The Preying City

'What's going on?'

Amelia was dumbfounded. Big Joe now had a piece of cloth covering the lower part of his face. Unlike the normal attitude he displayed, he looked fierce and violent. His big hands squeezed her throat and she found it hard to breathe.

"Let her go. And then we can talk about letting you go." The young police crawled away and tried to placate the big man. He had thought that the two were partners and was trying to sound them out slowly. Never had he imagined that the girl was a hostage taken by the man. Thinking about it now, it did make sense. The girl was unusually nervous, it must have been because she was scared that the criminal might try to harm her because of the police's presence.

Big Joe glanced around quickly and spoke in a c.o.c.ky manner, "Do you think I am stupid? You will make your move as soon as I let this girl go. Don't test me. I won't hesitate when snapping her neck. I will give you 30 seconds to disarm yourselves and huddle in that corner over there."

"You know that's not possible, let her go and we can work things out.... " The young policeman was trying to get the man to let the hostage go but was interrupted by his captain.

"That's enough Wren. Do as he says." The leading officer spoke in a commanding voice. Securing the safety of the hostage came first and he really couldn't afford to test the criminal's guts.

The police unit moved to the specified corner under the officer's command. Big Joe looked at the revolvers discarded between him and the policemen. He didn't feel any safer even after the police had disarmed themselves because half of them were probably supernaturals. They all looked like either grade 1 or 2 supernaturals. Under a normal circ.u.mstance, he wouldn't have paid any attention to them and walked out, but he couldn't do the same now. Dealing with them individually would be a piece of cake but dealing with all of them together would be another matter entirely.

He moved back while still facing the unit occupying the corner. Amelia's lithe body was dragged along and she found it hard to breathe because of the rough handling. She had finally managed to organize her thoughts.

'I get it that this makes it easier to fool the police but do you really have to be so rough? I am suffering over here.'

She knew that she couldn't be picky and let herself be dragged about until their backs were against a window.

Clang!

The glass shattered and a cool breeze assaulted her back. Just as she was wondering what would come next, her vision darkened and she fainted.

******

The dining hall was chaotic. Some of the guests heaved a sigh after the kidnapper had jumped off the window while the rest felt uneasy at the thought of a killer roaming outside.

Few people were worried about the hostage who had been knocked out.

A young man walked out of the crowd and approached the girl. The officer intercepted him and said with a strong tone, "I am sorry but I will have to ask you to keep your distance."

"It's okay. I am a doctor. Let me help." Vincent replied in a soft voice.

The officer stepped aside and ordered his subordinates to help people settle down. He then went back to the doctor and crouched beside him. "How is she?"

"Just unconscious. She will probably come to in a few hours. I am more worried about her mental health. It must have been a very scary experience."

Vincent was about to leave after confirming the girl's situation but was stopped by the officer. "I must thank you for this. It was very brave of you to step up right after such an event."

"It is my duty as a doctor. Pay it no mind. You must be occupied with all these things happening. I shouldn't be taking anymore of your time."

"Please, I insist." The officer flashed a smile and sat down. With a simple gesture he ordered a subordinate to take the unconscious girl away. "Can I ask what you are doing here, doctor ....."

"Burns, you can call me Dr. Burns."

"Yes, Dr. Burns, may I inquire as to your business here? I believe that you aren't from around here given that you are staying over at this hotel."

"Indeed, I live in Kindlewich. I am here to take a breather. I was having quite some trouble getting used to my workplace, so I thought sightseeing here would be a good idea. I had heard that there are some great rock formations here."

The officer's gaze sharpened but he immediately concealed it. "Haven't you heard of the rumors regarding sightings of monsters near these rock formations? Many people are scared to go there because of this hearsay."

"Well officer, it's as you say. Nothing more than rumors. As a man of science, I find people who believe in monsters to be quite stupid. Wouldn't you agree that it is unreasonable that monsters would actually exist in the first place?"

The officer smiled awkwardly and nodded his head. "Of course. It is stupid indeed. How was the rock formation? Did you come across anything interesting?"

"It was truly a sight to see. Isn't nature wonderful? To think that such a formation could be made naturally, I couldn't believe that it was not a work of man at first sight. I plan on coming here with my colleagues next time."

"Of course. I am sorry that we got side tracked. My intent was to thank you properly. Your actions were commendable, I will have to get back to my work for now. Thank you for your time."

"It was a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. I wish you luck in catching the murderers. I shall retire to my room for now." Vincent bid the officer goodbye and headed for his room.

'The unit seemed to lack a supernatural skilled at tracking. They didn't even try to pursue Big Joe. Most of the members were normal people. Is the department here understaffed? Or did something else happen that required them to divert their resources?

It doesn't matter for now. Looks like Big Joe got away and Miss Mystique is free of suspicion because of his quick thinking. It seems like he is a reliable companion. At least to her.'

Locking the door, he opened his suitcase. It was filled with clothing articles and some necessary products. Emptying the case, he reached out for the secret compartment and retrieved four vials. Each container held blood red liquid.

The group had spent a lot of time on butchering the troll to finally get the core blood from its heart. Despite their massive size, the core blood present on a single troll's body barely filled these four little vials.

Vincent retrieved the syringe he had bought from Mr. Collector and filled it with the blood on one of the vials. Having completed the task, he put everything back on the secret compartment and closed the case.

An invisible incorporeal body watched the entire process. It made sure to take note of his every action and passed through the wall, disappearing as silently as it had come. The entire time, Vincent had no idea that each and every action of his was being monitored.