Chapter 32: The Body of the Demon

Outside the interrogation room, a bunch of people were waiting around. The moment they heard Jared's voice, seven or eight of them barged in, just itching for Jared to give the word to jump me.

Jared was about to lay into me some more, but before he could get a word out, we heard a bunch of hurried footsteps coming from outside. He froze for a second. "Is there a police dispatch?"

One of his guys shook his head. "I haven't heard anything, and it's late. It's just us here at the station."

"Then who the hell is it?"

Jared muttered as he walked towards the door. Just as he peeked out, he suddenly jumped back!

Then, a squad of armed SWAT officers stormed in, surrounding Jared and his crew!

"Mr. Clark, what's going on? We didn't get any notification."

As this guy was talking, Deputy County Executive and Police Chief Ronald strode in. Seeing that everything was fine, he shot a glare at Jared. "Let me ask you, what crime did Dennis commit?"

Jared was stunned. He realized his uncle wasn't on his side.

"Well, Dennis is suspected of..."

Ronald cut him off. "Do you have any evidence?"

Jared gulped. "N-no, uncle."

"Don't call me uncle!" Ronald barked, "Let me ask you again, is it right to arrest him without evidence?"

"N-no, it's not right."

Ronald slapped Jared across the face. "Tomorrow, you go to the station and explain yourself, take a disciplinary action. If this happens again, I'll have you dismissed!"

"Y-yes, Mr. Clark."

Ronald didn't say anything more. After giving a few instructions to his men, he dragged me downstairs straight to his house.

On the way, I gave him a quick rundown of what happened today. He cursed Jared a few times and assured me this kind of thing wouldn't happen again.

We arrived at his house shortly after. I trailed behind him as we entered, and I spotted his wife Maria lounging on the couch, engrossed in the TV.

I squinted but didn't see anything weird on Maria.

"Maria, this is the guy I mentioned before, Dennis."

Ronald introduced me to Maria. I quickly stepped forward and extended my hand. "Hi, I'm Dennis Howard. Just call me Dennis."

Maria smiled and stood up to shake my hand. That's when I caught sight of the "Malignant Star-Eyed" moles on her inner eyelids. To be frank, those moles gave off an eerie vibe up close.

After some small talk, Ronald took me to the study.

"Ronald, I noticed your wife doesn't seem to have anything strange," I whispered.

Ronald shook his head slightly. "Let's wait and see if anything happens tonight..."

Before he could finish, the light above us flickered, followed by a loud "boom" from outside. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and soon, the sky, which had been stiflingly hot all day, couldn't hold back any longer, and a torrential downpour began.

The heavy rain pounded against the windows, swallowing the sound of the TV in the living room.

Ronald and I were silent for a while. Abruptly, the rain intensified, its clamor growing louder. We shared a glance, sensing that a window in the adjacent room must be ajar!

With haste, we flung open the door and went out. As we entered the living room, a sudden blaze of lightning illuminated the space, casting a chilling aura around us.

The thunder roared in our ears, and the lights in the house suddenly went out.

Instinctively, I looked out the window and saw that the entire neighborhood was pitch black; all the buildings had lost power.

"Dennis, Maria is gone!" Ronald shouted.

I was startled and quickly looked towards the sofa. My eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, clearly saw the empty spot where Maria had been sitting.

Damn! We should have checked on her as soon as it started raining!

Ronald had already run to the open window on the opposite side of the living room and looked down, but he didn't see Maria.

Where could she have gone?

While lost in my thoughts, another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. I turned towards the flash, and in that fleeting moment, I caught a glimpse of a faint white mist!

I frowned. In this stormy weather, how could there be...

As I pondered, my gaze remained fixed on the spectral mist. A few heartbeats later, another lightning bolt tore through the heavens, revealing the eerie white mist lingering in the northeastern sky, resembling the silhouette of a demon lurking in the shadows.