The woman was still alive, though barely. Once the ambulance came and the paramedics reached into the narrow alleyway, she was immediately transported to the nearest hospital.
"What was she doing here anyway?..." Frank asked, looking back at the crime scene, now speckled with a few forensics taking samples. They swabbed anything they thought might be useful to explain the woman's ambush. Through many cases of assault, Frank managed to solve a significant number of them in his short span as a police officer.
But this felt different.
Something about the woman, about her lying in blood with a bite wound on her neck, felt off, different.
Sinister.
The foul stench of garbage and sewage from the alleyway, combined with the light of the police cruisers bouncing off the red, brick walls from behind and the distant wails of sirens, further cemented this feeling.
"She looked as though she had come back from work not too long ago, with her attire and all. A white shirt and a dark pencil skirt," Maurice commented.
They'd taken a few statements from the witnesses who stood close to the body; however, nothing stood out as a possible clue to why the woman was in the alleyway.
"Could she have been attacked somewhere else? Perhaps, someone carried her to this alleyway..." Maurice spoke up again. "Maybe she was trying to run away from whoever tried to harm her, and she ended up here."
"Whatever it is, it's strange how this all happened beside a full-on protest; someone must have seen something, right?" Frank stated next.
"I think they did," Maurice replied. "They did, but they mustn't have thought anything of it. So whatever happened, it didn't raise any alarms."
"We'll scan the area for some cameras to get surveillance footage. That might help us." Frank's words also served as an excuse to move away from the horrid smell.
"Sounds like a plan."
And with that, the officers began to look up at the walls of the surrounding buildings, searching for any cameras. And there, they found two. Two different perspectives looking into the alleyway entrance.
"Hopefully they caught something..." Frank responded.
"I guess we'll see tomorrow, doubt we'd be able to know anything tonight. I'll contact the station to get the footage from the businesses in the morning," Maurice said. "For now, we'll let the forensics team take what they need."
— — —
In the evening that followed, the day was dark and cloudy. The sun had already met the horizon, painting an orange hue in the grey-ish clouds. The forecast predicted another wave of widespread rain in the hours ahead.
Inside Frank's apartment, the young policeman found himself cooking himself a meal before his shift.
He was cutting some onions for his food, as the ambience of the kitchen was primarily made up of the running kitchen hood over his head, mixed with the sizzling of the aromatic pancetta cooking in hot oil.
Behind him, on the television, a film played. 'Evil: Reanimated'. A cult classic, showing a group of survivors voyaging through a ghost town that used to be a flourishing place of life.
As Frank continued cooking, the tension in the movie rose. The protagonist was hiding behind a wall, sneaking his way through an abandoned hospital. Their objective was to reach a vantage point and release a signal of hope for those still alive.
But as Sebastian, the protagonist, advanced, he was jumped by a corpse. In turn, the release of tension was sounded by a sudden violin stroke as the struggle began. And this didn't go unnoticed by Frank. The sudden sound startled him, making him jump as he sighed a "Fuck!" under his breath.
He had cut himself.
Looking down at the small slit on his finger, which allowed the flow of blood, he quickly put it under water, before wrapping it with a wet kitchen towel. Only then did he turn his attention to the TV, hearing the sounds of shooting coming from it. "Damned horror...". Forming a fist to fasten the paper towel into place, he advanced to the living room before switching the programme. He was content with the cooking channel that came up.
Next, his phone went off, signalling an incoming call. Seconds later, after answering his mobile device, he realised it was Maurice. "Hey, Frank, how are you doing? Slight change in plans for tonight. We've been redirected to the police station in Bailestown." A 15-minute drive from Sileaux.
"Oh? Any reason for the sudden change?"
"Big time. It's to do with the incident last night, in the alleyway. Since the police department in Sileaux couldn't obtain a clear image from the CCTV footage, it was sent to the neighbouring police force in Bailestown, where our colleagues managed to do just that."
"Anything we gotta get ourselves from down at the police station before we go?"
"No, no. As soon as I pick you up, we're good to go to Bailestown," Maurice replied.
"Alright, sounds good..." Frank replied, moving back into the kitchen. "I'll be ready."
"See you then."
— — —
Following dinner, getting ready and heading out the door, it didn't take long for Maurice to arrive and pick Frank up. The rain had already begun to pelt down on the land, its fall coming earlier than expected. Even the fastest wiper speed on Maurice's cruiser couldn't keep the flood of rain off the windshield.
"This rain is already getting on my nerves, and the season has only begun," Maurice said, exiting their town and driving on the relatively empty carriageway.
"Looks like the weather has scattered all the people off the roads," Frank commented.
"Smart people... I wouldn't be driving out either if I didn't have to."
There, silence reigned in the cabin, as the sound of both the car radio and Maurice's and Frank's walkie-talkies filled the muteness between the two colleagues. "Did they mention any findings from the CCTV cameras to you yet?"
"Very little. They did manage to find the woman on the cameras, but other than that, I'm assuming they'd want us to be there, in person, to give us any more information."
"Sounds reasonable enough," Frank replied.
Looking ahead, Frank saw how the rain came in waves, curtains even, splashing off the glass, its sound sharp. Almost as if it were hail and not rain. Already, the windshield began to form condensation from the cold rain on the outside and the warm air from within. Immediately, Maurice tended to the problem, redirecting the airflow of the car to the windshield.
Looking down at the radio, 'FM 104.57' caught his attention. "Welcome back, dear listeners. Following some of those great tunes from the 90s, we hope to continue in the same spirit, but not after we complete one special segment planned for tonight. 'Rock, Paper, Roll!'"
Glancing toward Maurice, Frank spoke up, "Mind if I change the station?"
"Oh yeah, have at it."
Quickly, the sound of the news filled the cabin, and just as Frank was about to change the radio station, Maurice stopped him. "Wait, wait... Can you leave the news on for a second? I want to hear some of the reports."
"Of course," Frank replied, also tuning into what the spokesperson had to say.
"3 dead, and many more injured, following an explosion in a manufacturing facility outside of the capital, Aides. Emergency services are on site now, and firefighters are continuing to control the blazing fire. Civilians near the manufacturing plant are advised to exercise caution and not get too close to the areas affected by the fire. The Health Organisation of Veursau are advising vigilance in the coming weeks, as the newly found virus is becoming more rampant. Cases in recent days have skyrocketed, leaving scientists baffled. Here's what one of the lead epidemiologists had to say on this matter..."
"We ask for caution. From both the public and government officials.". A man's voice was heard next. "PET is becoming more unpredictable. Based on our epidemic models, it's not aligned with our calculations. In other words, it's spreading faster than we've anticipated. This illness is unlike anything we've seen in recent years; it raises questions about some of the other calculations, such as incubation periods. For now, what we know is that PET is contagious, more than we initially thought. And this brings another worry: How exactly it's spread. We're working hard on this to uncover all vectors of transmission. So, for the time being, we'll assume that with PET, all vectors of transmission are at play."
"Shit..." Maurice muttered under his breath. "Sounds like shit's getting more serious by the day."
"You got that right."
"The Iarterrean government is announcing to introduce stricter measures to counteract the rising cases of the PET virus further," the spokesperson's voice sounded again. "Next, we have the weather. Torrential rain has hit the capital and many of the smaller towns in the city's periphery. Meteorologists predict that the rain is set to last until the early morning hours, with warnings of localised flooding from the rain placed for the municipalities of Aides."
"Looks like we're in the midst of it," Frank replied, looking out his side window.
Letting his gaze move back, he looked out through the windshield. It seemed as though the darkness and rain were rubbing at them, trying to push them back. A feeling of dread spread within the pit of Frank's stomach.
And then, from afar, Frank sharpened his gaze. He saw a figure on the side of the road, and a second later, as if seeing them getting closer, it began to wave. "Maurice? Do you see that?"
"Yes, I do..." Moments later, indicating a right turn and turning on the police lights, Maurice slowly veered to the shoulder of the road before halting to a stop.
Opening the doors and walking out into the rain, the two officers approached the lone person. It took Frank a second more to realise that the figure he saw moments ago was that of a woman, drenched, her hair slicked down her face from the rainwater. Her face was creased with distress and upset.
To the right of her, in the back, Maurice caught sight of a refuelling station. The main LED sign was flickering erratically, appearing to be broken. The inside of the station was pitch-black. All the while, where the gas pumps stood, the white light indicated operational status. And there, it illuminated a lone, black jeep beside the fourth gas pump. He assumed the vehicle belonged to her.
"Ma'am, my name is Officer Frank Fallon. This is my partner, Officer Maurice Peters. Are you alright?"
She let a rugged rush of air through her lips before shrugging. "I-I don't.... I don't know..."
There, Frank took notice of how her other hand was put by her neck, blood running through her fingers and down to her jumper. "Ma'am, you're bleeding..." Then, looking at Maurice, Frank said, "Call the paramedics."
Seeing Maurice rush back to the cruiser, Frank continued to tend to the woman. "Can you tell me what happened? It seems as though you were attacked. Is that correct?"
The distress only grew on her face, the frown on her lips inching slightly bigger. "I-... I... It all happened... Officer, it all happened so fast...". And at that, she burst into tears.
"Take your time, Ma'am..." Glancing back toward Maurice, he gave a simple nod to indicate he had gotten through to other emergency services. "Before we continue, I'll turn on a recorder to get some details from you. Is that okay?"
The woman nodded her head. "Take whatever you need, Officer. I want to help as much as I can."
"Alright..." Frank began. He knew that taking notes in the rain on his notepad would be futile. "Ma'am, imma need you to try and remember, as best as you can, what happened."
Calming down seconds later, the woman tried speaking up again. "Ermm... I- I saw we were low on gas. My husband and I. So, we turned into the station to get some petrol." Turning toward the station, she crossed her brows, anger switching her saddened demeanour. "I know from the moment I saw that place, it was trouble..."
Frank nodded his head, looking toward the fuel station in question. "And what's your name, if I may ask?"
"My name is Emily. Emilly Harpe. And my husband is Joshua Harpe..." It took her a moment to continue. "It just... it all happened so... fast." Her words were heavy, just like the rain that fell on them both.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
There, moments later, Maurice returned from the police cruiser with an umbrella.
"He went to pay, Joshua. And I remember thinking... He's sure taking his time. When I went into the station, there sure was a lot to see. Shelves toppled over, food everywhere... And then..." Frank saw Emily stop, her brows coming closer again as the frown returned to her lips. "And then I saw him... My husband, my sweet Joshua... On the ground." She took a moment to take a deep breath before continuing, "But, before I could get to him, I felt something grab me from behind. Pulling me in. I tried to fight them off, but..." She let out a grunt of pain, moving her hand from her neck, looking at it. Coagulated blood stretched across her hand, some of it broken down by the rain before dripping to the ground.
And whilst Emily looked at her hand, it gave Frank a moment to, just about, see the bite on her neck. "It looks... It looks like a pretty nasty bite." Almost like the woman they found in the alleyway last night, he thought.
"We've got emergency services coming, Ma'am," Maurice said next. Then, stepping closer beside her, he took over the conversation, asking her a few more questions. Frank found himself frequently looking into the distance, back to the petrol station. He felt his mind running faster, nearly matching the beating of his heart. Something wasn't quite right.
Not long passed before the other emergency services arrived at the scene. "We've got it from here, Officers," a police man said to both Maurice and Frank, dismissing them both.
Turning around one last time before getting into the car, Frank saw how the paramedics and other police personnel surrounded Emily. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing her again," Frank said as he closed the door.
"Maybe..." Maurice replied. "We're running slightly late, so it's better we get going as soon as possible. You ready?"
"I'm ready to go," Frank responded.
Maurice nodded at him, pulling off from the shoulder and continuing down the carriageway.
— — —
It didn't take long for them to enter the town of Bailestown. As the two officers came to realise, it was slightly bigger than their hometown of Sileaux. But as they drove through it, getting closer to the town centre, its size began to wear off.
Ominous road signs marked some streets off, as metal barriers were used for the same purpose, but for the pavements. 'Do NOT Cross' stated one of the signs.
"Looks like things aren't all too bad in Sileaux after all," Maurice commented.
"Or could be what's awaiting us too..." Frank started. Then, furrowing his brows, he continued. "Is this what they mean by restricting movement?"
The rain subsided a fair bit, seeming like the sky is giving them a short break from the precipitation.
Driving for a few minutes more, they reached the entrance of the police station. Parking in a suitable position, Maurice powered off the vehicle before disembarking the car.
Walking up the wet, stone steps, the two officers opened the walked into the reception, immediately greeted by the receptionist. "Welcome, please follow me. Lieutenant Stephenson is waiting for you."
"Our apologies for the lateness," Frank said.
"Ah no need for it. The weather is horrendous. Heard there's some flooding close to your area. I hope that Sileaux won't be affected."
That was it for the small talk between the youthful woman and the two police officers. She swiftly showed them the way before walking off when Lieutenant Stephenson ushered them into a meeting room. "Good evening, gentlemen. We're glad you could make it in this horrendous weather."
There, another woman knocked on the door before walking in, holding a bunch of photographs. When she set them on the table, and when Frank had a look at them, he realised they were snapshots from a CCTV camera. The crowd of people on the street told him it was from the cameras pointed at the alleyway.
"We managed to find the woman in question on tape..." Lieutenant Stephenson began. Turning around to fetch his laptop, he let both Maurice and Frank have a look at the videos from the security cameras.
Lieutenant pointed his finger at the figure of the woman, staggering her way toward the alleyway. It was their victim.
"She walked into the alleyway," Maurice said, his eyes fixed on the laptop screen.
"All alone..." Frank added a moment later.
Looking down at the snapshots, a red circle on each frame indicated the woman, her movement telling them the same information as the video.
"Just to reiterate... She got attacked; however, this attack occurred elsewhere. And she walked to where she ended up, in the alleyway," Maurice voiced.
"Sounds about right," Lieutenant Stephenson replied. "But..." He looked back at the video, "Giving her walk, we know she couldn't have gone on for long..."
"Meaning?" Frank asked.
"Meaning, wherever she got attacked, it's not far from where you found her." His words caused a wave of goosebumps to course Frank's skin, simultaneously making his stomach drop ever so slightly. 'A possible murder in Sileaux?' Sileaux wasn't immune to killings; however, its rarity served as a mighty surprise when it did happen. "Now, we could have told you this over the phone, I'm well aware of that, and we would have done that if it wasn't for this..." Stephenson said, before peeling back a few photos until the scenery changed.
Another knock on the door caught their attention; the same woman from earlier walked in, dropping off a few files on the table beside Stephenson. "Thank you, Annette."
Sliding a few pictures before the two officers, they saw another red circle on the photos. A lone figure, at first, right before someone else jumped and attacked the person. Even from the poor resolution, a struggle was obvious. The victim managed to push off whoever attacked them before running off. When they got closer to the camera, it was revealed to be a woman, clutching her arm. The snapshots end when she leaves the frame.
"Not only that, but we also got a call a few hours ago, notifying us of a body found on the canal walkway." Lieutenant opened the folder Annette handed him. "It was the same woman from the CCTV camera. With a bite on her arm."
"A bite?" Frank felt the back of his head tingle with slight unease. 'It can't be...'.
"A bite," Chief affirmed. "She's in the hospital currently, stable and awake. We got a statement from her regarding the incident. She said she was attacked, as video evidence shows. Jumped, pulled and then bitten."
Frank was silent. He only turned and looked at Maurice. Their gazes met.
The lieutenant was about to speak up again when another knock was heard on the door. "Sorry, Lieutenant. Do you have a moment?"
"Ah, Percy. Yes, come in, come in," he said, before adding, "Also, these are our colleagues from Sileaux."
"Ah," Officer Percy started. "I suppose I can tell them this, too. It has something to do with the woman found in the alleyway."
Frank's face went pale by a few shades. "Related?"
Percy didn't say anything until she sat down. "10 new victims. From Iarterre and the rest of the federation. Strikingly similar to what we have here."
"Similar in what way?" Stephenson asked.
"The bites, Lieutenant. In the necks and arms. Some even in the legs. And all measures to match the mouth profile of an average adult human. Off of this alone, I believe all these cases are connected," Percy elaborated. Her words brought back images of Emily. Frank's mind paced back to the bite wound, the distraught demeanour of the woman. And the fact that, in addition to tonight's meeting, she was their 11th victim.
Something definitely wasn't right.