Ring of Madness

by Royden Labrosse

  - And you're both werewolves, aren't you?

  - Ussurian tigers.

  I nodded.

  - Tell me, aren't animals afraid of werewolves? Must be hard to keep the farm in the country if you're giving the cow a nervous tic?

  A werewolf sprayed and immediately put his mouth on it. Laughing now meant attracting attention. That's not what he wanted.

  - No, of course he didn't. A werewolf in the eyes of any animal is just an older relative.

  - Even if he is a predator?

  - How would a local cow know what a tiger is? I don't pose any threat to them. Well, they're not worried.

  I nodded again. Well, that's how a Chinese dummy is.

  - Yulia, walk around while we look around," asked the ubiquitous Vadim, looking in the car. - It's going to be a very unpleasant sight here.

  I finally confirmed my title as a dummy and stepped aside, staring at the field. The field, then the forest... who ambushes the field? It's more comfortable in the woods. Let the suburban forest - one name, all transparent through, but how could this even happen?

  What's so strange about these deaths?

  I tore off the chamomile and started tearing off the petals.

  The cars were shot. And by whom? And how? They were literally ripped apart. And nobody and nothing...

  That's the first question. Why are there no witnesses?

  Why did they take the country road in the first place? I hardly know the suburban road grid, but can you ask that? It's necessary!

  - Timothy, Lida," I called.

  The werewolves immediately stood before me like a leaf in front of the grass. I wonder where the word combination came from. Well, not in front of him, then I'll dig through the encyclopedias...

  - Why, is there no other road?

  Timothy shaken his head.

  - I'll be right back.

  And he's out of his way. Lida and I kept quiet until he got back. The Tigress was studying me, I was studying her. What can I say? Pretty, bright, with hair in a stunning flaming red shade. Even I can see: bitch. And how did she end up a werewolf? Well, they usually try not to mess with them, they'll bite them. Anyone who claims to be the "master." And for some reason, I think that if we have time, we'll find common ground. And I want to draw it. And a woman, and a werewolf, and a half-man, half-tiger. It's gonna be beautiful.

  Timothy turned the road map in front of me.

  - Get on the grass," I suggested. - I need your help.

  The tigers obeyed, and the three of us began to study the map.

  - What kind of armadillo carried them to this countryside? What, there was no other road?

  - There's five of them here," Timothy popped his finger. - However we went, you'd have been quicker. And that's where they came from. I don't understand. Are you lost, or what?

  - Or they got lost. But by whom?

  - Do you think they'd believe anyone here? Without even getting to the place?

  Lida's squinting. It's like eating a cat. A redhead. But you're right, aren't you? She's right.

  - No one's right, no way. It's either an accident, or it's on purpose.

  - What if we ran to the convention and see if there was any sign? A detour, a drive-by... Even if it's been removed now...

  - Who?

  - And who shot them? The enemies, of course. Shoot them, drive back, take away the sign, but the trail must remain?

  - I'm gonna go take a look. It's not far.

  Timothy took off before I offered to send somebody. Vampires, for example. Then I waved my hand. Nights like this, werewolves have energy up their asses, let Timothy throw it out on business.

  - Let's think about it for now. Lisa was smirking crooked.

  - Let's think about it... madam.

  The word sounded like a heavy spit. And again, I felt guilty. If I hadn't helped sneaking Mieczysław into the Princes of the city, the werewolf tigers would live without a master. But it happened the way it is. Apologize - who needs my apology? Apologize? But I was just trying to survive. There's no excuse for that. I straightened up. If we can't make a deal now, I can't just not work with Leda, no. I'm gonna lose respect for tigers, too. All of them. Basically. Animals tearing up weak leaders. Remember Mowgli? Akela missed...

  - You're smart, tiger. Do you really think that Mecislav is the worst possible evil?

  - But not the best either.

  - It's possible. But if it weren't for him, Andre would still be crushing you. And it wouldn't have been better.

  - So it's not your fault?

  - It's not what you're accusing me of.

  - Is that so?!

  Lida sparkled her eyes, and I felt my beast wake up. He woke up, reached out and walked along the frame of the mirror.

  The nahaly are the tastiest...

  So now what, I eat it? Fire her... But you can't let her down!

  - Are you accusing me of something, cat?

  Softly, very softly. And Lydia was chillin'.

  - – Я…

  I took a little step forward.

  - You've forgotten your place. You raise your voice at me again, I'll make a bed mat out of your skin. I don't want your fear, but you'll respect me because I'm stronger!

  And with one last word, mine.

  power

  spilled out. She was fierce and aggressive. She pressured and subdued. She commanded and she pressed against the ground. I am the mistress. She is a cat! If you have to show your teeth to every werewolf, I'll do it. So they'll obey my orders at a critical moment!

  I am kind, but not all forgiving...

  A woman with animal eyes was smiling from deep inside my soul. And I knew that now my face took an indifferent, icy expression. I didn't care. I could kill, I could subdue, I could make the tiger spin... I'll do whatever I want with the tiger. And she can't resist me. I am the mistress.

  And Lydia broke down. She lowered her eyes.

  - Forgive me, mistress, I didn't mean to...

  I didn't say something like, "If one more time... anybody... any fingertip..."

  - For the first time, I forgive you.

  I turned my back on the tiger and breathed in the warm night air. The moon was shining. The stars smiled tenderly from the sky. The ribbon of the road stretched away. Shreds of black velvet lay in the fields. A dull grey strip of forest was shining. And the beast from the mirror beat with its tail inside me impatiently. It was overflowing.

  power

  that I never spilled on a tiger.

  There's a lot of interesting things to do without her...

  He loved it here. He liked the smell of blood, the clear waves over the road, the smell of death and fear...

  I spent my hand over the road. And suddenly I realized clearly how people in cars felt.

  Fear. Suddenness. And what else?

  I slowly drove my palms over the fog. Now I wasn't interested in anything but him. He whispered and called. And I obediently went to the call. Somebody wanted to tell me what?

  Someone's voice was heard from afar. Does it matter? No. It's from the world of the living. And now I'm looking at the other side. The fog smells of fear. Especially this dense block...

  I got down on my knees and buried myself in it. The fog was moist and sticky. And suddenly an epiphany struck.

  Those who were driving in the car were not afraid. They didn't know what was waiting for them. Only the mixture of sensations was strange. Expectation, anticipation, excitement, interest... what did they expect? Something nice... and got bullets from the dark instead. Fear, despair... bitterness from betrayal? It's strange. But bitterness. Someone was betrayed on this road. Someone before he died felt abandoned and left, stabbed in the back... He believed, he did as he was ordered, a reward awaited him, and instead - bullets...

  Cold silver rage. They were shot with silver... And joy. The excitement isn't just from cars, it's from killers. They waited, and they wanted to kill. They dreamed about it... and they got what they wanted.

  Col
d under their fingers.

  The loneliness. Death. The last whisper of the dying man...

  "Master, for what?!"

  - Julia!

  Somebody's hands held my shoulders.

  - Yulia, are you all right?

  I hit a familiar smell of honey and wildflowers. My cheeks touched the smoothness of a silk shirt. Mechislav?

  It was really a vampire. He held me in his arms, and Vadim gently wiped my fingers with wet wipes.

  - What was that?

  - That's what I want to ask you," said Mieczyslaw. - First you break off on this cat, then you start to drive your hands over the road and like a blind you go straight to the corpses. I did not dare to stop you. You came up, put your fingers on one of them, then guided your hands over it, felt a bullet - and so whitened, as if you were covered with lime. What happened to you?

  - It was a psychic attack," I sighed.

  - Did you? - The approaching Ramirez came to life. - And what did you find out? Any details are important to us!

  I wince. I didn't want to talk, especially in front of Ramirez. That's not our friend, but a natural pig's tail.

  - Maybe later?

  - Kudryashka, we have to look for murderers," said Miecislav strictly. - You're welcome.

  Please?! He said "please"?! I don't believe in my eyes, ears and nose. Usually you can only expect blackmail or orders from him. A vampire saying "please"?! On a par with honest traffic cops and decent politicians. But he had to answer.

  - It's hard to say. I felt a lot. It was painful for them to die. It hurt a lot. They were shot at point blank range. Silver. Suddenly.

  - It's already clear! - Ramirez is outraged.

  I looked at him like a worm.

  - Is it clear to you that a man has been betrayed here?

  - Betrayed? Who? -Mecislav quickly asked.

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  - I don't know. But someone here was betrayed. This man didn't wait for death... I mean, he knew something would happen, but he didn't expect it. And he felt betrayed.

  The vampires were silent. Then Mechislav intercepted me a little more comfortably.

  - How are you feeling?

  - I don't feel good.

  - I'm going to send you home. Come to my place tomorrow, okay?

  - After sunset," I nodded.

  - That's a good girl. We're gonna cover our tracks here, and then we're gonna look for witnesses. You're not our helper in this.

  I didn't ask for it. I've had enough for today.

  - Vadim, Konstantin, Gleb, take Yulia Yevgenyevna home.

  - Aren't you going to walk me home? - I slammed my eyelashes brazenly. But I had to warn the vampire about one thing.

  - Of course, Curly.

  - Curly? - Ramirez's eyebrows are hanging up. - I see Mecislav never got rid of his habit? He always gave his toys some kind of dog nicknames.

  I gently whispered.

  - Julia, don't be upset. It just meant that for Mieczysław they were all easy to replace. Not one - so another, third, someone comes, someone goes... But with you, of course, another case! He needs you vital...

  Well, of course. And you're telling me this out of the goodness of your heart. A sympathetic vampire! It's okay to sign out! You bastard. He's deliberately provoking me. Stresses that for Mieczysław I am the same as the rest of his "maidens". And he doesn't know what gives me hope. I don't want anything so much as to leave me alone! Oh, if it could be! So the insult, alas, did not achieve its purpose, although it tried. I smiled charmingly.

  - There's a lot of whores. I'm unique and the only one, right, Mecislav?

  - Yes, my lovely. No one can replace you. Never and never.

  - That's what I thought. Ramirez, I'll see you later.

  I "rewarded" the vampire with a "hungry friendly cobra", and Mecislav personally carried me to the car.

  - I'm going to meet with a guy from the IPF tomorrow, - honestly I warned you.

  - Why?

  - I'll give him literature on auras and ask for something else.

  - Okay. Just be careful.

  - I'm always careful.

  - I'll put security on you. And you don't mind. I don't want you to get killed. Something incomprehensible is happening, and it's better to be prepared for anything. And the IPF... You don't want to go to a convent, do you?

  - Except in the men's room, I tried to make a joke. But Mechislav remained frighteningly serious.

  - Anything is possible. If you don't want to serve as a breeding mare and give birth to little Christ warriors until the end of your days, you should beware and watch out.

  I nodded. Too tired to argue.

  - I will. You know, I caught the last words of one of the dead here.

  - Which ones?! - A vampire almost dropped me on the road with a surprise. - Did they recognize somebody, somehow? - He finally formulated it.

  - No. The killers weren't identified. Except one of the people in the car felt betrayed. And he kept saying, "Why, master...?"

  - That's right, isn't it?

  - Word for word. And also... I sent a werewolf to run and see. Did he come back?

  - Who's back?

  - Timothy.

  Vadim, who was spinning around, - just Figaro, both here and there - nodded and ran away to return in a few minutes with Timothy. Mechislav had already made me feel more comfortable in the car and now he stroked my palm distractedly. Ramirez from afar shot at us with his sights. So I did not resist. I'm tired and I don't feel anything at all. And I don't have waves of heat all over my body to the lazy movements of a vampire. They don't, I said. And my breathing is absolutely even. And the fact that I breathe like a diver - deep and often - is not because of Mieczysław. And I don't even want to take his hand and press it with my lips. And then lick his palm like a cat, bury my face in it and rub it. To absorb his smell, his taste...

  I don't want to, okay?!

  Timothy came up with a little panting. The vampire and I looked at him, but the werewolf just shook his head.

  - No sign, no trace. There was nothing standing there.

  - Could it have been on a coaster?

  I mean, me and the road signs, they just don't get twisted. Especially with temporary ones.

  - It couldn't have been. I could smell it.

  - Mm-hmm... How many cars did you get through there today? Didn't you smell it? - I asked a question from Mecislav.

  - Four or five. It's hard to say. It was a long time ago, just this afternoon.

  - So it's not vampires?

  - Shoot the car? Could have been vampires.

  - Wait a minute. What about daylight?

  - If a sleeping vampire was brought here, wrapped up in a cape...

  - Or if he dug his own trench...

  - Curly, we're vampires, not moles. Okay. Thank you for the information. I'll think about it.

  The swordsman punched me at the tip of my nose goodbye.

  - Think, Sklyphosovsky," I was twisted. - Only then did you share the fruits of your thinking.

  - I will dream and tell you what we have decided. Or I'll send Valentine. I'll see you tomorrow, Curly.

  - The second one's better. I'll see you tomorrow.

  It was quiet and peaceful at home. I got undressed and collapsed on the bed. I didn't have any dreams this time.

  * * *

  The night was very successful for Sergey Mikhailovich Novikov. It was not a good day, and the night was very good. During the day, he thought that he was going to have a cool break with a taco doll... Of course, not the ideal of beauty. Seryozha preferred blondes, and a little more lush. But the girl had a plus - she lived alone. Without her parents. No roommates, like in a dorm or a rented apartment. And no one could break in at the most inopportune moment.

  Apartment issues have always been a big part of the relationship.

  Seryoga's girl was seen on the beach. He went there with Vitk and his company, but he got tired of everything quickly. All the girls were too untied, smok
ed, cursed, whipped beer and tonic, like water, and it was clear: anyone will give at least in the nearest bushes.

  Not that Serezha was against it - on the contrary, two years ago he would have taken the opportunity with pleasure. But after the visit to the KVD (if anyone doesn't know, it's a skin and venereal dispensary, not the NKVD) the guy became more careful. Tripper, you know, doesn't make it feel good. And nowadays, there's also siphon and HIV. And Seryozha didn't want to catch anything like that. Condoms? Hey, condoms aren't an obstacle for lice and genital herpes.

  That's the girl he didn't notice at first. There's not many people lying on the beach. Especially in the morning. Only when Vitkina nagged a couple of "witty" remarks, which began to giggle at the whole company, he deigned to turn his head and take a closer look. Well, not a fountain, but as good as many. Dark curly hair, skinny figure, pretty face. Not pretty, but a casual look won't cause a decline in enthusiasm. And Seryozha decided to go to the assault. It was more interesting than just sucking beer and pawing at the squealing Vitkin goats.

  It was impossible to get acquainted with the girl at once, and it turned out to be a new experience for Seryozha. He's used to the fact that girls don't mind getting to know each other. They throw them around the neck. They're called fifteen times a day. They do whatever he wants. They're jealous. They're suffering. They try to hold him by all means. Seryozha sometimes felt the girls drawn to him with all her skin. And how they try to do everything, even on their heads, to make him happy.

  It was all normal. And that girl with the scars didn't make him feel anything. No curiosity, no interest. Just irritation. It meant less to her than a beach mat. The rug was important and necessary. And Seryozha wasn't. The girl's face was changing before her eyes: from detachment and calmness to irritation and indignation. And he was not even surprised when she left the beach.

  But he didn't hesitate either.

  He took his clothes and decided to follow them home.

  Not out of anger or annoyance. And all the more that Seryozhe didn't want to take revenge for being turned down. No. He was just overwhelmed by curiosity.

  And it was easy to follow. The girl wasn't hiding or looking back. She didn't even think about following. Get to know the street, the house, the driveway and go home. And then run the right apartment numbers through the database. Where'd the database come from? Well, gentlemen, in this Internet age, it's silly to ask questions like that. The database was brazenly downloaded by one of Seryoga's friends, a cool hacker and program Vitka. So cool that for three years Vitka has not put money on the phone and has not paid in principle on any paid Internet resource.