Nina blinked once or twice as she took in her surroundings. There were drawers along the back wall. Each of them had a name and number on them. At a glance she assumed that this was where the bodies were stored. Shuddering she turned away to focus on something else. She spotted a desk with a computer, must've been where Dr Monroe stored her reports and files. She could never understand having to type up reports in a morgue as well and she hoped she'd never have to.
She was snapped out of her thoughts as Dr Monroe stepped in front of her and held out a box of surgical gloves. "Please put a pair of these on and then follow me to the autopsy tables." She requested as Damien and Nina both took a pair of surgical gloves out of the box and put them on. Dr Monroe put the box down on a nearby table and led them to the center of the room where there were several autopsy tables. Three of them were occupied by bodies covered by white sheets.
They stopped at the first table and Nina quickly covered her nose and mouth trying not to gag at the rancid smell coming from the body. Damien and Dr Monroe stared at her for a moment. "Are you OK Nina?" Damien asked her as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do you need a minute?"
Nina's face flushed red as she noticed the stares, she lowered her hands from her face and shook her head. "No...I'm fine...I...I need to get used to this." She uttered as she focused on the sheet, best to get it done quickly much like ripping off a plaster. It would be unpleasant but at least it would be over with.
"OK, try not to be so shocked at what you see." Dr Monroe warned them as she carefully pulled the white sheet off revealing the body of a woman that had been brutally mangled and almost ripped to shreds in some places. Nina's face went deathly pale and her hands shook as she looked down at the body, biting back the feelings of disgust and fear she felt in that moment.
"This body is completely mangled and ripped to shreds…" Damien uttered as he took a closer look at the injuries. "Were you at least able to identify her?"
Dr Monroe shook her head. "No sign of a wallet or ID in her personal effects." She answered solemnly. "The police searched the crime scene for it but no such luck."
"So we have a Jane Doe who was brutally attacked in the middle of the night." Damien remarked as he shook his head sadly. "What was she doing by herself?"
"Unknown, but she had quite a large quantity of alcohol in her system." Dr Monroe interjected. "When people are drunk they tend not to think too clearly."
As Dr Monroe and Damien were examining the body and trying to determine the cause of death Nina found herself drawn to the woman's face. She looked young, couldn't have been older than 20. Nina began to feel uneasy, she was an easy target for whatever or whoever attacked her. Her face was severely scratched but it was clear that she had once been beautiful, was it an act of jealousy? Her long blonde hair draped down her back and covered her neck. And her green eyes were glassy. Nina brushed back the woman's hair so she could get a better look at her neck, she saw several puncture wounds there. "Is it possible she was also drugged?" She asked looking back up at Dr Monroe.
"Tox screen found no other drugs in her system." Dr Monroe answered as she examined the puncture wounds. "And these wounds look too big to be caused by a needle."
"So she was bitten." Damien uttered tapping his chin in thought, Nina looked at him curiously trying to gauge his thoughts on the situation but he wasn't saying anything just yet. Damien was never the sort of man to jump to conclusions, he always covered his bases first. "I'd like to see the other bodies." He requested as Dr Monroe covered the woman's body and led the way to the second body and removed the sheet to reveal a middle-aged man this time though his injuries were very similar.
Nina stared at the body feeling a lump in her throat as she resisted the urge to throw up. She took a few deep breaths before examining the body. "The injuries are almost identical." She stated as she gestured to the puncture wounds on the neck and the large tears and scratches on the body. "Definitely the same killer from the looks of it."
"Where was he found?" Damien asked Dr Monroe as he took a closer look at the body trying to determine the cause of death.
"In the car park outside his office building in the Arcadia business park." Dr Monroe answered. "He was believed to be working late, he was attacked on the way to his car."
"And the third?" Nina asked as Dr Monroe walked to the third table and removed the sheet revealing a young man with the exact same injuries. "Definitely a pattern...what does this mean?"
Damien shook his head, "looking at the injuries...they weren't caused by a human. The chief of police was right to call us in, even though he was late in doing so." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Where was he found?"
"In the park, apparently he liked to jog at night." Dr Monroe answered.
"So... we've got three victims, two men and a woman all found in different parts of the city with the exact same injuries and that's the only thing they have in common." Damien mused as he stepped away from the bodies.
Dr Monroe covered the bodies back up much to Nina's relief, the smell and sight was making her feel nauseous. She looked at the two wondering what they should do now, if they managed to get the information they needed to conduct their investigation. "You were right, no human caused these injuries." Dr Monroe spoke as she gave the two a solemn look. "I believe that they were caused by a very large dog though I couldn't tell you the breed."
"So our killer is a dog?" Nina questioned folding her arms. This was becoming stranger by the minute though she supposed that she should've expected this. After all she more or less signed up for it.
"It's entirely possible that it's just a feral stray or someone is letting it loose in which case the dog could be considered a deadly weapon." Damien theorised, though he was thinking that it was probably a monster that looked liked a large dog. He didn't voice it out loud though as he didn't want Dr Monroe to worry. "In any case I think we've seen enough here, we should go visit the crime scenes and maybe talk to anyone who may have seen or heard anything." He suggested as he removed his gloves and threw them in the bin, Nina did the same and the two thanked Dr Monroe before leaving the morgue and heading out of the building.
As soon as they stepped outside Nina ran over to a nearby drain and threw up. She coughed and breathed deeply as she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. She was glad to be out of the morgue and away from the putrid smell of death. "You OK?" Damien asked as he reached out to pat her back.
Nina let out a few deep breaths before turning to face her mentor embarrassed that she was sick in front of him. "Yeah...sorry about that...I just couldn't hold it in anymore."
"Hey don't worry about it," Damien responded smiling sympathetically. "I wasn't expecting you to get used to it on your first visit. You waited until you were outside, that's much better than what I did on my first morgue visit."
Nina blinked at Damien, shocked at what she had heard. Damien one of the senior members of the Hunter's Mark and one of the bravest people she knew was sick during a morgue visit. "Did you throw up?"
"I couldn't even get to the bathroom," he admitted whilst laughing heartily. "I can laugh about it now but at the time it was embarrassing, I couldn't stop apologising. My mentor found it amusing though."
Nina found herself laughing too, Damien was so laid back compared to the other instructors. It probably helped that he was much younger than them but she felt comfortable around him, like she could laugh and joke with him and she hoped that it wouldn't change. "So which crime scene?"
Damien went serious again as he tapped his chin in thought, "divide and conquer sounds like the best way to go about this." He mused. "I'll make my way to the business park, see what I can find out about our office worker. Drunken Alley isn't too far from here, see what you can find out about our Jane Doe and her killer. Then we can meet up at the park and examine the third crime scene together."
Nina nodded and gave Damien a thumbs up, "got it. I'll ask in some of the clubs maybe someone saw or heard something."
"Aright, when you're done call me and I'll meet you and pick you up." Damien told her as he got into his car. "Be careful." He uttered before driving off. Nina watched him disappear round a corner before she turned around and started walking towards Drunken Alley.
Some time later she reached the alley where Jane Doe was killed, she approached the police tape and the police officers on duty. They just gave her a look as if to say move along, she wished that Damien was there, he would've been able to tell the officers they had permission. She didn't want to make a scene so she walked passed deciding that she would go in once they left for their break.
Nina decided to go into the next building, unlike some of the places on the street this was just a regular bar. She spotted a few patrons at the bar enjoying early drinks, Nina could never understand how people could drink alcohol so early in the day but she was there on other business.
She approached the people sat at the bar and tapped the nearest one, a middle aged gentleman on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned and stared at her for a moment. "You want something?" He asked her, his tone was gruff but not unpleasant.
"Were you here last night?" She questioned trying to be as friendly as possible to the man.
The man chuckled, "I might've been, depends on why you're asking."
"A young woman was brutally murdered in a nearby alley last night." Nina explained, "I'm investigating her death trying to find her killer."
The man nodded and gave her a grave look. "Yeah...I...I heard about that. I was here but I left a little after ten."
"You sure?" She asked him, "I'm not saying I don't believe you, just trying to establish a timeline."
The man was about to answer when the bartender, a short haired brunette with warm amber eyes stepped up. "I was on duty last night, I saw him leave at ten."
Nina stared at the woman, "you were on duty last night and you're working now?" She asked curiously wondering how she could work a night shift followed by a day shift.
"It's my family's bar, I work here at all hours." She answered giving her a solemn look. "You said a young woman was killed not too far from here?"
Nina nodded, "yeah, she was young, blonde hair, green eyes." She described the victim to the bar tender. "Did you see anyone like that?"
"Yeah, she's a regular round here. Such a shame, she was a really pretty girl and sweet too. That kind of thing got her a lot of attention." The bartender explained sadly not taking her eyes off Nina.
"What do you mean?" Nina questioned, she was glad that she was getting a clearer picture of what happened.
"A lot of guys flirting with her, offering to buy her drinks. That kind of thing." She answered shaking her head. "Trying to get into her pants, honestly it was creepy but she didn't seem to realise it...at least not at first."
"When did she realise?" Nina questioned, that was just great. Not only was she killed but she had to fend off creeps.
"When she complained that she wasn't feeling well, poor girl looked drunk and sick...really sick." The bartender shook her head. "She tried to leave but they wouldn't take no for an answer. She fought against them and dropped her purse. Eventually they backed off except for one, he picked up her purse and left the bar not long after she did."
"This guy, you get a name or a description?"
"No, he was wearing his hood up the whole time and I couldn't really see his face. Pretty shady if you ask me."
"I wonder why he was following her…" Nina mused, it was disappointing that she couldn't talk to him but she had more questions about that night. "Did you see or hear anything unusual? I mean other than a hoodie wearing creep."
The bartender sighed, "I feel stupid for saying this…" she uttered a look of both fear and embarrassment on her face.
Nina reached out and patted the bar tender's hand sympathetically. "Hey...anything you say can be helpful. If you saw or heard anything please tell me."
The bartender smiled at Nina's act of sympathy and encouraged by her words she spoke again. "A little while after they left I heard strange sounds, it sounded like growling. I figured that maybe a stray dog got into the bins again so I went outside to investigate. There was nothing near the bins but I saw something move into the alley."
"What did it look like?" Nina questioned growing more excited, there was a high chance that it could be the killer.
The bartender shook her head, "I didn't see their face, couldn't see much of anything. They seemed to be keeping to the shadows. All I know is they were on all fours, couldn't even tell if it was human or animal."
Nina stepped back and tapped her chin in thought, whatever it was it sounded animalistic in nature. Dr Monroe suspected that the injuries on the victims were caused by some kind of large dog. It had to be a monster because no normal dog would've been big enough to cause that type of injury. "Thanks for the help." Nina spoke smiling gratefully at the bartender.
"No thank you, you're the first one who's been taking me seriously." She stated annoyed by the police's response to the whole thing. "They didn't seem to believe me but I'm glad you do."
Nina nodded, "I'll be around asking others if they saw or heard anything unusual, if you can think of anything else come and find me." With that she left the bar and looked around, several people were walking down the street though when they saw her coming they seemed to quicken their pace. Nina watched them leave but didn't pursue them, she didn't blame them, they were probably nervous or didn't want to be bothered.
She looked at another bar across the street and made her way towards it. When she entered she saw that it was quiet with a few patrons around. There was a young looking man with auburn hair sat at the bar with his head down nursing a beer. His hands were shaking almost as if he was nervous about something.
Nina paid him no heed for now and turned her attention to the bartender, a very gruff looking man in his 50s. "Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me." She called out to him.
"Sorry...not hiring right now…" the man remarked gruffly as he stared at her. "Even if we were, we don't hire women. Bartending is a man's job."
Nina clenched her hands into fists at her sides, of course the bartender had to be a chauvinist and she tried very hard to resist the urge to punch him and to tell him that there was a woman who ran the bar down the street and she was doing just fine. She looked up at the man smiling sweetly at him. "Thanks, but I'm not interested in a job right now." She retorted. "I'm here to investigate the murder of a young woman, she was killed in an alley not too far from here. If you or any of your patrons saw or heard anything that would be helpful."
The bartender stared at her for a moment before gruffly nodding. "Usually all you hear in this part of town is music blasting from the night clubs." He answered as a patron came up and asked for a beer. The bartender made them one slid it to them and took payment. "But last night...I heard a strange sound, it was close by so I could just about hear it over the music."
Nina watched the auburn haired man out of the corner of her eye. He looked up briefly at the mention of a strange sound and Nina was certain that she saw fear in his green eyes and they flashed red for a brief second. This caught her off guard, was he a non-human? However before she could ponder it any further he lowered his head again. She looked back at the bartender figuring that she would question the other guy afterwards. "Did you see what it was?"
The bartender shook his head, "nah, I didn't go outside. Figured it was just a stray dog, we get a lot of them in these parts."
Nina sighed softly to herself, the man heard strange sounds but didn't bother to try and find out what it was. Sure in his mind it was a stray dog but it could've been something else. "Is that all that happened?"
"I told ya, usually you can't hear jackshit over the loud music," he remarked gruffly, starting to lose interest in her and wanting to get back to work. "But this was clear as day, growling and whining like a dog. Probably just hunting for scraps. Now if you're done with your questions I have a bar to run."
"I've got no more questions," she stated bluntly but politely. She decided that she'd ask someone who may be more cooperative, she focused her attention towards the auburn haired man. However, at that moment he pushed his empty beer glass away and stood up from his stool. Nina approached him quickly not wanting to let him leave before he answered some questions as it was clear from his demeanour that he seemed to know something. "Wait...I just want to ask you some questions." She spoke to him however he just gave her a quick nervous glance as he started to walk away.
"Sorry...I didn't see or hear anything…" He uttered as he headed for the door. Nina started to follow when she noticed something dropping out of his pocket. The man froze and turned trying to grab the item that fell when Nina picked it up. It looked like a lady's purse. What was he doing with it? "Hey...that's mine…" he called out to her as Nina ignored him and opened it up to reveal some money and cards inside. One of them was an ID card. She pulled it out and looked at it and she saw that it was the blonde haired woman from the morgue. No wonder they couldn't find her ID this creep had stolen it.
"Care to explain why you have the purse of a dead woman in your possession?" She demanded as she glared at him looking him straight in the eye. His eyes had completely changed to red now as they darted round nervously looking for a quick escape. His human ears disappeared and beige coloured dog like ears sprouted from his head as well as horns and a long dog tail. His teeth sharpened into fangs and she stared wide eyed at him as did everyone else at the bar.
"I...it's not what it looks like…" He uttered as he saw everyone in the bar staring at him in shock, then he turned to look at a mirror on the wall and gasped at his reflection. His disguise had dropped, everyone in the bar could see it now.
"You're a demon…" Nina uttered, "a hellhound, now it all makes sense, the animalistic way the victims were killed, the strange growling sounds that people heard. It was you...you did it…"
The man stepped further back, "no...you got this all wrong…" he protested as some of the patrons ran towards him and grabbed hold of him. Pinning him down, visibly panicking he managed to wriggle out of their grip and darted for the door.
"Hey! Get back here!" Nina yelled as she dashed out the door and began to give chase. She quickly looked around and saw him running down the other side of the street. She ran across the road and continued the chase behind him.
The dog man turned around to see that Nina was hot on his tail. "Damn...she's fast for a human...unless she really is one of them…" he whispered to himself as he ran forwards knocking over signs and beer barrels being delivered to slow down her pursuit.
Nina slowed down to manoeuvre around the signs and the beer barrels, as she jumped over the last barrel she caught the tip of his tail disappear round a corner. With a grunt she sped up again and tore after him running round the corner. She wasn't about to let a murder suspect get away. Not if she had anything to do with it.