The Plague of the Shadow Usul
Chapter 2 : Murder Continues
This Chapter rated PG-13 for Language
Denver Draik walked into the bakery. It was almost completely deserted. The bread master looked up.
"Ah, Denver, the usual I presume?" he said.
"Yes, a butter croissant and a coffee" Denver said. He plopped in a chair and sighed. The bread master brought the order to him, along with something for himself.
"How much do I ow ya?" Denver asked.
"This ones on the house. Have you any clues as to that murder?"
"Not one" Denver said sipping his coffee, "She's normal. No motive has come into focus."
"Great" the bread master said, "so she could've just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. . ."
"Not likely" Denver added, "Shadow Gazer isn't that random. I imagine her victims were chosen for a purpose."
"Anything shown up at the house?" the bread master asked.
"Nope. The items have been given away to those who were on her will. Her card collection, her make-up, her collectibles, her plushies, everything. The family business has been taken over. . .Nothing showed up." Denver took a huge bite out of his croissant. "Nothing at all. How strange. . ."
"All I know is, if anyone can solve this mystery, it's you Denver."
"The biggest problem is I can't target anything! The mirror piece was her signature sign. But what sets her apart?"
"Maybe she's part of a gang being targeted" the bread master suggested.
"No she wasn't part of gangs. She was part of a guild, but aren't we all?"
"Maybe you should interview her friends and brother" the bread master thought.
"They said she was normal, but I haven't talked to the brother yet. . . " Denver said.
"Well, that should be your next stop don't you think?" the bread master said.
"Yeah, I should go now" Denver said. He drank the last of his coffee and shoved the croissant in his pocket.
"Be careful" Denver said.
"Right back at ya" the bread master said. They hugged and Denver walked out the door.
Denver stepped onto the side walk and pulled his coat up over his chest. The brother, Marcus, lived in the forest, crazy bastard. Who'd want to live in there during these times? The Shadow Usul was sure to be living somewhere in there. Draik got onto his bike and after taking a bite of his croissant, he rode off towards the Haunted Forest.
After about an hour, Denver passed a broken piece of wood stuck in the ground labeled, "Haunted Woods."
"Goodie" Denver said sarcastically to himself. He rode forwards and sure enough, just west of the sign, sat a little cottage. There was smoke coming out of the chimney, and Denver assumed that Marcus was making coffee from the safety of his home, if you want to call his neighborhood safe. Denver knocked on the door. 10 seconds later, Denver heard a crash, a yelp, and then a voice called out,
"Go away! You've already killed my sister! Don't take me too!"
"It's me, Denver. I've come to ask you a few questions. The door opened slowly. To big, watery eyes looked up at Denver.
"Are you alone" the eyes said.
"Yes. . ." Denver answered. The creaked open. Marcus was wearing hideous shorts and sunglasses that didn't match him, or the living area, and he looked panicked.
"Come in quickly!" Marcus said pulling him inside. He shut the door and locked it about six different ways. Denver looked around. The hut smelled heavily of garlic, given that there was a clove of the awful stuff hanging from everywhere it could hang. Lucky Cybunny feet cluttered the ground, and medallions with four leaf clovers were all over his kitchen table. Denver sat down on a chair.
"Tea?" Marcus said, shakily.
"Yes, please" Denver answered pleasantly. "Tell me, Marcus, did you notice anything strange about your sisters living habits?" Marcus looked up.
"Oh, no. She did everything a normal Bruce should. She had weird boyfriends, of course, but nothing strange enough to cause this horror. Drink your tea, before it gets cold." Denver looked at Marcus suspiciously.
"What's that on your mantel there?" Denver said. Marcus swerved around, and Denver took the opportunity to take a poison test out of his pocket and slip it into his drink.
"I don't see anything Denver" Marcus said, turning back. The drink turned green. It wasn't poisoned.
"I must've been mistaken. . ." Denver said, taking a large gulp out of his tea. Marcus sat down next to Denver and drank some tea himself .His hands were shaking.
"Are you alright?" Denver asked. The kid seemed a little to shaky.
"Yes, just drink up!" Marcus said. Denver did as he was told. He drank the last of his tea, and was about to put his tea cup back down on the saucer when he saw what was so scary. In the cup, written in pen, were the numbers 9-1-1.
Denver looked up at Marcus. He had a ring of dark around his throat. But it wasn't like his sisters. It was more like it was just circling his throat. Denver nodded. Marcus nodded back. Denver got up and picked a flashlight up off the ground.
"Well, I'll be going now" Denver said, pretending he didn't know about anything that was going on.
"Thanks for stopping by" Marcus said playing along. Denver opened the door, pivoted suddenly, and shined the flashlight right at Marcus's neck. The ring of dark became clearer, and revealed that the ring was in fact to arms and hands, ready to clasp around Marcus's neck. Denver moved up the arms, and shone the light right where a face should be on the thing. Sure enough, there, standing in attack position, was Shadow Gazer, the Shadow Usul. She had piercing red eyes, and she looked at Denver. Her mouth opened suddenly, and she growled.
"Shadow Gazer" Denver said, with bravado hanging off his every word, "You set this Bruce free, or so help me god I will make your miserable life filled with pain and sorrow." Shadow Gazer's teeth went from clenched, to a smile. She laughed. Her laughed sounded like fingernails moving across a chalk board. Then she spoke, and you could almost hear screaming along with her voice.
"You can't stop me! No one can!" She said. She laughed again. Marcus was shivering with fear, and sweating bullets.
"You crazy ass bitch!" Denver said. Shadow Gazer's smile faded. "Get away from that Bruce now!"
"Never!" Shadow Gazer shouted, "You can't-" but she was interrupted. She coughed. IT was a horrible noise. She sputtered, and blood flew from her mouth and her teeth. Her nose began to bleed, even her ears were bleeding. She stopped coughing, and the blood shed stopped. Marcus was now covered in blood, and he was pale white.
"You. . .You can not, and will not ruin this for me!!!" She laughed and her hands and arms wrapped around Marcus's neck. He flailed, and tried to catch his breath. He threw his arms up to his neck, reaching to pull away the thing that was choking him, put his arms went through hers. He flailed and reached for Denver. Denver was frozen in his place. Then the flashlight went dead. In fact, the fireplace went out too. It was completely dark. Denver could still hear Marcus flailing, but it seemed farther away. Soon all he could hear was faint bumping. Then it stopped. The window blew open and as if a breeze had come, something flew out the window, and with one last cackle at Denver, the Shadow Usul escaped.
Denver tapped on his flashlight. It came back on. He shined it where he last saw Marcus. Marcus wasn't there He reached for a candle stick and matches on the mantel. He lit the candle and began to walk around the house, both lights in his hands.
"Marcus?" he called out, "Marcus where are you?" There was a trail of blood, and Marcus saw that it lead into Marcus's bedroom. There was a puddle of blood and then it stopped. He was definitely in the bedroom. Wether her was alive or not was uncertain. Denver walked into the room and looked under the bed. A couple of odd slippers, dust balls, and empty cans of Necola covered the floor underneath the bed, but no Marcus. Denver opened the closet. Nothing, save his Safety Deposit Box. Suddenly, there was a crash. It sounded like the door slamming behind him.
"Oh thank goodness, Marcu-" Denver began, but he was in shock. The door had indeed shut behind him, but it wasn't shut by Marcus. Denver knew this because, there, hanging from the back of the door, was Marcus. He had a dark ring around his neck, and the Shadow Usul's blood still dripped from his limp, pale body. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head, so his eyes were white, and a few of the veins in his eyes had popped. His legs had been broken and twisted together. His arms had been chopped off, and shoved into the pockets of his pants. Denver finally got his voice back, and asked himself:
"What's he hanging by?" And almost instantly, his question was answered. Marcus fell to the floor, and the secret was revealed. There was an entire mirror shoved into his back, and he was hanging by the hook that would connect to walls.
"So first he was strangled to death, and then he was massacred. . ." Denver thought, feeling extremely sick to his stomach. "This is getting way out of hand."
Chapter 2 : Murder Continues
This Chapter rated PG-13 for Language
Denver Draik walked into the bakery. It was almost completely deserted. The bread master looked up.
"Ah, Denver, the usual I presume?" he said.
"Yes, a butter croissant and a coffee" Denver said. He plopped in a chair and sighed. The bread master brought the order to him, along with something for himself.
"How much do I ow ya?" Denver asked.
"This ones on the house. Have you any clues as to that murder?"
"Not one" Denver said sipping his coffee, "She's normal. No motive has come into focus."
"Great" the bread master said, "so she could've just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. . ."
"Not likely" Denver added, "Shadow Gazer isn't that random. I imagine her victims were chosen for a purpose."
"Anything shown up at the house?" the bread master asked.
"Nope. The items have been given away to those who were on her will. Her card collection, her make-up, her collectibles, her plushies, everything. The family business has been taken over. . .Nothing showed up." Denver took a huge bite out of his croissant. "Nothing at all. How strange. . ."
"All I know is, if anyone can solve this mystery, it's you Denver."
"The biggest problem is I can't target anything! The mirror piece was her signature sign. But what sets her apart?"
"Maybe she's part of a gang being targeted" the bread master suggested.
"No she wasn't part of gangs. She was part of a guild, but aren't we all?"
"Maybe you should interview her friends and brother" the bread master thought.
"They said she was normal, but I haven't talked to the brother yet. . . " Denver said.
"Well, that should be your next stop don't you think?" the bread master said.
"Yeah, I should go now" Denver said. He drank the last of his coffee and shoved the croissant in his pocket.
"Be careful" Denver said.
"Right back at ya" the bread master said. They hugged and Denver walked out the door.
Denver stepped onto the side walk and pulled his coat up over his chest. The brother, Marcus, lived in the forest, crazy bastard. Who'd want to live in there during these times? The Shadow Usul was sure to be living somewhere in there. Draik got onto his bike and after taking a bite of his croissant, he rode off towards the Haunted Forest.
After about an hour, Denver passed a broken piece of wood stuck in the ground labeled, "Haunted Woods."
"Goodie" Denver said sarcastically to himself. He rode forwards and sure enough, just west of the sign, sat a little cottage. There was smoke coming out of the chimney, and Denver assumed that Marcus was making coffee from the safety of his home, if you want to call his neighborhood safe. Denver knocked on the door. 10 seconds later, Denver heard a crash, a yelp, and then a voice called out,
"Go away! You've already killed my sister! Don't take me too!"
"It's me, Denver. I've come to ask you a few questions. The door opened slowly. To big, watery eyes looked up at Denver.
"Are you alone" the eyes said.
"Yes. . ." Denver answered. The creaked open. Marcus was wearing hideous shorts and sunglasses that didn't match him, or the living area, and he looked panicked.
"Come in quickly!" Marcus said pulling him inside. He shut the door and locked it about six different ways. Denver looked around. The hut smelled heavily of garlic, given that there was a clove of the awful stuff hanging from everywhere it could hang. Lucky Cybunny feet cluttered the ground, and medallions with four leaf clovers were all over his kitchen table. Denver sat down on a chair.
"Tea?" Marcus said, shakily.
"Yes, please" Denver answered pleasantly. "Tell me, Marcus, did you notice anything strange about your sisters living habits?" Marcus looked up.
"Oh, no. She did everything a normal Bruce should. She had weird boyfriends, of course, but nothing strange enough to cause this horror. Drink your tea, before it gets cold." Denver looked at Marcus suspiciously.
"What's that on your mantel there?" Denver said. Marcus swerved around, and Denver took the opportunity to take a poison test out of his pocket and slip it into his drink.
"I don't see anything Denver" Marcus said, turning back. The drink turned green. It wasn't poisoned.
"I must've been mistaken. . ." Denver said, taking a large gulp out of his tea. Marcus sat down next to Denver and drank some tea himself .His hands were shaking.
"Are you alright?" Denver asked. The kid seemed a little to shaky.
"Yes, just drink up!" Marcus said. Denver did as he was told. He drank the last of his tea, and was about to put his tea cup back down on the saucer when he saw what was so scary. In the cup, written in pen, were the numbers 9-1-1.
Denver looked up at Marcus. He had a ring of dark around his throat. But it wasn't like his sisters. It was more like it was just circling his throat. Denver nodded. Marcus nodded back. Denver got up and picked a flashlight up off the ground.
"Well, I'll be going now" Denver said, pretending he didn't know about anything that was going on.
"Thanks for stopping by" Marcus said playing along. Denver opened the door, pivoted suddenly, and shined the flashlight right at Marcus's neck. The ring of dark became clearer, and revealed that the ring was in fact to arms and hands, ready to clasp around Marcus's neck. Denver moved up the arms, and shone the light right where a face should be on the thing. Sure enough, there, standing in attack position, was Shadow Gazer, the Shadow Usul. She had piercing red eyes, and she looked at Denver. Her mouth opened suddenly, and she growled.
"Shadow Gazer" Denver said, with bravado hanging off his every word, "You set this Bruce free, or so help me god I will make your miserable life filled with pain and sorrow." Shadow Gazer's teeth went from clenched, to a smile. She laughed. Her laughed sounded like fingernails moving across a chalk board. Then she spoke, and you could almost hear screaming along with her voice.
"You can't stop me! No one can!" She said. She laughed again. Marcus was shivering with fear, and sweating bullets.
"You crazy ass bitch!" Denver said. Shadow Gazer's smile faded. "Get away from that Bruce now!"
"Never!" Shadow Gazer shouted, "You can't-" but she was interrupted. She coughed. IT was a horrible noise. She sputtered, and blood flew from her mouth and her teeth. Her nose began to bleed, even her ears were bleeding. She stopped coughing, and the blood shed stopped. Marcus was now covered in blood, and he was pale white.
"You. . .You can not, and will not ruin this for me!!!" She laughed and her hands and arms wrapped around Marcus's neck. He flailed, and tried to catch his breath. He threw his arms up to his neck, reaching to pull away the thing that was choking him, put his arms went through hers. He flailed and reached for Denver. Denver was frozen in his place. Then the flashlight went dead. In fact, the fireplace went out too. It was completely dark. Denver could still hear Marcus flailing, but it seemed farther away. Soon all he could hear was faint bumping. Then it stopped. The window blew open and as if a breeze had come, something flew out the window, and with one last cackle at Denver, the Shadow Usul escaped.
Denver tapped on his flashlight. It came back on. He shined it where he last saw Marcus. Marcus wasn't there He reached for a candle stick and matches on the mantel. He lit the candle and began to walk around the house, both lights in his hands.
"Marcus?" he called out, "Marcus where are you?" There was a trail of blood, and Marcus saw that it lead into Marcus's bedroom. There was a puddle of blood and then it stopped. He was definitely in the bedroom. Wether her was alive or not was uncertain. Denver walked into the room and looked under the bed. A couple of odd slippers, dust balls, and empty cans of Necola covered the floor underneath the bed, but no Marcus. Denver opened the closet. Nothing, save his Safety Deposit Box. Suddenly, there was a crash. It sounded like the door slamming behind him.
"Oh thank goodness, Marcu-" Denver began, but he was in shock. The door had indeed shut behind him, but it wasn't shut by Marcus. Denver knew this because, there, hanging from the back of the door, was Marcus. He had a dark ring around his neck, and the Shadow Usul's blood still dripped from his limp, pale body. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head, so his eyes were white, and a few of the veins in his eyes had popped. His legs had been broken and twisted together. His arms had been chopped off, and shoved into the pockets of his pants. Denver finally got his voice back, and asked himself:
"What's he hanging by?" And almost instantly, his question was answered. Marcus fell to the floor, and the secret was revealed. There was an entire mirror shoved into his back, and he was hanging by the hook that would connect to walls.
"So first he was strangled to death, and then he was massacred. . ." Denver thought, feeling extremely sick to his stomach. "This is getting way out of hand."