The woman, a stunning redhead with long, wavy hair, looked at me with a sparkle in her eyes. Her oval face was illuminated by alabaster skin, and her red lips smiled with confidence.
Her blue-green, almost hypnotic eyes seemed to see beyond the surface, giving me the impression that she could see my naked soul, and her straight, thin nose was slightly raised, giving her an air of authority.
She was wearing an elegant black suit, which emphasized her slender, curvaceous figure. A silver bracelet shone on her wrist, and her long, slender fingers were adorned with discreet rings.
— "We're going to review the investment reports," she said, her voice soft and assured.
Her presence was imposing, it wasn't the first time my gaze had touched her, but the feeling I had the first time I saw her always remained the same.
— As you wish — I replied, already carrying the papers and heading for the small table in the corner of the room while my eyes went over the papers, my hands flicked through them in search of more, it was only when I was quite close that I noticed my work colleague, he was standing by the door looking at me, Evan, approached my table.
He was a tall, thin man with brown hair and blue eyes. His face was angular, with a strong jaw and a straight nose. He had a relaxed style, with a white shirt and jeans.
— What's up, Desmond! There's a nice pile there you want a hand? He asked, with a friendly smile.
— I appreciate that, but it's not that complicated to deal with; I'm not going to abuse your goodwill, so how are you, Evan? — I continued, looking up; we always used to help each other when the situation was tight; I didn't just consider him a colleague but also a friend; when he arrived at the company, he was the one who guided him through the tasks and made it much easier for him to adapt.
— Everything's perfect... Just waiting for the weekend, the work isn't bad, the bad thing is having to work — he said, sitting down in the chair next to my desk.
— "Today is still Monday, but nothing compares to doing something incredibly irrelevant but satisfying," I said.
— "Really, if you were to ask me to choose between five hours doing the expedition report or ten hours playing a game to ultimately acquire a glowing cape for my MMO character, the choice wouldn't be difficult," laughed Evan.
— Simply, accomplishment," I agreed laughing.
Evan's gaze narrowed for a moment, then he continued: "Desmond, have you heard about the incident in the backstreet? — he asked, lowering his voice and pointing to the window at the back of the room. — I asked, curious. After all, this wasn't a violent city, and even less so the neighborhood there.
Evan hesitated for a moment as if he didn't know whether to share the information.
Then he spoke:
— They found the bodies of three people, all with deep cut wounds — he continued, his eyes wide as if the words in his mouth were making him lose himself in thought
— Cut up? — I repeated, feeling a shiver run down my spine, there's a psychopath in town!
Evan shook his head.
— "Some of the victims even had their limbs severed from their bodies," Evan said, sighing, "I only heard about it from his brother, who is a policeman, and it was the talk of the town's police station, and they put a lid on it to avoid panicking people, at least until they found the culprit, they didn't make a big fuss.
— This is very scary, something out of a horror movie — I said
Evan agreed
— The police haven't found anything concrete yet. But there is one strange thing... — He hesitated again.
— What is it? — I asked.
— The victims had a common mark on their bodies, a kind of symbol like a wolf's face — Evan said
— A symbol? "Then surely a serial killer was responsible," I said.
— Maybe... — Evan shook his head.
I was silent for a moment, processing the information. It was as if I was listening to a horror story, not that he ever went out at night, but surely now he would do his best to avoid it.
I remained silent for a moment, processing the information. It was like listening to a horror story.
— "I'd better get back to work," said Evan, breaking the silence.
Evan got up from his chair and looked at me.
— Desmond, take care, okay? — he said.
— Yes, I'll take care," I replied.
Evan nodded and started to walk away.
— Evan!
— I called out.
He turned around.
— "Thank you for entrusting me with this information," I said.
Evan smiled slightly.
— "No problem, Desmond. You're my friend.
He turned again and began to walk away. — he said.
— See you later! — I replied.
Evan disappeared into the doorway, and I was left alone again, with my pile of papers.
At the Darkwood police station, Deputy McKinley stared coldly at the computer screen with the photos of the corpses sent by forensics. His cold, piercing blue eyes analyzed every detail, searching for any clue that might lead to the killer.
— A real monster," he murmured, shaking his head, "or maybe monsters, there's no denying that there weren't several involved.
Not just one killer.
The phone on his desk rang, breaking the silence. "Deputy McKinley," he answered.
— "Deputy, it's Dr. Morgan from Forensics," said the voice on the other end of the line. — "We have the preliminary results of the autopsy.
— What did you find? — McKinley asked
— Something very strange," said Dr. Morgan. — I found a piece of broken claw in the skin of one of the corpses.
— A claw? — McKinley repeated, surprised.
— "Yes, and it's not just any claw," continued Dr. Morgan. — "It's simply enormous... It must belong to something quite ferocious
McKinley frowned.
— What kind of animal? — he asked.
— "I'm not sure," replied Dr. Morgan.
— "But the size of the claw suggests that it's something big, maybe a bear...
McKinley felt a shiver down his spine
— A wild predator? In the middle of the city, the forest is still a long way away, that's logically very strange.
— "I know it sounds incredible," said Dr. Morgan. — "But the facts don't lie, the killer isn't human.
McKinley shook his head.
— "That's... Too bizarre, to say the least," he said. — "We need to reconsider our approach.
— "Yes, Deputy," agreed Dr. Morgan. — "I'll keep working on the case to find out more about this animal.
— What about the identity of the victims? — "Nothing yet, but we do know that they're not from the city," replied the expert.
— "Thank you," McKinley said, then hung up the phone and began to go through the information again.
He knew he needed to find the killer, whatever he was before any more victims were found.
Suddenly, the door to his office opened, and a young policeman walked in.
McKinley felt a cold sweat run down his back.
— Where? — He asked. "On the forest road. The victim has the same scratch marks," replied the policeman.
— This is getting more
This is getting more complicated," he muttered.
The store owner. Mr. Davis was organizing his merchandise when he heard a noise coming from the door. He turned around and saw an injured dog, with a bruised paw, limping towards his store and lying down in the corner of the wall.
The dog was a medium-sized mongrel with a light brown coat and white spots on its chest and paws. His normally bright brown eyes were now dull and sad, reflecting the pain and suffering he had been through. His left ear was slightly cropped, but despite its worn appearance, the dog still had an air of dignity and courage. His muzzle was fine and elegant, and his tail, although wounded, still twitched slightly as he looked at Mr. Davis.
The owner of the small market felt a squeeze in his heart when he saw the dog so wounded and suffering. He knew he needed to help him, and fast.
Mr. Davis felt compassion and approached the dog. The animal seemed to be in pain, but it didn't seem afraid.
— Poor thing," said Mr. Silva, giving a pitying sigh, "he must have had quite a fight, probably over a female dog in heat. Life on the streets is quite complicated for poor animals.
He looked at the wounded and exhausted animal for a few moments, went back into the store and when he came out he was carrying two plates, the first in his right hand with leftovers from lunch and the second in his left hand with water Mr. Davis smiled as he placed the two small plates next to the dog, Then the animal got up with difficulty and began to eat greedily.
The man retreated into the store.
The wounded dog watched the man's back as he entered the store — just leave me a bag of dung, I'll forgive you for that insult for your good deed — for much less I Lupir son of the leader of a proud werewolf clan killed dozens, who would dare call his beautiful bride a bitch in heat? And after all, how did this man know that it had happened to him a long time ago when to defend his right to join his fiancée, Elina, he had killed another young son of the leader of another Clan, with that Clan's grudge later resulting in an ambush that had left him in this miserable situation.
As he chewed, he thought incessantly about what he would do next.