Bab 46: Hunger.
The Chief paced up and down the dock. "Not one damn clue. Not one."
Six ships had been searched but nothing had turned up. No ripped clothing. No blood stains. Nothing.
Then from the far end of the dock there came shouting, we rushed over to find two police men holding down a Russian sailor.
"He came out of the darkness. Screaming." Described one of the policemen.
"No, I did not." Objected the sailor. "I was singing. It's not my fault my voice sounds like a moose."
"Why are you not on your ship?" The Chief asked him.
"Well I won't lie, I snuck off. I went to the circus Officer. Don't you know the Russian state funfair is in town?"
I looked at the Chief, the Chief looked at me.
The place was chaos, there were hundreds of Londoners there. If there's one thing old London town likes it's a party.
I scanned the crowd and saw sad eyes, happy eyes, and lots of drunken eyes. Every damn kind of eyes you can think of until they fell on one that only spoke one emotion.
Hunger.
For just a second our eyes locked onto each other. He was a young man with brown dark hair. Then in a blur he was gone. I scream to the Chief and we pushed our way through the swarming crowd. The Chief went right, I went left.
I spun around and around but I had lost him. Suddenly, howling came from the hall of mirrors to my right.
A shrieking crowd was fleeing the place. I drew my guns and stuck the Chief's whistle in my mouth. I was determined not to lose the beast this time.
Inside I saw every angle of myself as I crept forward. There was blood on the floor. From ahead I began to hear groaning.
"Kill me then." I hear the Chief groan. I rounded a corner and saw the werewolf crouched over the Chief. On instinct alone I blew the whistle.
The beast fell backwards and tried to cover its ears but it couldn't. I blew again. This time it leaped backwards screeching.
I rushed to the Chief. There was a nasty gash to his leg. "Bloody thing lured me in here and..." His eyes began to roll. I blew and blew the whistle until every damn copper in London heard me.
The beast was long gone. Never to be seen again. The staff at the circus said they did have a missing man, a loner with a temper called Norrie. I tried to raise the question of werewolves but they drew a blank.
The Chief pulled through and we both thought that Norrie had somehow died as the attacks had stopped that night. But the story wasn't finished there.
13 days later I got a letter from the Chief, the address had simply read Darknight, London, England. It was from Father Petrov.
My dear Darknight. I write this with shame as I had lied to you the night we met.
The note was not a poem, it was a confession.
Of a man called Gladoff Kranner. He said he worked for the Russian state circus and wanted to be killed. He couldn't help himself. He fell like God had abandoned him and was cursed forever to eat the flesh of humans.
I ask you to find it in your heart to understand what I did. I went to the circus and tried to look for him. It was only when you turned up that I found him. It was me who carried him away.
I knew the whistle would not kill him but it stopped him from killing.
I let the young man rest and turn back into human form. We boarded a ship that very night back to Russia. I could not let this young man be killed for his curse. So, I have brought him back to my old monastery. The monks have chained him down in the cellar and each day I read the Lord's prayer to him. I believe one day the curse will pass and this young man can be free from it.
I so wish you will also find it in your heart to leave us be. This letter I write to you to put closure with the dead of your country I give you my word he will never return.
I know Darknight you are a man of honour. Sometimes God shows himself in the strangest of ways.
Your friend.
P.
The Chief asked me what it said. I threw it in the fire and said no more about it.
Why do I confess this story now? I have not, for some of it is true and some of it has been changed. But I'd like to think the young man did find his freedom in some strange way.
Either way these are just some of the things I faced as the Darknight.
Wraith gave a smile sometimes it was best to have secrets. He had a few himself.
"This is some kind of crazy read." Wraith called out to Darknight.
"Keep reading you damn fool." he said from the kitchen.
Wraith leaned back in the chair and continued.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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mangabigbang Thank you for reading Wraith Macabre. There will be a chapter every Tuesday and Friday, with more spooky adventures of the occult detective as he tries to solve weird and wonderful cases!!
This is a novel by David Thomas, the writer of Avatara the manga series. Read Avatara webnovel based on David's manga script, written by novelist Domnic Obi:
http://tiny.cc/ni1j9y
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