The Seven Sins

Meet The File?

    When you walk to and from the city, you have lots of time to think; actually maybe too much time to think. The city folk pushed past me, caught up in their own world. Their arrogant eyes sometimes crossed mine briefly but looked away quickly; I was nothing in those streets. Pride fed on them all, and they didn't even feel it. It's very easy to miss, the little feeling of pride, but once it gets hold of you, you'll never know. But at that moment I didn't care...

The zombie had made me think...

"Don't tell me you're going to see that Sorcerer, mortal..." Pride sighed.

"No choice. I need to find out the truth."

"Truth? It's not like the Sorcerer is going to actually say 'oh, yeah, I'm the bad guy. I did betray you' that would not be very logical on his part."

I couldn't help but smirk, "You're talkative today. And why do you keep calling him a sorcerer?"

Pride grunted slightly, his aura whipping across the streets like wildfire, "Lust told me about him. Said he was the type of guy you need to keep an eye on. He said someone that good looking couldn't possibly be a police officer."

"Is that so? Well, I guess I got to prove Lust wrong."

The police station that Andy worked in was shabby and was passing through several stages of decay. It was probably here since police men came to creation and no one bothered to try to repair any of its holes or paint any of its cracked walls. Still, it was fulfilling its purpose of housing bored policemen. Andy worked here, or rather, he claimed to work. Most of the work done led to dead ends.

    I walked into the small police office and was greeted by a sloppy looking officer who stared at me suspiciously. I smiled politely as I walked towards him, feeling out of place in this building of paper work and files.

"Hi. Andy here?" I asked the grumpy looking guy, who snorted in return.

"Always. That queer's a workaholic; he's in his office down the hall."

I thanked him and walked in the direction he pointed, refusing to look at the peeling walls and dirty floor. Everything was fluorescent white which was creepy and reminded me of hospitals. Without knocking I barged in and found my cousin working. His clothes and eyes told me he hadn't slept in days. He had an untouched coffee mug beside his computer and endless of files covered his desk. He had pen in his mouth as he typed vigorously.

"Hey Lin," He greeted me, dropping the pen from his mouth but continuing to stare at the screen, "Good to see you still standing."

"Hi." That was all I managed to say, the zombies words played in my mind and I felt Pride's intense aura surround me. Almost as if he was whispering to me, telling me to not trust Andy.

Andy finally stopped typing and faced his chair towards me. His hair was a mess, as always but he made it seem like a new fashion style. He was wearing a brown over coat with an old T-shirt and his favourite pair of brown pants that he'd had since college. He looked overworked and tired.

Andy couldn't be a bad person. He was always so kind and hardworking. It was impossible...

He stared at me, worry in his tired eyes, "Lin? You look a bit ill. Sit down. Have a cup of... Whatever that is, in that container."

I sat on the chair opposite him and had a peek inside the container. I was definitely not going to drink that.

He pushed the computer and files aside and took a sip of his coffee, staring at me intently. I shifted uneasily on the chair.

"Lin, your aura's been acting up these few days I've seen you. It changes totally sometimes." He mumbled.

"Really, I can't tell the difference," I changed the subject quickly, "Anyway, what do you got for suspects on these psychic murders?"

He shook his head sadly, "As far as I know, I'm the only man of that calibre in the neighbourhood so the murderer is not from here. If he was from here I would have sensed him long before he started murdering people."

His words made my heart skip a beat. Andy was a suspect as well?

Oh no.

"I got no leads, no clues, no fingerprints and no auras." Andy shrugged slightly, "I've been searching and trying to find anything about the murders that relate to anyone but all I know is that they were all psychics and that they all looked like accidents..."

"How many have been murdered so far?"

He gave me a thick file, "9 people have died from unusual accidents last week. Eight of them were psychics."

I raised an eyebrow, "Then what about the other one?"

"He was a visiting professor. Died at his hotel when the fridge fell on him, crushed his skull pretty bad. Better not look." He took back the thick file I was flipping through before I could see the rest.

"What's his connection?"

"Probably a Satanist..."

Satanist; not a very nice bunch of people, worshipping evil tends to do things to you, "Well, one less problem to worry over. I'll check the sites out, see if I find anything."

He nodded to me, "Thanks Lin, you do that."

  He had already begun to look through the cluttered files on his desk, a tight frown spreading across his almost anaemic face. He gave me the address's, telling me to do a good job.  I cursed myself for doubting him, for suspecting him...

But I just couldn't help it...

"Andy," I began and he looked back at me, "Aren't you in danger? That zombie's after you too..."

He shrugged, giving me a slight smile as he turned to his paperwork once more, "You don't need to worry about me, coz. Just take care of yourself."

I felt as if he was hiding something but I didn't know whether it was my imagination or my real gut instinct. I got up slowly and walked to the door when Andy called to me."

"Hey, you sold any paintings?"

I looked at his smiling, tired face and couldn't lie.

 "I sold them all," I whispered as I stepped out his office, breathing deeply. Finally Pride spoke.

"He knows I'm there but he says nothing. Quite a suspicious mortal..."

I ignored the sin as I looked at the address of the hotel where the professor had died. I knew the city inside and out, partly, so it wasn't hard for me to know directions. It was hard to walk so far though...

"Is he really a police officer?"

"I know. He doesn't seem like it."

"He looks like someone who gets paid to wear nothing." Pride sniffed the air in disgust.

"That's just part time."

I felt Pride's eyes on me.

"It was a joke." I stressed, "Jeez, sensitive much?"

As soon as I felt the air drop a few degrees I kept my mouth shut and continued walking. Pride did not speak, he was sulking, what a baby. I didn't say that out loud though. As I have said before, I didn't want to die so quickly or painfully...

I stared at the name in the file. Martin Brown, aged forty two, crushed to death. Eww.  Apparently, he was visiting an old friend here so he stayed at Hotel Sundial, a hotel far away from the dirty downtown I lived in. It would take hours to walk...

With huge effort, I got into a phone booth and dialled her number.

"Blair here." A voice spoke roughly.

"Hi, can we meet? I need your car..."