25. INTERESTING OUTCOME
KO
We were making our way back to the car when my phone rang.
- Amon. Juzo looked at me, rising an eyebrow in a mute question.
- Shinohara on call. Are you anywhere next to the fourth ?
- No, why ?
- we caught the Ghoul. He was running away with a female and her brood when we got him.
- what happened to the female ?
- we killed it. But we lost the brood.
- Tch. it sure won't take long until you catch it. How did it escape ?
- here's the thing, the little shit didn't escape alone.
- what do you mean ?
- something helped it.
- so another ghoul was there ?
- yeah. Probably waiting for the little family to reach an extracting point of some sort. Maybe they are still acting in groups. And do you wanna know the curious part ?
-shoot.
-we found groceries bags at the edge of the street.
- groceries ?
-yeah two large full orange bags full of it, but no body to be seen. Which means we might have a witness somewhere who could help identifying the ghoul.
- ….do you need me there ?
- No, but… I just wanted you to know. Isn't your girlfriend living in the ward?
- She's not my… anyway, I do have something to do here but… I'll check on her later.
I hung up, resisting my urge to go seeing Akane. The kid was still looking at me when I past him to open the car's door.
- something happened ? He asked, once seated. I reported briefly the conversation I had with Shinohara, looking at the address on the paper.
-you should go, he finally said, nibbling at a lollipop. I can handle things from there.
- No, its fine, I don't wanna let you do all the dirty job.
- why not, he asked genuinely, after all it was my idea. And I am also worried about her, you know, I like her, she's fun. She always gimme candies.
- you sure ?
- yup, ne, Rei, we can have some fun just the two of us, said juzo, a broad smile on his face.
- fine, ill take the bus, I finally said, handing him the paper.
Akane
What ? I asked, watching the girl sniffing the pizza with a fair amount of disgust on her face.
- if you dont want it I can give you my salad, I said. After some more hesitation, she took a slice and brought it slowly to her little mouth, finally considering it to be eatable. I watched her rosy tongue poking at it, before she eventually consented to take a small bite. it wasn't pleasant to watch. It was like somebody was trying to force shit down her throat. For me the smell of the pizza was nothing but appealing but it was obviously not the case for her. tears appeared in her eyes as I saw her face taking a weird greenish colour.
-ok stop that, I interrupted, as she was trying to take another piece in her mouth. Its okay, I'll find something else to feed you. Even if I said so, I was feeling completely lost. Since I saw her in that street everything just got out of control. The girl started crying again, fidgeting on her chair and stubbornly trying to eat more of the horrible meal. when I put it out of reach, it was too late. I saw her swallowing a couple of time, and bringing her hands to her mouth before puking right on the floor. Great. Trying my best not to look too angry, I took a piece of tissue and started to clean the mess she made. She couldn't stay long without eating, I thought, grabbing more tissues. She was looking at me, pouting and obviously sorry. Fortunately she hadn't That much in the stomach so It didn't take too long till I had removed all the puke from the wooden floor.
- its okay sweetie, im not mad at you. Im sorry I have made you eaten that, I said in the sweetest voice possible, cleaning her mouth. she hadn't say a word since she had threaten to kill me and I didn't know if it was due to the trauma, or if it was a choice. Either way it wasn't going to make things any easier. I sat on the floor, deep in thoughts. i had to know what ghouls could eat apart from human flesh. After a while watching her, I stood up and took her to the couch, turning the TV on.
thanks to this act of courage, one of the escapees was apprehended during the day. The police still ignore the whereabouts of the others and hope that the citizens, inspired by the act of miss watanabe, will help them find the criminals on the run.
the journalist was standing in front of the alley where the CGC had intervened. On screen, a close-up of a handcuffed man driving in a police car. Of course, the CCG having distributed the portraits of the escapees by making them pass for human criminals, it was obvious that they weren't going to show the remains of the ghoul couple for everyone to see. Ko made it very clear, the top priority besides catching back the criminals, was to avoid a panic. A question remained though : was the ghoul really a prisoner, or was this also a lie they made up to justify the fuss in the ward ? I reported my attention to the girl who was now staring at the screen, eyes wide opened. she probably shouldn't keep watching that, I thought zapping.
As the criminal has been taken to the police station, a witness declared having seen a child being abducted next to the street. While we still ignore the identity of the kidnapper, the police assured that no child has been reported missing yet.
I nearly spat my wine as I recognised the man claiming to be the witness as one of the CCG agent that went after me. " it was a woman with brown hair and a dark coat, he said when the journalist handed him the mike. I saw her taking the child and running towards those buildings", he said, pointing the direction I took with the little one.
"But it seems that no missing child had been reported, so how can you be sure it wasn't someone taking their own child away from the criminal ?" Asked the journalist. "The child was crying for help, so I doubt it was her mother," said the agent in disguise, looking at the camera. I felt my stomach twist. After a while a policeman appeared on the screen. "Given to those circumstances, we would like the culprit to consider what she has done, and I insure her personally, that if she gives the child back to the nearest police station, we'd be indulgent and let it go", he said. The child must be around 5 years old, had blond hair and was wearing a yellow sweater, described the journalist. if anyone sees that child with a brown woman, she said, while an identikit appeared on the screen, please call that number immediately. Don't try to come close to the suspect, she can be highly dangerous and any try to take the child from her by yourself could prevent the police to do her job eficiently.
Now, that is fantastic, I thought, ironically. even if I could have bet the CCG wouldn't let things go easily, I certainly didn't thought they'd go that far for a child. If I hadn't took her she'd have certainly ended like her parents. The mere idea made me sick. nervously I zapped again and grabbed my laptop. Google is my friend, I thought, typing "what do ghouls eat" in the search bar. taking another sip of wine I was absentmindedly browsing all the sites suggested on the matter, when the doorbell rang once more, startling me.
-akane ? You here ?
Oh shit. It was Ko.
Juzo
At the address the waitress gave us, I found a long narrow street, lined with gambling dens and dismal stalls of all kinds. the place was such a cliche, I wondered for a moment if it was a joke. But that's when I smelled it : blood. I immediately felt a grinn twisting my lips. checking the paper one last time, I stopped in front of a large wooden door, enlighten by cold neon lights. up the door, a little sign was hung askew " The French Epicerie" . I gently pushed the door, whistling and stepping casualy. Dozen of oddly clean shelves were covering the walls of the tiny space. On said shelves, all kinds of glass jars were lined up almost maniacally. I took a closer look on it when a noise on the back of the shop caught my attention. before I had the time to even search for its source, I felt my body being thrown through the space before I crashed on the shelves on the left side of the room. the glass jars broken pices, scattered on the tiled floor were reflecting the pale light of the sole bulb hanged on the ceiling. I was a little disorientated by the shock and my head was ringing when I stood up, sharp pieces of glass buried in my knees. the jars squishy content was covering the ground : eyeballs, bloody ears, fingers. I was expecting a huge ghoul to stand before me, but as I rose my eyes to the enemy, I was almost disappointed to see only a frail purple hair lady with a dark one-eye red mask. With a swift move I got on my feet and dodged another assault from her huge iron-like RC cells fist. this was going to be fun, I thought, licking my lips.
" Tell me monster, how d'ya wanna die ?" I asked in a cheerful tone.
Ko.
I had called her phone for nearly ten times without getting any response. nervous, I pressed the accelerator, hoping that nothing happened to her. It took me a long time to reach the fourth since the ward was still closed by police forces, creating a huge traffic jam on the main road. I left the car in a parking lot nearby before heading toward her street. When I reached her door, It was the late afternoon, and I could hear the first news broadcast, yelled by the television, for almost all the corridor to hear.
- Akane, you here ?
A moment passed while I could hear her pacing up and down, moving objects.
- I'm coming in a minute, she said from the other side of the door. 5 more minutes passed before I could finally hear the familiar sound of the seven locks being pulled down, and saw her disheveled head popping in the doorway.
-you okay ? , I asked a little bit concerned.
- euh yeah, sure, I wasn't expecting you that's all. You had something to discuss ?
- You know what happened, right ?
- No, what ?
- You cannot possibly ignore it, do you , im quite sure all the building could hear the news sound from your apartment.
- you talking about the 'arrestation?'
-yeah… I just wanted to make sure you're okay. One of them escaped.
- yeah I know.
-what do you mean, you know, ? I asked, genuinely surprised.
-I mean I thought so. Since the policemen are still in the zone, she explained, a little defensive.
-Can I come in for a minute, id like to tell you something. I could see her hesitation. She seemed to consider it a moment, nibbling on her lips before slowly opening the door, clearing the way. Thanks, I said walking towards the kitchen. A quick look on the table told me she had drunk half a bottle of wine.
- have a seat, she said pointing one of the stools near the counter. Im listening.
- I didn't know you were keen on pizza, I said looking at the box.
- it happens, she said, a bit moody.
- I got a call from Shinohara, apparently the ghoul that manage to escape got some help.
- what about that child ? They said a child had been abducted.
- … actually the child IS the escapee, I explained. We found leftover grocery bags around the corner of said street. You weren't picking your phone, that's why I came all the way here, I explained. since you said you had some errands to do, i thought you might have been caught in the whole thing. Please, do me a favour, do not go outside alone, please.
She was now biting her lips nervously. considering she had been kidnapped nearly a year ago, no wonder she was nervous. The last thing she needed was for another psychopathic ghoul wandering around the block.
- Apparently there was a "witness" of the whole scene, she said, pointing at the mute tv screen, that colleague of yours told about a woman. A female ghoul, perhaps ? Even if we now both know it's a lie to make people look for the child.
- yeah.. I wasn't there so I don't know all the details just yet. But if it was a ghoul, i wonder what happened to the persone with the groceries bags.
-maybe it was a person who saw the ghouls and ran away leaving all unnecessary weight behind, before the child escaped she suggested. which was indeed more plausible. Still, something was bothering me. if Shinohara was right, and the ghouls were cooperating, the person running away before the kid escaped would imply they were there at the same time the waiting ghoul was. Still, no body was found, and inspector kino talked about only one woman leaving the scene. which let only two possibilities : number one, the ghoul chose to let the person go, as it had more important to do, even if it meant leaving a witness behind.
number two : Shinohara was wrong, and the person who took the child was the same who left the bags behind. No, that didn't make any sens, I thought, frowning. A ghoul wouldn't do that, I mean why bothering buying human food they wouldn't eat ? Just in order to fool people around ? If so, It wouldn't risk to be spotted by doing something so reckless.
- I wonder if ghouls can eat normal things too, she asked genuinely, interrupting my thoughts.
- No, I said, ghoul cannot eat human food. Lots of tests had been made in the lab since ghouls arisen, nothing we ever tried feeding them with apart from human flesh or in some case ghoul's flesh- ever lasted in their stomach. They would throw up immediately as their metabolism isn't made for it, I explained.
- we haven't found any body, so its possible we have a terrified and potentially wounded witness out there, I said. Unless…
- unless what ?
- unless it wasn't a ghoul, I finally said, trying to picture a human taking the thing away.
- you're not suggesting a human would help a ghoul to escape, right ?
- well, I don't know, people do weird stuff sometimes. But if it's truly a human, I hope she's prepared for what's to come, I said.
- you mean, being eaten alive by the very ghoul she saved ?, she asked, half joking.
- if not, I said, and if we find her, she'd be arrested for crime against human race and be sentenced to death. I was very serious. The state wasn't indulgent on humans sympathising with the enemy.
- why don't you just let it go ? She asked seriously.
- what do you mean, letting go ?
- I mean, maybe the person didn't know it was a ghoul and mistook the child for a human one. Maybe she just wanted to help a child, surely you can't possibly condemn someone for being… human, can you ?
- its not a child, Akane, it's ghoul's breed. the one who made him escape might know something about where the others are hidden. we don't know what she was or wasn't aware of when she took it. And it's not me who make the laws. Even if you were right, and I shared your opinions, I couldn't do anything about it. But if she's indeed a human and if she made a mistake, we will grant her 24 hours to give us back the thing without arresting her.
I'll go back to the office and meet Shinohara. Ill tell you more as soon as I know what really happened. And don't trust what tv says, its merely propaganda for the public to remain ignorant. Adjusting my coat, I walked towards the door when I felt sudden urge to go to bathroom.
-would you mind if I borrow your restroom for a wh-
Akane
The second ko's hand landed on the bathroom doors handle, my face turned white, and I threw myself on the way preventing him from entering the room.
- NO ! He looked at me with wide eyes, making me realise the weirdness of my behaviour.
- I… I have bowels issues, probably the pizza, I explained. please, just go, I said Before he could respond anything. Great, very glamorous, I thought mentally facepalming me. Still looking at me weirdly, he parted from the door to walk towards the exit. He paused a little while, looking at the counter once more, before finally stepping outside.
- call me as soon as you know more, I reminded him while he made his way back to the stairs.
- I will, he said, waving. Oh, and by the way, did you have some time to consider my offer he asked, descending the first steps.
-I… still need a little more time ,I answered, wanting him to leave quickly. We waved once more and he was finally gone. Once alone I pushed back all the locks and went straight to the bathroom door behind which the girl was waiting for me.
- you can come out now, I said, opening it widely.
The child come after some seconds and looked at me, waiting for me to say something more, but I didn't know what. That was close, I thought. But Thanks to ko's visit, I at least learnt that ghouls couldn't eat human food. It wasn't a good news though, since I couldn't feed her nor human, nor ghoul's flesh. I had to think and act quickly. She couldn't stay here too long, we almost got caught, I thought leading the child to the bedroom. She would take my bed for the night, and I would take the couch. Id would probably better for her to sleep early since I couldn't give her any food. I'd just have to close the room for her not to devour me alive while I sleep and that was it. Hey tiny hand in mine, she followed me obediently to the bed, letting me lying her down and covering her little body with blankets. I sat for a while, looking at hey in the eyes, trying to find my words.
- you have to rest for now, I said after a while. Im sorry about the horrible taste of the pizza, I didn't know you couldn't eat anything human would. i made a pause, looking at her intelligent eyes and searching for any sign of comprehension. She was breathing steadily, her hand searching for mine. You can't stay with me, I said while her little fingers closed on my wrist. Her eyes went wide and watery. Once more I felt my heart aching. That was weird, I thought, usually my condition wouldn't allow me to feel so concerned about peoples emotions. Even if murder of families somehow always tuned my guts upside down.
-just sleep tight, I said in the sweetest voice I could, tomorrow ill find a solution if I can. I felt her grip tightening. She was frowning, her pleading eyes darted in mine. The message was clear : stay. Okay, I said, sighing. I'll stay here until you sleep.
I stood up and pulled a chair next to the bed, my laptop on my knees. it took her more than two hours to finally fall asleep, broken by all her emotions. I watched her sleep for a little while, thinking once more about what I should do with her. Tomorrow will be a very long day, I thought, feeling my own eyes closing.
Juzo
- So, where were we, I said, watching the ghoul trying to heal a hundredth time from the arm I tore apart. I got her pinned on the wall with my knifes. She couldn't heal fast enough, nor could she fight the suppressor I had injected her. She was entirely at my mercy.
- ill eat you alive, she spat while I smiled.
- you know you won't. But I promise I can end that quickly. All you have to do, is telling me who did your mask. I said, humming, cutting through her breasts once more.
- screw you, dove, she said, squealing, you don't know what you just stepped into.
- you know I won't stop. Gimme my answer, monster. But do me a favour, can you hold it a bit longer, I like so much all those little noise you do when I burry my blades into you….it almost make me… excited. I had taken her mask off so I could see the pain deforming her face. It was delicious. Exquisite. I leaned onto her, inhaling the scent of blood, sweat and fear pearling at her creamy skin. Getting closer to her face, I licked her cheek where her salty tears and fading makeup had drawn black strikes until her rosy lips. I was about to slowly cut trough her abdomen, when something hit me behind the head. I lost balance before slowly falling into slumber, eyes blocked on her wicked and victorious smile. is it how it ends, Rei ?
Uta
I was thinking about a way to localise Itori more precisely, when I got an unexpected call.
- Uta, I believe ? Said a honey like voice once I had picked up.
- depends on who's asking, I answered, wanting to get back to my main issue as soon as possible.
- Oh you are hurting my heart, said the voice, in a dramatic and outraged tone. I would have expect more from you since you once stole something very precious to me.
- Go to the point frenchy, im quite busy, I spat, recognising Tsukiyama.
- well, since you insist, no face… but you'll certainly be more interested once you'll know what I wanna talk about.
- yeah I'm dying to know…
- Guess who entered my sister's shop this afternoon ? He asked in a sing song voice, acting all mysterious.
- … im losing patience, frog. Which was very true.
- I think you really lack of fun in your life those times, don't you ? He asked obviously displeased by my harsh and pressing demeanour. The ripper himself !, He finally said, like he was pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Apparently, he seemed to show a deep interested in a certain mask maker.
I clenched my jaw.
- what did they ask, precisely ? I asked coldly.
-well, he was alone, and he really wanted to know who had made my sister mask, he answered, to the point he had her pinned on the wall, trying to extort that information by force. Alone, I thought, well, how unusual. Are they so lacking of people since the colchea they had to divide the pairs now, I wondered.
- By force, you said, then how did she managed to survive, I asked, genuinely curious.
- lets say I fortunately dropped by on the perfect timing, he explained, chuckling. Well, turns out we got him.
- and you're giving me the courtesy call, I presume, how nice of you.
- well lets say its more a business call. You see, he's still alive, and I know you'd like to have such a piece at your little auction. Or… maybe you'd like to know what happened to our little redhead fury, he said, sweet venom in his voice. In any case, im sure you are quite eager to have it in your palm, don't you ? Im sure this guy has a lot of information that you could use.
- well, lets say you're right, I said, internally boiling, what would you want from me in exchange for that dove ?
- you very know the answer to that question, don't you ?
- FINE. I said, you'll have ken, just don't dare touch a single hair of that dove.
- PARFAIT ! He said joyfully sounds like we have a deal.