"Yes we do," Samaria states, hands on her hips, "Canary yellow is out-dated. It doesn't even match with our furniture."
"Our furniture doesn't even match," her husband argues, "We got half of it on clearance!"
Meanwhile, John and Richard are painting in the master bedroom, the walls a mix between canary yellow and sage green. Specks of paint decorated their arms and clothes, more paint decorating the tarp below them. Both young men have stopped painting to listen in on the argument.
"Do they always argue like that," John asks, a funny look on his face.
"Just over things my dad doesn't want to do," Richard replies as he places his roller into the paint pan, "They'll get over it in about an hour."
"And I suppose your mom wins all the arguments in the end?"
"Not all the time. Dad won the argument about his new car two weeks ago."
"It is a nice car," John comments as he looks out the window to the navy blue sedan that had replaced the truck Tom once drove, "What was the argument about?"
"Cost, I think. I wasn't really paying attention. Don't you get into arguments with Jenne?"
"Of course, but I win most of them. Ellie, on the other hand... there's no winning against her. She'll have your head spinning before you know it."
"How did she and Jenne meet, if you don't mind me asking? I find it hard that some higher being would team up with a demon without some form of protection?"
"Dunno. They've always been together, even long before I moved in with Jenne. They act like friends most of the time, but... I really can't say what it is about them that leaves me uneasy at times. Like they're sharing a dark secret or something."
"Other than the obvious?"
"Are you going to lecture me on that again," John stops painting to glare at Richard, "Jenne's not like the others I had met over the years. They had tried to sell me or make me their slave. They also attacked innocent people and manipulated them into doing things like murder people or stealing.
"Jenne has stopped them every time they try to set up shop here. She makes a decent living and doesn't do anything illegal."
"I'm not insinuating that argument again. I just find Ellie very suspicious. It feels like... like she know everything."
"I've never noticed. I think she's just a know-it-all that thinks she knows everything, but doesn't. You'll get use to her in time."
"Are you boys done in there," they hear Samaria call as she heads upstairs, "The paint takes several hours to dry and I want to sleep in my room tonight!"
"Um..." both John and Richard look around to see two walls done and one partially done. A quick glance at their watches confirms the lecture they will soon be receiving.
"Drinks after this," John asks quickly, "I know a good bar that doesn't ask questions."
"If I don't get grounded first."
* * * *
Lilia sighs as she places her pen down and places the papers in a file as she looks at the clock. Six o'clock. Time for her to head out to see the prostitutes and head home. She hopes that Raiden doesn't interrupt her again, for the prostitutes have become wary of her since that incident a few days ago. The last thing she needs is Rowe putting a hit out on her.
Grabbing her purse, the young social worker locks her office up and heads for the elevator. She presses the down button and waits for the elevator to come up, her purse tapping her knees.
"Hm," Lilia's cell phone begins to vibrate and she takes it out of her purse, "Melinda? Why is she calling this late? Hello?"
"Lilia," Melinda's voice drifts over the receiver tearfully and brokenly, "I... I'm so sorry..."
"Melinda? What's going on?"
"I... I can't... I can't do this... anymore!"
"Melinda...!"
"Those bitches won't leave me alone! They took everything away from me!"
"What are-"
"Dave! They took my boyfriend away from me! They seduced him and he dumped me for them! He had promised not to leave me!! HE PROMISED ME!!!"
"Calm down, Melinda! This only proves that he wasn't worth your time and love. Those girls will realize that far too late-"
"I have to stop them."
"Stop them? Melinda, what are you-"
"Those bitches have ruined my life for the last time. Dave was my only chance at happiness. To have a family one day."
"Melinda..."
"They won't contribute to the human race. They will waste his seed away for a few moments of sexual bliss. They have no desire to contribute to the human race, and any children they will have will be aborted."
"Wait-"
"This is goodbye Lilia. You did so much for me and I will forever be grateful. I will be punished by the law for what I must do, but I know that it's the right thing to do."
"Melinda!"
"Goodbye."
A dial tone rings in Lilia's ear before she could reply. Uttering a loud curse, she enters the awaiting elevator and presses a button harshly.
Shit. Melinda is going to kill her bullies. She knew her charge since her drunk mother left her in their apartment and fled town, the manager finding her starved and crying a few weeks later. It took Lilia several weeks to find a good foster homer for her, a few of them being in bad parts of the city and/or the volunteering foster parents were abusive. Melinda was happy with her foster parents and was starting to turn her life around.
Then the bullying started when she reached middle school. Julie, Tiffany, and Cassandra. Popular girls that would never know what it feels like to go hungry or be abandoned by their parents. Spoiled girls that target Melinda for her purity and because she is of a lower class status than them. They harass her, isolate her from the other students that want to be her friend, and even assault her. No matter how many reports were made to the principal, no matter how many warnings were given to the girls and their parents, the three would not stop. And now this...
The elevator stops and Lila rushes to her car, Melinda's words ringing in her ears along with Raiden's warning.
'Had she been near the Carrier,' she thought, eyes widening as the pieces fell into place, 'I must hurry!'
* * * *
The Saint Church of Luke. A small religious faction in the northeast section of Jamerson City. The building has been around since the eighteen hundreds, having the appearance of a church from the renaissance era. Stain glass windows intricate archangels and saints of old, the large one in the back of the church depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. Everyone knows of the church for running several charities such as food drives and events for young children.
It is also one of the places Jenne visits often, despite wanting to be as far away from it as possible.
Jenne enters the church with a sigh, surveying the long cherry wood pews shining in the candlelight. A priest is kneeling before the tall statue of the crucified Jesus Christ, hands clutching a silver cross tightly. She walks towards the priest silently, stopping before the front pews. The priest stands, and turns towards her with hard hazel eyes.
"You called," Jenne asks, getting straight to business. Churches don't harm Half Breed Demons as most people thought, but she simply didn't like being in one. Period.
"I did," the priest confirms, "Follow me."
They head to a room on the left, and Jenne's eyes widen when she sees who is inside.
"Maria," the private detective exclaims, before whirling on the priest, "Explain yourself, Parker!"
"This little lamb has been very close to the Carrier that is infecting the city," Father Parker explains calmly, "Her soul is on the verge of collapsing. It is by your hand that she can be saved."
"Why me, though? I know you don't like my type at all."
"You can see it, can't you? We of the Church of Luke have aided you Half Breeds for generations against the Damned. As we are wary of your kind, I also know that you have always fought for what is right and for what you claim as yours. Do you truly want another helping her?"
"You do know how to prove a point," Jenne sighs a
nd rubs a hand through her hair, then turns to the sleeping child, "How the hell did you get her away from her relatives and the cops?"
"That was my doing," they turn to see a nun walking in and closing the door, her outfit tight on her curvaceous body, "The lamb collapsed before her relatives and I offered them the healing powers of our church when the doctors failed to diagnosed her. I told them I knew you, so they did not question me."
"Gee, thanks. Where did she collapsed?"
"At Jamerson General Hospital while visiting her mother and father. I was retrieving medicine for my mother and offering prayers for the unfortunate and their families when it happened."
"And they chose not to follow you and make sure she is safe?"
"They are waiting in the conference room, praying for her swift and safe recovery."
"It will be the power of Hell that would save her instead of the power of Heaven," Jenne sighs at the irony, "Let's see what I can do. A Half-Breed Angel would be better at this."
The private detective stands in front of Maria and lifts both hands forward. Maria moans painfully as dark mist appears around her, flowing outwards to Jenne's hands. Jenne grunts with the effort it takes to remove so much Ash from her body. The amount she is removing from Maria should've made her one of the Damned already. Why hasn't her soul shattered?
After what seems like a long time, the last of the Ash flows into Jenne's hands, and she is holding a large sphere in her hands. Father Parker stares at the sphere with grave concern. The fact that Maria had this much inside of her and didn't change into a Damned...
"The last time I collected this much from one child was centuries ago in China," Jenne reveals, eyes widening a bit, "and I can tell who the Carrier is from this much Ash."
"Then you can apprehend the Carrier right now-"
"But first," Jenne cuts him off as the Ash disappears, "I gotta take care of something urgent. I owe you for this one."
"What is so urgent that you would allow such a cancer to remain loose," Father Parker exclaims, shocked that Jenne would shirk her duties for something else.
"An unwanted guest."
* * * *
Lilia is ever so thankful that she takes damned good notes on all of her charges. Where they live, like to hang out, their circle of friends. Even the names and locations of their tormentors. She uses that knowledge to track the progress of her charges and to keep them safe. Some say that she is being over paranoid and a stalker, but it is because of her notes that she has the highest success rate out of all the social workers she knows.
She drives down the streets, her destination set in mind. It's Friday night, so Julie, Tiffany, and Cassandra will be at the Star Cross Night Club and will stay there until well late into the night. They will head home drunk in the wee hours of the morning. That would be where Melinda is going first.
A thought crosses her mind as she turns a corner. Melinda is not a violent girl. In fact, the use of violence appalls her. To hear from her that she would 'take care of them' and with so much venom...
Just how much corrupted Ash did the Carrier infected her with? And... could this be connected to the serial killers like Danny?
The young social worker parks her car nearby and got out. As usual, the lines for the night club are running around the block. The bouncer is arguing with a couple of young men trying to get in, the rest of the crowd getting impatient. Lilia knows that the girls are already inside, since women are given the V.I.P. treatment on Fridays. She doesn't see Melinda in the line, so she's either inside or hasn't arrived yet. She prays that it's the latter.
Lilia walks up to the bouncer, who stops arguing long enough to let her through. The young men in line begin yelling louder in protest, but she ignores them as the music drown them out. The bouncer knows her well enough not to stop her, unlike the last one that ended up with a black eye and a night in jail along with a fine for interfering with an employee of the government.
As usual, the club is packed with people dancing to the deafening music and blinding lights. The tables and bar are bustling with people laughing, eating, and drinking. Lilia is not surprised that some of them look like they are high school students, even a few middle school students. Knowing where to get the perfect false I.D. and having enough money for it can go a long way, and many of these young adults are from either the upper middle class or the rich class. It irks her how their parents seem to either be oblivious to their children's actions or they just don't care.
After several minutes of searching and bumping into people, ignoring the insults of a few that asked her to dance, Lilia spots her quarry in a corner booth, laughing in sinister joy with a tall young man that appears uncomfortable. She heads towards the table, but a hooded person reaches them first.
'Oh no," Lilia thought, fear gripping her.
"Well well," Tiffany gloats with a sadistic smile, "If it isn't little Melinda. Come to get Dave back, huh? I don't think he wants you anymore, seeing as he's been with a real woman and not a silly, poor orphan girl. Why don't you find yourself an orphan off the streets to have a good time with? Or just die? Go kill yourself, since nobody will ever love you."
"I have a better idea," Melinda states as the girls laugh, pulling out a gun from her pocket, "Why don't you die?"
The music suddenly stops as everyone screams, running for the exit. The bouncer turns in shock before he is swallowed by the panicking crowd, the young men outside looking confused before running as well upon hearing of a gun.
"Don't move," Melinda yells as Dave, Julie, and Cassandra try to get up and run, "Nothing will save you this time."
"What the hell are you doing," Julie shouts in fright, "You can't be serious about this!"
"You'll go to prison for this," Cassandra shrieks, "Do something Dave!"
"M-m-melinda," Dave stutters, yelping as she cocks the gun in his face.
"Leeches like you need to die," Melinda's face darkens as she begins to pull the trigger.
"Melinda stop!"
All but Melinda turn to see Lilia running up to them, panting from finally breaking free out of the panicking crowd. Dave, Cassandra, and Julie look relive while Tiffany looks bored, as if her life really isn't in danger. If anything, she looks a bit annoyed at the interruption.
"You shouldn't have come her Lilia," Melinda states, not looking at her, "You can't stop me from doing this."
"Don't do this," Lilia presses, "You'll be worse than them if you kill them. They will get theirs for you in the end. All people who attack others without reason or justification do."
"Not fast enough. They'll abort hundreds of their children after conceiving them or leave them in the streets before they are punished. Too many souls will suffer for their carelessness, let alone how many other girls will be abused by them after I'm gone. A wound will fester and become infected if not treated right away, and the best way to treat it is to eliminate the infection."
"You're crazy," Julie yells in a panic, "I would never do that to a child! It's against my religion!"
"Melinda please," Dave begs, clasping both hands together, "You don't need to do this. We can work this out. Please... put the gun down."
"I won't," Melinda narrows her eyes, "You lied to me, abandoned me, and destroyed my dreams. All so you can waste seed on these whores! I bet the only reason you dated me was to get my hopes up, just to crush them! You were in on it with them the whole time!"
"No! That's not true! I didn't want to!"
"And yet," Lilia points out, "here you are, hanging out with the very girls that have tormented Melinda since she was thirteen years old. Care to explain?"
"We've been at it for that long," Cassandra whispers to Julie, receiving a glare and the gun pointing at her, "W-w-w-wait a minute! Wait a minute! We were having harmless fun! Honest! We'll stop now, okay?! No more-"
"You honestly think that bullying is 'harmless' fun," Lilia glares furiously at them, "Bullying physically and psychologically destroys a person. It's one of the largest reas
ons for teen suicides and school shootings."
"That's never been proven," Julie states in protest.
"Shut up already," Dave suddenly said in a panic, "Shut up! Shut UP!! This wasn't my idea in the fucking first place! Tiffany threatened to get my mom fired if I didn't do this!"
"Your mom," Melinda repeat, her eyes losing some of the anger in them as Tiffany chuckles darkly.
"Oh Dave," she places her chin on her hand, "You're so naive. Even if I wanted to, my father would never fire an employee because I tell him to. He has to have a legitimate reason for it. It's not my fault that you're stupid enough to believe that I have the power to destroy your mother's life."
Dave blnks rapidly in shock while everyone gives exclamations of shock. Especially Julie and Cassandra. Sure, they had pulled some severe pranks before, but not to this degree. They also talked together on what they would do to Melinda, and Tiffany only told them that Dave was just playing Melinda. They never knew that his mother was being threatened.
"As for you," Tiffany sneers evilly at Melinda, "You can already consider your miserable life over with. Just you pointing that gun at me, while I can safely assume is stolen from somewhere, will get you sent to prison. My father will make certain of it. You'll never get to go to graduation, never get a job or even a boyfriend again. I have what I finally need to destroy you, and you handed to me in a pretty package. Really, thank you very much."
"Tiffany," Julie questions in fear. Is this really her best friend? When did she become such a monster?
"You're a worthless waste of existence," Tiffany continues, "I'm amazed that this social worker is still trying to help you. Probably feels sorry for you or something."
"What the hell are you doing," Cassandra yells in a panic as she sees Melinda shaking with rage, "Do you really wanna get us killed?!"
"She won't kill us," Tiffany waves her hand dismissively, "She deson't have it in her. Otherwise,she would've done it already and you would be a bleeding corpse."
"Enough of this," Lilia states, "You can't keep writing off everything as if you are not responsible for your actions. You and your friends are to blame for being held at gunpoint right now. You are all to blame for making Melinda's life miserable with your pathetic intolerance to those less fortunate than-"
Hell's Detective: Murder Page 17
