Purple Diamonds

1

Chapter 1

"Please Mommy, let us in!" they screamed outside the house. Meanwhile, inside, a terrified woman desperately tried to call the police, unable to comprehend why those men were wearing the faces of her dead children as masks.

The line was cut. The woman fumbled with her mobile, dropping it when the glass of her window was smashed in. She screamed as the faces of her children rushed towards her.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

The next morning, police converged upon the House of Ms. Ritellic, a retired widower whose husband had died serving the military abroad four years ago. The absence of Ritellic was called in by her neighbour, the young Mr. Hammond, who stopped by for a quick chat early that morning, like usual. When she didn't answer the door, he noticed the ruined window and called the police. Now, he was inside the house, confirming that the body was indeed hers.

"Sir, I will ask you again, are you absolutely certain this is Ms. Ritellic?" Detective Smith asked again.

"Yes I am Ma'am." Mr. Hammond replied.

"Good. It's just that it's rather difficult to tell, since there's n-" The detective was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open, echoing through the almost silent house. In walked a team of five people, the head of which left the others at the door and strode over to Detective Smith, their heels ringing sharply on the hardwood floor.

"Ore." A hand was held out towards the Detective. "Purple Diamond Paranormal Crime Unit." The hand was still waiting to be shaken.

"What are you freaks doing here? We don't need, or want, your help, bastard." Detective Smith sneered, her face contorting as she stared down the masked figure in front of her.

"Sure..." Ore looked around the room again, before turning back to the detective.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Mr. Hammond stared closely at Ore's attire. Starting at their head, the mid length purple hair fell freely around their face, framing the mask resting there. The mask itself depicted purple blood flowing out of their eyes and the corner of their mouth. The nostrils were painted on slits, and there was a small purple diamond on the outside of each eye. The thing that grabbed your attention though, was the image that got this certain squad their name. A large purple diamond was painted onto the forehead of the mask. Mr. Hammond shuddered silently, recalling the stories he had heard. He moved on down the body, taking in the black and purple gothic steampunk clothing, and the heels decorated with chains and studs.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

The two women were currently arguing. Eventually, Ore sighed and handed over a piece of paper, declaring this case one of Paranormal origin. After a few more minutes of arguing, the Detective relented and removed her men, and Mr. Hammond, from the scene.

"Finally! We can work in peace!" A short, scruffy looking creature exclaimed, heading over to the body. "Now, what do we have here?" It scanned its eyes over once, before latching on to the victim's face. Or lack thereof. "By the King!" The loud exclamation shocked the other members of its team. "We've got some Shapeshifters running about!"

"What?" A lilting voice sounded from across the room, as a woman in a long flowered dress made her way over.

"Yeah. Isn't this the work of some of your people, Cuckoo?"

The lady, Cuckoo, crouched down near the body, her fingers lightly brushing over the missing face.

"Yeah, I'm afraid it is, Mannie. Ore, what do we do now? These people are dangerous." Her face turned up to her team leader, who tilted her head, as if thinking.

"Leech, find out what you can about Ms. Valerie Ritellic. Scratch, see if you can pick up on a scent. And take it outside, I'm going to scan the room." At Ore's orders, the four Paranaturals rose to their feet and left the house, closing the door securely behind them. Ore removed their mask.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Outside, Leech and Scratch got to work.

"Are you freaks done? Can we go back inside and investigate properly?" Detective Smith demanded the moment the door was shut. She started to move towards it, but Cuckoo was in the way, unhinging her jaw and showing her long, sharp canines.

"I wouldn't go inside, if I were you." Mannie spoke from behind the woman. "Gonna intrude on a Halfborn's work?" From inside the house, they could hear the melodic chanting of Ore's voice, rising and falling slowly.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

After twenty minutes, and after Leech and Scratch had returned, the house's door opened and Ore walked out, adjusting the mask on their face. They spoke to Detective Smith, allowing her men to return inside, before signalling to their team, who loaded into the cars they had arrived in, and drove off.

WC: 778