The Terror Gaze: Book 2 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 21 - Richard: A Deep Discussion of Magic and Murder

Chapter 21 - Richard: "A Deep Discussion of Magic and Murder"

    As soon as Nick drifted from reality, Richard made sure that he was still breathing. The raccoon sat back, unable to take his eyes off his boyfriend. Richard took out his Guard Mobile, dialing a certain mouse.

    "Richard? What's up? It's my Leisure Day, so if you need help with anything–"

    "I know and I'm sorry but I need your help. We were on a mission and I was shot, but Nick healed me, and now he's passed out and needs to be healed."

    "Huh?"

    Richard looked all around him, spotting the four dead bodies of the Moonlight Gang that Boris had taken out and shuddering. "Y-yeah, and there are dead bodies everywhere. I don't know what happened, exactly. I think it would be best if we talked in person." His striped tail curled up behind him.

    "Why don't you get Disaster to handle this? That's, like, their whole job, Richie."
    Richard shook his head. "I have my Transmission Set and can drag him out of here, but . . . Look, can you just come down here?"

    There was a pause. ". . . Are you serious you really need me?"

    "Please. I don't know the healing spell and he's bleeding pretty badly."

"What are the coordinates?"

"Hold on," Richard told him, peeking at the screen of his Guard Mobile and seeing the coordinates of his location. He relayed them to the magician.
    Adrian's voice grew quieter then. "He wants me to go and help . . . Yeah, I'll come back after . . . No, I'm serious! I will! . . .  Fuck you, then!"

    Richard's brows kneaded together and his ears perked. "Is everything alright?"

    "Gotta go. See you soon . . . I TOLD YOU–" The phone hung up, then.

    What was that all about? Richard blinked, spinning around and retrieving his Prism Pistol and Aktsomhet, sighing. I was completely useless. Nick no doubt needed my help and I was down for the count . . ." He stared into one of the torches on the wall. What is it you see in me, Iwai? There's no Sect Leader here. Boris was with the enemy . . . I shouldn't have let my guard down like that. How could I be such an idiot?

    The creature hunter scanned the smooth walls of his dark surroundings. What is this place? It certainly looks animal-made, but the tunnels seem natural. How did the Moonlight Gang find this place? Hm . . . He glanced at the nearby body of Stephen, the Tasmanian devil.

    Richard crawled over to the dead vampire and turned him around, wincing at the bullet hole in his head and the cold gaze of his eyes, forever staring into the abyss. The gears in his head turned. There's no way these silver bullets did them in. He's definitely dead, but vampire bodies wouldn't linger around like this. Yet, he didn't incinerate . . . No smoke from the bullet wound, either.

    Richard wrenched open the animal's maw and leaned down, inspecting his two pointy fangs, stroking his own chin with his other hand. "Hmm . . . " He used that hand and grabbed the tooth between his thumb and forefinger. He began pulling, harder and harder.

    Finally, his suspicions were confirmed as the cap on the tooth slipped clean off, a dry glue-like substance lining the round rim of the opening. That's why they didn't know about the Mortal Guard and were so reckless about it . . . Prudence couldn't be the only one who didn't cry blood either. The Moonlight Gang were all mortals.

    But why pretend to be vampires? And how exactly did they find this place? Then, there's Prudence's entire story about waking up already turned. So, that was a lie. Did that mean they were vicious murderers out for revenge and nothing more? This wasn't actually a supernatural case, after all.