I

  “Charlie! Get moving—we don’t have time!” the chief shouted as he finally stormed inside.

  Still visibly shaken, he came straight up to me and yanked me to my feet in one sharp motion.

  “I don’t know what you were doing here, but it’ll have to wait. We’ve got an urgent case.”

  Hearing that, I reluctantly changed into my work gear, grabbed my weapon, and headed for the exit. Susan stopped me.

  “Be careful this time.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, feeling a strange sense of calm despite what had happened just moments earlier.

  After that brief exchange, I joined Morgan, who was already waiting impatiently in the car.

  “Ready?” he said, pulling out.

  “Earlier you said there was no work for me.”

  “Things changed,” he replied, handing me a stack of papers. “The administrator is dead.”

  “Murder?”

  “Most likely.”

  “But shouldn’t the corporation be handling this?” I couldn’t understand why something this serious had landed on the police instead of their government allies.

  “They’re too busy dealing with the mafia,” he answered coldly. “And besides, it probably doesn’t pay well enough for them. So I’m stuck with you.”

  “Anyone else coming with us?”

  “A few officers are already securing the scene, but if things go as usual, I don’t know if they’ll manage.”

  “Demons.”

  “Yes. That’s why we need to hurry,” he said. “I want to see the crime scene before it stops being in one piece.”

  After that strictly business exchange, the chief unexpectedly changed the subject.

  “So what did you fight about this time?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She got kicked out of another workplace, and you just had to add your two cents, as usual.”

  “No,” I sighed. “This time, her boss got cleaned up.”

  “No difference.”

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  And right then, we arrived at City Hall.

  II

  The first thing that caught my attention was the police tape everywhere, despite the relatively small number of officers present.

  “How’s the situation?” Morgan asked the nearest policeman.

  “Under control for now, Chief. Mike and Roman are waiting for you upstairs.”

  “Charlie, let’s go.”

  Despite its monumental size, the building felt surprisingly claustrophobic inside—especially compared to my apartment. It wasn’t as massive as I had imagined, though the contrast was still striking.

  Following Morgan, I finally reached the crime scene on the second floor. It felt cut off from the rest of the building, as if it existed outside the normal order of the place.

  “Chief!” one of the officers by the door called out.

  “Everything secured?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have the equipment?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Charlie, we’re going in.”

  The room was disturbingly clean for a crime scene. At first glance, nothing seemed out of place. Only after stepping further inside did I notice the body.

  The administrator was slumped in a massive armchair facing a huge window, covered by pale blue curtains. A large Roman numeral II was marked on the fabric.

  The body was mutilated. Both forearms were missing. I barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit.

  “Holy hell…” Morgan muttered.

  A thick book rested on the victim’s lap, its cover marked with a crescent moon drawn in blood.

  “City Council Proceedings,” I read aloud. “You think we should take it?”

  “Do we have any other options?” he replied, jotting something down in his notebook.

  “Not really.”

  “That’s not what I was hoping for.”

  He hesitated for a moment.

  “No footprints. No signs of struggle. The wounds are too precise. This wasn’t done by anyone ordinary.”

  Suddenly, the air grew heavy, and an unnatural silence flooded the room.

  “Guys, bring the equipment!” the chief shouted. “We’re running out of time!”

  III

  When the door opened, there was no one there.

  “Think it already got them?” Morgan asked, staring down the empty hallway.

  “I don’t see any other possibility,” I said. “You can feel it—it’s way too strong.”

  I stepped closer. That’s when I noticed a small red droplet falling from the ceiling.

  Without thinking, I grabbed Morgan and dragged him inside. At the same instant, a massive, pitch-black, spider-like creature dropped from above.

  I slammed the door shut just before it lunged again.

  “This day really couldn’t get any worse,” I muttered.

  “Have you ever seen anything like that?” Morgan asked.

  “Never. But it can’t be that different from the rest. It won’t last long. You’ve got a weapon, right?”

  “You’re asking, but you already know the answer.”

  The monster tore through the door and crawled onto the ceiling. Instead of jumping, it tried to skewer us with its long limbs.

  Bullets did nothing. Every attempt to get closer meant death.

  “Chief, do you have anything extra?!” I shouted.

  “A lighter.”

  “A lighter?! And what exactly are we supposed to do with that?!”

  “We improvise.”

  Using the moment when the creature hesitated, we burst into the hallway.

  “What now?!”

  “Can you lure it into the kitchen?”

  “The kitchen?!”

  “The stove. End of the first floor.”

  Morgan disappeared into a side room. The creature came after me.

  When I reached the kitchen, I turned on the gas in every stove. At the same moment, the beast attacked.

  A scream tore out of my throat.

  I lunged for the door. Morgan lit a rag and threw it inside, barricading the entrance.

  The explosion of fire ended everything.

  IV

  We left the building utterly exhausted. Only then did I realize how serious the injury was—my left thigh had been cut deep.

  The officers rushed in to help us.

  “Where did all these people come from?” I asked, seeing the crowd gathered outside.

  Some were just curious. Others looked confused. A few… pleased.

  “We don’t know,” one of the officers said. “They showed up recently. Too early.”

  “Did you tell anyone?” I shouted at Morgan.

  “Only headquarters. As protocol requires

  .”

  Morgan let out a heavy sigh.

  “Take the kid home. He won’t make it back on his own.”