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Chapter 3

The sun was setting over New Providence as Jack pulled into the driveway of his home on the outskirts of his city in a charming suburbia. The area just outside the main city was filled with small two bedroom houses that all looked extremely similar from afar but upon closer inspection all looked remarkably different, each owner adding their own personal touch to their home.

The air outside the metropolis was much fresher and cleaner and the sun was creating a beautiful golden light which cast long shadows on the many homes in this area of the city. There were many suburbs just like this one around the city of New Providence with middle-class families living in them. It was a stark contrast to the concrete jungle which was the centre of the city.

There were neatly arranged gardens at the front of each house, each similar in dimension but different in composition. Some held a beautiful arrangement of colours, each one methodically and meticulously placed in sequence to give the garden an illusion of aura. Some, like Jack's front garden were unkept, untidy, indicating an acute dislike for the green fingered arts.

A cyclist was the only thing on the road as Jack pulled his small black car in the driveway. This was 89D Station Avenue, in the small suburb of Externa, so named for its position outside of the main metropolis but close enough so it could be seen by looking directly south. The huge glass towers, glistening in the twilight which had let to turn on their dazzling display of lights which looked so striking against the night sky.

Jack undid his seat and pulled himself out of the car, being careful not to bump his head on the low doorframe. He pulled out his briefcase with his case notes about the Serenity Case which he was not allowed to bring home from work. However, he felt that he worked best when he was relaxed and his soon-to-be wife would be able to assist him to think more clearly.

The street was strangely quiet, there were no children playing in the gardens, no sounds of the occasional lawnmower or garden shears for those that took pride in meticulously trimming their hedgerows. Perhaps he was only noticing this on such a bad day?

To him, the entire world felt uneasy at the moment.

He had committed a terrible sin, a sacred vow which he had taken to Adrianna when they had finally decided to move in together and when her parents finally relented in allowing her to move out at the tender age of twenty-five. Maybe? Just maybe... he felt that guilty that the entire world was mocking him at the moment.

Either that or they had been shocked into silence by his actions.

He was not surprised... He had shocked even himself recently.

Jack pulled out a cigarette from a crumpled pack in his left pocket. Adrianna hated him smoking and insisted that he do it outside the house so that he did not harm their developing baby. He always loved how obsessed she could get over just the little things in life.

As he lit the cigarette, pushing it into his mouth, which had more than its fair share of usage today. He thought about a time where this small white house in front of him, with its clear porch and painted white shutters on the windows were getting its new windows installed.

Adrianna had wasted no time then putting her foot down. Standing there in her vulpine glory, encased in a bathrobe after just rising out of a bath to complain about one of the canine workman walking into the bathroom to use the toilet while she was in the bath. Part of him felt sorry for the workman who had to spend at least an hour explaining to her about how he had not known that she was in there and apologising fifty-thousand times.

Still, Adrianna was a loud woman and she really made the poor workman suffer, pretty much accusing him of being a pervert on the spot. Jack, who had the day off that day, had to go in and calm her down from her rising hysteria.

She had always got some hysterical over minor things, but it was something that he just loved about her.

As Jack puffed gently on the cigarette, the smoke filling his lungs as he inhaled smoothly and calmly, he recalled how he had met her. He had just come out of his divorce with his first wife after discovering that she was having an affair with a high-class businessman in downtown New Providence.

All the six years that he had been with his previous wife had been a nightmare. It had started well, she was the daughter of a wealthy senator of Vulpus. Hence why she felt that she was always privileged for her upbringing and how Jack should have been grateful that she was staying around him at all.

But Adrianna was different by complete contrast.

Adrianna, she was magnificent. The daughter of a farmer in Vulpus's extensive green countryside. She had lived such a simple life and a move to the capital had really opened her eyes to a different way of living. She believed in not leeching off her husband, like Jack's last wife had down. She got a job of her own, working as a filing clerk for a small bank in the capital and she seemed almost grateful for the opportunities and the love that Jack had shown her over the months together.

But she had done more for him then he had done for her. She had mended his heart. Made him whole again and that was worth more than any job or any lifestyle.

He had met her while he was working a case out of town, in the small rural village of Bexleyhead. Jack had always hated the countryside but a particular gruesome set of murders had brought him out to the village. While there, he had met a young farm girl with eyes like sapphires and a real natural beauty.

For hours, they sat talking in the local public house until it was way past time for the landlord to kick them out for not drinking anything.

It was fast but that was how both of them liked to play it. Love was not without its risks. They shared their first kiss on the way home.

Now, a wonderful nine months later. Jack's house suddenly seemed less empty and soon the noise and pitter-patter of tiny feet would be heard in this house for the first time. It really did not get much better an existence then this.

Jack suddenly felt the huge pang of guilt. Like somebody had come over and punched him in the stomach while he was standing their reminiscing about his beautiful fiance and his expectations for his future. He felt like he had betrayed her, dishonored her but having this unclean urges.

He had felt this way before.

It was about three months ago and he had stayed up late to finish a report he was getting ready to give Chief Orion the next day. He had suddenly become very curious of after-dark activities while sat at the computer and Adrianna was tucked up asleep in bed. He somehow found himself watching an online video, which involved two young male foxes fully "enjoying" each others company.

He not only enjoyed it, before long he was feverishly masturbating himself to this erotic display. After the power of the orgasm had subsided, he felt the same as he did now.

Dirty and guilty.

He approached the front door, with its silver plated knockers and number bolted to it. He stopped a moment before reaching for the handle, wondering what sort of excuse he should make up for why he was late home. He knew that Adrianna had probably cooked dinner already and would be exceptionally annoyed due to his late presence but he could handle that.

He just didn't know if he could actually look her in the eyes.

"He-llo?" he asked while turning the handle to open the door up to a nicely present reception area. In front of him was the staircase that descended to the second level, while directly on his right was an entrance to the living room which had the curtains drawn as if nobody had been home since they both left for work this morning.

That was strange... something didn't feel right to him.

He waited for a few seconds in the hall to see if there was some kind of answer.

Nothing... just the silence of the wind from the open door, a small afternoon breeze suddenly felt like a torrential blast of cold air which made the hairs on the back of Jack's next stand on end.

"Maybe she has gone out shopping after work?" he thought to himself as he tried to rationalise the slight paranoia which was beginning to fester inside his mind, working its way insidiously into every one of his thoughts.

"Why would her car be in the drive then?" it asked, slowly building the panic inside his head. Suddenly, everything illogical which a normal mind would have dismissed out of hand became a reality. This was simply not normal.

"She can't know about what happened today... She just CAN'T!" screamed Jack's logical side to combat the growing darkness and feelings of despair that the paranoia was festering.

"How do you know!?" questioned the paranoia which was now screaming in his head like a caged animal, rattling its bars of confinement. "How do you know that Vladimir didn't call after you left the office?"

"She wouldn't BELIEVE him!"

"How can you be sure? Can you really, ever truly KNOW that?"

"Calm down, its probably nothing..."

"But how can YOU be sure?"

His head was now pounding with all the different thoughts and scenarios of which he had to fight not to enter a mode of panic. He grabbed an empty glass that had been left on the side and released the tap in the sink, taking a sip of cool water which seemed to ease his thoughts for the moment.

"Anyway... if she really was gone... She would have left a note."

Yes, YES! He knew her, he knew that if she had truly left him. She would have left a note. Probably something along the lines of...

"Dear Asshole...!"

or

"You Fucking Sick Fuck!"

The water helped to control the paranoia which had spread through his mind instantly as if it were actually a disease. He decided to call again.

"Hello, Adri?" he asked, a little louder so that it could be heard throughout the house.

There was simply no answer but the silence of the inside of the house and a small click of the boiler, sensing somebody was home and heating the household.

He put the glass down and looked around the kitchen. It was small and efficiently organised, he was considering waiting her until she came home. The evidence suggested that she had not come home because the house had not moved.

His paws were cold and clammy.

Then he heard it, sounding like some sort of shuffling noise coming from the floorboards upstairs. He listened again for it but there was nothing but silence for the moment.

"HELLO!" he shouted at the top of his voice.

The shuffling reappeared and became more frantic. Something flashed through Jack's mind. He had attended dozens of break-ins and it was completely possible that because Adrianna had not answered as usual. It was probably someone else.

He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out his large, black handgun which shimmered in the eventide light before proceeding to dart up the stairs.

The landing at the top of the stairs was dim but the shuffling appeared to be coming from the master bedroom at the end of the top landing in front of Jack. He cocked his weapon, slowly and quietly edging to towards the door.

The shuffles were getting louder and louder as he approached the bedroom.

He approached the wooden door. slowly grabbing the handle and lifting his gun into the air. He had already given the thieves fair warning that he was here in the house so perhaps they were trapped. There was no way that they could jump out the window.

He opened the door with a quick swing and pointed his gun inside.

His eyes immediately transfixed in horror at the figure huddled in the corner of the room by the large double bed. He appeared to be sat down, rocking back and forth. Jack had never seen this person before but he knew his duty.

"Stop! Police!" he shouted at the figure who was facing towards the wall and Jack could not make out what or who it was from the back. "Get your hands in the air!" he ushered with his gun as the creature just sat there.

There was a change of movement in the creature. It began to talk, babbling some non-sensical words the Jack could not seem to make out. It began to rise to its feet just a few meters away from Jack. Jack felt his muzzle twitch as he focused his eyes on the creature, wondering if it would surrender peacefully.

The creature began chanting some inane jumbled words louder which sent chills down Jack's spine. From the back, it looked like one of the many people of Terra but it sure as hell didn't sound like one.

Then it turned around.

Jack took a firm grip on his gun until his eyes widened in Terra. This creature was a large, black lycan. Lycans were wolf-like creatures that lived on the other side of the world in Lycanthia. Lycanthia was a much less developed country then Vulpus and Lycans had been immigrating to Vulpus for many years in order to escape the harsh cold of their homeland.

But this did not look like any ordinary Lycan. Its fur was ragged, looked like it had not been brushed or washed in days. He looked completely dishevelled like he had been homeless for years. This had become a too common story for the Lycans, going to new places in search of work, only to take low-paid jobs or to face homelessness and despair from their economic situation.

It suddenly dawned on Jack that he did not have any backup should the Lycan turn violent and attack him with his powerful claws.

Then his eyes became transfixed in horror.

The Lycan's mouth was snarling at him, snarling a most unusual way, almost animalistic. His mouth was covered in a dried, red substance.

Blood.

"What the fuck!?" asked Jack in his head as he watched the Lycan start chanting. The eyes of the beast distant, almost like he was in an imaginary world or hallucination.

It snarled and darted towards him...

"Sto--"

Bang!

A gunshot filled every room of the house as the Lycan fell to the floor and Jack was stood there with his heavy breathing, a silence returned to the house.

He comforted himself. He had no choice. This Lycan was deranged and he had no choice but to kill him otherwise he would have been surely killed.

He looked around to see the broken pane of glass on the window, shattered and broken inwards, all over Adrianna's white dresser.

Jack knew that soon, this whole area would be swarming with police as one of his neighbours must had heard the gunshot and was probably calling the police right now.

He looked around for a few seconds, nothing in the room seemed disturbed. Except for the blood on the bed which was trailing into the en-suite bathroom and the dead Lycan on the floor.

Jack put his gun to one side and checked the pulse of the assailant. He was dead.

"Blood in the bathroom!?"

Fearing the worst, he shot over to the bathroom door and pushed it open. He dropped to his knees, rushing to the side of a female fox whose usual brown fur was replaced by long red slashes as she laid open eyed staring up at the ceiling.

There was just so much blood.

Her blood...

"No... Oh GOD NO!" Jack cried to the heavens for celestial intervention.

There was no answer... just the distant sound of the sirens from outside the broken window.

Coming to his rescue? He didn't care at the moment.

He picked up the corpse of Adrianna and placed it in his arms. He loved her so much but she was barely recognisable in this state. She hung on him, lifeless and eternally awake... her eyes blue but with no sparkle in them.

Jack tried fighting his tears but they were no use. His heart had been ripped out and now he felt numb, the shock had ripped him apart.

He just stayed in that moment, the moment that his life had been ripped apart. The worst day of his life.

The guilt...

The shame...

The anger...

The pain...

If he had got home on time, perhaps she would have not met this end. He hated himself, he wanted to die. He wanted somebody to take him away and kill him, torture him, make him suffer for his mistake.

He sat by her corpse, covered in her blood until the paramedics and police finally arrived. It was no use, she was pronounced dead at the scene and he fought the doctors to stop them from putting a blanket over her beautiful face. She wasn't dead...

She couldn't just be gone! He saw her this morning, she was full of life, the future!

He finally calmed down when they took the body away and there was a small voice in his head. The paranoia had manufactured something far far worse.

"You killed her!" it said.