Book 2 First Night (9)

Book 2 First Night (9)

They found the shredded remains of an iron shutter on the east side of the mall, about two hundred meters from the carpark.

The place did not stand out whatsoever. Hidden behind a tree, the breach on the fencing was nigh invisible, even if one carried a flashlight. The reason they found it was due to no less than Tilarnas exceptional sense of smell and the observation skills Matoba had honed over the years.

Enough for someone to squeeze through.

Matoba said. The shutter had been ripped off by force, revealing the clean circular hole left behind on the glass window. It was just big enough for an adult to fit through.

Radioing in their findings to headquarters, Matoba requested a perimeter be set up around the mall. Just as he was about to step foot inside, Tilarna stopped him from behind.

Wait, Kei.

Whats up?

Is it wise to go in with just the two of us?

Yeah. Even if we brought those rookies along for backup, theyd just get in the way. You have a problem with that?

No

Seeing her at a loss for words, Matoba furrowed his eyebrows.

What, you scared?

That is not it. It is just, I have doubts whether we will be enough to handle her on our own. We cannot afford to make light of that vampires strength.

It did not appear as though she was afraid.

However, it was true that they would probably lose if they fought head-on with that monster. Thinking back to the first time he came across the vampire at the morgue, he would have avoided jumping into the fray at all costs if he could. And their positions at Vice meant that they really did not have any obligation to continue the investigation.

Then, why exactly were they doing all this in the first place?

It was obvious. To get even. Even if it was not their business to do so, they were the ones who had brought the vampire into the morgue, allowed it to murder innocent civilians, and let it escape in the end. They could not just sit still and let it be.

Even so, Matoba casually said.

I know that. If things look bad, well hightail it outta here.

Tilarna looked blankly upon his blatant dishonesty, before acknowledging his words with a nod.

Well, that may indeed end up being the case.

Well, well. I thought youd have said something like, A knight would never dare show her back to her enemies.

Shut up. Let us go already.

With Tilarna pushing him onward, Matoba stepped foot into the shopping mall.

Inside, a small cafe greeted the pair. It was dark. Not a single sound could be heard. Chairs were stacked upside down atop the tables, left as is by the proprietor. Several signs had been folded by the entrance, accompanied by a pile of garbage bags and bottles of milk.

An unnatural silence.

Attached to the ceiling, the security sensor was flashing red. Coming in from behind, Tilarna carelessly headed for the entrance. Matoba grasped her shoulder.

Passing through the area from which they first entered, they moved on to the next section of the mall.

The name Paradise Square was written on the wall. And yet, this place was anything but that. Neither was it a square. Like the stores earlier, the corridor was lined with boutiques, boutiques, and even more boutiques.

Why the fuck do these malls and department stores sell this much clothing and makeup? If there was a place with gun shops lining up both sides of the aisle, Id be there in a second. Or so Matoba thought. A Winchester for every Dior, a Heckler & Koch for every Hermes, A Glock for every Louis Vuitton. A mall filled to the brim with guns seemed a perfectly good idea.

Their surroundings were pitch-black. Around every corner awaited an ambush from the vampire they sought to hunt.

Though they initially began their search on the first floor, the two had arrived at the third floor before they even realized it. As usual, the shops on this floor were arranged meticulously in a complicated layout. In front, there lay a grand, circular atrium, which looked down upon the fountain in the square below. Hexagonal skylights decorated the ceiling above them. A massive curtain stretched all the way down to the first floor from the middle of the ceiling.

Tis a bit stronger now.

Tilarna whispered.

Her scent?

Yes. Be careful.

You say that, but I cant see for shit. How the hell are we supposed to know if shes getting closer?

Oi!

Tilarna suddenly shouted.

A woman clad all in black was standing right next to Matoba.

She was smiling. Her dress flickered in the air, almost as if they were flames. A sleek, voluptuous, pale body. Gray hair. Lips dripping in red. And above all else, a piercing gaze that looked like it would never let go of him. Both her eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.

Wha

Matoba reached for his weapon on the spot. He did not make it. With a swing of her right arm, five razor-sharp fingernails tore out his throat.

No, he was able to use his shotgun as a shield just before her claws pierced his skin. The impact almost knocked him unconscious. Snapping like a twig, the gun flew from his hands. Still, Matoba was incapable of blocking all of her attacks. Disoriented from the initial barrage, he crashed into the handrails behind him.

Such tremendous power. It was as if a heavyweight boxer had just punched him straight in the nuts.

And that was not all. Using her slender arms, the vampire clutched his throat once more. They were deathly cold hands. Unable to breathe, his head throbbed over and over again.

Kei!?

Turning around, Tilarna swung her longsword down upon the vampire. In response, the vampire nimbly thrust Matoba forward, intending to use him as a shield.

Khh!

Tilarna stopped her blade mid-swing. Not letting go of that chance, the vampire invoked one of her illusions to create her characteristic afterimages, delivering a sharp kick toward her enemy. The tips of her toes made contact with the wrist of her opponent. The longsword flew out of Tilarnas hands and planted itself onto the nearby wall.

Tila

Unarmed, Tilarna reached out to the vampire with her hands. Almost as though they were alive, her black clothes and hair twisted around Tilarnas limbs, restricting their movement. Gasping in pain, Matoba managed to draw his beloved automatic from the holster below his armpit. But before anything else, the vampire flung his body into the atrium. Three storeys above ground.

!

If he had not resisted with all his strength, his neck would have most likely broken by now. Matoba spun furiously as he descended from the center of the atrium, colliding his head against the curtain, entangling himself all the way down to the fountain below.

His shoulder and back, the back of his head were hit hard. Water sprayed everywhere around him. The last thing he heard before everything faded to black was the anguished cry coming from Tilarna.