Chasing The Mist

Chapter 4-Merciless Attacks

~With you I can be the 'me', the 'me' I don't allow others to see~

"You mean, the brutal attacks that left all the victims unconscious?" She seeks confirmation before biting into her sandwich. She shivers as she recalls the testimony of the people who saw the bodies before the authorities arrived. Brutally beaten, especially their faces, hit to the point they aren't recognizable, bloodied faces some with teeth missing. Bruised all over, their assault seemed to be done by someone with extremely malicious intent. Or just a pure madman and psychopath.

"Exactly. It was just released in this morning's news that there was another victim just last night. It was a woman, and her situation is just like the first five. They all were badly beaten and there were rope like marks on their necks. None of them are dead, yet, but they have all been unconscious even the very first person attacked."

"Err," the lady across from him hand's shake as she listens to his news. "and no clues have been found yet? Not even a connection between the victims."

"Well, nothing has been reported publicly, but..." he looks around and sees the only other people in the restaurant are the people in the booth whom he can barely see and have an 'uninteresting in others' type of feeling to them, so he signals her to lean closer and whispers. Well, whispers would be used too lightly, as it is a completely quiet restaurant and the man seems to have only whispered in loud areas, so the two in the booth could still hear him.

"I heard that there is a connection in their power type, but the SSCB is keeping that under wraps as to not frighten those who fit the criteria."

"Does that make sense! They should let them know so they can take extra care." she asks incredulously, raising her voice louder than the man's 'whisperings'.

"Ai! Calm down, I said I heard, I heard, it's probably just a rumor that people cooked up due to stress."

"Well, there is no smoke without fire is there, I don't believe all of it is hearsay."

The pair continued their 'hushed' debate, and the two in the booth also started a conversation.

"What do you think, just a rumor or is there a conspiracy?" He directs this question to the woman who carefully chews the sandwich in her mouth before answering.

"Don't know, don't care." then she places another bite of the food that was delivered to them while the man and woman outside the booth were speaking.

"Aw come on, don't be like that. Where is your sense of intrigue?" he pressed on.

Impassive amber connects with eager emerald, and she gives in with a sigh. Placing down her cutlery, she wipes her lips and crosses her arms.

"My guess is that there is some truth to the rumor, that the attacker is following a pattern the officials aren't sharing with the public."

"I see, quite a guess you have there." he gives her a cheeky grin.

"And it is a guess." she replies, taking back up her cutlery to finish her meal.

"If you say so, Ms. Arachnid." a sly grin forms on his lips as he drops one of her many nicknames.

She simply gives him an annoyed glance.

"I wonder what it could be, hmm?" a pensive expression covers his face, though it was hard to take it seriously with the flippant grin accompanying it.

"Don't even think about it." was all she said, not even looking up at him.

"What, I was just thinking about the issue I wasn't planning anything." both hands go up in a sign of surrender.