The night was cold and silent that you could hear your own footsteps. This part of the city was never really much active at night. The streets were empty with no one at sight. The dim glow coming from the lamp posts weren't really much of a help since you can barely see what's in front of you. Nevertheless, working late at this hour has become common for Victoria since she needed extra money for her sick mother. As she was wiping the tables , the heavy rain started pouring down. The sound of the pouring rain comforted her since she felt uneasy with the complete silence. Just when she was about to close the store , the chime of the bell caught her attention. She turned around , only to see a shadowy figure standing at the entrance.
"I'm terribly sorry but we're closed, sir!" she said while staring at the figure. It resembled a young man wearing strange clothes, holding an umbrella that has a sharp silver point. His face was shadowed by his hat , although she can see his eyes eerily glowing, as if they are staring right through her soul. Feeling unsettled ,she mustered up her courage and once again asked the stranger to leave. The stranger, not even paying any attention to her request, began to approach her slowly. Every click of his shoes made her heart pound hard as she slowly backed off to the corner out of fear.
"I finally found you..." muttered the man as he tried to grab her arm. The young woman frantically pushed him away and ran out of the café. She ran as fast as her legs could carry amidst of the downpour. She looked behind her to check, only to see him still following her. As she continued to run , she tripped on uneven cobbles. Slightly cursing at herself under her breath, the figure loomed over her, holding the umbrella over his head. His ocean blue eyes were staring at her intently, she couldn't even move as if she was trapped at the moment. As she felt a strong impact on her head, the world around her went dark completely.
"We will be reunited again, my dear...This time, for sure..." as he lovingly looked at the knocked out girl. He gently picked the girl up in his arms, and disappeared into the darkness.
A young lady with a veil silently watched the scene from afar. "When will he realize that death can't return from the abyss?"
xxx
"Another missing young lady...This is getting outrageous ,Detective Recquiem!" exclaimed Dr. Hastings while throwing the newspaper right onto the desk where the detective was asleep on his chair. The detective grumbled and stared at the doctor for a split second, then went back to his sleep. "And now is not the time to be sleeping, detective! For Christ's sake! That's the fourth young lady in this week! What is the Scotland Yard even doing??" he exclaimed as he slammed his hands onto the desk, annoying the detective. Recquiem picked up the newspapers and looked at his assistant, " How interesting, it said here that there were no traces except the fact that the missing victims were later turned up in their original places as dried up husks with no eyes."
"A very strange case indeed, detective. What bothers me is how the bodies look dried up as if their life forces were sucked away...but then again what could have done such thing like that?" Dr. Hastings rubbed his chin, pondering.
"That's for me to find out. And for you to write records about the cases as usual." Recquiem said while sipping his coffee.
"Well, I think it's about time that you join the investigation, Detective. You're always up for a challenge, aren't you? The Chief Inspector did asked for your help." said Dr. Hastings.
"Then what are we waiting for? Come on, hurry up. I'm sure Chief Inspector Reeves would be thrilled, ...or not." The detective stood up from his chair and quickly grabbed his coat and hat. "Well, don't just stand there, I'm not the one with the car keys. Come along now" he said as he dragged Dr. Hastings outside of the building.
"Detective Recquiem, why am I driving you again?''
"Because my actual car has gone into the abyss from last case and I don't have the time nor money to buy a new one yet."
"Oh, I remembered now. Such a shame though, it was such a nice car." said Dr. Hastings as he started the engine.
"I know and I'm still pissed off about it. Good thing that culprit is now behind the bars." Recqiuem laughed as he got into the car.
xxx
The downtown of this city is always bustling with people of all kind of classes. Given the fact that there are shops and all sort of entertainment in this district.
