Kira quickly got up, wrapping the blanket around her as she collected her clothes.

  “I will meet you at the front.” She said as she opened my door.

  “Kira wait!” She paused at the door with one eye brow raised.

  “I don’t want what we are about to see, to take away from what we just shared.” I pulled her into a passionate kiss and I felt the tension in her rush out.

  We broke away breathing heavily once again.

  “Don’t worry.” She said with a smirk. “it’s my new happy place. Nothing can ruin it.” She disappeared around the corner towards her room.

  I quickly got dressed and headed to the front. After a few minutes, Kira arrived, hair tied back in a professional ponytail. Her flushed cheeks the only indication of the next step our relationship had taken.

  “What?” She asked noting I was staring.

  “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” I asked, trying to remember if I ever had. She gave me a small smile before reaching up and kissing me on the lips.

  “Even if you had, a girl likes to hear it.” She winked at me before putting her boots on. We were out the door moments later and in the Police Cruiser parked in the driveway.

  “Did Chief give you anything further?” Kira asked as she fixed her ponytail in the passenger mirror.

  “No just a homicide that may involve a player. He texted me the address while we were getting changed.”

  “Gods if the victim or the offender is a player… the ramifications would be insane no matter what.” Her voice tight with apprehension.

  “One step at a time. Let's focus on getting there. Remember what I taught you.”

  “We work our way in. Outer to inner of the crime scene.” Kira recited immediately.

  “Exactly, so eyes on the look out. We are about to arrive.” I took the next turn and flashing lights momentarily blinded me.

  Multiple Police Vehicles blocked the road while two ambulances lined the right side of the street in front of an apartment building. Caution tape creating an outer perimeter.

  I pulled to a stop and gave Kira’s hand a reassuring squeeze before exiting.

  The street was eerily quiet, shadows crossed in front of dimly lit living rooms. The flashing lights illuminating curious neighbors.

  “Hey Dave.” I called to the officer standing at the caution tape.

  “Hey Elias.” His response was quiet, like he was afraid to wake the dead.

  Dave lifted the tape for us to pass under. “Chief is inside, apartment 205.”

  “Thanks Dave.” We walked towards the front of the apartment building. “What do you see?” I asked Kira as we approached.

  “No yard work has been completed since well before the arrival of the dungeon.” I indicated the overgrown yellow grass that was the lawn. Giant bushes blocked the lower windows, they grew wild and uncontrolled.

  “What else?” I said smiling.

  “Accumulated trash in the driveway, bleached siding, missing tiles on the roof. Possibly low income housing?” Kira continued looking around before focusing on the building. “Glass door broken, repaired with plywood. Residents windows broken, taped over with garbage bags or blankets… Definitely low income. Any place with proper funding would normally maintain their building. These types of residences only receive fed money and they don’t upkeep the building because of how often things get destroyed.”

  “Very good.” My own observations coinciding with hers. I noted the bars on the windows through the overgrown bushes.

  Office? Maybe.

  We approached the plywood covered glass door. A buzzer set in the wall, scratched up and worn. There was a faint aroma of garbage and ammonia. The concrete entrance way stained with various patterns of god knows what.

  “What is missing?” I asked Kira as we opened the door. A wooden wedge used to ensure it didn’t close completely.

  Kira looked around before replying. “Glass, which means the door wasn’t broken today.”

  I nodded as we entered the foyer. Rows of mailboxes lined one side of the hallway. Stopping at a white door labeled Property Manager. The single elevator door stood on the opposite wall.

  I pushed the button with my covered elbow, the elevator arriving a moment later. Four buttons labeled with each floor, I selected the level two button with my elbow once again.

  The door closed and the elevator moved up a level, an old sounding chime sounded as the door opened once more.

  The elevator opened to multiple apartment doors lining both sides of a long hallway.

  Chief Dobson stood in front of 205 talking to a uniformed officer, I began walking towards them when movement from the corner of my eye had me turning toward the approaching figure. I let out an audible groan as I saw Deputy Commissioner Howard walking towards me.

  His beady eyes locked on me immediately sizing up my uniform as he approached.

  “Stormson, you look like you just crawled out of bed. Where are your body armor and weapon? Just because you went on a little ‘Trip’ with the Chief, you think you can get away with looking like a slob.” Howard’s reedy voice like nails on a chalkboard.

  What the fuck is this guy’s obsession with uniform.

  I summoned my armor and swords with a thought. “Plenty of armor and weapons at my beck and call. Sir.” I spit the word out like it was a curse.

  “That’s not regulation.” Howard’s face was turning purple.

  “Howard. There are trees out there working hard to produce oxygen to allow you to speak. Go find it and apologize to it. You are wasting its effort.” I immediately regretted my words as something flashed through Howard’s eyes.

  “YOU DARE INSULT ME.” Howard shouted drawing the attention of Chief Dobson and the other officer.

  “What’s the problem?” Chief asked.

  “Elias just gravely disrespected the chain of command. He thinks just because he is a Player that he is somehow better than everyone else.” Howard spat, his face purple with rage.

  “Not everyone else. Just you.” I corrected to the hemorrhaging Howard.

  “ELIAS.” A disapproving tone had entered the Chief’s voice. “You will respect the chain of command. Especially when you are in public.”

  “What is he doing here anyway? Shouldn’t he be locked up with his mayor buddy?” I countered, not moving my eyes from Howard.

  “There was no evidence that Deputy Chief Howard committed any crime. According to Howard he was about to arrest the mayor himself for treason.” Chief said but a hint of skepticism laced his words.

  However, Howard puffed out his chest like he was just awarded the purple heart for almost doing something.

  I was about to retort when Chief Dobson suddenly began coughing. It was a deep fluid sounding cough from deep within his chest.

  “Chief, are you okay? Do you need Kira to heal you?” I asked suddenly concerned.

  “No, I’m fine. Just a tickle in the back of the throat.” Chief waved a hand dismissively.

  “It didn’t sound like a tickle.” Kira said as she summoned her staff.

  “How dare you talk back to the Chief!” Howard chastised once again.

  “Howard.” Chief warned. “Go check on the officers canvasing the street.”

  Howard looked like he was going to talk back but instead turned on his heel and called the elevator. Departing without another word.

  “Chief… what is going on? Why is he still working as the deputy chief?” Frustration making the question sound more like a demand.

  Chief sighed heavily. “Apparently, he is more connected than I thought. Twenty cops and the rest of the leadership threatened to quit if I fired him and in this state of emergency, we need every hand we can get. Don’t worry I won’t let him interfere with anything. Let’s focus on this homicide. Be warned, it’s graphic.” Chief turned to lead us back to apartment 205.

  We stepped into the apartment.

  The smell hit immediately. Thick and coppery. Blood soaked into the carpet and splattered up the walls. Covering everything up to the ceiling. Yellow evidence markers were scattered about as two people in white bunny suits took pictures as they place more markers around the scene.

  Kira slowed beside me. She stared at the body hanging upside down in the middle of the living room.

  There were no ropes or wires. Nothing holding her. Just a woman suspended by her ankle, upside down, arms dangling toward the floor.

  Her hair brushed the blood-stained carpet.

  The whole scene felt wrong.

  I activated Mana Sight.

  A thick rope of mana appeared around her right ankle. It was wrapped tight and twisted like braided cable. The mana pulsed faintly and extended straight up, disappearing into the ceiling.

  “Elias?” Kira asked. “What is it?”

  “Mana rope,” I said. “Only visible with Mana Sight. Someone tied her up there.”

  “Can we get her down?” Chief asked.

  “I’m not sure. Let me try after we examine the body. I don’t want to miss something by causing the body to crash to the ground.” I said as I looked around the room. The furniture had all been pushed away, making the woman the center of the room with free space all around her.

  “There is something you need to know.” Chief said solemnly. “The forensic team found no injuries on the body besides her tongue was cut out and healed into a mass of flesh.”

  I looked at Chief Dobson in shock before turning back to the body. A familiar grim feeling welled up in my chest.

  We were dealing with a monster of the human variety.

  “Ummm Chief?” The officer at the door poked his head in and immediately turned green.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “What is it, Zack?” Chief asked visibly annoyed at the intrusion.

  “One of the neighbors wants to speak to you?” Zack said sheepishly.

  The Chief sighed. “Let me know if you find anything.” Chief stepped out into the hall.

  Kira stepped closer to examine the body. The blood trails on the corpse’s chest and face were dried and dark. It all ran straight down to a large dark pool on the carpet.

  “I don’t see any wounds,” Kira confirmed. I scanned the body and even though there was a large amount of blood covering the body, there wasn’t a single cut anywhere to be seen.

  Kira leaned in and examined the body more closely. Her eyes shifted slightly.

  “There are injuries.” Kira gasped as she took a step back. “A lot of injuries. There are marks all over her body made with mana. I can see it, Elias.” Her voice caught. “It’s like there are echoes of the wounds on her very being.” Kira looked around the room wide eyed. “This is all her blood.” She whispered softly.

  I walked around the scene. My boots stuck slightly on the dried blood.

  I scanned the room, mapping the castoff blood patterns to a single point. Where the body currently hung suspended.

  Kira's head suddenly shift to the side in a look of curiosity. She knelt by one of the woman’s hands. “Elias,” she said.

  I joined her.

  White flesh and blood were packed under a single fingernail. No blood trailed to the location.

  “She fought someone,” Kira said. “Hard. There’s tissue under her nails. Skin cells. There is mana attached to it, faint but there. It’s not hers unless she was a player.”

  I nodded. “That should be enough DNA to ID the killer.”

  We heard a crack.

  I looked up. The mana rope snapped.

  The glow vanishing before the mana rope disappeared from existence.

  The body fell straight down and hit the floor with a heavy thud. Cracked blood jumped off the carpet. Kira flinched and stepped back.

  I summoned my blade out of reflex.

  The room went still.

  Kira stared at the ceiling. “Did the rope fail?”

  “No.” I checked the lingering mana in the air. It faded fast. Too fast. “Someone dismissed it.”

  “You think they knew we were here?”

  “It’s possible.”

  Chief Dobson stepped in behind us. He looked at the body on the floor, then at the blood on the walls. “What happened?”

  “The mana holding her snapped,” I said. “Not on its own.”

  Dobson frowned. “Great.”

  Kira stood. “She struggled. She fought. Whoever did this didn’t walk away clean. There is skin and blood under her nails.”

  “Okay. I will have the forensic guys take a sample and give it to our lab tech guys. I think they have the software to analyze it here but I’m not sure. If they have to send it away we are screwed.” Chief said as he walked to the other room that the two forensic guys had begun cataloging.

  I moved toward the door. “We need to canvas the neighbors.”

  Chief looked from the doorway. “Go. I will oversee the scene here.”

  Kira followed me into the hallway. The air felt colder out here.

  She took a steady breath.

  “We’ll figure this out,” she said.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Let’s start knocking.”

  We reached the unit beside 205.

  I knocked lightly. The hallway stayed quiet except for the hum of the fluorescent lights and chatter drifting out of 205.

  The door opened a few inches, a petite, frail-looking woman peering out at us. A knitted blanket was wrapped tightly around her shoulders, clutched close like she felt a cold that wasn’t there. Mid-summer or not, she looked chilled.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  I showed her my badge. “Ma’am, we’re with Valen PD. My name is Elias, what is yours?”

  “Helen Walters.”

  “Thank you Helen. Can we ask you a few questions about what you saw earlier?”

  She nodded and opened the door a little more. “I was coming down the hall and noticed her door was open. It’s usually shut. She seemed like the sort who kept things neat.” She paused, steadying her breath. “I called out to see if she was home. No one answered. I pushed the door a tiny bit more and… that’s when I saw her. Hanging like that. Blood everywhere.”

  Her eyes drifted to the floor. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

  “You did the right thing,” Kira said gently.

  I kept my voice calm. “Do you know if she lived alone?”

  “Yes,” the woman said. “She moved in a few months ago. Nice girl. Quiet. I never saw anyone else with her.”

  “Do you know her name?” Kira asked.

  “Rachel,” the woman said. “I think her last name was Morne. Could be Moorse. Something close to that.”

  “When was the last time you spoke with her?” I asked.

  “Yesterday morning,” she said. “We ran into each other in the laundry room downstairs. She said the world felt strange with everything shutting down. Asked how I was holding up.” The woman’s grip tightened on her blanket. “She was kind. Made me feel less alone.”

  Kira nodded. “Did she seem upset? Or worried?”

  “No,” the woman said. “Just tired.”

  I glanced down the hallway toward 205. “Did you hear anything last night?”

  She thought for several seconds. “Some heavy thumps. Maybe around midnight. Could’ve been later. Hard to keep track these days.” She shook her head slowly. “It sounded like something fell. Or someone moving fast.”

  “Any voices?” Kira asked.

  “No. Just the thumping.”

  “Did you see anyone in the hallway? Anyone coming or going?” I asked.

  “No,” she said. “I don’t open my door after dark.”

  “That’s alright,” I said. “You’ve helped us a lot. If you remember anything else, call the station.”

  She nodded, then eased the door shut.

  Kira breathed out softly. “She’s shaken.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Let’s move on.”

  We moved to the next unit down the hall.

  I gave the door a light knock. The sound echoed a little in the quiet corridor.

  After a few seconds, the door creaked open. A tall, balding man in a wrinkled t-shirt blinked at us like we had woken him from a half-sleep. His eyes were red around the edges, either from age or exhaustion.

  “Something happening?” he asked.

  I showed my badge again. “Valen PD. We’re checking in with neighbors about the incident in 205.”

  He rubbed his face slowly, like he was trying to wake up. “I figured something was wrong. Saw the officers earlier.”

  “Did you hear anything from unit 205 today?” I asked.

  He leaned his shoulder on the doorframe, thinking it over. “Mmm… maybe. Hard to tell. This building’s old. It groans at night. Pipes bang. People drop stuff. I try not to pay attention.”

  “Anything stand out?” Kira asked.

  He shook his head.

  “Thumps maybe? Around one or two last night. Could’ve been upstairs. Could’ve been here. I’m a heavy sleeper.”

  I nodded. “Did you know the woman in 205?”

  “Not really. Seen her a couple times in the lobby.” His brow pinched. “She’d always smile. Seemed polite.”

  “Did she live alone as far as you know?” Kira asked.

  “Far as I know, yeah.”

  “Did you notice anyone coming or going from her place recently?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. “I keep to myself. Everyone does these days. Are we safe?” he asked hesitating as he glanced towards unit 205.

  “Honestly, if we are here, yes. But don’t open your door for anyone you don’t recognise and call our office if you see anything strange. We will be here for a while processing the scene so feel free to reach out if you remember anything that may aid our investigation.” I gave him a tight smile.

  He nodded once and shut the door quietly.

  Kira looked at me. “Not much from him.”

  “No. But it lines up with the time frame.”

  We moved to the door across the hall and knocked.

  A few seconds passed before a series of locks clicked loudly from the other side. One. Two. Three. Then a chain slid out of place.

  The door opened halfway.

  A man in his late forties stood there wearing a bright purple bathrobe and mismatched slippers. His hair stuck up in every direction, like he’d been electrocuted or slept on a couch for three years straight. He held a steaming bowl of soup in both hands.

  He stared at us over the rim of the bowl.

  We stared back.

  Kira blinked. “Uh… Valen PD.”

  The man took a slow slurp of his soup. “Figures,” he said, voice raspy. “Something nasty happened down there. Felt it in my ankles.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Your ankles?”

  “Yep.” He pointed his spoon at his feet. “I get tingles when bad energy moves through the building. Like spiritual Wi-Fi. Goes right up the bones.”

  Kira gave me a look.

  I kept things simple. “Did you hear anything last night or during the day?”

  “Oh, definitely,” he said. He shifted the bowl to his left hand and began waving the spoon around like an antenna. “There was a thump. A heavy one. Made my plants shake.” He paused. “Then the humming started.”

  “Humming?” I asked.

  “Yes.” He nodded seriously. “A low vibration. Like someone was running a generator made of bees. My cat freaked out. You want to see? He’s still under the bed.”

  “No, that’s alright,” I said.

  Kira tried again. “Did you see anyone in the hallway? Anyone you didn’t recognize?”

  He frowned. “Maybe. Hard to say. Looked like a shadow with legs. But that might’ve been the coat rack. I was tired.”

  I let out a slow breath. “Anything else you remember?”

  “Yeah.” He took another slurp. “Tell the chief the bad energy’s still here. I can feel it. Right now.” He tapped his ankle twice. “Keeps buzzing.”

  Kira nodded politely. “Thank you for your time.”

  “Don’t thank me,” he said. “Just catch the shadow.”

  He shut the door.

  Three locks clicked back into place.

  I glanced at Kira. She shook her head softly, eyes wide. “This building has interesting tenants.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Let’s try upstairs next.”

  We made our way up the stairs. The third floor felt quieter than the others. Older carpet. Dimmer lights. A faint smell of dust and stale air hung in the hallway.

  I knocked on the first door we reached.

  It opened after a moment. A middle-aged man stood there, wearing a simple white muscle shirt and boxer shorts. His mouth was stretched in an angry snarl as he sized us up.

  “What?” He snapped.

  “Valen PD,” I said, showing my badge. “We’re checking in with neighbors. Did you hear or see anything last night or today?”

  “No, fuck off pig.” He tried to slam the door, but I moved a hand forward lightning quick catching it.

  “HEY!” The man grunted as he tried to force the door closed but it didn’t budge in my grasp.

  I smiled as I spoke. “Excuse me sir, this is a murder investigation. We are just trying to ascertain what you may have seen or heard that could aid our investigation.” My voice was even and calming as the man pushed on the door turning red in the face.

  “I… already… told... you… to… fuck off.” He grunted as he threw his weight at the door.

  “Oh, my apologies good sir. You have a lovely night.” I said as the man stepped back a couple feet and ran at the door to force it closed.

  I let go of the door and it swung closed as I heard his body smash against the door then crumple to the floor.

  “Pleasant fellow.” I said to Kira with a wink as she stifled a laugh.

  I was about to walk towards the next unit when the door swung open crashing into the wall.

  “You fucking pig. Ill kill you.” The man held a baseball bat as he stood in the door frame.

  My eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, swinging the bat in a cleaving arc. I didn’t bother summoning any of my equipment. Lifting my forearm to bear the brunt of the force.

  The bat shattered into kindling as it exploded against my arm. I stared curiously at the point of impact, barely feeling a sting.

  “Hmmm. Interesting.” I said as I turned my arm over.

  The man stood dumbfounded at the ruined handle of his bat in his hand.

  “What… What are you…” He stammered as he stumbled backwards in fear.

  “Sorry about the bat but you did try to assault an officer of the law.” I said simply. “You answer my questions and I will forget this ever happened.”

  The man looked behind him at the empty apartment but saw no means of escape or safety.

  “S…sure.” He stammered.

  “Anything unusual?” I asked again. The man shook his head.

  “Do you know the neighbor in 205?”

  The man shook his head.

  “Is there a reason you don’t know anything that could help us?” I asked in frustration.

  The man looked behind him again, this time I noticed the countless empty bottle of alcohol that littered the apartment.

  “I was trying to live out the end of the world in a drunken stupor.” The man admitted lowering his head in shame. “You guys woke me up with the worst hangover after a week of drinking. I don’t remember much since the world ended.”

  “Okay. Thank you for answering. What is your name?”

  “Jeremy Hale.”

  I turned to walk away but turned back at the last second. “You know. The world hasn’t ended yet. There are people all over the world fighting to try and bring it back. If I were you, I wouldn’t give up yet. You never know what tomorrow may bring.”

  The man gave me a sad nod before walking into his apartment and closed the door quietly.

  “His tune changed pretty quick there.” I said turning a cheeky grin towards Kira.

  She had her hands on her hips with a scowl on her face. “Did you need to block it with your arm? Couldn’t you have caught it, dodged, or literally anything else?”

  “I knew it wouldn’t hurt me.” I said confidently.

  “Still a stupid risk.” She huffed before turning to look down the hallway. “Two more units.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Let’s try the one at the end.”

  We walked toward it. The hallway lights flickered once, then steadied. Something about the next door made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

  I knocked on the door; it opened a moment later.

  A man in his mid-thirties stood there, looking like he’d just stepped out of a shower. His hair was still damp, and a faint clean scent drifted out from the apartment behind him. He wore a plain shirt and jeans, both fresh and unwrinkled.

  My senses prickled immediately. A sharp tug in the back of my mind.

  A quiet warning that didn’t come with a reason.

  “Evening,” he said. “Can I help you?”

  I held up my badge. “Valen PD. We’re following up on an incident that happened downstairs. Mind if we ask a few questions?”

  He stepped aside. “Sure. Come in.”

  The apartment was tidy but lived in.

  A chair was pulled closer to the window, angled toward the TV across the room. The curtains beside it fluttered slightly, like the window behind them had been open a minute ago. The air inside carried a faint hint of cigarette smoke mixed with the clean scent from him — an odd combination.

  “You smoke?” I asked.

  “No,” he said casually. “I think it was the previous tenant. I can’t get the damn smell out of here.”

  Kira walked a few steps inside. “We just have a couple questions about last night.”

  “Of course,” he said. He spoke evenly, no hesitation.

  I watched him while she talked.

  Damp hair.

  Fresh clothes.

  Calm posture.

  No tension in his shoulders or hands.

  Nothing obvious, but the warning in my senses didn’t fade.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  He turned toward me. “Daniel. Daniel Hurst.”

  “Mr. Hurst,” I said, “did you hear anything unusual last night or during the day?”

  “No,” he said. “I was home, but I sleep pretty deeply and then watched a few dvd’s I have on hand, since the streaming services are all out. Thanks apocalypse.”

  “Did you know the woman in 205 downstairs?” Kira asked.

  “No,” Daniel said. “I might’ve seen her once or twice in the lobby. Never spoke with her. I didn’t know her name.”

  Kira nodded. “Did you notice anyone in the hallway? Anyone you didn’t recognize? Anything strange?”

  “No,” he said. “It was quiet up here.”

  I let my gaze drift again.

  Clean apartment. Curtains still shifting slightly. Fresh-dressed man. Chair by the window. The faintest cigarette scent despite no ashtray in sight. Something sat wrong.

  I couldn’t explain it.

  Just a pull at the edge of thought — a nudge from the same sense that had saved me more than once.

  “Alright,” I said. “If anything comes back to you later, call it in.”

  “I will,” he said.

  Kira stepped out first. I followed, but paused once more at the doorway, eyes tracking the small details. Nothing screamed suspicious. Nothing out of place.

  But the feeling didn’t let go.

  Daniel gave a small polite nod as the door closed behind us.

  Kira exhaled quietly. “Another normal one.”

  “Maybe,” I said.

  I glanced back at the door.

  Something about him still sat wrong.

  I just couldn’t see it yet.

  No one answered the last unit.

  “It’s time to go back to Chief and update him.” I said heading for the elevator.

  “Who could do something like that?” Kira asked as we entered.

  “I have no idea, but I intend to find out.”