Chapter 6:
Yang sat at her desk looking at the crime scene photos they had taken. She had no idea what happened in this person's life but somewhere down the line it took a sharp turn off the road of sanity.
'What is more confusing is the letters… he is challenging us, and I can't fucking solve it! God damn it!' Yang thought as she tossed the picture she had been holding down onto her desk. She picked up one of the files she had been looking at the previous night. 'Come on dad. You got the closest, and now this fucker is going after mine and Rubes' friends. First Penny. Now Jaune and Flint as well as two poor girls.'
"Yang, you know this person better than anyone here." Weiss stated as she took a seat and looked at another one of the files. "You've spent your teenage years looking through them, even after Tai passed. How does he think?" Weiss continued her line of questioning as Yang turned the page on the file she was looking thru.
"He knows we are after him again. Hence the letters he sliced out of their skin. He is fucking with us, and knew my dad has passed. Other wise he would not have entered our jurisdiction. He is suspected of killing anywhere from twenty to two hundred people from all over the country. I have no idea why I'm even looking at these files. He is making mistakes now." Yang stated handing the file over to Weiss.
"We literally have the most evidence he has ever dropped. I'm just trying to figure out this damn puzzle he left." Yang spoke taking another look at photos again. "He carved thirty five letters out of four people… and according to the lab techs that were there… he carved it out of them while they were alive… and I can't solve a damned word puzzle." Yang spoke smacking her head with her open hand.
"Try calling Ruby. She was always good at word puzzles." Weiss tossed the folder she was holding onto Yang's desk and took the one that held the previous crime scene. "Already tried to call her. I'm getting nothing. Even tried my house phone, and Blake's. No one is answering. I'll try again once she sobers up. Knowing Blake she turned off her phone because Emerald asked her to."
"I really need some coffee, and we need to go inform some next of kin and question them." Yang stood from her chair and gathered the pictures as Weiss followed suit helping Yang gather all the pictures. "Well not many words have an 'X' in them… maybe he is just fucking with you." Weiss joked as Yang rolled her eyes.
"Well on our way to the first place let's stop by your place. Make sure your sister hasn't swallowed her tongue. I hope you keep your fine alcohol locked away and she doesn't have her lockpicks." Weiss joked but with a slight grain of concern. Something she hoped Yang could pick up on.
"Yeah. We probably should. This fight is hitting her hard. She seems to be popping her anti-depressants like tic tacs. I fear she may actually overdose and this time no one will be there to help her." Yang stated as they walked towards the elevator.
"I'm sure she can pull through. Blake always takes her back, and she then lays off them for a while." Weiss smiled as they walked into the elevator.
Ruby wasn't sure how long it took for her to will up the strength to head to the one person she loathed. The only reason Ruby was willing to go and knock on her door was because that was where Blake was. The person that would be able to fix all her thoughts by just being around.
'God damn it. This is the worst time to be attempting to dry myself out and be hungover… but I need Blake. She will be able to figure what I should do out. She always knows what would be the best course of action.' Ruby thought as she pounded on the door. Loathing how she was going to have to suffer the green haired woman's comments until Blake felt she was ready to show herself to Ruby.
As Ruby waited for the door to open she began to count the number of ways Emerald was going to make Ruby feel worse about the situation. 'Hmph knowing her she is going to try and break her record of thirty five times in four minutes. And if Blake hears some of the comments I'll make in return she will get even madder. Something I can not afford right now.'
Ruby's thoughts were stopped when the green haired woman opened the door with the look of disgust on her face. "The fuck you want you tatooed skank?" Emerald asked leaning against the door frame blocking Ruby from entering.
"To give you English lessons you green haired whore. Now can I go and talk to Blake? Or are you just going to make this harder than it needs to be?" Ruby asked. She just wanted this to end as fast as possible.
"Well then why the fuck did you come here? Come to rub it in my face she chose you again?" Emerald spat as Ruby began to tighten her fists so tight her knuckles had become a sickly shade of white. "The fuck are you talking about!? Blake said she would come here last night and she isn't at our place!" Ruby yelled both people knowing how close she was to punching the green haired woman.
"You came by last night and you both left or do you not fucking remember you fucking alcoholic bitch!" Emerald yelled so loud she knew her neighbours would be looking at the exchange wanting them to quiet down but no one wanted to challenge either of them.
"If you're just trying to fuck with me Emerald, I will beat you so close to death I can fucking give him a high five." Ruby seethed and was about to finally give into what she has wanted to do for a long time and punch Emerald into a coma.
"I'm going to say this nice and slow as to give your doped out of it brain time to process it." Emerald spoke carefully as she pushed off the door frame to stand up straight. "UNLIKE YOU I DON'T USE BLAKE TO GET AT PEOPLE!" Emerald yelled as red met silver. Neither wanting to back down. So Ruby did the only thing her instincts told her to. She punched Emerald so hard against the side of the face she fell over in the door frame.
"If I find out you're just bullshitting me, I'm going to fucking call in any and all favours I can to make sure you wish you were never born." Ruby spoke turning around, shoving her hands into her pocket. Just as she was about to leave she turned around to see Emerald extending her middle finger as she was trying to regain her bearings. "When will you fucking learn Emerald! She keeps choosing me for a reason!" Ruby yelled as she saw out of the corner of her eye a neighbour quickly walking back into his house.
Ruby deciding it was best to just go and try Blake's office instead of getting into a violent fight with everyone in the neighbourhood where the cops would definitely be called. She gave Emerald the same finger as she began to walk down the road.
'I swear I don't see why Blake is even friends with her… hell she still doesn't see Emerald having the hots for her.' Ruby thought as she began to feel her phone vibrate. She quickly grabbed her phone and answered it, not even checking the caller i.d.
"Hey Rubes, where you at?" Yang asked as Ruby stopped. 'This is it. I didn't disguise my voice well enough… Qrow knows it was me that called it in. I'm fucked… There is proof I was near there meaning I'm a suspect and he is itching to slap the cuffs on me.'
"Out. Why?" Ruby asked once she had calmed herself down, figuring if he truly wanted Ruby in cuffs he would have sent out every available cop to do it. And Yang was most likely trying to check up on her.
"Well, I'm worried, you weren't at my place, the booze was still in the cabinet. I need your help for a word puzzle. Which I shouldn't even be technically asking you seeing as it is an active investigation. But you could solve this faster than I could. Hell Ice Queen is just as lost."
"I'll meet you at the cafe next to Blake's office. Figure I might as well sober up a bit before I go and talk to her again. She was really mad yesterday after we talked." Ruby stated as she hung up the phone and speed up her walk. She had no doubt Yang was going to have a million and one questions but she figured she could quickly check to see if Blake was in and then go talk to Yang.
Ruby's walk was fairly quick. She needed to talk to Blake first. She needed her raven haired love. As she saw Blake's office across the street she quickly ran across the street not caring if a car came by and hit her. She just didn't want to be out of Blake's arms any longer.
She practically ran up the stairs, taking them two and even three at a time. It may have only been a single flight of stairs, but Blake would be able to help her. Even if she really was at fault and killed them just while she was blacked out. Blake would be a perfect character witness.
"Do you have an appoin-... oh hi Ruby! Did you and Blake fight again? Because she isn't here. Pyrrha took some of the important cases so she is swamped right now, but I should let her know you're here. When I called Emerald she said you should know, and Pyrrha would love to know where she is. One second." The small ginger girl spoke a mile a minute as she quickly picked up a phone dialed a number.
"Hey, Ruby is here." She quickly nodded her head and hung up the phone, "Pyrrha will be out in a second. Can you just wait here for a minute? But what was the reason for the fight this time? Wait don't tell me, you tried to sleep with her mom again didn't you?" Nora asked as she laughed at Ruby's glare.
"Why did I ever tell you that? And no. I forgot our anniversary and I drank a lot that day. And may have done something… I blacked out a little that day… and she got angry when I showed up like that. But I have no idea what crawled up Emerald's ass. I have no idea where Blake is. I thought she would be here. She isn't at our place, or Emerald's which I'm starting to doubt, and she isn't here." Ruby said as she took a seat and looked at the pile of magazines on the table.
"Ahhhh….yeah I would be angry if someone did that to me. I would consider you lucky. If I was dating you, you would have been dumped the first time. What's this the seventh or eighth time you forgot some important date?" Nora asked as Ruby failed to notice a door opening behind her.
"Actually it is closer to seventeen… in the last three years… By all means she shouldn't take me back… but for whatever reason she does. Despite how toxic I seem to be."
"She actually has told me a few times. With you, she actually feels safe, like she can let her guard down around you and only you. You've probably seen more of what she hides than anyone else." Pyrrha spoke announcing her presence.
"Coming from a shrink… I have no idea how to take that… but as I was saying to Nora, I have no idea where Blake is. I drank a lot last night. Did a hit of LSD… then it is all blank until this morning. And I've been looking for Blake ever since."
"Fuck, if you find her, ask her to call me. I'll try Emerald's phone and her phone. But you seem a bit shaken. Everything alright?" Pyrrha asked, as Ruby stood up.
"Just… had a rough night, I need to apologise to Blake, and Yang wants to talk in a few minutes as well." Ruby decided it was best to not tell Pyrrha about the missing time, or waking up in crime scene. She had no idea how she was going to explain it to Blake.
"Well, you should go then. And remember to tell Blake when you find her to call me. She owes me so freaking much."
"Right then bye Pyrrha, bye Norra." Ruby quickly ran down the stairs. The only thought was 'Where the fuck is she!? I swear if I have to beat down on Emerald again I will!' As she exited the building she saw Weiss and Yang getting out of the car.
'Fuck, I can't run to Emerald's and beat her till she can see god.' Ruby thought as she walked over to the duo. "So, can we hurry up? I need to talk to Emerald again." Ruby could see Yang glare at her.
"So, you wash up, put on some somewhat respectable clothes… went by her office… hadn't beat the shit out of Emerald, or at least it hasn't been reported yet… what did you do?" Weiss asked as Ruby glared.
"I punched her like once… maybe twice… either way it was just under the minimum for it to be declared assault. So calm down." Ruby muttered as Yang gestured her over.
"Sorry Rubes, we can't stay long, Just come over here and can you solve this?" Yang asked placing a sheet of paper into her sister's hands. "Those letters were cut out of people's flesh, so for obvious reasons I can't show you that, but those are the letters." Yang brushed off the look Weiss gave her because of revealing important evidence.
Ruby took one look at the letters, 'This could be hundreds of possibilities… and if it is for the case I think it is, that makes it even more… wait…'
"Yang get off this case! NOW!" Ruby yelled balling the sheet up and throwing it at her blonde sister. Ready to punch Yang if she had to. "Why Ruby?" Weiss asked as Ruby glared at her.
"Because this sick fuck uses Yang's full fucking name. That is all I can get. Right now and if it is for the case I think it is, drop it! Get transferred I don't care, I don't want to lose you to the same fuck that caused Dad to die!" Ruby yelled seeing out of the corner of her eye some people starting to look at the spectacle.
"How would all these people sleep knowing that the smi-" Yang placed her hand over Ruby's mouth as Weiss began to place handcuffs on her. "Sorry people, she is my sister, and is a little drunk. Her shrink called and is worried about her." Yang spoke as she held the door open for Weiss putting Ruby in the back seat.
"COME THE FUCK ON! THIS IS BULLSHIT! THAT SHOULD BE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE! YOU CAN'T SILENCE THE TRU-" Ruby was cut off by the door closing in her face, she could see Weiss and Yang walking towards their own doors and got in. "I can't believe you slapped the cuffs on me! I'm not drunk! Now just let me out now so I can let the nice people know how you're covering up a deranged serial killer! Then you might be safe!" Ruby yelled as Weiss turned around in her seat.
"Ruby, I can understand your apprehension towards it, but if the normal people know then it could cause a mass panic, or worse feed into his ego. So we can't just let that happen. Now Yang is going to drop you off and I'm going to see to it that you're in your place. Once that happens we will have a chat to decide what to do with you!" Weiss yelled as Yang began to drive off.
"You swear I'm going to do some lines or beat the shit out of someone…"
"Or both which is more likely to happen knowing your track record." Yang spoke taking the final turn to Ruby's small apartment. "And you will have those cuffs on you until I feel you won't hinder this case." Yang continued as she quickly parked the car on the side of the street just outside her sister's apartment.
"Weiss take her up, I'll be there in a second. Gotta call something in that way the captain won't bitch." Yang joked as Weiss rolled her eyes and got out of the car. She quickly got Ruby out and began to walk inside.
"Why must you make this so hard for her? I doubt this is the same sicko that your father hunted. There has been what ten years of a gap? No one would go dark for that long. Other killers have described the urge to kill as being insatiable." Weiss spoke as she lead Ruby towards the elevator.
"Yeah well I know what it is like to be on the other side of the law. That rush has no equal… why are we going for the elevator. No one that lives here takes it. It takes longer. My place is only on the third floor." Ruby spoke trying to ignore the tight feeling on her wrists.
"Because I will not have you lead me up a flight of stairs. It is protocol." Weiss continued as Ruby could hear the old elevator begin to move.
"Do you get turned on by that word or something? Because if I got turned on by a word I would never stop saying it." Ruby asked as Weiss raised the brunette's arms forcing her to look down. "I guess Yang is right, you really pay more attention to my sex life than anything else." Ruby was about to complain about how this was police brutality, when the elevator doors opened.
She began to fight against Weiss' hold. She had to make sure it wasn't fake. She had to make sure her Blake was still alive and not sitting in a pool of her own blood holding onto her feline ears in her lap with that same smile her face was forced into and a knife lodged firmly in her chest.
Author's Note:
Welp, Welp, Welp… That was a thing. Now to sit back and watch shit hit the fan. Nothing else witty to say sorry.
Man next chapter is gonna be great… aw shit i have to write the next chapter. Got damn. I'm so slow at writing… Anyway I will attempt to get it out as fast as I can, in the meantime ya'll can leave a review for his chapter and give us your feedback. We love reading the crazy theories you all have about what's gonna happen next.