Chapter 46 (Content warning: Prevented Rape in scene)
Jill and Alice walked silently through the sewer, keeping Irons just at the edge of their vision so that if he tried to turn around they would be able to see and respond quickly enough.
Turning a corner, they saw Irons changing clothes into something that made him look like a regular mechanic before climbing up another ladder.
"You think he'll be back down here?" Alice asked after the manhole cover had closed with a small sound.
"He has to come back down here," Jill confirmed as she moved close enough to see the duffel bag of clothing. "He's got clothes down here."
"If he's down here enough, he might have some sort of hideout," Alice said as she wrinkled her nose at the way some of the clothes had blood stains on different parts of them.
"Alright," Jill agreed. "I don't think splitting up is a good idea, so let's go see if we can find out what else Chief Irons is hiding down here."
"It's faint," Alice said as she shined the light from her weapon-mounted flashlight on the ground. "But it looks like there are some small scuff marks on the ground heading that way."
"You lead," Jill said as she turned to face the ladder. "I'll cover your back."
"How does everything look today?" Principal Paul paused his walk to stop and ask me.
"Perimeter looks good," I replied as I took a gulp from the bottle of water that I had with me. "I'm not seeing or hearing anything that would make me concerned at the moment."
"That's good to hear," the other man replied. "I'm hoping that it remains that way."
"As do I," I laughed. "The last thing I want is to have these kids be in any danger."
As we continued speaking, the bell rang and the kids broke out of their classrooms to head for the first lunch period of the day.
"It's you again," a young blond walked up to me. "What's that on your arm?" She pointed at the edge of the tattoo on my right arm that peeked out from underneath my polo shirt.
"It's my tattoo," I replied with a smile as I sat down on the school's steps next to the girl. "Wanna see what the rest of it looks like?" I asked.
"Yes," Sherry nodded as she opened up her lunch box and began eating the sandwich that had been packed for her.
"What does that mean?" Sherry asked as she pointed at the Latin phrase on the tattoo.
"I'll explain when you're older," I said as I got a handful of glares from some teachers for showing the tattoo to an elementary student.
"Okay," Sherry mumbled happily as she continued eating her prepared lunch.
"Now, I better go check on everything again," I muttered to myself as I stood up and began walking the perimeter of the school again."
"This door is locked," Alice muttered as they followed the marks to a darkly lit door marked 'maintainence'.
"I've got the solution to that," Jill grinned as she stepped forward with her lockpicking set in hand, pushing the straight pin in and moving the tumbler's up until she heard a faint click. Turning the handle, she eased the door open as Alice stepped forward and into the doorway, wanting to make sure that there wasn't anyone waiting on them through the other side.
"We're clear," Alice said as she turned and nearly threw up. "But I'm not sure that's a good thing."
"Yeah," Jill muttered as an eerie sense of calm spread over her as she saw the bodies of four dead women lying naked in the maintenance closet. "We should leave this as it is now," Jill said as she relocked the door and made sure her gloves were properly on so that there weren't any of her fingerprints on the door or door handle. "If Irons is the one behind this, then we need to catch him in the act, so let's get back over to the manhole and see if he's on his way back or not."
Alice just nodded, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she continued holding back the contents of her stomach.
"Come on," Jill said as she pulled the scientist along.
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"Let me go!" A blond woman screamed at the large man while he ripped at her clothes.
"Go!" Alice said to Jill as they heard the screams. "I'm right behind you."
Jill sprinted forward, spotting Irons on top of a younger blond and trying to strangle her while ripping at her clothes.
Slowing down, Jill drove her knee into the RPD Chief's face, shattering his nose and driving him back in shock before he looked up and saw a pistol pointed at his face as blood leaked from his nose.
"You're not going anywhere, bastard," Jill spat as she moved back a bit to maintain a good distance. "Actually, you know what, move, make my day."
"I got you," Alice said as she comforted the other woman as she rubbed at her throat. "Let's get you up and out of here, and we'll call the police as well."
"Alright," the blond coughed as she grabbed the scraps of her dress and held it over her nude form.
"Alice, as soon as you get the RPD on their way I need you to come back here," Jill said as she continued staring down her sights at the rapist and serial killer in front of her. "I want us to get all of the evidence gathered so it doesn't disappear."
Irons held his nose, glaring at Jill for a moment while waiting for a moment in which her guard was down. When a light flickered in the distance and Jill's eyes were taken off of him for a second, he lurched upward, eager to try and kill the ex-STARS member as a single shot rang out.
"You shouldn't have moved," Jill muttered as the overweight man clutched at his chest, blood spreading out through his shirt, the knife that he had hidden in his hand falling to the floor as he fell to the ground.