Chương 12: View on the City
"Okay, if I understood correctly..." Investigator McCall had returned to Beacon Hills to investigate the sheriff's office, to determine if all the bodies found, the unsolved murders, and the unresolved cases were due to the sheriff and his deputies' inefficiency.
But Rafael McCall had requested this mission himself; he wanted to see his son again...
He was in the sheriff's office, specifically in Stilinsky's office, with four teenagers in front of him: Stiles, Scott, Lydia, and Kira.
"Stiles, you went back to the school at night to check on a hunch, and there you discovered a coded message instructing Barrow to kill Kira, which Barrow saw while hiding out in the chemical storage room during the day. Then Barrow kidnapped Kira to electrocute her, causing a city-wide power outage..." Investigator McCall asked.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it..." Stiles spoke up, speaking for the group.
"And you, Stiles, you not only discovered the coded message but also figured out that Barrow would be at the power plant, and you went there with Lydia, notifying the police only once you were already on site..." Investigator McCall looked directly into the boy's eyes.
"Yes, that's also pretty much it..." replied the boy with dark hair calmly.
"Pretty much..." McCall repeated, staring at Stiles.
"And you discovered the coded message on a hunch and found out where Barrow would be on another hunch? Those are some impressive deductions..." Rafael continued to look at the boy who seemed neither intimidated nor worried by the events.
"Well... you know, my dad is the sheriff, talent runs in the family..." Stiles gave a big smile and winked at his father sitting behind him.
Stilinsky couldn't help but chuckle briefly before regaining his composure.
"Stiles, just answer the questions."
Investigator McCall looked at the teenagers, who weren't making any effort to lie convincingly, giving him half-truths or lies that weren't convincing at all.
He sighed and eventually gave up. He turned around and asked the sheriff's opinion:
"Stilinsky, what do you think?" The sheriff knew, of course, that everything the four teenagers had said was probably false, but he also knew there was likely something supernatural involved in this case. He would ask his son about it later.
To him, this case was closed, Barrow was dead, and there were no more victims. The only worrying thing was the coded message suggesting that someone had been manipulating Barrow, using the serial killer as a pawn.
But Stilinsky couldn't focus entirely on that lead; there was the Walcott case, one of the most gruesome cases Beacon Hills had ever seen. The FBI was "collaborating" on the investigation, so he wouldn't be able to devote his energy to the Barrow case for now.
"Personally, I haven't believed a word out of Stiles' mouth since he learned to talk, but I think these kids just happened to be in the right place at the right time..." the sheriff finally replied.
Investigator McCall sighed, taking one last look at the teenagers, who seemed to know much more about what was going on here than they were willing to admit.
"Alright, we have the Walcott case, which is more urgent right now. Go home..."
The teenagers all nodded and stood up to leave, but Stiles turned back and asked:
"Any updates on the case? Did the forensic experts who are combing through the yard find anything? Has the girl said anything more? Any news on the father and the assailant who broke into the house?"
Rafael paused for a second. "How do you know we called in forensic experts?"
Stiles stopped and looked at the other teenagers. "Well, the whole town knows most of the details..." Rafael was momentarily surprised and turned to the sheriff, who nodded in confirmation and said:
"It's a small town, and for such an unusual and big case like this one, most civilians were aware of it within a few hours..."
Investigator McCall nodded, understanding, and decided to answer the boy:
"The forensic experts are keeping us updated; they've found about 13 bodies in the yard, and there are likely many more... The Walcotts were cautious and well-organized; we think most of their victims came from other towns."
The three other teenagers were uncomfortable hearing this. It was a truly gruesome case, a family of cannibals and probably a mountain of corpses.
Except for Stiles, who asked for more information from his friend's father.
"No, we haven't found the father or the assailant. We have some helicopters sweeping the area and the woods, and cars blocking the exits of the town, but it's likely that the father was killed by the assailant, although we don't know why he kidnapped him. We have some theories and possible leads that suggest it might be someone close to the Walcotts' victims, seeking revenge, capturing the father for perhaps more than just killing him..."
Investigator McCall pushed the young teenagers to leave. The others were already outside the office, but Stiles was still persistent.
"And the girl?" he asked as Rafael pushed him toward the exit.
"Go home, Stiles," he replied simply.
"Please, just one last question. Do you have any updates on the girl?" he persisted.
Rafael had led Stiles to the office door, but it seemed he wouldn't leave easily without answers. Rafael sighed and said:
"No, the girl is traumatized. According to the psychologist, she's retreated into a delusion where her captor was some kind of non-human monster, and her hero was a magician or a pyrokinetic who can create blue flames, or something like that. The girl is traumatized and she's not much help." Rafael hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something more...
"Something else?" Stiles noticed his reaction.
Rafael hesitated but said:
"No, it's just an odd detail in this case. The door and the wall that served as a facade for the tunnel were... well, ripped out, and the door was even thrown across the room, shattering against the wall several meters away, but there's no evidence that the assailant used any tools. We're waiting for the forensics team to check for explosive residues..."
Stiles nodded and left.
'It's hard to tell if this is really a supernatural case or just a normal one; it's too early to say. But magicians and human-eating monsters, that's too much, even for the supernatural.' Lost in thought, he didn't notice, neither did anyone else, that his red-haired friend froze in her tracks when she heard McCall mention blue flames.
*****************************
"Whew..." In a hotel room, a young man with curly black hair could be seen moving at high speed, fighting imaginary enemies, repeating the same movements.
His visible torso had a few drops of sweat, and his green-gray eyes were focused on his imaginary opponent. A thin layer of black could be seen on his fists, appearing with each impact of his punches. He was fighting at such a speed that his strikes and position were hard to see clearly, but the sound of his fists impacting the air gave an idea of the power behind his blows.
Landon continued his training for another 30 minutes before stopping and sitting down on his bed.
'My progress in Armament Haki is almost negligible,' a hint of disappointment could be seen in his green-gray eyes.
'After all, it's normal... Both types of Haki, and Armament in particular, develop during high-intensity battles. The best progress is made during life-or-death fights.'
Landon sighed; finding fights that pushed him to his limits wouldn't be easy, and he wasn't even sure he wanted to.
He went to take a shower and then headed outside, deciding to avoid the hospital today after thinking it over. The girl he had saved was probably there, and she might recognize him, which would be a disaster.
Landon decided to go to the public library instead. He asked Alfred for directions and left, arriving there 15 minutes later.
On the way, he noticed that all the places dependent on electricity were more or less paralyzed, depending on how reliant they were on power. For example, the hospital could have come to a complete halt, but they had a generator.
'During the day, there aren't many establishments or shops that use a lot of electricity. I guess tonight, if the power isn't restored, we'll really see the difference.'
Landon parked not far from the library and looked at the building in front of him.
The Beacon Hills library is a calm and welcoming community space located in the center of this small town. It offers a vast collection of books for all ages, from contemporary novels to literary classics, as well as reference books and magazines. The space is bright and well-organized, with light wooden shelves, comfortable reading tables, and specially designed children's corners.
The library also provides free access to computers, which wasn't very useful today, a section dedicated to digital books, and regularly organizes workshops, book clubs, and community events. A few students were engrossed in their studies, and some children were playing around the tables or participating in group story readings.
Landon found the aisle he was looking for, which he finally located behind the history book collection. He approached and looked at the books that interested him: Human Anatomy, Medicine, Congenital Diseases, Fundamentals of Pharmacology, Infectious Diseases, Clinical Toxicology...
Landon smiled; he was in the right place.
***************************************
"No, Lydia, I can't help you. The girl in question just had a check-up, and surprisingly, she had no injuries or anything..." Melissa McCall was at the hospital, talking on the phone to the young girl who had called her.
"She had no marks from restraints or injuries?" the confused redhead asked."
"No, none of that, she is in perfect physical health, I'm telling you, just mentally exhausted..."
Melissa was interrupted by another nurse asking for her help in one of the rooms.
"Alright, Lydia... I have work to do. What's going on, and why is it important?" the nurse finally asked.
Lydia, on the other end of the phone, took a deep breath. Sheriff Stilinsky had told her it was impossible; no matter how much she asked or said it was important, he couldn't take her to the crime scene at the Walcott house. The FBI was on the case, and since he was under investigation by the FBI himself, he couldn't help. He was powerless and couldn't do anything.
Right now, the young victim was her last hope. Fortunately, she should be at the hospital for recovery, and Melissa might be able to help.
"I need to talk to the girl; it's very important. Please, Mrs. McCall, do me this favor..." Lydia pleaded with the nurse. The young girl was her only way of finding out more about the blue fire and the person behind it.
"Listen, Lydia, even if I wanted to, she left an hour ago..."
"What? Why did the police let her go? She's the only witness to what happened!" Lydia couldn't believe that her only chance had slipped away.
"Lydia, the girl was in perfect health; there was no reason to keep her. Normally, we would have kept her a bit longer, but she was adamant about going home to see her family. The FBI agreed and escorted her back home," Melissa replied gently, sensing the urgency in the young girl's voice.
Lydia asked the last question that could possibly help her.
"And where does the girl live?"
Hearing the hope in her voice, Melissa took a breath:
"Lydia, she lives in South Boston. At this hour, she's already on a plane accompanied by agents to ensure her safety..."
Melissa spoke these words, and several seconds passed without any response. Lydia finally replied,
"I see. Thank you..."
"Lydia, tell me what's..."
But she hung up before Melissa could finish her sentence, leaving the nurse on the other end worried about the young girl, whose last words had been spoken with a trembling voice...
****************************************
"Whew," Landon sighed, stretching in his chair. On the table in front of him were several books he had started reading. He was in a corner of the library, making sure he was as secluded as possible.
'Fortunately, I have Marco's medical expertise...' Landon was able to understand the books he was reading; he knew certain things, which helped him grasp deeper medical knowledge.
'But Marco's knowledge stops at human anatomy, injuries, and very little about diseases, poisons, and other such things...' Landon needed to learn more about diseases, genetics, symptoms, pathogens...
It was the only way to elevate his healing abilities to a higher level. Landon lowered his head, lost in thought.
'The Beacon Hills hospital is full of seriously ill patients, dying people for whom I can do nothing...'
Landon's Haki could sense the families' pain, the patients' despair, their regrets, and he couldn't do anything for them at the moment...
'It's frustrating...' Landon's knuckles were white from clenching his fists so tightly.
After a few seconds, he sighed and left the library. Night was falling, and he hadn't eaten anything.
He went to a nearby restaurant, ordered enough food for four people, and devoured it in a few minutes.
'It's kind of embarrassing that I've also inherited a bit of the appetite from the people of One Piece...' he left the restaurant 30 dollars poorer.
He had only 78 dollars left in his wallet.
'There's also the pickup rental that's about to expire; I need to renew it. I have to go hunting again...'
Landon decided to go tomorrow; he was mentally exhausted and not in the mood to return to the woods.
Instead of driving back to his hotel, he took wide turns and detours, traveling around the town, releasing his Haki. He saw some minor crimes, drug sales, and such, but he ignored them.
Landon would intervene if someone was in danger; otherwise, he just wanted to quietly explore the town, get to know its streets, clearing his mind as he walked while night fell.
This town had its own charm, its inhabitants, but also its mysteries, its dark and supernatural side.
Landon stopped in a quiet parking lot, a high spot that overlooked the town.
He got out of the car and looked straight ahead, having an unobstructed view of the city.
He observed the landscape, the setting sun, and the blue-orange sky, and he felt once again that same feeling he experienced during these moments of introspection.
That loneliness...
He had no personal memories of his previous life, not even remembering his own name.
The only familial experiences he had were those of Marco.
'It's kind of funny when you think about it; I'm a phoenix representing life, youth, yet I live my life doing nothing more than breathing and helping others...'
Landon was a very solitary phoenix...
He continued to quietly watch the sunset, remaining lost in his thoughts.
He gradually saw the sun disappear, along with the light it brought, watching the last rays fade away.
But when the last one vanished, Landon suddenly leaped about ten meters forward, propelling himself away from where he was in a fraction of a second.
He turned around and saw the threat his Haki had detected: several shadows emerging from the ground at three different spots, gradually forming shapes.
'What the...' Landon couldn't believe his eyes; with the little he knew about the supernatural, what he was seeing was astounding.
The three black mists had transformed into humanoid figures equipped with silver masks, heads bowed, wearing some sort of black leather suit with a Japanese style.
Their entire bodies emitted a slight black mist that rose a few centimeters before being drawn back into their bodies, then repeating the cycle, forming an aura that accompanied them.
They looked like shadow assassins or demon ninjas...
They raised their heads and looked directly at Landon, who had escaped earlier. Landon saw their eyes; they were a bright young green, glowing like fluorescent lamps.
Landon saw the three focusing on him, as if he were their target, coming for him.
"Who are you?" the young man asked, but received no response; the three figures simply continued to look at him.
Through his Haki, Landon sensed that the three figures were composed of darkness; they had absolutely nothing human about them, not even partially like the Walcotts or the teenage werewolves. No, these were not human at all.
It was as if they were made of darkness itself...
He sensed only a thin light inside their chests, like a sun covered by darkness and emptiness...
His Haki told him they weren't even alive; worse, they didn't even have their own consciousness. They were more like robots capable of performing simple tasks and obeying orders.
'This world is really weird...' the boy thought.
A silence settled for a short moment, the shadow assassins simply staring at him. Landon felt uneasy under their gaze; their piercing eyes seemed to want to read him from the inside.
But Landon wasn't afraid; he had his own powers, his own strength.
Suddenly, the shadow demons made a strange sound, like an alien roar for lack of a better comparison, a noise resembling a rapid tinkling of something metallic coming from inside their bodies and echoing outward.
And they all started moving, advancing in unison...
Landon watched them approach; he stretched out his arms and covered them with his azure blue fire, taking a boxing stance, his arms burning with flames that illuminated the night that had fallen a few minutes earlier in this deserted parking lot.
And Landon smiled...
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