Devil Equinox

"Thanks for helping me out back then, mate," the merchant told me gratefully. Then he left by shutting the door in front of him.

Following his departure, another knock was sounded. My pistol again in my hand, I narrowed my eyes, and I slowly opened the door. In front stood a man, his eyes droopy, his smile crooked, his face twisted with delirium, his skin pale, his hair short and messy, and his figure slim.

"How may I help you?" I asked him. His posture and expression did not change, but he took a deep and slow breath. "Mr. Captain, it is so good to meet you," he said in a slow, soft voice.

"Again, how may I help you?" I asked once more, unfazed by them.

"I have come to invite you to Serenity Research Centre for the Extraordinary, an invitation extended by Dr. Portford. She wishes to speak to you regarding some concerns she has about you regarding your recent activities." They told me.

I pondered for a moment. Looking back, she hadn't shown any form of concern regarding me. However, my main concern was how it located me.

"The night isn't getting any younger, Mr. Captain. I suggest y-,"

Before they could finish their sentence, I blew its head off. Their body dropped to the floor, and the body slowly disappeared into dust. Closing the door, I walked into my room and slept.

She knew for a while and didn't do anything about it. I let myself become easy to find, but something else is amiss with that place.

The next morning, I went to Serenity, accepting the Dr.'s invitation.

When I arrived, two men dressed formally were waiting for me by the front entrance. I turned off my motorcycle's engine, placed my helmet on the left handle, and got off. As I approached the door, the two men were on either side of the white French door.

On the other side of the doors was the doctor. "Captain, so pleasing to meet you," she said with a wide grin.

Unease washed over me. Sensing something within the walls of the building. "Come on in and follow me," she said.

She turned around and walked back into the building. She was wearing her daily work attire; she must have left her lab coat back in her office, for all I cared.

Doing as she asked, I followed her. The building looked quite small from the inside, but it was far more expansive, in contrast to what I had anticipated.

We walked through a hallway tiled with rhombus-shaped, beige coloured tiles lined close to each other. It was mesmerizing. The walls were plastered with a reddish-brown wallpaper. Paintings were all on the walls with unusual figures.

"You like the paintings?" she asked. Even though she was in front of me, she had realised what I was doing. "They are certainly intriguing," I replied. "Have you had patients comment on them?"

"Yes, of course, though they had much more mixed opinions than yours. You must certainly have seen things, right?"

She stopped, turned, and stared, her eyebrow raised. "Well, we aren't far from my office. This way, please."

Her office wasn't as far as it would seem. After turning a corner at the end of the hallway, it was just left, and we went in.

It looked modest; inside were a portrait of an animal pouncing on and eating another, her wooden work desk with several documents, and her personal computer facing the portrait. A bookshelf to the left of the table held several books, and a cabinet to the right that she used to put documents into. Her desk chair was a stitched suede brown chair with armrests, and on it was her lab coat. Chairs in front of her desk for visitors to come in.

"Have a seat, Mr. Captain," she offered.

"I am fine, but thank you for the offer," I replied.

She rolled her eyes, dropped her chin, and looked at me. I stood across her and stared back intently. She slowly smiled and sat down on her chair.

"Welcome to my facility, Mr Captain. I take it you took the invitation well?" she spoke.

"I would hardly say that I took it well," I spoke with a struck nerve. "You sent a demon to my apartment with an invitation to come here and speak. Do you seriously take me for a fool? Why did you invite me?"

She smiled and grabbed the papers on her desk. "I wanted to speak to you privately and not in a bar, sir. How did I know? Well, not taking enough drinks in a bar seems suspicious enough. But that's not what you are here for, are you?"

She crossed her legs, leaned on her desk, and placed her hands together. "Why tell me what brought you here?" she asked curiously.

"Where did you get my blood from?" I asked her the question that had been on my mind ever since I had arrived.

Her face twisted into confusion, perplexed even, but she couldn't sell the emotion, and then chuckled. "Was that all you had?" she asked mockingly.

She then rested her back on the chair again. "Look, I have no idea what you mean by your blood. You have mist…,"

I slammed my hands down on the desk, "Don't you fucking play with me bitch. You have made clones using my DNA, and you know for a fact that I am far more capable than them in every aspect. So lying to me wouldn't be the best course of action!"

She stared at me unfazed. "I am sorry, but I still do-," she tried lying. I pulled out my gun and placed the barrel on her chest. "I will ask this one more time. Where did you get my blood?"

It became apparent to her that her tactic of not answering was futile. "You are very persistent, Captain. I will commend you on that, but I won't be telling you that."

"And why is that?"

"We need you; you were the remaining piece that we needed. Our creations have never been as perfect as you."

I felt a sudden pinch in my neck. I looked and saw her arm extended out toward me. Then she pulled her arm away, holding a syringe.

She smiled and stood. I moved back from the desk. Confused.

"What the fuck did you inject me with?"

"Oh, don't worry. It's just a drug that would kill demons. Just a little dose would do, but we had to triple it just for you."

Her smile turned into a sinister grin. She was enjoying this.

My vision went out first, becoming blurry and dark. Then my other senses followed after. Unconsciousness was creeping faster than I thought I would handle. The drug was working rapidly, circulating throughout my body.

'Shit! She is a sly one,' the thought crossed my mind before I passed out.