by Mika B. Coit
"I did say that and it will remain that way if you promise to not breathe a word to anyone... especially Chloe about her and the drugs."
The boys exchanged looks before replying in unison.
"Fine."
‘I love my Mother.’ Iliana thought to herself.
They had finally reached Beach Cove when Claire responded to Chloe’s comment.
"Well, ever since you found out that your Mother and Father might be getting a divorce, you had been acting rather strangely and it got a whole lot weirder. It was kind of, creepy."
"Everybody keeps saying that, but I honestly do not remember any of it!" Chloe exclaimed as she cowered her eyebrows.
"Maybe that is a good thing... How is your Mother and Father doing?" Victoria asked.
"I do not know... They still shout and rant at each other every time they are in the same room. But I have decided that whatever happens between them, I will support them as much as I can."
"Good for you Chloe!" Iliana said proudly.
Sniffing the air Yuki barked and started to run towards the yacht harbour. The crowds of people had to launch themselves out of the way as she zigzag her way through.
"Yuki!" Iliana shouted instantly running after her.
"Iliana!" Chloe cried out not knowing whether they should follow her too.
"I will find you girls later!" Iliana yelled back.
Beach Cove was extremely busy at the weekends. Even though it was the end of the summer it was still unusually hot. The beach was swarming with people and even though the sea was calm, the lifeguards patrolled the area. Iliana was glad she had worn her high waist burgundy coloured shorts along with her puffed short sleeved white shirt and her trusted white plimsolls.
Keeping up with Yuki was like a workout on the running machine, she was a fast runner. For a big dog with thick fur, she was still very active even under the hot sun.
Iliana could just see Yuki’s white bushy tail disappearing behind the light blue wooden building attached to the yacht harbour, where it was quieter than the beach side.
A bark came from inside a small area which was fenced round with six foot wooden white panels behind the building. There was a gate which was already open where Iliana walked through and saw Yuki sitting down and munching on something with...
"You!" Iliana said as the boy crouched in front of Yuki looked up.
"Nice to see you too!" Kazuki responded sarcastically.
Two silver trays with a pile of barbecued sausages were laid on the ground next to him with large industrial bins behind him.
"Come on Yuki... let’s go!... Come on girl!" Iliana commanded clapping her hands on her thighs.
But Yuki ignored her as Kazuki dangled a sausage above her head which she grabbed by her teeth and started to chew it.
"I do not think she wants to go yet." Kazuki declared picking up another sausage ready to give her.
"I would be immensely surprised if she did." Iliana said kneeling down next to Yuki. "Especially when there are trays of sausages in her view... she can smell them from a mile away... It is her one weakness."
Then looking at the bins behind Kazuki she asked.
"You were not going to throw them away, were you?"
"Like I had a choice... there were those who thought it was too beneath them to have sausages in their prestigious lunch party and threw it on the floor in disgrace!" Kazuki answered sounding as if this was not the first time that something like this had happened.
"What a waste!" Iliana said then light heartedly added. "Well... if that happens again think of Yuki and I. Both of us would be most grateful to have extra food in our bellies, especially barbecued sausages... Although I would prefer to have ones that have not been on the floor... do you agree Yuki?... Yes you do!"
Iliana tickled Yuki under her neck who turned to her with her baby blue eyes glistening and barked happily. Iliana then looked back up at Kazuki and her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Kazuki was smiling. He had a smile that could make any woman, man, child and even animal fall to their knees. It almost made Iliana’s heart melt inside her chest.
"You know... you look like a fish with your mouth open like that." Kazuki announced which made Iliana close her mouth quickly and narrow her eyes at him. "What were you staring at?"
"You... you were smiling!... I have never seen you smile before!"
"You say it as if I cannot."
"Actually... I thought you could not!" Iliana said still in shock.
Kazuki raised an eyebrow when his mobile rang in his light brown trouser pocket where he reached into to pick it up.
"Hello... Father Benjamin... hold on, let me put you on speaker."
"Why are you putting me on speaker?" Father Benjamin asked just after Kazuki pressed the speaker button on his mobile.
"Hello Father Benjamin." Iliana said cheerfully.
"Iliana?... Whoa!... Wait... You two are together? I know I asked Kazuki to keep an eye on you but I did not mean it that way!" He commented in a shocked tone.
"Do not get the wrong idea... we just happened to be in the same place at the same time!" Iliana exclaimed.
She then realised that this was the first time her and Kazuki had a nice-ish conversation.
"As if things like that even cross my mind." Father Benjamin said. "Anyway... as both of you are coincidentally and conveniently together, Jung has discovered something."
"Sorry... who is Jung?" Iliana asked.
"He is a Special Agent in the police force and part of my small team." Father Benjamin answered. "He will explain to both of you of his findings. I just need you two to meet us in front of the Noire club at ten tonight."
"At ten?" Iliana repeated immediately thinking that she would have to ask Mrs. Croppe to look after Yuki for the night.
Mother was again occupied with her seemingly demanding boss and Father was up to his neck with the sudden unusual amounts of incidents at the hospital which he did not want to go into detail when Iliana asked...
"What kind of incidents?"
So both of them will most definitely be not at home until after midnight again.
"Do not tell me... your worried your not going to bed early to catch up with your beauty sleep!" Kazuki sarcastically commented seeing the worried look on Iliana’s face.
Iliana gave him an evil look before retaliating sarcastically back through gritted teeth.
"No actually... but I am so glad you think I am beautiful and need more beauty sleep to top up."
"Not exactly what I meant... I was thinking along the lines where maybe a beauty sleep might do you more good."
With that comment Iliana picked up a tray of sausages and threw it at Kazuki. Yuki grabbed as many of the thrown sausages as she could with her mouth. While Kazuki who did not expect that to happen was left crouched there with grease from the sausages smeared on his brilliant white shirt.
"I will see you then Father Benjamin." Iliana hastily said in a huff not even looking in Kazuki’s direction.
She then stormed off with Yuki hot on her heels with a mouthful of sausages.
"Do you want to tell me what just happened?" Father Benjamin asked.
"You do not want to know." Kazuki answered with a smile on his face.
***CHAPTER 3***
It was fifteen minutes before ten when Iliana stepped out the taxi. She was surprised how early she had arrived after the long conversation she had with Mother over the phone. When Iliana told Mother she was going out with some friends and may not be home until late Mother interrogated her. Asking who she was going with, where she was going. But finally agreed when Iliana mentioned twisting the truth a little that one of her friends was a police officer. Iliana wished she had not bothered to call her.
After turning the road, the taxi drove off and left Iliana standing on the pavement of an empty street. The air was still warm but the sky was black and the light wind brushed through Iliana’s long and thick hair. Noire club was a large building that stood at the end facin
g the long street with the ‘Noire’ sign flickering above the double doors. The shops either side of the street had ‘Closing Down’ signs taped across their windows. It was desolate compared to the other side of the city which was heaving with people, mainly pub ranters.
A red four door Mini Cooper turned from the end of the street with a silver Ford Focus following behind it. Both cars parked on the side of the road, steps away from Iliana.
An Asian man who looked in his late twenties got out from the Mini Cooper and made his way to Iliana, while Kazuki and Father Benjamin got out the Ford Focus. His wavy black hair hung loosely around his head, nearly touching his shoulders. Even though he was small built and probably only inches taller than Iliana, you could tell he worked out at the gym by his strong physique. On top of his white shirt he wore a dark coloured jacket which was open revealing his police badge clipped on one side of his black jeans.
He noticed Iliana eyeing his badge which he then unclipped and stuffed it in his jeans pocket.
"Will not be needing that tonight... I am officially off duty!" He exclaimed in a good spoken English but with an Asian accent.
He stretched out his hand for Iliana to shake which she did with a warm smile.
"You are obviously Iliana, my name is Jung... Father Benjamin has told me a lot of things about you, but he failed to tell me how beautiful you are." He said flirtatiously.
His dark almond eyes surveyed Iliana in her skinny black jeans with a turquoise patterned three quarter length sleeved blouse tucked in and her white plimsolls on her dainty feet.
"Aww... you make me blush with such a comment... but I am glad someone thinks I am a little attractive." Iliana said her eyes wandering over to Kazuki as both he and Father Benjamin stood either side of Jung.
She still had not forgiven him for what he said to her earlier that afternoon, and when their eyes met she gave him a frosty glare. Kazuki raised one of his thick but nicely shaped eyebrows before returning the same look back at her. Jung looked from Iliana to Kazuki confused at the awkward atmosphere.
"Did something happen between you two?" He asked.
Although she was still fuming with him she had to refrain from staring at how good Kazuki looked. His black long sleeved shirt was rolled up to his elbows with three buttons undone from the collar, and was tucked in his dark coloured trousers. He wore the shiniest pair of black shoes Iliana had ever seen. But she kept her eyes on Jung and answered.
"Not at all, anyway... why are we at this club on this quiet side of the city?"
"Well... believe it or not, but this club and this side of the city used to be heaving with life before it was ruined... But it is not actually the club that we are going into, but the winery warehouse behind it." Jung said.
"The warehouse?" Iliana repeated unaware that one even existed behind the club.
"Yep!... Come on... follow me and I will explain but vigilant, I do not know what is lurking around here."
Father Benjamin nodded taking out his silver cross and bible from the pocket of his light black jacket which he unzipped and left open. As Jung lead the small group through the narrow alley down the side of the club which reeked like a public toilet that had never been cleaned, he started to explain all he knew.
"For a few weeks my department has had some peculiar reports from the people in the city, especially this particular area. The majority of those reports are missing people, unusual behaviours and a few cases of insanity."
"Insanity?... Why are the police involved in those who are insane? Should they not contact the doctors?" Iliana asked stepping over a couple of empty boxes.
"Actually... it was the doctor’s who contacted us. Some of the patients at the hospital began to attack other patients and the staff." Jung answered who then stopped and turned round. "Your Father works at the hospital right?... Err... Mr. D’coye?"
Iliana nodded.
"Yes... Father has mentioned in minor details about some incidents at the hospital. He has been working absurdly late. Sometimes not even coming home at all... and when he does, he looks utterly drained." She explained as she remembered one night when she could not sleep, Father came home in the early hours of the morning looking extremely pale and tired, he could barely climb up the stairs.
"Well... we have asked the hospital directors to keep a lid on all incidents. We have miraculously kept this quiet for a while now." Jung said as he carried on walking. "A few nights ago I had two of my best men survey this area. I was talking to them over the phone when they came across this warehouse, and there were these familiar growling noises in the background. I told them to get away quickly but both of them started to scream and the phone went off. I haven’t seen them since and neither has their families which I then had to tell them they were on an important mission and won’t be back for a few days. Wrapping all the evidence together I knew that this called for our little team... and this warehouse might give us some clues to what might be going on."
They finally reached the end of the alley which seemed to have gone on a long way. Standing alone in the dark in it’s own spacious area was the huge metal warehouse. It looked as desolate as the town was and the atmosphere was so eerie. Iliana felt cold shivers go down her spine which made her step back into Kazuki.
"If it is too scary for you... you can always run back home to mummy and daddy like a little girl!" He said sarcastically.
Sighing with annoyance, Iliana snapped back.
"You have very wrong and disillusioned views on girls!"
"I am of course correct... all you girls are the same, especially the rich ones... You are all pretty much useless at everything other than shopping, flirting and attempting to make yourselves look good."
"Like your one to talk... boys like yourself, always think your so cool... strong and think you know it all, when in actual fact you are just full of hot air."
Jung snorted with laughter as Father Benjamin stood between Iliana and Kazuki before either of them could say anymore.
"Now, now, children... this is really not the right time and place for your little bickering." He said resting a hand on both their shoulders.
"Looks like you have met your match Kazuki." Jung said.
As Kazuki threw Jung a sarcastic look a loud thud and deep growling noises came from the warehouse. Everyone stood still in silence, listening to the muffled shuffling noises. From under his jacket Jung took out two long silver guns that were tucked in his trousers behind him. The guns looked so shiny and clean that the detailed engravings of a cross on each side could still be seen in the dimly lit area they were standing in. Jung nodded at Kazuki who then took off a silver chain that he wore under his shirt. The pendant that hung from it was a silver cross. At the centre of it was a small button, and when Kazuki pressed it, a sharp pin rose from the top of the cross. He then pricked his thumb firmly on the tip of the needle like point and blood began to trickle down the pin. The pin along with the blood quickly disappeared back inside the cross. Iliana watched in awe as the end of the cross grew longer and wider to form the blade. The top of the cross grew thicker to form the Cross-guard and Hilt where Kazuki wrapped his hand round tightly. Suddenly in a split second the cross formed into a long beautiful and slender sword.
"Wow!..." Iliana gasped but did not have time to gape over it as Father Benjamin led the group towards the door of the warehouse.
He pushed the door open causing an echoing creek. It was very dark until Jung after fondling the walls for some time found a switch and a handful of weak amber lights flickered on. The spacious interior was packed with so much clutter. The ground was littered with glass bottles and broken glass. Wooden crates were piled up everywhere and either side of the warehouse standing tall over everything were large white cylinders.
Looking around Iliana could feel a negative force in the darker areas that the light could not reach. And as the group slowly walked forwards Iliana tried to sense if there were any water nearby.
"They are lurking in the dark.
" Jung said pointing his guns around him ready to shoot anything that moved.
Deep murmuring noises echoed around the warehouse. It grew louder and louder making Iliana and boys stop and stand in a circle with their backs to each other. They all faced the silhouetted figures that slowly emerged from the dark. The dim light showed the pales faces of the people that surrounded the small group. Their eyes were black and dark veins stretched across their dry skin. They all varied in ages, size, height and even the clothes they wore.
"They must be those who were reported missing!" Jung remarked staring at the large number of possessed people before them.
"I thought you said you only had a few reports on missing people!" Kazuki said with a hint of sarcasm.
"I think... I might have under exaggerated that comment!" Jung responded sounding a little astounded.
"Yeah... just a little."
"It shocks me on how you managed to keep this quiet for so long!" Father Benjamin added opening his bible.
"It kind of shocks me too!" Jung replied after a nervous chuckle. "Now you know the true powers of the police force."
"And they are all possessed?" Iliana asked unable to take in the mass of people around them.
"Yes... unfortunately their inner demons have taken control." Father Benjamin said. "I will begin the Chant... Once I start it will get them irritated and it will not take long before the Demons Arise... so be ready."
"Got it chief!" Jung said light heartedly saluting with his gun still in his hand.
Father Benjamin grinned at him before opening his bible. The possessed crowd covered their ears as Father Benjamin read out loud the phrases from his book. Falling to their knees they screamed and wailed. Black smoke emerged out from their eyes and mouths, within seconds the human bodies collapsed on the floor. The black smoke materialised into dark creatures which stood in their place. And as if it was a race to who could attack them first the demons leapt towards the little group. Their wolf like teeth was revealed as they growled and their sharp claws stretched out in front of them.