The Red to My Grey

by William Dudley Berridge Tuckey

  “Son, you’re just like your mother, you know that? Sure, Celia may look like her, but the way you always try your hardest to help everyone and how much you care about those close to you. Well, it could cause a lot of trouble at times.”

  “I’m coming too. I know you and that girl tried to use me to get to my father, but I’m not letting Wade go alone to try and help you,” Angel said to Risk with a serious expression on her face. Sophia grabbed both Angel and me by the scuffs of our shirts and said one word.

  “No,” she wouldn’t let us go off on some wild jailbreak and we knew better to argue back.

  “Please! I don’t know who else to turn to without killing anyone. I don’t want to be the freak that I’ve become.”

  “Say, boy. You’re one of Sinclair’s creations, aren’t you? What name did he give you? Risk, wasn’t it? That’s what you said, right Wade?” Sophia fired off questions one after another like she didn’t care that he was begging for our help.

  “My name is West!” He stood up with a fiery glowing hatred burning in his eyes. I grabbed Angel by the hand and tapped him on the shoulder.

  “I’ll go get Johnny. Sophia, I’m doing this whether you like it or not,” I stood my ground and she only got angrier, giving off a vibe that suggested if this was a one-on-one conversation, I would soon find a knife through my chest. Anne grabbed her by the waist and held her in place, pushing her against the kitchen bench.

  “Anne, what are you doing? Let go of me.”

  “I’m just trying to get you to relax. If you feel so strongly about this, I’ll go too so I can keep an eye on them. Stay home and enjoy yourself with your new husband, no need to worry.”

  “Fine, but if anything happens to the two of them, I’ll never forgive you.”

  “Sigh. No pressure then; come on, Anne. We still gotta go get Johnson.”

  On our way over to Johnson’s house I tried to get a bit of information out of Risk since the whole incident felt a little off.

  “Hey Risk – I mean West. When did you notice Cindy was missing from work?”

  “She wasn’t there when I went to pick her up, so I went inside and luckily your boss Rex remembered me from the wedding; he told me what happened.”

  “So, what’s the plan then? I doubt you’ll be able to go back to living like before if you bust her out of her cell.”

  “I was hoping you could see if the detective that went after you that night could help get her out…worse comes to worst, I’ll just kill everyone inside the station, free Cindy and then burn it down. That way there’ll be no witnesses.”

  “It scares me how seriously you can say all of that. I definitely think that’s not the right way to go about it,” I was really hoping Johnson would have a better idea because I couldn’t see things ending peacefully. In front of Johnson’s house was his car, he was loading several different items into the boot. As it turns out Sabrina saw the incident play out while she was still at work as Johnson went off to pick us up from the train station. She called to let him know and he devised a plan, a wild one at that. We had just come back from vacation and were already being dragged into the thick of things. West and Johnson shook hands as they came to work together in the first time in years.

  “It’s awesome that I can still count on you after all these years.”

  “I owe you at least this much. Let’s go free Cindy,” Johnson said modestly.

  “Hell yeah!” he yelled as we all dived into the car and we made our way to the police station.

  Chapter Eleven

  When we arrived at the police station, Anne and I went inside to get their attention. The reception desk was attended by a dreary looking female police officer. Her face shot up from the desk as a buzzer sounded as we walked inside. I asked to see detective Swan and she told me that he had actually been looking for me. We were escorted into one of the back rooms of the station and we sat down at a table in the centre of the room. Mr Swan walked in the room a moment later and seated himself at the opposite end of the table from us. He looked exhausted as he smoked a cigarette and leant over the back of his chair only to rest his elbows on the table afterwards. I looked at the badge on his overcoat; he wasn’t just the head detective; he was filling in as the chief of police for Fellbroke which explained why he looked so worn out.

  “I suppose I should start with the formalities. How are the two of you? Enjoy the wedding last week?”

  “Giggle. Would you look at you? Trying to act like this isn’t an interrogation. How adorable.” Anne was on guard and knew this was more than a simple meet and greet.

  “Now now, don’t be like that. It doesn’t have to be one if I receive your full cooperation and besides it’s not like I don’t know why you’re really here. You came to convince me to let that girl go, didn’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t be here right now if she wasn’t here. I heard you were looking for me?” I asked trying not to push my luck as the detective blew smoke in our faces.

  “I see you waste no time in asking what I want. It doesn’t matter though since I’m not letting that girl go. She’s not only a criminal but also an abomination that’s guilty of cannibalism, murder, theft and several cases of assault. She will be tried before a court of law regardless of what you have to say.”

  “That’s fine and dandy and all, but you didn’t answer his question, Detective,” Anne wasn’t about to let him shut us down just yet.

  “Well I wanted to make an arrest tonight not only on the girl but you as well, Wade; you have been conspiring and cooperating with criminals after all.” He threw several security camera shots of both Angel and I sitting at the café drinking coffee alongside Sinclair, others of me with Risk running around at night. It definitely pissed me off to see someone I trusted to go behind my back to take me down.

  “You really think you’re in control of this situation, don’t you? That the law is on your side, so you can do whatever you want?” Anne was biding her time at this point and we were in a very bad spot.

  “I’m only doing my job, to stomp out crime and bring justice to those who have wronged the innocent. I intend to keep my promise, or my time here would have been for nothing. Bring her in,” he called to the door and two police officers escorted Angel into the room with her hands restrained with handcuffs. They pushed her into me and slammed the door behind them after exiting the room. Angel was trembling in my arms and I could understand why; one wrong move and our lives would have been stolen from us, forced to live in cages. The detective showed no fear, only his resolve as he finished his cigarette while he stared us down.

  “Sigh. I also know you’re just stalling me, so your friends can make a move. You all would have been better off if you never looked into all of this. There are some things better off left in the dark, but I guess you couldn’t help yourselves.”

  “What are you talking about? We’re all just trying to get by! I don’t care how messed up our past was. We’re trying to make the best of everything now!” Angel screamed at him trying to assert the fact that she had done nothing wrong.

  “He’s talking about the hospital. You’re pissed that we went snooping and that Johnny has a better grasp on the murders, experiments and all the psychopaths springing up in Fellbroke than you do. What do you really want, David Swan? Can you really say you’re just doing your job?”

  “I am bringing the notorious murderer, Sinclair Natsuki, to justice not for myself, not for the people of Fellbroke, but for the sake of justice itself. Angel Natsuki, if he were my father, I would have put a bullet through his skull a long time ago,” he said to her bluntly.

  Anne suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, rolling along the ground holding her sides. Her eyes were shining a bright red and she continued to laugh until she began to cough, as if it was so funny to her that it hurt. She brought herself from the ground while wiping the tears out of her eyes.

  “Chuckle. Are you seriously trying to tell us that your resolve is so weak that you’re going with such a
half-assed excuse for doing all this? Could it be that you’re trying to catch Sinclair for fame and wealth beyond your wildest dreams? That you’re too stubborn to admit that you are a greedy, petty fool?”

  “I have my own reasons for why I absolutely cannot let this case slip through my fingers. I won’t give up until I achieve what I set out to do.” The detective sparked up another cigarette and stood turning his back to us. He was no better than Risk using Angel as bait to lure Sinclair in and his plan would play out as such, but it was Sinclair himself that he truly didn’t anticipate. The detective pulled out his chrome revolver from his overcoat and he aimed at Angel. I stood in front of her without a second thought, but he assured me if I died, he would just shoot Angel after I fell. Staring down the barrel of a cold gun, my heart raced. Fearing what would happen next. Roar!!! The thunderous howls of beast echoed all throughout Fellbroke, a dark swirling cloud drifted over the city. A cold-blooded murderer had come back home with his monstrous family to set things right. The ceiling gave way and slabs of concrete and metal came crashing down on the table in front of us. From the hole that formed in the ceiling, Sinclair hurled himself through it to face the detective. His face was wrapped in cloth drenched by freshly spilt blood; he held a machete still dripping from carving flesh and the stench of death lingered around him. He stayed silent as he tightly gripped the handle of his blade, but the roars and screams of his creations running rampant throughout Fellbroke took away from the silence. Phones were ringing throughout the station like a natural disaster had struck. The detective didn’t lower his gun, taking the safety off instead. The detective’s arm shook as he tried to hold his gun steady, not out of fear, but out of anticipation and he had a smile on his face as he stared the murderer in the eyes.

  “So, here you finally are. You’re even more terrifying than I thought you would be.”

  “Are you trying to die?” Sinclair said as giant beasts began to poke their heads through the hole in the ceiling.

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “Well I’d love to see how all of this plays out, but we have other things to do. So, we’re going to have to say goodnight,” I abruptly spoke over them and the wall behind us crumbled to dust. As the cloud dispersed, Raul, the talking beast, Risk and Johnson appeared with Cindy hiding behind them.

  “Real sorry about this, Detective!” Johnson yelled as he straight up drop kicked him to the floor, knocking his gun away from him. The dreary looking policewoman barged into the room and stood in front of the detective as he brought himself from the ground.

  “Chief! The entire city’s in trouble! Those things are everywhere, and all units are occupied. The spectres have been deployed but they’re not enough; they’re all over the place.”

  “Sigh. So that’s how it’s going to be, is it? I guess justice isn’t as black and white as I thought it was. Sinclair, call off your monsters and I’ll drop this case. I’ll let you and your family go. I will never bother them again.”

  “Why must I consider the words of a simple pawn? You may have authority now, your words may be true to yourself, but what’s to stop your replacement from pursuing me in the same way? This city can rot for all I care.”

  “I’m not really in a position to bargain, am I? Look, this case wasn’t about doing the right thing. Honestly, I don’t care all that much about Fellbroke either. I have experienced nothing but horrors in my investigations here. Chuckle. You really have become a true tyrant, so powerful that an entire city is forced to bow down to your hatred. I can’t exactly give you a reason to stop all this; you’re just going to have to trust me.”

  Sinclair sheathed his machete and gave out his hand; the detective shook it as he concealed his revolver inside his overcoat.

  “I made a promise to stop being this way, so I could commit myself to those who need me. If you are true to your word, I will continue to allow Fellbroke to flourish and grow. I’ll stop being a tyrant and one day I’ll use my talents to aid in that said growth. However, go back on your word, or if my family should come to harm, I will see to it that this city burns in the most horrific way imaginable.”

  A compromise may have been formed, but the chaos didn’t just up and fix itself. Sinclair vanished before our very eyes and we looked outside the police station. The beasts giving up on their destruction, running off to a rendezvous set by their master. They had left Fellbroke a complete mess with corpses lying throughout the streets. Most of which were never seen again, probably because they became additions to Sinclair’s twisted family of beasts. The damage they caused had hundreds of businesses closed for quite some time after that night. We weren’t exactly let off the hook for all the trouble he had caused either, but the detective did follow through on his word, so it wasn’t like we were punished too severely. He spoke to all of us in his small cramped office. He sat on his desk while the rest of us stood in and around the doorway facing his desk.

  “I guess there you have it, as long as Sinclair practically owns Fellbroke, I have no choice but to let you go. I never really believed in the idea of second chances and with the position I’m in, well I still refuse to accept them completely. You all seem to be making the best of what’s been given to you. This is your second chance, waste it and I will arrest you even if it means we are all to be punished,” the detective said in a serious tone, mainly staring at the three former members of Sinclair’s twisted family. Cindy tapped me on the shoulder and sincerely thanked me and everyone else for going so far to help her. She looked tired and we could see the whole experience was just as hard on her.

  Before leaving, we had to fill out various sorts of legal forms and statements. It wasn’t until around one in the morning until we got home. All the attention throughout the city had Sophia worried sick while Nami and Dad were just glad to see us safe and sound. I explained everything that happened to us and after hearing all of it Sophia was pretty much ready to rip my throat out. Angel and I were dead tired from our holidays and this wild night wasn’t the best way to settle back into our day-to-day lives. We dragged our luggage we had left in the kitchen from earlier through the hallway to our room and left it next to the door inside. We collapsed against the bed. Angel nuzzled her face against mine with her eyes closed. We didn’t say anything and just enjoyed how quiet everything was, of course that was asking for too much. My phone started going off. I looked to Angel and she told me to answer it. Thankfully it was only Johnson, but he gave me something to think about.

  “I’m sorry to call so late and if you were already asleep, I’m sorrier still.”

  “Don’t worry, Johnson; I was just letting my mind wonder a bit. What did you want to talk about?”

  “Well I have bit more to say than usual, let me start off by saying I’m glad Sinclair intervened when he did. I wasn’t entirely confident on the jailbreak I came up with. I’m glad West and I didn’t have to follow through with it.”

  “No kidding, you may have been something close to a gangster back in the day, but making threats and stomping heads. I couldn’t really see you actually doing that sort of thing.”

  “I’m just really glad to be home after all that. Sigh.” Angel added as she rested against me as I ran my fingers through her long black hair and stared into her eyes as I spoke with Johnson.

  “So, I’m a tad curious as to why everything played out this way…Wade, are you listening to me?”

  “Oh, sorry Johnny, I let myself get distracted. I missed those last few bits.”

  “I guess it’s only natural that you would be tired after everything going on lately. I was wondering what led everything to this breaking point. Mr Swan came off as if he was acting in desperation and he’s clearly disappointed to be letting this case go. The way he spoke was as if he had a lot going on. I want to know what put so much pressure on him to lead up to what happened,” Johnson was so perceptive at times it was almost painful. What he suggested was that we pry even further into things than we had already. My curiosity stung at t
he corners of my mind, but for once common sense or whatever it was, told me to back down. We found horrors and sickening beast every time we delved deeper into what was being hidden. It was almost certain that if we chose to look further into this we would find only more of such things. I put Angel on the phone and told her I wanted to hear her opinion. She heard him out and her response was sharp and to the point.

  “There’s no point in ignoring the truth, if you did that in the past. I wouldn’t be here right now. I would be still waiting in that house waiting for someone to come home. Johnny, if you want to look into this, I’ll help you.”

  I had hoped that she could have seen it in the same light as I did, but to her this wasn’t about following curiosity down its long road. It was about unveiling the truth. I still wasn’t sure on the idea of it all and I didn’t want us getting ourselves into trouble again. However, whether we acted or not, trouble would come looking for us.

  “Don’t worry, Wade, I won’t act behind your back. If your instincts are telling you otherwise, then I’ll respect your judgement.” Johnson wasn’t thinking about this half-heartedly either.

  “Thanks Johnny, I definitely think you’re onto something. We’ll talk this out later, okay? I’m gonna try and catch some sleep. Night,” I hung up the phone and as I turned to Angel, she had a pouty look on her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Pat my head like you were before,” she demanded of me.

  “Nothing huh? You sound a tiny bit upset to me. Did I say something to annoy you?” I asked and then unzipped the back of her dress as I ran my hand down through her hair until I reached the zipper. Her pouting face quickly turned to a giddy smile with rosy cheeks as she pressed herself against me. We spent the next couple of hours enjoying ourselves to our heart’s content and for once it wasn’t Dad and Sophia echoing throughout the house.

  The next day we had off to rest up before going back to our jobs and we used much of the day in the same way as we did the night. Lying in bed, flirting and messing around with each other. Around four that afternoon Angel and I went to the café after picking Nami up from school. She looked ridiculous sitting next to us at the counter in her school uniform since it didn’t suit her at all. Dan was washing up dishes in the sink away from the counter and Nami was indulging herself with some chocolate cake she ordered, it wasn’t cheap on my wallet either. She was happy with it though; so I let it go. Angel would also sneak bites at it whenever Nami took her eyes off it, so she could peak over at my phone while I was scrolling through an article I was reading while enjoying some coffee.