Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

MONSTER	By : Radius Category: +A through F > Devil May Cry Views: 10988 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Devil May Cry game series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
A/N: Howdy guys! At last, things are starting to pick up in this story. It won’t be long until this reaches the end part of the story. As always, thanks for staying tuned. I can’t believe it, this story has been hit 4000 times. O_O From the bottom of my heart, thanks for taking the time to read this fanfic and giving it a chance. ;)

<< | Showdown Night | >>

Damsel was surprised to hear his voice again. It’d been a long time ago since they saw each other. She gave up trying to contact him and figured he’d gotten over her; found her a nuisance. Reportedly, he and Dante had been hot and heavy all over town. It was summer so the heat probably had something to do with it. Agent Scully even mentioned they nearly got arrested at a gentlemen’s club, having sex right in the middle of a hallway with two other guys. Damsel was a bit shocked and nerved by this. Rainbow had never been crazy like that. As free as he was, she always figured him to be of the reserved variety. But then she recalled the time she last saw him; back when Paranormal Five was stocking in food supplies. His clothes were different and he had no makeup on. Gone was the colorful and artistic man she adored. In his place was a stranger who dressed in very chic clothes and looked rather hungry.

Rainbow certainly changed.

The only times Rainbow resembled the man she had remembered him was when he performed on stage. She’d seen him at different clubs, playing with his acoustic guitar nearly every night. He donned the rainbow-colored highlights and wore disorganized but very mindfully chosen clothes. Most people were put off by his choice of music and fashion. Indeed, he had such a beautiful voice and face that his audience was ready to embrace him had it not been for his raw eighties’ vibes. Damsel didn’t mind any of it, though. She absolutely loved his gigs. Rainbow was eccentric and she loved every minute of him on stage. Frustration and the feeling of rejection, though, had kept her away from the front row during his performances. She always sat at the far back, hidden away from Rainbow’s view.

Damsel was still saddened by her last encounter with him. She never felt so horrible in her life. It was like Rainbow had slapped her across the face. Over and over again she replayed the event, trying to convince herself that he hadn’t seen her from across the street. But he did. And he walked away. She thought he moved on with his life right then. But then there was this…

“This is really… something,” Damsel started, not sure if she should sound happy.

“I’m sorry I haven’t called you in ages,” Rainbow said on the other line, his voice very soft and husky. “In fact, I’m sorry we haven’t gotten together for lunch or a movie.”

On break and wearing a dirty blue overall, Damsel played with her salad. It was only four in the afternoon. Outside of the lobby area, the vibrating sounds of cars being fixed could be heard. Through a window, Damsel saw her manager bark at an associate. She also saw the lines of cars that awaited her. She could see a busy street beyond it all, though, and found herself wanting to run in the middle of it, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Damn. She needed a hit.

“Are you still there?” asked Rainbow when she didn’t reply.

“Uh, yeah, I’m still here.”

“You’re upset with me. Aren’t you?”

His voice emitted grief. It was genuine and Damsel could almost imagine him sucking on his lower lip right now.

“Yes,” she answered honestly, mindlessly attacking a tomato with her fork.

“I’m sorry, Damsel. Really, I am. I just… haven’t been myself lately.”

“Yeah…” was all Damsel could say.

“There’ve been a lot of things in my mind. It’s been a rough time for me these past few weeks. I’m starting to reach my breaking point.”

“I don’t see how you’re reaching your breaking point. Dante’s always with you. From what I hear, you’re having the time of your life. Why even call me anymore?”

“Damsel… It’s not what you think.” He paused. “It’s complicated. I know you think I’m an asshole for not talking to you. You’re right. You’re so right. I hate myself for not calling. It’s just… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Hurt?” Damsel rolled her eyes. She wanted to point out the day he ignored her. Instead, she said, “Whatever, Rainbow. Go back and play with Dante. I’m busy.”

“Damsel, please… I… I miss you. I miss talking to you.”

Damsel paused. She didn’t want to listen to him anymore but found herself unable to hang up.

“I miss being with you,” Rainbow confessed, “I miss that brief moment in my life where everything was perfect. I’m glad we were together that night. It was really special to me.”

Recalling that event he referred to, Damsel felt her skin flush. Yes, she remembered that night; that night they met at the bus stop. They went to his place. They watched a marathon of horror B-movies and ate junk food all night. She made the first move and tasted his lips; lips that tasted of strawberry sauce from the ice cream sundae he ate earlier. God, Rainbow was divine that night. His body… His words… His touches… He fit inside her perfectly. If only Dante hadn’t come back into his life the next day. Things would’ve been different.

“It’s my fault, Damsel,” Rainbow told her quietly from the other line. His voice broke apart. “I’m too weak. I’m not strong enough to fight for what I want.”

“And what exactly do you want?”

“I don’t know. Right now, I’m just… very confused. I’m frustrated with how things are going in my life. I’m losing everything and everyone because… of something I can’t control. Right now, you’re the only one who’s unaffected by it.”

Frowning, Damsel wondered what was on Rainbow’s mind but couldn’t find the exact words to express her curiosity.

“I’m going to shave off my hair, you know.”

“Huh?” Damsel blinked.

“Yeah, I’m going to shave off my hair. Other than you, no one else knows about it. When I go on stage later this evening, everyone will see my new look.”

That took her by surprise. Shave off his hair? Good lord, no. He had gorgeous hair. It was wild, shaggy, and spunky. She was jealous that a man had better hair than her. The thought of seeing Rainbow bald troubled her. She was used to seeing the full color spectrum of the rainbow, as well as the beads of hair jewelry. This felt wrong. Somehow, Rainbow’s new move went beyond just a simple new look.

“Why, Rainbow? Your hair… You’ve got beautiful hair.”

“Fuck it. I’m shaving it off.”

Rainbow sounded determined. His voice was serious than casual. Something was definitely up. She still couldn’t understand how a pretty boy like Rainbow was willing to turn himself into an ugly duckling. Damsel paused on that last thought. A sudden realization hit her and she smiled.

“You should wear piercing all over too,” she joked. “Maybe even go for the army brat look.”

“You know what? I think I will.”

Damsel grinned even wider.

“It’s great hearing from you again,” Rainbow continued, a tender tone in his voice, “I wish I could see you, but I don’t want to drag you into my mess.”

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. I called because I needed to contact a friend, someone who… knew me.”

“Rainbow…”

“Like I said, I don’t blame you. I’m pretty fucked up. Dante… I love him. I know everyone thinks he’s a jerk but I have faith in him. Unfortunately, he’s not helping with my situation right now. He’s caught up in his own damn world. He likes this fucked up situation I’m in.”

“You want my advice? Drop the asshole. Send him the check. Keep this up and one of these days he’s going to kill you.”

Rainbow chortled. “I have faith in him. Call me an idealistic fool, but he may surprise you someday. He pretends to be a badass, but his eyes… they tell me a lot about him. He’s like me, a dreamer. Only, the world has made him so hard up. But enough about him. I needed to call you. I just wanted to remember what it was like to be able to talk to someone and not to feel so… isolated.”

Damsel slowly sat up from her chair. Rainbow sounded depressed. By what, she didn’t know. Whatever it was, he was crying out to someone. He needed someone to listen to him.

“I saw you last night at Gizmo’s,” he continued, “At the back while I was performing. In fact, I see you in all of my performances.”

Jesus. She had no idea how good his vision was until now. Damsel suddenly felt embarrassed.

“I figured… I could call you, you know. But, I understand if you don’t want to talk to me anymore. It’s best that you don’t.”

There was a moment of silence, as if Rainbow wanted a response. Damsel opened her mouth but hesitated. She wanted Rainbow back in her life but was somehow afraid. Afraid of what, she didn’t know.

“I’ll let you go,” he inserted with a sigh. “For what it’s worth, Damsel, I’m sorry. And… thank you. Thank you for everything.”

“W-wait,” she managed to say.

It was already too late. The line went dead. Damsel checked the caller ID in her cell phone to call him back but realized he had called from a payphone. Damsel slumped in her chair.

Rainbow… Something was wrong. It was him, definitely him. It was the man she talked to at the bus stop. It was the same man she danced with at club ICE. She recognized his kind and gentle voice. But something had happened, something big. Rainbow was trying to tell her and she basically froze.

Damsel looked at her salad with a blank face. There were so many questions. Somewhere at the back of her mind was the story of Helene. However, it seemed like an irrelevant matter at the moment. Rainbow was hurting. He needed her help, even if he didn’t downright say it to her. Maybe tonight she could catch up to him. She was going to attend Showdown Night today, after all. It was on Paranormal Five’s agenda. Hopefully she’d get the chance to talk to Rainbow then.

A tap on the window suddenly caught Damsel’s attention.

Spook, Agent Scully, Radar, and Chewbacca all stuck their mouths against the glass window like blowfishes. The glass muffled their sounds. Her manager nearby noticed them and shooed them away, raising his fist in the air. Spook pretended he was being dragged away by a monster. His hand slid across the window, making the glass squeak. Damsel laughed and stood, straightening her dirty overalls.

She knew why her team was here. The past weeks had been both good and bad for Paranormal Five. It was good, in that they were getting closer to nailing the beast that stalked their city. It was bad because there were more victims coming up everyday. Radar’s girlfriend told him the department was already hiring more officers to replace the dead ones. Meanwhile, other supernatural investigators were involved, including that asshole, Griffin. Paranormal Five was working against time and competition now. Their case had reached a boiling point. Hopefully, Showdown Night would reveal their culprit so they could end this case already.

Damsel threw the rest of her salad away. She looked at her cell phone one last time, hoping it’d ring again. It never did.

***

His beautiful musician… His beautiful whore… His beautiful but fucked up man… Dante tried to think of other words to describe Seth. As he thrust into him again and again, though, he was too lost in his upcoming orgasm to think properly.

Hidden backstage, Dante stood behind Seth while his hips shot forward. Pants unzipped and face flushed, he was shirtless and moist at the chest. His partner, on the other hand, was completely naked. Hands against the cold slab of the wall, Seth pushed backward to meet Dante’s thrusts. His entire nude body glistened with perspiration, beads of sweat dripping from the tips of his jet-black hair. Kneeled before Seth was a naked and bald overweight man with tattoos all over; his large mouth wetly suckling on each of his balls.

It was eight in the evening and High Ten was packed; the entire area bathed in red spotlights. They were surrounded by the sounds of loud music and cheering people. Neither Dante nor Seth cared for the two bands currently competing against each other onstage. While everyone screamed in excitement, they were hidden away from view; secluded in their private world.

According to the schedule, Seth’s was on half an hour from now. Up against a performer who also played acoustic music, Seth’s performance was an important one tonight. Already all of the scouts had arrived to check out the town’s talent. This gig would earn Seth a lot of recognition. No matter how many times Dante pointed this out, however, Seth’s head wasn’t in the game. Seth wanted to fuck.

“All the way in…” Seth whispered, staring back at Dante. “Get it all in me…”

Dante spread Seth’s legs wider to thrust deeper inside. He kept pumping into him with pistol-like action, slapping his flesh against the other man. They followed the frantic tempo of the heavy metal band on stage and groaned to each other.

Seth was an interesting beast, especially when it came to giving a performance. Dante had seen him play at numerous clubs before and was always amused by what he had on. On some days, usually when he sang a collection of Cyndi Lauper songs, Seth wore a striped pink dress suit and dyed his hair green and red. On other occasions, he donned an artistically altered S&M outfit and performed tunes from the Psychedelic Furs. Seth really was an eccentric performer. There was no doubt about that. Though, ever since his Animal personality emerged, he acted differently both on and off the stage. For whatever reason, Seth changed his demeanor before and after a performance. On stage, he was “Rainbow,” the energetic and colorful performer who was romantic and sentimental. Off stage, he was the “Animal,” the indifferent man who wore chic clothes and demanded rough sex and blood.

This was the case for today.

“That’s it, Dante, that’s it… Just get it all the way in me…”

Seth bit hard on his lip and grinded against Dante, trying to escalate the pain. Below, the large man continued licking his balls. His chubby hands worked hard on his own dick, moving them up and down furiously. Dante couldn’t deny the exhilaration he felt. Here they were, having a three-man fuckfest. And Seth was supposed to perform soon. Yeah, it was funny. Yet, at the back of his head, he was troubled.

Today, Seth’s mood swings were all over the place. It initially started last night. After their make-out session, Seth kicked him out of the apartment building. Dante thought it was a joke but Seth sounded serious and paranoid. He practically yelled for him to leave. Then, this morning Seth called his office. Sounding much calmer, he apologized for his rude behavior and requested he join him for breakfast. Even though he was still pissed off from being kicked out, Dante finally agreed. Half an hour later, Dante was on the road to meet him at their designated restaurant until he got another call on his cell phone. Seth changed his mind. He wanted to meet at the abandoned building to have sex instead.

Jesus…

It seemed Seth’s bipolar condition was getting worse. Dante still had no idea what triggered the personality changes. He hypothesized it had something do with the summer’s temperature. After all, each time it was extremely hot Seth often disappeared and returned as a different man. Coincidence? Perhaps. He still had to collect more information to form a proper conclusion. Whatever it was, though, all day long day he had to contest with Seth’s mood swings. They arrived at High Ten in the same lustful manner they were in when they rendezvoused at the abandoned building. Yet, Seth became depressed shortly after he left to talk to High Ten’s manager. A restroom break later, though, he returned as the Animal and was accompanied by the chubby man that was with them now.

Dante could only imagine how exhausting all of this was for Seth. While it was funny seeing an Other suffer from a personality disorder, Dante could sense Seth’s pain. He wished he hadn’t lost the survey Damsel had given him a long time ago. From what he remembered, it conveyed a man that was trapped, caught up by something beyond his control. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to read the rest of it. During one of his visits, stupid Enzo had spilled coffee all over the papers on his desk. Now the papers were stained brown and nearly unreadable. As compensation, Enzo agreed to get some people to digitally restore the survey. But that was going to take weeks. It pissed Dante to no end.

“Right up to the hilt, Dante… All the way in… Ah!”

Dante relinquished all of his uneasy thoughts and gave into Seth’s orgasm. Seth lurched backward while the big man below collected all the white droplets that spurted out from him with his tongue. By now, Dante’s cock was so slick with cum that he slipped inside him easily. Still thrusting, his body shuddered a few moments later and he let his own seed soak the interiors of Seth.

As the overweight man chewed on Seth’s prick, they remained connected, trying to ride out the climax. Dante extracted himself briefly, quickly rubbing on his dick with a hand to produce more cum. He squirted again, all over Seth’s back. Milky white globs of semen mixed with the ooze of Seth’s sweat. Dante groaned, watching his cum slowly slide down the soft curves of Seth’s back, glistening under the red lights of the club. It was the most beautiful thing he ever saw. He drove himself into Seth one last time before his climax faded away at last.

“That’s it for Troy and the Spartans,” an announcer said onstage, his voice echoing throughout the night club. “Let’s give them a round of applause.”

His breathing heavy, Dante overheard the announcer determine which of the two contenders won the battle and advanced to the semi-finals. He took a moment to catch his breath.

“You’re almost on,” Dante murmured and kissed Seth’s shoulder, enjoying the sour taste of him.

Seth pushed the overweight man off of him and turned around to face him. He brushed back the strands of hair covering half of Dante’s face. Then he gently nibbled his neck.

“Let’s leave this place,” Seth suggested between his kisses. “I can’t fuck here anymore.”

Dante chuckled. “And the show?”

Seth said nothing. Instead, he sank his sharp teeth into Dante’s neck. Dante moaned softly. He felt the warm flow of his blood drip from his neck but welcomed Seth’s mouth. He let him run his slithering tongue in circles until the wound healed itself. Against his thigh, Dante felt Seth’s cock turn hard again.

“Against the wall,” Seth demanded.

Dante gently tugged the locks of Seth’s hair. Even though he wanted to continue this, he reluctantly shook his head. “No. We can’t.”

Seth took a step back to face him, a drop of blood at the corner of his lip. He looked disappointed.

“Look you a horny bastard,” Dante explained and wiped sweat from his brow, trying to control his own sexual hunger, “You’re almost up. Pull yourself together.”

Seth rolled his eyes, slightly aggravated by his response. “You are very odd sometimes, Dante.”

Dante snickered. “You can be too, darling.”

“I really don’t give a shit about this show, just so you know.”

“But you should. I don’t care what you think, this is pretty big.” Dante’s eyes softened. “I thought you loved singing. Don’t you want this opportunity?”

For a brief moment, Seth hesitated. Then he turned away to glance at the big man on the ground. He was too busy jacking off to notice Seth looking at him. As if feeling pity for the poor creature, Seth bent down and kissed the top of his shiny head. The horny man suddenly stopped. He called Seth a rude name and aggressively dragged him to the ground.

Dante took a step forward, ready to intervene. While the large man was eager for some man action, he was the physical and brutal type who liked it rough. Dante wanted to set the man straight before things got out of hand. Yet, he noticed that Seth didn’t resist the man. Instead, the brunette male lay down and allowed the big man to mount him. The large man painfully stuck his member inside.

“You don’t have time for this.” Dante narrowed his eyes, wanting to slice off the big man’s dick. “You’re on in thirty minutes.”

“I have no problem giving in to the moment,” Seth responded, widening his legs. He moaned when the big man choked him with both hands and called him a whore.

“God, you’re unbearable sometimes…” Dante turned away, trying not to be aroused by the scene. “Look, I’m going to wash up. Be a sport and wrap this up fast so you can be on time. All right?”

Again, Seth ignored him while the man on top huffed loudly, pounding viciously into him. Dante watched them for a moment longer. Then he put on his shirt and headed for the men’s restroom.

Walking down a narrow hallway, Dante heard the roar of the crowd as they waited for the next set of performers. It was a thirty minute break, though. He hoped Seth willed himself together by then because he certainly couldn’t do it for him anymore. Had Seth asked him one more time to stay and fuck, he was sure he wouldn’t have the strength to say ‘no’. And despite his better judgment, he also would’ve let the big man have his way with Seth. There was something about Seth getting his ass kicked that appealed to him somehow.

Dante entered the men’s restroom. After taking a piss he turned on the water faucet, washing off any stains on his clothes that may have formed during his sex session. He spent a couple of minutes on that before splashing water on his face. Dante looked at himself on the mirror. For a moment, he didn’t recognize the man who stared back at him. The man’s luminescent blue eyes were too wild and animal-like.

Dante chewed on his lower lip. Seth’s sexual drive had changed him somehow. He confessed that he took advantage of Seth’s inconsistent behavior. As chaotic as his mood changes were, Dante found himself unable to endure a day without Seth. Whatever Seth was, he was leaking out an incredible heat that his own inhuman self sensed and absorbed. His Devil Trigger found satisfaction with Seth’s Animal and it took all of his will power to put his demonic side on a leash.

For awhile, Dante stayed in the men’s restroom, unsure if he wanted to see Seth perform. His job as a paranormal detective required he investigate Seth and keep a close eye on him. But things were getting serious between them. He hated this attachment they had now. He hated having Seth on his mind twenty-four seven. Seth had become almost like an obsession now. As men entered and left the restroom, Dante couldn’t help but wonder how unique Seth when compared to all the regular people. As mentally fucked up as he was, Dante had to face the reality: there wouldn’t be anyone like him.

Dante sighed. He took one last look on the mirror before leaving the restroom.

By the time Dante made his way to a table to watch the show from the far back of the club, the half hour break was over and the announcer had already introduced Seth’s competitor. An attractive woman took to the stage and began her song. She was good. Her catchy tune appealed to everyone, as well as the skimpy kitty outfit she wore. As the men in the club whistled, Dante crossed his arms, a bit concerned. Beyond the glamour and sex appeal, the female performer was incredibly talented. Her voice and guitar skills were top notched. Even the manager of High Ten nearby was impressed. If Seth didn’t get his act together he was going to lose this battle.

A waitress came by and Dante ordered a shot of heavy alcohol, trying to release the anxious knots that built in his stomach. As everyone checked out the performer, Dante studied the other stage set up at the opposite side of the club. It was the challenger’s stage; the red curtain currently closed. Hopefully, Seth was already taking his position there. Heaven forbid if he was not present when those curtains opened. Good lord, Seth would be the laughing stock of the town and never find work again. Not to mention, the manager would be pissed that he gave him a slot on tonight’s show.

Dante finally received his drink and chugged half of it down. Ten minutes later, the woman finally finished her song. The entire club was on their feet, whistling and clapping.

“And that’s it for Bloody Mary Gin!” the announcer said above the applause. “What a gal, eh? Next up, Rainbow!”

It took awhile for the crowd to die down. Dante looked at the other stage again and felt embarrassed all of a sudden. Jesus, if Seth didn’t show up…

“Yo, Dante,” a voice called to him, interrupting his thoughts.

Dante turned and nearly cursed out loud when he recognized the group sitting next to him. A young man with a green Mohawk grinned at him.

“What’s up?” Spook, the leader of Paranormal Five, greeted loudly.

Great, Dante realized, it was the village idiots. He hadn’t seen them in a long time and hoped he never had to. They were a handful. Looking at Spook’s table, Dante noticed the rest of his posse: Chewbacca, Agent Scully, Radar, and Damsel-in-Distress. Most of them stared wide-eyed at him, as if they were a pack of deer about to get run over by a monster truck. Agent Scully, who was videotaping the club with his cell phone, noticed him and cursed under his breath. Yes, they were a sorry lot. No style or balls whatsoever. Dante shot a glance at Damsel’s direction before turning his attention away from them.

“It’s funny seeing you here,” continued Spook.

Dante took another drink from his bottle and ignored him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping in a coffin before the sun rises or something?” Spook snorted, making fun of Dante’s light-skinned complexion.

“Funny,” Dante finally spoke, setting his drink down, “I wouldn’t have guessed you knew all about that, kid, considering your mommy still tucks you into bed by seven.”

The rest of Spook’s team laughed. Spook glared at them, feeling betrayed. The young investigator took a drink from his beer and was about to defend his integrity until he had a coughing fit. Many people nearby winced at the annoying sounds he made and shook their heads. Damsel noticed and smacked Spook on the waist with an elbow to make him stop, flushing with embarrassment.

“Shut up, will you?” she whispered. “You’re making a scene, damn it.”

“Ow!” Spook complained after he cleared his throat.

More people grew irritated by the ongoing bickering. Dante growled. Frustrated by the kid sitting next to him, he wanted to move to another table. Unfortunately, it was a full house tonight and no other seats were available. He had no choice but to suck it. That was going to be hard. Spook continued to bring attention to himself with his loud voice and constant complaints.

“All right, already! I’ll keep it low!” Spook yelled at Damsel. “Jesus!”

A few more words were tossed around and it was enough to get on Dante’s nerves again.

“Hey, geek,” he started. “You mind settling down? Some of us grownups here want to watch the show. Go back to your play pin already.”

Damsel rolled her eyes at Spook in an ‘I-told-you-so’ manner.

“Sheesh, sorry,” Spook apologized. He looked at Dante. “Look, despite what you may think, we’re here on business. Uh-huh, that’s right, business. We’re on the job.”

“On the job,” Dante repeated, more annoyed than impressed. He gestured to the waitress to give him another round of hard liquor.

“That’s right. We’re here on the latest rumor going around.”

“And what rumor would it be this time? Let me guess, Satan was spotted putting death notes in the burritos at Taco Bell.”

“Ha… Ha… Whatever.” Spook snorted and adjusted the goggles on his forehead. “No. I’m sure you’ve heard of the latest strings of murders happening here lately, right?”

Dante shrugged his shoulders.

“Well,” resumed the young hotshot, “A lot of them have been happening around these necks of the woods. Many people have reported a giant beast on the prowl, tearing and eating people up. I’m surprised you don’t know about it since you’re Mr. Big Shot.”

Dante kept his mouth shut. He wished he was in the mood to belittle Spook right now. As it was, Spook’s words left him bitter. Sure, the kid talked shit a lot. But Enzo mentioned the same news. Looking around the club, a place he knew well in his younger days, he felt tension in the air. Beyond all the booze and laughter, the people were scared shitless; all of them trying to substitute their fears with bliss and entertainment. He didn’t blame them. Everyday on the news bodies were being discovered. The curfew also brought this city to its knees. Today’s Showdown Night would be the shortest of them all because all shops were scheduled to be closed by nine.

“That’s why we’re here,” Spook said enthusiastically, “In fact, we think –”

“Hrrr, shut the fuck up, Spook,” growled Chewbacca close by, cutting him off. “You might as well tell him our underwear size so he can sell that info on Ebay. Fuck, man. We already went through this before. Keep your big hole shut.”

“Yeah, dude,” Agent Scully echoed, shaking his head.

“What?” Spook asked out loud, looking at his teammates, oblivious. “What’d I do?”

The rest of Paranormal Five’s members rolled their eyes, angry that their leader had exposed vital information to their rival. Dante smirked and didn’t want this to go on any further.

“Don’t worry, kids,” he reassured Paranormal Five as he took his second drink from the waitress. He drank some of it and added, “I only go for big sport than mediocre crap like that.”

The young maverick glowered.

“Whatever, Han Solo,” Spook spat, fully knowing how much Dante hated that name. “What? You don’t see our case worthy enough to peek your interest? Is that it? You’re too good to sit with the rest of us grunts or something?”

Dante made a face, his eyes intense. “Don’t ever call me that again, kid. Call me Han Solo one more time, I dare you, and you’ll find yourself two balls too short.”

Spook immediately shut up and blinked.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer suddenly yelled, “I give you our next performer and Bloody Mary Gin’s challenger: Rainbow!”

Aggravated and no longer amused, Dante looked away from Paranormal Five and focused on the second stage in the club. As the crowd cheered in anticipation, he checked his watch. Seth had more than half an hour to fix himself up. Hopefully, Seth got it together by now. Sighing, Dante leaned back on his chair, propping his feet on the table. He gazed forward as the curtains slowly pulled apart.

Dante immediately frowned.

A tall Goth in his mid-twenties appeared center stage, sporting a chained piercing that linked his nose to his ear and another from his mouth to the other ear. His eyebrows, ears, nose, and dark purple lips were loaded with more rings and chains. Donning a dirty yellow meshed shirt, a heavily buttoned Army General’s jacket, and torn army pants that were cuffed up to the knees, this man didn’t appear to be in the mood to play soft-core music. He wore his knee-high black boots with steel tips as if he was set to kill someone. Heavy black eyeliner and a buzz cut that showed only specks of green hair made him even less approachable.

Fuck, Dante thought, staring at the Goth man on stage. He growled and removed his feet from the table. That prick, he fumed to himself, pissed off at Seth. He didn’t make it on time. He didn’t make his curtain call and now his slot was being taken away by this guy.

“Rainbow!” Damsel yelled abruptly.

Dante blinked and sighed in relief at the same time. Good. The asshole showed up. Dante searched the club to locate Seth. After a few seconds of not finding him, however, he checked with Damsel to know where she spotted him.

Damsel’s lips were curved into a goofy grin; her cheeks blushing. It was as if she had seen something divine and wonderful. Covering her mouth to muffle her sound, she laughed.

Dante frowned. Where the hell was Seth? He didn’t see him anywhere. Dante observed the club again but couldn’t find the handsome brunette. He was tempted to directly ask Damsel where he was until he noticed the direction she kept looking at. Her eyes stayed glued to the man on stage. Curious, Dante returned his attention back to the Gothic performer. Squinting his eyes, he realized that he had a familiar physique. Even his milky-white skin reminded him of…

“Holy shit,” Dante murmured to himself.

The paranormal investigator immediately stood from his seat, his eyes wide and alert. With a sharper eye, Dante studied the man again and noted more subtle details. High cheekbones. Wide, pitch black eyes. Long lashes. Prominently-shaped brows. And a Texas-shaped birthmark right at the abdominal area, barely visible though the meshed shirt.

Good god, it was Seth!

“Sit down,” someone complained from behind.

Dante slowly sat in his seat again. He stared numbly at the man on stage, the same man who had decorated his face with so much metal that it shamed a Christmas tree. The same man who also had shaved off his hair! Jesus. Granted, Dante was worried Seth didn’t have his heart set on this gig. Seth had a little more than half an hour to come up with something spectacular. Last Dante left him, though, he was getting screwed by a sadistic and large man. But now… His lovely and feminine-looking man was… brutally rough and almost frightening to look at it.

When the first notes from a guitar echoed across the club, Dante silenced his thoughts. Singing ‘Lullaby’ by the Cure, Seth’s voice was as lovely as the first time he heard it. Each note was precise and tender. Yet, there was a hint of frustration in his voice and the way he plucked his guitar. The metal head sang with a furious passion, a passion Dante hadn’t heard in such a very long time, amidst the Whitney Houston and Duran Duran songs.

Once the initial shock of losing the man he used to know dissipated, Dante was enchanted by the new and dark flower that emerged in his place. Seth’s pale white skin and dark make-up made him sensual in a different way. His sensuality wasn’t colorful. Nor was it full of flamboyant flare. Seth was a man struck in the rebellious phase of the eighties, where metal heads took no bullshit from anyone. But what was Seth rebelling against, Dante wondered. Half an hour ago Seth was being royally screwed, unable to think beyond lust. And now he was on stage, singing with a powerful voice and sporting a different look.

The entire club was silenced, meanwhile, at awe with the metal head. As he sang like an angel, singing to an eerie song from the eighties, modern metal heads nodded in approval. Punk rocker enthusiasts also enjoyed the various tones and pitches. Even the club’s waitresses and bartenders paused from their rounds and studied the man onstage, impressed by the sounds that came from his powerful voice.

Dante heard his heart pound loudly in his chest as Seth’s husky voice reached him from across the club. The air seemed hard to swallow. The taste of the liquor in his mouth was bitter. Somehow, everything in the club seemed insignificant and flawed, all except for the man on stage, the man who represented the universe. Seth’s voice soared, touching the very center of his soul. It was practically unnatural, not of this world. Dante had a sudden urge to approach Seth on stage and passionately kiss the tender lips he enjoyed tasting. Dante thought it was amazing that this man, this dark and bizarre creature, belonged to him. No other man or woman could have him.

“Damn, Rainbow is good,” Dante heard Spook say. For once, the young investigator didn’t sound like a jackass.

“Yeah, he is,” replied Damsel softly. “He’s got the whole club watching him.”

“Dudes, he’s definitely gonna win this,” remarked Agent Scully, videotaping his performance. “I totally love the new ‘do too. Maybe I’ll shave my head off too.”

Radar chuckled.

“I didn’t think he’d go through and shave off his head like he told me this morning,” Damsel said with a grin, “but he did.”

At this, Dante frowned and turned to face Damsel curiously. “You talked to Seth this morning?”

Damsel blinked, her face slowly blushed pink. The rest of her group sat in silence, surprised by Dante’s sudden inquiry.

Dante didn’t care that they were uncomfortable by it. He needed to know. It was strange to hear that Seth still kept in contact with her. It was also odd that he called her today, telling her what he planned to do. It was no wonder why Damsel laughed and immediately recognized Seth. Was he jealous that Damsel knew beforehand what Seth planned to do with himself? Maybe. Seth had several hours to himself before he called him to meet at the abandoned building. It was both interesting and somewhat disturbing to learn he was talking to Damsel during those hours in between.

“Well?” Dante pressed on.

Paranormal Five gave each other anxious looks. Spook, himself, was baffled and looked at Damsel with a peculiar face. Damsel fidgeted in her chair, as if she was caught in a messy situation.

“Well, uh, we talked for awhile,” Damsel confessed, looking up at him. “That was it.”

Dante studied her for awhile. He watched her pupils slightly shift, an indication that she was holding something back.

“Dante…” she said slowly, almost unsure, “I’ve been wondering… Is Rainbow all right?”

He glanced at her sideways. “What do you mean?”

Damsel opened her mouth. Then she shook her head and continued watching Seth’s performance. In a quiet voice, she finally said, “Never mind. Forget it.”

As if sensing her distress, Spook spoke shortly after her.

“Maybe we outta call it a night, guys?” he said, looking at his team.

“Yeah, dude,” Agent Scully agreed and put his cell phone away. “We got a profile shot of everyone here and we ain’t seen shit happened.”

“Hrr… Yeah,” Chewbacca muttered. “Let’s vavoom and analyze our data at home. Curfew is coming up anyway.”

“Hold on, he’s here,” said Radar, frowning. “We should stay longer. He’s here, man. I can sense it. Don’t you?”

Agent Scully gave him an ugly look. “The only bad vibe I’m getting is from my stomach, dude. We can find our monster dude with the video I got of everyone. Let’s go, dude, I’m hungry.”

After a few minutes of debate, Paranormal Five agreed to leave. Damsel nervously looked between Dante and Seth. She waved ‘bye’ to Dante, then to the performer. Dante’s eyes slightly glowed white when he noticed Seth smile back at Damsel. Right when he wanted to exchange a few words with Damsel, Spook got in front of his face. The young man seemed agitated.

“Just so you know, Dante, we’re not rookies,” he declared, “Don’t think we can’t beat you. We’re going to turn in the biggest find of the century.” He snapped on his goggles. “Just you wait.”

He walked off. It was a proud and defiant walk. It would’ve been badass too… if he didn’t accidentally bump into a drink server and send a heap of glasses and bottles crashing down. Dante shook his head and crossed his arms.

Once all members of Paranormal Five were gone, peace was restored and Seth was toward the end of his song. The crowd loved him. They gave him a standing ovation when his last note faded into silence.

Dante smiled and clapped. He wished he was in a better mood, though. While he hated to admit it, Spook was in the lead. As immature and ill-equipped as his team was, they were making progress in their investigation. As for him? While he made a few efforts to find the perpetrator, he was unwilling to fully commit to his assignment, afraid of what he would find. He had a suspect but didn’t want to dive into his life. Rather, he wanted to pretend all was well and that the little voice inside his head was nothing more than a paranoid liar. But he couldn’t ignore the voice for long. He had to find and accept whatever truth he discovered, however harsh it would be.

Looking at Seth on the stage, singing and smiling, Dante prayed his suspicions were wrong. For once, he didn’t want to be right. For once, he wanted to be like Radar, ninety-nine percent always wrong.
- 21
- 22
- 23
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

MONSTER