Chapter 8: Aftermath

The lack of conscious witnesses really made it hard for reporters and officers to make a statement on the assaults. Nine policemen injured and five more present at the scene, but none could say who exactly they were fighting and how many there were. There was a man left beaten to a bloody pulp, barely breathing, in an alleyway. There were splinters of wood embedded in his hands from an instrument he had on hand. Reporters guessed he was the first victim that attracted the attention of the others. A bar owner confirmed that it was his son in the alley, he had left work early that night for reasons unknown. He also said the young man had asked for a great deal of cash and never explained why. Suspicion arose that he participated in shady business and got into trouble. His father argues that he was robbed and the policemen were useless for help. Of course, they were all wrong. But the news still made headlines across towns and caught the attention of a group of scientists at a university. The main director sent a small group to investigate the event, in case their mistake was to blame.

…

"Okay! Okay! I forgive you all! Stop worrying, you're making me nervous," Lucille shouted over the speedy voices of her friends. They were surrounding her from every angle, making her lean back in her chair from the lack of personal space. She had spent a hectic morning explaining to all what she saw yesterday, which did nothing to easy their worrying. Raoul in particular freaked out when she got to the part about its fangs. The guilt of leaving Lucille on her own increased in all their minds by the end of her recounting.

At the woman's outburst, they all stepped away. Emile began pacing around the room, mumbling to himself while lost in thought. Francoeur was chittering and hissing at Raoul in an argument, neither bringing up the fact that the man somehow procured a truck from nowhere. Francoeur would bring it up if he could, but no amount of gesturing would be able to translate this fact. Maud simply sat by Lucille, holding her hand before she shouted to the men.

"Hey! Lucille said to stop making her nervous. So you decide to fight and panic?," they all stared blankly at her, stilling their movements. "Okay," she continued, "maybe it would be a good idea to get some water," Raoul and Francoeur nodded mindlessly and headed out the door, "Oh, and some breakfast too?," she asked with sweet, pleading eyes to Emile.

He smiled sheepishly, "of course. You two just rest here and I'll make sure the guys don't get into trouble. I get to be mama bear Lucille today."

"Mama bear me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, um, nothing!," he added quickly. He rushed out of the room, mumbling to himself, "Raoul, even when you're not here.." The two women were left there looking quizzically at one another. Maud shrugged, then walked over to her bag to take out a stack of papers. She opened one to reveal a finely detailed map of the area. Lucille listened intently to Maud's story about being lost for hours in the large town with Emile. She was happy for a distraction.

…

It felt like every inch of her body was pulsating and she withered in pain. The smallest movement made her scream mentally in agony. She whimpered as she tried to turn herself over to face the ceiling, her eyes remained screwed shut. The sun hung loosely in the sky, showering the land in hues of gold. Thin rays of light entered the workshop, beckoning her to rise. She groaned loudly at the thought, hoping to stay on the stone ground for a few more hours.

Her thinking was soon shattered by the sound of keys jingling. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as a shock of fear ran through her, giving her the strength to leap up and throw herself over a work table to hide. The person at the front entered at a sluggish pace. From her view, she could see the man's face and inwardly sighed. It was Frankford. She watched him grab various items and after several trips to a vehicle outside, the man was done gathering supplies. He seemed different. There was no smile that reached his eyes or bounce in his step.

She crawled out once the man was done, frowning deeply. Judging from the materials he gathered, she guessed he must've planned to fix the guest room she destroyed the night before. Her head sank into her lap as she replayed the night's events through her mind, still feeling both pain and numbness in her limbs in a strange combination. There was darkness, then a sense of strength, of power that awoke her and she found herself staring at a woman lying frozen in terror. She could smell the fear radiating from her. It was when her mouth began to water at the scent that her body returned to her control. She fled before any more damage was done. The image of Ivan, beaten and bloody, was still fresh and clear. A scene best left in the past. But she could not deny the satisfaction and thrill she felt at the memory. His screams were beautiful, a true masterpiece of music to her ears. No, she didn't feel that way. It was a horrible thing to do. An inhuman thing.

The woman rushed out of the shop through the small window she entered. The jacket was pulled tightly to her face as she ran down the streets to Martha and Frank's home. There were things that needed fixing. She could not leave the generous couple in a state of grief. Not again.

…

He stepped on his own feet many times, but the grin on his face never left. He was too enamored by Lucille's laugh and radiant self. He wished for a moment that he had the grace that his large friend possessed. The flea moved swiftly with style, attracting the attention of a crowd of young women. That was until he noticed the way his friend continued to move swiftly and he realized what he was trying to do. Raoul chuckled lightly and excused himself for a moment. He walked over to Francoeur, placing an arm around him and turned to the girls that were chasing the poor guy across the bar.

"Sorry ladies, but my friend has important duties he must tend to. Isn't that right big guy?" Francoeur nodded eagerly at his friend and shrugged as if he couldn't help being called away.

There was a collective "Aww," in response as the women pouted.

"But can't he stay for one more song? To dance with me?," one woman pleaded in a sickening sweet tone.

"No! Dance with me!"

"No, me!"

"Me!"

The women shoved at one another and clawed their way to the two men. They grabbed at Francoeur, throwing him this way and that. He swayed in all directions, dizziness clouding his brain. At some point, Raoul was yanked away and tossed out of the group, missing one of his gloves. In an act of stubbornness, he jumped back into the mob. This time, he pulled his friend out by the hand and they escaped to the safety of Lucille's arms. She rolled her eyes and called out to their other friends to leave since it was pretty late. It was a nice walk, the moon shone down at them making the night feel magical. It was definitely better than the one before.

…

It was confusing to say the least. There was a gaping hole in the room, they saw it not more than an hour ago, and it was gone. Fixed up. Not only that, the furniture was also repaired and put back exactly where they had been for fourteen years. Someone was in their house, but nothing seemed to be taken. Martha checked the room three times. The police officers wouldn't have done a thing like this. There was no time to sacrifice any man power when there was a dangerous criminal attacking innocent citizens. Possibly innocent. Those men left hours ago.

They could only stare blankly and wonder if the past two days had really happened or did they imagine it? Had their grief hit a peak? The couple sat down on the bed, thinking to themselves. It was strange. They had stayed far away from this room for so long. It was nice to see their little girl's smiling face on the wall, past memories coming to surface. It was a wonderful life with her, however brief that life was. Their Macy couldn't have grown into a better woman. The two smiled at each other, one so genuine it made the woman watching from outside feel happy tears roll down her cheeks. She wiped at them gently, looking at them curiously. She thought humans only cried when they were sad. Interesting.