Night's Crimson Veil - Part 2

Night's Crimson Veil - Part 2

The Mayor of Railing had had enough. Wasting no time or consent, he called for the woman who was lauded as the most accomplished paranormal investigator in present times: Melisande LeBlanc. With shaky hands, he dialed her office number, only to receive a voicemail message. He spoke into the phone quickly and clumsily, stumbling over words, “Hello, this is R-Rolland Creighton, Mayor of the city of Railing. I - m-my secretary advised that I call you on be-behalf of a vampire-l-like… a vampire like creature which recently ravaged through our city. P-please respond as soon as possible. My office number is 674-555-5347. Th-thank you for your t-time.”

It was early the next day when Mayor Creighton’s business phone rang. “Hello?” his secretary answered.

“Hello, I need to speak with Mayor Rolland Creighton. Is he there?” a fairly low, monotone voice said into the speaker.


“Yes, he just got in. Hold on for a moment while I transfer your call. Oh, and you name is?”

“Melisande LeBlanc. I received a message from him late last night about a creature terrorizing his city.”

Mention of the monster sent chills up the secretary’s spine. She hesitated for a moment before answering, ‘Y-yes. I referred you to him. Oh, he’s free now. Thank you.”

“Thank you.” Melisande waited as she heard the low click of buttons being pushed.

Melisande’s talk with Mayor Creighton was brief. She was familiar with the previous case of Railing, so there was no explanation needed save the time and place of the appearance. She would be in Railing before 6:00 PM. When the tone went dead on the other end, Mayor Rolland Creighton breathed out a long sigh of relief, leaning back into his chair. It was a bit of a comfort to know that Melisande had experience with this kind of incident. No, with this incident. Perhaps the horrific mystery of the Railing Vampire would finally be solved.

---

True to her word, Melisande LeBlanc was standing in Railing’s train station at 5:40 PM. She had lifted her single case from the carry-on shelf, and stepped off, receiving an abundance of cold, suspicious stares from the city’s residents. She thought it refreshing to receive a warm, but serious, welcome from the Mayor.

“Ah, you must be Melisande. Welcome to Railing. I’ve had an office reserved for you downtown. There’s a living quarter in an upper level of the building.” said Mayor Creighton, looking Melisande up and down. He could understand the dispassionate looks given by the natives of his city. Melisande was nearly, -if not just as- pale as the haunt which had stormed them the previous night. Her hair, though dark, was not quite black; and it was brushed back neatly and braided, tied at the end by a crimson bow. Her eyes were ovular, slanted marginally at the tips. Their irises were a bright hazel; gold, almost. As in typically stereotyped detective fashion, a long, khaki trench coat brushed the ground by her feet. Layered beneath, a violet blouse and black pants.

“Would you show me the place of the attack?” she said suddenly.

“Why, yes. Get into my car and I’ll drive there.” obediently, Melisande slid into the passengers’ seat of the Mayor’s black Volvo. The tires screeched against the pavement as he sped out of the station’s lot. Melisande glanced at the man. It was clear he was terrified, and wished to have this over with as soon as possible. The car jerked forward as Creighton came to an unexpected stop in the center of an intersection cluttered with small debris. “This is it,” he said. “No one is quite sure where the actual attack took place. However, this is the area she tore through.”

“I noticed.” said she, blankly nodding in the direction of an overturned car. “So they haven’t begun cleaning up yet?” she stooped, observing the ground, which was encrusted with a layer of glass shards.

“Everyone is too terrified to come back.” explained Creighton. “Now then, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do in my office.” the Mayor dashed back to his car, jumped in, and with the same obnoxious squeal as before, careened from the scene, leaving Melisande alone to do her work.

“Coward.” she muttered.