After following my nose, I found Benjamin's room at the very top of the mansion. The door was unlocked, and I entered with ease.
The man laid there, his face frozen in a peaceful expression, a slight smile forever evident. I smiled as I approached the bed, my claws clicking on the wooden floor. The machine next to him made a low, constant tone and the lines displayed on its screen were still. This man was definitely dead.
I made a soft rumble as I walked up to Benjamin's right. When I was right next to his bed, I leaned my head in to gather his scent. I smelled something that I assumed to be aftershave, but under that was the smell of age, along with kindness and happiness. This man may have been crippled and bedridden at the end of his life, but he hadn't let that dampen his spirits.
I didn't need to say anything. No one would hear me. So I simply nuzzled his cheek before turning away, noticing the phone lying on the table. The very same phone that had bore witness to the murder that had occurred in this room. I remembered what Benjamin had told Mills to do with the phone, and I wanted to make sure that Benjamin's body would be taken care of.
I also wanted to see Mills' face as he was thrown in the back of a police car, though something told me my revenge had already been exacted.
I pushed the feeling aside for now, and picked up the phone, my large, unwieldly claws leaving scratches in the cheap material the humans called plastic. Luckily for me, it was an older version, so it had actual buttons I could press instead of images on a screen. I looked at the little screen on the phone, peering at the words displayed:
LINE 4
CONNECTED
I knew these words meant something, but I didn't bother to figure out what. The phone should work just fine, and I had something to do. It was the least I could do for Benjamin.
I pressed a few buttons, and after a few minutes of poking around, I managed to discover how to get to the list of numbers stored on the device. I browsed through, looking for anything familiar.
After a few moments of listening to the beeps produced when I pressed a button, I found something interesting.
Dr. Henry Wu's phone number.
I chuckled as I imagined him getting a call from his own creation, and the face he would have if I did such a thing. I was tempted to hit the green button, but I knew it was too risky. Phone calls were traceable, and they could be altered and edited to one's advantage.
You are probably asking: How do I know so much about humans and their technology? Two reasons. First, my own eyes and ears. It's amazing how much one could learn by simply observing. Second, Maisie's knowledge. I would often ask her questions about things I didn't understand in my observations, and Maisie would answer the best she could.
I memorized Henry's phone number and exited the phone's menu, returning to my original task. I mentally prepared myself for the amount of English I would be speaking. My mouth and throat would ache next morning, but it was worth it if I could make sure Benjamin was taken care of, and it would be an extra bonus if I could take down the company that had made me.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed the required keys to summon human assistance. The number was only three characters long, and was very easy to remember, which I believed was intentional. Still, I hesitated for a moment, my right thumb's claw hovering over the green button. I had no idea how this conversation would go, as I had never spoken on such a device to someone before, but I had a semi-plan as to how this would go. I had overheard a human call this number before, when Benjamin had suffered from a heart attack, so I had a good idea on what to say. If things went south, I could always hang up.
Making my decision, I pressed the green button to dial the number, and brought the device to the side of my head, imitating the way humans held their phones when they talked to someone on the other end.
A single tone crackled into my ear for a few seconds, then silence. I didn't have to wait long, however, as I heard a click, followed by a male's voice: "911, what's you're emergency?"
"There's been...a murder," I growled into the phone, hoping the person on the other end would ignore how my voice sounded. Maybe they would assume that I was sick. "At...Lockwood Estate in California."
The man on the other end immediately asked a question, his voice's pitch never changing: "Who was murdered?"
"Benjamin Lockwood."
"Do you know how he was murdered?"
"Yes, he...was suffocated."
"Do you know who murdered him?"
"Eli Mills," I growled, the man's name tasting like vomit on my tongue. "He was...selling dinosaurs at an illegal auction here, and Benjamin found out."
"Is Eli Mills still on the premesis?"
I scanned the mansion with my senses for a moment before answering. "No, he left."
I heard a few clicks from the phone. "Okay, I'm sending an ambulance and the police. They will be at your location in twelve minutes. Can I have your name so I can tell them who to ask for?"
I hesitated, thinking. It wouldn't do any harm to tell them my name. In fact, it might give me a good start on my mission to the world.
"My name is Ripper."
The man on the other end hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "Ripper?"
"Yes."
"Okay, just stay there until the authorities arrive. Is there anything else that you need to tell me?"
I decided to point the finger. "Yes, Henry Wu was working with Mills...to create a hybrid creature. They were planning to...sell him at the auction, but they were stopped."
"Henry Wu? Can you tell me where he is?"
"No, he left too."
I could tell the man had more questions, but he held his tongue. "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. Please stay in the area until the authorities arrive."
"Okay," I lied. I had no plans on waiting around to be shot.
"Thank you for calling."
The man hung up, and I put the phone down on the table. I was glad the man didn't pry about what I was, or what had happened. He simply asked a few questions, and did his job. Which reminded me. I needed to get the heck out of here.
I reached the hallway again in less than thirty seconds. The whole group had moved outside the mansion, and I cautiously pushed the big oak doors open as I exited my former prison. Maisie turned to me as I moved down the steps, and she ran up to me when I reached the bottom.
"What were you doing, Ripper?" she asked curiously. I winced, thinking of how to answer.
"I went to your grandfather's room and paid my respects," I stated simply. Best get the easy part out of the way first. Maisie looked at me curiously. "Why? You never met him."
"Because I knew he was a good man," I answered. Maisie nodded. Now the hard part.
"I also called 911," I said simply. Maisie's eyes widened, and I quickly explained: "For good reasons! First, I wanted to make sure your grandfather's body was taken into the right hands. Second, I wanted the police to come and stop this operation, and hopefully arrest Mills and Wu, but the two have already left. Finally, I wanted to jumpstart my goal."
Maisie was about to ask what my goal was, but I beat her to it. "My goal is to prove to the world that I am not a monster," I told her. Maisie nodded.
"You should probably tell Owen and Claire," I pointed out, gesturing to said people who were watching with curious eyes. Maisie gave another nod before turning to address the group.
"Ripper says he went to call the police," Maisie spoke, cutting straight to the point. Everyone's eyes widened, and I smiled. It was always so amusing to drop bombshells into human's faces and to watch their reactions. Maisie turned to Owen. "What are we going to do?"
Owen snapped out of his frozen position. "Ripper, why did you call the police?" he asked, holding one finger up in front of Maisie to signal he would get back to her. Maisie crossed her arms impatiently.
I was done with English for the night, so I turned to Maisie. "Maisie, can you translate for me? I need a rest from English," I explained. Maisie nodded. I turned to Owen.
"I wanted to respect Benjamin's last wish, which was for someone to call the police. I also want his body taken into proper hands, so he won't be left to rot. And I want the people responsible for this auction to pay," I stated. Maisie gave me a concerned look before she translated. Owen nodded, but he had a hesitant expression. He didn't believe everything I had said, which was expected. We had just met fifteen minutes ago.
"So, what do you think we should do?" Maisie asked, her tone betraying her impatience. I didn't know why she was asking Owen-the position of leader was still in question-but I decided to worry later. Humans were strange.
"We need to leave," Owen stated. "Me and our friends are probably wanted by the police now, so I doubt we'll be listened to."
Maisie looked uncertain. "Where are we going?" she asked after a moment. Owen smiled. "My cabin. It's unfinished, but with all of your help, I think we can get it built way ahead of schedule."
As they talked, I was observing my scenery. There was a smashed car in front of the group that looked like a stampede of dinosaurs had run into it. I figured that was just what had happened, when the smells of many different dinosaurs hit my nostrils. What was most interesting was the half-eaten arm on the ground, and the smell of death. I sniffed, trying to identify whose arm this was. I immediately recognized the scent, and I smiled. Mills had received his punishement.
At that moment, Owen told everyone to follow him, and the group began to move off into the trees away from the mansion, staying out of sight of the road. I creeped along behind them in full stealth mode as the whispers of a muttering Franklin reached my ears, and I tilted my head curiously.
He wanted some bug spray.
I didn't know what bug spray was, but I decided to ask Maisie later, when we had settled down. Well, when Owen and the rest had settled down. I would not fully settle down for a long time, though I would always stay close to Maisie.
We moved silently through the underbrush, staying within sight of the road-well, when I say silently, I mean as silently as four humans can be. The rustling of bushes and the occasional snapping twig filled the night. Me, I was as silent as a cat, stalking through the trees without making a sound. In fact, I was so stealthy I accidentally scared Maisie when she bumped into me. "Sorry," I told her as she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Oh, Ripper, you scared me," Maisie whispered.
"I'm sorry," I apologized again.
"It's ok," Maisie answered, smiling. "It's not your fault."
I wanted to insist that it was my fault, but I knew from experience that I would lose that argument. Maisie could be as stubborn as a boulder if she wanted to.
After a few minutes, we reached the gate leading into Lockwood's estate. Just as we were going to pass it, I heard a strange wailing far in the distance. The sound sent chills down my spine, but I remembered where I had heard those wails before. When Benjamin had suffered from a heart attack, the vehicles that came to help made that sound.
From my estimate, the wails were about 5 minutes away, so I knew we had time to sneak through the gate and hide before they came.
It took longer than anticipated to move through the gate and hide in the trees next to it. Franklin and Zia were crouching in a thicket, Franklin silently complaining. Maisie and I were behind a row of bushes between two trees, and Owen and Claire were hiding behind those trees. Everyone had chosen their hiding spots without a word, and I was slightly impressed at it.
Flashing red and blue lights filled the night as the help I had summoned came into view. Three police cars and one ambulance, followed by a big red truck with large hoses on it, passed through the mansion's gates, sirens wailing and blasting my eardrums, making me wince. I was going to have a headache tomorrow.
Once the emergency vehicles had moved out of sight, Owen peeked out from his hiding spot, before motioning with his hand to the rest of us to follow. We moved out of our hiding spots and continued following the road from the safety of the trees, the humans making their usual racket. I noticed Maisie trip, and I caught her as she nearly fell. She gave me a grateful look as I set her on her feet, and I worriedly noticed the dark lines under her eyes.
"Tired?" I asked, concerned. Maisie hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah."
"I'll carry you," I told her. "Is that alright?" Maisie nodded, too tired to argue.
I gently picked her up and held her in my arms like she had held me so long ago. "Sleep," I told her. "You've had quite the day." Maisie nodded tiredly before snuggling closer to me. Soon she was breathing deeply, and I heard her heartbeat slow. I smiled as I moved on, being very careful to not hurt her in any way.
Soon, the drive ended at a road. Owen held his hand up in a fist, and everyone halted behind him. I watched Owen scan the road for a moment before he darted across, the rest of us following close behind.
I noticed a sign next to the road on our right. I peered closer at it, reading what it said.
ORICK
5 MILES
I snorted to get Owen's attention. He turned to look at me, and his eyes widened when he saw Maisie sleeping in my arms. I rolled my eyes, thankful he couldn't see well enough in the dark to notice, and used my head to indicate the sign. Owen looked at it, then nodded. "That's where we're going." I nodded again as we moved off, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.
As we slowly got closer to the town, I smiled. I had an opportunity here to make my mark, and to slowly begin to convince the world that I was not a monster, no matter my appearance.
Time to make a difference.
________________________________________________________________________
--POV switch(you didn't expect that, did you?)--
Deputy Joshua Madison was in a bad mood.
He had just completed an exhausting mission to apprehend a store thief. He thought it was going to be easy, but after an hour-long car chase, the man had nearly escaped through the woods and was finally apprehended after a K-9 unit had showed up. Joshua had to run for half an hour after the man, and he had tripped more than once.
He hated the woods.
And when he had returned to police headquarters to lock up the criminal, his shift was already over, but before he could head home, he had been sent off to a mansion in the middle of nowhere-with three squad cars-to recover a body?
Joshua was pissed.
But her hadn't complained. Joshua had learned early on that complaining got you nowhere, and from then on he had never uttered a negative word about his sheriff, no matter how much he wanted to do so.
Joshua was a short-tempered man, and right now, his temper was like an overheating boiler, ready for the slightest provocation to explode. The three policemen knew this, and they didn't dare utter a word lest they recieve his wrath.
In his mid thirties, Joshua was not a muscular man, though he was fit for his age. He was handsome, but he had learned the hard way that you couldn't get by on your looks alone.
His ex was proof.
Joshua sighed, dismissing her from his mind and returning to the mission at hand. He glanced at Sheriff Logan Smith sitting beside him, driving the lead squad car. In his late 40s, Sheriff Smith was a tough man who had seen more than the average person. In fact, in Joshua's entire 14-year career in the police force, he had never seen his sheriff smile. Ever.
Josh respected that. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled, either.
Josh returned to the present as the squad cars passed through the open gates leading to Lockwood Estate. In all of his career, Joshua had never had any situation that had taken him to a mansion before, and the excitement of doing something new was the only reason he hadn't exploded yet.
"Sir, what's our mission again?" a policeman in the back of the squad car asked. He was new, only hired a month ago, and had only been assigned parking duty and a few small incidents. This would be the newbie's first big mission, and the man's nervousness was evident in his voice.
"Enter the premises, apprehend anyone you find, and recover Benjamin's body safely," Sheriff Logan replied, his annoyance evident in his voice.
"And if there are any dinosaurs that want to eat us?" the man asked, voicing the concern that everyone was fearing.
"Pump 'em full of lead."
The man fell silent as the mansion came into view. Joshua stared in awe at the sheer size of the building. This was a man's dream home, and Joshua envied the owner of this beautiful masterpiece.
The squad cars emptied of their passengers as the ambulance and fire engine pulled up, their sirens dying. Joshua made sure his AK-47 was loaded, and he rechecked his 4 magazine spares. Everything was in proper order, and Joshua breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, men," Sheriff Logan called. "Everyone has already reviewed the mansion's layout, correct?" Nods from all present. "We will split into teams of three and search this house. Mark, Joshua and myself will lead those teams. Mark, you will start in the north wing and make your way here. My team will search the basement, and Joshua, after you escort the men with the stretcher and recover the body, you will search from the highest room to here. This is our rendezvous point. Any questions?"
No one raised a hand. Sheriff Logan nodded. "You all know your teams. Move out!"
Immediately everyone sprang into action. Sheriff Logan's team moved into the mansion's doors, Mark and his team following close behind. The men with the stretcher came in their white coats, and Joshua and his team surrounded the stretcher as they carried it up the steps leading to the open doors.
Joshua raised his gun as his team stepped into the mansion, flicking on their flashlight attachments. The entrance hall was well lit, but it was protocol.
Joshua scanned the room with a calculating eye. There was a staircase on the end of the hall that ran up the side of the wall, but what caught Joshua's eye was the enormous indentation in the wall at the bottom of the stairs, and the long claw marks along the ground. Something had tried to stop its forward momentum, but had failed, leaving and indistinguishable blobby mark in the wall. The entire team stared at the deep claw marks and the dent.
"What do you think did that?" one of the men in white said, a nervous tone in his voice.
"Watch your six, men," Joshua ordered, ignoring the man's question. "Whatever did that might still be here."
The team moved up the stairs, noticing the claw marks in the wood as the ascended. Something had moved quickly up these stairs, Josh noticed.
When the team had reached the top of the stairs, continuing to escort the stretcher, they stopped at the sight in front of them.
A door had been ripped off of its hinges, and the doorframe was smashed beyond repair. Claw marks kneaded the ground around the former doorframe, some over an inch deep. Joshua could see the true fear on his men now. They had never encountered something that could smash through doors with ease, and for the first time in a decade, Josh was afraid. But he refused to let it show. He had to be strong for his men.
"Stay alert, men," Joshua ordered, approaching the destroyed doorframe and stepping through it. After a slight hesitation, everyone else followed.
The team made their way down a few corridors until they came upon a sight. There was a dead man on the floor, his throat expertly slit. Joshua examined the body, and was surprised to note the only injury on him was the slit throat. No other marks were visible. Whatever had killed this man was smart, and had made a clean and stealthy kill. Joshua's alert level increased to the max.
Joshua picked up the dead man's gun, and checked the magazine. He discovered that it was missing two bullets, but they must have missed the creature, as there was no blood trail.
Joshua took a sniff and smelled gunpowder. This gun had been fired recently, which meant whatever had killed this man couldn't be far.
"Move on," he commanded, motioning his men down the corridor.
After a long walk up and down different flights of stairs, and getting turned around more than once, the team finally made it to the top of the mansion. The door in front of them was shut, and Joshua noticed the claw marks in the floor leading to the door. He pointed his gun at the door, and approached it warily.
"Sir, look," one of his teammates spoke, pointing to the door handle. Joshua looked, and was alarmed to notice the claw marks in the wood around the handle.
The creature knew how to open doors.
This made Joshua even more wary. The creature that had made these marks was far more intelligent than he could have ever imagined, and Joshua was quick to give orders.
"Okay, men, whatever made these marks may still be in there, so stick close," Josh ordered. He reached for the handle, and held up three fingers, counting down with them until he closed his final finger and threw the door open with one quick motion, bringing the barrel fo his gun up to point into the room beyond.
He was surprised to discover a master bedroom, neatly kept and organized. An old man laid in the large bed, a heart monitor next to him confirming his death. Joshua and his men entered the room, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. This must be Benjamin Lockwood, Joshua thought.
Josh was alarmed to notice the claw marks on the floor leading to the side of the man's bed, and he quickly scanned the corpse for any injuries. None were present, however, and Joshua sighed in relief. The creature that had been here hadn't killed him. But why? Maybe he was already dead when it came, his logical brain told him. That could be it.
"Sir, there's a phone here," one of Joshua's men called out, drawing his attention. Joshua turned and moved from the bed, letting the doctors preform their work. Approaching the table, he noticed the claw marks in the floor which also led to the table, and Joshua wondered why the creature would come over here.
The only thing on the table was a silver phone, its screen displaying a few lines of text. Joshua set down his AK-47 and picked up the phone with his gloved hand, carefully studying it. He was surprised to notice the claw marks in the phone's body. The creature had picked up the phone. But for what purpose?
Joshua studied the phone's buttons, and noticed the scratches on some of them. Could the creature...? No. That was impossible. No animal knew how to operate a phone.
Joshua navigated to Recent Calls, hoping to see if this was the phone that the 911 call was from. The most recent call was 19 minutes ago, and the number dialed was 911. So whoever called 911 did so from this phone.
Sheriff Logan had told him that whoever had called claimed their name was Ripper, and Joshua had been puzzled. Who in their right mind would give their child such a horrendous name? Unless the caller gave it to himself, Joshua thought. That was the most reasonable explanation.
Joshua set the phone down. The doctors were waiting to be escorted out. As he and his team were leaving, he noticed the security camera in the corner of the room. Well, we can see who made the call and what happened here, Joshua thought, smiling. "Ripper" was obviously not here, and the security system could hopefully give some light as to who this person was.
After Josh and his team had exited the mansion and the other two teams arrived, they both reported what they had found. Joshua relayed his information, and listened to the other's reports.
"Didn't find anyone alive, but I found about a dozen bodies," Mark reported. "All had their throats sliced, and a few were missing an arm. One looked like he had been eaten. All we found were his bones." Mark shuddered at the memory.
Sheriff Logan reported his finds. "Definitely some illegal activity here. We found more than enough evidence of that. The basement is full of cages, and there is a lab there. Too bad someone blew it up. We found a room dedicated to selling large creatures I assume to be dinosaurs, and we found plenty of bodies. There is a control room down there, and I want everyone present when we review the recordings." Everyone nodded as the ambulance drove off.
A few minutes later, the three teams were assembled in the basement control room, and one of Mark's team members was at a computer screen. The man brought up a list of recordings, and asked which one the sheriff wanted to see.
"The one in Benjamin's room. Let's see if Mills really killed him," Sheriff Logan ordered. The policeman complied, bringing up a Camera 26's recording and placing it on a screen. He fast-forwarded to this evening, and the policemen watched Mills suffocate Benjamin with a pillow. "Looks like our caller knew his intel," the sheriff remarked. "Now, let's see this person."
The recording fast-forwarded 23 minutes, and the policeman pressed Play. Joshua watched as the bedroom doorknob turned slowly before the door was pushed open, making an ominous creaking noise.
What stepped into the room made the entire team inhale sharply. The camera showed a black-thing, with two yellow stripes on either side of its massive body that gleamed in the lamplight. Wickedly sharp claws clicked on the ground as it moved, crawling along the floor like some sort of devil dog, its bloodstained teeth fixed in a permanent grin. This creature was the stuff of nightmares, able to send the most cold-hearted man running in terror. Sheriff Logan turned to the policeman at the computer. "Are you sure this is the time when the call was made?"
The policeman nodded. "Positive, sir."
The sheriff turned his gaze back to the recording as the creature approached Benjamin, moving up to his left. Joshua watched it sniff the body, before doing something no one was expecting.
It nuzzled the corpse's shulder.
Joshua was suprised. He had expected it to eat the corpse, but instead it showed affection. Maybe this creature knew him.
The thing turned away from the bed and approached the phone, picking it up. Joshua watched in amazement as the creature pressed buttons and navigated the phone's options. He couldn't believe his eyes. This thing was far more intelligent than he had ever imagined.
He watched the creature hesitate for a moment before dialing 911. Everyone in the room gasped as the creature brought the phone up to the side of its head. "Is that..." one of the policemen gasped, but before he could finish, the creature opened its mouth and spoke.
"There's been...a murder," a deep, masculine growling voice rumbled from the creature's mouth. Everyone in the room gasped in shock. A dinosaur had just spoken English.
Everyone remained silent as the conversation continued. Then, the creature stated its name firmly into the device, confirming everyone's suspicions. This thing was Ripper.
The creature put the phone down, ending the call. It looked around one last time before darting out and using its tail to close the door behind it. The policeman at the computer closed the recording, and everyone stood in silence.
The sheriff spoke up. "Bring that recording," he said. "HQ needs to see this."
The policeman nodded and downloaded the recording to a USB. Then, everyone vacated the premises, still trying to process what had happened. There was now a deadly hybrid dinosaur running free and unchecked. 'Ripper' was responsible for more than a dozen people's deaths, and he had eaten a few of those people.
But he had called 911...
Why had he done that?
Joshua didn't know if Ripper was a friend or a foe, but he didn't want to ever find out the hard way. Especially if he was a foe. But he had a feeling that Joshua would meet him in the future.
In the meanwhile, I need to go home and process this. I have had too much for one night.
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Yes! Longest chapter yet! What do you guys think? A little much? Too short? Let me know in your comments! 5059 words. Also, I'm taking a break from writing for a few days. I need to plan what will happen next, and right now my mind has no ideas. So don't expect another update for at least a week. Sorry.