A Truly Angelic Gentleman
Chapter 7: Burnt Hearts
The second Greg and his team appeared on the scene, he had to focus his entire concentration to keep from vomiting. Upon entering the room that the bodies were held, he was hit with the overpowering stench of blood. The sight of the bodies was horrific.
It was the same as the previous hit; three victims, all shot. However, the chests of each of the victims had been slashed open with a sharp instrument. The blood had been spilt all over the bodies and the wooden floor, spelling out a message in harsh, red letters.
'I will burn you.'
"What is that supposed to mean? 'I will burn you'?" John asked, his voice muffled by his coat sleeve, currently being used to filter the smell.
"It means exactly what it says, John. Honestly, some days you can be so dense." Sherlock answered, circling the bodies in search for some sort of clue that the forensics team might have overlooked.
"Burn who, though?" Greg asked, his arms crossed defensively over his chest, a paper mask held to his nose. Mycroft stood next to him, leaning on his umbrella as usual, except his usually somber expression was currently contorted in disgust.
"I'm not sure…" Sherlock muttered, obviously irritated about not knowing the answer. Greg looked to Mycroft in hopes of an answer to the question, just as Sherlock did the same.
"Brother, dear; you know more about this demon than we do. What does this mean?" Sherlock questioned, one hand resting on his hip, the other gesturing to the bodies of the victims. Mycroft stood straightly, lifting his chin and glancing down to the bodies.
"Well," he began, scrutinizing the details of the victims, "We are dealing with a higher class demon." He pointed towards the open wounds of the bodies with his umbrella. Sherlock followed his gaze, nodding intently. John's eyes narrowed confusedly.
"Sorry… but how do you know that?" He asked.
"The hearts are missing." The brothers stated matter-of-factly. They glared at each other pointedly for a few moments before Mycroft broke the eye contact to address John.
"Higher class demons are known for burning and eating the hearts of their victims. The hearts would still be here if it was simply a lower class one." Mycroft explained. Sherlock rolled his eyes.
"Yes, because obviously a lower class demon was able to escape hell and get to a human before us." He muttered sarcastically, receiving a sharp look from his elder brother. Both John's and Greg's faces were twisted in horror.
"Are you serious!?" Greg stared horrified at Mycroft, "They just… eat people's hearts!?" Mycroft nodded.
"They don't care. Gregory, you have to understand; while some angels care about humans and some hate humans, all demons simply don't care about humans. They don't care if they live or die. They hold no emotion for your people in any way, shape or form. To them, you just don't matter. You are insignificant."
The room was utterly silent, Mycroft's words stinging Greg and John's thoughts. Finally, Sherlock spoke up.
"Alright, so we know what we're searching for. Higher class demons go for people with a troubled past, yes? Dark history, constantly down on their luck, usually just when they're about to take their own lives. Added to th-" Sherlock was interrupted by Greg.
"Hang on a tic; I thought angels save people who are about to kill themselves." Sherlock glared at the man, obviously bitter about being cut off before answering the inquiry.
"Not always. My brother came to save you now, did he not? Besides, only high class angels do that in the first place, simply because we have the ability to be seen by other humans, not just the ones we guard. As Mycroft has likely explained, it wouldn't really be in the best of tastes to be only visible to our humans. Your society isn't too fond of people who appear to speak and react to things that aren't there." John's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Wait, you two are high class angels?" Sherlock turned to the ex-army doctor.
"Obviously." Mycroft let out a light sigh at his brother's bluntness.
"Back to the point," He began, resting against his umbrella back to the floor, "Added with the qualities found in a high class demon, we need to find a man with a difficult history and powerful experience with a gun. He should be accustomed to violence and have a strong pain tolerance."
"Why high pain tolerance?" Greg asked.
"Demons have an excruciating temper and will often attack humans if they are angry enough, coupled with the fact that, over time, they begin to peel away at the person's soul, taking it for themselves."
"I thought that was just in films and things like that!" John exclaimed. Sherlock shook his head.
"Seems you humans got some things correct in those ridiculous fantasies of yours."
"Alright, alright. So we want a bloke who's got issues, uses a gun well, is used to violence and can take a hit. That doesn't give us much to work with." Greg muttered. Mycroft shot him a smile, the same sinister smirk he gave Sally earlier.
"Oh, Gregory, it gives us all of the information we need."