Suicide Lane [chapter1]

“What do you make of this?” asked a detective to his partner Michael. The detective passed Michael a yellow portfolio with gory pictures inside. Michael turned to him and saw that a couple of pictures had slipped out and fell. He shrunk back in awe as soon as he picked them up. “What in the hell?” Michael said surprised. The pictures revealed a person on the ground soaked in blood and with a sword jammed in its head. Feathers were plentiful around the carcass and a large black hole stood in the middle of this. “Suicide?” asked the detective. 1

Michael looked closer at the pictures and pondered about the person’s last minutes of life. He thought back to his own life as a young kid. Depression had loomed over his shoulder when he was young but it wasn’t enough to drive him to death. But this picture was odd in a way. There seemed to be a distortion with the weight of the sword and how the person somehow managed to strike himself two times both in the neck and head. “No, this was a homicide” he said to his baffled partner. 2

“Oh great, now we have to catch the psycho and hope he doesn’t make a deathbed out of others. This is just great, just what I needed right before my anniversary” the detective said angrily. Michael chuckled and eventually broke down in laughter. He looked at his partner whom he had been working with for six years. Light was his name and it suited him well for he always seeked justice and peace when something like this ran amok. Light was in many ways an excellent detective but his emotions always got the best of him. His wife always got annoyed when he got serial killer on the loose cases and this was just about it. Michel prayed that this wouldn’t interfere with his seventh anniversary like it did with many others before. 3

“Well men, looks like you have another task at your grasp” said a cold dark voice interrupting into Michael’s thoughts. Both of them spun around and saw a tall man standing there. He stood there ominously and was peering into them with his hazel eyes. Michael examined the figure and noticed how graceful his stand was and almost felt a little ashamed of himself. The man smiled as he read Michael’s thoughts. “Excuse me for my manners; I am Alessandro, head of the Chicago Police Department. I understand you need some assistance” he said to them. “Great! Another city idiot on the case” thought Light calmly to himself. Alessandro narrowed his eyes on him and noticed that Light wasn’t much to argue with. 4

He did however glance at Michael and it was this figure that he found to be interesting the most. Michael just stood there uncomfortably holding two pictures on his hand. Alessandro managed to sneak a peek and remembered the angel that was killed for him. “Ah yes I remember him” Alessandro said proudly. Michael looked up and forced himself to talk. “But you couldn’t have, we just cleaned the crime scene last night” he said. Alessandro looked at him and wished he could put an end to his misery. Michael’s memories were filled with abuse and torture at the hand of his own parents. He even had scars to prove it. Alessandro glanced at Michael’s left leg and could almost see an invisible trace of being constantly wiped with a whip and the screams of pain being muffled by a strong muscular hand. 5

Michael suddenly began to feel dizzy and suddenly remembered his past memories of embarrassment and misery. But he still had much to live for as Alessandro soon found out. He had a daughter in her early teens and was being careful of raising her. Alessandro smiled as he began to see the image of Michael’s daughter. She was tall and graceful just like him. Her skin was white with hints of pink and her black short hair hung just below her eyes. True it was messy but it was this that made it beautiful. Her dark green eyes began piercing into Alessandro’s. Alessandro began to pity the man. Earth had its own share of demons and they were the women. Most were graceful and beautiful and it was this that drove men crazy about them. They were the perfect death in disguise. 6

“I have my sources” said a satisfied Alessandro. Michael noticed a hint of lie in his voice. Michael had endured ten long years of lip reading and voice reading. It was this kind of treatment that helped him get to where he was; the most prestigious of all detectives. “Very well then, I’d appreciate your help” said Michael. Alessandro smiled at the thought of finally being accepted into their little human clan. “Great, I think I’m going to like this” Light said after a moment of silence. 7

***** 8

Skiie woke up to a small sound coming from her window. She jumped up from bed and began to approach the window carefully. Her toes touched the furry blue ground and tiptoed towards the windowsill. The window stood there lifeless and wide open. A small rock came through the window and landed with a gently thud on the carpeted floor. Skiie stared at the rock for a while and decided that it was best to avoid whatever commotion was outside. Another rock came in and landed on her head this time. “Ouch! Damn it” she said aloud. She was leaning below the windowsill while holding on to a small stuffed dinosaur. A symphony of rocks followed one after the other and they all landed on her lap. “Oh geez, I’m being bombarded by rocks” she said to her dino. 9

“Hey Skiie, quit your paranoia and get out! It’s me Isis” said a voice outside the window. Skiie crept up quietly and poked her head out. She saw another girl about her age standing outside with a large brown satchel. Rolled up papers peered out through the unzipped zipper. Skiie rolled her eyes and thought back to yesterday. She and Isis had been making plans to free the frogs at her school and save them from a horrible dissection. The plan proved to unsuccessful after all. The frogs were indeed freed but into the school’s vent system. She could only imagine what today’s punishment would be. “Alright!” Skiie yelled to her dear friend. 10

She climbed out the window and onto the roof of the first floor. The rough planks edged closer to her skin and merely pierced her bare feet. Suddenly the plank that she was holding on to broke loose. She fell instantly onto the hard pavement. Skiie emitted a soft cry of defeat and pain. Blood surged out of her nose and painted the ground a muddy red. “Ah shit” she said to her bewildered friend. Isis stared at her in horror and turned away in disgust. “Uhh are you alright?” she asked Skiie. Skiie turned around and glared at her friend “what the hell is that supposed to mean!” Isis shrunk back and chuckled quietly away form her friend’s listening range “sorry, I didn’t mean it that way” 11

Skiie took a moment to stiffen herself up. She brushed away the leaves that had managed to cling onto her hair. Her knees ached and bled. Her green pajamas with white polka dots were smothered in a dirty green and muddy brown. She sighed in relief that none of her bones were broken. “So are we going to class today?” Isis asked. Skiie nodded a no and said “let’s take a long walk through the cemetery” Isis’ eyes were wide in excitement and confusion. “Why there?” Skiie looked at the tiny blades of grass near the pavement and said “because no one will suspect of a cemetery as a hang out place” Both of the girls laughed horrendously in triumph. “Besides I don’t want to hear Ms. Crawford yelling at me because of the frogs” Skiie said through chattering teeth. 12

She ruffled up her body and shivered “ok first things first, let me get my jacket” Isis peered out into the open and saw a black corolla approaching. She quickly grabbed Skiie’s arm and pulled her into the bushes “no time, you dad is coming. Let’s head to my place and I’ll give you a jacket” Skiie nodded. The girls scuttled across the lawn and into the next. After a few second they were gone. 13

The black corolla parked in front of the blue two-story house. Michael stepped out along with Light and Alessandro. Michael walked on the sidewalk and noticed a puddle of blood on the ground. He leaned closer to it and sighed. “Looks like sunny is out cutting again” said a surprised Light. (Light calls Skiie sunny as a joke because she rarely smiles). “Oh that girl is gonna get it” said a sad Michael. Alessandro giggled to himself quietly in the background and began to think about the girl called sunny.