FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Steel could barely hold on to the grocery bags as he hit the "3" button the in elevator. He was the only one that could actually go shopping without causing a major issue, and so he was often volunteered. Since last week, Cleopatra had made more building improvements, such as adding another floor, which serves as an entry and had a bulletin board with information. It was impossible to access the storage or residential floor without a key, but the strange thing was that the new ground floor came from out of nowhere.

He opened the door, "Why thank you Steel for returning with various goods that we requested. Oh, you're welcome my fellow coworkers." He set the heavy bags down, "So, now that I'm done imagining what should have happened, what's my best friend doing here?"

Cleopatra was sitting at the desk, opposite of the Grim Reaper. Aqua and Sabrina were hiding in the safe room, peeking around the corner, "I don't like her."

"And I do not like you, but this does not concern you. Steel, please take your seat. You are a professional and you should act as such."

Steel shrugged and went to his chair, which Cleopatra had gracefully left. She was not happy about this intrusion, "Meetings are by appointment only!"

"Calm down, she's a friend. Not to mention she wouldn't approach like this unless she was serious about something. Well?"

The Grim Reaper looked away, "I have a job offer, one most dire and perhaps not an ordinary job for a detective. However, I trust nobody else with this information, in return for completion you will be given a sum greater than any you have earned before."

Steel was a bit disturbed, "You aren't usually this forward or shy. What's the job?"

"You were at the catholic school not too long ago, that is the location. Your friend back there, I am aware that you noticed something amiss about her existence."

He nodded, "What do you mean?" Sabrina had become a bit braver.

"She means that your occupying the bathroom was different. Even when a spirit is strong enough to stay in this world, they are given free roam. You were bound to that one area, and unable to roam." He turned his attention to the Grim Reaper, "This had something to do with you."

She took a deep breath, "There is a barrier, one that denies even me. I cannot get close, but I am sure that there is death lurking throughout that building. I can hear the cries of the trapped souls, meaning that there are people there doing something. Unfortunately, I believe it is related to the unspeakable summoning. I need you to break the barrier and do whatever else you can."

"Alright, I'm off. Aqua, write up the contract. Sabrina, hold all of my calls. Cleopatra, stop looking so upset. You're much cuter when you smile."

She jumped and blushed enough to be seen through the wrapping, "You... you better come back alive."

He waved, "Of course, death herself is on my side." The door shut and he was gone. Aqua got right to work, but Cleopatra still wasn't happy about the Grim Reaper sitting there.

"You have a question?"

"Multiple in fact. For starters, why can't you do this yourself? Why did you need to hire Steel?" Sabrina was busy putting away the groceries as the phones weren't ringing.

The Grim Reaper didn't have an immediate answer, "Because I trust him. He is the only one who will do what is needed and the only one who won't cave in to temptation."

Aqua set a piece of paper on the desk, "May I ask, what is your relationship with Steel?"

The Grim Reaper turned her head and looked into Aqua's eyes, "I am not allowed to talk about that, for that was part of the deal." She crossed her legs, "Are there any other inquiries?"

"I don't like you." Cleopatra was once again angry.

"This is quite amusing. There is a term in a country called Japan to describe your personality. Other than that, jealousy is an ugly perfume."

Sabrina put away the last of the groceries either into the cabinet or the mini fridge on top, "I can't smell, so I wouldn't be able to tell you." She paused, "Do you think I was a trapped soul at the school?"

"Indeed. However, Steel told me that you were in a specific area of the school, one with no other spirit markers. If anything, you were far away from the ritual area."

Cleopatra snarled, "What ritual?! Why is Steel going there if you know all about it?!"

The Grim Reaper chuckled to herself, "A faulty ritual, the complete form would make it obsolete, if it could even be completed. Tell me, have you ever heard of Armageddon?"

.........................................................................

Steel arrived at the school and immediately saw the police cruisers and barricades, "That can't be good." He walked up to a barricade and identified the chief of police, who was talking to the principal.

He hopped over a barricade and casually walked over, but one of the officers stopped him, "Hold up, this is a crime scene, no civilians allowed."

"I have relevant information, but I will only talk to the chief." The officer was a bit conflicted, but let Steel go through, "Hey, what happened?"

The chief was an older feline, but still someone you didn't want to tangle with, "Who are you?"

The principal was kind enough to vouch for him, "Ah, a friend of the school. I trust him."

"Alright Father. I'm Chief Richards, now answer my question."

Steel nodded, never taking his eyes off the school, "I'm Steel, detective of the Paranormal Detective Agency. I have a job to do here, but it seems like we may be in the same boat Richards."

"I've heard of you, warden of the prison said you do good work. I still think you're a scam artist, but this is no time for that. I have two bodies on my hands and no witnesses, nothing paranormal, just a psychopath."

Steel took a deep breath, "I doubt it's as simple as that. My contract was initiated based on these murders you know. Where have your men investigated?" Richards gave him the general rundown, "Alright, is there a basement in this building?"

The principal nodded, "Yes, but only the maintenance people have keys, and they haven't been needed for a few months."

"Richards, I need to get into that basement. If you don't want any involvement, you could have your men investigate the far side of the school-"

"No. Listen, I don't believe in that crap, but if you aren't going to listen to me, I'm sending in my men too. There were two murders, and if those bastards are hiding I want them caught."

"Alright. Send six men, one with a ram of some kind. I want to move fast."

Richards radioed in the order, "Tell me first, who's your client that knows about this? As far as I'm concerned, he or she is a suspect."

Steel laughed as he walked into the school, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Inside, he was met by six officers by the basement entryway, "Alright, guns ready, I'm opening it." The man with the ram quickly broke the lock and opened the door, which led to steps.

Steel took the lead, "Follow your orders, but if I say run you damn well better run."

"The air down here feels... weird." A officer commented as they walked down the long hallway, but they were all thinking about it, "You deal with paranormal things, right? What's happening here?"

"That 'creepy' feeling is because my client was right. The souls are restless down here. That tingling down your spine is nothing more than the cries of help from the tormented. Just be lucky you can't see what's happening." His last comment made the officers nervous, but he didn't care. He saw the pulsating walls, the spectral blood pouring from unseen spirits, and could even smell the death, "That door there, can you hear it?"

The officers stopped, "Is that? Two voices, male. What are they saying?" Steel ripped the ram from the officer, "Hey!"

"We don't have time to wait around!" With a mad dash he charged into the door at the end of the hallway. The officers drew their guns and made it to the door just as Steel had knocked it down, "You! Stop what you're doing!" He tossed the ram into the room.

There were two men in dark, blood soaked robes standing opposite of each other with a massive golden chalice in between them. A purple flame filled the chalice, and the souls of the two murdered girls floated helplessly above, "Hmm? An intruder?" Steel put on his black sand gloves, because he also saw the souls bound to the walls all around the room, "Eliminate him please."

"Show them no mercy, they are empty shells!" Steel dashed forward just before the zombified remains of the bound souls rose up and crowded the doorway. The officers panicked and screamed, but Steel didn't hesitate. He kicked over the chalice, then ran to a wall and grabbed a soul. The two female souls were thrown to opposite ends of the room, and before long Steel freed a soul, "Help drag the others off of the wall!"

A zombie fell, and for each soul that was torn from the wall more fell. Without possession of their soul, the bodies were nothing more than spare parts. The two men in charge of the ritual shouted profanities of all sorts, but recognized they were powerless. With the freed souls saving the bound ones, Steel picked up the ram once again and started attacking the seven pillars around the ritual area. Each was topped with a different precious stone, but they were all the reason the Grim Reaper was powerless.

The officers were screaming from their wounds, but otherwise were completely lost and disgusted by the rotting corpses now littering the hallway, "What the hell? What are we supposed to do?!"

"I don't care!" With a shout, he destroyed the last pillar.

The creepy vibes faded from the area, and the Grim Reaper instantaneously appeared to the horror of both the men performing the ritual and the police, "Come to me souls, find peace." She waved her scythe very slowly, and the souls, both bound and freed, vanished.

"Who is that?!"

Steel stood up and put away his gloves, "That gentlemen, is my client. The Grim Reaper herself."

"These men cannot be allowed to live."

The officers stormed into the room, a little worse for wear, "Uh... what? We need to... arrest them."

Steel looked at the two men cowering against the wall, when they drew knives, "Not today!" He drew his .357 and shot their hands, "Officers, these serial killers are trying to attack you and they won't surrender. What oh what should you do?"

They looked at each other, then fired at the men, "Your souls shall receive punishment beyond your wildest beliefs!" The Grim Reaper snatched an empty area of the room, then disappeared.

One of the officers approached Steel, "Uh... what the hell do we report happened here?"

"Officially? Two serial killers from a psychotic cult were storing bodies. When you broke the door, they attacked and you had no choice."

"And... unofficially?"

"Two men captured souls and bodies, blocked the Grim Reaper from claiming those souls, and attempted to summon a Piece of Armageddon. Go with the official statement." Steel walked past the men, "Also, you need to identify these bodies. Good luck with that." When he left the basement door, he clutched his heart and dropped to a knee, "Damn, I was too close to her."

Outside, he was met by the principal and Chief Richards, "So, tell me what happened. Did my men catch the suspects?"

"Yeah." Steel looked around, "Believe what you want, but those two were trying to perform an ancient necromancy ritual. This place is tainted beyond belief, but not impossible to salvage. Clean it up, then call me if you want it to be truly clean." Steel left as the pain in his chest returned to normal.

Inside the elevator of his building, he was met by the Grim Reaper, "You did well, here." She handed over a piece of paper, "When you die, I will interfere as best as I can."

"Alright. I made a mistake standing too close when you claimed those souls though."

She nodded, "I apologize as well, I was a bit careless. I hope we will still be in touch though, I consider you my only living friend." She pointed her elbow at Steel.

"Fine by me, you aren't so bad when you aren't trying to kill me." He rubbed his elbow against hers and the door opened.

Cleopatra had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot, "What's this? Why are you two rubbing elbows?!"

Steel smiled, "Because shaking hands would kill me." He walked to the office, "Even a kid knows that."

Cleopatra looked in the elevator, only to notice that the Grim Reaper was no longer there, "She didn't even pay up!" She ran up to Steel and followed him into the office.

"Aqua, file this under personnel files in my name. And yes, we got paid. Something you can't put a monetary value on."