"10-80 Detective Callum in pursuit. Suspicious male, about six feet tall, two hundred pounds. Suspect has slicked back dark hair with a goatee. Currently wearing a grey suit.

I called it in, but it hardly mattered. They don't understand why I'm tailing this guy. For years, strange occurrences have been going on in my damned city and there hasn't been a single finger lifted by the police services. Media largely ignored the monster sightings and bizarre events. Usually written off as a hoax. I'm almost certain the right people are being paid off.

This slimy bastard in the grey suit seemed to be connected to it all.

~10-4 Detective. You are clear to pursue.~

"Not like I need your permission." I grumbled. The greaseball in the grey suit turned down an alley and I pulled the collar on my trench coat up around my neck and headed in after him. He didn't seem to notice me following. HIs attention was intent on something else. As he neared the end of the alley, he pulled back quickly and leaned against the wall, trying not to be seen, but he wasn't hiding from me. I quickly ducked behind a large dumpster.

I'd been following this guy for ages now. I first noticed him coming and going out of one of the abandoned churches in the downtown area. One of those places they keep boarded up tight, but doesn't get sold to be turned into more condos. God, I hate all the condos.

I thought he was breaking and entering, but from what I've seen, it looks like he's the owner. I confronted him once, knocking on the front doors, waiting forever. When he finally answered, he told me he was a youth pastor, running some sort of self-help club. I've got the feeling in my gut that he's full of shit. But I don't have anything on the guy. I've seen the youths he mentioned coming and going out of the back door, but I can't get any of them to talk to me either. Might be some kind of cult.

I had brought it to my Sergeant's attention, but he seemed disinterested. He told me to drop it, and focus my efforts on something more important. Maybe he was right, or maybe, I was gonna catch this guy in the act.

There was a loud clamor and then a growl. I wondered if I was gonna have to call in an animal case. The man in the grey suit tucked in tightly against the wall, disappearing from my view. I dared to get closer, sneaking around from behind the garbage can, to inch closer.

At the end of the alley, amongst the darkness and debris, is some kind of large hairy monstrosity. The guy in the grey suit just stared it down, hands at his sides as the beast snarled, its maw dripping globs of saliva. I ducked back down and tried to calm my shit. This was exactly what I was talking about, weird shit like this was happening all over the city and even across the world, if the articles could be believed. Everyone had started to think I was some kind of conspiracy nut. Back in my prime, I was regarded as a loose cannon, but I always got my guy. I had put more sick fucks behind bars than most of the slumps in my division combined. I had turned down promotions that would put me at a desk, so I could stay in the field. There was nothing like the rush of catching something you'd put all that time and effort into. 

The guy in the alley didn't flinch as the monster roared at him. I heard the ring of steel and a flash of light, and suddenly the guy was armed to the teeth. The monstrosity in front of him growled deeply, gnashing its teeth and staring him down. Covered in armor and armed with a sword and a spear, the guy flew at the thing. He jumped up off another dumpster, backflipped off a fire escape and got up in that things big ugly maw.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I held down the button on my radio to call dispatch, but I second guessed myself. No one would believe me. They probably wouldn't even send back up and I'd have to take another psych evaluation. They think ol' John has lost his marbles. But I'm as sharp as ever, and right here in front of me, I have proof that something fucky is going on in my city.

The creature let out a howl as the knight-in-a-suit stabbed and slashed it repeatedly. The monster swung one of its great clawed hands and knocked the guy aside like a discarded children's toy, sending him flying. Whatever this thing is, it's powerful. If it got out of this alley and started to hurt civilians...

"Freeze, whatever the fuck you are!" I blew my cover and pulled my sidearm against the fifteen foot tall monster. My cop instincts picked a bad time to kick in.

The creature bellowed, opening its mouth wide enough to swallow me whole. It had grey matted fur, caked in scraps of flesh and blood. Its large vacant eyes were like milky orbs, atop its wolf-like head. Crooked antlers jutted out from the top of its head, adorned with torn clothing, pieces of metal and what looked like a size four child's Nike runner. It screeched at me again, and the things mouth unhinged wildly. 

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The man in the grey suit stood up from the pile of garbage he had been flung into and cleaned himself off, a distasteful look on his face.

"Detective I would advise you not to fire your weapon." He groaned as he got to his feet, fixing his tie under his armor.

"What the hell is that thing?" I screamed back. I kept my gun aimed at the things head, but I was tempted to put it on this guy. I needed answers.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Turn around and forget what you saw here Detective Callum. This is not your fight." He told me, squaring up with the beast and ignoring me.

"How do you know who I am?" I called back, my hands shaking. My finger inched closer to the trigger. He darted in at the monster again, stabbing it with the tip of his spear with impossible speed.

"With all due respect Detective, I'm a little busy." He shouted back at me, all nonchalant. Fuck this guy.

I fired my gun and bullets pinged harmlessly off his armor. The creature, however, got hit in the eye by a ricochet. It screeched and unfurled large membranous wings, breaking the fire escape on the nearby building and parts of the brick. It took off so fast, I blinked and it was gone. I looked around at the scene, and there was no indication that a monster had been here. Just another worn down Toronto alleyway.

"Gods damn it!" The guy in the suit screamed. He wheeled around to face me.

"I don't expect you to understand the huge grievance you've just caused, but know that you've endangered many lives by being reckless here." He scolded me like I was some kind of child. I scoffed at him. His armor and spear disappeared in a shimmer of light, except for his sword. He moved toward me, so I raised my gun.

"Who are you? What was that thing? How do you know who I am?" I barked. I wasn't letting this guy get away again. Not after all that.

"I'm fairly experienced at investigative work myself, Detective. If you know what's good for you, you'll let this go. Nothing good will come of your obsession with me and the Cathedral." He said with a cocky smile. He reminded me of a used car salesman. I snarled at him.

"I'm placing you under arrest, until I get my answers." I moved one hand from my sidearm to reach for my cuffs.

"Not likely." He scoffed.

"Drop your weapon! Get on the ground and put your hands behind your head!" I shouted, startling the man. I was weary of the fact that he still had his sword drawn.

~Detective Callum, what's your 20? Do you need backup?~

My eyes shifted toward my radio and then snapped back to the guy in the suit. He was shaking his head with his hand on his hip, leaning on his sword like a cane. He didn't seem intimidated at all.

"I wouldn't answer that." He said, smirking.

"Are you threatening an officer, Greaseball?" I growled back. My finger settled on the trigger. I was convinced I was gonna have to plug this guy.

"Grease..." He looked genuinely hurt. "Listen here, you underpaid hack. Your higher ups already think you are one bad case from the looney bin. If you call for backup and neither I, nor the monster you saw are here when they arrive, they'll put you on another psych leave." He shouted back.

My eye started to twitch. I could feel blood vessels breaking in my forehead. He wasn't wrong, but how could he possibly know any of that. It only confirmed my suspicion that this guy had an insider with the police department. I was one misguided judgement call from a forced leave. I couldn't afford another blunder.

"Just...tell me what's going on?" I shouted.

"Like I said, you won't believe me even if I tell you." He suddenly straightened and looked passed me.

"There you are Anders!" I heard from behind me. I spun around and my trigger finger slipped. I realized too late that the person on the receiving end was a young girl. Everything seemed slow and surreal. I heard the guy in the suit shout. I watched as the girl's eyes went wide at the sound of my gun going off. The echo of the shot went on forever.

In the blink of an eye, a man-sized shadow appeared in front of the girl.

Suddenly it became a man. He was tall with long blonde hair and sunken eyes. The bullet lodged in his shoulder and he didn't flinch. The guy in the grey suit behind me took a sharp, deep breath. I could hear him clap his hand to his face.

The blonde guy approached slowly. The girl tried to grab his hand, but he violently pulled away. I'm not easily intimidated, but this guy scared the shit out of me. The gunshot wound in his shoulder oozed blood over his black dress shirt. When he got too close, I fired again. Both the girl and the guy in the suit shouted out. But not for him.

For me.

I could have sworn the blonde guy's eyes flickered red. He shook his head, increasing his speed toward me with an expression of pure rage painted across his face. I went to fire my gun again, but he was suddenly in front of me. He grabbed the muzzle of my gun, steam raising off his hand as his flesh burned on the hot barrel. He pried the gun from my hands with absurd strength. In front of me, up close, he was terrifying, put I couldn't put my finger on why. I was like there was something else behind those icy blue eyes of his. Something sinister.

"Chase, don't." The guy in the suit warned. I heard my gun go off and I flinched. I felt the burn and the warmth of blood trickling down my leg as it buckled beneath me.

I screamed in horror, grasping at my shattered kneecap.

The blonde man stared down at me, my own pistol still in his hands. He was so close to me and I still missed it. His movements were too fast. The three of them gathered around me and the guy in the suit stared down at me sympathetically.

"I did warn you Detective Callum." He said before I blacked out.