Better Demons

 “Will this be my fate, Elias?” The pale woman asked, her partner holstering his revolver. She tried to ignore the body. He had fired four shots. Each one deadly, but it took four to do the job. How can he be so calm, she thought, as he wiped blood from his face. The werewolf hadn’t even fully transformed and managed to pin him to the ground. Even still it’s nothing to him. “I feel like I’m just rolling stones uphill.”

“Didn’t you use to say Fate is resourceful?” Elias said, and picked his nose and spat. She thinks too much about Fate. Blood soaked into his suit jacket and pants, flashing like crude oil in the fading light. He gently pulled his lapels apart to inspect them before letting them squelch against his chest. Dry cleaner’s gonna be expensive. He grimaced, then spat out the gore that seeped into his mouth. He took a bloody plastic snack bag from his jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle of mouthwash. “Just take it a step at a time, Faith, or your Fate’s gonna be a lecture.”

“I know what you really wanna say.” Faith said, ignoring his comment, “And besides, you never know if it’s actually Fate, anyway.” She bent over the corpse and hissed. Goodness, she reeks! She wrinkled her nose, baring her fangs for a moment before she quickly looked away. Is this what werewolves all smell like? She glanced sidelong at Elias. Hope he didn’t notice. She hated acting like a vampire in front of people.

She pulled on the cuffs of her immaculate pantsuit. Crisp and clean.

“That’s called the Flehmen Response.” Elias said, his voice dry. “So, did you smell something interesting?” Faith scowled, but kept her face hidden. She didn’t want him to see her blush.

“I don’t know,” she replied after a brief pause to collect herself. “I’ve never smelled a werewolf before.” She willed her pupils to dilate and looked around the darkening alley’s bloodied walls, eyes catching every movement, she heard everything. Sometimes it was nice to let herself go. She smiled.

“If this was you, would you say it was Fate?” He replied after gargling a second dose of mouthwash. Then, he tapped his glistening leather boots against the ground one after the other, dislodging bits of gore soaked mud. He stepped out of the alley onto East Van Buren and checked the street. There’d been a decent amount of passersby until he discharged his sidearm. Now it was quiet save for passing cars. They’d chased the werewolf from the Convention Center. He furrowed his brow as he returned to Faith. Why would a berserk werewolf run away?

“It just seems Fate has her favorites,” she said, hearing Elias approach. She pulled the creature onto its back. She jerked her head back. The blood oozing from it’s chest smelled awful. Flehmen Response #2, dammit! She hissed out a sigh when she finally was able to relax her mouth and looked up at Elias, trying to express that such involuntary reactions were case and point why Fate must have favorites with a single look. He barely shrugged then walked toward the opposite end of the alley.

Faith turned to face the body again before quickly pinching her nose shut. I must look like an idiot when I do that. She tapped her fingers against her leg. Her eyes flicked from the patchwork fur covering the body, to a single wound in the beast’s temple, the misshapen mandibles caught mid-transformation, then the precise cluster of three bullet wounds in its chest, and finally its bare feet. Human. Small. The soles’ callused and crusted in mud and... other things.

“I guess it depends on whether or not you want to be her favorite?” Elias said, suddenly behind Faith. He dangled a mask in her face, which she took, her lips tightening into a thin smile, the tips of her fangs showing, and returned to her analysis. He knelt across from her, his eyes fixing briefly on the corpse’s still-human blue eyes, before he drew a long black blade from behind his back. He retrieved a vial of mercurial liquid from a pocket and applied it to the blade. Where it dripped into pools of the beast’s blood, thin streams of acrid smoke twisted into the air. The blood boiling into nothing.

I hate this smell; I can’t imagine what it’s like to Faith, He thought, giving her a surreptitious glance. Her eyes were squinted in discomfort as her masked flexed with her breathing; though, she was watching his hands closely.

“I’m a monster, aren’t I?” She said suddenly, watching as he pushed the blade slowly into the creature’s heart. Sizzling blood jumped and spat veins of smoke, some trails bouncing off their clothes. She watched the beast’s jaw begin to undulate as it reshaped. Fur melting into smoke, falling in clumps, dissipating before touching the bloodstained ground. It was repulsive but she couldn’t look away. She briefly imagined her fangs falling out of her mouth, and she unconsciously brought her hand halfway to her face. She had to fight the urge to vomit when the face eventually resolved into that of a young woman. She looks younger than me! Her eyes burned, tears welling.

She looked to Elias for support, but, when he noticed, his eyes lingered on hers before taking an exaggerated breath. He’s waiting to see my reaction, but I don’t… She glanced back to the now fully human, and naked, woman. Dead. Her eyes lingered on the woman’s bloodless face. The eyes open and a bright blue. Another second. “Uh… I, I mean I’m… I’m…”

“It wasn’t Fate’s lack of attention that killed my son. Life made you a vampire, you choose where to go.” He said firmly, watching Faith stare for a moment, then wiped the blade across his sleeve, causing more smoke to jump from the blood soaked jacket, before re-sheathing it. He turned away, hoping to hide his expression from Faith. It was hard not to see his children reflected in the dead woman. And now Faith’s own face… He struggled to remove the jacket, but once off he covered the poor woman’s body. Standing, he rubbed his shoulder and gently rotated his head. Bones quietly popped. He walked back to the street, pulling out his phone.

“It’s,” Faith began, trailing off as she heard his footsteps receding. She cleared her throat, staring sideways at the bloody jacket, before quickly rising to her feet. She looked toward the street and watched him talk on his phone. Her hands trembled. When did they start doing that, she thought, clasping them together. Elias had his back to the alley, his head panning from right to left. Eyes sharp. He should’ve been barely audible, but she heard every word. His words were fast. And then he was done. The sharp clap of his phone closing preceded the slight scuff of leather soles on dirty concrete. When he was in ear shot, she spoke, “It’s like… like Karma, yeah? May— maybe, if I act more human, I’ll be less of a monst-- vampire. The good shakes out in the end.”

“Don’t you mean the bad?” He looked down at the corpse and then his wrist watch. He tapped his foot impatiently. Another long night. He looked at Faith. She stood still for a moment, arms crossed, then reached to remove the mask over her face. Her hands stopped inches away. They were covered with blood. Hot and oily, it seemed to shift and swirl on its own. Her expression twisting. He knelt down beside the body and retrieved sanitizing wipes from the inside pocket of his jacket. He slapped the wipes against her arm.

She took them, hands shaking as the corners of her eyes crinkled, and fumbled briefly to remove some from the pack. Two wipes removed the blood. Three removed it from under her fingernails. As she took a fourth, she slowly looked back at Elias. “What’d y’say?” She said, rubbing the wipe into her hands. They were turning red, again.

“Didn’t the bad shake out?” He said, watching her hands drift to her sides for a second. She was clenching and relaxing her fists. She’s going to faint. A siren whirled far off and he glanced at his watch again. Finally. He looked back and found Faith staring. She still had the mask on. It’s white fabric now blotted with blood. He pointed to his face, and she robotically removed her mask.

“What do you mean?” She smiled wide, fangs flashing, but it faded and turned into a grimace before she turned her face to the moonless sky, observing the roof tops above the alley and across the street. She knew she wasn’t making sense. But it was hard to focus. Her pulse was racing. And she couldn’t stop her damn hands from shaking! She tried squeezing them together.

Then Faith stared at the corpse. She inhaled deeply. When she looked up, Elias was watching her. Their eyes met and lingered. His brow furrowed and he gestured for her to sit, which she mumbled a refusal. His brow smoothed as he nodded and looked at his watch.

“God, I hate this time of year.” She said, too loudly, after collecting herself. Halloween always puts me on edge. It was still on the warm side of cold, but that’s just Phoenix. Night’s always smelled like asphalt and creosote. Still she cupped her hands together and blew into her fingers. The remnants of being rubbed raw had nearly faded, returning to their usual pallor. Even in Arizona, I’m as pale as the dead.

She looked down the dark alley. Her pupils elongated into vertical slits that expanded to fill her irises. Several emaciated dogs ravaged a haphazard refuse pile; a homeless man climbed into an open dumpster and emerged with a half-full trash bag; and multiple curtain-drawn windows hid silent silhouettes in the apartment buildings on either side. She looked up to the top of the parking garage at the end of the alley and gasped when she looked directly into a sodium-vapor floodlight. Blinking rapidly and rubbing her eyes, as her pupils contracted into circles. When her vision cleared, she saw Elias watching her. His head tilted slightly. Her lips pressed into a thin line and she shook her head, shrugging. He nodded. “Night comes too quickly.” She added, glancing at the corpse.

“At least it’s not a full moon.” He said, mirroring her gaze. Under the oozing jacket, the corpse’s exposed skin looked smooth, unblemished. He frowned suddenly and looked up at the black sky. It isn’t a full moon. A cool breeze blew through the alley, churning up dust and trash. A piece of paper landed in the large pool of blood. He blinked and then his eyes narrowed. No way… “The loony light’s too bright to sleep.” He mumbled, lost in thought.

“Joyce says you have night terrors.” She said, watching him sideways. Another breeze left her blinking out the dust. An aroma wafted with it, and she bit her lip. Her nose crinkled and she inhaled deeply. Suddenly, she doubled over, coughing. Retching. The smell tickled her throat and her eyes teared. Not now!

“Not every night.” He said, brow furrowed, approaching Faith. Her eyes, blackened orbs, spilling. Her head turned toward him. Saliva streamed from her open mouth, her fangs a vivid white, as she continued to retch. Strings of spittle dribbled from their sharp tips. He placed a hand on her back, felt her unnatural cold, and nearly pulled away.

“What’d you smell?” He said, with a small pat on her back. She started as if she’d forgotten he was there and shook her head, her pupils contracting. She looked at him and smiled, but her lips trembled.

“I’m hungry!” She said, angrily, and spat several times, grimacing. She pinched her nose and took a deep breath. “It smelled good! And I couldn’t control it…” She trailed off, her eyes closed. Her legs began trembling, and she steadied herself against the wall. She hid her face in her hands. Why does he have to see me like this?

“Anything unique about it?” Elias said, watching her. His eyes traced her up and down. She shook her head, obviously distressed. He sniffed the air. Nothing. It was funny, in a way. He smiled.

Her stomach growled.

After a minute, he cleared his throat. Her breath had steadied and she was no longer leaning against the wall. When she lowered her hands, their eyes met, again. She grimaced but held up a pale peace-sign.

She replaced the face mask.

“Next time, eat before going out.” Elias said, looking around again. There were a couple rodents hungrily eyeing the body from a dumpster further in the alley. Damn rats! He placed himself between them and the corpse. “Or, come by? Marie’s been asking.” He added, looking back at Faith, smiling. She didn’t notice. Past her, a police cruiser had pulled onto the sidewalk in front of the alley. It’s siren’s shrill sound faded away. Two officers exited the vehicle as an ambulance pulled in just ahead of it on the street, partially obscured by the building abutting the alley entrance.

“I’ll stay out of the way,” Faith said. The officers approached. The tremble in her hands returned. Or it never left. She did her best to fade into the dark.

Elias answered the officers’ questions. His description was droll, clinical. After he finished, he turned to see the paramedics lift the corpse onto the stretcher. They watched Faith, who stood against the wall with her head down, her face mask covered in blood. A thought dawned on him, and he jogged to catch up to the retreating officers.

A moment later, on his way to Faith, a paramedic intercepted him. As he returned Elias’ bloody jacket, bagged and tied, he asked him, indicating the young woman, “Your partner need any medical attention. We noticed the blood…” He added, waving a hand over his mouth.

“No,” Elias said with a smile, “she was just hungry.” The paramedic rolled his eyes and left. Elias knew Faith could hear him.

“Here!” Elias’ called, and Faith looked up just in time to catch the chocolate protein bar. “I told one of the officers you were hungry and didn’t like blood of the innocent. She gave you that.” She blushed and sheepishly opened the packaging.

“You didn’t have to tell everyone I got hungry!” She said, her blush deepening. “Who get’s hungry at a crime scene?” Slipping off the mask, she quickly ate the bar. It felt empty, like nothing.

“I do.” Elias looked incredulous. “You’ll need thick skin; not everything is about the vampire. You didn’t notice the paramedics’ concern for you, did you?”

Faith nodded, glancing away.

“Why did she have to die?” Faith asked a moment later, after the alley was deserted. She winced, regretting having asked. How could he know? How could anyone? She turned to face the large pool of blood. It was a lot. Too much. She pulled a vial of quicksilver and wolfs-bane from her pocket, stepping up to the pool, she uncorked it—the smell of burnt metal and alcohol made her gag—and spilled it all onto the blood. Suddenly, she realized: a woman died. She sobbed, unable to catch her breath. Don’t let me be next, please! I’m sorry we killed you! She felt overwhelmed as if the blood disappearing erased the woman entirely. The blood hissed, releasing thick tendrils of the nasty smoke, lasting for several minutes before the pool evaporated.

“This isn’t about Fate, Faith. I’m not here to bury anyone else.” Elias replied and stopped, shifting gears. “I want to know why she was poisoned. Isn’t that a better question to ask?” Elias paused, watching Faith stare back at him. “Joyce introduced us because she thought we could help each other. We’re in the business of Cause and Effect; Action Consequence; not Fate and Destiny. Keep your feet on the ground, Faith. Leave philosophy to someone else.” Elias added, as he made one last round of the scene, looking for infected blood. If any of those rodents ate some it would only be trouble for the neighborhood.

Then he looked at the blood smeared bag he was carrying under his arm. His white collared shirt now had a bright red bloodstain in the armpit and seeped down his side. He clicked his tongue. “Well, answer this then, what if Fate leads us to a crossroads? What would you do?”

“Well, I—,” Faith said, trailing off. She looked up at the sky, now black. Not a star to be seen. She swirled her finger against her nail for a few seconds before pressing her palms against her thighs. She glanced sidelong at Elias. He stood still, just holding his jacket in a bag. “I don’t know,” she muttered.

“I hope on that day you make your choice,” Elias said, punching the air, “and, when it’s over, I hope you own it, come what may.” He walked up to Faith, stopping within arm’s reach, “and if I disagree I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me to. Fuck. Off.

I know what this job means to you, Faith, so don’t dishonor yourself by doing whatever I say. I won’t do your thinking for you and Fate won’t either. If you believe you are more than a monster, then decide for yourself how to prove it.

Belief requires action, Faith.” He added, shaking the bag. He stared at her face, her shoulders, her hands, everywhere. No trembling, no tics. Good.

She stared back.

“Now to help track down this guy, you’re going to train your nose to be more sensitive.” Elias said, clapping her on the back, before walking out of the alley covered in bright red blood.

“What?” Faith paled, following close behind.