Chapter 15

The Case Continues

Vanessa watched the police continue their investigations in the crime scene and brought away most of the evidence. They were doing their very best to quicken their job to retain the peaceful state that it once was…if it could ever be considered peaceful, maybe for others who weren’t from this town or state could find it peaceful but to those who resides here and especially the parents of those teenagers…this was only their initial graveyard. If she believed in souls then they would have lingered here, waiting for their families to visit. She didn’t have much of an appetite when she constantly thought about it but nonetheless, she finished the hotdog and water that Reid had bought for her to refuel some energy before they carry on with their investigations. Resting or sleeping wasn’t an option if they could ingest some coffee or hold themselves a little more without feeling extreme exhaustion.

Now, she was sitting on the bench, waiting for Reid to finish whatever he needed with the police and thankfully she didn’t have to wait for long.

“Better with some food?” Reid asked with his hands in his pockets. Right, he had to provide Vanessa with some supplies. At least the basic ones that he had in his car so she could have some form of defense. The paper works could wait for later since he felt that she had more of the urge to continue this than discuss over matters that are obvious.

“Yeah…it was hard to swallow it, but I guess it’ll be enough to make me run if need to be.”

“Well, if you need anything else I have some energy bars in my car. Speaking of my car, come along with me. I’ll give you a gun and some other kits you might find handy before we carry on with tracking down whatever the monster is.” Reid said as he stood up. “Are you sure you don’t want to…you know, head back first to freshen up or something?”

Vanessa shook her head. “We’re already this far and we’re here so we might as well continue. I can do those later when we retrieve sufficient information.” She stood up and brushed her hair back. If only she had a hair tie to get it out of her face. “So, what are you waiting for? Lead the way to your car. I do hope you have something good.”

Reid was initially worried if she was going to opt out again but looking at her posture and the way she clenched her hands every time the case or the monster was mentioned told him that she was more determined than ever to carry on and finish what was started. It wasn’t that late yet so they could spare about three to four hours to look for evidence, clues and as much studies as they could about the monster.

“More like I hope you know how to use them after all these years.”

The car wasn’t that far but it wasn’t among the other cars. Reid unlocked it and opened the trunk, revealing all the necessity items inside. Reid took out a few guns and laid it for her to see and pick out her preference. He also took out some vests for her to store those items in, gloves and some masks.

“Aren’t you prepared to hire me?” Vanessa commented when she noticed how he had at least the basic items. A chuckle escaped Reid’s lips. “It’s not much and it’s just in case if someone is interested or someone needed some defense.”

“Sure…now do I pick any or?”

“Pick any and keep any. Just in case you need it but it’s fine if you don’t.” Reid shrugged as he reloaded his items and checked that he had all the recording devices ready to be used.

Vanessa nodded and took a good look. She wasn’t sure if she was still able to use a gun, but it wouldn’t hurt to have one on, so she grabbed one that feels familiar in her hand after wearing the vest to store it in.

“Done? Let’s get going before they clear up the scene. I mean we don’t have to but it’s better if they are still around when we find something of the monster.”

“When?” Vanessa asked with a smirk. She noted on how Reid seemed confident about finding leads of the monster. Though she couldn’t really compare him to herself. Sure, she was in the field earlier on, but she had a feeling that Reid stayed longer than she did. Even though she was still both frustrated and annoyed by him, she allowed him to lead her first, then she might add her input or experiences. She needed to know exactly how he worked.

“Yes. When. Not if.” Reid closed the trunk of the car as he glanced at her with a smile. “Come on let’s venture further in town from the scene. I noticed there were some uneven ground and scratches on the tree.

“Confident I see.”

“Like everyone else, I rather have all these over and done with properly. And who knows if we might lose any tracks should it rain.” They made their way back to the crime scene before following the tracks that Reid mentioned earlier. “Right, help me document some or anything you deem suspicious or worthy as evidence.” Reid said as he passed Vanessa a camera.

“Fine.”

First, they roamed around the park to see if there were further tracks. They did find a few prints which they documented to hopefully estimate the size of the monster. It went well, however to Reid’s surprise, the tracks became smaller and smaller as if the monster… shrunken?

“The tracks seemed to end here?” Vanessa pointed out. She glanced back from where they came from before looking ahead them again. “Did it, do you think he vanished or something?”

His guts and something in his heart felt that…that he knew he was underestimating these monsters. There was something about them that they had yet to discover, and it should be the reason why they are becoming bolder and bolder. The more he thought about it, the harder he gripped onto his gun and camera.

“Everything alright?” Vanessa asked without looking at him. She noticed how Reid tensed up through her peripheral vision. Something told her that he was thinking about how they could have vanished without anyone noticing. It was going to be quite the brain wreck to think of every possibility and theory before they could consider a conclusion. She wasn’t sure if making the wrong guess would affect them but…when it comes to these monsters, every single movement, every single thought is hanging on the fine line of better or worse, life or death.

Reid bit his lip. Pausing for a while. He contemplated telling Vanessa of his thoughts but decided that it was best to share if he needed her to trust him and for them to work as a team for the better.

“I have some thoughts about how…how it could possibly vanish.” Reid begun and continued walking ahead, Vanessa following. “But how about you? Any possibilities?” Reid wanted to hear from her first. Who knew if it might match his.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow when Reid asked her.

“Well…I haven’t been out on the field for some time but I’m not sure if there are any monsters who may have grown some wings.” Reid paused. It was a good possibility as he never heard about a monster with wings.

“Hmm…I guess that’s one possibility, but wouldn’t that mean we could have seen them flying around or at least…heard or feel them?” Reid wasn’t trying to say that it was wrong, but he needed all the factors listed before they could have a few theories that are confirmed then to be further investigated.

“Okay but if they are flying at night and if their…skin? Whatever it is that covered them is as dark as night then they would blend in with the night sky. Or perhaps they could be like chameleons.”

“Chameleons?”

“You know… if they could change their color to blend with their environment. So, it would make sense if they were able to roam undetected then disappear afterwards. They kind of seem to be in a reptile’s category but that’s only an assumption.”

Reid paused as he listened her while jotting down as much noted as quickly as he could in case a monster appears and the last thing, he needed was to be defenseless. He knew he could always take the note later, but one never knows when it might slip their mind.

“Right…that’s a good one. But the issue is…the tracks on the ground seemed to become smaller instead. Do you think it maybe tip toed or…?”

A laugh choked out of Vanessa. She couldn’t imagine such a ridiculous thought of the monster doing such a thing. It would have been amusing to see it but horrifying if blood and limbs are going to drop out of his mouth. Who would have known discussing how those monsters disappear would be this amusing. It was that amusing that Vanessa finally noticed how peaceful it was around them. There was the faint tracks of the monster and the fear the lingered but…she hadn’t felt a walk like this in ages. The birds were still flying in the sky and there weren’t any screams echoing from each direction. If she wasn’t on such high alert, a little stroll would have been nice. But she couldn’t let that distract herself or even Reid at this point despite the amusing comment of them tip toeing.

“Hey, come on, it’s a possibility you know…a funny one I guess.” Reid chuckled and shook his head. “Hmm…maybe it shrunk itself or-,”

“-Shrunk itself?” Vanessa interrupted.

“I mean it’s a better theory than the tip toe and it explains why the tracks became smaller and smaller.”

“And…” Vanessa waved her fingers. “Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen them around?”

Reid nodded in agreement. That was one in the list. They needed more to have a spread of information.

“Since they are of different sized and most of the time, they are quite vulgar with their actions…and they came from the dungeon which seemed to be dug and built by them. What if they dug a hole underground? But then that should leave a large space of dirt on the ground instead of tiny tracks.” Reid shook his head.

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“Yeah, that maybe might work for the smaller ones since we know they are capable of it but if the monster was as huge as a building, then it would be impossible without causing a rumble…How about teleportation?” Vanessa added. “We don’t know where these creatures came from so who know if they had those sorts of abilities. It explains how they could appear from one area then disappear. It’s something brainless that should come by an animal instinct.”

“Hmm…that’s another. It could work for them. We have yet to venture deeper in their dungeon so who knows what artifacts they might have. Well, you have no idea how I’m glad to have you here then.”

“Just for me to give inputs? Does your previous team or agency do not do this?” Vanessa asked out of curiosity.

A sigh escaped Reid’s lips as he shook his head. Oh, how they wish they would do that, but it was just…as their title says.

Hunters.

They only hunt…hunt and hunt. They hunt so much that Reid doesn’t know if they still cared about the safety of the world. Even if they didn’t care about the others in this world, how about their own families?

“No…unfortunately no.” Reid muttered. “They…well most of them I guess didn’t really care as long as we get the job done.”

The walk became a little quiet after Reid stopped talking while he was looking for any signs of small tracks that could lead them to something. They were nearly out of the park but there were barely any other signs, not even on the trees.

To ease the silence, Vanessa decides to nudge Reid.

“You have another possibility in your head, don’t you?”

Reid bit his lip. He hesitated for a second before nodding.

“To forewarn you, it may sound ridiculous but it’s a valid possibility.”

Now that caught Vanessa’s attention, especially after he mentioned that it could sound ridiculous. But what could he have thought that it could sound any stupider than a monster tip toeing?

“Go on? I’m listening.”

“Okay, okay so. Like how humans and certain animals can evolve to adapt to their surroundings, what if…” Reid glanced at Vanessa who glared at him to continue. A shiver ran down his spine when he looked at her. “What if they could disguise as one of us?”

The moment he noticed Vanessa raising an eyebrow, Reid quickly tried to explain further. “It’s been years and we only notice them when an attack happened or after an attack happened. Its suspicious especially when they are such huge monsters. If we have been observing them, then that meant they may have observed us.”

“Observed…us? By what attacking and eating their victims?” From her tone, Reid knew that Vanessa was starting to doubt that those monsters could be that smart. They may be considered in the animal’s category, but they are not your usual predators found in the wild. These creatures are still unknown to them, and Reid didn’t want to rule out any possibility no matter how funny it sounds.

“But if they can turn or disguise into one of us, wouldn’t someone has noticed something off? Like their behaviors or…I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like they have the brain to think about that sort of actions. If they had known that we would hunt them then why don’t they attack as a human so we would think that the monsters are decreasing or dying?”

Reid won’t deny that she does have a point there but there was something more to it.

“Yes, but that might work during the first or second year and now, they may have gotten the hang of it. Maybe they attack as their monster form to impose fear on us that they are still lingering withing the shadows…and by shadows I meant as one of us. All they must do other than looking like us, is to act like us, such as walking and whatever one would do on the street that doesn’t seem like a nuisance. If they were to walk among us in the streets without saying a single word, no one would bat an eye and continue with their daily routine unless it as a human, was acting strange.” Reid continued.

“So, you mean there’s no way for us to recognize that they are monsters?” If that was the case, then the situation was worse than before. A monster could always be amongst them without them realizing.

“Of course, there should be a way!” Reid countered. He glanced around first to ensure that they were safe and there weren’t any soft sounds of footsteps or growling before he continued by looking at Vanessa directly. “What if…they are unable to communicate like us? So, the only different in the human form would be the language barrier. That might be a way to differentiate a monster from a human!”

Vanessa stared at Reid. She had to process that information. It wasn’t too different from their earlier possibilities but at least those touched on their animal instincts or abilities rather than…a human ability.

“What do you think? Now you’re silent but I’m not surprised of it anymore.” Reid pointed out. Even though he said it sounded ridiculous but looking back into it, they couldn’t rule out any possibility.

“What if we hurt an actual human if we’re following this theory? We already must be on our edge to ensure no one else dies so wouldn’t this further tense us and there would be a high chance of an outburst from the public?” Reid knew where this was going. It wasn’t the first time someone was questioning or shall he say, discrediting him. He wouldn’t claim that he has the best intelligence but clearly, he didn’t appreciate those gestures. It was fine to doubt and question but not…well what else he could do.

“But what if they harm humans faster than we could make the mistake? If they can last this long, then we shouldn’t count out any possibilities.”

Reid tried persuading Vanessa. He didn’t need her to fully believe it or take it as the priority possibility. But it seems like Vanessa wasn’t having any of it. She shook her head and looked ahead.

“Reid, I don’t think that can ever happen. No matter what they are still vicious monsters, vicious beasts, and I’m sure their brains aren’t any different from animals. So…so the possibility of them becoming humans or imitating us is impossible.” Vanessa said before hurriedly walking ahead.

But there was something she had yet to know about Reid, and that was his ability. He didn’t think she would consider the fact that he was like her. Watching her walk ahead, Reid knew that whatever she told was a lie. He knew she believed it…or more of she was considering it. It might be because it was…it was too good to be true or, perhaps it was frightening to think about something that is hunting everyone down can blend in and become worse than any serial killers or cannibals that ever existed.

Reid decided to not push the matter since nothing was confirmed or recorded. For now, he could only follow Vanessa and find this monster before the police leave and before night fall. They silently made their way towards the main street which wasn’t too far from the crime scene. Within their current view, there were no indication that a monster had been here. They checked every other path earlier on and it was only the exact result.

No tracks.

Everything was in place.

No miss-parked cars.

No damages in buildings or sidewalks.

It was just another evening.

“I guess we lost the monster. Maybe not lost since it may have left hours ago before the first report of the…murder.” Vanessa’s voice was filled with disappointment.

Reid nodded and glanced around to have a final check so he could ensure that they didn’t miss anything. The road was clear, there weren’t many citizens around…or more like it was nearly a ghost town. He assumed everyone was told to return to their homes. There were one or two who seemed to be in a rush with some groceries. That surely isn’t a monster if they were carrying snacks and bread. Reid turned to Vanessa and was about to tell her that they could halt the search today and return to the crime scene, till he noticed there was a woman flagging and running to them.

“Is she…calling for us?” Vanessa noticed too.

“I…guess so?” Reid answered and waited till the woman finally came close. “Miss is something wrong?”

He allowed the woman to catch her breath first before she pointed towards an alleyway. “T-There was a man just now! He looked sick and…and he was convulsing!”

Vanessa carefully patted the woman’s back. “Miss, we are not the ambulance or paramedics-,”

“-But we can check it out if it concerns you.” Reid interrupted, earning a small glare from Vanessa. “By any chance, have you noticed anything else that seems odd? Any monster sightings?”

“Monster!? Oh no, no. I haven’t seen any otherwise I wouldn’t be out here this long worrying about that man. But do look at him please, I need to get home to my family before…before.”

“Don’t worry miss. We’ll have this covered. Please make your way home as fast as possible and take care of yourself.” Reid reassured the woman and watched her silently thank them as she brisk-walked away from them.

Once again, Vanessa nudged Reid. “So are we checking the man out or…could be just a drunk and we would be wasting our time.”

Reid had a strong feeling that it wasn’t just a drunk stranger who lost his way home. He felt that there was more to it. What if…what if his theory was true? He only hoped he was professional enough to not accidently shoot or hurt if it was an innocent drunk after all.

“Since we are here, we might as well check it out.” Reid said and led the way towards the alleyway where the woman pointed to. It didn’t take long for them to arrive closer to the alley where they heard…gagging noises?

No, it wasn’t just gagging noises.

“Did you hear that?” Vanessa whispered to Reid with her eyebrows raised.

Reid merely nodded and placed his finger to his lips, motioning her to remain as silent as possible. He had his gun out and went ahead of her first since he wasn’t sure if she was slightly rusty.

They could test that theory later.

And hope it doesn’t backfire on them.

They moved in closer, lightening their footsteps as much as possible. Reid noticed a trashcan and signaled to Vanessa to crouch there with him. Once he was sure they were hidden enough, Reid glanced at the distance. Both him and Vanessa noticed a man…or what looks like a man crouched over and it didn’t take long for the man to start convulsing and his flesh and bones started twisting in a way not even a gymnast is able to do without breaking themselves. It almost resembles a pretzel and without needing a clearer look, they knew that this man was neither possessed nor a human.

He was the monster.

IT was the monster.

The monster that committed those murders.

Reid watch with horror that he felt his stomach twisting and churning. He glanced at Vanessa who was trying to keep a straight face…but when he started into her eyes, they were trembling. He couldn’t tell if they were from fear or surprise…or in disbelief that what the theorized was true. He looked at the man, somewhat man again. Growls were coming out of his mouth and from the little shines, he assumed that its saliva was leaking. The transformation must have been painful then if the monster was twisting and heaving as such.

“But how did they become this advanced that fast…I know I suspected it but what went through their minds? How did they mimic us? How did they get that skin? Would our weapons still be any useful if we were to attack him in that form?”

All sorts of questions ran through Reid’s head. He noticed another trashcan that was slightly closer to the monster and nudged Vanessa to follow him quietly. Vanessa assumed he was getting close so they could have a better attack range so naturally, she followed without any commentary.

Now, they were close enough to hear the painful growls clearly and there was still a good distance for a head start if they need to either attack or flee.

The disguise of a man had a natural skin and dark hair, everything from its fingers to the legs didn’t giveaway any leads that it was a monster. Even though they knew that this was the monster, Vanessa couldn’t help doubting that it could be a human under a curse, or something done from the monster…and she was proven wrong about it when it the disguise of a man clenched his fingers on the skin of his face. Its nails dug in deep but there wasn’t even a drop of blood leaking from the cut. The fingers went deeper and eventually the disguise of a man ripped its face off completely, catching both Reid and Vanessa off guard but they held their breath to tense their muscled to prevent any reactions that might attract its attention.

Reid’s eyes widened when he saw what the ripped face was underneath…

Or shall he say mask?