The Midnight Murder Series: Pieces

“Someone,” begged Rosemary Giles while blood dribbled down her cheek from under her sunflower headband as she tried to scan the pitch-black room. The fourteen-year-old whimpered from a headache forming in her head. She felt the coldness of the metal chair under her thighs through her dress. She tried getting up but couldn’t due to her wrists bound to the arms of the chair and her ankles bounded against the legs. “Please?”

The creaking sound of a door opening caught her attention. She held her breath as she listened to heavy footsteps meandering down wooden stairs, then stopped. Her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, only to see a tall silhouette standing before her.

She gasped in fear. “Wh-Who are you?” The figure spoke nothing. “My mom runs a daycare. She’ll worry about me if I don’t call her. We’ll give you all the money you want, just please, let me go.” The figure only puttered to the right and behind her. Rosemary yelped when it yanked her ponytail back; causing her eyes to be on the ceiling. “Please, I did nothing to you. Why are you doing this?”

Another set of heavy footsteps echoed in the air. Rosemary swallowed the lump in her throat as the steps came closer to her and the other figure. She jumped out of her skin when other figure kicked something out of its way. Tears filled up her eyes as she saw the new character passing something shiny to the one behind her.

“Please, let me go. I have to pick up my sister from preschool,” she cried as the first silhouette pressed the shiny and now, cold and sharp item against her throat. The second silhouette placed an oval-shaped object under the other item. “No, please! I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to you. I just started my freshman year. I-I-I’m making friends, and I like my teachers. Please, don’t kill me, please!”

The female’s cries fell on deaf ears as the first figure slid the knife across her throat. Rosemary gasped for air as the open wound heavy bled into the bowl. She inhaled her last breath while her eyes glazed and rolled back in her head. Her whole body convulsed before going numb in the chair as her blood continued to fill up the bowl; satisfying the watchful silhouettes.

Alvin closed the trunk of his florett silver 2017 Audi Q7 and smiled. He gently wiped a spot of mud off his rear window with his sleeve. “Don’t worry, baby. I got that spot off of you.”

Arvel crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes at his twin’s comment. “You’re obsessed with your car. Shall I set up the wedding for you two?”

Alvin shook his head and searched for more spot on his SUV. “Brother, you need to understand that a car or any type is like a baby. You need to take care of it like a real baby. This baby can’t get dirty. She needs to be clean in case of acting roles.”

Arvel scanned the streets to see if anyone else heard what his insane twin just said. He spun around to look in the window to see if the few customers left in the store heard the comment. He went back to his twin and sighed. “You’re a nutter, Alvin, and so is your car.”

“Don’t listen to him, baby, he doesn’t understand our love,” Alvin smiled at his vehicle. “We’re going on a road trip, but no worries, I’ll make sure you’ll stay clean and healthy.”

“I’m going to tell dad that his son is going to marry a piece of metal,” remarked Arvel. “Also, his grandchildren will be cyborgs. That would be brilliant. Cyborg grandchildren are saving the world from the supernatural before bedtime. Alvin, go make some cyborgs.”

Alvin rolled his eyes while Adán appeared behind Arvel with a backpack over his shoulder.

“Is the car clean?” he asked while making sure his clean hoodie was covering most of his face. “No used condoms or burger wrappers?”

“Adam, listen. My baby is the most cleanest vehicle in the world,” Alvin grinned as Adán passed Arvel and stepped into the shade by the car. “You can do surgery in it without any protection.”

“Alvin, I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear that comment. As a doctor, I’m going to turn the other cheek,” Adán turned away from Alvin and stared into the main window of the bookstore. “Yep, turning the other cheek. Also, if you want to cut someone open in a car, you must have the right instruments for the job.”

Arvel chuckled and opened the door for the last customers leaving for the day. The mother and young son thanked him before heading down the street. He left the door open for his father and brother to come out.

“Thank you, Arvel,” smiled Nye with Oliver behind him. “Now, are you boys sure you don’t want to help Derek and me?”

“We will after this case,” Oliver answered for the twins while giving Arvel his backpack. “We’ll be home faster than you can say, Alvin and Arvel are at an archery area and are aiming at apes, five times fast.”

“Why are we aiming at apes?” questioned Arvel while tossing Oliver’s bag back to him and winking at his twin.

“Why are we doing archery?” Alvin went along. “I want to do football – No, no, flying football.”

Arvel smirked and rested an arm on his twin’s shoulder. “Oh dad, your grandchildren will be cyborgs from Alvin.”

“Yep, I’ll name them Fuck, You, and Arvel,” Alvin brushed Arvel’s arm off of him.

Arvel smiled before figuring out his twin’s insult. “Hey!”

“Hay is for horses. Are you hungry?” smirked Oliver at his older brothers.

“Shut up, Oliver,” the twins spoke in unison.

Nye gave them a confused look before turning to Adán. “You’re Adán, right? I’m Nye Crowden,” he held out his hand for him to shake. “How are you?”

Adán reached out to shake the hunter’s hand and smiled. “I’m doing fine, Mister Crowden. Just waiting for my teammates to finish up their duties.”

Nye nodded and let go of his hand to end the handshake. “I know what you mean,” the two turned their heads to watch the brothers continue arguing over meaningless things. “These three numskulls need to stop fighting like toddlers and grow up.”

“I hear you,” Adán agreed. “Rufus acts like that on a daily base. Matter of fact, I think you can stop this with your dad voice.”

Nye glanced at the smiling vampire then back at his sons. He cleared his throat loudly. “Alvin George, Arvel Frederick, and Oliver Jace Crowden!” The brothers paused their argument and turned their heads towards their father. “I swear to God! I will give each of you a butt spanking if you don’t grow up. Stop acting like you’re some toddlers.”

“He started it!” the brothers spoke simultaneously with a finger pointing at each other.

Adán turned his back to the hunters to hold back his laughter. He covered his mouth and shook his head.

“And I’m ending it,” Nye barked. “After your case, all three of you are going in the corner for a timeout.”

“Daddy!” Adán’s eyes widened when he heard a little girl’s voice. He whirled around to see a little girl in a pink jacket running into an older man’s arms in the distance with smiles on their faces. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and tears in his eyes.

1906

Steger, Illinois

“I’m the queen, okay? I order you go make me some cookies when we get back,” ordered Rosario as she stepped outside in her black winter coat and boots. Rufus rolled his eyes and knelt down to put her mittens on her tiny hands. “I want chocolate, and I want to lick the bowl.”

Rufus bowed his head and smiled. “Yes, my Queen Rosie. Do you want the cookies in chocolate-covered or chocolate chips?”

The three-year-old girl smiled and nodded at the question. “Yes, please.”

Rufus stared at her and chuckled. “Both?”

The girl nodded again. “Yes, please!”

“Okay, love,” he wrapped a knitted, pink scarf around her mouth to keep her warm. “Tonight, we’ll make cookies with daddy, okay?”

She smiled cutely under her scarf and giggled at the wind blowing the snow off the roof. Rufus closed the door behind him and locked it. He took her hand in his, and they began walking down the clear front walkway. She stomped on the ice in the cracks of the bricks with the hope of breaking them. “Crunch! Crunch!” Rosario glanced up and gasped when she saw her daddy at the end of the walkway. “Daddy!” she let go of Rufus’ hand and raced towards him.

Adán smiled and knelt down with his arms open, ready to wrap them around her. “Hi, panda!”

Rosario leaped into his arms and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. “Daddy, you’re back from playing hospital!”

Adán embraced her tightly and laughed. “Si, dear. I’m back from working at the hospital.”

She gasped at the word working. “You work at a hospital and get money to buy me toys and dresses?”

He nodded and kissed her on the forehead. “Yep. I help people get better so they can play at the park, too.”

The knight closed his eyes to stop the tears from flowing and shook his head to prevent the flashback from continuing as well.

“Look what we have here,” the males spun around to see Raina in her nurse uniform, standing behind them with her hands in her pant pockets. “The Three Stooges, Doctor House, and Dracula.”

Oliver poked his head out more to get a better look at Raina. “Oh, just on time,” he smiled and walked on over to her. He reached into his pant pocket and drew out a key. “Here’s the key to the store. It’s for the front and back door. I do have a group of elderly ladies coming on Friday night for their book club at six o’clock, so don’t eat them.”

Raina took the key and rolled her eyes. “Of course, Oliver. I always wanted the energy of little old ladies,” she sarcastically mentioned. “Old bones with wrinkles.”

“Anyway,” he huffed. “I have a plumber coming out tomorrow around noon or two for the upstairs and downstairs toilets, so don’t eat him or her. Matter of fact, don’t eat anyone in my flat and business.”

“Fine, Oliver. I promise not to eat anyone nor sell your secret self-porno videos on eBay,” she winked with a smirk.

“What’s an eBay?” Adán asked the other vampire.

“It’s a selling and buying site, Dracula,” Raina replied. “By the way, where are the Wolfman and Salem? Not creating half-wolf-witch babies, are they?”

Adán and Oliver glared at her and snarled.

“Why are you calling me that?” Raina turned around to see Rufus behind her. He gave her a frown and sighed. “I hate that movie.”

Raina shrugged and smiled at him. “Anyway, did you take your flea bath today, Rufo? Oh, Oliver, when are you coming back?”

“I’m coming back, hopefully, around Saturday afternoon,” Oliver opened the SUV back door and got in. He closed the door and scooched some to get comfy in his seat.

“Hey,” Oliver jumped out of his skin from the voice. He turned his head to the right to see Beyond sitting by the other window seat with her hood up.

“Jesus Christo, Beyond!” he deeply inhaled while shutting his eyes and exhaled with a sigh. “Okay, okay, okay. What’s the word, Be?”

“It’s a shortened version of my name or an insect,” she replied while staring at him. “It depends on how you spell it.”

Oliver opened his eyes and arched a brow at her. “Are you trying to be a comedian?”

“If I were one, then I would be in movies,” she shrugged.

He took his phone out of his jacket pocket and dialed some numbers before putting it to his ear. “Hey, Sam. It’s Oliver. I’m going on another hunting case to another state. My brothers worked with this guy in Illinois back then, and now, he needs our help again. I’ll be back Saturday afternoon … Okay, bye.” he hung up the phone and opened the door to get out.

“I hope these Paige and DeShawn characters can help this case,” Nye said and smiled at his sons then back at Raina. “Thank you for helping myself and Derek with this.”

Raina nodded before going into the building.

“We have to go, dad. We have an eleven-hour drive ahead of us,” Alvin smiled and hugged Nye a goodbye. Arvel and Oliver followed along. “We won’t die if you don’t.”

Nye chuckled before ending his hug with Oliver. “Promise. Also, your mother’s birthday is coming up. We’re going to meet your grandparents and uncles in the churchyard to celebrate. Your grandmother told me that your mother’s favourite songs were Prince’s When Doves Cry and The Partridge Family’s Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque. She was wondering if you can sing them, Oliver.”

Oliver nodded while everyone else got into the SUV. He smiled at him. “Sure, dad. I remember them as clear as day. We’ll see you soon.” He waved him goodbye before getting in the vehicle.

Alvin slid behind the wheel and waited for Oliver to buckle his seat belt. The eldest brother slowly drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while watching his baby brother in the rear-view mirror. “Does everyone have their belts on?” Everyone nodded. “Okay, let’s go,” he started the vehicle and drove off.