Hello my Mortem Venators! I am so sorry this took so long to get out! This is the last chapter of Updating Week, which is Updating Season at this point. Now, this chapter took so long because I really wanted to share this with you in its best form since this has been on my mind often lately. The kid in this story is one half of my conscience, and the team is my other half. This chapter will explain everything. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. R&R!
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Contains death, first degree murder, mental disorders, child abandonment, graphic descriptions, non-graphic torture of a minor, swearing, previous arsonry, mentions of PTSD, and orphaning of a child.
IMPORTANT: This is my first real attempt at a crime chapter so please bear with me. I try to explain as best as I can in the chapter what happens. I apologize if it gets too confusing.
A Place Where Kids Shouldn't Go
The room was grey and cold. Bianca didn't like it. She was alone. Her body hurt so much. Tears were streaming down her face. It hurt so much.
The nice man told her to stay here in this scary room and that he would be back soon, but it had been forever, and she was getting scared.
Mommy and Daddy weren't here to hold her. When she asked the nice man where they were, he said that they had left, and that they would be gone for a while. The man's face had been wet when he said that.
"Well, where'd they go?" Bianca had asked. The wind had been cold, but the heat of the car they were in warmed her up. She had been hurt and in pain while they were driving, too, but the nice man didn't help were leaving a very big and scary forest to a place she didn't know. Mommy and Daddy weren't in the car.
The man took years to speak again. If she told Mommy that, Mommy would have laughed and told her to 'be patient, Bianca. It was only a minute.'
"Mister?" She asked, calling for his attention.
The man cleared his throat. His eyes were focused intensely on the road even though they were at a red light.
"Your parents, Bianca...They went to a place where kids should never go."
Went to a place kids shouldn't go? How'd they leave? Last time Bianca saw her parents, they were still in bed, lying in a pool of red.
Adam opened the door to Ty's room, still yawning and eyes tired. It was four in the morning, and he had just gotten a call from Grey that called for the team's attention. Now he needed to wake the others and get to their destination as soon as they could. Being that Ty was the second in command for the team, Adam felt that he had to wake Ty first. It was the agreement Ty made Adam promise to when the demon bird first asked Ty to help him with the team.
Adam laid a gentle hand on Ty's shoulder and shook lightly. "Ty, rise and shine. Work to do and demons to kill."
The quiet snort of tired laughter from Ty made Adam smile. "That's the best morning greeting I've ever heard," the werewolf replied sarcastically, his voice still a whisper after just waking up.
Adam snickered. "Let's hope the others think the same. We gotta wake 'em up."
Ty groaned in sympathy for the others. They had gotten back from another mission just a day ago. Yesterday, they had been recovering and taking care of Jerome. The Bacca had been particularly beaten.
"Can't it be just us?" Ty asked, sitting up. Adam moved out of his way, so his friend could stand.
Grabbing Ty a shirt from the dresser, Adam tossed it, replying, "I wish, but Grey said for all of us to come."
Ty caught the shirt and slipped over his head to cover his bare chest. "Damn it." He sighed and looked at Adam. "Alright. I'll get Ashley, Tiff, Jerome, and Kyle."
"Guess I'm grabbing Tyler, Jason, and Mitch," Adam replied, stretching his arms above his head.
The duo walked out of the room and went to wake the others. As he walked, Adam had a tight feeling in his chest that this one was going to be particularly difficult, and he didn't want to tell the team what they were going against.
"The damn sun isn't even up!" Tyler complained as they walked out of the house together.
Adam laughed. He was first out of the house, and Jason was in the back. "We've done this God knows how many times, and you still complain? Jay, since you're the last one out, can you lock the door?"
"Yeah," Jason called forward tiredly.
"Yeah, I'm gonna complain. If we're gonna save the world again, can the sun at least say 'good morning! Have a good day!' to us!" Tyler shot back.
Now Mitch laughed. "Yeah. Okay, Tyler. Keep dreaming," he answered, slipping his Ruger out of its belt as they entered the forest.
"I can't," Tyler retorted. "I keep getting woken up in the middle of it."
Chuckles chorused throughout the team.
"Anyways, now that Tyler's done complaining-"
"I'm not!" Tyler growled, cutting Jerome off.
The Bacca rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "What are we up against, Adam?"
After the past couple of years Adam had been doing this, he had gotten extremely used to telling the team their missions, but this one was different. It was so different from their other missions. The drill was still the same: know the mission, investigate, narrow down suspects, find the demon, kill, go home. It was simple, instinct at this point, really. But this mission…It struck too close to home.
The team couldn't really see the uncomfortable look Adam had on his face since he was in the front of the group, but Mitch did. Standing next to their leader, Mitch saw Adam's unease.
Mitch turned his head to the team, his face telling them something was very wrong. The team looked at each other warily. They never liked that look on Adam.
"Adam?" Jason called cautiously.
Adam cleared his throat. "This case is going to be a little different."
His voice was still and unwavering, low and serious. He was no longer in the greatest of moods, but he was going to have to tell the team sooner or later, and they preferred sooner much rather than later.
"What do you mean?" Kyle pressed gently.
His voice grew colder as he spoke, and the team couldn't help but wonder just what Adam was thinking. "We're going to be investigating a young girl. Her parents were murdered in their room, lying in a pool of their own blood, but there were no lacerations, no wounds. They were just...sleeping. The daughter, Bianca Hills, was found alone. Authorities took her to the police department," Adam informed.
"How old is Bianca?" Ashley questioned. Ashley and Tiff were the designated child handlers. It wasn't as though the guys were bad with kids because they really weren't, they loved kids, but children seemed to adore Ash and Tiff more.
"She's five and barely understanding what's going on around her." Adam was growing angry, but the team knew it wasn't directed at them. They could see their leader beginning to tremble. This was information they needed to know, though, and they needed it now, so that they could be up to date and ahead of the game.
There was silence.
Mitch turned his head to look all the way back at Jason. The reaper nodded. The team members looked between the two, wondering just what they were thinking.
Jason spoke first. "Where was she found, Adam?"
Adam stilled but didn't say anything and didn't stop walking.
Mitch placed a hand on Adam's shoulder, forcing everyone to stop. Jason looked like he was ready to teleport between the two. Everyone was silent. Even the forest seemed to listen in.
"Where was little Bianca when the police found her, Adam? What happened?" Mitch questioned softly.
Adam's voice was uncharacteristically quiet. Half of the team had to strain to hear him."She...She was found alone in a forest cave, beaten, bruised. Her wrist was fractured, a few broken bones, and a sprained ankle. The blood on her hands was tested in a DNA lab. It was her mom's. She was missing for three days. But these idiots…"
Adam's shoulders began to shake, and his voice started to crack. "Grey told me how they sent this guy, Detective Jacob Williams, to question her. He was under strict orders not to take her to the hospital. She was taken, half-dead, to the police station for interrogation. It's illegal and inhumane, yet they called for our help. Grey only accepted because of Bianca. She's their main and only suspect."
"What?!" Kyle growled in anger. "A broken, traumatized five-year old girl is their only suspect?! And they called for our help after how they treated her? How incompetent are these bastards?"
"This mission is insane!" Tiff scoffed. "The nerve of these people! And they're the local police, too! The ones who are depended on to do what's right! What kind of example are they setting?"
Adam chose to ignore the following outraged comments bouncing between the team. He felt the same, and it was best to let the supernaturals vent before they reached the Magma Block City Police Department. Magma Block City wasn't exactly known for its low crime ratings. Adam supposed the police department was no exception. What a shame. The city's defenders are its attackers.
'What has this world come to?' Adam sighed.
Mitch let his hand slip off Adam's shoulder but didn't say a word. The team's voices were still going on behind him. His concern was more focused on Adam. The demon looked so put out, tired, and just plain crushed. He rarely saw such a look on Adam, and he didn't like it.
"Adam," Mitch whispered. Out of the corner of the corner of his eye, Mitch saw Jerome's ears perk up for a moment, but his ears relaxed to show that he was giving them their space and was no longer eavesdropping. It was a tactic Adam, Ty, and Jerome were working on. Since they couldn't control their supernatural hearing, they have been trying to control what they do and do not listen to.
Adam gave him a little hum in response. He wasn't up for much talking.
"Adam, what's going on?" Mitch questioned softly. "What does this case mean to you?"
Adam hesitated before putting a hand over his eyes and bowing his head. "She reminds me too much of myself."
"How so?" Mitch had a few ideas, but he hated not being absolutely sure.
"Well, she's an orphan at this point, no family. She was alone in the wilderness for days, Mitch. She was refused any medical attention. No one wants to go anywhere near her now. They won't even give her a case. She's their only suspect. These people are idiots who won't even give a child a chance. What damage could a little girl do?" Adam ranted quietly, seething with anger and sadness because, really, all he could do at the moment was express emotion for the little girl who could barely understand why her parents weren't coming home tonight.
Mitch pursed his lips. "You're talking about your childhood. How no one gave you a chance, how everyone judged you because of your situation, how no one cared what you thought, how you couldn't defend yourself because of your age."
Adam closed his eyes. "I don't know which is worse: having stones thrown at you since you were an infant or being forced to separate from the people who care after getting a taste of what love is like. When you're beaten, it only hurts a bit because you never experienced what would it would've been like if you had people there next to you."
Adam swallowed thickly before continuing, "Bianca...She had it all. She had a family that would've protected her most of the blows. Now she has to adjust to the full force of an attack without a shield, and compared to the safety of her parents' arms, it's going to hurt a lot more."
Mitch, for once, struggled to find words. He had a rough childhood, too, but at least he had someone to feed him; a home. He couldn't sympathize with Adam because he had no experience unlike his friend. He couldn't offer consolation because there was no connection. Mitch couldn't begin to fathom what life must have been like for Adam. The demon bird never went into detail. He always left it with a shrug and a "It was rough. No home, no food, no family. I was kid surviving on his own in a kingdom where orphans were forced to be soldiers. If it doesn't sound easy, it most likely wasn't."
The two stood quiet for a few seconds. The team now silent behind them, their tirades now over. They just stood in silence, watching the two men figure out who would say the next word.
At the end of it all, however, nothing was said. There was nothing to say. Mitch had never suffered in the way Adam did, and the male had suffered. He suffered more than a kid his age should have. Beaten for something he couldn't control...his own sister died by his hands. Could people really think he wanted that? He hadn't. He loved Jacqueline with all of his heart, and he didn't have much time with her because of his predicament, something he didn't want. How could they treat Adam like that? The true victim here was him. Mitch felt for him.
By realizing that Adam needed to know that he was in power now, Mitch could effectively give Adam the respect he needed. Adam, after showing that long period of weakness to Mitch and his team, needed to know that they didn't think differently, didn't pity him.
The truth was, though, Mitch did pity him, even if it was in silence. Their leader had gone through such a difficult childhood, and with a group of demons and monsters like them, it would do people good to treat them respectfully and with heart rather than ban and torture them like they do now. The chemical imbalance of hormones in a demon's or monster's brain is significantly different than an average person. Demons and monsters are easy to anger, and, by angering them, they start to lash out, attacking without realizing it and without remorse afterwards. By treating creatures like the team the way humans do, they are risking getting themselves killed rather than keeping themselves safe. It's easier to live with demons than to banish them.
Adam turned to the team, the anger not yet dispelled from his face. "Let's go."
The team nodded and began to follow the demon bird, knowing that a storm was coming, and Adam was going to be leading it.
Jerome didn't hesitate to catch up with Mitch just ten minutes later, not wanting to seem so obvious about what he was talking about. The two began to fall back behind the group as far as they could to avoid Adam's ears.
"You okay?" Jerome questioned, keeping his voice low.
"You should be asking Adam that," Mitch answered, equally as quiet.
"He seems so pissed."
"We all are."
"But him especially."
"You know what life was like for him. He connects with Bianca," Mitch explained, giving Jerome a knowing look.
Jerome rubbed the back of his neck and kept his hand there. "That's not a good thing. That's not even a remotely good thing."
"No," Mitch agreed, "It's not. It's very bad, but it could be something great."
Jerome looked at Mitch with curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Adam would have to talk to Bianca rather than Tiff and Ashley. He understands her better, can relate more-"
"He's also a demon, Mitch. Remember that form he took a few weeks ago? What happens if that demon comes out again?"
Mitch was about to reply when Adam's demon bird screech echoed in the forest. Jerome and Mitch snapped their attention towards the group to see Adam in the air with another flying demon.
'It's just Adam. Not that monster,' Mitch thought, unable to control his sigh of relief.
Mitch looked closely at the demon. It was a pterodactyl-looking demon with scales instead of wrinkled skin. Its wings had spikes protruding from the outlines. It was mainly red with green dusting in color. It was a poisonous demon, and the spikes on its wings could launch out, much like Adam's feathers. It was a poisonous long range attacker, one of the most dangerous kinds. He wished he could tell Adam that, but he didn't want to distract their leader and get him killed.
"Mitch, what is that thing?" Jerome asked, just loud enough for the rest of the team to hear. The others looked at him. Adam could hear this conversation, and Mitch was glad Jerome gave him a better option than yelling Adam's name.
Mitch replied, keeping his attention to the still opponents in the air. "It's a Craushew, a long range poison flying demon. Be careful, Adam. If you're not paying attention, that poison will seep into you, and I don't know if can perform that kind of surgery in the middle of a forest."
"Weak point?" Adam questioned. Mitch never really liked Adam's voice when he was a demon. It scared him a little if he was being honest, and not much scared the hunter.
"You don't really have to look for one. He's vulnerab-"
Mitch didn't even get to finish his sentence. Adam was already back in human form and standing, but the Craushew was still frozen in the air.
"Adam, wha-?" Jerome cut himself off as the Craushew split in half, falling the ground in a bloodied mess.
Adam shrugged. "It was in our way, and we have places to be."
"Okay, what has Adam been doing lately?" Jerome whispered as the team continued to walk past the Craushew's disappearing corpse. "Ever since the day he thought he was unfit to be our leader, he's gotten stronger, a lot stronger. What did he do?"
"I don't know," Mitch replied. "But I hope The Count is keeping him in check…"
"They are talking about you, human."
"It's called concern, Cheorm."
"It is called 'I will murder them.'"
"You know, I was so happy when I went back to the pentagram a couple weeks ago to unlock this ability to talk to you without a pentagram and just with that 'soul connection' or whatever. Now I regret it."
"Saying things like that make me wish I never agreed to help you. I thought we had a deal, human."
"Stop being so sensitive, Cheorm."
"I am not. You are."
"I'm only sensitive right now because of this case, so, you know, if you could not be a jerk, thanks."
"Human, you have gone through worse. This case may come close to home, but has it not before? This young girl will probably not remember this when she is older."
"'Probably.'"
"Human, do not mock me. Everything will be okay."
"When you say things like that, it gets me nervous."
"Relax. Karma is not real. I'll tell you that much."
"Then tell me why it always bites me in the ass every time."
"The Fates just do not like you."
"Me or you?"
"I refuse to answer that question."
"That's Detective Jacob Williams?" Ashley asked quietly.
There was a middle-aged man yelling at another a man, a blonde. The man was maybe thirty with brown hair and blue eyes. He was taller, nearing six feet. Adam had a few inches on him still, however. The man was thin, almost a toothpick, but he had an air of strength around him.
"Yup. That's Detective Williams," Adam muttered.
"I can't decide whether to hate him for not taking Bianca to the hospital or to like him for actually having a heart," Jason sighed.
"I'm tossing both," Ashley responded, an emotional look in her eyes. There were too many feelings going on for the team to make out what was going on. The electricity in her eyes were flashing fast.
"Who's the blondie?" Kyle questioned, raising an eyebrow. The blonde seemed to be the superior, but Williams didn't seem to care.
"Captain Jordan Matthews. He's the one who ordered Williams to take Bianca straight here," Adam informed, his voice no less than a growl. "Let's just go meet him." Adam wanted to cut the others off from another rant. The team didn't like it, but they followed close behind their leader, ignoring all the curious looks shot their way.
"Captain Matthews, Detective Williams," Adam greeted, masking his anger and disappointment with authority.
The arguing ceased immediately.
Jordan Matthews turned to Adam and stuck out his hand. "I assume you're Mr. Nicholas Watts?"
"Is that really the name the general gave you?"
"Yes, Cheorm. Now shut up."
"Yes, and this is my team," Adam replied, shaking the man's hand when what he really wanted to do was break it.
Matthews nodded. "I apologize for the scene you saw when you arrived." With a glare at Jacob, the captain continued, "Detective Williams was just leaving."
"Kill him, human."
"Later."
Jacob Williams scoffed and turned, walking away from the group to outside. Adam brushed his fingers against his left leg. Ty left the group.
"Follow me. We'll talk more in my office," the captain said, nodding. Adam turned to his team before following Jordan.
Jerome wasn't allowed to be seen on these missions, so he tended to stay hidden, sitting on rooftops and sometimes alleyways. He was mostly the team's lookout, letting them know when something suspicious was on the rise. It seemed a bit suspicious when a brown-haired detective burst out of the precinct, only for Ty to take him by the arm gently and guide him into the alleyway swiftly. Jerome slipped to the edge of his rooftop and knelt next to brick wall so he could listen in.
"Detective Williams, right?" He heard Ty ask.
"Yeah, which one are you?"
"Aaron Paul."
"You don't look like an Aaron."
"You don't look like a Jacob."
"Touché." Jerome had to grin at that. The detective had a sense of humor.
"Tell me what happened," Ty demanded, but he phrased it more as a question. The team already had a huge bias against the police department. Jacob had better make up for his actions.
"How do I know you're not corrupted like the rest of them?"
Jerome heard Ty chuckle. "Funny. I was asking myself the same question."
'Whoo. Jesus, Ty. Tone it down there. We're trying to question the guy, not murder him,' Jerome thought.
Jacob went quiet for a moment. "Bianca...That poor girl...If I had taken her to the hospital, she might as well have died in the forest. Captain Matthews would've killed her and me."
"What do you mean?"
"In a murder like this, Captain Matthews doesn't want anyone to know about it. So far, there's never been a witness. Therefore, the captain hasn't worried about it, but we also couldn't get anywhere with these cases, and no one could speak about them. Now that little Bianca's alive...He's hoping she'll die of injuries or infection soon. Sick bas-"
"Detective," Ty interrupted. "Who else knows about Bianca?"
"No one. It was just my job to get her out of the forest and to here. No one else saw her."
"Listen to me, as of now, your captain can't stand between my team. Calling us here was a big mistake. He invited us in here, so this is our jurisdiction now. Take me to Bianca's interrogation room. A couple of my teammates should be able to help her."
"She's in real bad condition, sir," Williams replied. "I don't think she'll last much longer."
"We'll leave that to my team. For now, show us where she is."
Jerome heard the two walk back into the precinct.
This was going to be really difficult, wasn't it?
"Jason, Mitch," Ty whispered between them. The two males looked at him curiously, listening between the werewolf and the conversation between their leader and the captain. "Williams is taking us to Bianca. Let's go."
The two nodded and followed their second-in-command. Jacob was waiting for them outside of the office. He was scowling at his captain so much, the three teammates were worried his face would be stuck like that.
"This way," Jacob directed, tearing his eyes away from the office and began walking towards the interrogation rooms. Ty, Jason, and Mitch followed close behind.
The precinct was pretty small. All of the desks were in the middle of the room, and the captain's office was pressed all the way in the back. Holding cells were in the hallway on the right of the entry door, and the interrogation rooms were on the left. There were a few more hallways, but the team didn't know where they led.
The three men were taken to Interrogation Room Four. Upon opening the door, Ty could not imagine a more outraged look on Mitch and Jason's faces. Ty imagined his expression was the same. The room was dingy, grey, and cold. The metal table was probably freezing. Had they not looked close enough, they would have missed the young mocha-colored girl hiding under the table. The others didn't need super hearing to hear the soft crying from the tiny person.
"Bianca?" Jason called softly.
Bianca visibly flinched even though she had her eyes closed. She was so small, too small for her age. Then again, her mother hadn't been the tallest of persons. Bianca was so thin, too. How easily she must've broken under the demon's power. The three soldiers couldn't help but wonder how much pain her fractured wrist, broken bones, and sprained ankle could be costing her.
"Bianca, hun," Jason called softly again, approaching the metal table and kneeling down.
Detective Williams closed the door.
"Bianca, sweetie, can you look at me?"
The small child weakly opened her eyes, and Jason could so clearly see the pain in them, physical and emotional. The child would never forget this week from Hell. A fiery anger in Jason flared up as he held out his hand.
"Bianca, hi. My name's Reese. Me and some of my friends are here to help you. Will you let us?"
"H-How...How do you know my name?" Bianca whispered.
Jason gestured to Detective Williams, "Mr. Williams told us your name. Do you remember Mr. Williams?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Bianca, can you tell me what hurts?"
"M-My arm...my foot...my chest."
'Those broken bones must've been broken ribs.'
"Bianca, are you having trouble breathing?" Jason questioned kindly.
"N-No...Should I?"
"No, Bianca! No. You shouldn't. I need you to come here, so I can help you."
"It hurts to move…"
Jason hesitated. He began looking for options. It would hurt Bianca too much if he dragged her from under the table, even if he went under the table as well and carried her out. The table...He could try to move the table, but it was bolted to the floor like almost all interrogation rooms. Police departments tended to hold strong suspects.
Jason stood. The only option was to lift the table. He would have rip out the bolts. The Reaper looked at Mitch and Ty.
"Aaron, Dominic, help me out here?" Jason asked. Mitch and Ty nodded and moved towards the table.
"Wait, you guys aren't actually going to-"
"You might want to stand back, detective," Jason suggested. "This table could fly anywhere."
The detective stepped out the room and closed the door once again. He watched from the window as Ty, Mitch, and Jason each stood at table side. They lifted up with all their strength. Creaking was heard, an earsplitting screech, and the table went flying up. With the momentum, Ty, Jason, and Mitch threw the table towards where Detective Williams once stood. Along with that throw, the table covered the window. Jacob could no longer see inside the room. Mitch bolted the door and pressed his weight against it to keep the detective from coming in.
"Reese, make it quick," Mitch mouthed, making sure Jacob didn't hear.
Jason nodded and knelt next to the petrified five-year old. "Bianca, this will only hurt a second," he whispered.
That large scythe appeared in Jason's hand. He'd be lying if Jason said that Bianca's little scream didn't break his heart. Standing, Jason swung his arm in an arc, bringing the scythe across the little girl's body. The scythe passed right through her, not harming the kid at all, healing her instead. Bianca's eyes closed.
As soon as the little girl fell asleep, Jason swung his scythe in a full circle to put it away. He felt his world tilt sideways and his eyelids grew heavy. Ty's grip on his elbow was the only thing keeping him up.
Mitch was just barely able to kneel next to Bianca when Williams stormed in.
"What happened in here? Who was blocking the door? Why did Bianca scream?" The detective demanded.
Ty knelt down once Mitch moved to hold Jason and gently picked the little girl up. "The pain was too much for her," the werewolf lied smoothly. "Since this is our jurisdiction now, we're taking her to a safer place where she can get the help she needs. Tell your captain that. Let's go, guys."
Mitch helped Jason follow Ty out the door with only small grins at the detective. Jacob only had one thought in his mind.
'Who are these people?'
It was cold again. Was all the warmth in the world gone? Bianca didn't know.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that man again. The brown-haired man with the nice, blue eyes. Reese, right? Bianca liked that name.
"Bianca? Hi, sweetie," Reese greeted softly. His voice was so kind, just like mommy and daddy's. Speaking of mommy and daddy, where were they? Why was it so cold? How did she get to this dark place? Bianca was having a hard time remembering.
"Hi...Where's mommy and daddy?"
Two other men behind Reese shifted on their feet. Reese wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, Bianca could barely see his eyes because he looked away from her.
"Your parents, Bianca," Reese started. "They're going to be gone for a while."
Yo. We need you here with Jay like yesterday.
Mitch swore quietly. Ty looked at him.
"What happened?" The werewolf whispered. Jason was putting Bianca back to sleep and dodging the questions she asked about her parents. The Reaper wasn't ready to answer that yet.
"Kyle just texted me. He needs Jason and I to help with the case."
"Go then. I got her."
"I'll send Tyler and Kyle back here. On the off chance that this is a demon and not some sick yet brilliant psychopath, I want you to have backup. Besides, you can't exactly turn into a wolf in front of Bianca. Kyle and Tyler would at least be able to keep you both safe."
Ty nodded. "Alright. Looks like Jason just got Bianca to sleep. But be careful over there. I don't like that captain one bit. When I spoke to Williams, he told me about the department's corruption."
"I wouldn't doubt it. This captain is all types of screwed up," Mitch muttered as Jason walked over, an expression on his face they couldn't quite read.
"What happened?" Jason asked quietly to avoid waking Bianca.
"We need to go," Mitch answered. "Kyle and Tyler are going to come take our place here. We have to look over the case files."
Jason nodded before looking at Ty. "You'll be okay here with her?"
Ty gave Jason a blank look. "Jason, she's a five-year old girl. I can take care of her," he deadpanned.
Jason raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. But she's also a little girl who lost her parents. Be careful. We'll be back soon."
Mitch texted Kyle back, We're on our way. Tell Adam to make sure we have every cold case file they have that relates to the case now. I want them there when we arrive.
Adam's already working on it.
Also tell him that we're switching out places. You and Tyler are going to take Jason's and my places.
Right cuz of the whole 'bork, bork' thing.
Mitch snickered and showed the message to Ty and Jason, and both had to stifle their laughter. Ty took Mitch's phone.
Yeah, Kyle. The 'bork, bork' thing. -Ty
I heart you anyway.
Ty rolled his eyes, handing Mitch his phone back.
Jason and I are on our way, Kyle. You guys better be on your way.
Wait, does Ty heart me back?
Mitch ignored the text and led Jason out of the cave they had situated themselves in on the outskirts of town.
Once they were gone, Ty looked at the small sleeping form on Jason's jacket. The Reaper had sacrificed his own warmth and gave it to Bianca, wrapping her up like a small roll. Ty felt a small smile grow on his face. Bianca was a beautiful and sweet little girl. Jason handled her so well. He talked to her so kindly and softly. He listened to her and her questions, even if he didn't directly answer. Ty had never really seen Jason care for a kid. The girls always took control of that. And the way Jason nearly blew their cover to get Bianca out from under the table without hurting her was admirable, albeit a bit risky.
It was time like this when Ty realized Jason would've been a great father. That is, if his soul wasn't sold to Death.
"I can't believe they didn't take crime scene photos," Ashley growled, circling the parents' bed that was now stripped of covers.
"They better not have touched anything else," Tiff muttered, slipping on the latex gloves Adam offered them.
Tiff, Ashley, and Adam were at the Hills' home, searching for anything CSU might have left behind. Jerome was still surveying the police department. Mitch and Jason had swapped positions with Tyler and Kyle. Ty was with Bianca back at the cave.
"Girls, I understand you're pissed at the department," Adam sighed, slipping on his own pairs of gloves. "We all are, but for now, let's just get this done."
Ashley gave a mock salute before putting on her pair of gloves. "Yes, sir."
Adam gave her a deadpan look. She raised her hands in surrender.
Adam left the parents' room and began to walk around the house. He peeked into Bianca's room. The room was completely trashed. Her lamp was smashed on the floor, her sheets were thrown off her bed, her window was cracked...Adam could go on. If the leader didn't know better, he would say that there had been a struggle.
But Adam did know better.
He knew enough to realize that a five-year old girl could not cause this much damage to her room, not even in a deliberate tantrum. This was clumsily made to seem like Bianca put up a fight during the kidnapping. But that didn't make any sense…
Adam raced out the room and down the stairs, catching Tiff's attention. The pink-haired girl came out of the parents' room before heading to see what Adam had found in Bianca's room. Meanwhile, Adam had bolted to the front door. When the three of them had walked into the Hills' house, the door was perfectly fine, shut and locked like normal, but if there was a kidnapping during the night when everyone was asleep, there had to be a break-in.
Unless the Hills knew the killer.
Checking the front door, back door, and the patio door locks, Adam found that no door had been damaged or picked. No window was busted either besides Bianca's, but that window was just cracked, not broken. The window's screen hadn't even been cut.
So who took Bianca to the forest?
There couldn't have been a kidnapping that night.
"Adam, what did you find?" Tiff asked, coming down the stairs with Ashley as their leader paced the living room in deep thought.
"Human, what are you thinking?"
"There was no way Bianca was kidnapped the night of her parents' murders. She had to have been taken the morning after."
"Impossible. The law enforcement arrived first thing in the morning when that little girl called them."
"Unless her kidnapper got here immediately after the call. The killer must've had to act quickly, but, Cheorm, there is no sign of a break-in. Bianca must've known the killer."
"How do you know the murderer is human? How do you know it is not a demon who can slide under doors? Did you think about that?"
"Yeah. I did. When Jason came back to the precinct, he said that when he asked Bianca about the person who took her, she said it was a tall person. The person she described was human. She couldn't remember exactly what the killer looked like, she lost her memory, but all she said was that he looked familiar. Last time I checked, Bianca didn't know a demon."
"What you are saying is is that the killer came to this house, murdered the girl's parents, left, then returned to capture her? Human, that makes no sense."
"It does if the killer has two roles."
"Are you implying that the murderer could work at the precinct?"
"That precinct is one of the most corrupt places I have seen, Cheorm. One of them has to be the murderer."
"You came to that conclusion rather quickly."
"Yeah, well, I just want to make sure it's right."
"Tiff, Ash, we're going back to the precinct," Adam declared, stopping his pacing and looking at the bewildered females. "I think I have an idea of what happened here."
"I mean, it's a valid argument," Jason defended. "This precinct is as corrupt as they come."
"But why would the killer leave then return?" Ty asked from over the phone. "It makes no sense."
"Well, if it's like what Adam says," Mitch started. "No one would question a police officer investigating a crime scene then taking a young witness back. It would just be standard procedure."
The team at the precinct had situated themselves in a small office, shutting the door and making sure no one was listening in. This allowed them to use their real names and not their fake ones. It was a little unusual calling each other their aliases.
Jerome had joined Ty, Kyle, and Tyler back at the cave and was keeping out of Bianca's sight, but as far as they knew, Bianca was still knocked out. Jason's healing with his scythe had not only tired out the Reaper, but the little girl as well.
"But how could a human kill the Hills the way they did?" Tiff asked. "It's almost supernatural. They bled out without any seen wounds."
Jason hesitated. "There is one way, but it's so farfetched, it's nearly impossible."
"Anything sounds good right now, Jason," Adam replied with a sigh.
"Well, it's called hemophilia," Jason started. "It's a bleeding disorder where the victims start to lose a lot of blood fast by even the smallest of wounds. It's a deficiency in a factor called VIII, a clotting protein. Without VIII, cuts can be a major hazard to the victims."
"But there was no cut on the victims, Jason," Tyler countered.
"We're relying on any seen wounds. That's where I think this case is going sideways," Jason replied. "Ashley, where's the M.E. report?"
Ashley lifted up her laptop and handed the file underneath to Jason. "Here, I think... I dunno if that's the right one."
Jason took it from her and opened it. "Yeah, it's the right one," he confirmed. Jason went silent for a moment. "Yup! Here!" He pointed to the picture of Mrs. Hills' dead body. The others in the office looked at the picture before looking back at Jason, not seeing what the genius was seeing.
"Jason, what are we supposed to be looking at?" Tiff asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Really? You guys seriously don't see it?" Jason replied, seriously believing that the team was joking.
"We don't see it, Jay," Adam responded, a slight laugh in his voice.
"Oh my God…" The Reaper traced a very thin white line on Mrs. Hills' right arm, a scar that was barely visible in the picture. Jason then took out Mr. Hills' picture and traced the exact same scar in the exact same location. There were several other large wounds on their body that had scarred over as well.
"These must have been stitched up a couple days ago," Jason confirmed. "But the stitches had to come out somehow." Jason looked at Adam. "I think we should have a talk with our medical examiner."
Adam had never agreed more.
"Well, now that Adam's about to rip apart the medical examiner with Jason, maybe we should talk to Bianca a little more," Ty suggested after ending the call.
"I don't know about waking her," Kyle replied slowly.
"Why not?" Tyler questioned.
"Well, Jason's the one who's been talking to her the most. She knows him much better than us. She doesn't even know me and you, Tyler, and she's only seen Ty, not talked to him. We should wait for Jay. She'd be way more comfortable," Kyle explained.
"Yeah, makes sense…" Tyler agreed. Ty nodded, looking at the still sleeping child
'Who knew a child could sleep so long?' Ty thought. 'But I guess especially after this week, she must've been exhausted, but she hasn't even had a nightmare yet. Detective Williams had said that she had been having nightmares in the interrogation room, so why isn't she having them now? I suppose I should be grateful for that. I wouldn't know how to comfort her. Maybe it's Jason's jacket. Bianca had told them the interrogation room was as cold as the forest cave she was left in. Maybe Jason's jacket provides warmth that reminds her of her parents. No. Maybe I'm thinking too far into it. Just let the little girl rest.'
A shuffling noise next to Ty snapped the second-in-command out of his thoughts. Jerome was getting restless. The Bacca didn't like being cooped up like this on missions. Jerome often felt like he was no help on these mission, which wasn't true at all. Ty knew Jerome would rather be on a rooftop than in a cold cave right now.
This case needed to be solved soon. Bianca deserved for this nightmare to end. This just wasn't fair. It never was.
Adam slammed his hands on the empty examining table in front of them, his eyes clouded with fury, scaring the M.E..
"Did you remove those stitches from the victims?!" Adam demanded, his voice a loud growl.
"U-Um, y-yes," the male M.E. replied.
"So why did you fail to mention that in your report?!"
"C-Captain Matthews t-told me n-not to."
"It's not about the captain! It's about legality and your job security! Tell me, did you not think it was important for those stitches to be mentioned?!"
"C-Captain M-Matthews said-"
"This isn't about Captain Matthews!" Adam interrupted. "Did you not think it was important for those stitches to be mentioned?!"
"I-I did."
"So why didn't you note them in your report like your job is supposed to do?!"
While Adam was yelling at the medical examiner, Jason had travelled to the storages where Mr. and Mrs. Hills were. Pulling open the drawers, Jason began to examine the corpses, wondering just what else the M.E. had failed to mention in his report that couldn't be seen in the picture.
"Nick."
Adam looked over. "Yeah?"
"These needle marks also weren't mentioned."
Adam walked over to the dead bodies and looked at the wrists Jason held up. Needle marks scarred their skin, and it was a wonder why the Hills didn't notice them.
"These needle marks are older than the wounds the stitches covered up," Jason informed, glaring at the terrified medical examiner. "Have you even tested their DNA?"
"Y-Yes."
"And?"
"They were positive for a condition called-"
"-hemophilia. You're pretty late for that, considering you failed to mention that in your report as well." Jason was pissed. "Are you trying to make this more difficult than it needs to be? Are you trying to lose your job?"
"It was Captain Matthew's orders!" The medical examiner was trying to defend himself, but it wasn't working.
"Nick, this is how they contracted hemophilia. They weren't born with it," Jason said. "The murderer must've injected them with infected O-neg blood a long time beforehand."
"This was premeditated then," Adam muttered. "Their killer had been planning this for a very long time."
Jason nodded. "A really long time. The Hills had no past drug abuse. These marks aren't from some wild teenage nights. This was from the killer."
Adam nodded. "Let's go see what Kristin has to say about it."
"Captain Matthews, huh?" Ashley asked, typing away at her computer. "Good thing we all hated him. Makes me feel great about putting him away."
"We don't know for sure yet, Ash," Adam replied, standing behind her chair. "Just find what you can. See if he has any medical background."
The rest of the team had either gone back to the cave or where looking for the forest cave Bianca was taken to. Maybe they would find something there.
Jason was seated next to Ashley. "I bet he used to work at a hospital or at least volunteers. He has to be connected to this somehow."
"Even if he doesn't," Adam started. "I'll still have his ass for withholding information on the case."
"That's the Adam I know and love," Ashley snickered.
Adam rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. "Anything, Ash?"
"Let's see…" Ashley went quiet for a moment, reading over Jordan Matthews' file. "Here! It says that Jordan volunteers at blood banks on weekends! Someone must've had...whatever the condition was-"
"-hemophilia," Jason supplied.
"Yeah, that, too, and donated. Either that or someone didn't do their job right," Ashley concluded.
"Or someone knew exactly what they were doing and did their job correctly," Adam muttered.
Adam was about to leave the room to confront Jordan when his phone began to ring. It was Mitch. Adam answered the phone and put in on speaker.
"Yeah?" Adam asked. It was a three-way call again. He could hear Kyle, Tiff, and Tyler talking in the background, but they were at the base cave while Mitch was at the forest cave with Jerome.
"Guys, we got a gold mine over here," Jerome said, disbelief coating his voice. "Our guy was sloppy, definitely not organized."
"What?" Adam questioned. That went against everything Jason, Ashley, and him had found.
"There's notes, blood, blood bags, syringes, insurance papers...We think this guy killed the Hills for money that Bianca was going to inherit, but the will was never finalized. None of it's going to him. So we're not sure if that's the motive," Mitch answered. "And you wouldn't believe the idiot."
"What happened?" Ty asked from the base cave. "What'd he do?"
"He may have his badge, but the murderer's driver's license is right in front of us," Jerome scoffed. "We're arresting Captain Jordan Matthews."
"But you said the cave was a mess," Adam replied. "Everything in the crime was premeditated, clearly thought and planned out. Why change his style? It makes no sense."
"Maybe he just wanted to keep people from thinking he was two different people," Tyler suggested. "Distance himself from the killer."
"Or it could be that he has a split personality," Ashley added. "Looking at his medical records, Matthews has been suffering from split personality disorder for years. Ever since he was nine, his parents claimed that he heard voices in his head and sometimes talked to people who weren't even there. Every now and again, Matthews would go through these extreme mood swings, kind and patient at first, then angry and aggressive the next. This guy is literally out of his mind. How did he get this job?"
"We have everything we need," Mitch concluded. "We have motive, probably the insurance money, we have him at the cave where Bianca was held, his driver's license…We even have a sewing kit that he used to stitch up the wounds. The syringes and bloods bags are just icing on the cake. Then he had the medical examiner take them out because it was 'irrelevant.'"
"He worked at a blood bank," Jason continued. "Which is where he got the blood containing hemophilia. We have the mood swings down: split personality disorder. Guys, we have him down to the core."
"But how'd he get in without forced entry?" Tiff questioned. "I doubt the Hills would let in the captain into their house in the middle of the night, not to mention that he left Bianca there to suffer."
"I think that's where his mental disorder comes in," Jason answered. "It says in the captain's file that Matthews often stayed at the Hills' house after fights with his wife. The Hills and the captain were really close. From there, he must've suffered a break in one of his visits and set his plan into motion. He injected the infected blood during their sleep and waited a few months. He either waited, or his next psychotic break came through. From there, in his next stay, he wounded each of the parents, skillfully enough to not wake them. They bled out, and the killer left the house. The captain came back first thing the next morning as soon as he remembered that the Hills were dead."
Adam caught on. "So maybe he had another break at the scene, trashed Bianca's room, then grabbed her and ran. None of this was thought out. He just suffered from psychosis. He was just plain crazy."
"If that's the case," Kyle sighed. "Then we're screwed."
"What do you mean?" Jerome asked.
Mitch growled. "The lawyers will plead insanity, and his case will be handled a lot differently."
"That's a thing?!" Jerome exclaimed.
"Yep," Adam answered, annoyed at this fact. "I know it was by accident, but it still doesn't change the fact that Bianca lost her parents to Matthew's hands. I'm arresting him, and he better serve time. We did our part. The prosecutors will do the rest. Nice work, guys. Jason, let's go."
Jason nodded and followed Adam out of the office. The two confidently strolled right past the bullpen and straight to the captain's office, ignoring the stares as Adam stole open handcuffs and its key lying on an empty desk as they walked by. Adam pushed open the door, and he didn't care if he was interrupting another argument between the captain and Detective Williams, which he, in fact, was.
Jason and Adam moved to opposite sides of Jordan and lifted him to his feet.
"What? What are you doing? Get your hands off me!" The captain exclaimed, demanding an answer. Detective Williams just looked on in shock. He wasn't shocked that Williams was guilty, but surprised at the fact that Matthews was finally getting what he deserved.
"Captain Jordan Matthews, you are under arrest for the murders of Keena and Chris Hills. You have the right to remain silent," Adam recited, clamping the handcuffs around the captain's wrists while Jason kept Jordan from struggling. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you." The two teammates began to walk the captain out the door and to the holding cells. "Do you understand the rights I have read to you?"
"I know my rights!" Jordan yelled angrily. "And you're making a mistake! I'll kill you for this!"
Adam and Jason grinned at each other. They did say he had the right to remain silent, and if he didn't, anything he said could be used against him. That threat was definitely to their advantage.
What an idiot.
Adam, Ashley, and Jason stepped into the base cave at the same as Mitch and Jerome, a look of triumph on their faces. At this, the team let out a collective sigh of relief and accomplishment. The bad guy was caught.
Now what about Bianca? Magma Block City Orphanage was often overlooked because of the city's bad reputation and not many funds went toward it, making it one of the worst orphanages in the county. She couldn't go there. There had to be a better option.
Adam looked at the younger girl in sadness. There was too much of him in her, and that was never a good thing. He was completely messed up from his parents' abandonment and Jaq's death. It wasn't fair to her. Bianca didn't deserve that. She had a loving family that cared so much about her, a family Adam never had.
Adam could feel the team's eyes on them as he and Jason walked towards Bianca, who was just waking up. Jason knelt next to Bianca, a smile already on his face. Adam supposed this was a rare mission where Tiff and Ashley could take a break from talking to kids. Jason seemed to have it under control.
"Hi, hun," Jason greeted sweetly as Bianca opened her eyes and yawned.
"Hi," Bianca replied quietly, sitting up and crossing her legs, putting one hand in her lap and using the other to wipe her eyes. Jason covered her once again with his jacket that had fallen off her shoulders. Jason had thinned out a lot lately, so now most of his clothes were big on him. If he could barely fit his clothes, Bianca's abnormally small form was almost completely enveloped in the jacket.
"When is mommy and daddy coming back?" Bianca asked again. Jason bit the inside of his cheek. She had been asking that so many times, but Jason had never given her a complete answer. The look on Adam's face said it was time.
"Bianca, did your parents ever take you somewhere, and you weren't allowed to go inside?" Jason asked. He could feel the curious gazes of his teammates wondering just where he was going with this, but he ignored them.
Bianca tilted her head and looked at the ceiling in thought. It took a few seconds before she answered. "Yeah! There was a store that daddy went in, and mommy had to stay with me 'cause little kids can't go inside. When daddy came back, he had a big, brown bag with a heavy bottle inside."
Adam watched Jason's face drop. That had not been the answer the Reaper was expecting. Adam knew little kids weren't allowed in liquor stores, but that had not been what the team was looking for. It still worked for whatever Jason was thinking, though, because the brunette continued.
"So this was only a place big people could go, right?" Jason asked.
Bianca nodded. "Mm-hmm."
"Well, Bianca," Jason started, taking a deep breath. "The place where your parents went is kinda like that store your daddy went into. It's a place where kids shouldn't go. People are really sad when little kids go to this place."
"I don't like it when people are sad," Bianca commented, that little kid talk coating her voice, her little innocence. "But why did mommy and daddy go?"
Jason hesitated. "Your parents didn't really want to go, but they had to. Have you ever done something you didn't want to do, but you had to?"
Bianca nodded. "Mommy used to make me clean up my toys."
Jason smiled. "Yeah, it's like that. Your mommy and daddy had to go to this place that little kids like you shouldn't go because they had to, not because they wanted to."
"When will they come back?" Bianca questioned, her big brown orbs staring cutely into Jason's blue ones.
Jason swallowed thickly. "Um, they won't be coming back for a very long time."
"Because they have to stay there, right?"
At this, Tiff left the cave to keep from crying in front of Bianca. Ashley took the excuse of comforting her to leave. The guys weren't exactly enjoying this either. As a matter of fact, they felt bad that Jason had to explain this, but the Reaper understood what it was like to watch your parents die. After all, Jason's parents were burned to death in front of his very eyes.
"Yeah...That's right," Jason replied, smiling, but Adam could see his friend's eyes start to water. "You're pretty smart." Jason ruffled Bianca's hair, causing the little girl to giggle.
"Thank you," Bianca beamed. The guys savored the cute little laugh Bianca had.
"You're going to miss your parents, Bianca," Jason continued softly. "But they'll always be with you. They still love you, no matter how far away they are. Remember that, okay?"
Bianca nodded. "Okay! Since you're a grownup, can you tell them that I love them, too?"
Jason opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Adam felt his heart break for Jason. That must've hurt him. Jason's job was very difficult. He had to reap these souls that didn't want to leave just yet, and now a little girl was asking him to tell her dead parents she loved them.
And it hurt because Jason could do it, but he wasn't allowed to. His job was to send souls away, not deliver messages. It was so difficult for him.
"I'll do my best," Jason whispered. It wasn't a promise, but it wasn't a rejection either. Jason was going to be arguing with the Grim Reaper in the forest later.
Jason wasn't expecting Bianca to throw her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. Jason hesitated before placing a hand between her shoulder blades and another on her lower back, returning the hug. It was a fierce embrace from Bianca, but Jason held her as if he was never gonna let her go.
Adam just sat himself down opposite of them and watched the two hold each other. Adam had been so focused on himself, he hadn't stopped to think how Jason might have felt. Jason had watched his parents die, became an orphan like Adam, fought to survive like Adam...How could Adam forget about Jason? How selfish of him…
"Bianca, it's time to go," a gruff yet kind voice called. To the team's disbelief, General Grey walked into the cave, a stunned Tiff and Ashley following behind.
Bianca released her arms around Jason's neck and looked over at the cave entrance. "Okay, Mr. Grey!" Bianca gave a small kiss on Jason's cheek. Jason froze. "Bye, Reese!" The little girl got up and ran towards General Grey.
"Bianca, this girl is going to take you to the car, okay? Follow her," General Grey ordered kindly, a smile on his face as he gestured to Ashley.
"Okay!" Bianca answered, taking Ashley's outstretched hand and walking out of the cave. Once Bianca had left the cave, the general turned to the rest of the team, knowing they had questions.
"Grey?" Jerome questioned, coming out of the shadows of the cave where he had been hiding out of Bianca's sight. "What are you doing here? How did Bianca know you?"
"I came by before you guys first arrived, talked to Bianca while she was in the interrogation room. I couldn't take her because you hadn't arrived yet. I got friendly with her. It's not hard to make a kid trust you," Grey explained. "This way, it's easier to take her to foster care."
"Grey, she can't stay at this town's orphanage," Mitch replied quietly. "This is one of the worst orphanages out there."
Grey shook his head sadly. "There's nothing I can do. She belongs to this city. I can't take her anywhere else. It's against the law. She has to. All we can do is pray that she has a happy ending. Sorry, guys," Grey sighed before leaving the cave.
"That's not fair to those kids," Tiff muttered, kicking a stray pebble.
"At least they have a better shot at survival than the rest of us did," Kyle replied, leaning against the cave wall.
Tiff looked at the males. As far as she knew, they had all been abandoned at one point or another while her and Ashley had their parents until they reached the age of sixteen or seventeen. Tiff's mother had been dead for five years, but Tiff was turning twenty-one in seven months. Her mom had missed her eighteenth birthday and was now going to miss Tiff's twenty-first. Adam never even had a birthday with family. Come to think of it, he hadn't had a birthday with the team either. When even was Adam's birthday? They all celebrated theirs, what about Adam?
Tiff's train of thought was cut off by a tap on the shoulder. Jerome gave her a smile before guiding her out of the cave with all the other guys besides Adam and Jason. The two were still kneeling where Bianca had been, both looking sadder than ever. She understood and left without complaint.
Adam gave a thankful nod to Ty as the werewolf followed everyone out of the cave. Ty nodded back before leaving. The leader looked at his friend across from him. Jason was staring at his fallen jacket. He hadn't even picked it up yet. The Reaper was still frozen from the kiss Bianca had given him.
Adam sighed. "Jason, I-"
"If you're going to apologize, don't."
Adam looked at his friend, wide-eyed. "Jason…"
"Adam, you are entitled to how you feel, just like how I hadn't realized what you were going through until an hour ago. I had thought you were just angry like the rest of us in the forest on our way here. I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't entirely right either." Jason looked up at Adam, who had looked away. "I guess we were either selfish, or angry, or some other third thing that I can't figure out."
"Jason-"
"Whatever it was, I don't blame you. You're a leader, and we were on a mission. It wasn't about us, it was about Bianca, so you don't need to worry about me or us. It's fine. I'll get over it eventually."
At this point, Jason was just talking just to talk. Adam knew he only did this when Jason felt claustrophobic, trapped in a conversation he didn't feel comfortable in. It was a way for Jason to keep himself calm. Jason had watched his family burn, and he was just a little kid. Maybe twelve years old. Adam couldn't remember Jason's exact age, but all he knew was that Jason wasn't alright when Adam and Ty found him for the first time.
Knowing this, Adam silenced the other male with a hug, one Jason wasn't expecting. Jason tensed, but he soon melted into Adam's arms, small sobs escaping him. Adam rested his chin on Jason's head, silent. It's what Jason needed.
"The human is touching me."
"Cheorm, for the love of God, could you not ruin every sentimental moment I have with my team?"
Adam heard Cheorm click his tongue in reply. An eye roll would've come with it. "What happened to him anyway?"
"When he was a kid, an intruder came into their home and burned his parents alive. He was never caught, and it doesn't help that Jason doesn't really remember. The vision of his parents burning are all too clear in his mind and block out everything else."
"I could help him."
"After the stunt you pulled a few weeks ago? No thanks."
"You were traumatized over a training simulation. I had every right to believe you couldn't handle that demon. And it was not a stunt. How dare you say that? It was a performance…."
Adam rolled his eyes, grateful that Jason couldn't see. "Cheorm!"
"What, human?"
"Can I just be with my teammate now?"
Adam didn't receive a reply, but he felt a fluttering in his chest as Cheorm nestled down, falling asleep. Adam smiled and tightened his hold around Jason.
"At first," Jason started, crying. Adam looked down at the brunette, surprised at the sudden talking. "I thought I couldn't imagine what Bianca had gone through, that nothing could compare to something so terrible. Then I realized that not only could I imagine what she was going through, but the fact that I already went through those emotions. I could've told her it never gets easier, that those feelings of sadness and pain never go away. You'll always feel like you could've done something even though you came to terms with the fact you couldn't. I couldn't do that to her."
"She's five, Jason," Adam murmured softly. "She probably won't even remember this, and if she does, there'll be little to no heartbreak. She wouldn't remember them, and she wouldn't be so disappointed. As for feeling like you could've done something, well, you couldn't have. You were young, just like Bianca. You weren't the powerful and smart person you are now. You were afraid, and that was understandable. Your parents were scared, too. Scared for you, scared for themselves. Your parents died thinking they couldn't protect you, that they failed their job as your guardians-"
"But they didn't fail," Jason persisted. "They did what they could."
"And so did you," Adam shot back. "You did what you could, and, yeah, maybe that wasn't much, and, yeah, maybe you didn't save your parents, but you did what you could have. So did they. It's not your fault that they're gone. It's not Bianca's fault her parents are gone, either. It's a hard thing to come accept after blaming yourself for years, but it's true. It's about time you started to believe and act on this fact, rather than just come to terms with it."
Adam felt Jason tighten his hold around his friend's waist. "Thank you, Adam."
Adam buried his face Jason's hair, his own tears slipping out. "It's okay, Jason. I got you."
Adam wiped away his own tears before looking at Jason's teary face. Adam cleaned off the Reaper's face for him before saying, "Let's go back to the team."
Jerome threw himself on the couch, sprawled out. Mitch lifted up one the Bacca's legs and sat down beside him, placing Jerome's legs on his lap.
"Why do I even go on the missions if I'm just going to sit around the whole time and do nothing?" Jerome murmured so quietly, Mitch only caught a few words.
Unfortunately for Jerome, Ty and Adam caught it all.
"Okay, stop," Ty started. "You did help us."
"Bull. Most I did was go to a cave and help Mitch search through papers. That's it."
"Well, I mean, it's not like you never do anything," Adam replied, sitting down with Ty on the opposite couch. "This mission just didn't have as much to do."
"Whatever." Jerome clearly wasn't in the mood to be persuaded. Ty and Adam sighed as the rest of the team settled around. Mitch merely patted Jerome's leg in sympathy.
"Nice work, guys," Adam began, stretching his arms. "Like always."
The praise from the leader sent smiles around the team, causing them to do some action in embarrassment. Adam grinned. He enjoyed it when his team acted all self-conscious and flustered after a compliment like that. They looked like little kids who got caught tracking mud in the house, which they have done more than they should, much to Adam's discontent.
"Thanks, Adam," Kyle replied quietly. It always happened like that. One of them would thank Adam for the compliment, speaking as the whole team.
Adam chuckled silently and stood, causing the team to look up at him. "Why don't we all go to bed? It's late, and the past few days have been long."
That sounded like a great idea to the others. Even though they had just relaxed and gotten comfortable in the Lounge, the thought of a shower was more appealing. The idea of relaxing under hot water sounded great.
The team got up from their seats and exited the room, one at a time, talking quietly amongst themselves. Adam stayed behind, watching them go. When they were finally gone, Adam started to sit back down when his phone began to buzz.
"Adam," he answered.
"Adam, it's Grey."
"Hey," he greeted, lowering himself into his previous seat. "What's going on?"
"Just wanted you to know that Bianca is situated in the orphanage and is okay."
Adam sighed. "That's, um...That's good, I guess."
Adam could hear Grey's tired sigh. "Look, I know you guys aren't happy about it, but that's the way it goes sometimes. But that's not all I wanted to say."
"What else?"
"I had the lab put a rush on the syringes and blood bags from the cave. The blood tested positive for hemophilia and Matthews' fingerprints are all over the syringes. We have him."
Adam grinned. "Good. Good. That's really good news. Thanks, Grey."
"No problem. And, Adam?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't be too hard on yourself. You gave Bianca the best ending she could've gotten from this situation, and you did a job well done. Give yourself a pat on the back instead of beating yourself up, okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Grey."
"Any time. Good night.'
"Good night." Adam hung up the phone and sighed, lowering his head.
"Human? Is everything alright?"
"Cheorm, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? It does not seem so."
"Well, okay, I'll be fine sooner or later."
"I am starting to doubt you and your truthfulness."
"Well, that's just rude, Cheorm. I thought we were a team."
"Human!"
"Fine, fine," Adam replied, opening his eyes just to roll them in exasperation. "It's Jason. This case must've been harder on him than myself. He really saw Bianca in himself. I mean, think about it, Cheorm. Jason's parents were murdered when he was just a little kid, and it happened right before his very eyes."
"How did it happen?"
"Well...he felt the heat of the flames, the fire, in his sleep. So, he went downstairs. His parents were tied to their fireplace, trying to keep their sobbing to a minimum to keep Jason from hearing. Jason saw the man's face, but it's been so long, he can't even remember. He was also more focused on his parents than anything else. His father was yelling at him, ordering him to leave the house, to call the police.
"Just as Jason was about to leave, the man flicked the match onto his father's lap. The fire spread across the gasoline he had previously poured on them. Jason watched his father burn before running out the door. He reached the police station, but his parents were dead and the man was long gone.
"From there, Jason ran. He ran far away from his own town, stumbled into a forest. He was met with the Grim Reaper, who explained to him what his father had done before he died. His father had signed that contract that caused Jason to become a Reaper for the rest of his life, and Reapers don't die. Jason then met me and Ty not too long later."
"Sounds like the human has been through a lot."
Adam chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that."
"How does this case remind the human about the child?"
"Cheorm, really?"
"Yes, Human. I paid little to no attention."
Adam sighed. "To sum it all up, the captain had a mental disorder that gave him split personalities. The Hills' let the captain stay at the house many times after a fight with his wife. During one of his stays, he suffered from a psychotic break. Since he worked at blood banks in his spare time, the captain could have taken blood purposefully from an undiagnosed person who suffered from hemophilia, a bleeding disorder. In one of his stays, he suffered from another break and injected the blood into the Hills while they slept. He then cut their arms during another visit and watched them bleed out. He stitched up their wounds and ran. He waited until Bianca called 911 before stepping in. He took her into his cruiser and to the forest where he kept her and beat her for three days. From there on, Bianca was too scared to point out the captain. Get it?"
"Why would he kill the Hills? Where is the motive?"
"There is none. He just suffered a psychotic break."
"How do you know he is truly the killer then? This is all speculation."
"Actually, it isn't. Grey got a call from Detective Williams before we left Magma Block. When Mitch went over the cold cases I got from him, there were three other murders exactly like the Hills. One of the things they had in common was that they had frequent contact with Captain Matthews. Also, Ashley talked to some of the neighbors in the area that never came forward and found that they had seen the captain carrying blood bags during the night. Not only that, but the captain confessed thirty minutes into interrogation. He had no confidence. He cracked under the slightest of pressure. And now I just found out that his fingerprints are on the syringes."
"This was a very interesting case."
"Yeah. You could say that. Anyways, Jason sees himself in Bianca because of the similarities. They lost their parents at young ages, their parents were murdered, they were powerless to stop the killers...I could go on."
"What about you, Human? How do you feel? Has anyone even thought to ask you?"
"Mitch did before the case started."
"And?"
"Well, I told him that I thought it wasn't fair. She's like me, too. She didn't do anything wrong, and the world just destroyed her life anyway. Everyone turned their backs on her once her family died. She was abandoned, left to survive on her own in the woods for three days at the hands of a psychopath. I was left abandoned at the hands of a dangerous kingdom with a psychotic king."
"As far as I can see, I believe she still had life handed to her on a silver platter."
"How can you be so insensitive to what Bianca's going through right now, Cheorm? She only got five years with her parents, five years she will never remember. She won't remember the warmth of her parents' hugs, how they kissed her goodnight, how they said 'I love you,' how they laughed with her...She will never have that or remember that again. Her chances to be adopted at that orphanage is slim to none, Cheorm."
"It matters not if she remembers. The little human at least had love. You did not."
"I do now. And this team, should anything ever happen, is something I will never forget. I will forever remember them, The Count, General Grey, you."
"Human, I am going nowhere."
"I know. But I might. Who knows how long I'll live for? I already died once. When's the next time? When does the fear go away? When does the scar on my chest stop telling I'm not immortal, that one day I won't breathe again, and everyone I care about moves on without me? When does it stop? I'm sure Bianca's parents felt the same: knowing they would one day have to leave behind their daughter to survive without them. It's how I feel about the team. When I die, who takes care of them?"
"I do not suppose saying 'I would' will soothe you."
"They're terrified of us."
"Of me. Not you, Human. The team only fears your anger, your resolve, your lack of confidence…"
"So...me?"
"...Yes, I suppose so."
Adam stood and stretched, lavishing the pops in his back as his muscles relaxed. "I'm going to take a shower and relax for a while. You up for a flight before sleep?"
"You are suggesting a flight after a shower, Human?"
"...Yeah, that might not be the smartest idea in the world."
"No, it is not."
"Fine. We'll go for a flight, find a waterfall, take a small dip, and then come back to take a shower."
"...A waterfall sounds refreshing."
Adam grinned. "That's why I suggested it, Cheorm."
"Watch what you say. Tread carefully, Human."
Adam smiled. He walked out of the Lounge, out of the base, and into the cold outside air.
"You ready?"
"Always will be."
Adam took great pleasure in transforming. His feathers ruffled in the wind. With a powerful push, Adam launched into the sky, higher and higher until he reached the clouds. The gales of wind flowed over and below his wings as he soared like an arrow launched from a bow. Adam's bright orange eyes, built for withstanding high speeds in drastic conditions, refused to overflow with tears from the pressure.
The thicket of trees from the forest below him soon warped into a plains. The plains soon became a tundra before immediately switching into a desert.
Adam could feel rumbling and tickling in his chest and knew Cheorm was enjoying this freedom as much as he was. After a case like this one, all Adam needed to do was clear his head. He needed to get away from the ones he saved and the ones he couldn't.
On flights like these, Adam could think. His thoughts were heard by Cheorm, who never responded until after Adam met him at the pentagram. Although Adam's thoughts may no longer be private, he was actually okay with that. Knowing that humans could be monsters too wasn't something easy to swallow. Adam dealt with demons sent from Lucifer himself to kill him and his team on a daily basis. Realizing that the humans he protected could be just as vicious made him question if his job was actually worth it.
Because honestly, who was he saving? He protects a human by killing a demon, but a human will go around and kill someone else. It was a never ending cycle that Adam wanted no part in. He had to, though. It was his job. It was his job to put down monsters, and, sometimes, those monsters were human, just like the captain he arrested hours ago.
"Human."
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
Adam came to a stop as he perched upon a mountaintop. He was above the world. Rivers flowed, trees clustered together, and clouds passed not too far above him. Adam could hear the animals of the forest and sky all around him. It all felt so calm, so serene. The wind gently ruffled his feathers as Adam smiled.
"Never better."
And that's that! I hope you all enjoyed! Again, so sorry this took so long to get out. This was my first real hand at a supernatural-ish crime so please bear with me on this one. Also, I am thinking about a real, plot-lined story for The Days of the Unknown. It'll be about twenty to thirty chapters. Let me know what you think! Until then, stay safe, take care, God bless, love you, and...DARKSOMEONE41 SIGNING OUT! SEE YA!