Is it really worth it?"
The maid who tailed Monisha knew at that moment that her presence was a hindrance, she immediately bowed to Monisha who stood still and walked away.
"Monisha, why are you going through all of this? Isn't time to stick to a more realistic plan." Eliana slowly took a step forward.
"Explain the term realistic?" Monisha asked calmly. The atmosphere thickened and the air became hot and suffocating, the flames on the candles flickered and all blew out due to the intense wind that blew in. Her eyes turned plain red and blood rolled down her eyes like tears.
Eliana felt her body get submerged by the pressure she was feeling, her sight turned blurry and her nose bleed. Covering her nose with her mouth she felt to her knees coughing heavily. Monisha stared at her pitiful state.
"You seem to forget your place sometimes," her voice echoed in the empty staircase. "I should rather teach you a lesson or two." Her eyes were void of any emotion.
"I speak the truth Isha." Eliana squeezed out and coughed out a handful of blood. "Extinction of their kind is a much more easier task for you."
"I hate easy." Monisha replied after her. "Make me tea, I don't have the heart to kill you anyway." She turned to leave.
"Why are you pushing this far?" Eliana slowly staggered up while heaving for air.
"I have a goal, so yes I push farther even if I have to exceed the rope length God gave me." Her voice peered in like a note played on a harp.
"It isn't even your fault." Tears brimmed Eliana's eyes. "Why should you suffer for your father's sin?
"Father's sin?" Monisha turned to her with a sweet emotionless smile. "Do you know what a sin is, Eliana?" The pressure in the room slowly seized and the candles lit up once again giving light to the walls. Eliana stared at the peachy red eyes that looked dead and void, buried in grief and sorrow.
"A sin is something no one else can bear a burden for." She replied coldly. "Suffering? Monisha Van Del Moralé. There's no suffering Eliana. I was just born with a purpose."
"Even at the detriment of your own happiness." Eliana retorted sharply. "What purpose are you serving? This people won't acknowledge your sacrifice and you know it."
"So? I leave them in their nightmares, I sit, I dine, I sleep." Monisha rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned back to her laboratory. "You just gave me another reason to fight harder."
"Monisha!" Eliana held her hand to pull her but regretted the next minute. Blood busted out of her nose and her breathe seized as she fell to the ground. Monisha stared at her blankly and climbed down the stairs.
Albert stood a few steps away from her staring at her with sad eyes. He bowed once she got to him. "Feed her blood and let her rest." Monisha ordered before stepping into the lab.
Cerdonia
Nicholas stood at attention in front of the exotic oakwood table where the general was going through the report about the recent massacre. The room was dim yet neatly arranged, most furnitures were made of high standard wood and had nice patterns engraved in them.
"I believe it was a something more than a rogue attack." He said professionally. General Bjorn stared at the paper with contemplative eyes.
"And neither was it a vampire?" He asked, Nicholas nodded in response and frowned deeply. "To think the rogues were already choking us, now a creature is amongst us."
"We still know little about it, or why it had taken such actions." Nicholas replied cautiously.
"I believe that devil's spawn is involved in this." Jasper walked in majestically as though the building were his. He smirked at the general and took a seat on the furnitures arranged in front of his desk. "There's no beast capable of doing or creating something to do such."
"It's wrong to speak ill of the person behind your wealth." General Bjorn retorted in a stern voice. "I don't think the Moralé heir would spend her time creating or conjuring beast."
"You can never be sure." Jasper replied with a sinister smile. "Who do you think created the rogues in the first place?"
"That's an allegation that could take you to prison Minister." General Bjorn glared intensely at Jasper. It was obvious for all eyes to see that both despised themselves more than anything.
"Think as you wish, the truth remains that the Moralé are responsible for the rouge catastrophy we are facing." Jasper scoffed and pulled out a letter from his jacket. He stretched it out lazily for Nichol to take.
Nicholas picked the letter and handed it over to the general. "What is this?" The general asked coldly.
"Your assignment, you're free to take as many men as you want. It's an order from the king." Jasper smiled brightly and stood from his seat and left the room.
The general frowned the more he read. "What does it say general?" Nicholas asked.
"It's an order to search the Moralé Mansion to find evidence of the recent death." Nicholas's eyes had a flash glint that expressed a hidden sense of happiness. "I have a bad feeling about this." The general sighed heavily and threw the letter on the desk.
"So much for peace."
Chapter 3:Gawain
Monisha sat quietly in front of the cage as she studied the beast that was peacefully sleeping. Her eyes scanned in on any and every change. Her ears took note of every heave and sound of his breath. She turned to the book in her hand and narrowed her eyes on the formulas.
"This is hard." She confessed to herself and dug her hair. "I've made so much antidotes yet no change, as though I'm wasting my time."
She sighed and walked over to the long wooden table adorned with books and lab equipment. She placed the book on the table and analyzed the data she had so far.
"You seem to be exhausted, a nice bath should help." Albert suggested from the shadows where he stood.
"Bath? I would love a nice bath but you might end up wasting the water. I don't see myself leaving this room anytime soon." She was laser focused on the book that she didn't even spare a glance at Albert.
"I have lost count of the number of baths that have been wasted with out performing their duty." He chuckled lightly and arranged his glasses.
"That's because you and Eliana never listen to me." Monisha retorted.
"Nope, that's because you were never there to take a bath. So the bath never served it's purpose because you were never there." Albert walked out into the the candlelit room and arranged the chair Monisha had sat on before.
"The bath never served it's purpose because I was never there." Monisha scoffed and shook her head. Gradually she frowned as she assimilated what Albert said. Her eyes widened at the realization. "I understand now," Monisha dropped her pen and stood still staring at the formula carefully.
"The antidote will never work." She declared in a sure tone. Albert stared at her confused. "Why make an antidote for a disease that was never really there in the first place."
She sat down on her chair with a serious and unwavering expression. She had finally realized the hidden piece in her formulas.
"My father never completed the formula." A maniac smile creeped her lips and her eyes glowed like flames. "Albert get me all the books and textbooks my father used for his experiment."
"As you command." Albert quickly bowed and got to work immediately. Monisha turned to the beast behind the cage and smiled.
"A little more and you'd be out of your nightmare."