Chapter 11:
Cesaire could smell it.
It was the scent of the murderer. It was all over April's clothes. Growling, he leapt through the window vanishing into the alley, turning the corner, hopping up and up and up until his feet landed on the roof. Pointing his nose high in the air he smelled for her whereabouts and until he discovered a trail being carried upon the wind. Strangely, her scent was coming from the private quarters of the Upper Class near the lake located somewhere within the red brick houses, the most luxurious of the houses.
"Where are you April?"
Dawn was coming and he was running out of time.
The wind swept through his hair as he sped up and down, left to the right, right to the left, down and up again above houses, chimneys, buildings, churches, and other communities. Straight ahead, he saw the approaching black gates of the Upper Class guarded by men holding lanterns and their swords. He ran straight forward gaining speed, leaping off the edge, soaring through the air like a bird, flying over the gates, and into Upper Class Territory. The humans never noticed anything as the elder wolf stood high above them with glowing eyes, turning on his heel, and using the cover of night to disappear.
"There you are…" he whispered.
He's never been inside this house before, but April's scent was in there somewhere.
"Here we go…"
Opening the window, Cesaire slid inside, softly shut the window and listened for anything. Crouching against the cherry wood vanity, he stayed. The whole house was beautiful with velvet seat cushions at the kitchen table, velvet chairs with leather headrests. This house was made with marble floors with a large fireplace in the center of the socializing room. Even with all its luxurious and all its welcoming pleasantries, there was no scent of anyone. His ears did not detect anything.
"Where are you?" he whispered, walking into a room twice the size of his own, looking at the beautiful glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Who would bring April here? And why would someone target April of all people?
"April?" he called out, listening.
Suddenly something rattled in the dark. There was nothing there except a fat white cat looking upon the house intruder with big blue eyes. The tiny feline creature opened its mouth, hissed, drawing its fangs, and arched its back high above its head, while its tail turned big and fluffy. Its entire body was puffy.
"You're not April…"
The creature fled!
Walking room to room, Cesaire followed her scent and didn't understand.
"April!" he called.
Deciding there was nothing to fear, he casually walked up the marble steps and into the bedrooms. No one was here. There was no sign of people inhabiting this house. He came to the main bedroom, finding it locked.
"April? April are you in there?" he called, tapping on the door. He rattled the handle. Pressing his ear against the door, he listened. "If you're in there, April, it's me. Your daughter told me you went missing."
He tapped on the door.
"April? I'm here to help you…"
He jostled the door knob. It was locked from the inside. He put his nose to the keyhole and caught the one thing he wished he wouldn't. Blood.
"April!" he stood back. "I'm kicking down the door!"
Raising his leg he kicked!
Meanwhile:
Valerie awoken with the strangest feeling in her bones like something solid replaced her limbs with the strength and resistance as iron. Come to think of it, her whole body felt strange and funny as she rose from her bed. The pain wasn't there anymore. Neither did she feel like her normal self. Not exactly human anymore. She felt amazing!
"Papa?" she unlocked and opened the door. "Papa?"
"He's not here."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Vanessa and my mother is April, she knows your father Carlisle."
"Where is he?"
"He went to go find her. She went missing early this morning and I got worried she was taken by the murderer so I ran here to get your father's help."
Valerie grabbed her cloak," Which way did he go?"
"W-Where are you going?"
"To find him. If he's tracking down the killer he can't do it alone."
"But he told us to stay here!"
"Every day this killer is out there he's planning to make someone his next victim. My father and I are different from other families. We know things that no one else knows. We can do what no one else can, not even the constables or the Sheriff himself. When the Festival comes in 2 days we might not ever have a chance to catch this guy again and I am not going to let my father do this alone."
"What are you going to do?"
"What he's been training me to do. Survive."
Meanwhile:
Splattered blood was everywhere, leaking and dripping from the walls and the ceilings in chunks and puddles. Red crimson colors went ballistic in this room, fresh with murder and slaughter. They were dead. All dead. Madame Alice and her son Christopher Bufkin lay on the elegant silk green sheets of the master bed, their skin as pale as the moon, their milky grey eyes wide open. Their stomachs had been ripped out, their pink intestines and purple guts strewn from their bodies, ripped from their places. He rushed to their side.
"No… No!"
He shook his head, disbelieving.
"Who did this to you!?" he hissed.
Something was in a box between them, wrapped in ribbon.
He picked it up, "What's this?"
Unrolling the parchment from her neck, he opened it, read it, and-
"Oh my god…" he whispered.
Meanwhile:
"He went this way."
Vanessa hurried behind Valerie, following the blond girl into a different part of the city that she's never been before, making her anxious. Everything Valerie told her didn't make any sense!
"If he's not at my mother's house then how do you know where he went? How do you know he went this way?"
"Just trust me."
"But how do you know?" she asked.
"Just trust me!"
They were approaching the gates of the Upper Class where she could smell the scent of her father. He was close.
Meanwhile:
"Valerie! Valerie!"
Cesaire bolted from the window, flying through the air, crunching against the ground and rushing and rushing and rushing!
"VALERIE!"
Meanwhile:
"We shouldn't be here. Your father could be home waiting for us. We'll get in trouble," Vanessa whispered, following closely behind.
"He's close, trust me."
"Valerie!"
"He's close!"
"We could get in trouble!"
"Shh!" she hushed, turning around.
Ears perked, she could hear something within the darkness. Something stirred and it didn't sound friendly.
"They're coming after us…" Valerie whispered. "…They found us…"
Vanessa looked at her, to the dark alley, then to her. She couldn't see anything or hear anyone approaching.
"Who? What are you talking about?"
She mumbled, "I can hear them breathe."
"I-I can't… hear anything."
Valerie grabbed her hand," Run!"
Vanessa was yanked down the road and into the alley ways, turning corner to corner, hopping over puddles, crawling over barrels. What were they running from!? Turning her head over her shoulder, she could see men come after them like ghouls from hell! Panicked, she did her best to keep up with Valerie but her legs were stronger and faster than hers!
Meanwhile:
"Valerie! Valerie!" Cesaire punched through the door and into their apartment. He looked in every room.
Everything was ransacked! Their clothes and everything they owned scattered everywhere! They were here. He could smell it. These weren't petty criminals and this wasn't an accident. Charz would never let a grudge go. That bastard.
"No, no, no, no!" he raked his fingers across his scalp. "NO!"
His daughter was in danger! His daughter, his kin, his pack, the last love of his life. He could smell her scent.
The inner wolf within him finally awoken.
That damned Charz was out there hunting his pup, his one and only pup.
His eyes became big and yellow.
Two orbs glowing within the dark.
He smashed his fist into the wall.
"C-C-C-h-h-harrz…!" his voice seethed, his body becoming larger and stronger, his voice dripping with venom. "CHARZ!"
Meanwhile:
Valerie and Vanessa slammed the doors, locked it, and stepped back. Valerie opened the doors to the storage, pulling Vanessa with her, and hid among the grain and barley jars. They could hear eachother breathing. The bakery was the only hiding place she knew. The only place she had a key to. Vanessa wept within the hem of her cloak wishing her mother was here to save her. The men outside were looking for them. She covered Vanessa's mouth with her hand, keeping her moans quiet.
"Don't. Say. A. Word."
The girls stayed in the storage as the men were lurking outside holding their torches and knives with their head leader, Charz. He was the most ambitious. He circled the street with his lads when he noticed the latch to the door had been ripped open. Seeing this, he opened the door. The first thing he smelled was bread and blueberries. Jars of honey, strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries, peaches and apples sat on the counters while straws of wheat hung from string along the walls.
"Come owt, come owt, where-avah yer are…"
He tapped the blade of his knife against the table, raking the sound, smiling as he got closer and closer. In a flash, he poked his head under the table. No one there. His eyes darted everywhere in a frantic play. They were here. He could sense it. His nose could smell their sweet girlish bouquet, as young and as innocent as Spring's first flower.
"Come owt, come owt, where-avah yer are…"
His darting eyes spotted the storage door, his knife twirling in his fingers.
"Ohh, yer thank yer sooooo sneaky…" Charz smiled his toothy smile. His black rotten teeth looked so criminal. "Here comes the boogeyman. 1,2, I'm coming for you… 3,4, I'm hungry for more… 5,6, " he stepped towards the storage slowly, enjoying the cat and mouse game. "You'll burn with sticks… 7, 8, it's come too late…"
His hand lingered over the door handle.
"9, 10…"
He gripped the handle tightly, with his veins bursting all over his arm.
"You'll never be alone again…"
Meanwhile:
Cesaire ran and ran and ran until his body burned with anticipation and vengeance; speeding with ferocity unknown to man. He came to the front of the bakery. He could smell all of them. Valerie was inside. Just as soon as he gripped the handle, a large club came smashing on his skull.
"He's here!" the man hollered, calling the others to help. "Gah!"
Falling to the ground, Cesaire felt another smack crashing on his skull. Another man came rushing! He lunged his foot into his stomach.
"Get him!"
"Kill him!"
These men came with their clubs and iron and chains, whipping and clobbering the man. They heaved their backs and legs with as much strength as a man was born with, spilling blood from their victim. To hide their crime, they dragged his limp body from the open streets and into the dark alleys, shoving him against the wall, punching him across the face, and tossing him among the barrels and crates. His limp body collapsed. All 8 capable men were gathered around Cesaire like wicked crows, hopping and kicking and beating him until he would be unconscious with their fists and iron bars. Within seconds of their deadly encounter, all those men were SHOVED away! Flying through the air, toppling against one another like boulders! Dust rose into the air. It happened so fast. What the hell happened? They opened their eyes to see their victim, turned attacker, lunging for them in a furious frenzy for revenge! Eyes as deep as the crimson rose. Teeth as sharp as daggers. Cesaire leapt from his crouching position straight for them, barreling his fists and kicks, doubling the pain and agony.
"Charz!" he called to the bakery.
In whips of hot anger, Cesaire laid waste to his enemies. Men turned to rag dolls and wailing dogs running from their powerful attacker, flying against walls, skidding across the cobblestone and trying to run for their lives! But as all wolves go, the male alpha marks his territory. He shows all other males his power and ferocity at all times, never giving them an inch. Cesaire will allow them to live. For now. But next time, he won't be so merciful. Spitting a ball of blood onto the ground, Cesaire huffed and turned to go into the bakery. He could smell blood. There was nothing in the kitchen or in the office. The storage door was open. He could see a body lying on the floor. Heart pumping, he swung open the latch.
Meanwhile:
"We got a report of a disturbance down in the Middle Class section, call all constables and upper patrolmen from the North and West regions of the city to direct their attention there …" Sheriff Williams replied to his constables. "Surround the area. No one gets in or out. You see something out of the ordinary; you detain it immediately without question. The killer will try and camouflage himself into the crowd or try to find a way to escape through the sewers beneath the streets." Sheriff Williams gloved his hands and shrugged on his black coat, looking to his fellow men and seeing trust in their eyes as well as loyalty and determination. "And so forth, we go… into the belly of the beast…"