Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Ex Machina ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

 

 

Chapter III

 

The stench was unbearable.

 

Totetsu's teeth clenched and he growled, his face a rictus of disgust. It wasn't that the smell was BAD, so much as WRONG. Like musk and anxiety - but 10,000 times stronger than a teenager about to get laid for the first time. Like the guy was pumping out too much testosterone and too much adrenaline. Worse, he could smell the guy's emotions - hatred and joy and anticipation intermingled.

 

These smells just did not go together.

 

T-chan pointed to where the man was leaning against a lamppost. To the humans passing him by on the street, he looked like a young businessman waiting for the bus. He was actually somewhat attractive: strong jaw, shiny hair, clean-shaven, midnight black business suit with maroon shirt and black tie. D glanced down from the rooftop on which he and T-chan had alighted and nodded, his mouth a thin line of determination.

 

And then, he saw the man glance down the street. A smile alighted on the monster's face before he quickly smothered it and went back to looking at his bus schedule as if he were confused. A woman approximately 19 years old, with blue hair, wearing an exceptional amount of leather was approximately two blocks away.

 

D pulled the hood of his cape up, hiding his appearance the way his grandfather usually did. “Soon,” he said and T-chan nodded.

 

Yes, soon. The girl got close enough and the man called to her. Only fragments of their conversation could be heard from their position overlooking them, but the gist was clear. Was she familiar with the bus route? He waved the bus schedule and looked helpless. She pulled the schedule out of his hand and looked at it, missing the flash of rage that crossed his face. As she looked up to ask him a question - most likely his end destination - her face flashed with surprise as the man was no longer there. And then, they could smell chloroform. He pressed the soaked rag over her face and she collapsed into his arms.

 

Then, he put one arm around her and walked with her, talking like he was a friend of hers - helping her after she'd gotten drunk - just in case someone was watching.

 

D and T-chan followed overhead, watching as he took her down a dark alley. The garbage bins at the front of the alleyway were staggered, making the back of the alley completely invisible from the street. There were no vantage points into the alley that a human being would have access to other than walking in. And the noise of the nearby factory would drown out any screams that might be emitted there. It was almost as private as if he had taken her to his own residence.

 

Well, there was no question that this was the criminal who had escaped the police for so long.

 

And now it was time to make their appearance. D stepped off the edge of the roof and landed behind the young man with nary a sound, blocking the man's only route of escape.

 

“My. What a prize trophy,” he commented dryly.

 

The man jumped and turned to face D with a snarl before he forced his expression into one of caring concern. “Can you go get some help? This poor girl was screaming so loud that I came to help - and she passed out!”

 

“Then why do I smell chloroform?” D inquired casually. He cocked his head to one side giving him an appearance of inquiry. “Your hunting skills are somewhat lacking, aren't they? A true predator would have scented our arrival - as we did not attempt to mask it.”

 

The man looked around at the word “we,” but failed to notice that Tetsu had landed behind him as D was speaking. He breathed into the predator's ear the following words, “I've met rabbits with more cunning that you,” and tried not to laugh as he twisted to see who had snuck up behind him - and how, since the alley had been empty and no one had walked past D.

 

When the man saw the maw of the hungry totetsu, he screamed, “What the FUCK!?” hurriedly backing away, only to run straight into the Count.

 

He screamed as he made contact with D - he'd forgotten the Count was there - and turned to try to put himself in a position where he could back away from both of them at once. “Who the fuck are you!?”

 

The Count, hood still hiding his features, walked closer to the man, reaching out with one hand to grasp him under the chin. “Tell the truth now, have you done something like this before, or are you a novice? Impress us with your predatory skills.” He stared deeply into the man's eyes, looking deep within him, reading his soul.

 

The memories of the women he'd accosted rose to the surface so readily, along with the sense of pride and superiority the beast had felt at his “works of art” that he'd left as presents for the police to find. The man was twisted beyond any possibility of rehabilitation.

 

D pulled back, shaking his hand as if it had been tainted, merely by touching the man. “Tetsu, he's all yours. Make sure you leave enough behind so that they can identify the remains.”

 

Gracefully, he moved to the young woman, picked her up and carried her to the end of the alleyway. He walked her to the bus stop and set her on the bench. Gently, he slapped her cheeks to the counterpoint of the soft screams that he could just barely hear over the sounds of machinery. Soon, her eyes were fluttering as she began to waken.

 

As she surfaced to consciousness, the memory of her attack was foremost in her mind and she started violently. The Count, expecting it, had retreated to the other end of the bench, his hood still fully masking his identity.

 

“Miss, you're safe now,” he said in his most soothing voice. “If you have a cell phone, however, you might want to call the police and tell them what happened.”

 

He stood and began to walk away.

 

“Wait! What if he comes back!” she called, frantically.

 

The Count laughed and she shivered at the sound. “There are no worries in that regard,” his voice rang elegantly in the night. And as she blinked, he disappeared.

 

Back on the roof, he waited until the sated T-chan joined him.

 

“Not exactly my favorite meal, D. But it was fun making him cry.”

 

Nodding, D turned and they made their way back to the shop.

 

XXX

 

 

There was a sense of palpable relief that settled over the city as the news spread. The psychotic serial killer had been identified. His latest victim had escaped - having been rescued by a mysterious savior.

 

The cops had, at first, been afraid that perhaps the “savior” who had disappeared was in fact the actual killer and had set the situation up as a false lead. After all, the killer had been, well, disemboweled was the closest term for the remains they had found. But DNA testing had proved that the remains were, in fact, the perpetrator.

 

Of course, now they had to solve the case of the vigilante - but the police department wasn't exactly falling all over themselves trying to be the one to chase down the person who'd put an end to the sick fuck who'd been terrorizing the city for months.

 

Details of the murders had been withheld from the press - for fear of copycats. But the man had been so wrong, his victims displayed such a twisted psyche that pretty much everyone involved in the case silently cheered on the vigilante when they saw the forensic photo of the killer's mutilated corpse.

 

One week after he received a visit from the young Toronto detective, D was surprised by an early morning knock on the shop door.

 

As he opened the door, he was greeted with a box of doughnuts, carried by the same young police officer with a sheepish grin.

 

“Detective Pevir! What brings you by so early on a Sunday morning?”

 

“Well, I was hoping to… thank you. Jessica packed up your usual order - it's on me.”

 

“Why how kind of you. Would you care to come in and have some tea?” He gestured the man into the shop and guided him to the sofa in the sitting room. “Please make yourself comfortable, Detective. It won't take me but a moment to brew a fresh pot. And don't mind T-chan or Pon-chan. They're extremely well behaved.” D's voice stressed the “well behaved” as he gave them a look that obviously meant “be on your best behavior.”

 

Pevir slowly walked around the room, looking at the photograph on the mantle, the antique cabinets and furniture. He turned around when he heard the… what the heck was that thing?

 

“Who the hell is *this* jerk? And why the fuck's the Count making him tea?”

 

It looked like it was half sheep and half tiger. It was creepy as hell. And its snarly growl was a bit disturbing.

 

“Calm down. He's got to be okay, Count D wouldn't have let him in otherwise. The Count called him `Detective,' so maybe he knows Chris and Leon!”

 

The sound was interrupted by the raccoon-dog chittering. You wouldn't think that something that was so obviously a carnivore could get along well with the big raccoon. Weren't raccoons scavengers? This weird raccoon-dog would be too, then, right?

 

“Don't be stupid. We're in a whole `nother country. How could this guy know Chris? Or his stupid asshat of a brother.”

 

The scary goat snarled again and then sat at the corner of the couch. If he didn't know that it was silly to attribute human attitudes to animals, he'd swear the beast was pouting.

 

“Detective, will you be coming to visit and play with us now?”

 

The raccoon-like creature waddled over to him and tugged at his sleeve before chittering up at him like she was asking him a question.

 

He kneeled down next to her and stroked her head. “Hello. Are you Pon-chan or T-chan?”

 

“That would be Pon-chan, Detective Pevir. She's a Tanuki. The Totetsu on the sofa is T-chan. As you know my shop specializes in the rare and exotic pets you can't find anywhere else.” He placed the tea set on the table and began to pour. “Please sit. I promise that T-chan won't bite.”

 

The young officer chuckled uncomfortably and then sat on the other end of the sofa. “I wouldn't imagine he'd be anything other than safe - otherwise, I'm certain you wouldn't have him out here.” He carefully accepted the proffered cup of tea.

 

T-chan growled, “Did that guy just call me `safe'? Oh, Count, you gotta let me bite him for that!”

 

“Don't you dare!” Pon-chan called. “Or do you want to make a liar out of the Count?”

 

“Oh, he'd never do anything against anyone who he knew I had invited in, would you T-chan?” D daintily sipped from his own cup.

 

Tetsu humphed and rested his cheek on his fist, disgusted by the whole exchange and doing his best to ignore it. To the detective, it looked like he rested his chin on armrest.

 

“I must thank you again for the doughnuts. I've become rather fond of them since we've moved to Toronto.”

 

The detective had blushed lightly and said, “It was the least I could do, truly. I realize I may have come across a bit… emphatic when we last met. But your advice guided me to do something I should have done long since.” A small smile brightened his visage.

 

“I am happy that I could assist you - although I doubt that my influence made that much of a difference.”

 

The man set his teacup back in his saucer. “That is not so. In honesty, had you not spoken with me that night, the two of us… Well, I know that it is highly unlikely I would ever have admitted my feelings toward her. And I find it even more doubtful that she could have bridged the gap between our two worlds.”

 

The Count nodded thoughtfully before taking one of the plain doughnuts and handing it to Pon so that she would cease bumping his arm and tugging on his sleeve. “Surely your worlds are not so very different. In time, you would have realized the value of each other's company.” Internally he cringed at his own choice of words.

 

“It goes beyond just standard convention, Count D. Not only am I a cop and she is… a self-described `rebel,'” his tone was laughing at the thought that the young woman who acted with responsibility, paid all her bills, and took care of those around her thought of herself as a rebel because of the way she dressed, “but… Well, you've met Jessica. She pretends to be tough and brash but the dyed hair and piercings, her rough tongue, are just part of her mask.

 

“She doesn't want to be vulnerable - to feel like she has to be protected. She wants to feel like she can stand on her own and not be a burden on anyone. So dating a cop? I thought it was impossible. But I couldn't leave her alone. I wanted to get to know her more and find out what was underneath her mask, what else was she hiding?”

 

“Hmm… that sounds like the story of some other detective we know.” Pon-chan looked meaningfully at the Count and he shushed her.

 

He took a sip of tea and then continued. “The more I learned about her, the more I wanted to be near her, to protect her in spite of herself.”

 

“REALLY sounds like him,” she said quickly. The Count just scowled.

 

“It wasn't her vulnerability that drew me to her, though. It was her determination. Nothing would stop her once she made up her mind to do something.

 

“And then that psycho turned up. And his victims… every one of them… It could have been her. That sick pervert. The things he did to them - what he left behind…

 

“That psycho… I'm actually glad that I never got the chance to be alone with him while he was alive.” His voice turned cold as nails. “Usually, I believe that criminals are human beings and deserve the rights of any other human. But when someone decides to leave humanity as far behind… to do what he did, destroying lives for his own sick pleasure without care or concern for anyone other than himself… That sick… There isn't a word we've created that adequately describes him and whoever took him out of this world did everyone a favor they probably cannot even imagine.”

 

Pevir realized he'd probably said too much and blushed, trying to hide it by taking another sip of tea.

 

The Count cleared his throat and stated, “So can I assume that you have started courting the lovely Miss Jessica?”

 

His blush deepened as he said, “Yeah.” He sighed and said, “I love her, Count D. I tried to deny it for years. But all the times I went there, every time I said it was the coffee or the doughnuts, or as a base for a stake out… really it was just to be near her. Now, I don't know how I'd survive without her. I'm going to take it slow, but… Some day, I hope to marry that girl.” Again, he shook his head. Something about this Count made him feel comfortable - like he could completely bare his soul.

 

“When you do, I hope you'll invite me to the event,” the Count responded. His smile was kind, but Pon and T could see him disengaging.

 

Grinning, the detective said, “You better believe it.” He stood and said, “Well, I really have taken enough of your time. And Jess and I are going out for lunch on her break.”

 

The Count stood to show him out amid, “Thank you again” and other niceties.

 

After the man had left, D sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. He sighed as he whispered, “Ready the shop. It's time to leave.”

 

XXXX