Making Monster Girls: For Science!

by Eric Vall

  “I’ve never fancied myself a revolutionary,” I chuckled, reached out, ruffled the ash-blonde’s hair, and then gripped the reins. “But I won’t say we’ll do it.”

  I guided the horse’s back onto the drive of the duchy, glanced over my shoulder toward the manor, pressed my lips into a hard line, and then drove the horses on faster. Once we made it out onto the brick-paved streets, the sun was just starting to peek through the clouds in the east, and I knew we had to make it through before the citizens of Edenhart awoke.

  A few businesses had opened their doors already, I slumped my shoulders, sat lower in my seat, and kept my head down. Our wagon clattered across the pavers, but thankfully, no one came out to check on the noise. I gazed toward my manor on the top of the hill, guided our horses toward it, and urged them on faster.

  My heart pounded in my chest, and it only calmed once we pulled onto the long driveway that led up to my home. I exhaled a sigh of relief, sat back in my seat, breathed in the fresh, dewy morning air, and then rested my arm around the back of both my women.

  “We’re almost there,” I smiled. “Then we can eat, relax and go to bed… finally.”

  We pulled through the gate and came around the house, so I gripped the reins, halted the horses, and came to rest just outside of the carriage house.

  I hopped down first, offered my arms to Valerie, helped her down, and then did the same with Daisy. Both women giggled, leaned into my touch, and once their feet brushed the ground, pressed soft kisses to my lips.

  “Go on inside.” I gestured toward the house. “I’ll unhitch the horses and be in a minute.”

  “Okay!” the feline-woman stretched her arms, whipped out her tail, flipped once, grabbed Daisy’s hand, and then skipped off toward the house. “We’ll grab something to eat and then snuggle up in your bed. The sheets will be warm by the time you arrive!”

  “That sounds wonderful,” I chuckled, came around the wagon, and began unhooking the straps from the horses. “Do whatever you like. Maybe go in and check on A.B., he’s probably lonely. We haven’t spent a lot of time with him in the last few days.”

  “We’ll go in and see him after we get something to eat.” Daisy pressed both hands to her growling stomach. “I’m too hungry to go in and do it now.”

  The two women disappeared around the corner of the house, and I turned back to the horses, freed them from their confines, and then led them toward their individual stalls. I patted each of their sides, sprinkled down some fresh hay, gave them fresh water, and then a handful of wild oats each. I sighed contentedly, turned, crossed the gravel toward the empty wagon, and then pushed it into its place within the carriage house.

  Once I finished, I brushed off my hands, nodded, turned, and came around to the front of the house. I hopped up the front steps with a light clatter, leaned my head back, breathed in deeply, and then paused as a distant sound caught my attention. It was the blare of an alarm I knew well, but it was distant and muffled from the space of my laboratory.

  That noise could mean only one thing… someone had entered through the gate on my property. My heart pumped in my chest as I slowly turned, settle my eyes on the gate farther down the hill, and then gulped loudly. Large beads of sweat trickled down the sides of my face, and I hastily wiped them away with the sleeve of my shirt. I glanced down at it and saw the smear of pink from the mixture of my sweat and the Warden’s blood.

  “Goddamnit,” I whispered, wiped at my face with the same sleeve until no more pink coloration came away. “Why are the constables here again?”

  I stood on the steps, with my left leg resting on a level higher than the right, turned, and watched as the sleek, black carriage rolled into the drive. The carriage stopped right in front of the steps, and the driver glanced at me once and then hastily turned away. Was it because he knew something I didn’t? Why were they here? Why did they come back? What else did they want from me?

  The door slammed open, a single thigh-high black boot stomped, and then a tall, busty woman slithered out. She stood a few inches taller than me, entirely clothed in shiny black leather, which creaked as she stepped closer. Medals covered the left side of her jacket, she wore the same cloth insignia over her right arm and tucked under her elbow was a thick, black riding crop.

  Her skin was creamy white, almost the color of milk, her eyes were a deep jade that glinted in the sunlight as she inclined her head, and lips were thickly painted with blood-red lipstick. A single black beauty mark rested harshly against her pale complexion above her top lip on the ride side. Her hair was long, down to her massive breasts and the bright crimson color of blood. A thick-billed hat rested atop her head with the golden crest of Edenhart pinned directly to the band. A single black eyepatch covered her right eye, and below it, the tender flesh of a jagged scar peeked out.

  Zinnia and Afton slithered out behind the impressive female, marched forward, stopped directly behind her. Then they planted their feet and held their arms behind their backs at attention. Their eyes were trained on me, but their surfaces were hazy as if they weren’t really looking, only following protocol.

  The scarlet-haired woman tramped forward, leaned her eye back, eyed me from underneath the brim of her hat, and then cleared her throat.

  “Charles Rayburn?” she uttered in a thick, sultry accent as her thick lips spread into a wicked grin. “I don’t think I’ve met your acquaintance yet since I’ve just arrived from the west. I’m Ortensia Bisset, the new Chief Constable.”

  I kept my face devoid of emotion, but my mind was running wild, the city of Edenhart hadn’t had a Chief Constable in years, the handful of officers we already had were enough. Why had the capital sent over a Chief Constable? Did it have something to do with the changes in our rules and regulations, or was it something darker? Had the Duchess sent for this woman?

  “What can I do for you?” I forced out in a calm voice, gripped the railing of the stairs, and turned to face the three of them.

  “Oh! How polite,” the scarlet-haired woman simpered, and then her voice dropped in a low growl. “A beast with manners, how refreshing.”

  “I spoke to the two constables behind you last night.” I ignored the comment, glanced toward the two women standing behind her, and then planted my feet. “Do you have more questions?”

  “No,” Ortensia purred, shook her head, and giggled. “No, no, no, the questions you answered will suffice.”

  “Then what else can I do for you?” I asked. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I’ve had a hectic night with my experiments, and I’d like to rest.”

  “Then I am very sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Mr. Rayburn.” The scarlet-haired woman grinned even wider.

  “What is it?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “You’re under arrest,” the Chief Constable sneered. “For the disappearance, kidnapping, and presumed death of Delphine Vallantine. Ladies?”

  Zinnia and Afton nodded, tramped forward, and climbed up the stairs after me. The mousey-brunette reached around her back, unclipped a pair of shiny, silver shackles, and held them loosely in her hand as she approached.

  “Wha-what?” I grunted, retreated up another stair, and gripped the banister until my knuckles turned white. “That can’t be true, I had nothing to do with it! Where’s your proof? The evidence that I was the culprit? Your two constables left here last night after they essentially cleared me as a suspect!”

  “Stop with the act,” Ortensia barked. “The way you are reacting is enough to tell us that you’re the man who committed this crime. Do you think we need proof? Solid proof against you? A man? It’s clear to all of us you’re the only one with means and motive to kill Delphine Vallantine. Not only that, but the mystery man who signed a contract with the aristocrat? He doesn’t exist, not in this town, at least. His name is nowhere on the roster of males in Edenhart. So, unless a man snuck into the city unbeknownst to anyone except for Delphine, you’re our only other suspect.”

  “It wasn’t me,” I snapped,
glared down at the two approaching women, whipped my head toward the house, and met two sets of eyes through the window. “I would never harm a woman, especially Delphine Vallantine.”

  “Silence him, shackle him, and place him in the back,” the scarlet-haired woman commanded, jerked a hand toward the steel cage attached to the back of the carriage, grinned, and then leveled her eyes at me. “We’re taking you in, you’ll spend a few nights in a jail cell while the Duchess decides what to do with you. You see, despite what these two women were taught at their academy, the capital believes that each city’s matriarchal leader and the constable force should work together seamlessly. Each region has its own set of rules and regulations, and the constables there should adjust their beliefs. Your leader believes that once a black mark in society appears, it needs to be cut out and destroyed immediately.”

  “So, you’re going to follow the Duchess’s decrees blindly?” I asked. “Convict an innocent man to death?”

  “I didn’t say death, but,” Ortensia chuckled. “If that’s what you think you deserve then, I’ll let the Duchess know.”

  Zinnia and Afton cornered me on the stairs, the taller redhead grabbed me by the shoulders, whipped me around, and the mousey brunette slapped the shackles around my wrists.

  “You thought I was innocent!” I uttered. “You left here last night with no doubt in your mind that I wasn’t the man who committed this crime!”

  “We do as we are instructed,” Afton snapped. “It doesn’t matter what we personally believe.”

  “Then you’re just sheep,” I whispered as they forced me down the stairs, toward the back of the carriage, and only stopped to open the cell. “You’re… just sheep following the orders of a bloodthirsty wolf! She’ll eat you alive the second you turn your back on her!”

  “It’s best if you keep your mouth shut and those seditious thoughts to yourself, Alchemist.” Zinnia snapped, forced me up the tiny two stairs into the stairs, and then slammed the door shut. “We may have believed your story, but maybe that means you’re a good liar.”

  “Please, I didn’t do this.” I shook my head, pressed myself against the bars, and stared toward the house.

  Valerie and Daisy watched from the window, and if the three police-women had looked hard enough, they would’ve seen them, but they were busy climbing back into the carriage.

  “Wait for me,” I mouthed. “I’ll be back, just wait for me.”

  “We love you.” Valerie mouthed back, gripped Daisy by the shoulder, hugged her tightly, and then pressed a hand to the glass pane. “We love you so much.”

  “I love you.” I breathed silently.

  The carriage abruptly jerked forward, rolled, and then turned in the driveway. I squatted in the tight space of the cell, watched as my manor got smaller and smaller in the distance, and finally vanished from my line of sight. My heart hammered in my chest, sweat dripped from my brow, and my anxiety ran rampant, but I could do nothing but sit in the tiny cell until we reached the city.

  This wasn’t quite my plan, but I realized that I might still get out of this predicament. I needed the constables to find the warden and Delphine’s bodies. Then I would be exonerated. However, I had no idea how quickly the duchess would rule on my fate or how quickly they would discover the frame job.

  The clock was ticking, and I knew that my fate was out of my hands. I’d planted the seeds of my innocence, but would they blossom in time?

  The wheels of the carriage bumped as we traveled over soft dirt road onto the brick pavers, and the city came into view from my vantage point. The sleek, black constable’s carriage was well known in the town, and aristocrat’s stopped to stare as it passed. Their eyes weight heavily on me, some women’s mouths dropped open, but others simply pointed and laughed.

  “I can’t die… not now, not yet… I have more important things I need to do for the sake of science. I can’t let my life end like this…” I muttered my words under my breath, and the mantra helped my brain churn over the other ideas. Perhaps I could hint at the location of the bodies? No, that might play my hand too heavily and raise more suspicion. I just needed to buy more time once I was in the jail cell.

  The carriage jerked once more as the horses slowed to a stop in front of the massive, concrete constable’s office. The thick, porous slabs of rock were streaked black with soot, and a few more uniformed women leaned against the walls, burning cigars hanging from their lips.

  Zinnia and Afton came into view around the side of the carriage, unlocked the cage, ripped out, and then pushed me toward the ominous archway. The two women barely glanced at me. They just kept their lips tightly shut and forced me through the massive oak doors. I barely got a glance at the foyer and offices beyond as they held me tightly and pushed me through a second, smaller doorway to the left.

  The beyond was filled with folding cells, a couple of them occupied with gaunt, tired-looking men that barely raised their heads in our direction. Zinnia slammed a hand into the middle of my back, and I stumbled into an open-cell. I caught my balance before I could fall, turned, and stared wide-eyed at the two women as they slammed the cell’s door closed with a clatter.

  “Hands through the bars, inmate,” the redhead barked.

  “What?” I furrowed my brows.

  “Hands through the bars, or do you want to spend your entire time in there shackled?” Afton snapped.

  I stepped over the dirty floor, turned my back to them, wriggled my hands through the tiny space between the bars, and felt the metal shackles finally release.

  “Step away, inmate.” Zinnia commanded, and I did as I was told.

  “You’ll wait here for the Duchess,” Afton stated. “Then she will sentence you, and then… well, you’ll find out what happens next.”

  “Don’t I get a trial?” I pressed myself against the bars and encircled them with my hands. “A judge and a jury? Most people do!”

  “No, the capital has done away with those frivolous things,” Afton shrugged. “The Duchess is your judge and jury, plead with her for your life. Maybe she will spare you, but it is doubtful.”

  Shit. So much for buying myself more time so that they could find the bodies. I needed to convince the duchess to let me live a bit longer.

  The constables turned on their heels, marched out of the room, and slammed the door shut. The jailhouse was fairly silent, except for the distant drip of water from the sunken-in ceiling. A man coughed from my left, shifted on his tiny cot, sighed, and then fell silent.

  “What to do? How do I delay?” I slumped onto my cot, looked around the small cell, and then leaned against the brick wall.

  Seconds ticked by as I sat on the cot, and the only sign that time had passed was the shift of the slanting sunlight from the window above my bed. I paced for a long time, kicked the stray bits of hay that lay on the floor as I cursed, and threw myself down on the cold, brick floor. I grumbled under my breath, thought hard about what I would do, or how I would escape all of this with Valerie and Daisy in tow.

  I couldn’t run, the Duchess would find me anywhere I went, but I certainly couldn’t stay here… What could I do? I had to get back to my laboratory and my women. If I died, my house would be ransacked, looted for everything it was worth, and then… my women would be found. How would they survive in this world without me? They weren’t like the aristocrats, they were good and kind women who’d never known hate in their life.

  I needed to live so that I could protect them.

  My spine snapped to attention, my eyes widened, I gritted my teeth and curled my hands into fists as the realization hit me.

  If they were found, Edony would send them to an insane asylum. I knew there were a few scattered around each provenance, there had to be one close to here. The Duchess would find them unfit to survive in society on their own, send them there, and lock them away for the rest of their lives. I couldn’t allow that, I had to do something! Anything!

  I stared blankly at the floor for so long my eyes blurre
d around the edges, and I almost fell forward. I didn’t know how much time had passed since I was brought in here, but the shadows in the jail elongated and stretched across the floor like ghastly fingers.

  I jumped a sound at the other side of the room, shook from the cot, stepped closer to the bars, and peered out. Loud voices exploded up from outside the room, and as I watched, the jail’s door slammed open, banged against the wall, swung twice, and then stopped.

  “No…” I breathed.

  The Duchess floated into the room in a dress I’d seen many times before. The fabric was a deep vermillion, wrinkleless and brushed against the floor elegantly. The top was styled into something that resembled a general’s jacket, with big gaudy golden buttons across the chest, and its open front exposed a fair amount of her cleavage. Her colorless hair rested over one shoulder, and as she floated closer, she held a pair of black silk gloves in one hand.

  Edony only wore this dress on days of executions.

  “Charles Rayburn,” the Duchess scoffed, stood in front of the cell, and peered in. “Look at you, like a trapped mongrel. You don’t understand how much joy this sight gives me.”

  “You know I’m innocent,” I stated. “Let me out.”

  “No, no, no,” Edony tutted. “I’m going to savor it until you’re dragged from this cell and hung from the nearest tree.”

  “Edony, listen,” I pleaded. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry for what I did to you, but I… I didn’t kidnap or kill Delphine.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you did, I’m going to kill you anyway,” the Duchess giggled, reached through the bars and moved to stroke my cheek. “It’s not as if the townspeople will stop me, one of their own is missing, and they need someone to place the blame on. Luckily, you presented yourself to me, my very own martyr. Look at you, my little pet, this makes me so very happy…”

  “You can’t,” I forced out, avoided her hand, and took a step back. “I’m an innocent man. What happens if you catch the real criminal after you’ve killed me? What then, Edony?”