Chapter 12

Caleb dragged the body of his latest victim to the walk-in freezer connected to their kitchen. On the wall, human limbs and disembodied torsos hung in equal part to the perfectly cut flanks of grade A Japanese wagyu on meat hooks. He could finish butchering his latest kill another time. For now, he decided to just drain the body and deal with the mess outside.

All living creatures possessed vitae, the essence of spiritual life energy found most prominently in the blood. As former members of the Kin of C'thadra, both Caleb and his mother Angelika possessed the knowledge and aptitude to harness this vital essence as a form of mystical spellcraft. This was known as the Ancient Power.

Or, to use its more modern name, Blood Sorcery.

As a Blood Sorcerer, Caleb could tap into the well of vitae found in all living things, using blood as the primary catalyst for his spellcraft. As an Apprentice, one of the first and most basic spells his father taught him was vitae drain. Using this basic spell, Blood Sorcerers could drain the vital essence of any human they bled, using it to extend their lifespans indefinitely, keep them eternally young, and expand the well of power in their own bodies.

The spell itself was actually quite simple to perform. After dragging his latest victim into the meat locker, Caleb grabbed a knife and made a deep incision in the man's carotid artery. He then cut open his own palm and began chanting in the ancient tongue. As blood drained from his victim's neck, it began to glow and rise, spiraling through the air as it took on a new form of matter, that of energy.

Vitae rocketed into his palm, surging through him along with new power as his victim's body was drained of blood. Caleb would never forget his first draining. That rush of power, the pure euphoria he felt. It would never be as satisfying as that first hit. And he'd since lost most of his appetite for simple spells like this one.

He had a much more monstrous appetite now. One that would positively horrify his fellow cultists if they were ever allowed to find out about it.

After completely draining his victim, he left the body there. He began using his power to clean up the trail he left behind on the floor as well, passing by his mother, who was busy chatting with Mr. Fujimi, her eyes glowing crimson red as she dominated his mind with her own substantial power.

"Everything is fine, Mr. Fujimi. Everything is perfectly fine," she repeated in a slow, methodical cadence, impressing her will upon his unguarded psyche.

"Everything is fine," he repeated in a monotone, completely under her spell. "Everything is perfectly fine."

"You saw absolutely nothing wrong in this house," she continued. "You're safe here. You and I were just having a lovely chat when my son came in through the door. He just finished buying groceries. Nothing more. Only groceries."

"Yes...groceries," he responded with a slow nod of his head. "That's all it was. Just groceries."

"Exactly, Mr. Fujimi," Angelika insisted praisingly. "There was nothing else here. Do you understand? This is a safe place."

"This is a safe place. I'm safe here."

While his mother continued to systematically erase any memory Mr. Fujimi may have had regarding the gruesome things he saw, Caleb finished cleaning up the rest of the blood off the elevator. Only then did he undo the hex he placed upon it, allowing the elevator to function normally once more.

From there, he headed up to his room and tossed his clothes into a black bag bound for the incinerator before stepping into the shower. He spent the next few minutes completely washing his skin, letting the blood that remained wash away into the drain below. Though he normally liked to indulge in a much longer shower after one of his killings, Caleb didn't want to keep his mother waiting or make her burn through vitae unnecessarily maintaining her spell. So he quickly finished washing up before stepping out of the shower.

After drying off, he went to his wardrobe, bypassing the twenty-three copies of his school uniform his mother had custom tailored for him in the event his two original uniforms ever got...messy. He changed back into a fresh pair of street clothes and new shoes before making his way back downstairs and picking up the groceries he'd left on the counter.

"Now then...we will continue our conversation at the sound of my fingers snapping," she declared. "Everything will be back to normal, Mr. Fujimi, in three...two...one."

She snapped her fingers, and her eyes returned to normal. Mr. Fujimi shook his head and rubbed his eyes, a bit dazed but no worse for wear.

"So, as I was saying, I'm sure my son will be more than delighted to answer a few questions for you once he's back, Mr. Fujimi," she assured in a polite, hospitable tone.

He smiled at her, having completely forgotten everything that had transpired. "You have my eternal thanks for your assistance, Mrs. Barlow."

She snickered at him. "Oh, please. Call me Angelika. No need to be formal."

Caleb rolled his eyes before plastering on a fake smile as he reentered the parlor, groceries in hand.

"Ah, here he is now," Angelika declared before standing up and walking over to her son. "Welcome home, sweetie."

"Hi, Mom."

She pecked her son on the cheek before turning back towards their guest. "Caleb, this is Mr. Fujimi. An associate of mine from work introduced us."

He bowed respectfully to his elder. "It's very nice to meet you, Sir."

"Your mother has been telling me quite a bit about you," Mr. Fujimi responded in a friendly tone. "I understand you're an avid cook?"

Caleb chuckled and nodded. "It's just a hobby, Sir. But I'm trying to learn more about Japanese cuisine."

"Mr. Fujimi works for the National Diet," Angelika explained. "He's performing a survey among younger adults and teens regarding the recent surge in violent crimes around Tokyo."

"Specifically, the recent uptick we've seen in grisly murders of high school students."

Caleb smiled at him completely innocently. "Is that so? Well, I'd be more than willing to help in any way I can. If you'll just give me one moment to put this in the fridge, I'll be right back."

"Of course, take your time."

He walked over to the fridge and began putting his groceries away, next to the human liver he'd taken out of the freezer to thaw for tonight's dish. He returned to the lounge and sat on the couch opposite Mr. Fujimi.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Well, Caleb, I'm not sure if you're aware. But over the course of the past four years, we've seen an alarming increase in violent crimes against teenagers roughly your age. Specifically, the recent string of murders across multiple campuses. All of which are suspected of having involved...if you don't mind me spoiling your appetite...ritual cannibalism."

He shook his head in pity. "Foul business, that is. Really foul."

Mr. Fujimi nodded in agreement. "Given the brutal nature of these crimes, authorities have naturally assumed we're dealing with a new serial killer. Unfortunately, there's been remarkably little progress in their investigation. We can't confirm conclusively that these crimes were all perpetrated by one individual."

"I can't help but wonder why they're struggling," Caleb commented, resting back in his seat. "The police are usually pretty thorough in their investigations, are they not?"

"That's just it, though. They have been thorough. Yet, despite the violent nature of these crimes, there is...remarkably little evidence to go on. No DNA left behind, no eyewitnesses; if this is the work of a serial killer, they've been extremely thorough in covering their tracks."

He had to suppress the urge to smirk at that.

"We're beginning to suspect that this is not the work of a single killer, but some form of new deranged trend among troubled and disturbed teens. Which is why I'm conducting a survey among Tokyo youths to gain a better perspective of why this might be occurring."

"I told Mr. Fujimi you would help him out," his mother spoke with a noticeable hint of wariness in her voice. "You know...considering you are yourself a high schooler and all?"

He internally groaned. Yes, Mother, I get it! I've been sloppy! I can only apologize for that so many times!

"Well, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have, Mr. Fujimi."

"Wonderful." He pulled out a pen and notepad before beginning. "To start with, what are your thoughts on this recent surge in violence among our youth? And what can the Japanese government do to better protect its citizens?"

"Violence among youth..." Caleb repeated the words as if pondering on them. "...I'm all too familiar with the concept, unfortunately. You see this sort of thing all the time back in the states. Spree shooters with access to assault rifles gunning down their fellow classmates in a fit of impotent rage."

Mr. Fujimi nodded along, writing down his words as he spoke them.

"Admittedly, Japan seems to have a much better grip on such things. All the same, I would hazard to guess that this recent upsurge in gruesome murders is no different from the sort of violence you find in the US. It's all perfectly natural for a species whose advances are limited by the extent of their technology."

Caleb rested back in his seat, relaxing.

"The basic instincts of modern humanity are no different from that of our primitive ancestors. Our only noticeable changes appear to be tied to the advent of individual cultures, traditions, and more recently, social trends."

Mr. Fujimi continued to jot everything down.

"The fact remains, the human race has yet to advance beyond the violent instincts which were once necessary for its survival. One might wonder...how such a species even came to be. It is intelligent enough to be self-aware yet still burdened by emotional stimuli that seek to undo everything it hopes to create. At the risk of sounding esoteric, I would say I genuinely believe something tampered with our biology...with our blood. At some point in our species' development, we were mutated. Made into something more than what God or the universe or whatever you might believe in intended us to be. Our intelligence is not a gift, not so far as I've seen anyway. If anything, its only purpose seems to be forcing introspection on what was otherwise a perfectly oblivious mammal, content with its inconsequential life in the greater food chain."

"I see..." Though a little weirded out by his answer, he nevertheless wrote it down.

"As for how one might protect the people," Caleb continued. "Well...now that's a bit trickier, I'm afraid. As it implies that the victims themselves are completely blameless in these hideous acts. Whereas I imagine if you looked into the lives of some of these individuals, you would certainly find evidence to the contrary. In fact, I would go so far as to say that, in these instances, at least, the victims themselves were the very cause of their own demise. These poor souls would have never evolved past the childish cruelty and immaturity they seemed to revel in, even if they had been allowed to live long enough to become full adults."

Again, Mr. Sojiro just continued to jot down every word he said, a nervous look forming in his eyes.

"Those lives were ended, I believe, for the same reason we do not allow high school dropouts to become neurosurgeons. It's because they had absolutely nothing worth contributing to this world. And thus, by their very classification, they were only compounding humanity's growing burdens with their continued existence. They were nothing but another mouth to feed, another carbon footprint spewing toxins into the air; they were...if spoken plainly...parasites leeching on the dwindling lifeforce of the planet. Or at least, I imagine that's what their killer must have been thinking at the time."

"That's very fascinating. But it doesn't really answer the..."

"I'm getting to that," Caleb cut him off abruptly, a slight edge to his voice. "As I was saying, the killer/killers, whoever they may be in this instance, most likely believed they were doing the world a public service. And if, in fact, there is a component of cannibalism involved, I'd hazard to say that it was an attempt to turn these...' victims'...into something useful. Something that a third of the world is now forced to go without these days. In a way...you could say they brought about their own condemnation by the virtue of, in this individual's eyes at least, possessing more value as food than living breathing humans."

A small grin formed over his lips.

"So, to answer your question, I believe that protecting the people presents something of a paradox. As they often play a hand in the creation of their own monsters."

Mr. Fujimi narrowed his eyes at the young man suspiciously. "You certainly have a unique perspective on this."

"Why, thank you," Caleb responded politely, no longer able to hide the grin on his face. "Please, ask another."

"Very well." He cleared his throat and sat up straight. "So, what are your thoughts on the idea that violent video games, TV shows, and other forms of media consumed by teenagers might leave an impression on developing minds?"

"Ah! Now see, that is a question that's worth looking at with greater scrutiny," Caleb insisted, leaning forward in his seat. "Because I genuinely believe it's a question designed to lure people away from the truth. Rather than try to discover it."

Mr. Fujimi nodded in understanding. "So, what are your thoughts then?"

"Humans were killing each other long before things like video games or anime ever came into being. To me, this pervasive and equally dogmatic question only serves to shift the blame onto something more comprehensible. More simplistic. We're all too quick to blame fantasy for the corruption of innocent minds whilst turning a blind eye to the very real violence that is often glorified in one way or another on national television. Flip on the TV and watch the news. What do you see? The latest wreck on the freeway. Gang violence in the streets. We're exposed to every form of atrocity humankind can suffer. Yet we don't consider this to be harmful. If anything, we simply perceive it as...staying informed."

"So you're saying the media is to blame?"

He scowled in annoyance. "No, I'm saying humans are to blame. As I have been from the very beginning. It is humans who create their own monsters. Our imaginations are a reflection of the very real world we live in, violence and all, yet there are so many blind masses of useless stunted growth out there that want to think it's the other way around."

Mr. Fujimi sank back timidly into his seat.

"Their willful ignorance serves only to hold the species back. They shift the blame to simple distractions because they don't want to accept that humans are an inherently violent race. Whether we wish to admit it to ourselves or not, the fact is we are all born with that same monster inside of us. And anyone who deludes themselves into thinking otherwise deserves to be torn to shreds by ravenous wolves."

Angelika sighed wearily. "Caleb...indoor voice, please."

"Sorry...sorry..." He slowly relaxed back in his seat, calming down once more. "No, I don't believe video games have any bearing on whether or not someone will start hacking their fellow students to death and eating them."

"I...I see..." Mr. Fujimi swallowed back the lump in his throat. "Just one final question, but it's a little strange. Aside from the evidence of cannibalism, it would seem these perpetrators have some sort of fixation on blood. The victims of these grisly murders always appear to have had their blood drained post-mortem. What are your thoughts on the possibility of a vampire fetish correlating with these events? Perhaps a circle of disturbed enthusiasts who enjoy drinking the blood of their..."

Caleb stood up and slammed his hands down on the coffee table in front of him, rage in his eyes.

"For the last time...I am not! A fucking! Vampire!"

Mr. Fujimi was once again stunned in place, paralyzed in horror by the psychotic look in the teenager's eyes.

"Do you see any fangs?" he asked, pulling at his lips to show his gum line. "Well? Do you? No! Just normal human teeth for normal human food! I don't feed on blood, and it's the catalyst for my powers."

"I...I think I should go..."

"I was out in the sun today!" Caleb insisted. "Guess what? Didn't burn to a crisp. You go up into my room? You'll see a bed, not a coffin. Garlic happens to be one of my favorite cooking ingredients. In fact, Mr. Sojiro has some of the freshest garlic in the city. I know this because I'm at his store almost every day, and I don't even have to be invited in first!"

Angelika rubbed her temples vigorously, already feeling a migraine coming on.

"But I will admit this. A wooden stake through my heart would definitely kill me...as it would any other mammal on this planet!"

Before Mr. Fujimi could respond, or make a break for the door, Caleb crawled over the table and pulled him in by the lapel of his suit, glaring with psychotic intensity directly into his terrified eyes.

"But make no mistake...one day soon, that will change. When I inevitably unlock the secrets of the Antediluvians, transcend this mortal coil, and become God himself, no amount of stakes, or garlic, or anything will be able to kill me. And when that day arrives, I will bring nothing short of armageddon upon all of those who do not belong in my world."

He tugged him in closer, his eyes beginning to glow bright red.

"And if you do not desire to be counted among one of the unworthy...Mr. Fujimi, I highly suggest you show my art the reverence it deserves. I chose those fools because I knew I could make them into something better, into something more. And I succeeded. They were...each and every one of them..."

His smile grew to the far corners of his mouth, revealing the maw of an inhuman predator possessing not fangs but entire rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"...positively delicious."

A long silence followed as Mr. Fujimi stared in abject horror into the eyes of the monstrous creature in front of him. At which point, Caleb finally managed to wrangle his inner monster back under control. His features slowly returned to normal as he glanced over at his mother.

"Oh shit. Did I do it again?"

"You were this close, sweetie," she insisted in aggravation, making a shrinking motion with her fingers. "You almost made it through that."

He hung his head in disappointment and sighed. "Apologies, Mother. I'm not sure what's gotten into me lately."

Caleb finally released Mr. Fujimi and made his way towards the kitchen.

"I'm gonna start prepping for dinner."

He left them alone. As Mr. Fujimi stood up to excuse himself, Angelika forced him back down before taking a seat opposite the trembling man.

"Now then..." Her eyes began to glow once more. "...everything is fine, Mr. Fujimi. Everything is perfectly fine."