Case File: The Tainted Nature.

9.55 P.M

Monday

“Another special?” The waitress offered a drink.

Azy tilted his head, so his rose-colored eyes peered behind the black round sunglasses. “Aren't you a sight to behold?” He winked at her and grinned. Azy wasn’t kidding when he complimented her look: she was a solid 7 with short brunette hair and a tight ass in those thin jeans.

“If you like what you see, don’t forget to tip.” She poured a drink for him. Then she winked back before turning around and giving him a show of her rear.

Azy bit his bottom lips as he watched her closely. It’s her scent that sent a shiver down his skin. If only he could ask her out during work hours, he can’t or his boss will blow a fuse again. Another five minutes before his shift starts, he will need to report in before then.

After taking a look at his reflection in the window, he was surprised to see the man looking back at him. He never thought he could look this good. He only wished he could tan. It may be seen as a weird wish to tan, but for someone like him, sunlight is a luxury he can’t afford. In truth, he had a rare condition: It was called being a vampire.

Being a vampire had its perks such as a long lifespan, super strength, super speed, super sense, and near invulnerability. Blessed by good looks wasn’t one of them, he was already gifted in that area before he was turned.

However, the cons of being a vampire sometimes out great the pros. The pale skin, the white hair, and the insatiable hunger for blood. Azy doesn’t dwell on the cons because it simply became second nature to him. Even the hunger, he had fully grasped it after a decade of being a vampire.

Also, he can’t forget the most important weakness a vampire could have: the sun. A symbol of hope for some, but a deadly reminder for a vampire. The number one vampire killer. It beat the total number of vampires being slain by hunters. An acquaintance of his once had too much to drink and slept in the park, resulting in him being burned alive the next morning.

Depressing thoughts aside, he needs to check in with the precinct before his boss goes super ballistic on him. He fixed his black suit jacket and the red shirt with a few buttons undone. But before Azy leaves, he placed a few bucks with a huge amount of tip on the table along with his card.

Azy left the booth and waved at the cook in the kitchen. The burly cook with a thick mustache had known Azy for quite some time now. They used to be enemies, but they had put aside their differences after a couple of centuries fighting each other. It had become tedious to be angry all the time.

“See you around, Jack.”

The cook grunts. That was his number one response to everything.

There was one thing he needs to do before leaving, he turned to the waitress. “I’m afraid our time together had to be cut short, but I want to know will I be seeing you later?”

She grinned mischievously at him. “I don’t know, will we?”

“That isn’t a no, but I’ll take it.” Azy returned a smile at her before walking out.

Immediately, the pouring rain outside greeted him with a loud thunderous roar from the sky. Azy sighed and ran to his car. His baby: A red 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230 also known as “Pagoda”. He never goes anywhere without this car. He loved that car more than he loved his life. It had cost him a fortune to maintain it, so he will be damn sure no one is going to ruin it.

Before he started talking to his car, Azy snatched the transceiver and brought it close to his lips. “Enforcer Azriel Leopold, 3265-V. Reporting in. Over.”

“Copy that, 3265-V. You got a 10-14 near you. Suspect described as a young teen without shoes.”

“Copy that.”

“We’re sending the location to your Nav-Guide.”

An address appeared on the small tablet above his radio. It morphed the address into a map and showed him the fastest route. Azy brought his baby gently to life, then shifted into gear. He eased on the pedal and drove toward the location.

After arriving at the address, Azy saw someone shambling down the sidewalk. He looked closely, it was a teen about the age of 18. He had no shoes on and was drenched, perhaps it was the rain. Azy parked beside the teen and rolled down his window.

“Hey.” A strong scent lingered from him. Blood.

The teen doesn’t answer.

Azy groaned and stepped out of his car. He rushed to the teen. He placed his hands on the teen’s shoulders, stopping him from going forward. The teen’s eyes were unfocused and murky. It was one of the tell-tale signs that he had been in contact with a supernatural creature. After looking down, Azy clicked his tongue. The teen was missing a few fingers. Blood dripped from the stumps.

He took the teen’s hand and licked the stump, which caused the wound to heal. A vampire’s saliva has a special kind of healing property, but only to an extent, it can’t regrow a limb or close a huge wound, but it can heal a small cut and a puncture wound that is usually caused by vampire fangs.

Azy sat him in the passenger seat of his car. He got into the driver’s seat and snapped his finger in front of the kid. It woke the teen, sending him into panic mode. He screamed and wailed his arms until Azy placed his hand on his shoulder and used compulsion to calm him down.

Compulsion is one of the abilities a vampire naturally has. It can order the targeted mind to do a few basic actions, but it can only be activated with skin-to-skin contact. Given time, a vampire could hone this ability and use it to completely control a group of people without the need for direct contact. And the kind of vampire that has this ability is rare and ancient.

The teen began calming himself and leaned back against the seat. His drenched clothes seeped into the leather seat which thanks to a few investments Azy had put in those seats, the water won’t damage the leather. He had the mechanic install the latest premium leather seat with resistance to stains and water degradation.

Azy started to drive while still keeping his attention on the teen. “Tell me what happened.”

“I-I was hanging out with my friends… when that thing came. It dragged us down and tried to drown us,” said the teen through gasping breath.

“Describe the creature to me.”

“It was a black horse with a fishtail and fins.”

“A Kelpie, here? And you touch it?” Azy glanced at the teen with a raised eyebrow.

“We were petting it. We-We didn’t try to hurt it! So, I don’t understand why it wants to hurt us.” The teen began to sob. “Marcy, John, and Betty. They are my friends. They’re dead, aren't they?”

Azy rolled his eyes and tossed him a handkerchief. “Keep yourself together. Where did it happen?”

“Under the bridge. There.” He pointed out of the windshield at the bridge, northwest from here.

Azy took the transceiver. “Command, update the 10-14 to 10-32 and 10-19V: Category 5.”

“Copy that.”

The teen looked at Azy. “Are you a cop?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“But you don’t look like a cop.”

“What do I look like to you?”

“A gigolo.” He chuckled through the groan of pain.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now, get some rest.”

Fatigue washed over the teen, forcing him to fall into a deep slumber.

It doesn’t take a half-hour for Azy to arrive at the location. He scanned the area from inside his car, seeing a couple of shabby sofas under the bridge, a few empty beer cans, but no sign of other teenagers. The heavy rain isn’t helping him see clearly.

He grabbed the transceiver. “Please send the emergency service to my location.”

“Copy that, 3265-V. They are on their way.”

Azy reached the locked handgun beside the radio. The bright red LED on the side of the handgun turned to green when it detected Azy’s signature fingerprint, it unlocked itself for Azy to pull out.

The Justicebringer MK II: it’s a handgun specifically made to deal with the paranormal. It can cycle through types of specialized rounds with a voice command and because it has a fingerprint scanner, only the registered user can wield it.

He took off his expensive suit jacket and slipped the handgun into the shoulder holster. After stretching his neck out, he was ready to face the damn horse. “Why does it have to rain tonight?”

Azy stepped out of his car and into the rain. He hastened his pace until he reached under the bridge. It was a mess down here, broken makeshift table and empty cans everywhere. The sign of struggle was obvious. He squatted down near a bloodstain. After running his finger against it, he took a whiff of it. It was strong and fresh, enough for him to track it.

After tracking the scent, he arrived at the entrance of the sewer. A large amount of water up to his knee was pouring out due to the heavy rain. The scent led into the entrance, so that’s where Azy headed. He took out a flashlight from his back pocket and shone the way.

It doesn’t take long for him to arrive at the central hub of the sewer. Numerous entrances lead out of the room, some to the river and others to the sea. Rainwater poured down from the pipe in the ceiling. A hill of wet dirt stood in the middle of the room, and a group of teenagers laid around it.

He rushed to all of them, checking their pulse. Unfortunately, only half of them were unconscious, while others had passed away.

Something thick and slimy dripped down his shoulder. The kelpie was looming behind him with its front hooves raised. It brought down the hooves on him, but instead of being crushed under it. The kelpie was suddenly thrown across the room.

All it took was a single punch from Azy to do that. The kelpie shook its head, seemingly confused by what happened. It turned its sight on Azy and met a glimmer of red eyes. A cold shiver ran down its back, its instinct was telling it to run as fast it could from this man, and it did.

Azy wasn't going to let the kelpie escape, not on his watch. He ran and leaped onto its back.

The kelpie violently rocked its back, trying to get Azy off. Frustrated, it started galloping into the tunnel where Azy came from. It rammed its body against the side of the wall, from left to right and left again. However, no matter what, Azy wasn’t going to let go.

Out of the sewer, it dove into the river with Azy on its back. It twirled like crazy to get him off, but to no avail until it dove back onto land.

Azy was squeezed between the horse and the hardened ground. He had to let the creature go. The kelpie galloped toward the river once more. However, it was too late, Azy already took out the Justicebringer and aimed it at the creature.

“Rocket.” The handgun recognized his voice and cycled through the ammo.

With a squeeze of the trigger, a thunderous roar followed. A bullet escaped and powered by propulsion flew at high speed through the creature’s belly. The Kelpie cried in pain and dropped onto its bloody bellies.

The vampire stood up and walked to it. He pointed the barrel at its head. Despite the excruciating pain, the creature still hasn’t given up as it tried to get up. He finally understood why. There was another set of heartbeat inside its belly. He couldn’t hear it because of the heavy rain, but now when the rain had calmed down, he heard it.

Azy holstered his handgun and raised his hands before kneeling near it. The creature trembled at the touch, but once it felt Azy’s gentle touch, it finally calmed down. The creature whined and cried. A tear ran down its face.

The vampire was heartbroken when he saw the scars on its body and the iron collar around its neck. They even branded him with a hot iron: the symbol was in the shape of a twin-bladed axe.

“Poachers,” said Azy with a tinge of anger.

The kelpie was a creature attuned to nature, it avoided the city and town because of the pollution. It would have a hard time breathing in this kind of air or even swim in this dirty water. It must have been painful for it.

Azy knew that it had drowned a couple of kids, but it was only following its instinct. No matter how mythical this creature is, it was still an animal, driven by instinct. Azy remembered the first time he saw a kelpie, it was majestic, and to see it suffered like this was heartbreaking.

“You didn’t ask to be here, didn’t you?” He patted its head. There’s nothing he could do now, Azy took out his handgun and pressed it against the creature’s head. The creature whined, but the vampire compulsion calmed it down.

“Regular.” The gun recognized his voice and switched the round. He squeezed the trigger and a muffled pop traveled across the empty night sky. The rain had stopped, the sky had begun to clear, and a ray of moonlight greeted them. The creature had passed away.

Azy sighed. He stored his handgun and walked up the river bank to see blue and red lights occupying the dark around his car. The emergency services had arrived, along with the paranormal unit from animal control. Even a few units from the Paranormal Investigation & Enforcement Department (PIED) were here.

He walked toward his car, waving his badge at the other cops before they even questioned him. “The other kids are in the sewer, north from here. Inform animal control, there’s a dead kelpie behind me.”

“Copy that, sir.” The cops rushed away.

A beautiful dark-skinned medic with curly hair stopped Azy from reaching his car. He turned to the woman with a raised gaze. “Yes, can I help you?”

“You need medical help.”

“What?” It was surprising that someone said that to him. After he took a closer look at her, she was staring worriedly at his back. Azy found a reflection for him to use and saw that his back had been torn apart, revealing bone and flesh. “Ah shit, my shirt. I need to get a new one.” He turned to the medic. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” She raised her voice and glared. “You need medical help, right now.”

“I think there is a misunderstanding.” Azy grinned and raised his hands to calm her down.

She didn’t listen to him and pulled him away to the back of the ambulance. She forced him to sit down at the back of the truck before she goes inside to grab the solvent. From here, Azy could see the teenager he helped earlier in the other ambulance. The solvent fell out of her hand as she gasped in horror.

The nerve in Azy's neck rose as he gritted his teeth. His regeneration had kicked in, the bones were restored in place while the meat and skin regrew. Azy let out an exhausted sigh before leaving his seat.

“You’re one of them…” muttered the medic.

“Yes, I am. You must be new.” Azy took out his card and placed it in her hand. “If you want to have a drink together, give me a call.” He winked at her before leaving.

Azy walked to the trunk of his car, he opened it and grabbed another crimson shirt. He removed his holster and set it aside before he took off the torn shirt.

“Uhm, I didn’t know. I’m sorry for raising my voice.”

Azy was surprised, most people would stay away by now. He let out a chuckle. “Sorry for what? You were just doing your job.”

“They warned me that I was going to see weird things during the night shift. I thought they were exaggerating. Uhm, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you?”

“Curious little one, aren't you? Don’t they also warn you to stay away from the likes of me?” Azy put on a fresh but the same red shirt he had on earlier.

“They did, but you don’t look that dangerous.” She smiled.

Out of nowhere, Azy grabbed both of her wrists and forced her against the trunk of his car. She tried to break free, but Azy’s supernatural strength overwhelmed her. “Well, you should listen to them. The dangerous ones are the ones who look like a human. So beware, or you might be eaten.” he flashed his fangs and brought lips closer to her neck.

Azy heard her heartbeat getting faster, her blood pumping furiously, and felt her warmth coming off from her neck. His lips were so close to her skin, he could taste it. She was shivering, but she didn’t struggle against his grip.

There was a scent of lust coming from her. She has been reading too much of those vampire novels. If he was his old self, she would be drained till death by now.

One bite was all it's going to take for him to sip her blood. To calm his thirst.

The vampire blew a cold breath against her neck and caused her to moan. “You’re a naughty one, aren’t you?”

“N-No. That’s not true,” whispered the medic.

“Oh yeah, you don’t want me to ravage you right here, right now? I could do it, all it’s going to take is your permission, so what do you say?”

“Uhm…” She turned her gaze away, her cheeks reddened while her lower part began to heat up. “It would be fine if we get a room near here.”

Hearing that caused him to smile from ear to ear. He felt the heat coming from her lower abdomen. “No. I want you to ravage you right now,” he growled.

That growl sent a shiver of excitement down the medic’s body. “Please no…” Her brain said no, but her heart wanted him so bad. Her legs were becoming numb. She closed her eyes when Azy brought his lips closer down on her neck while he pushed his leg between his thigh and against her privates.

However, Azy loved to tease his victim, so he kissed her neck and let her go. He grabbed his holster and closed the trunk behind her without saying a word. He proceeded to get into his car and tossed the holster onto the passenger seat.

The medic turned her head, confused. She got closer to the driver’s side and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I thought you were...”

He blew her a kiss and stepped on the pedal. She watched as he left without even saying a word to her. She can’t believe him. He’s the worst. Anger rose inside her as she showed her middle finger at him.

Azy was grinning as he looked at the rearview mirror.

The radio spoke up. “3265-V, the Captain asked you to come in.”

He grabbed the transceiver. “Copy that. On my way.”