But I don't want to be just an unsleeping spirit either. Now I'm wondering if I'm a pregnant werewolf. And very fortunately, twins.
You can piss off an unborn baby. His soul isn't pissed yet. All that's left is to piss into his body.
Well, my priest will gladly do it for me.
One child and his mother will be the victim. Sacrifice will dassert me to destroy the soul of the second baby. And I'll enter his body. The priest will give me the piss of his piss. And I'll be pissed. A few years, and I'll be full again. The flesh, the piss, the piss...
It's a great feeling.
Which is nice, the baby's body is also malleable. And you can design it to your own taste. Calm down, take your time, sometimes making sacrifices, or pissing your piss tentacles...
It'll be a good time.
We have to send our priests. Night is a good time for that. We'll have to act tomorrow afternoon.
Chapter 11.
Catch the enemy by the horns.
Day 7, September 5, Sunday.
The morning started relatively quietly. In the sense that we had time to lie in bed, take a shower and even soak a healthy icing of a dozen eggs for two.
And then the mess started.
I called Rokin first.
- Konstantin Sergeyevich? Good morning. This is Julia. Leoverenskaya.
Rokin came back as if he wasn't asleep.
- Julia? I'm listening to you? Is something wrong?
- Yes. Very. I was wondering, have you been able to find anything new in all this sacrifice stuff?
If Rokin were an oyster, there'd be a sink click in the tube right now.
And so...
- And why do you ask that?
- Because there was another case, I honestly confessed. - And I believe that the symbols were different. But here's the thing...
- What's the occasion!? Where!? Who!? - barked Rokin.
I couldn't give Alfonso away. It's a fact. But Lavrica...
- I was walking past a house last night, and I saw the carpet being taken out at night. I was wondering. I felt something familiar...
I heard a constricted wheezing in the tube. And then Rokin yelled like I poked him with a needle.
- What the... house!? Where...?
I gave the address obediently.
- Want me to pick you up? - Rokin asked a little more calmly.
- Come on in. We're back with Sasha.
- Okay," said Rokin. And he hung up.
I sighed, and I went to get dressed.
Jeans. Myka. There's a denim jacket on top. Sneakers. And a bag with the most valuable over your shoulder. With my drawings of all three laps. And my corpses. Two of them are from nature. The third is from memory.
But I have to be honest, I didn't do it well. Drawing people, places, anything alive is easy. And to memorize and draw corpses, from which even from the sheet cold and death...
It's not nice. And that's an understatement.
- Yulia, are we going to the corpse again? - painted in Charles's bedroom door.
I threw a sock at him.
- No peeking!
- Peeking is a disguise. And I stand honestly and ask.
I decided not to develop the subject.
- Yes. Are you coming with me?
- Yes. And who...
I remembered that Lavric was stabbed before Alfonso arrived. And Charles, of course, didn't know about it. I had to retell the whole story of the ritual murders in our city.
Drakosha listened carefully. Then he rubbed his forehead.
- You know, I know something about this. But here's how...
- All maniacs act about the same. Does it matter?
- That's not what matters. Something...
There was confusion floating in the violet eyes. I shook my head.
- Don't worry about it. If you remember, you'll tell me. In the meantime, go and get dressed.
Charles nodded and went into the living room. That's where we put his clothes together for now. And I sat on the bed and loaded him up.
What will happen? I'm giving the IPF a crime scene, and I can only hope for the experience and professionalism of vampires. That they didn't leave any fingerprints - or anything else? That they won't be found. That there are any threads that we haven't noticed at all - that are stretched from one crime to another.
They're out there somewhere!
And God help us figure them out. Before the evil vampire council comes. Before the maniac achieves his goal, it's not in vain that he's pulling power from his victims.
Before the next poor man dies.
Rokin called 20 minutes later. Charles opened the door and immediately went out into the hallway. I'm right behind him.
- Good morning.
- Unfortunately, it's not good. Yulia, what were you doing at that house yesterday?
- I was walking," Charles said calmly, chewing his chewing gum. Nadia strongly advised me to complete the image. Why, the hair in the ponytail, leather jacket, dark glasses - and gum. Typical "bro." It's a familiar landscape detail.
The driver Vasya, who I already knew, was in the car. I smiled at him kindly, got something like "Bull... joy" in return and sat down in the back seat.
Charles sat next to me.
Rokin sat in front - and immediately turned to us - to keep asking questions.
- Yulia, did you go in there yesterday?
- What am I, Vasya? - I was surprised. - With his foot - and no criminal will run away anywhere? - In the mirror, I could clearly see how the face of the chauffeur was scarred. So him! There's nothing to gurgle about! I'd say, "Yulia! I'm glad to see you!! ». - I'll tell you the truth, if I meet with this victim, I don't know which one of us will win. But I strongly suspect that he is stronger. I can only count on myself. And he's been sucking up to other people's deaths.
- We only know about one so far. What about you?
I snorted in response to Rokin's attempt to catch me at the word.
- And yesterday I thought I already knew about two. If we come, we'll see.
- It's too bad you didn't look yesterday. Till tomorrow, all traces could disappear.
I snorted.
Yes, they can. And they can't.
The apartment belonged to another "new Caucasian" - and was an investment for him, as Leonid found out. It was half an hour for vampires to find a man and inspire him not to appear in this house. And they decided not to clean up the circle for a while. Only the body of poor Lavric was taken away and buried somewhere. "The circle won't get spoiled. And the body will fade out and start to stink," Leonid explained to me practical.
I didn't want to argue with him.
The car slowed down in front of a friend's driveway. And there we were met by familiar faces.
Father Pavel. Well, shalom.
[17]
Long time no see! The blonde-haired psychic and the brunette we used to pick up all the time. There were no crocodiles today. That's a shame. The only decent people other than Rokin for the whole company.
There were a few other people, but I didn't know them anymore.
Charles came out first and gave me his hand. I elegantly leaned on it, caught my shoelace on the footstep, and almost turned my nose down. Thanks to the dragon, I caught it, I didn't let it swell my nose.
- Yulia, are you all right?
- You can't wait, I'm a grim whisperer.
Father Pavel came to me.
- Julia, good afternoon, we're glad to see you.
- Even on such a sad occasion? A man was murdered, not a hoo-hoo-hoo.
- And how do you know that?
- If I made a mistake - and nothing happened there - I'll be glad to, I shaved it off. - I usually make mistakes, alas, for the best.
- What do you mean? - I don't get it, Charles.
- I'm gonna think too much about the scoundrel. Or I'll believe the wrong person.
Semi-dragon nodded, actively moving his jaws. Yesterday I took out a useful item from my medicine c
abinet - gum from pine resin and cranberry extract - and slipped it to the dragon.
Charles was very excited. Semi-dragon honestly admitted that gum - from his point of view - has an unimaginably chemical taste and smell. And the resin and cranberry - at least close to a natural product. And no flavorings.
- You're not mistaken," said the psychic grimly.
- – ?
- Something bad was really going on there. Evil. And recently.
- How recently? - I caught a Rokin standing next to me.
- I don't know. I don't know. And Julia?
I shrugged my shoulders. You could've said that. But for starters...
- I'd like to be there. Then I'll try to be more specific.
The IPF, without waiting for an invitation, headed for the entrance.
* * *
I was looking around the apartment. Last time I came here, I didn't care. And Vadim, the creep, managed to fit a man's heart into my hand! I haven't puked yet!
This time I paid more attention to the triangle circle.
Lavric's body is gone. But the circle and everything else was safe and sound. And knowing vampires, Lavric is lying in the fridge somewhere now. Not here, of course. Somewhere where you can get it anytime.
Why am I not a necromancer? Now I'd pick up the body and question it! In fiction, it's surprisingly easy to do. But I'm not a necromancer.
My abilities are clearly in another area. Reading auras, manipulating them... is it even mine - or a farewell gift from Daniel? I'd bet on the other one. The artist sees human souls. Especially if he is so gifted by the gods (and who knows - the only God or a few of them), as my dead favorite.
And I must have gotten that from him.
But the ability to get power, to share it... in short, to work with a battery is a natural thing. Sweetheart.
What are my abilities? Although I'm a little obvious already. Seeing is from a loved one. But controlling, fixing... no wonder I can lift any curse. If I have so much power, why not help? The water sharpens the stone. And the stream of power also breaks any curse.
All that remains is to deal with my place of power.
But - all in good time. In the meantime...
I looked closely at the circle, then I took out paper and a pencil and started drawing it.
- Don't you want to use your abilities? - Somebody spiked in my ear.
I jumped out of the blue, and I turned around abruptly. Charles supported, or I wouldn't have fallen. And evil looked at the psychic. The blonde one.
- Get out of here while you're safe!
A man threw a finger at me.
- There's something you're not telling me, Yulechka. There's residual energy, but it's too little to feel...
- Sapienti set," I snapped.
[18]
- I don't smell anything. If it wasn't for the circle with his aura, I'd swear you were seeing it all...
- So swear and back off. Konstantin Sergeyevich, how long am I going to be harassed by this malacholite!? - I raised my voice. - Do I have to brush his face again - not with a kettle, but with a broom to calm down for a change?
- Julia, don't be nervous," Father Pavel shaken up. - No one is questioning your words...
- Yeah, you just have doubts about them?
Everybody didn't say anything. Well, that's fine. So I settled on Rokin.
- Konstantin Sergeyevich, do you have pictures of the circle in which my classmate was crucified?
- Crucified? - Father Pavel clung to the word.
I sparkled with my eyes.
- Doesn't matter. Review it any way you want. Even with a crucifixion, even a spell. So there are drawings? What's better than pictures? Would you like some?
Rokin shrugged his shoulders. And he took a look at Father Pavel.
I sparkled with my eyes.
- That's what you want from me if you don't trust even in such little things!? What harm can a few pictures do in my hands!?
- We trust you, Julia," the priest remarked with a honey voice. - Except that I wish you would trust us more. I can see there's something you're not telling us.
I put my eyelashes down.
Yeah, that's how I trusted you. And I told you about vampires. And werewolves! Shazzz! Trusted the mare to the wolf, got in trouble on the hill. But I had to say something.
- Okay, I decided. - I didn't see anyone leave this house. I just started looking around. And I thought it was as black as those blots. I told you about them. But I didn't take that chance myself. So I really did fool you a little. But when and what happened, I don't know.
Father Paul drilled me for a few minutes with a terrible look, but then he calmed down.
- Yulia, we believe you. But next time, don't lie, okay? I just need your word about a bad feeling or feeling... do you understand me?
I nodded. And I looked at Rokin questioningly.
- I have everything in my car.
- Well, let's go over there! - I barked.
Frankly, I didn't want to stay here. Why not?
Cause...
Even after a few days, I was sick in this apartment. And I remembered the trap I fell into so carelessly. Surely the frost would run through my skin.
I grabbed Rokin under my arm and dragged him to the door.
- Let's go, huh? There's nothing I can do here. A photo might help us.
- With what?
- I don't know. What if...
In the yard, Konstantin Sergeyevich took out a small leather case from the car, took a few photos of it and handed it to me. I turned them over automatically. But really my attention was attracted by one drawing made by hand. A circle was schematically made on the pebble. And a triangle. And the master moved the cuts from Natasha's body there.
They were lines. Not straight lines, no. Some kind of rounded, winding.
It's just as unpleasant. Bad ones. Either snakes or horns or something else... They also crossed, crawled - and my back got goosebumps. That's what you want to do with me, but the man who drew this circle is not normal! His anger, his hatred is reflected even on a piece of paper.
Or is it not his anger?
Whose is it then?
I even had frost on my skin.
- Is something wrong, Julia?
Father Pavel.
I'd say it wasn't, but there's a phone ringing in my bag. I took a look at the number. Constantine?
What's wrong?
That's the question I asked as soon as I pressed the button.
In response, a desperate cry was heard.
- Julia!? Yulia, Nastia is missing!!!
- What!?
Everyone, including grandmothers in the shops and cats in the trees, turned to my scream.
- Julia? - Rokin looked at me anxiously.
I wasn't interested in anyone.
- How did this happen?
- So there you go! I went to the store. I go back, she's gone.
- What did the neighbors say?
- That two girls came out of the house. Nastia and another one.
- Girls!? Did you call her friends?
- Yes! It just rang! It's all there. Julia, please come! If I have to go to her... I'm afraid for the children!!!
I was scared, too. Nastia is our first pregnant werewolf in so long. If there's anything wrong now, we're losing a lot in our relationship with the other flocks.
And Nastia's own reaction...
So much to wait for, time after time to lose your children, to finally get the long-awaited hope - and again, failure!? No matter how crazy the girl is.
- Where are you now?
- In our house!
- We're moving out!
I clicked a button.
- Sashka, get a taxi! We need to get to Nastia's right away. She's giving birth prematurely. We'll calm down the panicking wife!
- So much panic over childbirth? - the psychic was surprised.
- And you wouldn't talk at all, you painted mop," I was frankly boorishly scared. The psychi
c suffocated with such impudence and shut up. - Sashka!
But Charles was already on his way out of the yard. And waving his hands to attract the attention of the cars.
I rolled up the tube and put it in my bag.
- Konstantin Sergeyevich, I promise to see everything. As soon as there's time.
- When you look, tell us your conclusions, Father Pavel answered in his place.
I nodded, and I started with Charles.
Thank the gods who put me in the mood for sportswear. Did you run in heels? I did! And I don't want to repeat the experiment!
Charles had already opened the door of the old jiggles in front of me.
I plunged into the seat, counted the cash in my wallet and just said:
- A thousand if you get to Cherry in fifteen minutes.
- AND THE TRAFFIC POLICE?
- I'll reimburse you for any fine. Just hurry!
The car took off like a jet plane.
We were on Cherry in twelve minutes. For half the city, it's a good result.
I slipped the driver the promised money, and Charles and I rushed into the house.
It was... backwards.
Valentin, Leonid, Lisa, Gleb, Konstantin, Nadia... ten more werewolves...
What are these people doing here?
The blonde bear stood out sharply for its forms.
- Hello, everybody, I said hello. - What news from the front?
The news from the front wasn't very encouraging. Konstantin went out for bread. And Nastia - in the unknown. Someone came for her - and she went. But who?! How!?
What the hell!?
Nastia didn't even go outside to provoke a birth!
- She could have been under duress. What do the neighbors say?
- We've thought of this ourselves," Gleb snapped. - But the neighbors are at zero.
- What do you mean?
- It's like someone took their eyes off them.
- Shit!
If they'd been messed up, they'd have enjoyed something...
They just had their eyes removed. And they looked anywhere but at Nastia's companion. Oh, by the way...
- Could it have been a guy? Fashion is unisex right now. Pants, shirts, hair can be put together in a ponytail or a wig, put a bra under your shirt - and it's done. Especially if that thing can take its eyes off...
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