Moonlust

Chapter Fifteen, The Red Hours II.

The fate of Boneclad was being orchestrated by the hands of many selfless men and women, and it was being poisoned by the cunning minds of the fanatics attached to shadows of the city.

The battles unfolding in different parts of Boneclad were all tied by a very tiny string. The dots were connected, but only few could see it.

Brando, Barack or Belal. Three names for the same entity, a man beyond saving. It was said he was older than the city, and it was rumored that he had died a hundred times, every time under a different name. Sometimes he was a Nazi soldier, other times he was a crusader. How was it possible for a technology this advanced to exist in times were humans didn't know how to use a toilet?

I. Tying the loose ends.

Carvo's heart pounded faster than the grand clock beating in his mind. In such situations, one must have their mind solely focused on the target discretely. The moment he commanded the soldiers, he knew he was responsible. If he were to tell any breathing soul in that room that the enemy was their friend, chaos would ensue and more lives would be reaped.

Carvo avoided looking too suspicious, it seemed that Brando was nervous and vulnerable. He had worn too coats, had trails of blood on the skin he tried to hide, he struggled to stir the ship he boarded. The smell of fresh blood reeked within the walls of this house along with the dreadful smell of Maria's rotten corpse. Carvo believed that there should be remains of that poor soldier anywhere within that house, and he had to make sure no one finds them.

"You, two! Scout the area." Carvo commanded. "And you over there, bring a shovel and start digging." He scattered the soldiers. "As for you two, oversee and protect your comrade as he digs." Carvo eyed Brando with the corner of his eyes as he inspected the strangeness of this creature. The skin latched on what he believed to be an entirely freshly generated bionic body. A very visible sign was the enlargement of the soldier's head. Brando wore a hood, but nothing could escape Carvo's sharp eye.

"He's scared." Carvo thought to himself. "He won't attack. It would go against his mission." Carvo believed. "Right now, I need to assure him that he's safe, delude him into believing he made it out." Carvo plotted his plan. "You!" Carvo called for Brando. "Oversee the digging." Carvo ordered him, strictly coating his shaky voice tone in a bossy demeanor. Brando's vessel was foreign to him, he struggled to walk normally and Carvo felt victorious at the sight of his scared eyes. Brando wouldn't to speak, those vocal cords were probably non existent. Carvo thought that for a shapeshifter to inhabit a body, they must consume all organic material inside it including the brain, then, like a suit, they would wear it and regenerate their own limps, inflate themselves inside it.

Carvo slowly disappeared into the corners of the house, following the smell, he found himself walking in circles. His eyes never left Brando who was standing still silently. "Where did you hide it?" Carvo wondered as he inspected the bookshelves and anywhere the remains could be found. Upon doing so, Carvo eye caught a glimmering option in the distance. It took seconds to click in his brain, "Oh lord!" He slowly walked towards that object, looking left and right. "Abby.." He knelt down and held Abigail's pendant that she dropped. Carvo's eye grew blurry from his suppressed tears yet he quickly put that pendant in his pocket, to make sure no evidence tying Abigail to that place exists.

"What are you doing?" The inspector surprised Carvo. Carvo paused as he looked at the inspector. "T-that? I dropped it." Carvo faltered as he rushed to mislead him. "I am pretty sure it was there." The inspector suspiciously eyed Carvo. "That's because I dropped it early on." Carvo removed his hand from his pocket, and wrapped his arm around the inspector.

"I see we have trust issues here." Carvo spoke calmly. "No, that's not the case!" The inspector stuttered as he shrunk between Carvo's heavy arms. "I believe you know my name, and what cases I have handled before." Carvo continued. The inspector shook his head nervously. "Then, we need more trust here, mister Jani, am I correct?" Carvo said. "Yes, don't worry, sir. I am just a bit curious!" The inspector fixed his attitude as he escaped Carvo's arm and went on his way out of the crowded house. The pendant was safe in Carvo's pocket.