Something was missing. Missing, missing; that word has never really crossed his mind unless he knew something was truly missing. But this time, all the facts were in front of him but yet they didn't fit, none of it did. He and John had been investigating a strange string of attacks, too large to be a dog but each attack resembled dog attacks but did far too much damage. It had to be a person but how could they inflict so much damage to the body with their teeth and so large as well?
"Sherlock," John watched as the detective paced back and forth mumbling to himself as he always did but this was different. "Sherlock," he said again but the man still paced, mulling over things over and over again.
"Sherlock!"
Sherlock snapped from his daze to look over at John, like nothing had happened at all. "What," he asked watching his college stare at him in disbelief and a mix of shock, horror. Horror over what, why was he afraid like he just saw something worse than war?
"You were growling like some wild dog, are you alright?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine. I wasn't growling I was thinking out loud humans can't growl. Something is missing John, but we have all the facts in front of us and yet something still is missing, but what?"
"So you're just going to completely overlook the fact that you were just growling like a wild animal, I thought there was an actual dog in here when I came up the stairs. Truthfully, Sherlock, you've gotten far stranger since we took this case."
"Oh calm down John I'm fine," was all Sherlock said before continuing his pacing across the room before picking up his violin.
John knew now there was no chance in getting anything else out of him, he shook his head and just stood in the door way a moment. "What do you want to eat, I can call for carry way or we can go out," John said trying to break the silence and Sherlock set his violin down then, staring off a moment longer.
"I'll get my coat, Chinese sounds good don't you think," he said, John heard the distant sound in his voice his mind not really there and it was obvious.
John nodded, Sherlock putting his coat on and the two left. The cool night air welcomed them as they walked, half way to the restaurant they both changed their mind and got sandwiches off a night cart. Sitting in a park near by the water, they could see the stars there and Sherlock stared up at the moonless sky. "You sure you're alright?" John asked, Sherlock could hear the worry in his voice and knew that it was true. Was he really that off of his normal self that John was worried?
"Hmm, yes I'm…fine…"
"Sherlock…"
Sherlock held up his hand to stop him, he sighed and looked down at the still wrapped sandwich in his hand. "I know you don't really believe the word 'fine', nothing really ever comes from it that's good…I've been having nightmares since we started this case and I usually don't even dream unless it's pertaining to the case. But these nightmares have persisted since the start," he said.
"I know I've heard you a few times from my room yelling in your sleep, maybe we should just stop this case."
"No, if I can solve it then people will stop dying in such grotesque ways but something is still missing none of it makes any sense."
John was the only one to see this more human side of Sherlock, the side with feelings and emotions that could admit when something was wrong. The two sat in silence as they finished eating, John not pressing the matter anymore but looked away from the stars when Sherlock's phone buzzed a few times. "It's Lestrade, there's been another attack this one is still alive," Sherlock said and both men got up, quickly running to the street and hailing a taxi. Telling the driver where to go it was only a few minutes before they reached the scene, it was oddly close to their flat.
"How bad are they," John asked as they got out.
"We can't move him; if we do he'll die faster. The attack happened about ten minutes ago, the person across the street called it in said there was a black mass like a giant dog in the alley then she saw the boy fall out of the alley covered in blood." Lestrade answered, both stopped at the word boy.
Sherlock was the first threw and knelt down next to the teen, no older than 17 and he checked the wounds closely with John. "Look at me, come on focus for me okay we're going to catch this person but we need your help." Sherlock said, keeping the young man's head up to look at them, noticing a golden tint around the boy's irises. John worked on stopping the bleeding more in hopes they could move the boy to a hospital where he would have a chance.
"It was so fast…sounded like some beast…a monster…it bit my shoulder and drug me down…it was so sharp…" the boy got out shaking now going into shock.
"Stay with me, come on now stay with me what did it look like?" Sherlock told him trying to keep him awake, grabbing the sides of the boy's head.
It happened, fast the gold appeared in the eyes and Sherlock suddenly yanked his wrist back as it was bitten before the boy finally lost the battle with blood loss. Sherlock stumbled back a bit before falling down, holding his wrist tightly as John rushed over to him. "Sherlock," he said, asking Lestrade for his belt to stop the bleeding in Sherlock's wrist before it got worse. Sherlock felt himself growing lightheaded, his wrist was on fire and it felt like it was spreading up his arm before his eyes finally started to cloud. He passed out, his only way of escaping the pain.