Into the Darkness
Riley and Kiro had been on the road for hours. Kiro was a male fox, of an unusual pastel red and cream white fur, wearing a small set of blue aviator goggles, and a matching blue scarf. Riley, his girlfriend, was a yellow and tan mutt with a plaid bandana. They were riding in Kiro's 1984 El Camino, across country to a small town in south-eastern Oklahoma. It wasn't the prettiest car on the road, but it got them from point A to point B, and it came from a time when cars were made to be nearly indestructible. It only had one row of seats, but just behind the seats, their was a surprising amount of room wear the body of the vehicle curved around into the bed. Hidden in the back area, was a retractable case full of guns, knives, stakes, flasks of holy water, crosses, and other items. Riley sat in the passenger seat, playing Animal Crossing on her Playstation Vita. Kiro glanced over at her. "So why are we heading out to Oklahoma again?" he asked. Riley put the game device down and opened the glove box, pulling out a piece of paper. "Well, according the the local authorities, several people these last few days have mysteriously gone from being just normal, average people, to psycho killers. They would brutally murder their family, then call the police, right before offing themselves." "Sounds like our kinda crazy." Kiro replied.
It took another three hours before they finally arrived in Oklahoma, at a small town next to the Robber's Cave State Park. They found a small motel to check into, then unpacked their stuff and booked a room with twin beds. Riley set up her laptop on the table, trying to find out more information about the case, while Kiro was getting out their suits and a bag full of fake badges and IDs. They both changed into generic black suits and grabbed a pair of CDC badges and headed down to the local morgue to examine the bodies. "Hello, I'm Agent Parker, and this is Agent Welks. We're with the CDC." Kiro said, he and Riley flashing their badges to the head coroner. "I don't understand," the coroner, a heavyset brown bear said, "what does the CDC need to see, there were no signs of any kind of infection." "Well sir," Riley replied, "we think this may be some kind of new biological attack, but we can't be sure until we see the bodies, just the ones of the husbands." Reluctantly, the coroner led them to see the bodies, each one had been a suicide, gunshot to the head. The coroner left them alone, walking back to his office to finish up some paperwork. Making sure the coast was clear, Riley pulled out a small EMF reader and waved it over the bodies. "Anything?" Kiro asked. "Nope, no ghost activity, but..." she trailed off, lifting up one of the dead men's fingers. "What does this look like to you?" Kiro looked where Riley had pointed, a feint red residue under the man's nails. "What is that, blood?" He sniffed at it. "Smells like...ink" "That's what it looks like." replied Riley just as the coroner came back in. "So what do you think it is? " he asked. "Were not sure yet, but we don't think it's contagious. The bodies should be safe." With that, the two left, getting back in the El Camino and driving back to the motel. Once they got back in, they took off their suits, Kiro putting his scarf and goggles back on, Riley her plaid bandana. Sitting down, she fired her laptop up again. Kiro flopped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling fan. "Okay, I'm bored!" Kiro sighed. "Wanna get something to eat? I saw a quant little diner down the street." Riley stared at Kiro. "I guess we can. Can't fight evil on an empty stomach." Kiro smiled, jumping up and grabbing his keys and heading out to the car, Riley slowly coming behind him with her laptop.
The diner was a small, local burger and milkshake joint, with only a few retro-style booths and a small bar counter. Riley and Kiro sat down at the far corner booth, and we're immediately greeted by the waitress, a heavyset German shepherd. She handed both of them menus. "Good evenin' folks, can I get you somthin' ta drink?" she asked, a slight Southern accent in her voice. "Can I get a Coke?" Riley asked, looking over the menu. "And I want a strawberry milkshake please." Kiro added with a grin. "Sure thang. I'll let you two look over the menu a bit, and our special today is the chicken-fried steak, with two sides." the waitress said. "Ya know, I think I'm ready," Kiro said, licking his lips, "I'll have the special, mashed potatoes and gravy, and...make that two mashed potatoes and gravy." "I'll have the special as well, mashed potatoes and gravy, and fried okra." The waitress quickly jotted both orders down in her booklet. "Alright folks, I'll get that right in! My name's Jena, if ya need anything else." she walked to the open window to the kitchen and clipped the order to a spinning wheel for the cook, then brought back their drinks. "Wow..." Riley said with a muffled chuckle, watching Kiro slurp down his milkshake. "Anyone ever tell you you eat like a twelve year-old?" "What? I'm hungry, and this is pretty good. Learn to live a little." he replied, winking at her. She just shook her head and pulled her laptop out. "So," Kiro asked with a mouthful of food, "How do we find whatever this is that's making good people do bad things?" "Well, let me get started on the research then." Riley said, turning her laptop on. After a few minutes, their food came up, brought by their waitress Jena. Kiro wasted no time in digging into his chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes. Riley slowly ate her own food as she continued to research both the victims, and the mysterious substance that they found underneath not only the one man's nails, but under all of the victim's finger nails. "Find anything yet?" Kiro asked, wiping his mouth. "Actually, I think I have." Riley said, turning her laptop around so Kiro could see it. "Ever heard of an Inugami?" "No. It sounds Asain though." "It is, it's a Japanese spirit, one of the Kami. It means Dog-God in Japanese, and it's a vengeful spirit that is summoned for performing robberies, kidnappings, and..." "...murder." Kiro finished. "Right. And it says with a strong enough summoner, it can be used to posses others to do the bidding for you, and just summoning these things is a crime. You have to take a friendly house dog, bury it up to its neck in the ground, place a bowl of food or water next to it but just out of reach, then after a few days just before the dog dies of starvation and hallucinations, you cut off its head. You burry the head underground near a noisy street, and after a time, unbury it then place it on a shrine and perform a Japanese ritual to conjure the Inugami spirit." Kiro made a low growling sound. "What kind of person could ever do something so evil like that to an animal?!" "I don't know, but whoever's doing these murders has some serious issues." Riley read down a little farther. "Hmm, it also says that by their nature, Inugami are vengeful and wrathful, and if given the chance, will turn on their own masters and kill them." "Well this one sure needs to hurry up and..." Kiro trailed off as the waitress came back with their bill and two after-dinner mints. "Here ya are. I'll be your cashier when you're ready. You two have a lovely day." "Thank you." Riley said, taking the check and pulling her wallet out. Paying and leaving a reasonable tip, the two left the diner and drove back to their motel room. "So," Kiro asked, taking his shoes off and falling on the bed, "that sight say how we stop this thing?" "Well, it looks like we an make a spell to break the hold over the Inugami, but it's quite a list...and I don't even know where you get Shitaki mushrooms, but it says you can also destroy the shrine if possible." Kiro started laughing. "Sorry...that's a funny word." Glaring, Riley just threw her shoe at him as he ducked into the bathroom, still giggling. Just then, a call came in on their police scanner, the dispatch officer informing some police about a new attack in progress. After a quick glance, Kiro and Riley put their suits and fake badges on, grabbed their guns, and bolted out the door. They arrived at the house just before the police arrived. Just as the two excited the El Camino, they saw a hooded figure leaving out the back window of the house. "Quick," Riley said, keeping her voice down low, "back in the car, let's see where our hooded friend goes!" The two quickly got back in the car, and drove off, following the hooded figure at a safe distance, flashing lights fading in the rear view mirror as the police arrived at the house just too late. After following the person for several minutes, they arrived in a small trailer park behind the diner. The suspect looked around, then took the hood off, revealing her to be the waitress from the diner. "What the!?" Kiro exclaimed. "But, but...she made my milkshake!" "Shhhhh! Keep your voice down." Riley replied, hushing the fox as they snuck up to the house. "Okay, you go around back, I'll take the front. Look for anything that even looks like a Japanese shrine, and destroy it." Sneaking to the back of the trailer home, Kiro looked around, then peeked in the windows. Seeing that it was clear, he picked the lock to the back door and opened it...to come face to face with a .12 gauge shotgun. Riley had just opened the front door and stepped inside when she heard Kiro. "Now let's be reasonable lady, can't we just talk about this. I mean, you made my food." "Shut up!" The heavyset German Shepherd said, pressing her shotgun into his stomach. "All those people, they were on the City Renovation Committee. They wanted to tear down my diner, my livelihood, and build a new highway through the town, bring in more business! I was at a garage sale one day, and I found this book on Japanese myths, and this spell scribbled in the pages...and it worked! Now I can do anything, I can take my revenge, and all it cost was a stupid stray mutt." Peeking around a wall, Riley saw the two, Kiro seeing her, but not making any movement to giver her away. And then she saw it, in the bedroom just behind Kiro, a bamboo shrine with a cleaned dog skull on it, red ink symbols scrolled all over it, 2 red candles burning on either side. "...now, I know you're not alone. Where did that little slut of yours get off too." Kiro spit in the waitresses face with a curse. She wiped her face off with a callous smirk. "Have it your way." She snapped her fingers. Instantly, before Riley could move, a glowing red dog appeared behind her, it's oversized claws lashing out across her back. Riley let out a scream, falling to the ground and transitioning into a roll, trying to evade the Inugami spirit. Letting out a savage, almost demonic howl, the ghostly Inugami flies at Riley, claws extended. The waitress made the mistake of glancing over to witness her kill, then quickly looking back as she realized her mistake. But it was too late. It the short second her attention was divided, Kiro reached up with one hand, batting away the shotgun, his other hand curling into a fist as he threw a punch right into her jaw. The Shepherd screamed, her jaw cracking under the force of the foxes hit, her finger pulling the trigger on the shotgun, causing it to fire just inches from Kiro's head, blowing his left eardrum. Stunned, but still alert, Kiro continued his forward momentum onto the women, knocking them both over, and causing the Inugami to stop, no longer receiving commands from its master. "Quick!" He screamed, everything spinning and ringing around him, "destroy the shrine Riley!" Riley stood up as quickly as she could, her back raw and bloody. Moving as fast as she could, she made her way into the bedroom. "No!" The waitress screamed, gaining enough focus to giver the Inugami another commander. "Kill her!!" The Inugami flew at Riley with supernatural speed, its teeth barred, claws extended, ready to tear Riley into pieces. Riley drew her pistol and cocked the hammer back, aiming at the canine skull on the alter. "Fuck...you." She fired. In a heartbeat, the skull and the alter exploded as the hollow point round flashed through it. "How dare you!" The waitress screamed, throwing off Kiro and aiming her shotgun at Riley, her finger squeezing the trigger. With the shrine destroyed though, the Inugami shot towards the German Shepherd, snapping the gun in half like a twig, then clawing and biting her, tearing her flesh to the bone, the woman's screams becoming an agonizing shriek as the spirit dismembered her, her blood pouring out all over the floor. After the women was more then dead, the Inugami spirit dissolved in a spout of flame, it's revenge complete, now finally able to rest. Kiro stood up, a little wobbly from his busted eardrum. He rushed over to Riley, 4 massive claw marks down her back. "Hey, hey you okay?" "Yeah, I'm good," Riley sighed, gently touching her back, "but how about you drive for a while." She said, half jokingly. The two hunters gathered up all their stuff, making sure nothing would be traced back to them when the police eventually arrived, knowing that they would assume the waitress was just another victim in a string of rogue animal attacks. When they got outside, Kiro got the medical kit out of the El Camino and help treat Riley's back, then they got in the car, Kiro slowly driving back to the motel for a long overdue rest, then by tomorrow afternoon they would be back on the road, heading across country to the next mysterious event, to fight monsters, and save lives, all behind the scenes.