As she'd grown up, Rosa had quickly come to realise her family weren't exactly the most normal people. From their ambiguous jobs that sometimes didn't seem real, to their abnormally, high household income, and then came their relation to Rosa. Rosa's family were a little different than most kid's families, in the sense that she didn't share a drop of blood with any of them. Despite what the world thought, she was adopted. Although she didn't know why it was a kept a secret, in her mind saying this is my adopted daughter sounds better than 'this is my bastard daughter from an affair I had abroad'. Rosa didn't know her biological parents. If she ever did, the memories were long dead, lost in trauma of her past.
Long story short, Rosa had spent the first six years of her life roaming the streets of Mexico. Then one day the man she now called Father, James Elacti, found her. Saved her. And seven years later here she was. Living the life she'd always dreamed of back when she was a little girl.
Rosa arrived home from school in record timing, sacrificing her body on the icy, slippery floors for the sake of speed and time.
Her home sat on the edge of Harbour Crescent. It was a large, two-story relic of brick and tiles. Just as she walked through the house's gate a familiar car pulled up on the street. Her mother, Mary Elacti, stepped out, her shining, brown hair dancing playfully in the wind.
"Hi sweetie. How was school?" her mum asked.
"It was alright," Rosa replied with her default response. "How was work? Boring?"
"Of course," her mother joked.
They walked across the front yard and Rosa unlocked the door so they could enter their home. Instantly voices radiated down the hallway from the kitchen. Rosa and her mum removed their shoes at the door and made their way into the kitchen. Sitting at the table was her father, a man with short black hair, with a hint of curls, and a well-kept beard. Across from him was her older sister, Emma, a beautiful girl who possessed their mother's hair and father's jade eyes. Obviously, Rosa didn't share the Elacti look instead inheriting her appearance from a missing parents. Long, curvy black hair, brown eyes and the skin colour of her homeland, it was a pale shades.
Her dad was the first to notice them. "Welcome home," he acknowledged. Like every day, Mary kissed him on the cheek and took a seat beside him.
"How did it go?" she asked.
"Good. Very good actually," her father told her.
"What do you mean?" Rosa asked, as she eagerly took a seat beside Emma. Her parents had been talking about exciting news earlier, at breakfast, but annoyingly wouldn't let Rosa in on the secret. Instead telling her she'd find out later along with Emma.
"I'm being promoted," her dad he told her.
"I thought you were already the highest rank," Rosa said, confused by his statement. Despite her family's ambiguity whenever she asked about their work, Rosa knew her father was a detective and to her knowledge held the highest position he could at his station.
"Technically I wasn't. Due to the position being vacant, I've been doing the work without the pay. But today, I've officially been promoted and awarded the title," her dad explained.
"And that comes with the pay rise?" Rosa grinned. Her sister teasingly nudged her in the ribs, for her tactlessness and Rosa's grin grew brighter and mischievous. Her mother sighed.
"It does," her father smiled, "and we're going out to celebrate. Well for both mine and your sister's news." Instantly Emma glared at her father and her cheeks flushed. Rosa's brows furrowed, she snapped to her sister.
"What news?" she questioned.
"I'll tell you later," Emma said.
"Oh come on," Rosa grumbled, annoyed with the strong sense of Deja vu. Not her to. She wasn't a child anymore they could tell these things now.
"Later," Emma said firmly.
"Alright, we leave in an hour," James announced, ending their conversation before it could turn into a sibling squabble. "If you want to go get washed and changed, do it now."
"Where are we going?" Rosa asked.
"Golden Orchid," he replied.
The Golden Orchid was one of the most luxurious Asian restaurants in Aldock and therefore also one of the dearest.
"Woah. You must be getting a raise," Rosa joked.
"Go get changed," her dad ordered, a smile tugging on the edge of his face.
Beaming, Rosa rushed upstairs. She quickly showered and put on some light makeup before changing into her favourite jeans, top and jacket. She completed her outfit with a pair of black boots stored at the bottom of her wardrobe. After giving her mirror a twirl, and confirming she was satisfied with her attire, she headed back downstairs and waited in the living room with Emma.
"What's your news?" Rosa questioned again.
"Wait until dinner," Emma replied, her eyes not leaving the TV. It was showing some documentary that Rosa had no interest in. Her sister loved collecting an abundance of knowledge from topics such as science to the history of the world. Rosa never understood why. Everyone needed a hobby she guessed.
"Please," Rosa said.
Emma sighed. "Do you know what. I've changed my mind, I'm not telling you at all."
"Fine, I'll wait until dinner," Rosa grumbled defeated.
"Good girl." Emma smiled victorious.
They continued to watch TV but after quickly becoming irritated at her sister's bored sighs, Emma snapped towards Rosa.
"Can you please. Shut up."
"Can I switch the channel?" Rosa asked.
A smile spread across Emma's face, a mischievous one that flood Rosa's mind with memories of their childhood. "If you can take it."
Rosa leapt at the remote without warning. Emma twisted her body and suddenly Rosa found herself on the floor. How does she always do that? Grumbling, she jumped back up and dashed for the remote now in Emma's hand. Her older sister lifted the remote high, far from Rosa's reach, before grabbing Rosa's wrist and twisting her arm behind her pack.
"Come on Rosa you use to do better as a kid. Go for me," Rosa could practically hear the grin form, "you know you want to."
With a swift motion, Rosa freed herself, she spun and threw a straight right. It was awful. She it knew it'd be before her body had even moved. It'd pass just fine in kick boxing, might even win her a fight. But with her family ….
Emma swatted away the pathetic punch. "What the hell was that?" Emma chuckled, baffled. "That's not what dad taught us. Strike me properly."
Rosa took in an annoyed breath and the memories of her lessons flashed across her mind and took over her body. Her body moved rapidly, twisting perfectly at the hip and her fist shot out. Emma's eyes flashed in surprise. She redirected Rosa's strike and dipped to the side to avoid her jaw being spun from her face.
Emma grinned. "That was definitely better."
"That it was." Their attention snapped towards the door where their father stood, completely undetected. "You two ready to go?"
Quickly they completed their last-minute checks and then left, but not before Rosa reluctantly put on the coat her mother gave her. Apparently her small jacket alone wasn't appropriate for the weather. In teenage defiance she left the coat open but quickly regretted it when the cold winds struck her, proving her mother to be right. As always. The Elacti family hopped in their car, a fancy, black SUV, and drove off.
They hadn't been to the Golden Orchid since Rosa was ten. She was happy to see its interior had barely changed and was just as lavish as last time, reigniting her old joyful memories. They were assigned a table near the wall. Rosa claimed one of the red cushioned chairs beside the window, revealing the emerging starry sky, and a waiter came over and handed out menus presenting the restaurant's food and drink. With militaristic authority and efficiency, her father instantly ordered drinks for everyone and requested some time for them to decide their meals.
"Should we get some starters?" Mary asked glancing over the menu.
"Could do," James responded. "I haven't had edamame since our honeymoon".
"Can you tell me your news now?" Rosa burst out, still grumpy about being left out.
Her family sighed.
"Tell her Em. I fear Rosa might blow up if she has to wait any longer," her dad said.
"Alright. I'm going away for a week. I've been offered a … great work opportunity," Emma informed. "One that'll accelerate my career. We're talking a years' worth of progress in a week."
"That's great Em," Rosa said happily. "When do you leave?"
Emma hesitated. "Tomorrow," she said sheepishly.
"What?! When were you going to tell me" Rosa exclaimed, startling a few of the surrounding customers. Her cheeks flushed and she hid down in her chair.
"Tomorrow before you went to school," Emma confessed. Rosa stared at her sister deadpan.
"Oh come on Rosa don't be like that. We all know how you can get," Emma said.
"I'm not a kid anymore Em. I can handle it," Rosa grumbled, "In fact, I think it's a great opportunity and I am happy for you." Rosa shot a rapid glance at her dad. He gave a small nod, and a satisfied smile broke across her face. She wished that punch earlier had landed.
"Thanks," Emma said.
An awkward silence followed.
"Alright then," her mum said. "What are we thinking, starters yes or no?"
"Yes," James said.
"I'd like some sushi rolls please," Emma said.
"I'm ok," Rosa stated.
"Are you sure?" Mary asked in a motherly tone. "They have salt and pepper chicken."
Rosa face lit up instantly persuaded. "Oh, then yes please."
"Onto mains then," their father stated, a cocky smile grew, "Let me guess, all ramen bowls." He pointed at Emma, "Beef." Then at Rose, "Chicken." And finally at Mary, "Pork." No one objected. "Wonderful," he said pleased with himself. Like they'd been listening in and wating for the perfect moment, their waiter returned and took their order.
The rest of the night went well, the food was amazing, and the family had a great time together. Due to work, it had been a few months since they were all able to all truly enjoy time together. Rosa hadn't realised how much she'd missed it.
When the night sky had become a sparkling, pitch blanket and every dish was empty, James paid the bill, and they set off. It was quite late by the time they got back and knowing she was up early tomorrow to meet Sam Rosa decided to call it a night. A decision she came to thoroughly regret.
She wandered home from school, following the same route as always. The night was black, and no stars could be seen as clouds consuming the entire sky.
Why was she walking home so late? She racked her brain but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember. Clubs. She must've had clubs after school.
But why did she also feel so on edge?
Rosa turned the street corner that usually marked halfway. If she kept this pace up she'd be home in around ten minutes.
Something growled.
Rosa spun. What the hell was that?
Something was moving in the shadows. Something big and bulky, unnaturally so. Before she knew it, her body was moving on its own. Rosa burst into a sprint. Instantly she heard something begin rushing after her. Rosa didn't dare turn around but whatever it was big enough to make the ground shake. Was she being chased by a sprinting car. Without warning her foot was pulled from beneath her. Rosa hit that ground hard, and the world blurred around her. With unreal speed something flipped her onto her back. Before Rosa try and fight back, something pierced into her stomach. She gasped as all the air charged out from her body. Her body went into shock, and she couldn't even feel the pain. Rosa glanced down to see a black, machete sized claw tearing through her stomach. Above her was a car sized abomination of black fur and muscle. It tore its claws free of her abdomen and began to slash at her body, mutilating her with ease. Blood and insides flew, and the shock vanished. Agonizing pain flared across every inch of her. Her eyes bulged and breath got trapped within her throat preventing her from crying out. Suddenly long, razor fangs sunk into her neck.
She managed to finally scream.
Rosa jolted up from her bed, with so much force the frame shuddered and her bedroom floor trembled. Cold sweat drenched her body. She quickly got hold of her rapid, hysterical breathing, before she passed out. Glancing to the right, she saw the morning light leaking in through the curtains.
'It was a nightmare,' she realised. Relief spread through her body. She fell back into her mattress. It was soaked.
"I need a shower," she mumbled.
The Black Wraith II
A strange wave of nostalgia passed over him as hit foot struck British soil, he hadn't realised he'd been missing home.
'Well closer enough to home,' he thought, glancing around at London city. Just a couple hundred more miles to go. The capital was bustling and overcrowded as always, he grumbled internally as he quickly came to learn that during his time away people hadn't grown accustomed to the concept of social awareness or personal space. It was probably a good thing he had none of his weapons with him, he may be tempted to use them. He strolled across the city from the airport, keeping his head down, and made his way to the station to catch the next train the Liverpool, the sooner he was far from here the better. He imagined the people here thought the same, especially those like him.
He wandered through the train station to the ticket machine, hopefully the next train was soon. However, as he was traversing the machine, something caught his eye. He spun to left. A familiar face stood across the station, camouflaged within the crowds. She locked eyes with him and gave him a friendly wave. He had to admit he was a little taken aback, it'd been a while since he'd seen her. Kath.
Was the last time he'd seen her the academy? He didn't even know she was stationed down south, always thought she'd stay up north. He made his way over to her, manoeuvring his way through the crowds. Seeing him approach she instantly turned away and wandered towards the station's exit, he knew it keep following. The question now was, What did she want with him? Few people knew he was returning today and even fewer of that group would tell the organisation. Well unless it was an emergency.
"No rest for the wicked," he grumbled to himself, watching the fleeting idea of a day's rest vanish.
Kath led him to a black SUV sat outside the station, a driver already inside and the engine running. They both clambered into the back and he wasn't surprised to find his weapons had already been retrieved and prepared for him.
The second they settled in and the doors were tightly shut, the driver took off down the road. They travelled far outside the city and must've been driving for well over an hour before they came to a stop, an hour and thirty four minutes if he was being pedantic. Their entire ride was silent, Kath remained on her laptop pretty much the whole time and made no attempt to converse with him so he made no attempt either. At one point, he had tried to have a look at the laptop's screen but Kath had just angled it away from him. Message received, looks like things have become classified to even him during his time away.
"Could I at least be told where we are going?" he asked. "I did politely agree to come, if it wasn't you I'd have fucked off home."
"The site," Kath replied, not taking her attention from her work. He wondered who her superior was now, still James? He hoped so or he doubted he'd be cooperating much longer.
"You used to be more talkative," he murmured.
"And you use to stay in contact," she retorted. "Even if it was just through messages."
'Ah.' He guessed he had just vanished from the radar for a good few years. He quickly began hoping everyone else wasn't as irritated otherwise his welcome back was going to be extremely awkward, and probably not so welcoming.
"Fair enough," he mumbled.
"Commander Elacti wants you here and asks me to see it done," Kath stated. "That's all I know."
He nodded, that's all he needed to know. He hopped out the car and found himself in the country side, a giant rustic Barnhouse before him. Instantly, he could sense death's stench in the air, it was overwhelming, repulsive he even to him. Carnage had occurred.
Dozens of hunters and officers in their black military uniforms were patrolling and stationed across the premise. As he and Kath passed by, most gave him dark and fearful glares or tried to ignore him entirely. It was of no surprise to him, most of organisation down south acted the same. It didn't bother him, if anything he found it amusing. And if any of them attempted anything he considered unpleasant, he'd gut them like he would any beast.
"Wraith." The hunter guarding the barn's doors nodded to him respectfully as he approached. The Wraith didn't remember his name but recognised the man's face. He noticed the hunter had ascended in rank since the Wraith had last seen him, now bearing the merits of lieutenant. The lieutenant gestured to his fellow officers to open the doors. "It occurred last night," he sighed. "We have zero leads or a single idea on what caused it," he paused, "I must warn you, it's overwhelming. We believe the number of fatalities to be thirty four but honestly it's hard to tell."
The Wraith nodded. He already knew that, could feel the intensity of death in the air instantly.
Once barn doors opened wide enough, they passed through. The Wraith found himself brought to an immediate halt. He noticed Kath stumble behind him. They were met with carnage, a scene carved from Eldritch horror. It was worse than he'd predicted, far worse. To his surprise he found a wave of unease spread over him. He quickly erased it and carried on through the room. He gestured for Kath to remain were she was, she'd never been good with these sights. It was beyond gruesome, like the aftermath of the old wars fought solely with blade, brawn and hate. The phrase bloodbath didn't even begin to describe the scene the Wraith wandered through, his shoes wading across a pool of blood. He noticed another faint scent in the air but he couldn't identify it, the drench of death dominated it completely. He was forced to shrug it off.
A layer of still drying blood flooded the floor. The corpses of what was apparently thirty four hunters were scattered across every inch of the barn. That was if you could even call them corpses. Not a single person could be picked out, if you looked closely enough you may be able to identity a section of the odd limb. Flesh had been flayed, muscles and organs shredded, bone obliterated. It was safe to say he was probably treading across the blended corpses of dozens. A metallic glint caught his eye and he glanced down to see a disfigured hunter's pendant at his feet. They were probably the only reason the organisation had any idea how many had died here.
Why had all these hunters assembled here? What had they encountered? The Wraith could tell they'd assembled as attack force, not by chance. A hunting pack thirty four strong had been reduced to this. No wonder he'd been called in.
"What could've caused this?" Kath finally gasped horrified. It was only them in the barn, the other hunters and officers clearly not wanting to be around the scene any more than they had to be. Honestly he didn't blame them.
"Many things," the Wraith answered truthfully. "The million pound question is, what is the exact monster that caused this? Because until I know that I can't track it nor can I hunt it."
Dread overwhelmed her face. "Meaning it can act again."
The Wraith nodded gravely. "What do the hunters know? It was no accident this many hunters assembled here."
"There was an anonymous tip, and once we investigated it, we found the information to be right and a vile presence was identified here. A hunting pack was deployed … one that was believed to be able to handle the task."
"They were lured," the Wraith muttered. "By it."
"You think it called the tip in," Kath said.
"I know it did," he said. "Has there been any other similar cases?" The Wraith snapped his fingers, snapping Kath out her terrified daze.
"Down south. Not as many deaths or quite as brutal. But like this, we were left without answers and a culprit," he felt her heart dropped, "It was also due to an anonymous tip. They thought it might be the same creature this time so sent more hunters … the threat was clearly underestimated."
"It's going north," the Wraith replied, a strain in his voice. "Tell the hunters to avoid all anonymous tips while it's still active. It won't matter how many they send, this isn't a hunt based on quantity, it's about quality. Until I understand what monster I'm hunting, any hunter deployed will just a lamb to the slaughter. Nothing more than a sacrifice in vain."
Kath paused, she was now back in action, perfectly digesting the information. "You say it's going north, why?"
"A feeling. A dreaded one," the Wraith muttered. "James put me on this?"
"He did," Kath nodded. Her voice went quiet. "Louie, he sounded desperate, scared even."
"Because he is. He's praying I can kill it before it gets what it wants."
"What does it want?"
The thought of the girl passed over his mind, but he said nothing. The Wraith shook his head and shrugged. "But I'm assuming he knows. It's why he's calling me back."
Without delay the Wraith made his way from the barn and back to the car, washing his bloodied shoes off in the grass. There was nothing here that could help him. This was simply an unveiling. A devastating threat revealing its presence, trying to scare the Hunters, revealing their powerlessness. And it was working.