The Other Side

Chapter 3: Trails

The docks were eerily quiet, the only sound permeating through the air being the straining clanks of the large iron chain attached to the departing ship.

Right next to the chain, a peculiar staredown was taking place between a man and a beast, dull amber eyes meeting a bloody crimson in a test of wills.

The beast snorted once, shaking it's head, puzzled as to why its prey had suddenly stopped fleeing for it's life, wariness fighting with instinct in it's primitive mind.

Now calmer than before, Raphael could make out greater details about the creature that had hunted them thus far.

It's head resembled a wolf, yellowed teeth tinted a deep crimson from its latest meal.

 Its ebony fur was matted and shaved off in some place, the exposed skin marked with numbers.

It stood on two legs, but a strangely out of place tail could be seen behind it, swaying silently, near translucent in nature.

Raphael tensed, preparing for what was to follow.

‘Observe. Think. Predict.’

His eyes glowed faintly as his mind raced, a trail of blood leaking from his nose.

At his slightest movement, the beast’s instinct seemed to win over it's wariness, as it leapt forward, jaws snapping towards the vulnerable human's neck.

In that very instant, Raphael dropped backwards like a sack of potatoes, leaving his life in the hands of the final piece in his plan.

Donna yanked the metal pin holding the chain to the docks, showing truly inhuman strength as the large pin went flying.

Like an overgrown whip, the chain snaked through the air with a cracking noise, unstoppable in its purpose.

The lunging wolf-man abomination barely had any time to react, before the chain slammed into it from behind, then continued through its body.

Instead of fangs and claws, Raphael felt warm and sticky entrails falling onto his face, as the bisected creature's lower half fell backwards limply, its upper half simply…

Gone.

“Ew.”

…………………………………………………………………….

If anyone saw the two people walking through the dark streets of the city, the police would surely have been informed.

One covered in blood and dirt, the other similarly battered.

Raphael supported Donna as they trudged towards one of the few places they could enter in such a situation.

They came to a stop in front of the eleventh door in the street, before Raphael banged on it.

[11, Avery Avenue]

A grumbling and cursing voice could be heard within, along with the sound of glass shattering, as the door swung open to reveal an enraged, stocky man.

“It's 2 AM you se- Oh it's you two.”

His anger faded rapidly when faced with a giant who seemed to be grimacing in rage and a blood covered man.

“What the fuck happened to you lot?” He asked, surprised at their state.

“Mind letting us in before chatting, Seamus? This isn't exactly the best situation to be discussed out in the open,” Raphael hissed.

The shorter man quickly moved aside and let the two in, before slamming the door shut and locking it tightly.

The room inside wasn’t particularly large nor overly small, just enough for one person to live and make fake cure-alls.

But with the addition of two more people, the room seemed cramped.

Raphael helped Donna lay on the couch, before turning to their puzzled supplier, “And now, we're open for questions. You have two before I sprint off to burn these clothes.”

Seamus hesitated before asking, “What happened to Diego? I didn't even think he could get hurt.”

“Big dog, next question.”

Seamus deadpanned, “What sort of dog is that big, huh?”

“The one we just met. That's two questions done. I'll be commandeering your shower now,” Raphael said as he entered deeper into the building, Seamus showing him the bathroom. 

His mind was clear on what to do-

‘Take a bath, sleep, then go over this shit tomorrow. Nothing more, nothing less.'

He wasn't worried about leaving Donna alone with Seamus for multiple reasons.

Namely, she could crush him like a twig even when injured.

Secondly, nobody else knew that Donna was, well….Donna.

On the streets, she was Diego Kang, and it was generally assumed she was male.

Meanwhile, Raphael himself changed his names like clothing, the latest being Sergio.

Their true identities were only known by each other.

As Raphael stepped into the cold shower with his bloodied clothes still on, he felt the onset of a massive migraine hitting him.

It seemed to burn through his skull, scratching his eyes, leaving him feeling like he had been up for days without blinking or sleeping.

The moment he was out of the shower and in Seamus’ smaller clothes, he collapsed onto the floor, asleep.

……………………………………………………………………………..

“It seems someone got here before us,” drawled a man dressed in a black suit, with a badge visible on his left breast pocket.

A badge that identified him as a government official, marked with a clear 2.

He looked at what remained of the wolf-man hybrid in puzzlement.

“Why isn't it gone yet? Is it still alive?”

He poked at the legs, and even the entrails trying to see if it was alive in some shape or form.

‘No…then why hasn't this one Faded?

His partner spoke from behind, “Leave the thinking to the Research Department.”

“The same Research Department that created this guy, then couldn't even imprison it properly?” He shot back quickly.

“Again, not our problem. As far as we know, it was just that one guy, Sturgis. This looks like a nightmare to clean-nevermind that, it looks like ‘He’ sent a cleanup crew before we could even report this one.”

The man turned to see a group of people arriving as the began scrubbing down the docks, packing the severed legs and entrails into boxes of ice one by one.

The unfortunate ship captain who was being held for questioning, was suddenly knocked unconscious, before being carried away in a stretcher.

“A full barrel of salt. What a waste~” The unserious man said as he squatted next to the overturned and trampled salt barrel.

“That's like, at least enough money for a full expenses paid luxury trip to Babylon.”

His partner, an older, gruff-looking man replied, “Shame indeed. But we're more interested in the ones who did this.”

The younger man asked excitedly, “Yeah? How do you figure that someone else was here?”

The older man calmly replied, “There's traces of the experiment's rampage leading from Doctor Sturgis’ house till here, in a manner as if it was lured.”

“The ship captain suddenly getting the signal to leave the port early? Not something I see this one doing.”

“The pin that's supposed to keep the chain pinned to the dock was removed just in time when the ship caught the current.”

“And the direction of the legs show that the creature was facing the sea, away from the chains, so the chances of it being the one to remove the pin are low.”

The rookie laughed in wonder, “Woah! You're like, an actual detective!”

“I AM an actual detective. And the large human shaped area right there being untouched by the blood helped,” the man replied, pointing to the remaining viscera and blood from the beast.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that read, ‘Open when necessary.’

He unfolded it, to see the words written within in bold blue letters.

[11, Avery Avenue]