The Case of the Vigilante's Vendetta

Standing in the middle of the sidewalk, watching everyone pass by, I wondered what I was missing. Twelve dead over the last three weeks, and out of all the attacks, only three survivors. No other witnesses were left to the crimes. I just didn’t know what to make of it.

When the survivors were questioned as to what had happened, they readily talked about how gang members attacked them. Only one of them was willing to discuss how they survived or what happened next, even though what she had to say made no sense. Then, mysteriously, the one who gave her statement was slaughtered the next night. A piece of paper was left inside her taped mouth, with just one thing written on it. “Shhhh….”

Now, I stood in the rain at the latest scene, going over the evidence we had in my mind, hoping we hadn’t lost any trace. Attempting to make sense of the whole case was causing my head to spin. Making things worse, Chief Eddings had said the mayor was breathing down his neck and that my job was on the line with this one. If I didn’t solve it soon, I’d be looking for a new job, probably as a security guard somewhere in the warehouse district. Rubbing my forehead, I ticked off each clue in my head.

- Criminals were always killed with sharp blades by chopping their heads off.

- Each belonging to the Concrete Brotherhood.

- Very few survivors, even the victims of the original assault, usually die.

- One of the murdered just so happened to be the Mayor’s nephew (as a gang member, but of course that would be covered up…)

- Dark, out-of-the-way places were always the scene

- All attacks were believed to have happened at night.

- The first surviving victim gave a statement of a fantastical tale of a tall avenger wearing a fedora who thwarted members of the CB from touching the short-lived survivor. Then the vigilante looked at her and motioned her to hush before disappearing into the night.

- The other survivors refused to speak up after the first one was mysteriously murdered.

There just wasn’t much to go on. I knew I had to find something. Surely, I’d catch a break in this case soon. Someone had to have seen something. Mistakes were sure to be made because no crime was perfect.

With very little material evidence, though, the case was tough. The avenger was leaving nothing behind except for dead bodies. I could feel my time running out on this. Soon, the chief would have my head if I didn’t get this ball unraveled soon.

Walking towards the police tape at the head of the alleyway, I wanted to give the scene another once over before we took the yellow strips down. Pulling a cigarette from the pack, but not lighting it, I held it between my lips as I walked over the area. In this rainy gloom, daylight was fading fast, so I needed to make this as quick as possible.

Not seeing anything, I decided to get down on my knees and look at the alley from another angle. Sometimes that’s what you have to do to find the evidence you need: look at things from another perspective. I wasn’t sure if it would help, but I’m willing to give all my sleuthing skills a try.

With my keen eye, I saw a sparkle under one of the dumpsters in the alley. Reaching under, I grabbed the object that had caught my eye. In my hand, I held a tooth, sharpened to a point and almost an inch long, with a diamond stud embedded into it. I stood, staring at the canine with curiosity, wondering what or whose mouth this had come from. Trying to recall what it reminded me of, I pulled out an evidence bag and decided to keep this little piece in case it had anything to do with this case.

I was beginning to stand up when I heard a whooshing noise behind me. Spinning around, I was surprised to see members of the CB standing in front of me. The tallest of the three stepped forward and smiled at me, showing me a gruesome set of fangs. Startled, I look from him to the others and realize they all have fangs.

“S-s-say, Brothers, looksss like pork tonight.”

“Here, Piggie! Piggie!”

“Oh, yum! Bacon.”

I listened as the trio laughed and made more derogatory remarks towards me. While they talked, I took in this new information as quickly as I could. This group was not on the list of known gang members, so either they were new to the Concrete Brotherhood or too good to catch. I hoped for the former. It was madness for a lone cop to go against seasoned members of the Brotherhood.

As they talked, they attempted to circle me. There was no way I was going to let them surround me, so I backed myself up flush against the building’s wall behind me. They were blocking my exit, so I was going to have to force my way out of this one. Arresting tonight would be futile; I was alone with only one set of handcuffs. I had to get out of this alley and to my car as quickly as I could.

Body feinted left like I was going to head deeper into the alley, but I quickly switched backed to the right, hoping to gain the street before the three could catch me. In my head, it seemed like a good move, and maybe it would have worked if I’d been back in my days on the football field, but it completely backfired tonight. Laughing, they lunged at me, but quicker than the blink of an eye, each one leaped as I turned, floated in the air, and landed within arm's reach of me, completely blocking my exit. Baring their teeth, they exposed their fangs, showing the different-colored gems each had embedded.

Unable to draw my gun and get a clear shot, I crouched down into a fighter’s stance and waited for their move. I didn’t have long to wait; the shaggy blonde on my right reached forward with the stealth of a tiger and tore the side of my jacket, signaling the other two to action. Soon, the alley was full of flying punches and powerful kicks, followed by deep grunts from the blows hitting.

I seemed to be taking the worst of the beating, though, as they moved too fast for my eyes to follow. I hoped that someone would see from the street, maybe a beat cop, and soon call for more help. I was beginning to tire from trying to fend off all three, but I sensed that they were only just starting to play with me. Like a cat with a mouse, they swatted me around the alley. Jeering, they bragged about how good my blood would taste.

Boom.

Boom.

All four of us heard it. We froze as one and turned towards the noise. In the dark of the alley was a fedora-clad giant, at least 6’6” tall, feminine in build, hunkered down as if they had just landed in the middle of the alley. My mind barely had a moment to form the thought, “This must be the mysterious vigilante,” before the avenger sprang into action.

With a speed that boggled my mind, I tried to watch where the fists landed, unable to keep up with the scene before me. The woman’s (for a woman she was) fedora fell from her head, and her luscious, silvery locks shone in the moonlight as it swirled about her face. Claws, the only way to describe her fingers, reached out and ripped the head of one of the gang vampires.

Baring her canines at the remaining two gangbangers, she snarled. Yes, she really snarled. Then I swear she yowled like a wolf and lunged. Before I could blink an eye, the remaining two thugs’ heads were ripped from their bodies.

As I looked at the dead lying in that alley, I knew no one would believe any of this, even as I saw movement from the corner of my eye. Looking over at my savior, making eye contact with her, I watched as she hushed me, finger over wolf-like teeth. As I stared, I saw her teeth retracting and becoming more humanlike.

This won’t be going into my official report. This will only be good for my journal pages. I have a little longer I’d like to live. As for my official report, I don’t know what happened. The CB knocked me out, and when I came to, they were dead. I didn’t see a thing. I’m not interfering in this feud.

Shhh…