In this day and age, people have animalistic tails. Some even had their legs replaced with animal feet due to their own reasons. I am no exception, I have my own tail. In the year 2035, a scientist figured out how to give people tails and made it hereditary through alternating our DNA and attaching a tail to our tailbone. Due to this, gambling rates have reduced. Though there still is gambling, it is not as high as it used to be. This also leads lawyers to not be needed as our tails give away our emotions. A psychologist studied these movements and posted a sheet telling what in general a tail will sway per emotion. These tails help our balance as well, many deaths by falling onto something has been reduced thanks to our tails helping us balance.
Now, with the animalistic feet, these help all of us, some people who were meant to lose their leg due to injuries had it replaced so they did not feel phantom pain. These legs also helped us reduce the amount of waste needed for shoes. The toe beans on animal feet also helped people avoid getting blisters on the hot sidewalk. The bonus to this, our legs are stronger, they can get people to leave us alone easier. But with these paws, comes claws, leading people to be checked in work places if theirs are trimmed, if not they can end up hurting themselves or someone else by accident. The only requirement being they don’t work in a dangerous work environment and they can only have their claws to a certain length, being just a couple of inches. Also animal abuse rates dramatically dropped. Some people who lost their ears even had theirs replaced by animal ears if they so choose.
I myself had my own injuries, my legs after a bit past the hip were replaced, allowing me to still wear shorts. Mine had to be amputated from a violent criminal I was hunting down. I am a detective so it is expected. My legs were replaced with ones that are as big as tigers, but still fit on the base of my leg perfectly fine.
As many would describe me, I am a male with long hair, my bangs cover my eyes, my hair is deep crimson red and fades into black. My animal legs are black and at the feet they become a crimson red because I used dye on them. My tail also mimics my hair. I wear shorts that just barely go over my animal legs. I wear a coat that puffs out at the waist and stops, it does the same on my sleeves. I wear a grey shirt on a daily basis. I work in the detective field, specifically with murder cases, or just terrible people in general. I have a habit of bouncing my paw when getting impatient or just fiddling with something near by.
I walk into my office, I sigh as I sit down.
I need another case! It is just so boring without one to do! Ughhh, I need that thrill. That excitement of not knowing if I am going to die doing this case.
I slam my hand on the desk before just laying my head on the desk.
“I want another caseeee~” I whine, my tail swishing low behind me.
I heard someone walking towards my office so I sat up and pretended I was not whining about not having a case a second ago. I look at the paperwork on my desk which is meant to be an injury report so they cover my expenses from the hospital. I grab a pen and pretend I am reading over it, thinking about what to fill out.
My attorney opened the door, “Sir, you have another case. This one is less risky than the other one.” He looked at the papers I was doing.
“Sir! Fill out those papers! Or you will be paying thousands of dollars in medical fees!” He says, putting the case file on a high up shelf. My attorney was a teenager here for an internship, he was taller than me though. He is a male with short hair, his eyes are a dark brown with a red tint. His hair color is a light brown, his tail mimicking his hair. He normally wears long pants and a t-shirt. His name is Jake.
“Fine, what’s the case this time?” I say looking up at him.
“No, finish your paperwork first.” Jake says, crossing his arms defiantly.
I ended up filling out all the paperwork while Jake was reading over the case file.
“Now tell me.” I say slamming my pen down on the desk.
“It is dealing with a popular casino that some people go to when they have their tails under control by listening to certain music while playing. It's the only way they know how to control their tails, it ended up making many people cheat during that time. There has apparently been a murder there, they said they would leave the body for you to inspect to see if you can decipher what was the cause of death. They don’t know if it was from the wound they found or something that the weapon was coated with.” Jake sighed, getting confused at this seemingly annoying task.
“Well what are we waiting on, let’s go!” I quickly got up out of my chair and I put on my coat as he followed behind me. We walked out to the parking lot rather quickly, he got into the driver seat, I got in the passenger seat. These cars were bigger so people with animal feet can still drive normally. Jake started up the car and began to drive to the location.
We were driving in silence as I was listening to random videos on Youtube. I watched people pass by, everyone was different, there was no specific style they were following and everyone was accepting it. I smiled to myself, nobody was being discriminated against for being different.
We arrived after an hour, I turned off my headphones and put them under the driver seat. I turned off my phone and put it in my pocket as I got out. I let Jake lead the way to the crime scene, nobody was in the casino besides the police and other detectives.
I saw the detectives drinking wine with the police officers, they were just chatting.
“We should not be drinking on the job.” I say loudly, hinting that they should finish that cup and stop drinking.
“Yeah yeah well it ain't like we can do anything yet. They want to see if they can figure out the death without doing an autopsy. Saying it would save them money.” They all finished their glass of wine quickly, they were tipsy. The worst thing for detectives and police to be.
I walk up to the dead body and I put on some gloves and I poke the body. Then I get to work. I inspect the body’s wound. A gunshot then a slash wound 2 inches beneath it. I shine a light on the gunshot wound, seeing a bullet. I grab the tweezers and I pull out the bloody bullet. I hold it up to the light.
“A pistol, interesting, an old rusted one too. Not properly cared for, poor gun. The gun has never been cleaned, and thrown in a drawer with rusted keys or nails.” I say, setting the bullet on the evidence tray.
A detective looked at me, his tail forming a question mark, “How do you know?” He asked with a questioning tone.
“Well the entry wound looks straight but it is actually curved, meaning the gun has not been cleaned and the bullet's path was altered from the original target. The bullet also has some traces of rust on it, assuming the gun was thrown into something with rust around it like rusted nails or keys are the most common. The gun is also carelessly thrown everywhere because this bullet looks like it was left in the gun for months on end.” I say looking at them with a smug grin.
“Fine but how are we going to find this killer? Huh?! You never thought about it because you were ‘too busy’ to get down here a week ago!” He was getting angry at me, my tail puffed up because I was annoyed that he was yelling.
“Well during that week I was dealing with a violent criminal and my human legs were lost that day and I had to get them replaced, attend a bit of therapy to get used to it, then sent back to the office with a ton of paperwork to fill out to just have them cover the expense! Then I get this case! Now will you not yell while there is a teenager here?” I sigh, my attorney had his ears covered, he hated loud noises.
“Now anyways, for the killer it is going to be a bit but what other evidence have you found?” I look at them curiously, I grab my tail and I smooth out the fur since I am no longer angry, then I let my tail go.
“Well we have found some footprints, they are not the casual dress shoes or high heels that this place only allows people to enter in, meaning they used different shoes to get in and swapped them out for something easier to run in. Then they possibly broke the window to get out, the glass is on the outside proving it was not a break in, but a desperate escape attempt.” He was pointing at the broken glass on the second floor. I quickly ran upstairs to investigate. I was getting excited by this case, it was interesting but not high risk like I like.
I saw the foot prints, working boots by the look of it, there was a paw print beside each one so that means they only have one animal leg, the other one is normal. I grabbed a magnifying glass from my attorney who was huffing from how fast I ran.
“Y. . .you need to slow down, how are you even so fast?!” He managed to get out through breaths of air.
I did not respond and I instead was looking very closely by the paw prints for leftover fur. I grabbed it up quickly when I saw it, I stood up and with a happy smile looked at Jake.
“Can you get this to the people who do the DNA? I think we just caught our killer.” I put the fur in a bag then handed it to Jake.
“Dang, only you can notice this stuff, no wonder why you always seem to lean to the ground.” He says jokingly, he walked down the stairs and left the crime scene by foot.
Jake normally likes to walk around places but on long walks he prefers to bike or drive. I walked downstairs and I just picked up the body, getting a better look at the wounds.
“Dead bodies always tell a story. You just need to listen to them~” I say, I was holding the body up in a sitting position.
“They died from being poisoned, they were shot right as they died, meaning, the person who shot him was making sure this person was dead either way. The slash was from them quickly getting in the crowd in an attempt to make it seem like a team effort.” I lay the body back down. I stand up and I walk over to a table and I sit down and I call someone.
“Hey~ Mind getting the people who collect the dead bodies?” I say, I was talking to Flia, the person who manages the people who collect the bodies, and doing autopsies on them but now the one we have right now only needs a funeral.
“How many times… DO I NEED TO TELL YOU TO NOT CALL ME ON MY PERSONAL PHONE?! Also fine, do you need an autopsy?” She was being really mean to me in my opinion.
“Nope, I already figured out what killed them, no need.” I was playing with a strand of my hair like some kind of teenage girl.
“Fine, I already got your address so they will be there in about 30-40 minutes to come collect the body.” She sighed as she hung up the phone.
“Rude.” I am annoyed that she hung up on me.
I started to play a game on my phone, the other detectives already left the crime scene. After a bit that got boring so I walked around the various slot machines that look like they were left to rust and break. I run my finger along the machines screens as I walk by each of the machines.
“To think people were dumb enough to use these to get some money. Quite the shame, they are all out of order now.” I stopped running my finger along the machines and I turned to the gambling tables.
The tables are big and fancy, the same kind of fuzz on them that you would see on pool tables, being outlined with some sturdy wood that looked black. Everything here was high quality and fancy.
“Why do people throw their money away like this? Most people live in casinos so there is no point in doing it. Their tails give them away, casinos are facing people cheating by listening to music. Now this casino is banning any kind of headphones unless it is with them during the game. Man~ I wonder what is going through their heads. Are they that pitiful that they have to turn to this for money? Or are they drawn by the thrill? Is it the same thrill I feel in a high risk case?” I look up at the ceiling, decorated with nothing more than what the ceiling was colored, white. The rest of the casino looks really fancy in comparison to the ceiling and even the chandelier.
I was getting bored of waiting on Jake to come back since the office is far from the casino.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and I quickly got away from them before looking at them. It was not a cop. . . Not a detective. . . I say nothing as I look at this person.
It was a man that seemed in their mid 20’s, medium weight, tall build, only a minor bodybuilder. They were wearing all black, a black hoodie, black mask, black pants with one cut short? I look at their legs, one of them is the same color fur that I found at the broken window. I pull out my phone behind my back, I turn on the audio recording before carefully dropping it on my leg which lets it slide down my leg onto the floor.
“Who are you?” I ask, cautiously, I was watching how they move. They took a step forward and I took a step backwards.
“Oh come on, me and you know who I am, the same criminal that was here! Hahaha! I killed that man, I poisoned him! I snuck it into his wine that he had in his hand~ It was so exciting to see him suffering from the side effects~ If only I could see it again. . . You don’t know what I would do to see him suffering again. Such a shame he had to cross me though.” From his eyes I could tell he was deranged, a person who crave their own satisfaction from others' pain and death.
“Well that gun you used did not get the job done now did it? It missed the heart, you even went back near him and slashed him to make it look like there were 2 people involved. But it was just you. You never cleaned your gun right, nor the knife you used. That’s what gave it all away~ Darling if you even wanted to try to hunt me, you need a better plot than this, maybe in another life you can try again. Or whenever you get out of jail, hell I’m willing to bet the judge will get a restraining order for the family!” I was getting excited about this, the first time since my injury I felt this excited.
“Maybe so but how about we enjoy our little game of cat and mouse before those people arrive? I knew I was going to be caught the second you appeared at the crime scene.” He held out his hand. Was he offering to fight or something different?
“Sure~ I have been feeling so bored since my injury.” I knew he wanted to fight, so he pulled out a knife from his pocket. I had no weapons.
“C'mon kid I will even hold still for 10 seconds.” I was getting full of myself, enjoying this little game to pass the time.
He lunged at me, I counted from 10 by the time he got close enough to me, I kicked him hard in his ribs. I heard a snap from his right ribs.
Did I break it? Oh well, time to tone it down so he is still alive when we are done.
He stumbled backwards, “Brat. . .” His tail was swishing back and forth like crazy, he was angry and had a murderous intention.
“Cmon, try to make me feel like I have some sense of mortality again.” I was smiling like the maniac I am.
“Heh, why did I ever think it was going to be easy?” He clenched the knife harder, he was acting like if he let it go then that would be the last of his sanity left.
He lunged again, this time faster, he managed to leave a scratch on my cheek. I only dodged it so I would not die. I grabbed the back of his head and smashed it right into my knee, his nose was bleeding. He stumbled back, his hand around his nose. I took the chance while I still had it.
I charged directly at him before sharply changing directions and getting behind him quickly. I swiped his leg out from under him, I sat on the floor, having him in a choke hold. My legs were wrapped around his arms right at the elbow so he couldn't attack me. He was desperately trying to get out.
“Huh. . . You are weaker than I expected, this is getting boring. . .” He was desperately trying to gasp for air, before he went limp. I let him go since he was out cold.
I grabbed my phone and stopped the audio recording. I smiled smugly knowing that it was his admission of his crime. I grabbed the wine left by the detective and cop when they were tipsy and took a shot. It was a good quality wine so I liked it a lot.
“Why can’t all wine be like this?~ It really makes you think you're drinking whatever the wine bottle was advertising, like strawberries or flowers. Ughhh, I want more, I shouldn’t though, I can't be drunk if he wakes up.” I set the bottle down and circled around the guy.
I waited around another 20 minutes before the body people came.
“Heyy!~ Mind helping me out over here?” I waved as I walked over to them.
“Uh, what do you need help with?” They asked, cautious of me because I came out from behind the slot machines.
“Well a guy attacked me. I immobilized him myself though, do you have any rope?” I pointed to the guy who is unconscious on the ground right now.
“No, uhh sorry.” He said with a hint of guilt in his voice, his tail was low.
Him and a girl were working on getting the body out. I watched them leave the casino. I went behind the bar and got some cleaning supplies and cleaned where the body was, making sure no traces of blood remained. I went back over to the guy who was waking up. I got on top of him and held his wrists together, I was not taking any chances of another fight since it was boring. I grabbed his knife with the other one and held it to his throat.
“Buddy you're better off not trying to fight me, kay?” I was trying to sound sadistic because I think it worked, he looked terrified of me.
“F-fine. . . I won’t.” I let him go and helped him up, then I just took his jacket off and tied his hands together with it.
“I will break your legs if you take that off.” I tied up the jacket to try to make sure it won't come undone.
He did not say anything, I sat him down at a table and sat there too, holding the knife pointing at him.
“Even if I were to kill you, nobody would know a single thing. I am a detective after all, nobody would even find evidence. I could say the power cut off and I could not see due to the sudden plunge into darkness. Then next thing I knew you were dead. So don’t try anything, buddy. But we can talk while we have the police on the line.” I had a scary face when I wanted to, that was the reason I normally acted less seriously around people I knew.
I picked up my phone and dialed 9-1-1 and set the phone on speaker.
The dispatcher picked up, “911 what's the problem?”
“I was physically assaulted and he is currently in front of me. C’mon say something you killer~” I kept my eyes on him at all times, clenching the knife so he couldn't grab it.
“Why the hell do you do this?! I mean you already knocked me out and you just now called 911?! The hell is wrong with you!” He was arguing with me, he tried to stand back up to fight.
“Nuh-uh calm down and SIT BACK DOWN.” I was stern with him, treating him nothing more than a child who can’t figure out stuff.
“Sorry about that, anyways he ended up attacking me and I knocked him out in self defense.” I stabbed the knife through the table, with a loud thumping sound.
The girl responded, “Uh. . . Sir please don’t hurt him any further and where are you?”
“The casino that had a murder took place in it.” I was eerily calm.
“Okay, the police will be there in 15-20 minutes.” She left the line on for some reason, I did not question it.
I was thumping my big paws on the ground, getting a bit annoyed that he questioned me.
I stood up and tried to get the knife out of the table, when I did I fell back into my chair due to the force that I was trying to pull it out with. I watched him no matter what.
We waited for 15 minutes before the police got there and by then the girl hung up. The police walked in, they looked like they were not even taking this seriously.
“Here he is, the criminal that killed a person here. I already have evidence for his arrest so go ahead and get a trial please.” I gave them the knife and Jake finally got back.
“You are finally back! I already caught the criminal.” I walked back to my car with him, when I got my legs switched out the doctor said I should not drive for a week.
I grabbed my headphones as Jake started the car and was driving away. We were heading back to the office.
“I swear. . . I’m going to punch you.” Jake sounded annoyed with me.
“But why? I did nothing wrong.” I was being sarcastic because I knew what he meant, it was about me getting hurt again.
“You know what I mean.” He sighed, I saw his look in the rearview mirror, he looked really angry with me.
“Sorry. I did not tell him to come there and try to murder me. He showed up because he knew he was going to be caught anyway.” I shrugged as I turned on my headphones and started listening to Youtube.
“Still, you know how valuable you are as a detective?!” Jake calmed his voice down a bit.
“Nope, they just give me way less cases than other detectives.” I leaned back into my seat.
“You are practically the incarnation of Sherlock Holmes, Ari.” He leaned back, his hands loosening on the steering wheel.
“That is an overstatement, you're giving me too much credit.” I looked out the window and saw an ice cream store.
“Can we get ice cream?” My voice had a hint of excitement in it, I pulled down my headphones and set my phone on the seat next to me.
“Fine, you are paying though.” He laughed a bit at the thought of me, a grown man, still wanting ice cream like a child. Though it does fit me since when I am serious, I am sadistic. Any other time I try not to be intimidating or serious. He only had to see the sadistic side of me once before he did not wanna see it again.
“No fair.” I had a smirk on my face when he said I was paying.
He took a few turns and pulled into the drive through. The speaker buzzed as someone turned it on.
“Welcome to Tila Ice Cream Shop, what can I get you?” She asked, she sounded tired and about to fall asleep.
“A chocolate ice cream with a chocolate milkshake, a strawberry ice cream and strawberry milkshake, then a vanilla ice cream and vanilla milkshake.” I could tell he was planning to get Yu some food since she normally tends to my wounds I get and I get scolded every time. She loves vanilla anything, vanilla cake, ice cream, milkshake, cookies, anything.
“Alright, one chocolate ice cream with a chocolate milkshake, a strawberry ice cream and strawberry milkshake, and a vanilla ice cream and vanilla milkshake. Is that all?” She sounded like she fell on the counter because there was a light thud.
“Yes, thank you.” He looked back at me and held out his hand to get my wallet.
I handed him my wallet, forgetting that is like the worst thing to do. He just pulled out the money he needed in cash and handed me my wallet back. He pulled up to the window to pay for the order.
I grabbed my wallet and put it back in my pocket. Jake rolled the window down and gave the money to the lady at the window before pulling up to the next window to wait for our order.
“Do you have to tell Yu that I got hurt again?” I was shifting in my seat, I was scared of Yu because she always found a way to make me scared of her. Though any time I was serious she could never make me scared.
“Yes! You’re reckless plus she needs to know for that injury report of hers.” He turned around to face me.
“Fineeee.” I pouted and looked away from him.
I saw the girl in the window carrying our order, I pointed to her. Jake rolled down the window and grabbed our order from her and thanked her before passing me the chocolate milkshake and ice cream.
“Yippee!” I pulled down the middle coaster from the middle seat and set the milkshake in it.
I enjoyed my ice cream as Jake drove back to the office. It was a quiet ride back to the office.
We got there about another 30 minutes later. I got out, carrying Yu’s order as I walked to the dreaded room of hers. I walked up to her office and knocked.
“Yu?” I asked, cautious if she were angry if she heard my voice again.
“What. The. Hell. HAPPENED THIS TIME?! YOU ARE SO RECKLESS IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER BROKEN ARM OR LEG I GOING TO PUNCH YOU ARI!” She screamed as she opened the door, she noticed I had strawberry ice cream and a milkshake.
“Aww you got me some ice cream and a milkshake! Never mind, I don't care that you got hurt again.” She is a bit taller than me, her chest was a bit bigger than most women in the office. Her hair is a deep brown, her tail mimics her hair color as well. She was wearing a normal plaid long sleeve shirt and jeans with slip on shoes.
“How did you get hurt this time?” She took the milkshake from me and grabbed the ice cream and set the ice cream on her desk.
“Well a criminal attacked me and I only got scratched once. Jake made me come here.” I walked over to a seat and sat down.
“Fine, here.” She tossed me a bandage and looked annoyed.
“Thanks Yu!” I caught the bandage and stood up, I walked over to the mirror and put on the bandage before leaving her alone.
I walked around the office, not talking to anyone. I just wanted to see if I could find another case to swipe from a detective because I was getting bored again. I somehow wandered back to my office.
My office is decently sized, I had some LED lights around the top. It was a cozy room as well, a bookshelf with some manga and normal books. Any kind you could think of, I had on that bookshelf. I had bean bags in front of the bookshelf.
I walked over to my desk, a big wooden one with my blanket and pillow on it. I never got any cases often to start with so I mainly slept through my work hours. I reached into one of the four draws at my desk. I grabbed out my laptop and opened it. I connected my wireless headphones to my laptop and watched some Netflix on it.
I threw my blanket over my back, using my pillow to rest my arms on. I rested my head on my arms as I watched my show.
It felt like hours, I was nodding in and out of sleep. Then I passed out. It might have been a couple hours when I woke back up. I got hit on the head with a case file meant for tomorrow.
“Hey get up, you got another case for tomorrow, your shift is almost over anyways so only skim over the document understand?” It was Jake, he was clocking out and bringing me the document before he left.
I rubbed my eyes and I leaned back into my chair, “What is it about?” I asked, still sounding tired.
“You can read for yourself now, get up, I am leaving for the day.” He walked out of my office after setting down the case file.
I grabbed the case file, skimming over it. It was a simple case but high risk, a mass murderer, each body found more contorted or just looking like they were tortured. There was no picture of him, interesting, mainly we have pictures of people like this.
-I closed the case file and stood up, stretched and walked home sluggishly. I got in my car and had to set it to auto drive because I cannot drive as of now. I managed to keep my eyes open and get home before sitting in the shower for like 30 minutes and then plopping in bed when I got my clothes on and brushed my teeth.
The morning sun hit my face and I turned over before getting aggressive knocking at my door.
“I'm coming, I'm coming, stop knocking. . .” I got out of bed and answered the door to see my assistant. I ran my hand through my hair to try to smooth it out.
“What are you doing here at. . . 6 in the morning? Don’t you have school or something?” I say groggily.
“Well for the case, we have another crime scene from him, the office requested that you go investigate as soon as possible.” He looked down at me, his eyes narrowing, I could tell he was upset I did not get up earlier.
I walked to my closet and grabbed my clothes that I normally wear to work. I headed to the bathroom and got them on, brushing out my hair as I walked back.
“Well let's go then, I did not have any coffee so don’t expect a full analysis until I had coffee.” I trudged along behind him as we got in his car instead of mine. I sat in the passenger seat and looked out the window. He began to drive to the crime scene, then chills ran down my spine, I looked behind me instantly, nobody.
What. The hell was that?! The last time I got chills was when the criminal severed my legs! Who was that?! Was it the criminal?! Ooooo!~ I’m getting excited!~ Calm yourself down, you can’t show that right now!
“Do we have the name of the killer by the way?” I titled my head to the side, I was sitting further closer to the edge of the seat, my tail swishing slowly.
“Yes, his name is Azrail.” Jake said no more after that, neither did I.
Contain yourself Ari, stop getting so. . . so. . . so excited over thisss!~ It is so hard thoughhhhhhhh! The case is so interesting it's hard not to get excited. Jake already thinks I’m crazy so what's so wrong with showing it?
I did not even realize I looked sadistic again in the rearview mirror. I looked in the rearview mirror then instantly changed my expression.
Ari! Calm down, you’re meant to look like you could not do no harm so people underestimate you then get dominated in a fight. It's not that good for a detective though. . . Hmmm~ I’ll keep up this appearance for a while.
Jake sighed, “I’m not going to the crime scene this time, they are saying it is too gruesome and don’t wanna ruin my appetite.”
I nodded as the car came to a stop and got out of the car and I scurried to the crime scene, extremely happy and excited as of now. I skipped right in, I looked around, a warehouse with everything emptied.
A shutting down company then?
I saw detectives huddled around a table and they all looked sick to their stomachs.
“Where is the body?” I asked curiously.
“You? You’re a detective, don’t be a silly kid, that will ruin your mind for life. Go home.” One of the detectives said, being cocky, that I am a child and not an adult.
“I’m 22, I am Ari, a part of the detective force and given more high risk cases rather than the lower ones you guys deal with.” I crossed my arms, annoyed.
One of the detectives weakly pointed in the direction before an argument could happen. I walked to the body, grabbing gloves from a glove box nearby. The second I saw it, my tail was swishing fast and hard, extremely happy.
This. . . This. . . This is perfect! I love these kinds of crimes! Hahahaha!!! Finally the company knows what I want!!! Look at this masterpiece of a crime scene!!!!~
The body was laying down flat, his hands interlapsing up against their chest. He had no shirt, it was a male victim. His chest cavity was cut open all the way to their stomach. His lungs were placed on either side of their body. His intestines were wrapped around their ankles and looked to be held down by their rib cage. His face had tears of blood coming from their eyes, he seemed to be praying for forgiveness or something of the sorts. His hands were held together at the wrists by broken bones. I took in every detail. Blood wrapped around his legs like socks, or how others would describe, like siamese cats. Same around his hands. His tail was broken off and seemed to be a gag in the person's mouth. You could see inside of the body, his heart was placed above their head, cut in half. The inside of the body was untouched, minus the organs and bones that were taken out.
One of the detectives walked over, “Why are you so h. . . happy?” he said, trying to repress throwing up.
“I love these cases, they are dangerous and always perfect. Gorgeous dead bodies, meticulous and not just slaughtered. People who do that are more dangerous.~ It gets so fun!~” I was trying to maintain professionalism but was failing miserably.
An hour passed, more detectives arrived and left after they saw the body. More and more detectives left until it was just me. I carefully touched the lungs, they were cold but still had an alive look.
“Viking punishment eh? Cutting into the victim and ripping out their lungs and making them look like wings. A punishment for adultery in viking culture. Wait. . .” I quickly googled the victim and I was disgusted.
A person who preyed on children and teenaged girls despite being 34. I felt no remorse. I looked down at him in disgust, the punishment fit just perfectly. I felt my mouth watering, looking at the dead body.
“So you're a scumbag huh? No wonder why you were killed like this, you were carved up and survived until the heart and lungs, begging for mercy. Disgusting. Honestly you deserved this.” I said, turning away to try to stop my mouth from watering.
Mmmm~ That body looks delicious now. . . Ugh I’m not a cannibal stop it!
I went back to basic investigations. Black lights, any traces of footprints, fingerprints, all of that. I refused to touch the body to hear its story because the person that was a victim deserved it. My tail was now swishing low. Shivers went down my spine, I turned around, nobody was there. I felt like I was being watched.
Dang it. . . Is the killer here? I’m being watched. . . Don’t make it obvious you noticed, let them think they caught you off guard. Then they normally leave. . . Just like always.
I walked over to a table in the direction that I looked. I took off my gloves and took some food from the food box that police normally leave on the crime scene.
They never do this for me. . . Why? Police and detectives leave the second I show up. Why is that? Is it because I look like a kid? Is it because I’m a high ranked detective in my company? Why?
I ate the food, waiting for the person to leave. They left when I started eating and I walked to where I felt I was being watched. It was on the second floor. No footprints, no fingerprints despite there being railing. Worse of all, no signs of a break in or exit.
“That's the killer. . . Get my blood going for sure.~ It has been a while since someone could sneak up on me like that!” I climbed down the ladder and walked back to the table where my half eaten sandwich was.
There was a note on the table, blood on one of the corners. I picked up the note, fully knowing there will be no fingerprints on it. I read the note and felt a bit flattered and embarrassed.
It read, “I see you like my art work, not many can appreciate that. Oh but darling, you don’t know the half of it! You're an amazing detective, sure. But underneath that facade, you too are longing. Let us continue this game of cat and mouse for as long as possible!” There were a couple hearts on the thing as well that was drawn with blood. I was embarrassed that he called me out for longing.
I investigated for a couple more hours, running my finger along dust infested shelves. Scattered books were now the main thing I found suspicious. They formed a broken knife. In the books were ripped pages. I sighed, I set the books down and walked off the crime scene, the note in a zip-lock bag to prevent getting blood on me.
I walked to Jake’s car and he did not say anything and just drove me home. He seemed. . .annoyed, and disgusted.
Did I do something wrong? I don’t need my intern to hate me. . . That’s bad, right? Or is it good?
I got out whenever we got to my place. He drove off before I could say anything. I took a shower and read over the note, again, and again, and again. I put on pajamas and went to bed without eating anything. I could not clock back into work, my work hours were already over. I crawled in bed and threw the covers over me. I read the note one more time before putting it back in the bag. I put the bag on my nightstand. I shook my head and went to bed.
I awoke to someone banging on the door. I jolted awake.
“WHAT THE HELL STOP KNOCKING!” I was startled by the noise and got out of bed to see who it was.
I was expecting Jake, but it was a random person.
“Who the hell are you?” I looked up at them, they were taller than me. Nothing, no shivers, no danger I sensed, they felt like a random person to me.
“I am your boss now, get to the crime scene, there was another murder, the same gruesome scene.
I closed the door and got dressed, brushing out my tangled hair and this time putting it up. My hair was thick, like really thick, I only had the top half of my hair put up into a ponytail. I opened the door again, and my boss was still there.
I walked out of my place and closed and locked the door behind me.
“Where is the crime scene since you decided just to say ‘get there’” I was poking fun at him for not specifying.
“The warehouse 3 blocks north from the one the first murder was in.” He sounded annoyed at me. He crossed his arms and left whenever I got in my car. I turned on auto driving and it got me there just fine. I hopped out of the car. I walked into the warehouse, no detectives, one police officer.
“This one is more gruesome than the last, they seem to be depicted as something different this time. Now I am going to take my leave since you are here.” The police officer left, I was alone. . . Again.
I walked up to the body, in the same position except this one's head was facing the opposite direction and instead of the lungs being wings, it was depicted as horns, the intestines depicted as a demon tail. The heart was cut in half again, this time the heart was representing sin, a knife plunged into one half on their stomach. The rib cage seemed to be like false demon wings. My tail was wagging quickly again.
I inspected the body again, taking in every detail and trying to stop my mouth from watering.
Cmon this is bad! But the body looks delicious. . . UGHHHHH!~ I wanna have a biteeeeee!~ That killer knows how to make me fight myself. . .
I felt someone grab my tail. I turned around so quickly I thought I would give myself whiplash. Nobody was there, I looked at my tail, the fur was pressed down, someone had touched my tail.
What. The. Hell?! Who would touch someone's tail like that?! Everyone has one, it's not that special. . .
I was questioning if he somehow dug up information on me that I never posted online, which I never post online unless it is destroying people in the comments. I did not feel like I was being watched. I did my usual investigation, it was what any other detective does. Black lights, UV lights, powder, searching for footprints, the whole nine yards. I could not find anything, I was getting excited, I needed to calm down.
Was the victim another scumbag? That just makes them more. . . yummy to look at. Ugh but I have to restrain myself otherwise I’ll be put in jail for cannibalism. Sucks though.
I pulled out my phone and googled the victim. Another scumbag, he killed his wife after taking advantage of his young child. Then he fled 3 states over and became a teacher and did the same to many children regardless of gender.
I wanna eat the body. BAD ARI. But I wanna. NO. But- NO! Fine.
I sighed, no new information about this killer. I grabbed my hair and lightly tugged it in frustration. I slumped down in a chair, my elbows on the table. I buried my face in my hands.
What the hell?! I have seen many great killers before but they all left some kind of clue and got cocky that they wouldn't get caught! This one is. . . funner. . . Hehe~ I love a nice chase. This killer is cautious, based on the last crime scene I investigated, I was being watched. This time he made contact, I won’t let this chance slip from me at the next crime scene. Stupid killer. . . why did he have to grab my tail of all things?
I huffed in annoyance, my face was a little red. My tail is sensitive in other ways besides just touching. The people for the bodies came and took the body after throwing up a couple of times. I got up and left whenever I saw them. I got into the driver seat of my car, closing the door behind me. I buckled up and then saw it. Right on my dashboard, another note.
This one read, “I know your secret, what you hide behind the facade of Ari~ Let's have fun at the next crime scene, ‘kay? Also no need to google the victim this time, it is going to be a random person! You won’t find it as pleasing to look at like the rest because there have been soooo many police in the area that I won’t have time to do that! Though. . . they still will be brutally murdered. Maybe this one might ring a bell on what I know. . . Though, how is your tail, I probably sound weird but I don’t care. I have watched you since you entered the crime scene, the first one. Consider it an honor! I don’t watch many detectives unless they have a chance of catching me in my game of running the police around. Oh wait, did I write that this one would be random? Hahaha! Silly me! It is going to be a person you know! Not your assistant either, I’m not that cruel. But have fun, Haz Hazzy Haz.” Chills ran down my spine.
How. . . The. . . Hell. . . Do. . . They. . . Know. . . That. I never. have. EVER. revealed that name.
I left the crime scene, shaken up. That was a first for me, I never got shaken up. Something did not sit right with me for the rest of the day. When I got home, I went up to my wardrobe and grabbed some tight shorts, a short sleeved shirt, and fingerless gloves. I walked to the bathroom and turned on the hot water and stopped up the tub.
I stayed in the tub for a while, just sitting in the water.
How did he know. . . How?! HOW?! I never revealed that name, I never said it! I made sure to destroy the records that said my name was that! Why does the water feel this good. . . Mmmm~ nice and hot.
I got out of the bath after an hour. I slipped on my shirt and was blow drying my tail and legs like normal. Whenever my tail and big paws dried I crawled into bed.
Why do people call these big paws, big paws? Why not just call them bappers? Like how cat owners do. Weird people huh?
I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable but unable to. I had a body pillow I don’t normally use but I decided to use it this time. It was a black body pillow, entirely black. I grabbed onto it and pulled it closer to me, one leg on top and one leg under, same with my hands. I fell asleep almost instantly.
I woke up the next morning, and I got ready to go to the office. Instead of leaving my hair down I tied back my hair, only the top half was in a ponytail. The other half was down, my shirt is black and the sleeves are longer than my arms. My shorts are a smokey grey color. I ate some toast and then walked outside to my car.
Ughhhhh. . . It has only been 3 days, I wanna drive but have to waitttt! Why did it have to be a weekkkkkkk!
I got to the office, expecting another file, another murder. I trotted in the office, and then got smacked on the head with a case file.
Jake looked at me, not the same expression he normally would, “Another case. . . Have you been staying up late Ari?”
I shook my head as I grabbed the case file, “No, but did I do something wrong? You seem mad at me. . .”
Jake looked at me in a bit of shock, “You don’t know? Someone posted a video of you murdering someone but there was no crime on the day it was allegedly taken. Everyone thinks you killed someone!”
I tilted my head, “Well I never did, plus why would I? If I did I would have made sure there were no witnesses, destroyed evidence and took out any camera in line of sight. Plus I don’t even wash my clothes with bleach.”
Jake sighed, “Well I’ll see if I can spread that around, just be careful okay?”
I nodded and skipped off to my car. I got in and read the case file while the car drove itself. Whenever I got there, nobody to greet, nobody inside, just empty. . .
I carefully inspected the place, an empty warehouse, something common among closing stores.
Well let's waste no time and just get this over with.
I walked over to the body and my blood ran cold. I stopped dead in my tracks.
It was my mom. . . I clenched my arm out of a habit. She was carved up carefully, the wounds depicting hell and what happens in hell. She had tons of bruises, cuts and a knife stabbed in her chest, right down the middle. Her clothes were tattered, all torn in some way. I rubbed my arm, I hated my mom. . .
Is she dead? Or is it someone that looks just like her. . . No. No, that's her otherwise I would not be clenching involuntarily in her presence.
I quickly looked around, hoping to see someone there, nobody. I felt someone watching me, more intensely. I walked over to a table and did not sit down. There was a note, folded nice and neatly written, blood on the corners and small blood fingerprints.
This read, “Hiiiii!~ It is your favorite killer, Azrail, as you saw, your mother is dead. I know, I know, such a generous murder! I know what she did to you before. You know, your dad did a ton of posting about it! I’m going for him next, don’t try to stop me because you can’t. I’m here with you now, just relax and let me finish this up~ Nobody came because nobody else knew besides Jake, I gave him the case file myself! Oh wait- No not myself hehehe! Silly me!~ I meant I gave it to him in the mail!”
I tried to turn around but was met with a blindfold tied tight around my eyes. Who I believe is Azrail pulled out my bangs from under the blindfold to be nice. My hands were tied together, I was trying to resist but could not get a grasp of my surroundings.
“What the hell?!” I exclaimed, I felt his hand on my tied up wrists.
“Hi~ Poor Haz, I think you forgot about me for a while.” He pulled me towards him, my back flush against his chest.
I could feel he was taller than me, I knew I could not resist his grasp he had on me. I stopped resisting, trying to save my energy.
“What do you want with me. . .” I ask, cautious about if something could make him snap.
“What-” He put his hand over my mouth before I could finish.
“And our game of cat and mouse. I know you are the best detective but still, it is fun watching you lose hope and stop struggling for once.” I felt him move away then shoved me into a chair, my hands were tied to the chair.
I stayed quiet, I could not see, could not resist. He removed the blindfold and tied my bangs back with a hair tie.
I was stunned, I never expected to see him here. A male with long hair, his hair is black and fades to a deep crimson red. We were never siblings but we used to be good friends at one point. His hair was tied into a braid, a very long braid, his eyes were a red color. He was wearing a tight short sleeved shirt with long pants, one side was cut, an animal leg was there. He had a bunch of scarring on his arms, a scar on his lip and 3 on his eye. His tail and paws had the same kind of coloring as his hair.
“Y-you lost your leg?” I said, I looked stunned, he smiled at that.
“Yes yes, I know, such a shocker. But things happen and I chose this. So, I see you are still sensitive in some places~” He walked up to me, my body thought I was still standing so I pushed off my feet and hit my head on the concrete.
“Owwwwwwwww!” He chuckled as he sat me back up, this time putting the chair against a wall.
“Hehehe. . . why do you hide them?” He tilted his head to the side, he took a step closer.
I put my big paw between me and him. He pushed my leg to the side. He untied my wrists, I knew better than trying to escape. He gently grabbed my wrists and slid up my sleeves.
“There they are, never forget who caused this. You should have gotten revenge.” He was speaking softly, disappointment dripping from his voice.
I looked down at my arms, many many scars. . . Some from burning, some from weapons. I looked away, he let my wrists go and grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. I was getting nervous, I knew I could never win against him in a fight.
“Don’t worry about it, you never turned like me but that will change.” He looked at me softly.
“I-I’m not helpless anymore Azrail. . . I can take care of myself. . .” He grabbed my wrist again. He always had a weird obsession with being friends with someone. He likes to hold onto them in some way.
“Oh I know, but you still are negating your potential darling.~” He said, his voice soft once again, but dripping with condescending words in his tone.
I pushed his hand off of me, “I said I can take care of myself Azrail. . .”
“Oh? Well you don’t have a choice this time, not again.” He grabbed the blindfold out of his pocket and forced it over my eyes once again. I grabbed onto his shoulder, he grabbed my arm and forced me up.
“W-where are we going!” I plead, trying to not bump into anything since the warehouse is not exactly empty.
He chuckled, “We are going somewhere where you can’t see! No calling for help.”
He stopped and reached into my pockets, he grabbed my phone out of my pocket and patted my head. He dragged me along out a door, the air was cool. Whenever he stopped dragging me he picked me up and put me in a seat, then snapped the buckle in place. He tied my hands once more with that same rope. He shut the door. He got in on his side and from what I could tell, nobody could see into his vehicle as nobody tried to pull out in front of him and no police.
Dang it! Why can’t anybody see me? Am I in the front seat? I think I am, I mean the sun is brutal right now. Wha-
He threw something on me when the vehicle stopped. It felt soft, something I liked a ton. He stuffed what felt like a pillow behind my head and forcefully leaned back my seat.
“Get some sleep, no point in you stressing when this drive takes hours.” He sounded calm, not the soft voice he was talking to me in.
“I. . . I’m not tired.” I said, struggling to stay awake right now.
“Talk to your tired self then Hazzy.” He knew how to make me do things with various items, sleeping, chores, anything.
I fell asleep on a bumpy road. I woke up whenever he got out, he opened my door and took off the blindfold. My eyes adjusted to the light, we were in a truck, that's why nobody could see me.
He took the blanket and got me out of the truck by force.
“You know, you're going to be stuck here, I wonder if anyone would notice you were missing.” He grabbed the rope and tugged me along.
We were at a big house, it looked very fancy, a small garden in front. Some bushes and a mini water fountain off to the side. He dragged me inside and forced me onto his couch.
He sat down next to me, he pulled out a multi-purpose knife out of his pocket. I scooted away from him but he pulled me back.
“What’s wrong Haz?” he looked down at the multi-purpose knife, “Ohhhhh, oh, Haz this is just for cutting the ropes. I. . . uh, can’t untie the rope?”
I stared at him, “You're joking right.”
“No. . .” He looked like a guilty dog that just got caught.
“Because I wanted to make sure you could not escape.” He opened up the knife and made me hold out my arms.
He cut directly in the middle of the rope, cutting it in half.
“I know you won’t try to escape because you are not stupid. There are many traps laid out that go off at certain times, so have fun trying to get out like that.” He patted my back.
“Well, Jake might notice I’m gone, also Fila, they both know me a bit better but not as much as you.” I looked down at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with him.
He was my childhood friend, he always had a tendency to be a little violent under pressure. He ended up being the reason I became a detective. When he mysteriously vanished one day I started looking for him. After all, he helped me escape my home life.
I was snapped out of my thoughts by him leaving the couch. He walked off out of my sight, leaving me to my thoughts.
I looked around the room, a fancy interior. I could not see any traps immediately.
Always sneaky huh Azzy? He felt so. . . NO BAD HAZ BAD! Ughh. . . I’m trapped until at least night time I think. Those ropes were tight. . . I wanna get that blanket. . . Why does he still know about the things that make me sleeppppp!~ Speaking of sleep, do I have insomnia. . . Hmmmm. . . Well most nights I can’t sleep, these last few nights I could sleep, which was a miracle. Did I develop insomnia as a child and never realized? I sometimes could not sleep as a child for weeks on end. . . Hmmmmmmmmmm. . . Ughhh I’m too lazy right now to do an analysis. . .
I noticed someone walking towards me, their boots clicking on the hardwood floor. I turned around and saw a different person, wearing things that cover their entire look. They had a needle and I instantly got off the couch and backed away.
“What do you want?” I say cautiously, I kept a relative distance from him.
“Come here, you need this shot.” He tilted his head to the side.
“I’ll keep the same distance as the amount of contact I have with relatives, oh right, I have no contact so don’t come near me.” I say with a half hearted smile.
Azrail walked back in, “I said he does not need a shot, or do I need to say it again?” His voice was low and dangerous sounding.
The person perked up, “Oh this is not that shot! It is the other one!” Azrail relaxed and grabbed my arm.
“Wha- What is this shot?!” I try to yank my arm away from him but to no avail.
“It is one you never got as a kid that you need as an adult. What was the allergy one? Yeah, you had an extreme reaction to a certain pollen that grows wild here. Now there will be side effects but I have pills to help.” He pulled me right up against him, he forced me to stay still while the person gave me the shot.
I felt drowsy, tired, and like someone was weighing me down.
Azrail held a pill in front of me, “Take this.”
I shook my head, trying to stay up right.
“I dunno w. . . what’s in it. . . so noh.” I say childishly.
Azrail let my arm go and I clung onto his shirt.
“You are a jerk. . . P. . . Plus I can’t dry swallow a pill. . .” I managed to get out, Azrail was really warm, but I kept fighting sleeping.
“Fair, you know, sometimes you're too cautious for your own good.” He chuckled, he brought me to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. He put it in front of me and then the pill.
He was intentionally toying with me, putting the pill just out of my tired reach.
“Give it you meanieeeee!” I tried to snatch it from him but still was only barely out of reach.
“Hehehe, still the same insult when I’m just teasing you.” He put the pill in my hand and I took it hesitantly.
I swallowed the pill and he pulled me back to the couch.
“Why. . . Does the shot make me feel drowsy. . .?” I leaned on the side of the couch when he sat down.
“Because, this was meant to be used on kids so they made it easier for the parents to get them home without dealing with them yelling and fussing.” He patted my head, “But for you it will only last like another 10 minutes since you have insomnia.”
“Wha- I have insomnia?” I ask questioningly.
“Yeah, you had it since you were little, I had to knock you out a couple times so you did not over do it and die from exhaustion.” He pulled me back to him.
“Ughhhh. . . Why did you want to kidnap me of all people?” I asked drowsily as I leaned on his shoulder which he responded by grabbing mine.
“You used to be my friend so it made sense to me.” He had a smile on his face as he saw how drowsy I was.
“But how did you even know your cases would go to me and not another detective?” I was starting to wake back up from whatever that pill was.
“Well I made them just how you saw the first crime scene, that way people with weak stomachs could not handle the case and request another detective. That way it would eventually go to you.” He grabbed the TV remote and turned on a show.
“Why are you being so nice?” I ask cautiously in case that were to change at a moment's notice.
“Well, I will torture and or interogate you later just to make it believeable and anonymously submit the video and ask for ransom money but never give you back.” He had an evil glint in his eyes, I knew he was planning on using me for a bit of money and some good drama in his opinion.
I sigh and bury my face in my hands, “How much are you even going to charge?”
“20 bucks.” He retorted jokingly, shrugging a bit.
“I think I’m worth just a little more.” I say half heartedly with sarcasm etched into it.
He started laughing a bit, “You never change, do you?”
I shrugged my shoulders, “Depends on what you consider change.”
He did not respond and went to watch his show. Around half way through an episode he looked at me, “Why aren’t you asleep?” He seemed a bit confused.
“The shot’s effects wore off.” I say nonchalantly, I had a feeling he thought I was not able to get sleep for the last couple days.
“Well try to get some sleep. . . Or I’ll knock you out by force.” He smiled and looked at me with a raised fist.
“Jesus. . . Calm down it aint that serious.” I got on the other side of the couch from him.
He did not say anything and I was faking sleeping. The hours crept by, he kept watching random shows. I knew he was trying to get a reaction out of me so then he could knock me out.
I ended up giggling when a really funny joke played.
“I knew it! You still have insomnia! It is still as bad as it was when we last met.” I sat up and when I backed away from him I fell off the couch.
“Pffttt, where are you going?” He was suppressing laughter and grabbed my arm and hauled me back onto the couch.
“Narnia.” I say sarcastically.
“Well if I am going to knock you out, I might as well ask for ransom money.” I had a catty grin on my face as he said that.
“Oh?~ Well if that is the case then make it look like I have not been treated well for the last couple hours.” I said, leaning back from him, and almost fell again.
He grabbed my arm with a grin and dragged me along down to the basement.
“Do you remember your own eye color? Because if you don’t I’ll be a little upset at you.” I followed closely behind him.
“N-no sorry. . . I don’t see my eyes every day.” I looked away sheepishly.
“Hazel and pastel light blue.” He pulled my bangs back and had a ponytail holder in his pocket and tied my bangs back.
“Oh, I am willing to bet they still look pale, devoid of many things. . . I don’t think they will fall for the performance that I’ll put on. . .” I looked at the steps we were heading down.
“Nah, you act a ton, your acting is convincing too. I will cut you a couple times to sell that it is convincing.” We got to the bottom of the stairs and he shoved me into a chair and chained me down.
“Oooo~ chains, way better than ropes!” I say with a smirk.
“I learned from the best after all.~” He grinned as he grabbed a knife.
“You still remember?” I tilt my head, grinning, my eyes looked like I was excited.
He nodded as he cut me and my clothes. The blood slowly trickling down my skin. He pulled my sleeves back over my scars. He put on a hoodie and pulled up the hood.
He set up a camera and pressed a record. I put on my best acting face, worried expression, never once stopping looking at him.
“Hi there dear prey- I uh- mean detectives. As you can tell, your precious incarnation of Sherlock is being held hostage.~ I want money for him.~” He grabbed my chin and made me look at him, he gave me a wink.
“P-please no more!!! I-I d-dont know anything else!” Fake tears were streaming down my face. He let me go and laughed evilly.
“Oh but I think you know more.~” He looked back at the camera, “I want 20 thousand for him to return no more hurt than he already is. . . If you don’t submit a response in a week through a response video, I’ll broadcast this video. Just to send everyone in panic on what I can do. . .” He walked up to the camera and stopped the recording.
“You did wonderful! You still have that same acting skill!” He gently took off the chains.
“T-thanks. . .” I was not used to receiving compliments.
He tugged me along as we went back upstairs. I wiped off the fake tears from my face.
“I kinda want to hear how you describe our childhood.” He brought me to the bathroom and put me up on the counter, with me being a bit embarrassed.
“Why do you want to hear it from my perspective. . .” I ask as he took one of my arms and disinfected the injuries he left me with.
“Well, I want to know why you chose to be a detective instead of like me. . . You should have gotten revenge but instead you chose to not.” He was inspecting how deep the wound was when he finished disinfecting.
He wrapped up my arm and moved dealing with my right arm.
“Well, do you want me to start before we met or after?” I tilted my head to the side
“Before, I want to hear the full story.” He was focused on my injuries and not what I was looking at.
“Well when I was a kid my parents were alcoholics, my dad smoked and always blew his smoke in someone's face. My mom drank her sorrows away, when she was drunk she always took it out on me and it obvious I was a mistake from the start. Sometimes she got a hot iron and held me still while she burned my arm. . .” I gently touched the scar over my eye.
“. . .other days she used a knife and carved my skin. . . She burned me with boiling water. . . I still went to school and hid it, whenever a teacher found out. On unlucky days I would be held down as they jabbed pins and broken glass into my skin. CPS was called. . . That was around the time we met, you were in an orphanage yourself. . . You were the only one who cared so when we got adopted our adoptive parents divorced after a week. I kept you asleep while they argued. . . You always tried to protect me but. . . It is still okay. . . You were still a very nice friend. . . We don’t even share a last name anymore. . . But while you were asleep I made sure you had the nicer things and I masked the terrible things I had so you did not feel bad.” I winced from the disinfectant.
“Take off your shirt.” He said calmly.
I looked at him for like 2 seconds before saying, “Wha- why?”
“I cut your chest a bit sooooooo, I wanna deal with those injuries too.” He shrugged, I reluctantly complied and took off my shirt. Shivering a bit from how cold the room is.
“Continue.” He went back to dealing with the injuries.
“Well you know we got out of that household later because the adoptive parents were just using us for money. Then we got sent back to the orphanage, where many kids hated me. . . B-but you always made them stop. It was all because of my weird obsession with seeing dead people who were bad. . . I still have that obsession. Then you got adopted before me because you were coloring and I was just sitting in a corner reading a book. Then not even 5 hours later someone adopted me, they were a bit nicer. . . they let me sleep in an actual bed but after I was 18. . . that niceness stopped. They kicked me out with nothing but what I had with me, which I had from school. I was in a homeless shelter for a while. I found a job as a barista and made decent money that way. I eventually got a better job while juggling my job and online college. Then I attended multiple universities the second I got word that you just. . . vanished from town. I kept trying to find you, over and over. . . and over again and again. I never did find you, you vanished without a trace. I got promoted too much and was assigned to murder cases. I found tons of bodies, none were as beautiful as the ones you left though. It was all the same, brutal murders, sloppy crime scenes, too much evidence left behind. T-that's all the way up until now.” I felt worse when I told him, not better like I expected.
“What happened to your legs? I noticed they got replaced.” He did not make eye contact with me and dragged me along to get a different shirt.
I am smaller than him so it was reasonable for me to come with him.
“Well it’s nothing special.” I say half heartedly.
“It is special because you got hurt!” He sounded a bit hurt at the fact I was trying to play it off.
“I lost them from a violent criminal that I was hunting down. He was sloppy like all the rest and charged right in while police were still at the scene and only managed to cut to the bone. I fought back and won but the damage was done. My legs went numb and I realized something was wrong. The knife was coated with something like a street drug that can basically make a limb think it has been amputated and it stops working. So I got them replaced to prevent phantom pain.” I looked at the room that we were in.
It was a small cozy room, a neatly made bed. Meticulous detail in everything, patterns everywhere. I liked this room the most.
“Well that's sad, I’ll probably kill him if I find him.” He had a death glare, he walked up to the closet and started looking through the shirts.
“Bad Azzy!” I say childishly.
“What? Me, bad? Neverrr.~” He says sarcastically, I chuckled a bit.
I sat on the bed as I waited.
“Where did you vanish to for all those years?” I ask, tilting my head to the side, my tail slowly swishing on the bed.
“Well I hopped states, I never told anyone since the reason why would have created too much gossip. I was moving because of you. Now before you say anything, no it was not because you did something. It was because I messed up a bit. I killed my adoptive parents because they were talking crap about you and detailing how they would kill you. The way you would scream. . . Everything, so I killed them and fled so then nobody would come after you for being the reason I left.” He shrugged and threw a shirt at me, it hit my face.
I tried on the shirt, a bit tight and outlined my body.
“How do you even have clothes this small anymore?” I hopped off the bed and followed him again.
“Well I knew I was gonna kidnap you the second you turned up at the crime scene so I bought that shirt to see what size you would need.” He looked at me with a grin on his face.
“Is something funny?” I am confused.
“Oh no you just follow me like a little kitten.” He laughed a bit and hit my back a little too hard, making me stumble forwards a bit.
“S-so what it is not like this is my house!” I got a bit embarrassed.
“It is just ironic, you tried to get away from me when I kidnapped you but now you follow me around after I kidnapped you.” He was still laughing at me for a bit.
My tail puffed up a bit out of pure embarrassment.
“Rude much. . .” He ruffled my hair and I sat back down at the couch.
He left his show on so I decided to watch
it. I noticed some people were walking around, they had different masks but the most common one was one with 3 stars on each cheek and then a line down the middle. The masks were all black and the features white.
I did not notice him sneaking up on me until he started tickling me for some random reason.
I turned around and tried to grab his wrists and suppress my laughter at the same time.
“A-azzy stopppp!~” I get out through laughing.
“No! You need to laugh once, you depressed espresso bean!” He eventually stopped when I was crying from laughing too much.
He set a bowl of popcorn with M&Ms in it on the coffee table in front of the couch.
“What kind of movies are you into?” He looked at me with his head tilted to the side as he looked at me.
“Well I like the horror ones which show grossly mutilated bodies. Ooo! Also the ones that are a thriller and make unexpected turns a bunch and none of them are predictable. Also just classic horror movies.” My eyes sparkled with excitement as I described what I liked.
He grabbed the remote and turned on one of the recommended horror movies. It was called “The Insidious Red Door.” I watched it with him, hogging the popcorn bowl that we fought over.
“No fairrr!” I complain as I get a handful of popcorn from the bowl.
He was holding the bowl out of my reach as we continued to watch the movie.
I ended up at the edge of the couch by the end of the movie.
The days crawled by, I hoped that my agency would send a video response.
Did they forget? Do they not care? I mean I don’t really care if they care but still stings a little. . .
One day Azrail was dragging me around and brought me outside for once. We were at a beach that had a cliff.
“Go to the edge of the cliff.” He commanded, a dark glint in his eyes.
I agreed, I got near the edge and looked over the cliff.
“Scary isn’t it?” He chimed in, he nudged me closer to the edge.
“More peaceful and serene than anything.” I was hoping I did not fall since it would be way hard for me to swim because my fur would be weighing me down.
He nudged me closer once again, “One push and it could all be over~”
He laughed and we went back to his place. He went out to get some food so I was left alone, big mistake.
Hmmm, there seems to be a ton of minions around here. . . Did he start a cult or a gang? They seem to be heavily focused around the basement. . . Are there secrets in there? Plans that should not be seen by me? Oooo!~ Or their latest victim! Ughhhhhh!~ I wanna knowwwww!~
I waited patiently for him to return, the minions were everywhere but never engaged in a conversation with me. No trying to intimidate me, no avoiding me like the plague. . . They just pretended I did not exist.
After hours crawled by he came back, blood on his cheek. I knew it was not his, it did not even smell like his.
“Hey Azzy?” I looked up at him.
“Yeah?” He looked down at me, using his sleeve to wipe off the blood.
“What’s in the basement?” I had a cold look on my face, I wanted to know.
“. . .” He stared at me in silence.
“You don’t have to say I’m just curious. . .” I looked away as I sighed.
“I’m not going to answer that then.” He walked off and I eventually found the attic.
Oh mah gawd!!! It is perfect up here! Blood on the walls! Dead corpses in bags, not to mention it does not even smell! This would be a perfect place to work out. Sadly I don’t have music.
I left the attic in case Azrail would be mad if he found me up there. Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the day, I felt tired, but could not sleep. I sluggishly made my way back to the attic. I was hoping working out would make me tired.
I worked out for what felt like forever, it was 3:00 AM when I started.
Azzy your driving me crazy! You know full well that when I get curious I don’t stop thinkingggg!~ Ughhhhhh. . .
Whenever I finished, I was sweaty and looked at the time downstairs, 6:00 AM.
Oh. . . I WORKED OUT 3 HOURS STRAIGHT WITH NO BREAKS?! Oh he is gonna kill meeee!
I somehow found other clothes that fit me and got a quick bath and dried off, I got in bed and made it look like I slept all night. I hopped out once I was done and walked to the living room. I was limping, I tried to forcefully stop limping but that did not work.
I sat down on the couch and started thinking about what I could do. I was getting bored and tired of waiting for the video.
I mean I could try baking for once? Would he even like the sweets since I highly doubt his minions would eat my baking. . . Imagine the sweets I could makee! I could make them body shaped. . . Gorey even!
I was watering at the mouth unintentionally. I tried to stop myself but it did not work too well. I messed around with my tail until he came into the living room. He looked. . . Tired.
“Did you even sleep last night?” I sat up on the couch.
“No, my phone kept blowing up with notifications.” He sighed and plopped down on the couch.
“Then sleep before you get insomnia like me” I had a catty grin and looked at him in a joking manner.
pixelskylines
amandla
jacobvanloon
origamiaround