The Shadow of the Magi

by Billy Spencer

  “To cover what you do...This is insane who do you work with,” Lucuris said to Alexander as he follows him down to his command center, he then looked at the cases with different variations of his suit. One was just armor with some rubber or plastic plates to try and shield a person's weak points but limited their movement. He saw one that was fitted for a woman and just wondered how long Alexander has been doing what he has been doing.

  “It is not insane if you lived in a city where crime was the normal. Where death was just a new headline and people only knew violence without peace. It is my city and I made it my job to protect it,” Alexander said to Lucuris as he kept his focus on the files that he was looking at.

  “What are you looking for, shouldn’t we be searching for Anne,” Lucuris said to Alexander as he turned and looking at the huge screen with different files on it.He felt like he was working with some sort of law enforcement, but he wasn’t.Lucuris saw missing cases, murders and some that he did not even want in his own nightmares. Sometimes he forgot that humans themselves could be some pretty horrible creatures.

  “She will show herself we just have to wait. There is no reason to try and go after her now she might trap us or even have more of those shamblers to do her bidding. So I am looking into a case that I have been working on for the past year,” Alexander said to Lucuris as he opened one file and showed a file that was titled “Double murders of the Smiley face killer '''.It was a file that Alexander felt haunted him and kept him up in the times that he would try to sleep.

  “The Smiley face killer…,” Lucuris said to himself as he looked at the images that was in the file itself. The images showed many people on their floors, in chairs and even in trash cans with their bodies with cuts all over their bodies with their clothes almost off of them. Some of the faces had people with their eye lids cut off, their fingers and ankles cut many times. Their faces had bruises on them and cuts on their mouths that opened up their lips or cut them across the mouth to make them bleed as blood would drip on the floor in front of them. The people were tortured and beaten before they were killed. Whoever killed them enjoy it to their core.

  Alexander looked at the people in the files and only could think of trying not to fail them. “Michael Meaton age 56. Maria Cortez age 25. Elizabeth Wright age 32. Jake Smith age 12. It is these and many more who I want to help. To find out who did this all to them and to bring them to justice,” Alexander said out loud as he took his fist and slammed them on his desk.

  Lucuris could tell that this bothered Alexander a lot and he wanted to do everything he could in his power to help the dead. Lucuris did not know how he was able to do everything by himself. That he was able to make this house into something more and to work on a serial killer case by himself was something that sent shivers down Lucuris’s spine. “I don’t know how you do this alone. Without my friends I would be afraid to do anything if it was just me,” Lucuris said to Alexander as he began walking back and forth, still thinking about the images that he saw and the people and ages that he heard.

  “I don’t do this by myself. I have Bailey she is someone that has been trusted by my family for years and she is one of my closest friends. She and me went to high school and college together and she is the only person who was there for me when my parents died,” Alexander said out loud as he kept his focus on the monitor and started to read some of the latest articles on the new in his city.

  “Your parents would be amazed at everything that you were doing, or they would think you had an obsession,” Lucuris said out loud in a small chuckle.

  “He does have an obsession. I tried getting him to quit for years, but this is his obsession and I will help guide him on it,” A low voice said as a woman appeared from the shadows. She was pretty tall and slender. She wore a dark blue suit and had short hair.

  “This is Bailey Lucuris.Bailey this is Lucuris he is new to our city,” Alexander said as he turned his chair around looking at Bailey and smiling at her.

  “Nice to meet you Lucuris, we never get visitors,” Bailey said to Lucuris as she gave him an emotionless stare. She then looked at Alexander and tossed a file on his desk. “Another hit tonight about two hours ago. It is the Smiley face killer. They are getting more bolder,” Bailey said to Alexander as she stood there with her arms crossed.

  Alexander picked up the file and started reading it looking at the images and details of the crime. “Two adults in their twenties. Tortured, their body cut all over. Their eyes gouged from their sockets, and their tongues cut out. This is different than the others. I wonder what could have changed,” Alexander said out loud as he started to ponder.

  “This killer he has not been caught and no one has pictures of them why is that,” Lucuris said to Alexander looking at the file that he was holding.

  “We don’t know the people who encounter him are dead, and the people who do look at him only see a smile meaning he could be hiding who it is using a disguise,” Alexander said out loud looking at Bailey with her arms still crossed. “What’s wrong Bailey? Is something wrong?” Alexander said wondering if she was upset at him for something he did or didn’t do.

  “The killer this time around did something odd and different. All the people who were attacked had no blood in them,” Bailey said out loud as she looked at the big monitor with the images and headlines of the killer.

  Alexander looked at her in confusion. He felt that something was off about what the killer did. “That doesn’t make sense in the killer changing up what they did,” Alexander said as he began to get up from his chair.

  “What if they were working with someone else,” Lucuris said out loud. He wasn’t sure what to feel or think when it came to killers because he did not have to deal with it in his city. In his city the worst thing that happened was robberies, but he never thought about killers, especially serial killers. But he should have known better with the recent events that happened to him and his friends. His world was different, and he changed himself as a person. The world use to him would just be a background to his life but the darkness now coming over into their plane he kept wondering where and when different demons, vampires or other creatures would pop up and if he was ready enough. In his heart he felt he was not even close to being ready, especially after his encounter with Anne and her shamblers.In that fight he felt like he was back to square one and did not really know what to think when it came to his abilities.

  “They could be working with Anne,” Alexander said out loud as the thought crossed his mind.

  “Who is Anne, and why would she work with this killer?” Bailey said to Alexander as she begun to wonder what was happening.

  “She is this monster. I am not quite sure what she is but when I entered the city, she attacked me. I almost was done for if it wasn’t for Alexander,” Lucuris said as he looked at Alexander and smiled.

  “Wait what were you doing there. You were supposed to be downtown at an event for the community,” Bailey said looking at Alexander in anger. She then grabbed his armored shoulder and pushed him back into his seat.

  “I was following a lead on the Smiley face killer. I didn’t go because of that and I did not call you because I got caught up with Anne and Lucuris,” Alexander said as he began to get back up from his chair. He knew that he should have called Bailey beforehand that he should of not went there by himself. He felt that he could handle it himself and did not want her to worry about him.

  “So was the Smiley face killer there or did you get to caught up with trying to save this person. You want to stop this killer, but you always want to put strangers before going after them. I know you want to help everyone that you can and you do not like just passing people by if they need your help but you have to understand and remember that this is a murderer and the longer you let them go free the more people that are killed. The more people that are killed means more and more children grow up without parents,” Bailey said out loud as her voice grew louder and louder. She could feel her blood boil and could feel
sadness flood her heart. She didn’t want Alexander to put his life on the line and she didn’t want him to go alone. She wasn’t mad he helped others but couldn’t help herself and just said whatever came to her mind and did not think about it.She wanted Alexander to do what he felt he had to but she wanted to be there to help him and she definitely did not want him to go on a mission by himself. She didn’t want him to be alone even if death was heading his way. “I’ll see you later. It was nice meeting you Lucuris,” Bailey said while walking out of the room and out of the house itself.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Lucuris said out loud as he looked up and at the front door.

  “...She will be fine. She just needs time to cool off. Look lets go look at this scene that just happened. It is more brutal than the last and seems they could be trying to get more attention,” Alexander said to Lucuris as he put on his cowl, and headed out of the house with Lucuris.Wondering why the killer was getting more bolder, why Anne was in his city and causing trouble and just what Lucuris was looking for in his city at all were just a few questions that Alexander wanted the answers to. If Anne was working with the Smiley face killer it would be a plague in his city that would not stop and haunt Alexander more than other cases where people died.

  Chapter 4

  A small home in Alistein, the lights are off, the street is quiet and only the front porch light is on. Someone begins knocking on the door softly three times before it is opened. A man opens the door and greets the young man with a smile. “Oh, hello there, what can I do for you,” The man says out loud as he starts to clean his glasses with a small napkin as his head tilted to the right looking at the person.

  “Oh hello. I am sorry my name is Will and I was just selling some candy bars around the neighborhood and would really appreciate it if you bought some,” Will said to the man as he held the box looking nervous.

  “I love sweets. If it is chocolate bars you are selling, I would love to buy some. My name is John William and you really shouldn’t be out this late,” John said to William as he opened the door open to let him inside.

  “Oh, thank you John. I have been trying to sell these tonight because I am behind and never have time during the day,” William said out loud as he entered the house and put his box of bars on one of the couches in Johns living room as he sat down and looked around on the walls in the house. Looking around he saw different pieces of art. Books that were all over the walls and many photos of John and different people.

  “Why that is fine William, do not worry about it. I remember having trouble in school and would be out a lot. Do you enjoy school? How old are you?” John said to William as he handed him a cup of sweet tea.

  “I turned 14 last week. I am pretty excited for the summer because I get to go camping,” William said to John as he began drinking the tea.

  John smiled shyly at William as he looked out the window. “Ah, young life full of energy. It is nice when you are so young it is the best years of your life William,” John said to William as he sat in front of him drinking his tea.

  “My dad tells me that all the time. I don’t really like school at all,” William said to John

  “Don’t like school why not? You seem like a kind boy,” John said to William with concern on his eyes.

  William got up and was just admiring the books on the wall closest to him. “Lot of people don’t see me. I feel like no one would miss me if I was gone. I go home from school and stay inside my room, sometimes I cry asking God why me. Why did he make me ugly or different that I just wanted friends,” William said out loud as sadness started to creep inside of him.

  “They just don’t get you at all. Sometimes people don’t deserve the help you give them. Sometimes when people are in need of help you need to let them get killed by the wolves and let them get eaten slowly by the others as they look in front of them and see you smiling because you know they needed you, but you don’t need them,” John said as he place a palm on Williams shoulder as his voice got louder and louder with each word.

  William could feel Johns hand press down on him as he could feel the pressure push down on his shoulder. “You must not get along with people. They probably don’t like you the same reason they do not like me,” William said out loud as he began to take out bars from his box and began handing them to John.

  “Oh, you are leaving so soon William,” John said to William with sadness on his face.

  “I really got to go I shouldn’t even be out, but it was really nice to talk and get to know you John, it really was,” William said as his body began to shake as he headed towards the front door. He did not know why but he just felt really nervous and scared all of a sudden. He felt like no one would help him and that he was cornered and the only thing that he could think about doing is to get out of Johns house as fast as he could.

  Before William could open the front door, a hand slammed into it and turned him around with great force. “Don’t you want your money William?” John said to William as he started to massage the young man's chin with his fingers.

  “Look I don’t know what you want I’m sorry just let me go I won’t tell anyone I promise,” William said out loud as he was frozen in fear and tears began to fall down his face.

  John stood back a bit and started to smile looking at William and pointed at him. “Have you ever heard of the Smiley face Killer William,” John said to William as he took a mask from his back pocket and put it on his head. It looked to be made from human flesh with two eye holes and a giant read smile on it.

  “Oh no no, please let me go I won’t tell anyone I promise just let me go,” William said out loud as he tried to open the doorknob but couldn’t and started to bang on the door itself screaming and pleading.

  “I guess you have William. You see I could let you go, and I know you wouldn’t tell anyone. You would take it to your grave but that’s that thing William I want people to know,” John said to William as he moved closer to him as he got a large blade from his back and slowly walked towards William pointing the tip of the blade at him as he made his way closer, and closer to the young man.

  “Please my god, PLEASE LET ME GO,” William said out loud as he banged harder and harder at the door just begging to be let out.

  As John got closer and closer to William, he took his empty hand, and opened the front door for William. “Don’t be a stranger around here boy,” John said as he waved at William swinging the blade back and forth.

  “Oh god,” William said as he turned around and bolted out of the house and into the darkness of the street.

  “Why did you let him go?” A voice said from the shadows.

  John sat down and took his mask off and just smiled. “Why don’t you go have fun with him Anne. Let me see more of your work,” John said out loud as Anne appeared in front of him with a devilish smile on her face.

  “You know if I do this it is going to bring those two boys searching for us more,” Anne said as she was heading out the door.

  “Well I guess you better fuck,that,kid,UP,” John said to Anne as he grabbed one of the bars from the box itself and began eating it.He knew that Lucuris and Alexander would be looking for them, he wanted them to. He wanted to get a chance to have some alone time with one of them, and for that opportunity he was willing to let them track him down after all he just wanted to bring a smile to their life. He wanted them to know true fear, and he wanted to make sure that they never ever forgot who he was that they knew his name and would think of him in their most vulnerable moments and in their dreams. He wanted to make sure their suffering was slow and permanent.

  Chapter 5

  William ran from the house as fast as he could into the darkness. “What was that. That was the killer, the one everyone is afraid of,” William said out loud as he started to run through an alley behind some houses as the wind hit his body as the chill started to surround his body.

  “Not so fast their kiddo,” A voice said behind William as they slashed the back of his legs.
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  William tumbled to the floor and began cursing and crying while looking at the darkness trying to see what happened. “Who’s there, what do you want,” William said out loud as fear started to set in him.

  “My names Anne, and I can’t believe John let you go.Oh you are so juicy and I just want to suck you up,” Anne said as she dove from one of the trees and landed on Williams chest. One of her claws digging deep into the boy’s collarbone as she began slowly licking the side of his cheek.

  “Please let me go. I don’t want to die, please. I just want to go home,” William said out loud as he started to whimper and toss in pain trying to get Anne off of his body.

  “Oh no, you can’t go no that will not do. You see I need to use you as bait to call in that fucking Black Mage and his piece of shit friend who tried to kill me,” Anne said as she snarled at William digging her claw deeper inside of him.

  The pain was horrible, he felt like he was dying slowly and just wanted to go home. He cried and cried for what seemed like hours, but no one was coming to help him. People were sleeping and on this side of town people don’t like to get into other people’s business. “You don’t need me really. I will do anything just let me live,” William said out loud as he started to cry uncontrollably.

  Anne then took her other claw and aimed it into the air as she laughed at William, as she grew hungrier with her prey. “You can die, and you can stay dead,” Anne said out loud as she was about to dig her claws into William and feast on him.

  Before she could though a spiked whipped wrapped around her neck and pulled her off of Williams body. “Not again, who the fuck is it this time,” Anne said as she started to struggle to get the whip off of her.