Demon Tracker (Divine Justice, 2)

by Mary Abshire

  Back on the road, he headed in the direction of the UoJ headquarters at the pyramids on the north side of Indianapolis. Although Ray hadn’t said Gordon wanted him to return to the office, Zale had worked with the werewolf director enough to know his tactics. Besides, something unusual was going on with vampires. Zale cared little that they were showing up destroyed, but he did care to hear the old man’s thoughts about the matter.

  The Bluetooth in his car came alive as he steered along the interstate. The number on the dashboard showed it belonged to Ray. Zale quickly answered the call.

  “It’s me again,” Ray said.

  “Did you see the photos I sent?”

  “Yes, that’s why I’m calling.”

  “Did you show them to Gordon?”

  “I didn’t get a chance. I told him you said the corpse was a vamp and he told me to get you back here.”

  “I thought that might happen, so I’m heading to the office now. I should be there in ten minutes.”

  “I’m starting to think there’s a problem and we might have to get involved,” Ray said in a grim tone.

  “I’ll be there in a little bit and I’ll share with you what I know from spending time with the DS agent.”

  “Do you think something is going on? We had similar tip-offss while you were gone and I had to check out the corpses.”

  “With what I’ve seen and heard, something is stirring and it can’t be good.”

  Ray sighed over the phone connect. “All right, I’ll see you when you get here.”

  Zale ended the call from the button on his steering wheel.

  The issue with missing and destroyed vampires didn’t fall to the Union of Justice to resolve. Zale preferred to let the Divine Syndicate handle the situation. They were vampires after all. They should be the ones investigating the corpses.

  Each species on Earth had strengths and weaknesses. Vampires were superior with their immortality, incredible strength, and exceptional hearing. They were the best protectors for mankind. Their weakness was their need to survive on blood. And as such, they needed the living to continue their existence.

  Long ago, the elders recognized no single race should rule over others. To keep peace and preserve life, they formed the Alliance of All. There were twelve members in total, of which two were vampires, two were werewolves, two were humans, and various other species made up the other half. Meru, the oldest vampire on Earth, created the UoJ with werewolves as the governing body. He’d done so because werewolves were the second strongest group on the planet and had other qualities to make them the perfect enforcers. Zale had never met the ancient vamp, but he had to give the bloodsucker credit for realizing his own kind needed policing and to monitor for overpopulation. On the flip side, if the number of vampires started decreasing significantly, then someone needed to look into the matter.

  With one hand on the wheel, Zale rubbed his hand over his mouth. The hair on his face seemed thicker. He’d trimmed his beard a few days ago, but he needed to do so again soon. He needed to get his locks cut too before they ran past his earlobes and into his eyes.

  Staring at the road, his thoughts returned to the vampire situation. Demons loathed vamps and vice versa. Demons wanted to possess humans and rule the Earth. Vampires and every other race agreed demons were evil and should be returned to Hell. Meru had started the Devine Syndicate to exorcise demons and prevent them from taking over. Why demons had been created in the first place remained a mystery no one could solve, but they existed and someone had to deal with them. If Zale had to point a finger at a particular party responsible for the missing or extinguished vamps, he’d direct attention to the demons.

  More trepidation stirred within Zale. Demons had one goal and they’d do anything to achieve it. He’d seen enough death and chaos during the Depression when the last outbreak of demons had occurred. Too many lives, including his brothers and sisters, had been taken at the hands of demons and vampires. Zale hoped he’d never see such horror again. But if demons continued to multiply while the vamp population decreased, another outbreak seemed probable. All species would suffer if demons took over. And that was not a world Zale wanted to live in.

  Filled with resolve, he vowed he would do anything to avoid another outbreak.

  Chapter Two

  The UoJ headquarters were located on the north side of the city, miles away from downtown Indianapolis. Three buildings, each shaped in a pyramid fashion, sat on twenty-five acres of land. Although the structures were near the interstate, the windows faced a large wooded area and retention pond. Besides the usual offices and conference centers, the buildings contained a variety of cafes, a huge fitness center, medical clinics, secured rooms underground for criminals, a floor with rooms dedicated for temporary living quarters, physical training centers indoors and out, basketball and tennis courts outside, and an indoor theatre. Everything they needed could be found within the three structures. The only complaint Zale had was the lack of parking garage. Although he enjoyed the winter months, he disliked cleaning ice and thick snow from his car.

  Zale parked several rows out from the center pyramid. The parking lot had more cars than usual. Lights in countless offices lit up the night. Further away in the woods he heard growls and the patter of feet. With the woods close by, many enjoyed breaks to run and hunt. Unlike fictional tales about wolves changing at the full moon, they could change on will once the werewolf reached his or her age of maturity, which was around seventeen or eighteen years of age for most.

  Reaching the building, Zale passed the security desk and waved at the two men in uniforms. They greeted him in kind as he headed for the elevators. He found one waiting when he pressed the call button.

  From the main floor, Zale rode up to the fifteenth. The upper three floors belonged mostly to the employees who monitored the city, received tip-offss, and conducted hi-tech surveillance searches. Gordon preferred his office on the floor with his top field agents, such as Zale and Ray, instead of at the top level. If there was ever an emergency he wanted to be able to gather everyone quickly for action.

  The elevator dinged when it arrived. Zale strode onto the floor and proceeded down the center. Large print station areas separated the clusters and rows of cubicles. Most of the offices ran along the wall on the far left and some where in the back near the break room. The smell of garlic lingered in the air. Someone had eaten Italian food recently.

  Hearing Ray’s voice, Zale picked up his pace. His friend backpedaled into the middle of the hall. He stopped when he saw Zale.

  “Speak of the devil and he appears,” Ray said. Dressed in loose-fitting khakis and a Vegas shirt, the werewolf smiled. He’d thinned his light-brown goatee since the last time Zale had seen him.

  “I take offense to that. I’m no devil.” Zale came to a halt in the printing area.

  Henry stood by a huge copier while it hummed. The shorter werewolf with trimmed dark hair and a clean-shaven face crossed his bulky arms. He wore his typical khakis and a multi-color plaid button-down shirt. Unlike Ray who dressed more casual, Henry stayed up to date with fashion trends. “I’d have to agree. Zale is anything but evil.”

  Zale snickered. “Thank you, Henry.”

  “I got your back.” Henry gave him a casual version of a military salute, raising his hand to his forehead.

  “Suck up,” Ray said and Henry revealed his middle finger in response.

  Zale looked from Henry on his right to Ray. “Did I miss much?”

  “Oh, no-no. You don’t get any news from me until you tell me what happened in Merrillville with the DS agent,” Ray said. “I need details.”

  “Didn’t he send you pictures?” Henry asked.

  “I only sent them to you, Henry,” Zale said.

  “What?” Ray asked, shocked. “You sent pictures to Henry but not to me?”

  “I needed him to confirm what I had been told,” Zale said.

  “See, Ray, Zale can count on me to ge
t him information in a timely manner. I don’t ignore calls like some people.” Henry tilted his chin up with pride.

  Ray pointed his finger at Henry. “I’m not a geek like some people. I’m a field agent, not a desk one.”

  Ray had a habit of putting off research so others like Henry would have to do it. Zale had tried to contact Ray on occasion for quick information while Zale was in the field, tracking a criminal. Ray wouldn’t answer any calls or messages. He always claimed he was helping another agent. Zale discovered Ray’s assistance hadn’t been needed at all. Ray had gone out with the agent merely to get out of the office. For some reason, he took the job as field agent too literally. Ray did his job well, but the werewolf needed to stay at his desk from time to time to aid Zale.

  Grinning, Zale shook his head. “While I’d like to stay and chat, some of us have work to do and I’d like to get home at a decent time.” He passed the men and continued on the path between the cubicles.

  “That’s right, you need to get laid,” Ray said, following him.

  “It’s still a goal,” Zale said before he turned a corner.

  He stopped after he’d cleared the row. Down the hall on his left, he spotted Gordon’s open door. Zale considered if he should speak to his boss now or wait.

  Ray came to stand beside him. “He’s not in there. I walked by a few minutes ago.”

  Zale continued down the hall on his right. He reached his darkened office and flipped on the light switch. His desk looked as it had before he’d left, except for the extra files stacked on the corner. He withdrew his phone from his back pocket as he walked around his workstation.

  Ray sat on the leather sofa near the door. “I’m a little hurt you sent pictures to Henry and not me. How long have we been working together?”

  Zale set his phone on the desk while he lowered to his seat. “Get over it, Ray. The pictures weren’t of naked women.”

  “Oh.” He sounded disappointed.

  “Henry is the best at examining pictures of body parts and corpses. I’d taken several pictures of both and had sent them to him to confirm they belonged to vampires.”

  Ray moved from the sofa to one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Were they from Merrillville?”

  “Yes.” Zale began logging into his computer. “The DS agent I spent time with is named Victor. He needed help tracking a vampire named Jon.”

  “Stop the press. You helped a vampire?”

  “He’s a DS agent.”

  “Still.”

  Zale shifted his attention from the screen to his buddy. “I had been waiting for two days for Tom before Victor showed up. We talked for a bit and he asked for help. I agreed.” Zale lifted one of his shoulders. “He gave me a shirt that belonged to Jon and then took me to several places. At one apartment, we found a decapitated body. At another spot behind several businesses we found two mutilated corpses. From there, I picked up a trail and followed it. Well, I found Jon and a second crispy body.”

  “Jon and some other person had been burned?”

  “Yep. And for the record, fried vampire reeks.”

  Ray covered his mouth. “That’s disgusting. We don’t even burn vampires.”

  Zale nodded. “I hadn’t seen anything like that before. I took pictures and sent them to Henry to confirm they were vampires. Jon’s scent had ended at the site, but with the burning odor so strong, I couldn’t be sure one of the bodies belonged to Jon. Most of the skin had been eaten away—“

  “Stop. Don’t describe any more.” Ray wrinkled his nose and curled his upper lip.

  “You wanted details.”

  Ray shook his head. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “The UoJ agent in Chicago told me something, but I’m not sure it’s accurate.”

  “What did he say?” Ray bent forward, closer to the desk.

  “He said he thought vamps were angry at each other and were causing trouble. That’s why they’re seeing an increase in missing ones.”

  “What, like gangs going after one another? A turf war of some sort?”

  Zale leaned back in his chair. “That’s what I had thought too, but the bodies I saw in Merrillville weren’t in groups. A body here. Two there. Another one by itself. If vampires were attacking their own kind, would they really single out individuals? Would they set them on fire or chop them into pieces? I don’t think so.”

  “It seems unusual, but a lot of things have been strange lately.”

  “I’ve been with this agency for over a century. I survived an outbreak. Vamps don’t destroy each other.”

  “What if they are addicted to some hi-tech drug and it makes them go crazy and start killing each other?”

  Zale stared point blank at him. The young one watched way too many B rated horror films.

  Behind him, Gordon stepped into the office. He wore his usual black pants with a crisp polo shirt tucked inside. Gray strands mingled with his dark locks on his head and face. Although he was pushing four hundred and fifty years old, he looked as normal as a man in his mid forties.

  “Ray, do you mind if I have a talk with Zale?” Gordon asked.

  Ray rose. “Not at all.”

  After Ray strode out of the office, Gordon closed the door behind him.

  “How was your stay in Merrillville?” Gordon asked as he approached.

  “It was interesting.”

  “So I’ve heard.” He filled Ray’s vacated seat.

  Zale drew his brows together. “What did you hear?” Zale wondered what his boss had learned since Zale had spoken to Ray a short time ago and his partner hadn’t shared anything with Gordon.

  “I got a call from a DS agent up there. He goes by the name of Victor. He said nice things about you. I wasn’t surprised to hear them, but I was stunned to hear the praise from a DS agent.”

  A touch of guilt surfaced within Zale while tension ebbed from his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t inform you prior to helping him.”

  Gordon lifted his hand. “No need to apologize. I trust your instincts. You wouldn’t have helped him unless you felt the need to.”

  Curiosity had been Zale’s driving factor for assisting Victor. Zale doubted anyone but Gordon would understand, so he’d kept his reasoning to himself.

  “The agent showed up while I was staking out Tom’s latest hideout,” Zale said.

  “Did you catch him?”

  “No, and I doubt anyone ever will.”

  Gordon tilted his head an inch or so to the side. “Why do you say that?”

  “The night after he arrived in Merrillville he took off with his friend to Chicago. I followed them around all night. They went into a club and after two hours, I started to suspect something wasn’t right. I picked up Tom’s trail and it led me to an abandoned building.”

  “Let me guess, you found him decapitated.”

  “I didn’t find any bodies, but I saw enough blood for two. I trailed Tom’s scent to another spot and then it disappeared. I called the Chicago UoJ office and explained the situation before I returned to the house in Merrillville. Tom and his friend never returned. I checked on the vehicle this morning and it’s still parked in the garage. It hasn’t moved. My gut tells me he’s no longer walking this Earth, which isn’t a bad thing. He ultimately received his punishment for the lives he took.”

  Gordon shook his head. “Perhaps.”

  “While I was waiting for Tom, the agent from the Divine Syndicate showed up. I wasn’t sure what to think of him, but we chatted and he seemed decent.”

  “Not all vampires are immoral, Zale.”

  “I realize the DS is made up of vampires to protect humans, but they do it because they need blood to survive.”

  “I assure you the DS and many other vampires want peace and to save lives just as much as we do.”

  “Maybe, but it’s almost as if we live in separate worlds. We don’t see or interact with the DS and vice versa. Except for Victor, all the vampire
s I’ve met are selfish and devious. They use humans and they have little respect for anyone else.”

  “You have been in the field a long time and have dealt with the dishonest ones your entire career, so I understand why you have formed such an opinion. Let me remind you that from the beginning of time, vampires have battled demons to ensure mankind’s survival. For several centuries, there were no agencies such as the DS or UoJ. The agencies formed as populations grew. Every species realized the need to be better organized. Bottom line, vampires will never stop protecting us. The majority are good.”

  Zale inhaled a long breath. “I guess.”

  “Think about it. If all vampires were as deceitful as you believe, every species would hate and turn against them. That’s not the case. Vampires want peace as much as anyone. Every race will have a few bad apples. That doesn’t mean the entire species is rotten.”

  Zale lowered his gaze while he considered Gordon’s words. They made sense, but Zale had dealt with so many immoral vamps he had difficulty thinking they were righteous. Vampires had to be somewhat decent since other groups didn’t frown upon them.

  A memory from Zale’s past flashed in his mind. During the last outbreak, vampires had arrived to find and get rid of the demons in the area where Zale lived with his parents, two brothers, and two sisters. The vampires took no mercy on anyone. If they were moral, why didn’t they spare lives?

  Zale looked into Gordon’s eyes. “Vampires killed many during the last outbreak. I saw them slaughter plenty.”

  “Were the ones killed possessed?”

  “Many were, but my father and older brother, Gabe, weren’t. I saw other lives taken too.”

  “Your father and brother destroyed a vampire who was working to get rid of demons. You know their actions sealed their fate.”

  Gabe and Zale’s father had been trying to protect his mother, who had been possessed. In his heart, Zale believed demons were to blame for the bloodshed. But the fact vampires had taken away members of his family still irked him.