Mad Dog

“I made a mistake.”



Laila had never been a religious person but she believed in a higher power and right now she desperately needed some faith. She drew her knees up and hugged them to her chest.



“What makes you say this, my child?” The faceless priest asked. Laila didn’t need to imagine his surprise at her declaration. His adrenaline spiked the air and her dark aura slithered with anticipation.



“You’re not going to kick me out, father?” She leaned back against the wall.



The man chuckled. “This is God’s house. Only he has the authority to deny you and if that were the case you would be here my child.”



Laila nodded, allowing his words to sink in and grant her a little peace. Comprised of dark energy, a void’s soul carried the primary desire to consume constantly absorbed the vitae around her. The energy reacted and almost carried its own sentience. Eventually, it would consume her mind and warp her before eventually destroying her but at the moment, this wasn’t the problem.



She licked her dry lips and tried to form an explanation. Her mind drifted back to where it all started. She’d recovered from an attack on her life and received the order to forge a new destiny for herself. Laila always wanted to be a police officer and protect others with her newfound strength but the academy rejected her because of her condition.



Determined to help others, Laila decided to try to become a private investigator. After a year of training and testing, she was close to getting her license thanks to her mentor, Diana Berkeley. Hot tears formed. It hurt to think of her.



Diana started taking her on missions and Laila proved her own. She could fight with the best of them and even helped solve a few crimes. She and Diana grew close. Misfortune struck and Laila stood by her side through everything.



“She was like a sister to me.” The corner of her mouth turned up into a smile. “We confided in each other and she knew I had her back. After what happened, she relied on me and I did my best to be strong for her. We’d visit her daughter in the hospital.” A hard lump of emotion formed in her throat. “She was barely breathing. She was only ten…”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Someone beat the little girl into a pulp while they violated her. That was a month ago. The culprit’s face bubbled up in her memory. His dark eyes remained empty of emotion while he sat there and denied his crime.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“You know what I am, father.” Laila sighed.



“I do, child.”



“I knew I shouldn’t have but I searched his soul…and I didn’t like what I found…”



Pride thickened his aura with syrupy traces of lust. When the prosecution started revealing the girl’s injuries, greasy sensations of arousal boiled up within his soul. He was guilty as sin. Unfortunately, the jury didn’t see it that way.



“I had to hold her back from strangling the guy while his lawyers lead him out.” A bitter chuckled boiled up in her throat. “It wasn’t something I wanted to do but I didn’t want Diana to go to jail."



Afterwards, Diana became distant. Withdrawing from everyone, Laila found herself alone and without much direction. All the agency would give her was paperwork and most investigators didn’t want the liability of taking an unlicensed rookie out on missions.



“Diana disappeared for a week straight.” Laila muttered, talking more to herself than the priest. “I figured she was just upset. Who wouldn’t be after that?”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“Hey, Green-horn! We’re going out.”



Laila raised her head from the desk and wiped drool from the corner of her mouth. Her superiors gave her so much pointless paperwork that night and she dozed off. Thankful for Diana’s interruption, she gladly grabbed her jacket and followed.



“We drove to an unfamiliar place and she just waited.” Laila recalled the distant look in her eyes.



“Laila, do you remember that day in court?” Diana’s flat voice sucked all the air out of the room. The young woman merely nodded. “I—you used your gift on him…I need to know. Did he hurt my baby?”



She clenched the steering wheel with enough force to turn her knuckles white. Laila frowned and her stomach turned at the though of his foul emotions.



“Yes.”



Diana nodded and opened her glove compartment. “You comfortable with a real gun, Green-Horn?”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“I should have said no.” Laila squeezed her eyes shut. She’d trained with non-lethal tranquilizers but her aim was top-notch. She knew she’d have no problems handling a real gun but she still had reservations.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Laila trailed behind Diana, staring at the gun. The Colt .45 felt disturbingly light in her hands. Her nerves were so shot, she was sure she’d drop it.



“Laila.” She looked up into Diana’s concerned face. “I need you to focus.”



Laila nodded and forced all thoughts out of her mind. They hurried up and stood on either side of the back door. It was a warm night and the door was ajar. This was a good neighborhood so the people didn’t need to lock their doors. Maybe they should have.



“Follow me.” Diana whispered. She spun around, kicking the screen door open and stormed in with her gun pointed. Laila followed, an explosion of adrenaline flooding her mind.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“Everyone was so scared.” The acidic taste of fear spawned in the back of her throat and she tried to swallow it down. “I could feel everyone’s fear but my own.”



“And what about Diana?”



A hollow emptiness emerged in the pit of her stomach.



“Nothing.” She breathed. “I could feel nothing from her.”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“Please forgive me for this.” Laila thought, pointing the gun at the two women cowering in the corner. They huddled away from her, sobbing. Waves of sour fear poured off them. She glanced over at Diana.



She’d overpowered the man and pinned him down to the floor. The barrel of her gun pressed into his temple.



“Remember me?” She growled, pressing the gun deeper into his flesh.



“W-what do you want from me?” He cried. “You want money?”



“I want a confession. I’m taking you to jail!”



Suddenly, his fear melted into the disgusting pride. He chuckled before erupting into a full-blown fit of laughter.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“Double Jeopardy protected him and he knew we weren’t cops.” Laila fought off the urge to shudder. “In fact, we’d be in trouble if he called the cops.”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“You want a confession, mommy?” He hissed. “You wanna her about how your sweet little daughter cried for you underneath me?”



Diana gritted her teeth. He got a rise out of her reaction and continued.



“Oh yeah, I can’t stop thinking about her sweet little—“ The shot echoed through the room. He slumped down, twitching while his pants darkened with fluid. The stench of his bowels releasing filled the room.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“When someone dies, it’s like snuffing out a candle.” Laila’s blood ran cold. “…There was screaming…so much screaming.”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



In her mind, Laila always imagined loud gunshots with or without the silencer. Diana’s guns had silencers built in so you had to prime the gun before shooting again.



Diana said she’d clean up the mess and Laila believed her. She told her to keep the gun and go to the car.



Laila forced her heavy feet to move and made her way to the door. Before she crossed the threshold two more shots rang out. Unable to move, she stared out into space. Diana hand slipped over her shoulder.



“Keep moving.” She ordered.



“The cops judged it a murder-suicide.” She stated. From that point on, Diana became her old self and insisted on Laila coming with her. She’d put on a brave face but inside she came apart.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“I’ve been waking up to gunshots in the middle of the night.” She shivered. “Even he didn’t deserve to die. H-how can she see justice if he’s dead?”



Her voice cracked from repressed sobs. It was only the beginning. Afterwards, Diana remained under suspicion but nothing could be brought up against her. Another investigator named Hellmann refused to let it go.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



Laila left her locker open while she collected her things. Her nerves were on edge and she didn’t smoke but desperately craved a cigarette. Anything to calm her down.



A hand appeared and shoved the locker closed with a shattering crash. The gunshot resonated in her mind and Laila jumped.



“Did I frighten you?” Hellmann leaned against her locker. “You’ve been a little jumpy lately? Something bothering you?”



“My final test is coming up and I’m nervous.” She snapped. “You make a habit out of scaring women, dick-brain.”



“Look at you, all tough.” Suddenly, he shoved her into the wall and pinned her there. “You’re gonna talk and tell me what’s going on with Berkely.”



“Let me go!” She squirmed but lack of sleep made her too weak to put up a proper fight. She didn’t want to drain him or she’d be suspended.



“Hellmann.”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“They used to date.” Laila explained. “I didn’t know why and I didn’t care. He let me go and went after her.”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



“I know what you and your little girlfriend did and I’ll make sure you dykes burn.” He snapped.



“Are you alright?” Diana asked. Laila nodded. They both watched the man storm off and once again, Laila felt the dreaded emptiness from that night.



“They found Hellmann’s body a few days later. He’d made quite a few enemies so the list was long.”



“Dear girl, you need to go to the police!” The priest exclaimed.



“She’ll know.” Laila stood up. “I-I’m scared. I should’ve stopped her and now I think I’ll just become one of her victims…She’s become a monster.”



“Is that so?” Diana’s voice purred from behind the grate. “Do you think I’m a monster, priest?”



Laila stumbled back until she hit the wall. How long had she been there?



“Anyone who pulls a weapon against a servant of God is a servant of the devil.” He growled.



“Well since you love God so much, I’ll take you to him.” A dark splatter blossomed and sprayed past the gate. Laila looked down at her shirt splattered with dark blotches of fresh blood. Her eyes widened and tears rolled down her face. She slid down to the floor.



Why? The woman pushed the curtain aside, flooding the dark confessional with warm light. Her lips spread into a triumphant smile. Hopelessness washed over.  Why does death always follow me?



“Look at what you’ve done!” She cooed.  “Did that priest deserve it?”



“I…” She regained her composure. “I didn’t kill him!”



“You might as well have.” She scoffed. “If only you stopped me that night…if only you’d let me take my revenge in the courtroom.”



“Is that what this was all about?” Rage sparked within Laila. “You having a tantrum because you couldn’t do what you wanted?”



“I didn’t ask you to help me.” She growled. “Just doing what you want because you’re so special. Well, now you’re overwhelmed with guilt and you’re going to kill yourself after what you did to that poor priest.”



Laila forced her mind to calm and grabbed her dark aura. She’d kiss her license goodbye but she needed to stop her. Diana squeezed the trigger.



Laila forced the darkness out of her body and the tendrils plunged into the woman’s body. Diana screamed and stumbled back from the sudden invasion. Laila refused to drain any of her corrupt energy and took advantage of her shock. She sprang to her feet and barreled past the woman. 



She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, searching for the side door she came in from. Diana’s melodious laughter filled the sanctuary.



“Laila!” She called. “What’s your hurry? I know where you live!”



Her soft sobs followed her before she screamed. “Don’t run from me you ingrate!”



She crashed out of the door and stumbled onto the street. Laila willed her feet to keep going until she bumped into another person, muttering an apology. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught sight of Diana. She hid her gun in her jacket but held on to it. Her cold eyes watched me and Laila slowed down, walking calmly. She refused to draw attention to herself. Diana slunk back until the shadows swallowed her.



Laila kept walking until she was sure Diana stopped following her. The woman couldn’t afford to roam the streets with a weapon while covered in blood and tissue. Going to the police would be the logical step but Laila knew Diana would take advantage of the investigation and escape. Realizing what she had to do, Laila went home.



Home was a dinky little apartment with everything nearly in one room. Laila arrived and locked the door behind her. Stripping off the shirt, the young woman considered where to put it. The evidence was contaminated but she didn’t want to hide anything. Carefully draping the fabric over a chair, she changed into another t-shirt. Laila plopped down on the couch and removed her shoes before making the bed. She lay down on the mattress with a sigh, slipping her hand under her head. Laila usually kept a knife under the pillow in case someone decided to pay an unannounced visit. She’d need to do so, now. She waited, pretending to be distracted in hopes Diana would prey on her vulnerability.



Laila didn’t know she fell asleep until careful footsteps woke her up. Her eyes snapped open and every muscle tensed up. Laila stared up at the ceiling watching her aura slither back into her body. She didn’t need to explore. She knew who it was.



Before Laila could move, cold steel pressed against her cheek. “So you’re awake.”



The young woman said nothing, listening to her heart hammering in her head. Her suppressed energy bucked against the mental restraints with growing zest.



Diana nudged her with the gun. “Get up.”



Laila obediently sat up, shifting her eyes to Diana. The moonlight made her skin pale and waxy. The scent of blood clung to her skin even though Laila was sure she’d washed it all off at some point. Diana edged closer.



“Why didn’t you go to the police?” She asked. “You’d be safer there—or did you want to get me alone?”



Laila kept quiet and Diana took the silence as an invitation to continue. “So what are you going to do now that you have me? Are you going to put me down like a wild dog?” She pushed the gun deeper into my flesh drawing a wince out of the other woman. “You should’ve done that a long time ago. You could’ve saved some lives.”



Her words stung but Laila ignored the pain. She whipped around, putting all her strength into her arm. The blow connected and Diana reeled from the backhand. Laila hopped out of the bed, standing to her feet with a pillow in front of her body. Diana stood up and her eyes zipped to the pillow before trailing up to the woman. She started to laugh, raising her gun.



“What’s with the pillow? Got a gun under there?”



“Maybe.” Laila retorted dryly.



Diana was too experienced to take her threat seriously but remained cautious.



A smirk came to her face. “You wouldn’t.”



Laila said nothing and kept the pillow steady. A tense moment passed. An entrepreneurial person would’ve fired by now but both expressed hesitance.



“You need to turn yourself in.” Laila pleaded. “Don’t make me do something I don’t want to do…”



“You’re in no place to make demands!” Diana hissed. “I’ll make you regret running from me—“



Laila pulled the trigger, her pillow exploding into a flurry of feathers. A shot rang out from Diana’s gun and the young woman stumbled back. A lazy sting of heat bloomed from her shoulder. Laila dropped the broken pillow revealing the smoking gun. She touched the wound on her shoulder. The bullet only grazed her. Diana groaned. Laila looked up at her. She draped an arm over her middle and backed away. Tears rolled down her stunned face. 



“So…it was…” She said weakly. Her eyes turned glassy. She fell forward, landing on her face. Her body remained motionless while a dark puddle pooled around her body, blood soaking the carpet. Laila’s arms dropped to the side, the gun feeling heavy in her hands. A tremble started in her hands but she ignored it and stepped over the corpse and made her way to the phone. Calling 9-1-1 she managed to croak out: “Someone’s been shot.”



The words sapped the strength from her and she crumbled to the ground. The gun slipped out of her hand and landed on the carpet with a heavy thud. A cold teardrop hit her shirt. Laila’s face twisted in sorrow and she buried her face in her hands. Quiet at first, her sobbing grew louder and stronger until her crying was all she could hear.