Shadow Form (Dark Impulse Book 2)

by Edmund Hughes

Bruce put a possessive hand on her shoulder, and Jack wondered how much choice Katie really had about it. But it wasn’t Katie he was worried about.

  Jack helped Ryoko to her feet and led her past Bruce, toward the door. One of the EMTs met him there and helped her into the back of the ambulance, not stopping Jack as he climbed up to sit beside her.

  “Thank you,” whispered Ryoko.

  Jack was still holding her hand, and he gave it a squeeze. His emotions had shifted past anger, and now all he could think of was what an unimaginable experience Ryoko had just been through. Why had those men targeted the pizzeria, anyway? And what kind of hell had they put Ryoko through in the time before he and Katie made it there?

  “I’m so sorry, Ryoko,” he said.

  It felt like it was his fault, regardless of whether there had been anything he could have done or not. He kept Ryoko’s hand held tight as the ambulance slowly made its way through the fog.

  Lestaron Hospital was a surprisingly large red brick building on the northern edge of town. The ambulance brought them around to the emergency entrance, where a hospital attendant met them with a wheelchair, which Jack helped Ryoko into. They didn’t stop him from following as they brought her inside and down the hallway into a hospital room.

  Ryoko sat on the hospital bed, while Jack stood next to her, wishing he knew what to say. The doctor arrived after a few minutes. She was a young woman, no older than thirty, with thick glasses, curly red hair, and a slightly pudgy figure.

  “Boyfriend?” asked the doctor, glancing at Jack.

  “Just a friend,” said Jack. “And her employer too, I guess.”

  “Are you alright with him staying?” asked the doctor.

  Instead of answering with words, Ryoko reached over and squeezed Jack’s hand. The doctor nodded and pulled out a pen to scribble something down on her clipboard. She asked a couple of questions about any previous conditions Ryoko had, most of which were either answered with a nod or a shake of her head.

  Jack did most of the explaining about what her circumstances had been when he’d found her. As he described how she’d been huddled on the floor, half-naked and traumatized from her uncle’s body, the doctor stopped him.

  “Ryoko,” she said. “I know this is all hard for you. But I need to know if I should perform a rape kit. It will help us gather evidence against the men who did this to you.”

  Jack froze at the mention of rape. Ryoko had been in her underwear when he and Katie had arrived, but he’d just assumed that they’d interrupted whatever the men had intended. A cold fury stirred within him as he considered what types of horrifying things Khumar and Monty might have forced her into before he and Katie had realized anything was wrong.

  He felt angry in a way that he hadn’t realized was possible. It was though a switch had been flipped on a certain part of his normal restraint. In that moment, Jack understood the truth of hatred and murder. And he understood what he would have to do over the next few days.

  “They… didn’t,” muttered Ryoko. She looked over at Jack, with more sadness and shame and vulnerability than one person should be able to harbor in her eyes. “No… they didn’t.”

  The doctor frowned, looking concerned and a little skeptical.

  “We should still perform it, I think,” she said. “Just in case. Sir, you should wait in the hallway for this,” said the doctor.

  Jack nodded, slowly exhaling his way into a forced state of calm. He looked at Ryoko and squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, but she didn’t look at him.

  CHAPTER 6

  Sheriff Carter was standing in the hallway, looking perturbed and tired. He was an older man, probably in his seventies, if his greying hair was any indication. He nodded to Jack and unfolded his arms, gesturing for him to take a seat nearby.

  “Jack Masterson,” said Sheriff Carter. “It seems you got yourself tangled up in another complicated situation.”

  “It would seem so,” said Jack. “What do you need to know? I’ll help in any way I can to nail these bastards.”

  “I’ve heard most of it from my deputy, who already got the lowdown from his fiancée,” said the Sheriff. “Two men. Khumar and Monty. White, bald giant of a man and a small South Asian fellow with a missing ear. Not from the island, as far as I know. Probably came in off one of the ships.”

  “That sounds about right,” said Jack. He tried to think of anything else that might be relevant, but the encounter had been short and straight to the point. Jack had been expecting him and Katie to win their fight against Khumar and Monty, and noticing identifiable details hadn’t been high on his agenda.

  “You know, you probably saved that poor girl’s life,” said Sheriff Carter. “Your grandfather would be proud. You’re a lot like him, Jack. Except with double the courage and half the sense.”

  “Uh, thanks, I guess?” Jack shrugged, watching the old sheriff chuckle at his reaction.

  The door to Ryoko’s hospital room opened again. The doctor hesitated when she saw Sheriff Carter, but he took off his hat and nodded to her respectfully.

  “I do have a few questions to ask,” said Sheriff Carter. “But only if she’s feeling up to it.”

  “She’s clearly been through a lot,” said the doctor. “I can’t promise that she’ll be responsive. The experience has left her traumatized, and selective mutism is a fairly normal reaction after what she was subjected to.”

  After “what she was subjected to.” Jack wanted to know exactly what that was, but he wasn’t about to push Ryoko into telling him if it was too hard for her to talk about. He wanted to know so that he could better gauge what he would inflict on Khumar and Monty when he found them.

  He stood at the door to Ryoko’s hospital room, watching the sheriff speak to her in a quiet, soothing voice. She’d changed out of the ragged dress and Jack’s sweatshirt and into a white and blue hospital gown.

  “Why did you go to your uncle’s restaurant?” asked Sheriff Carter. “Was it your captors who called or, or was it him?”

  “My uncle,” whispered Ryoko. “He called me.”

  “What did he say?” asked Sheriff Carter. “Did you know he was being held by the men? Did he mention a motive for what they were doing?”

  Ryoko stayed silent. She was shivering, and it was hard for Jack to tell if it was from remembering what she’d been through or just an effect of the thin, papery gown. Jack walked over to stand next to her and took her hand in his.

  “I don’t think she’ll be able to answer more,” said the doctor. “She needs rest, Sheriff. If she has more information that’s relevant, it’ll come out eventually.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” said Sheriff Carter. “Anyway, you’ve done more than enough for today, little lady. Just focus on recovering now, you hear me?”

  Ryoko gave a slight, shy nod, and the Sheriff left the room. Jack stayed with her as the doctor ran a few more tests, holding her hand when he could.

  “You can stay in the hospital for a day or two, Ryoko,” offered the doctor. “It might help you recover faster to be in an environment that you know is safe.”

  Ryoko shook her head.

  “Alright,” said the doctor. “Well, try to get as much rest as you can. And don’t hesitate to come back in if your symptoms get any worse.”

  Ryoko nodded. Jack walked with her as they left the hospital room, not knowing what to say. He called for a taxi as they waited in the lobby, not wanting to have to walk through the rain to get back to the mansion’s car, which Ryoko had originally driven to meet up with her uncle. It also saved her from having to return to the scene of where it had happened.

  Jack called Katie as the taxi driver brought them back to the mansion, but she didn’t pick up. He had questions for her, but those would have to wait. He paid the driver and turned his full attention to helping Ryoko inside, as though if he took his eyes off her for a second she might shatter into pieces.

  Ryoko took a deep breath and pulled away from him as they entered the foye
r. She turned back around and gave a deep bow, finally finding the strength to look into Jack’s eyes again.

  “Mr. Masterson,” she said, softly. “I just need to change into my backup uniform and then I’ll be able to prepare lunch for you.”

  “Ryoko…” said Jack.

  “There’s deli meat for sandwiches, or if you prefer…”

  “Ryoko…” Jack stepped up to her and took her hands into his.

  “I could make…” Ryoko swallowed, sniffling once, her expression on the verge of breaking. “…frozen pizza.”

  “I’ll make lunch,” said Jack. “And I’ll draw you a bath. And anything else you need. Just pretend that our roles are reversed for a while.”

  “Sir, I—”

  “I won’t take no for an answer,” said Jack.

  Ryoko shuddered. She opened her mouth as though to finish protesting, but only a tiny squeak came out. Tears began streaming down her face, and she let out a shaky breath.

  Jack hugged her tightly against his chest as she started sobbing. He could feel her hot, wet tears soaking into his shirt, and it almost killed him. He would make those men pay. Several times over.

  “I’m so sorry, Ryoko,” he whispered.

  Her crying intensified, and Jack squeezed her more tightly, running one hand slowly through her hair. Why her? Why her uncle? It didn’t make sense, and Jack suspected that the answer might lie outside of what Ryoko could tell him.

  He held her close and held her tight, knowing a little of what she was feeling. Jack’s memories of the time after he’d lost his parents were vague and scattered, but he still knew that feeling. The pain of the loss, and of knowing that there is no path forward that will take you back to what you want.

  Slowly, Jack helped Ryoko into the lounge and onto the couch. He brought a blanket out from one of the guest rooms and enveloped her in it, sitting down next to her. Ryoko rested her head in his lap, and Jack gently rubbed her head and back until she fell into a deep, emotionally drained slumber.

  Jack’s phone vibrated, and he slipped off the couch and back into the foyer to answer it. It was Katie.

  “Hey,” said Jack.

  “How is she doing?” asked Katie.

  Jack sighed.

  “Bad,” he said. “She’s in rough shape emotionally, if not physically. But she’s still Ryoko. She tried to make me lunch when we got back to the mansion.”

  “That poor girl,” muttered Katie. “Those fucking monsters deserve to rot in prison for what they did to her and her uncle.”

  They’ll rot, Jack thought. Not in prison. In the bottom of the quarry, or in the depths of the ocean, once he was done torturing them.

  “Can you come by?” asked Jack. “I get the feeling Ryoko is going to need all the support she can get.”

  “I need to take care of a few things, first,” said Katie. “It might be an hour or two, but I’ll be there before dark.”

  “Good.” Jack hesitated, considering how to phrase his next question. “Now. What else have you been keeping from me? Who were those two men, and why were they targeting Ryoko?”

  “I haven’t been keeping it from you,” said Katie. “It just didn’t bear explaining until now.”

  “Out with it, Katie,” said Jack. “Now.”

  “Fuck off, Jack,” she said. “It wasn’t my place to tell you, really. Ryoko doesn’t even know herself. She had… a traumatic past. Your grandfather helped her and her uncle out of a bad situation with a gang of human traffickers.”

  “You think those two men were gang members?” asked Jack.

  “There’s no real doubt in my mind,” said Katie. “They probably attacked her and her uncle to tie up some loose ends. They killed her uncle outright but probably had other plans for her first.”

  Neither of them said anything for a couple of seconds. Jack could still feel the anger in his chest and the way it was forming into a cold, obsessive structure. Like coal pressured into diamonds. Like a fractal, growing exponentially with each new iteration.

  “Did Ryoko tell you anything about this?” asked Katie.

  “No,” said Jack. “She’s barely said anything. And it’s not like she was overly talkative to begin with. But I have enough to go on from what I heard from the Sheriff.”

  “Bruce and Sheriff Carter can handle this, Jack,” said Katie. “This isn’t like hunting your broodmother. There is no reason for you to do anything stupid here, especially when Ryoko needs you at the mansion for support.”

  “I’m not going to do anything stupid,” said Jack.

  Stupid? No. Vengeful? Brutal? Dangerous? Yes, yes, and yes.

  “I’ll be by soon enough,” said Katie. “I’m serious, Jack. What happened this morning is horrible, but it’s also a distraction. You’re still a vampire right now. The Order of Chaldea is still on the hunt for you, and I’m more certain than ever that they have one of their agents on the island.”

  “I already said I wouldn’t do anything stupid, Katie,” he said.

  Katie sighed into the other end of the phone.

  “Right,” she said. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight. Take care of Ryoko in the meantime.”

  “I will.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Jack made lunch for him and Ryoko, though she was still fast asleep on the couch. He opted for frozen pizza, as his cooking skills were otherwise on the rudimentary side, and left a few slices on a plate on the table in the lounge for her when she woke up.

  He also drew a bath, though he knew that the water would probably be cold by the time Ryoko found it. He made sure she was still tucked in on the couch and then headed back into the foyer. It was time for him to follow up on one of the leads he already had.

  Leaving her in the mansion alone was a calculated risk. Jack doubted that Khumar and Monty’s gang would make a move on her again so soon, especially if it meant having to get past the mansion’s gate and doors. He also doubted that they’d be expecting someone other than the sheriff and his deputy to be coming after them immediately, which might give him the edge of surprise.

  The weather was still a mess of fog and cold, drizzling rain. Jack found an umbrella to shield him from some of it before heading out the door. He could have called for a taxi again, but it felt like he needed a minute to organize his thoughts, and the bleak weather suited his mood.

  The runoff rainwater formed into a small stream in the ditch by the road, running down the slope before curving off to one side. It was surprisingly windy out, but the gusts seemed reluctant to settle on a single direction, blowing into Jack’s face and then reversing to pull at the canvas of his umbrella.

  The overcast sky was the only upside, leaving Jack with much more leeway to find places to use his abilities than he would otherwise have during the day. If he could find Khumar and Monty, even if the encounter took place outside, there was a good chance he could find enough shade to turn the fight in his favor.

  And then what? Jack hadn’t really stopped to consider what he was planning on doing once he found them, and perhaps that had been intentional. He was after vengeance for Ryoko and wanted to bring a pair of dangerous criminals to justice. The fact that hunting them made him feel a dark rush of excitement was secondary to the point.

  Jack had to push through a wall of wind as he reached the bottom of the slope and entered Lesser Town’s outskirts. His umbrella had only done so much to keep him dry, and he tried to ignore the unpleasant sensation of water squelching in the soles of his shoes.

  There were almost no pedestrians outside, which made the one walking behind Jack in the same direction stand out that much more. He coughed, risking a glance over his shoulder with the movement. A man, judging by the height, in a blue raincoat with the hood up and both hands in his pockets.

  Jack took a few turns at random, testing what his pursuer would do. The man followed him at an even pace, not speeding up or slowing down. There was nothing about him that gave off any clue as to who he was or why he’d been sent, but it wasn’t a st
retch to think that it might be a member of Monty and Khumar’s gang, following up on loose ends.

  There was another possibility. Katie had seemed relatively sure that the Order of Chaldea had taken an interest in him. If one of their agents had decided to tail him, it meant that they at least had serious suspicions about him being involved with the supernatural. About him being a vampire.

  Jack took a right around a street corner, and then broke into a sprint for about a hundred feet. He slowed to a normal walking pace, waiting for the man to catch sight of him again. Then he slipped into an alleyway that he’d seen a couple of times before in passing.

  The alley was split down the middle by a chain fence that ran from the ground up to the overhanging of one of the buildings, preventing anyone from passing through or climbing over. It was the perfect place to corner someone, under the right circumstances. But for it to work, Jack would need to make it past the fence and double back around.

  He hurried up to the chain link fence and took a slow breath, focusing his awareness on the blood essence throughout his body. Fading through a thin obstacle was exactly what his new, experimental spell was meant for. He would only need to hold Shadow Form for an instant, long enough to slip forward through the fence.

  Of course, if he failed in the process of casting it, he’d end up impaling himself on the dirty, partially rusted fence. Jack tried to keep from considering how unpleasant that would be as he gathered his willpower and began casting the spell. It was so different from spectral magic, more like falling into a meditative state. He was letting go of his physical body, letting himself fade into insubstantial wisps of shadow.

  Pain stabbed at Jack’s temples. He grimaced and stumbled back a step, watching as his right hand briefly disintegrated into a mixture of smoke, shadow, and darkness before solidifying back into flesh. There was still too much sunlight, even in the dark alley. And his reserves of blood essence weren’t substantial enough.

  Jack swore under his breath and opted for a more mundane tactic. There was a section of the alley where one building pushed out further than the next, and it was easy for him to press his back against the corner to hide himself from the view of someone approaching from the street. He hurried into position and waited, listening as the footsteps of his pursuer entered the alleyway.