Chapter Ten
First Night
Chicago 3.30am
The City of Chicago glittered under the night sky, down on the ground, the roads and streets bustled with people as they went around their business.
Though Chicago wasn't quite New York, it still had it's parts that never slept.
Flying above the rooftops, Diablo scoured the city, his beak curled into a smirk as the wind blew though his feathers.
Below him, running over the rooftops, Samson and Rex leapt over the gaps and looked around as they followed him.
They had been scouting for hours since both the Panther and Doberman agreed they wished to follow Diablo and live the way he chose to live.
Diablo had hoped to find some action so that he could see more of how Samson and Rex would attack their victims.
So far it had been quiet, but he hoped before the sun rose they would find some action, but he was also hoping he wouldn't bump into Tyroth or any of the Chicago Knights.
It wasn't long before he heard a shout below him and he stopped and hovered looking down at Rex and Samson.
Rex has standing up straight and sniffing the air and Samson was looking at him curiously.
Lowering himself down Diablo landed in front of Rex.
"Has your new nose picked up a scent?" he asked.
"Yes sir!" Rex said, "My nose has more senses than my human one did, and what I smell is indeed unpleasant!"
"Like how unpleasant?" asked Samson.
"I cannot identify the scent." Rex replied "But I can tell you it is of one of the worst kind!"
"Where is the scent?" asked Diablo, licking his beak.
Rex sniffed the air more then pointed to the West.
"That way!" he confirmed.
"Then lead us." Diablo requested to which Rex nodded and began to lead the way, Samson following and Diablo jumping off the roof to fly.
"I wonder what my disciple had found?" he wondered.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Knights were also in the city, hiding in a dark alleway, if not a few miles away from where Diablo, Samson and Rex were scouting.
Jack was sniffing the air and Percy was hopping up the side of a building.
"You got anything?" Tyroth called from the ground.
"Nothing!" Jack said "I can't smell anything related to Diablo!"
"I thought you had good memory of his scent!" Kate asked.
"I thought I did too!" Jack replied "But nothing! He might had done something to disguise his scent!"
"Damn that Raven!" Tyroth growled to which Sephie placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I wish we could just scout like we usually do!" Sarah said "Then maybe we might have a better chance at finding him!"
"Like that worked the last few nights?" Heather asked "The Rogue's a damn trickster! He always seems to either be good at hiding or be one step ahead of us!"
"Chicago's a big city too!" Sharky added "And even with our Vampire Friend's help, it's hard to search every nook and cranny!"
"Thanks!" Devina said turning to the Shark.
After she had heard the full story of Diablo from Tyroth, Devina was horrified, as well as shocked at the whole thing.
"I wish I had been there!" she had lamented "If only I'd known, I'd have come back sooner!"
"It's not your fault Devina." Tyroth had comforted "It just happened to be at the wrong time, but I'm so glad you're back! With your powers and knowledge, we have a better chance at finding Diablo, or at least keeping Mutopia safe!"
"On my honour dear Dragon." Devina had promised "I will do my duty in protecting your home, it's the least I can do after you gave me a place to stay after I followed you back from Skyrim."
The Vampiress had indeed honoured her word, and she along with the Knights scoured the city each night to find Diablo, but so far, apart from the clues of the Red-Necks attack, there was no sign of the Mutopian Rogue.
"So now what boss?" asked Jack.
"We keep looking until the sun comes up." Tyroth said to which the Knights groaned "I know! I know! It's been like this from the moment we get up from the time we go to bed, but apart from scouting for trouble we have to keep searching!"
"We know hun." Sephie said "And we all take this situation seriously!"
"As serious as we can be serious!" Percy added.
Tyroth nodded.
"Thanks." he said "If we seach at night and Hugh keeps his eyes open during the daytime hours, it won't be long before that Raven let's slip! He can't hide forever! And he can't run forever!"
"I still wish I could wring his scrawny neck!" Kate hissed.
"And stuff a mattress with him!" Jack growled.
"No!" Tyroth barked making the Knights jump then he sighed.
"As much as I want that traitor bird's head on a plate, I made a promise to Jake and Mona that we would not kill him! Disable him enough to bring him down, yes, but not kill him! And I'm not breaking that promise! Not for anything! Or anyone!"
Sephie gave Tyroth a weak smile and squeezed his shoulder.
"Come on guys." Devina said "The sun rises in less than 3 hours and we better carry on!"
"Right you are Devina." Tyroth agreed "Move out Knights!"
Back on the West Side of the city, Diablo and Samson had followed Rex to a run down house.
"Here's where the scent is!" Rex confirmed "And it's worse than when I smelt it before!"
"What is this place?" Samson asked wrinkling his nose in disgust.
Diablo nodded his head as he realised what it was they were at.
"It's a Drug Den." he sighed "I only know this too well."
Samson and Rex turned to the Raven.
"Drugs were a comfort when I lost my sister." Diablo said "Terrible decision, and a sin of my own, but I wish to not use drugs as a way of escape, but rather this...punishing those who do wrong, and within those walls, are true sinners."
"Creating and selling drugs!" Samson growled.
Rex nodded in agreement.
"Also from what I can smell." he said "There are over ten dealers and druggies in there!"
"Then we are outnumbered!" Samson said.
"Says who?" The Raven smirked to which the Panther and Doberman glanced at him.
"We are mutants." Diablo said "And we are stronger than those pathetic flesh covered insects! And if they are high on drugs, they will not have the same stamina."
He glanced at Samson.
"I believe you as a bouncer my friend, you have taken down those too drunk or too high to think clearly?"
Samson thought for a moment as he remembered his nights at the Strip Club as well as at other clubs where he had to throw out drunk customers who tried to fight back, but where too intoxicated to even comprehend what had happened.
"And you Veteran." Diablo turned to Rex "You have had much training when you were in the army no? And no doubt have faced soldiers in combat, whether with guns or hand to hand?"
"That is true yes." Rex confirmed "And when I had both my hands, I was strong."
"And you are even stronger now." Diablo agreed "So, if we are confident, shall we proceed?"
Samson and Rex looked at each other then at Diablo then nodded in agreement.
"Very well." they said together, squaring their shoulders, "We are ready."
Diablo licked his beak.
"Then follow my lead." he said as he walked to a side door and peeked through a gap to where he saw several drug dealers and junkies gathered and smoking drugs.
He soon recognised it, as Meth, very much like the one the Purple Dragon's pumped him with back in New York.
"Scumbags..." he hissed, then he turned to Samson and Rex.
"They appear to be very high on Drugs." he said "My plan is, we sneak in, and we make some sounds, making them jumpy, making them think there is something within their little den, and not the hallucinations, then when they least expect it, we take them by surprise! Then the fun begins!"
Rex and Samson nodded understanding.
"We hear you Diablo." they said.
"Great!" Diablo said "Then follow me."
Placing his taloned hand on the handle of the door, he slowly pushed it, hoping it wouldn't make a sound, nor let the street-lights inside and give them away.
Luckily, the door didn't make a sound and the three mutants were able to sneak in and blend into the shadows.
Using hand signals, Diablo told Samson to go down to the left, and Rex to the right whilst he climbed up onto the broken beams above, still making sure they made no sound.
All the while, the Drug dealers and Junkies had no idea they were inside, nor what they were to be subjected to once all three mutants attacked.
Samson kept his back to the wall, as did Rex as they moved in the darkness, then used their claws to scratch the walls, making some scraping sounds.
The groups of dealers and Junkies looked up yet didn't seem bothered by the sounds as they were all so high.
Diablo watched from the above beams as he saw Rex and Samson walk around and create scary sounds.
At the same time, he lifted his wings to create threatening shadows on the walls.
Still the Junkies and Dealers didn't seem too bothered, yet a couple started to show some fear at what they were hearing and seeing.
Rex and Samson looked at the Raven with question, yet Diablo put a finger to his beak telling to stay quiet yet still gave them to the okay to keep scratching the walls or make other noises to keep the Junkies and Dealers on their toes.
"Got to wait until the right moment!" Diablo whispered softly "Not long now...not long..."
He opened his wings and flapped them as well as made a soft caw appear from his throat.
Samson and Rex followed his lead by scratching the walls and growling.
As they continued, they could see the high junkies start to sense that there was something other than their hallucinations and they began to look around, yet couldn't see their torments as they stayed hidden in the shadows.
Diablo yet out a throaty laugh that sounded like a raven's caw and he opened his wings more, creating a terrifying shape above them, and the junkies looked up to see him before they began to fall backwards and crawl away in terror.
"Devil!" some cried as they saw him, and Diablo cawed a little louder, still flapping his wings and Samson and Rex kept scratching the walls as well as growled making the Junkies even more scared.
"You thought you found heaven in drugs?" Diablo demanded, his voice a hoarse throaty caw "No! You've just found your way to Hell!"
He opened his wings more and lowered himself to the group before the junkies and cawed again.
"Such sins have earned you the treatment from the Devil! Feel the terror I bestow upon you!"
The junkies, as high as anything tried to get away, yet their minds were so hazy they didn't even know if what they were seeing was real, nor did they know how to escape.
"Let's have some fun..." Diablo hissed with a smirk, his moonstone eyes flashing with excitement.
Back with the Knights, Jack's nose as he lead the way picked up the scent of the same Meth that Rex had picked up not long ago.
"Guys!" he held up his hand and turned to his comrades who instantly got their weapons.
"What is it?" Tyroth asked.
"Diablo?" Sephie asked.
Jack shook his head.
"No..." he said to which the group looked disappointed, "But I can smell drugs! I think there's a Drug Den near here!"
"Drugs?" Sharky growled, his sharp teeth gleaming in the street-lights.
"I smell it too!" Devina confirmed "Ewww! Disgusting stuff!"
Tyroth frowned.
"Let's move people!" he said "And keep your guard up okay?"
The Knights nodded and followed him and Jack closely, all feeling glad they were to get some action before the night was over.
So Diablo, Samson and Rex have found a Drug's Den and are ready to unleash terror on the Junkies and Dealers within! Yet at the same time, the Chicago Knights are scouting the city and are close by!
Will this be a confrontation, or are they too late to see what Diablo and his two followers are about to do?
Tune into the next chapter to find out!