Look-A-Like
Adeline
“What did you see?” I asked, looking at her intently. I noticed her moving her eyelashes, which she normally does whenever she is making an alibi.
“There was a man with him who was saying something to him,” she replied.
“What do you mean? Did you just look into his memories?” Hunt asked, curiously. I averted my gaze at him and replied,
“Yes, but it will drain her.”
“Then, what else did you see?” Hunt asked eagerly.
“Just a man who was saying something to him. I can’t hear it; I can only see the memories, but they are not audible. They were in a house, then suddenly they were in the woods, and this man just fell and died. He had his eyes opened, and the man he was with closed them for him.”
“Who is the man he was with?” Hunt asked again, but I already saw the confusion on Milka’s face in addition to the beads of sweat on her forehead down to her neck.
“Are you alright, Milks?” I asked worriedly. She would normally faint after looking into a dead person’s memories, so what was happening to her was very unusual. She turned to look at me and said,
“It was the first time, Adeline.”
“What?” I ask worriedly. Hunt’s face was full of curiosity when I looked his way momentarily.
“The man. He looked at me. It was as if he knew that I was looking and that I was there,” she replied.
“Who’s the man? The dead one?”
“No. The man he was with.”
“Are we dealing with a devil?” I asked, and my friend’s eyes grew wider.
“Wait, what do you mean, devil? As in the devil himself?” Hunt asked, shocked. We looked at him and nodded. “Fuck! Then what would happen to humans if he was walking around killing?”
“Where’s the girl’s dead body?” I remember the dead girl who had been dried to death.
“About that, it appears that we already have a third case,” Hunt replied as he closed the cabinet. “If she can see the dead’s memories, I would want her to have a look at the kid as well.” I looked at Milka and saw her nod. We were supposed to have a look at the dead man, but if we manage to unfold the mystery of the deaths of those girls, that would be good as well. But I couldn’t help but feel worried for my friend. I had a feeling that she didn’t tell us the whole thing. I know because we’ve been friends for as long as I can remember.
Again, we drove to another town. Hunt said that the girl’s dead body was found in the town next to ours. “Is she going to be alright?” the police asked worriedly after he glanced at Milka, who was sitting in the back seat. She had her eyes closed, resting her back. “Is she always like that after looking into someone else’s memories?”
“As I already said, it drained her energy. She’ll need all the rest she can get while we drive.”
“I understand,” he replied, and he focused on his driving until we reached the police station, where the police officer who was assigned to the third girl’s case was.
“Hendrix, this is Adeline, the daughter of the Alpha of the Nightingale Pack and her friend Milka,” Hunt said, introducing us. My friend and I nodded, and Hendrix replied.
“After receiving your text, I arranged a visit to the morgue. The body was sent there after our investigation at the crime scene.”
“So, the body was found exactly the same as the first two girls?” I asked, and he nodded. Milka now looks a little better. Though she agreed to have a look at the girl, I’m still worried that doing it right after the other will be dangerous, especially when she told me that the man in Dad’s friend’s memory literally looked at her.
“Exactly the same reason that many parents started to panic. The news spread all over the town like wildfire. And please, I want to apologize in advance if you will face some hostility later. Citizens here are not fond of supernatural beings.”
“I understand,” I replied, but I don’t know if I will be able to control myself if they do something that will anger me. Anyway, Milka is with me as well as Hunt. They will stop me if I go overboard, right?
Again, we started driving to the morgue. Unlike in our city, the people here really didn’t like us or our kind. They were glaring at me, but not at Milka, who was following us quietly. She knows how to conceal herself from discrimination or any kind of hostility.
“Here’s the body,” Hendrix said after he opened the mortuary cabinet.
“She’s-” Milka couldn’t continue.
“Yes, she’s dried to death,” Hendrix said what she couldn’t.
“Can you still find something if the body is in that state?” Hunt asked worriedly.
“I’ll try,” Milka replied,
“Milks, we can delay this if you’re not fully recovered,” I said, concerned.
“It’s fine, Adeline. I can still manage. The drive here helps me gain a bit of my energy,” she replied. I nodded and let her do her thing. Just like what she did to that man, she touched the girl’s hand and closed her eyes. We intently looked at her, not making any noise that could distract her. I prepared myself to support her just in case she weakened.
“Argh!” she hissed, so we looked at her. Beads of sweat started to form on her creased forehead once again. “Ahhh!!!” she screamed, which scared me, so I held her. I don’t know what happened, but after touching her, I saw a girl floating while she screamed in pain as a strong gust of wind surrounded her. A man who was looking at the girl was laughing sinisterly before the poor girl’s lifeless body fell.
The man was about to walk away, but he stopped and looked at me. I couldn’t recognize him because his face was decaying but had started to regenerate, which made my eyes widen. He smirked before he vanished.
“Adeline!” Hunt shouted while shaking me. I looked at him and then around the room, and I realized that I was back in the morgue.
“Where’s Milka?” I asked worriedly.
“Here,” Hendrix said, and I found my friend in his arms, unconscious.
“What really happened, Adeline?” Hunt said,
“There’s a man.”
“Again?” he exclaimed, and I nodded.
“Which man?” Hendrix asked, confused. “Wait, we have to take her to the hospital first.” then carry my friend before we leave.
In the hospital…
“What happened, Adeline?” Daniel asked angrily.
“Daniel, it was unexplainable,” Hunt answered for me.
“I am not talking to you,” my brother replied.
“I know, but your sister has been through a lot as well. She’s also confused, so you have to calm down.” Daniel looked at me and then at Milka.
“I’m sorry, Sis. It’s just that I didn’t want anything to happen to you or your friend.” He said it in a low voice.
“It’s okay, Daniel. I understand.” I calmly replied. “Let’s wait for Milka to wake up before we talk about what we saw. I don’t know if we saw the same thing, but mine was horrible.”
“If that’s what you want,” Daniel replied, nodding. “I haven’t told Dad about this yet. You know him; he’ll worry, and he might not let you leave the pack house if he hears about whatever it is that you found out.”
We stayed in the hospital, and thankfully, Milka is fine. She woke up, and we started talking about what we saw. Hendrix and Hunt were there as well, and they too were shocked after hearing what we said.
Just like me, Milka saw a decaying man who was watching as a young girl was floating, dried to death.
“I think it was a ritual,” Milka said.
“What do you mean by ritual? For what?” Daniel asked while the two police officers were quiet.
“The man was decaying, but I saw him regenerating. The young girl has been a sacrificial offering or something like that, so the man will regain his human appearance.” I continued looking at Milka, who was nodding in agreement.
It wasn’t confirmed yet, but in our world, it wasn’t impossible either, especially when that man made a deal with the devil or was the devil himself.
We ended the day. Hendrix and Hunt went back to their work while we drove back to the pack house after we made sure that Milka was fully recovered. She was supposed to go home, but she insisted on coming with me. I thought it was because she wanted me to come to her when I was pulled into Kaiser’s world, but I was wrong.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
“I saw you, Adeline,” she said after I closed the door when we entered my room.
“What?” I asked,
“I saw you standing next to the man who was found dead at your border.”
“What??” I exclaimed. So it was the reason why she looked like that?
“I don’t even know that man; why would I be standing next to him-” I didn’t finish my word after realizing something. Milka was looking at me intently as if telling me, “Yes, you thought right.”
Just like the old man, there was someone who looked exactly like me, and she could be in Kaiser’s world right now.