Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

MONSTER	By : Radius Category: +A through F > Devil May Cry Views: 10984 -:- 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
- 5
- 6
- 7
A/N: I didn’t think I’d be able to post this week, considering deadlines and projects but, hey, I made time. ^_^ Things are slowly trending along in the town-with-no-name, LOL. I swear, I should probably call Dante’s city ‘Springfield’ or something. :-p

Not any action in this chapter for all you yaoi/hentai-onlookers but hey, you get to visit Seth’s landlord and relate to a problem I’m sure we’ve all encountered before. >_< Recently, I heavily edited the chapter I just created. Sorry hentai/groupie fans. While the chapter provided some really steamy hentai group action starring our favorite demon hunter, it just slowed the tempo of the story. So yes, this may be p0rn to many people, but it’s p0rn with plot damn it. :-p Anywho, enjoy the recent chapter. Same place and same time for the next one. ;-)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<< | One Fine Raining Day | >>

Blood. It soiled and preserved the meaty flesh trapped beneath the skin. Wrapped around bones and stretched to accommodate specific spaces of the body, the meat was considered a delicacy in its own right. Its heavy aroma could be smelled even with the numerous textures that overlapped it. Consumed with essential protein, just the thought of tasting it ignited a hunger that remained unsatisfied. Velvet. Soft. Thick. Tender. Wet. Yes, the urge to seek more of the substance was always high on the agenda. And it was absolutely wonderful to be surrounded by different kinds of animals that harbored the precious cargo in their fragile bodies, both tiny and large. Their blood served as a coinciding beverage, a beverage reserved only for the brave and powerful. But none was as exotic and brilliant as the blood from humans. Indeed, their blood was saturated with numerous flavors, all provided by their daily diets. Sweets. Spices. And everything else that was nice. Their encoded recipes brought about a powerful longing that needed to be met soon. It had to be met.

But not yet. There would be a time, yes, but not right now. Caution and close observation were the key words of the day. Day by day. Week by week. Only eat what could be had and leave all else for tomorrow. Tomorrow, after all, was only a day away. Sink the teeth during the sleeping hours and target only those who could easily be forgotten. Those were the rules. Those were always the rules. Restraint was a tortuous lesson to learn, but certainly a necessary one. The absence of it provoked unexpected results, none of which were appropriate during this fragile time.

But oh, there goes another. She was a plumped woman with meat that expressed rich smells. She had a heavy diet of sugar and meat. Just an hour ago she ate a bagel with white cheese spread and a cup of latte. How absolutely exquisite she looked in that flabby skin of hers. It was more attractive than the flimsy cloth that concealed her. Her round cheeks were practically edible. Imagine peeling them off like butter, one thin slice at a time. Likewise, the curvy legs that shined against the afternoon sun. They’d make for a nice chucky meal. And those small digits that represented her fingers, ah, yes. Pluck one off at a time and hours of sucking and tasting could be had. Yes, she certainly was an eyeful. Would it be wrong to have her? Would it be against the rules?

The summer days set to come, the hunger was certainly going to be a difficult time. Self-control was practically thrown out the window. No way would the rules apply then. Sweets. Spices. And everything nice. They would call to the nose from all corners of the world. They would force an undeniable reaction to occur. It was just the way the body worked. It was no more different than a vulture swooping down to the profound stench of death. The call of the hunger was too great to deny. Cast a man in a deserted island with no other food resources than his fellow mate and sooner or later the hunger would strike one of them. Murder or survival? The answer depended only on society’s standards, standards that separated the ‘civilized’ from the ‘uncivilized.’ The animal from the human. The good from bad. And yet, how ironic a society so bent on morality would sell its soul for money, power, and glory. Humans. Their morbid ideals and dreams probably created the unique flavor their meats possessed.

Damn the sleeper who felt otherwise. His animal would eventually awaken. It was inevitable. For now, though, leave the sleeper his illusions.

***

Seth felt weird and he knew what that sensation entailed. His stomach had been growling all day, even after a heavy breakfast. Dante had a big appetite himself, caused by his own abnormality, but even he had to comment and chuckle at the funny sounds his stomach continuously made. It was downright embarrassing for Seth. It was almost the equivalent of throwing a fart.

Currently riding a bus with several bags of groceries on his lap, Seth wanted so much to tell his bodily functions to fuck off. Unfortunately, it was just one of those days where he simply had to cope with it. To make matters worse, Dante’s bike had broken down earlier in the day and they were stranded in the middle of the road. Two hours later, it took a bit of consolation on Seth’s part to calm Dante down when the estimates came in. The detective silently gave the repair man the ‘evil glare’. Even if they knew each other for only awhile, Seth had quickly picked up on some his partner’s habits and knew that ‘look’ was something he never wished on anyone. Eventually, things got a little better. They took the bus and hit the local food market to purchase food items and try out various samples. Several times they were scolded for taking more than their share. When it was time for checkout, each employee in the store made a mental note to themselves to look out for these guys in the future.

Seth’s stomach growled again. It was a long and very powerful echo. Immediately, Seth wanted to disappear. He hoped the people surrounding him in the bus spoke loud enough to distract Dante from hearing his tummy’s rumblings. As best he could, he chewed on his lip and tried to focus on the music emitting from his earphones. After awhile, however, Seth fidgeted with his grocery bags just to create a lot of sounds to counter the ones his body kept making. But who was he kidding? The man sitting next to him had the ears of a well trained canine. Dante heard him loud and clear.

It was bad enough that his stomach was making him the joke of the century in front of a handsome man who no longer viewed him as Godlike and flawless, but then other people started to notice. Unaware of where it was coming from, an old woman sitting behind him made a rude comment while a young hoodlum mistook the noises for farting and laughed. As more people tuned into the sound, Seth flushed even more and looked through his window, hoping to find a professional sniper at the edge of a roof somewhere, ready to end his misery. His eyes found a cloudy sky instead.

There was an old saying that practically applied to any city where people griped about the weather: if you don’t like the weather, wait fifteen minutes. Apparently, a lot of people didn’t like the lovely and warm climates these past few weeks because it was raining terribly today. The forecast announced it’d be raining throughout the rest of the day with a strong chance of more tomorrow.

Seth didn’t mind. He always loved the rain and it helped distract him from his current crisis. Rain was fun and smelled absolutely beautiful. Even if he preferred to be in the presence of lively hues, he enjoyed the monochromatic colors the sky so dramatically conveyed. The fresh breeze that slithered through the mean streets of this town was also a welcoming feeling. It was as if Mother Nature was stopping by for a visit, pushing aside heat waves and smog. He was glad they forgot to bring an umbrella.

He felt Dante nudge him on the waist suddenly. Realizing they were near their drop-off point, Seth pulled down on the cord above him to ring the bell. Lowering his earphones and turning off his walkman, he was relieved. At last, he could get away from these people who kept fussing about his growling stomach. He could probably say a few things back to them too, like their funky smells. The old woman hadn’t brushed her teeth for eight days while the young hoodlum still laughing was suffering from a case of bad diarrhea and just shitted on himself a bit. Seth chose to let it go and stood up with Dante instead.

The moment the bus doors opened both of them ran for cover. Carrying bags of groceries, they maneuvered around other running pedestrians. Seth let the rain wash over his face, loving the coolness in the air. It was days like this where he wished he were back in the grassy fields of a countryside place he grew up in a long, long time ago, wearing only the skin given to him. Granted, he hated going back to that place in his life. It was too depressing. But certainly, the rain brought about images he loved and adored as a child. A low growl from Dante quickly transported him back to reality, however. Whereas he was having the time of his life, his companion certainly wasn’t.

“Shit,” spat Dante. “Goddamn rain…”

“Ah, c’mon, rain’s awesome.”

“Awesome, huh? Well, tell that to my soaked feet.”

“Rain cleanses the soul and empowers the body.”

“Yeah. And it also fucks up leather.”

Seth rolled his eyes. “You’re so pessimistic sometimes. You need to set your priorities straight.”

“We all got our priorities, Seth. At the top of my list are: leather, guns, and rock n’ roll.” He heard Seth’s stomach moan and grinned. “Yours must be food, food, and more food.”

“Fuck you.”

“By all means, please.”

Dante absolutely hated rain. Half of his leather coats were destroyed because of it. With the roads too slippery and his bike still making fits, they had to settle for public transportation to get around. It was times like this Dante wished he didn’t trade his last car for a bike. Sure, the motorcycle helped create the badass image he was shooting for. But in times like this, with the rain pissing from the sky and his feet feeling squishy and wet inside his boots? Fuck the image.

Meanwhile, Seth was laughing as they drew closer to his apartment only a few blocks away. From time to time the brunette raised his head up to the sky and drank droplets. Sighing, Dante reminded him it wasn’t clean and the pollution here was terrible. Still, his enthusiastic companion didn’t care and kept sticking his tongue out. Seth was always funny like that and Dante had to smile. They finally stopped at the corner of the street and waited for the light to turn for them.

“Let’s run it,” suggested Dante and looked both ways, even as cars whooshed by.

“But the light, we need to wait. Jaywalking is against the law, isn’t it?”

“Please. Rules are made to be broken.” He moved one bag to the other hand and wiped rain from his eyes. “You can stay here if you’d like. I’m crossing.”

Dante took two steps into the street. While he avoided a car, the vehicle sent a wave of water over his entire body, immediately drenching him. Seth guffawed.

“Jerk off, stop laughing.”

“Aw, c’mon, wait with me,” Seth yelled over the pouring rain and smiled brightly. “Five seconds late, five seconds sooner, it doesn’t matter. You’ll still end up in the same place I’ll be.”

Stubborn, Dante kept going. He dodged another car and got splashed again. At last, he made it to the other side. Wet from head to toe, Dante gave Seth a smirk and pulled his hair out of his face.

“See ya, babe.”

“Oh, so you’re just going to leave me behind, huh?”

“Basically, yeah,” Dante replied and nodded, soon chuckling. He started walking away.

Seth wanted to follow him but decided against it. He waited for the walking sign to activate and bit on his lower lip. Admittedly, he felt a bit peeved at how willingly Dante was in abandoning him. The investigator didn’t bother looking back either. For what seemed like centuries, the light finally switched from a hand sign to a person walking. Seth crossed the street, hurrying to catch up to Dante. He heard the screech of a car’s tires, however. Turning, he realized a driver had tried to outrun the street light but didn’t have time to put on the brakes when he saw him. The wet road made it impossible for the driver to stop and Seth had to leap out of the way to avoid a head-on collision.

Seth landed on all fours, sliding a bit on the slippery ground. His movement was efficient enough to put him on the other side of the road. His groceries, however, didn’t fare too well. Mumbling a curse word, Seth heard the car splashing behind him and saw all of his groceries sprawled over the sidewalk. He sat at a squat position, soon covering his face with both hands. The adrenaline rush passed and the rain was no longer fun anymore.

While trying to gather himself together, Seth heard the loud clacking of leather boots hitting the wet pavement. He looked up and saw Dante running toward him. Seth sighed, half expecting the wise-ass detective to come up with a rude remark at his expense. Surprisingly, though, Dante didn’t. The silver haired man blinked once at him before running straight to the middle of the road, looking at the direction the car drove off at.

“You fucking son-of-a-bitch,” he barked after the driver heading off, angry. “If I ever see you again I’ll slice off your fucking balls and shove them right down your damn throat.” He breathed heavy and growled. Then he returned to Seth and helped gather his groceries. “Shit, Seth. Are you all right?”

Seth had to smile. “I am now.”

Once they collected all of his purchases, they stood away from the curb. Dante inspected Seth’s body, adjusting his own bags to free up a hand.

“No cuts? Bruises?” he asked while running his hand over the other man, checking for injuries.

“I’m fine, really. Let’s just get the hell out of here.”

“Damn people,” Dante muttered and looked back at the road. “That was a red light.”

“Yeah, but rules are made to be broken, eh?” Seth snickered. Groceries back in hand, he hugged Dante and with an exaggerated voice said, “My hero!”

Dante pushed him off and punched his shoulder.

“Owie…”

“Asshole. Watch the road next time.”

Dante didn’t say anything else and walked with Seth the rest of the way. The next time they stopped at a light the detective waited with him.

Even if the investigator proved to be an asshole himself, Seth read through his lines. Dante was a block away when the car almost hit him. Meaning, he really hustled his ass to reach him on time. While Seth wasn’t too concerned since it took more than a car to kill him, he was glad Dante cared enough to come back. Perhaps his macho and indifferent attitude was nothing more than a front.

Seth imagined Dante had a messy history. It was probably why he avoided talking about his pendant. Just a glance into his eyes and Seth saw a man holding something deep and heavy inside his soul. There was pain. There was misery. And there was rage. Indeed, Dante’s barriers were strong and thick that he wondered what it was that made the investigator the way he was. Over and over again, Dante reminded him about the nature of their ‘association,’ as if he were afraid of what lay beyond those boundaries. He seemed frightened by the prospect of being adored as a human being than a mere sexual object.

Seth had trouble giving Dante what he wanted. Physical attraction brought them together but he felt some type of bond starting to form with him. Was it too early to hope for more? Did they have a chance at something incredible and everlasting? Sure, they only met a few days ago. And yeah, most of their time was spent screwing around. But Dante came back to him, both yesterday and today. They had good conversations. They had great laughs. He played guitar too. Hell, Dante was helping him carry groceries to his apartment today. Most importantly, he’d seen the investigator interact with others and noticed how quiet and reserved he was with them, nowhere near as vocal as he was with him. Surely, it wasn’t just about sex.

They made it to his apartment building at last and ran up the flight of stairs that led to the double-door entrance. Seth grinned when he reached it first and knew Dante wasn’t going to let him win next time. Standing close together, they went through the doors and saw several tenants waiting outside the apartment’s large elevator. Most of them were drenched from the rain. Currently, they were busy talking about the rain and the recent murders. Seth wanted to hear more but immediately frowned when he saw his landlord among the group. Wearing an ugly look on his face, Mr. Popovich was a dangerously thin man with only a few strands of gray hair popping from his greasy, wrinkled head. Seth wanted to use the stairs just then until he called him out.

“Seth,” he grumbled, “Get over here. Now.”

Seth chewed on his lip and motioned for Dante to stay where he was. His companion nodded and patiently waited by the crowd.

“Uh… yes, Mr. Popovich?” Seth asked as he approached.

The landlord stuffed his hands in his pockets and took several steps away from the group so they’d have more privacy. In a low voice, he said, “I’ve been hearing complaints lately. A lot, in fact.”

Seth took a deep breath. “Really?”

Mr. Popovich glowered. “Listen, I don’t care for your type of… lifestyle. Just keep it down. There are families in here. The Sterlings have come up to me twice, telling me some disturbing things. Screaming. Moaning. Whipping sounds. Someone even mentioned nursery music. I don’t know what that’s about, but does any of that ring a bell, son?”

Seth blushed red. “Um, my TV… It can get… loud.”

“You keep it down,” he told him firmly and looked back at Dante. “Go to a motel room if you and your friend need some time alone. I don’t care. I just better not hear another complaint.”

Seth sucked on his lip, agitated. The man in room 619 had women over all the time and made enough noise to compete with the people two levels down. He even made out on the hallway. Nobody came after him. Seth fought back the urge to point that out, though, and nodded his head in compliance.

“Yes, Mr. Popovich. I’ll keep it down.”

Before Seth turned around, the landlord caught his shoulder. He gave him a large brown envelope. “Here. This came to my room this morning. It’s for you. Make sure to give your friends and folks the correct number to your mailbox. I’m not going to do this for you again. If your mail gets lost, it gets lost.”

“Sure, Mr. Popovich.”

“I mean it,” continued the landlord, “I’ll throw anything that doesn’t belong to me.”

“Yes. Mr. Popovich. I understand.” Seth studied the large envelope, noticing how light it was. There was no return address and it smelled of perfume. He sneezed.

“And another thing…”

Seth swallowed hard but kept it together. “Yes, Mr. Popovich?”

“Your rent…”

“I already sent it to you yesterday, Mr. Popovich.”

“Yes. But when I say eight o’ clock sharp I mean eight o’ clock sharp. Not eight o’ three.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich. Eight o’ clock.”

“Don’t be giving me any attitude.”

“Huh…?”

“There. See? You’ve got that tone in your voice. I don’t want to hear that again.”

“Um… Okay, Mr. Popovich…”

“Don’t be a smart ass either. No one likes a smart ass. You remember what I said.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

“And remember what I said about keeping it down.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

“And the mail.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

“No more funny business.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

“Go to a motel.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

“Eight o’ clock.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

“No more attitude.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

“Okay, Seth. You may go.”

“Yes, Mr. Popovich.”

Seth slowly took several steps away from his landlord. He took his time since Mr. Popovich was infamous for yelling at his tenants, accusing them of leaving abruptly and writing them up. Once Seth thought he was in the clear, he nodded to Dante. His companion followed and they used the stairs.

“So that’s your landlord, huh?” Dante started as they climbed up. “He’s a real…”

“Not now,” Seth interrupted, “The man’s old but his hearing isn’t …”

Chuckling, Dante understood and the two silently traveled upward in a long, continuous staircase that broke left at every even interval. It was until they were halfway up, after ascending six flights of stairs and too deep to be really heard that Seth started to breathe and relax again.

“I really hate that man,” he bitterly stated. “Ever since I came here he’s tried to find an excuse to nail me to a wall.”

Dante chortled again. “Oh, he wants to nail you all right.”

“Please, don’t make me laugh. His dick is too cold that it’s likely to break off.”

Dante’s laugh grew louder. Seth smiled back and took a break. His stomach yelled to him and he frowned. He sat in the middle of a flight of steps and pulled out a can of Big Red soda from his grocery bag, hoping to postpone his hunger with a sugar rush.

“It’s going to get worse if he ever gets that new security system installed,” he said after taking a swallow. “No visitors will be allowed during evening hours.”

“Looks like I’ll have to sneak in through the air vents then.” Dante joined Seth on the steps.

“Frankly, I hope this whole security upgrade thing blows over and many people reject the idea. They have friends and relatives coming over at night too, so they’re affected with the decision.”

“Doubt they will reject it, though.” When Seth gave him an inquisitive look, Dante added, “I overheard what those folks downstairs were talking about. It seems they’re pretty spooked.”

“The murders…” mumbled Seth quietly. He held onto his soda tightly. “What’d they say?”

“The police found another body this morning, about a block away. They haven’t identified it since it was severely mutilated beyond recognition.” Dante looked at him seriously. “According to them, there’ve been six others spotted around this area. Is this true?”

Seth slowly nodded.

“Jesus, Seth. I had no idea.” Dante looked at a window directly across them. Streaks of rain slid sideways on the glass. A crack of lightening struck. In a low voice he inserted, “Be careful. I don’t want you walking the streets late at night anymore. If you need a ride or something, call me. Okay?”

“All right…” Seth drank a bit of his soda and paused. He studied the lid and seemed distracted. “According to the news, it’s a wild animal on the loose. What do you think?”

“I don’t know. I need proper evidence to form a conclusion.”

“Are you… going to investigate this?”

Dante thought a moment. Then he shook his head. “No. I’m sitting this one out. I’m on vacation. I’ll let the cops handle it and put them to work for a change.” He licked his lips and after a long time added, “Though, I might just get some people to look after this area. Just in case.”

Seth laughed a little. Dante was stubborn even when he didn’t want to be. “How long is your vacation, by the way?”

“Until I no longer want one.” Dante exhaled loudly and lay back against the steps, folding his arms behind his head. “I’ve been investigating for many, many, many years. And I’ve seen a lot of cases that were a lot worse than the one going on right now. I figure I owe myself a couple of weeks off. And besides, I’m only up for big and rare sport. I hate wasting my time with the trivial.”

“Big and rare sport? What would qualify as that? The Loch Ness monster?”

“You ass. No. Something bigger.”

“Like what?”

Dante shrugged. “Anything that takes more than five bullets to kill and can still move if I chop off two of its limps.”

Seth felt a bit disturbed and wanted to change the subject. He put his soda down and dug into his raincoat, eventually pulling out a metal coiled object. Seth moved its end back and forth with his hands.

“So listen, since today’s weather is real crappy, how’s about we go out for a movie tomorrow? You could even show me some hot spots.”

Dante looked at him. He didn’t like the way that sounded like a date. Rather than remark on it, however, he asked, “What the hell is that?”

“What?”

“In your hand.”

“Huh, you’ve never seen a slinky before?”

“Good lord, not those damn things again. I thought that was a slinky.”

Seth grinned and let go of the coiled object. As the single-helix object walked down one step at a time, he sang loudly, “It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, for fun it’s a wonderful toy. It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, it’s fun for a girl and a boy.”

The spiraled toy finally stopped and Seth stood to reclaim it with a proud look on his face.

“I swear, Seth, you’re such an eighties freak. I mean… damn.” Dante could only shake his head. “Do you always have that toy on you?”

“No. I brought it today because Sarah, from the Toy Collector store nearby, wanted to see it. It’s an original, you see, made during the forties.” He climbed the steps and stood over Dante. “So? Are we set for a movie tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.” Dante sat up. “I’m having a drink with a friend of mines.”

“A friend?”

“Yeah.”

It was just Enzo, of course. His informant was trying to bribe him into taking the assignment involving the latest murders. It was his third attempt. Nonetheless, Dante didn’t feel like going into details. Seth didn’t need to know anything about his business life anyway.

“Well…” started Seth, “What time will you be done? I’m available until nine in the evening.”

“Look, I don’t know how long it’ll last. I don’t think we can do a movie.”

Dante hoped his answer subtly clarified things. They weren’t on a dating phase. They were just… somewhere else down the road. He found it annoying how Seth kept trying to change that.

“How’s about we leave it to the slinky?” the brunette asked and smiled a little. “Whoever goes further gets to determine what happens.”

“I’m not canceling my appointment, Seth, even if you win.”

“Okay… But breakfast. Early breakfast, how about that?”

“Seth… No.”

“Lunch? Or brunch?”

“Damn it, Seth…”

The other man chewed on his lower lip. “So… you don’t want to see me at all tomorrow?”

Dante sighed. He really wanted to see him but couldn’t afford to give Seth the slightest impression they were headed somewhere. All day long, it’d been like this. He offered to help with the groceries after they met up. It seemed reasonable enough. But then Seth started playing the role of boyfriend. Let’s make dinner. What type of desert do you want me to make? Strawberry sundae? Ha, look at us, don’t we make a funny pair? It was those exact types of comments that nearly drove him to a wall. For shit’s sake, they only met a few days ago and he made his intentions clear. Couldn’t Seth respect his decision, his wishes? He didn’t want a relationship. Period.

Dante stood up and looked at the brunette man in front of him. He had to draw the line somewhere.

“I’m sorry. But no, I don’t want to see you tomorrow. And frankly… you need to cool off.”

“What do you mean?”

“This. Us. You keep thinking we’re a pair, but we aren’t. Stop trying to make it happen. I enjoy your company but please, don’t ruin it. I already set my boundaries.”

Seth set his eyes on the steps. “I’m, uh, sorry, you feel that way.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Oh, I know, I know. And… thanks for pointing that out. I just thought…” He shook his head. “Never mind. Let’s just get these bags upstairs.”

He started climbing. Dante followed. With the exception of Seth’s hungry stomach, the rest of the way was pretty silent. Dante knew Seth was pissed. He had an annoying habit of chewing on his lip whenever things disturbed him. When they finally reached his floor and stood outside his place, Dante watched Seth struggle between his bags and the door. The smell of perfume forced him to wrinkle his nose. It came from the envelope tucked under his arm.

“Who’s that from?”

Seth followed the direction of his gaze. He shrugged. “I don’t know. No return address.”

“A girlfriend?” joked Dante.

When Seth only smiled, he frowned and studied the envelope again. The other man was too busy to notice the subtle looks, though, only focused on getting his door opened. Seth adjusted the bags slightly for a better reach. It took him a few moments to get the keys into their intended slot. A small click later, though, and he was inside. Seth dropped his bags on the floor.

“Go ahead and drop them here. I’ll put everything away. Thanks for helping me.” He paused. “You should get going. The rain looks to be getting bad.”

It was just as he suspected. Dante translated that last part as, Fuck you. I don’t want to see you right now. He looked at the envelope.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Have fun tomorrow, okay?”

His voice sounded genuine and Dante had to rethink his translation. Admittedly, he was baffled by how well Seth took to being rejected. Then again, Seth didn’t do confrontations. Either nothing really ate at him or he was a passive man, the type of guy that ran away from a problem.

“Like I said before, I’m going to be busy around nine in the evening,” mentioned Seth, “Leave a message if you decide to call and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Okay?”

Dante looked at the envelope and inhaled another whiff of the perfume. He wondered if Damsel wore that fragrance. Then he wondered about Seth’s meeting.

“Maybe lunch,” he finally decided.

Already on the other side of the door, Seth pursed his lips. “Huh?”

“Lunch. Tomorrow. That sounds all right.”

Seth raised his eyebrows. “You sure?”

“Yeah. We’ll do lunch.”

“Oh…” Seth grinned. “Okay. That sounds terrific.”

Dante considered saying something else. He remained silent, though, and started heading back the way he came from.

From the door, Seth watched him disappear behind the staircase’s door. He kept his smile. Dante sure was a funny guy. He said one thing, only to say the complete opposite. Perhaps there was hope after all. Perhaps the unmovable could be moved. His mind already busy with tomorrow’s possibilities, Seth closed the door and checked his messages.

***

                Damsel quickly grabbed her bag and ran from the kitchen to the living room. The screaming banshee, otherwise known as her mother, was in one of her bad moods again. Cursing, spitting, and carrying a bat, Damsel ducked any time she swung at her. She knew the destructive sound of glass shattering was loud enough for the neighbors to hear and call the cops. Damsel wanted to scream for them not to, but she was too busy running for her life. It was yet another horrible and unforgiving ordeal for Damsel-in-Distress. Sometimes she wished she never crawled out her mother’s womb.

Today, was supposed to be simple. She’d just gotten out of work and told Spook to pick her up since they were going to investigate the recent body that popped up yesterday. But she needed to shower and change. Unfortunately, things took a nasty turn when she opened her door and encountered a woman who was convinced she harbored Satan’s child and needed to be destroyed.

It was a mental illness her mother had developed and only escalated. Damsel did her best to conceal her mother from the world; fearful authorities would step in and lock her in a mental ward. She hated facing the reality of it all. She hated how nobody could understand the misunderstood. Some people couldn’t help themselves. Her mother wasn’t always like this and she still remembered the birthday parties she threw for her. It was easy to call someone a deranged lunatic if no one really knew them. So long as it wasn’t a relative of theirs, everything was written in black and white.

Her mother wasn’t a monster.

                “Diiiiiieeeeee!” screeched the woman wearing only her household slippers.

                Barely ducking in time, Damsel ran to the restroom and quickly latched the door. She heard her mother banging loudly from the other side with her bat. The hinges quivered and Damsel hoped they kept in place. She took a deep breath and checked herself on the mirror, fixing her hair. So far she was doing fine and dandy. No bruises or life-threatening wounds. No marks. With the exception of her heart beating fast and her mother violently hitting the door, she was doing all right. Sighing in relief, she turned to her right and started getting the window to open. Any moment Spook was going to call and she needed to be outside when it happened.

                “Diiiiiieeeeee…!” screamed her mother again.

The door’s hinges budged and Damsel struggled with the window a little harder. It was still raining outside and she mentally kicked herself for not grabbing her rain jacket. Then again, she didn’t have time to think. Her mind only registered bat. Damsel grunted as she tried to lift the window up. These old houses were notorious for clamping up. It was times like this that she wished she invested in a chainsaw. Rather than curse and get lost in a sea of frustration, however, she had to remember that Paranormal Five was her ticket of getting out of the hellhole she found herself in.

                Her cell phone rang. Damn.

                “Uh, hello?”

                “We’re outside,” Spook’s voice said on the other line. “Hurry, since the rain’s pretty horrible.”

“Diiiiieeeeee…!” her mother yelled.

“Sure, no prob,” Damsel told him, calm-like.

“Er… is she in one of her… moods?”

“Yep.”

“Meat cleaver again?”

“Nope. An aluminum bat.”

“Want us to come in?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’m going through a window so I’ll be out in a minute.” Her phone beeped. “Hold on, someone else is calling.”

“Diiiieeeee, spawn of hell!”

“Hello?”

                “Damsel?”

The multi-haired woman lit up. “Oh my god! Rainbow!”

“I’m so sorry I haven’t called you sooner, hon. I just checked my messages. Are you busy?”

                “You can’t escape meeeeee…!”

                “Huh, what was that?”

                “Um. TV.” Damsel tried the window again. It was still stuck. Just her luck. She tried to keep her voice very casual, even as her mother kept banging on the door. “So, wow, I didn’t think you’d ever call.”

                “Yeah, about that, I feel so terrible. My life’s still… a mess. And I haven’t finished completing your survey. Heh, I’m trying to edit it.”

                Damsel grinned. “You must have a lot to say.”

                “I guess I do. Anyway, I’ll have it done by tonight. Promise.”

                Her phone beeped.

                “Hold on, will ya, Rainbow?”

                “Sure, sweetie.”

                “Get out of there, Devil’s whore! Noooooooow…!” The door’s hinges trembled.

                “Hello?”

                “Er, I think the cops are coming,” Spook said. “We can see them flashing from where we are. Um, want us to stall ‘em or something?”

                “Crap.”

                “Dude,” she overheard Agent Scully in the background, “Like, there are four squad cars coming down the hill. Better tell Damsel to shake her booty.”

                “Damsel, we’ll understand if you want to stay,” Spook spoke again.

                “I… No, I want to come with you guys.” She tried the window again. “Hold on, okay? I got someone important on the other line.” Damsel clicked on a button. “Rainbow?”

                “Diiiiiiieeee!”

                “I’m still here.”

                “Cool.” The window finally opened. Heavy rain drops fell over Damsel’s face. She blinked droplets from her eyes and bumped her head on the window’s sill. “Ouch.”

                “Are you okay? Seriously, did I call in a bad time?”

                “Diiiiiiiieeee! Diiiiiiiieeee! Diiiiiiiieeee…!” Her mother’s force was enough to really rattle the door, the wood creaking and snapping.

                “Nope.”

                “All right. If you say so. So where should I drop this when I’m done?”

                Damsel blushed and climbed through the window. “How’s about we meet tomorrow?”

                “Hmmm, I’d really like to but I’m having lunch with someone and I don’t know when that’s going to happen yet. I’m also scheduled to play at Wolfgang’s Pack around nine.”

                “Oh, wow, so you landed another act? That’s awesome!” Damsel laughed.

“Thanks. It should be… interesting.” On the other line, Seth chuckled. “So, how we meet at the early evening hours?”

                “Diiiiiieeeee!”

                “Huh?”

                “We can meet between six to eight o’ clock.”

                “Oh. Er, not good. I work during that time. How’s about the day after tomorrow?”

                “Sounds swell.”

                “Awesome.”

                “Diiiiiiiiiiieeee…!” The door finally gave way.

                “Shit! Bye!”

                “Huh? Damsel, sweetie, what’s going…?”

                She hated hanging up on Rainbow but had no choice. Hauling ass, she went all the way through the window and landed hard on the ground. Damsel was covered in mud, the rain falling on her. The young investigator didn’t have time to gripe about it. The sirens wailed loudly nearby and her mother popped her head out the window. Damsel half expected her to go through but she screamed instead, hissing.

                “The Devil’s fire, it burns, burns, burns!” Her mother retreated back inside.

                “Damsel!” someone called from behind.

                She turned and saw Spook running with an umbrella. A familiar black van was parked across the street. The slide door was opened and she saw Agent Scully, Chewbacca, and Radar looking at the scene.

Spook came within a foot and covered her from the rain with his umbrella. “Shit, Damsel. They’re coming. If you’re having second thoughts then stay.”

Damsel got up on her feet. “I’m a bit tired from all this crap.”

“No kidding.” He stopped for a moment. “So… what are you going to do?”

The young woman sighed and looked up at the two-storied old house with worn out paint. In her mind, she wanted to make it brand new again, to make it into the version she saw when she was a child. She heard the cops parking on the other side of her home and realized she couldn’t. The rain continued pouring and she looked back at Spook.

“Sorry, but… I guess I won’t be tagging along after all.”

He paused for a long time. Then he smiled. “It’s cool, Damsel. We understand. Tell me how everything went, though.”

Damsel nodded and Spook gave her his umbrella to keep her dry. It was a nice gesture, even if it caused Spook to be completely soaked in a matter of seconds. He gave her a wink before running to the black van parked across the house. Damsel noticed the disappointment in her team’s faces when they saw their leader return solo. They all respected her decision, though, and waved ‘bye’ to her. Before getting in, Spook gave her one last glance. His face expressed worry and sympathy. The door slid closed when he finally went inside. The van sputtered to life after a few moments and Damsel watched it drive off. The sound of something crashing inside the house, soon followed by yelling, brought her attention back to her house. She took a deep inhale and returned to the hellhole that was her life.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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