Chapter 7: Run, Jane, Run (6)
“The scream came from near Hyde Park, so I ran straight in that direction. Through the fog, a dark figure emerged, barefoot, with disheveled hair, covered in blood. I didn’t think for a second that this person could be the attacker. I thought they were someone who had escaped and tried to talk to them, but instead…”
Liam took a sip of his drink before continuing.
“They seemed out of their mind. Like a rabid dog, they were foaming at the mouth, their pupils were hugely dilated. I heard an animalistic growling, but there was no smell of drugs. Jane, you know I have a keen sense for identifying drugs based on symptoms alone. But this person—no, this thing—looked as if it had a clearer mind than anyone, yet it wasn’t human.”
I pushed aside my brief confusion and started thinking. So, it was something that seemed human but wasn’t truly human?
The fact that it could still move after taking a bullet meant it was numb to pain. Dying from a second shot indicated it could suffer fatal injuries. But what could explain such insane strength? Was it overly stimulated by drugs?
Jefferson had mentioned that the person was carrying a hunting knife, which matched the weapon we had theorized. Was it a coincidence that this person attacked Liam with it? Or could this person be the one who previously attacked, and also brutally murdered Mr. A?
Liam finished his brandy soda and set down the glass. He was using his left hand, which he typically didn’t use, probably because of the pain in his shoulder.
“Jane, you should go back to your room. I’m sorry for scaring you in the middle of the night. Inspector Jefferson, please stay here tonight. It’s too dangerous to wander around with the fog still thick.”
“That was my plan. I don’t want to be in the papers tomorrow.”