Chapter 13. Heart-to-heart conversations.

My head was literally bursting at the seams from the intense pain again. "The consequences of that night will probably haunt me for a long time." The sensations were as if something was throbbing in my temples and with each pulsation a new wave of sharp stabbing pain was rolling in. But it wasn't so scary yet. It's unpleasant, but it doesn't compare to what happened after the hospital, when it was like being hit on the head with a sledgehammer.

Analgin and some other painkiller pills I took an hour earlier did not help. Hoping that at least alcohol would be able to extinguish the pain a little and help me fall asleep again, I went to the kitchen.

The kitchen in this house was quite modest, but there was everything necessary for a comfortable life. Immersed in my thoughts, I did not even notice that someone was sitting at the table. The lights were off and only the reflections of the moon and stars coming through the windows allowed the house to be illuminated.

Taking out an ice-cold bottle of whiskey, I immediately took several greedy sips straight from my throat.

- I wouldn't drink alcohol now. It is usually poorly compatible with medications.

Choking in surprise, I turned to see Eva, who looked at me with a slight smile.

- Don't scare me - Dean pointed at her with his finger - I almost choked

Eva got up and got herself a clean glass. She poured herself half a whisky and downed it in one gulp.

Dean was surprised by this sight.

- Wow. Are you drinking?

- What's wrong with that? Can't I have a drink?

Shrugging his shoulders, Dean also took a glass and sat down at the table.

- Pour it for me too.

Bringing a dose of alcohol to his mouth, Dean turned over again from a strong impulse of pain. On the second attempt, it turned out better and the "fire water" burning the throat warmed and felt like warmth spreading through the body.

- This headache is killing me. How many days have passed. And everything is the same.

- You need to rest more now, and take the medications that the doctor prescribed - Eva tapped her nails on the glass.

Dean exhaled heavily and took hold of his head and began to massage it.

- You know, I feel so lousy, like I'm not needed here, I'm no good. This injury threw me out of my rut.

Eve shook her head.

- Don't say that. Sarah needs you. She cares about you.

Dean smiled bitterly

- You know that...

- That you will not have offspring with her? It's not just that, Dean.

Dean stared into Eve's eyes. It was the first time he had done this since they met. For the first time, I did it without fear. She held that gaze

- And what else is the matter? Abbott and I have been studying you. For you, the absence of diseases and the ability to conceive healthy offspring is the main feature when choosing a partner, morality and morality do not bother you much.

Eve's face was now as focused as it could be, now she was boring into him with her eyes. Leaning back in her chair and taking another sip, she said:

- But she's willing to sacrifice herself for you. You mean a lot to her.

Dean's cheeks turned a deep red. Looking down, he felt completely confused. He had thought about it for a long time before, but to no avail. Images returned to him from the past, when he first met her at Abbott's house. She pinned him against the wall, grabbing him by the grinned: "It was a pleasant meeting," a game of chess, the moment when she asked him for an injection, he remembered the station and how she killed a half-breed and almost died herself, saving his life. He remembered everything, moments from his past life seemed to fly by in front of his eyes. The phrase she had said to him on the bridge came to mind: "Someday you will find the answer to this question." And he knew it, he knew it, but he didn't want to accept it as the truth. All this is too unrealistic and impossible. They weren't supposed to meet again. They are from different worlds and will never be able to be together, they can be friends, communicate, but nothing more...

The voice snapped him out of his thoughts, the phrase Eve said pierced his body like an electric shock

- She loves you... Why don't you want to accept this gift?

Dean shook his head.

- Eva, I will never replace John for her. You know that.

Eve suddenly covered his hand with hers and squeezed it tightly

- Don't be afraid of it. Accept these feelings. I may not have known you that long, but you've shown yourself to be a good and honest person. I appreciate it.

Dean looked at her and nodded.

- I'll try my best. But what will happen to us next? Sil, why did she save us? What does she need?

Eve shrugged her shoulders.

- I do not know Dean, what will happen next. For now, we can stay here and figure out what to do. I'm sure Sil won't hurt us. I think she misses the company of those with whom she can be herself.

The opening of the front door made both of them turn at the same time and look at Sarah, who quickly went upstairs without saying a word. Her entire sweatshirt was covered in blood. Dean jumped up to help her, but something held him back. He turned and saw Eve's gaze, which showed him that it was better not to touch Sarah now.

- Oh, we're having a party here, I see – Sil smiled at them and also poured herself a glass. - what are the girls drinking to?

Dean shrugged and looked at both hybrids.

- Let's go for those who are no longer with us. Dean's voice faltered-For John

- For John…

Sarah's hand rested on his shoulder from behind

- For John…

Nigel was sitting on the couch and trying not to look into the eyes of the two grown men who were opposite him.

- So you didn't see anything terrible, kid? Think carefully, maybe there was something unusual after all? - It wasn't the first time the man in the blue jacket had tried to get at least something intelligible from the boy.

Nigel shook his head

Another man, more serious, with a short army haircut, fixed his gaze on the boy's leg

- Have you been chained up?

The boy shuddered, there was still a noticeable mark on his ankle from the shackles.

The man came closer and leaned close to his face.

- Boy, you don't have to be afraid to talk. Whatever happens, I'll believe you. I've seen something myself in my time... It's terrible.

Nigel looked into his eyes and saw the man's sincere desire to understand him. Nigel hesitated and it was noticeable. The man held out his big hand to him.

- My name is Press. I'm not a cop, don't be afraid. I'm just wondering if these bandits have harmed you. It is important for us to make sure that you are safe and that you are no longer in danger. So what?

Nigel looked into the man's eyes once more and decided to tell him anyway.

- Sarah saved me.

- Who is this?

The boy shrugged his shoulders.

- She's cool... Her eyes are glowing... like that

The boy pointed at his eyes with his hands.

- Wow, this is really interesting. Maybe she was doing something else unusual?

Press sat down next to him and stared at the boy. Grow decided to go out for a smoke so as not to interfere.

- Nothing else.

Press thought about it and took out his phone and began to show the boy photos of various women and men who looked no different from ordinary people.

- Boy, take a good look. Do you recognize any of them?

- And who is this?

- These are photos of criminals. Are there those who kept you in the basement?

Nigel was looking through the photos enthusiastically. Press was sitting next to him and did not distract him. But inwardly he just prayed that the guy would not recognize anyone in these photos. The boy did not even imagine that perhaps this Sarah was not a human being, but a terrible creature from nightmares. He had already met them several times, and each meeting left deep scars.

He flipped through almost all the photos and stopped at the most recent one. It was the oldest photo from the archive and the very first. A beautiful blonde woman in a plaid shirt was slightly covering her face with her hand. It was as if she hadn't expected the lens to flash.

The boy brought the photo closer and looked at it more closely. Press got distracted and looked at what he was looking at, feeling the cold begin to squeeze his heart.

- Do you recognize this woman, Nigel? - Tell me, don't be afraid.

Nigel put his finger to his lips and his eyes narrowed a little.

- I'm not sure.

The press was looking at a photo of Forces taken by one of her victims. The guy she killed in the pool, the scenes of the brutal massacre that took place many years ago, popped into his head.

- Think carefully, maybe you've identified yourself?

- Was this aunt bad? - Nigel looked up at the Press

- Yes, boy. She was a criminal.

Nigel handed the phone back:

- So it's not her. When I was waiting for Sarah, there was a woman with me, her friend. She looks a bit like the woman in the photo. But she wasn't evil. She was joking funny and I enjoyed talking to her.

The press smiled and patted the guy on the head.

- Yeah, man, so it wasn't her. This woman wasn't nice when I knew her. You're lucky you haven't met her. – Press got up and headed for the exit, but when he stopped, he asked the last question. – By the way, what was her name, did she say?

Nigel started scratching his head, obviously trying to remember the name.

- I think I forgot. She didn't say that. Sarah once said it was a strange name, I had never heard it before. She's obviously a foreigner. Excuse me

"It's all right, Nigel. It's all good. I asked out of pure curiosity. Good luck, bye!

Growe was waiting for him in the car. Taking a cigarette from him, the press offered to go and relax in some local bar. The press flew to this province as soon as they learned about everything that happened from an old friend. The situation reminded him in many ways of the one they faced in Mexico a few years ago. The half-breed infection is another one of the government labs disguised as private scientific research. They also had information that not all of Patrick's offspring were dead. Some of them continue their father's business. His firm is officially engaged in security. But this is only official. His people in different parts of the country and beyond closely monitor the places where half-breeds appear, and destroy them if possible. It is clear that all this was top secret.

So far, everything Growe had told him was very similar to the fact that a half-breed was operating in the city. He didn't want to share information with the detective until he was sure of his assumptions.

- Did you take DNA samples from the victims?

Grow drove out onto the central city road. There weren't many people yet, the working day wasn't over yet, but soon the crowds would fill these streets.

- There are no results. What's it?

- I have a friend, you can send her the results, she will look in her databases. Maybe we can dig up something.

When the Press had already left the bar, Grow was still sitting and drinking at the bar. He needed to rest. The last few days have made him literally run out of steam. He looked around at the people around him. There were a lot of young girls here, and he was willing to bet that some of them were free and those who would not mind sharing the evening with him.

His attention was attracted by a young girl of about seventeen, in short denim shorts and a turquoise jacket. She had dark brown hair and gray eyes. The girl seemed a little lost and wandered aimlessly around the bar, looking for a place to sit down. When she saw Groe, she came closer.

- If you are looking for an empty seat, then there is one nearby.

- Thank you

The young creature gave him a charming smile. Grow ordered a couple of drinks and continued to admire the young girl.

- Are you local?

- No, I just came here.

Growe took one of the cocktails and handed it to his new friend.

- Help yourself

The girl carefully took the glass and carefully examined the contents. Then, with a grain of salt, she took a sip. Coughing, she covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widened in surprise. Grow patted her on the back and said with a laugh

- Is this your first time trying alcohol? I have to ask, are you 17 years old?

The girl looked at him in confusion and seemed to be little aware of his question.

- Yes, I'm an adult. I liked this thing. What's it?

- Pina colada. Don't tell me this is really your first time trying.

The girl was embarrassed. After drinking a little more, she unexpectedly invited herself to visit him. It was the first time Growe had seen such a thing. But he was so drunk that he was no longer able to refuse the young lady.

They left the bar together and headed for the car when she quickly walked away from him and headed back. Grow called out to her, but she didn't seem to hear what he was saying anymore. "She's kind of weird. What a fool she is."

He did not remember the rest so well. The alcohol hit his brain well. He hoped to get a good night's sleep and possibly avoid a severe hangover. But it wasn't meant to be. The sheriff had a habit of calling at the most inopportune moment. His voice on the phone was again as fierce and rude as possible. He demanded that Grow come to one of the local bars right away. The body was found again. According to eyewitnesses, the guy retired to the toilet with the girl. And he never came out again.

When the door was opened, they found a terribly mutilated body. It was as if he was being clawed.

Cursing into the phone, Grow dressed hastily and was already there half an hour later. It was the same picture of the bar he had left that night, only now there were no crowds of people here and everything was cordoned off. The gloomy sheriff, along with an assistant, interrogated another guy who was a friend of the murdered man. The guy was shaking and stumbling.

- I don't know anything, honestly, Sheriff. She just walked up to him and they started chatting. And then we went there together. I don't know anything else. Who did this to him?

- I have the same question, son!

After examining the crime scene and again finding no traces, he approached the guy and offered him a cigarette and asked him a few questions. The young man was wildly scared by what had happened.

- What the hell! I've heard that there are more murders in the area, but that my friend will be the victim.

- What did she look like? This girl.

The guy pulled up his hood and sat down next to him

- Well, a girl is like a girl. Average height, looks about 17 years old. Brown hair. Her jacket is really cool. Such a blue-green color, I don't even know how to describe it

- Turquoise? – Grow prompted the guy, realizing that he guessed what kind of girl it was.

- Yes, he probably is.

- Did she still talk strangely? It's like something out of this world.

The guy laughed.

- Yes, that's right! She spoke a little strangely. Do you know her?

All the hops instantly disappeared from the detective's head and without answering the guy, he ran after the sheriff. Catching up with him at the exit, he quickly shouted:

- I know who the suspect might be. A girl with brown hair, wearing a white T-shirt with the inscription "999", denim shorts and a turquoise jacket, of small stature and model appearance. She was the last person to see him alive and was with him at the time of the murder.

The sheriff gave him a slightly suspicious look and briefly replied and went on about his business. Grow patted his pockets and realized that he had run out of cigarettes. He was too lazy to go to the car for a new pack, so he decided to borrow them from Philips, who was nervously smoking near the bar.

Philips handed him a cigarette and remarked with gusto:

- There are demons in this town, Grow. Demons. I'm sure of it. I read in the Bible that before the apocalypse, creatures from another world will come to earth who will kill people with extreme cruelty. They know neither mercy nor pity. They are messengers of the... lord of the underworld himself.

Carl was amused by all this pathos of Philips' speech. The old criminologist must have gone completely crazy.

- Philips, do you want some friendly advice? Don't believe all this nonsense. There are no demons, monsters, or aliens. Do you understand me? These are stories for children and gullible adults. The real monsters are the people who walk among us. And we will do our best to catch them.

It's time for our heroes to talk openly! The press is coming into play, which means it's going to be hot soon. Half-breeds are also starting to come out of the darkness into the light. I am waiting for your comments.