The good looking boy who looked like he could be part Native Alaskan, waved his hand towards the vacant seat.

 

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

            After I signed in, I was told which classes I would be in.  I was given a map to download onto my phone of the school building, with my class time table.  I was relieved to see on my schedule that I was placed into the Home Science and Music classes that I nominated as my electives.

            The school bell sounded and hurriedly I left the office.  I walked down the now empty corridor looking for Room 306 for my first class of the day which was English.  To be honest, I didn’t find the school map that helpful.  I kept losing my place by having to check the ‘key’ at the bottom, to work out what all the different colours meant.

            Merde! I'm going to be late for my first class! Now I’m really going to stand out!

            At last, I found Room 306 after walking up one staircase and down another corridor.  Nervously, I approached the closed door where I knocked once before slowly opening it.

            The English teacher was a red-headed woman, who was standing up the front of the class.  She was writing on an electronic board with a sensor pen before she paused to look on my lateness, unimpressed.

            “I’m – I’m new,” I tried to explain.

            I heard some snickering from the students who were all staring at me.  Most of them eyed me analytically and looked unimpressed with what they saw.  Their expressions mirrored the look on my teacher's face.

            “You’re new?” the teacher raised her eyebrows. “That would explain why I’ve never seen you before.”

            There was more snickering as the whole class stared at my appearance.  I stood there, like I was stuck in the mud, wondering if I was supposed to say anything else? The teacher didn’t ask for my name nor did she offer hers.

            “Well, unless you want to stand there and help me teach, you can find a seat," she said at last.

            My face burned in embarrassment as I looked for a place to sit down and hide, but there were only two places.  Beside the vacant seats, sat fashionably dressed boys or girls who looked like they were secretly hoping I wouldn’t sit beside them. But if they didn’t want me to, where else am I supposed to sit?  I’m going to have to sit in one of those seats whether they like it or not.

            I moved towards a seat beside a boy who was wearing a sports team jacket, when abruptly he put his foot on the chair to stop me from sitting down.

            Mon Dieu!  This day was worse than I could have imagined!  Not only does nobody like me, but they already hate me!  I froze in terror as I didn't know what to do, when out of the blue I heard this…

            SMACK!

            …a good looking boy who was sitting behind the mean boy who'd stopped me from sitting down, had just slapped him on the back of his head!

            “Don’t be a dickhead, Johnson! Move your frickin’ big foot!” he snapped.

            The other kids who'd witnessed this, burst out laughing, whereas I wished I could turn invisible.

            The good looking boy was sitting next to a broad-shouldered girl with a very pretty face.  But her physique was what made you notice about her first, as she was one of the strongest looking girls I'd ever seen.  Truly, she looked like she could have been a weightlifter!  She had bright blue eyes and long, wavy, dark blonde hair, and was looking at me with a curious expression.

            She was sitting next to another boy, who was the exact opposite to her as he was very thin.  He had faded blue eyes and his pallor was so unnaturally white, his lips were almost blue.  To say he looked sickly would have been an understatement. 

            The good looking boy who looked like he could be part Native Alaskan, waved his hand towards the vacant seat. 

            Immediately, I sat down and busied myself by taking out my laptop.  I tried to ignore the death stare by the sports jacket guy named Johnson.  He glared at me then the good looking boy and back to me. 

            Mon Dieu!  That's it, tomorrow I’m not coming back to this school!  I’m never going to come to this school again!

            However, I noticed the good looking boy didn't bother with Johnson's threatening looks, he was too busy staring at me.  And he wasn’t just staring, but he looked completely transfixed.  Then I noticed so too were the blonde girl as well as the pale guy.

            The good looking guy had scruffy, dark brown hair which sat just below his ears and dark brown eyes.  Although he and the girl were sitting down, I could tell they were both tall.  Their pale, thin friend wasn’t as tall, or anywhere as built-up as the other two.

            These three weren’t dressed as trendily as their classmates and seemed to have their own style.  The good looking guy was wearing blue jeans, a grey t-shirt and a brown suede jacket.  The girl was wearing brown jeans, a pale blue shirt and a black suede jacket.  The pale guy was wearing black jeans, a white shirt and a black, pin-striped suit jacket.

            What’s more, it wasn’t just the good looking guy that was staring, but it was all three.  Whereas the first guy’s mouth hung open, the girl and the pale guy looked very curious.  Then, the two smiled in a friendly way, but the first guy continued to stare.  When the girl noticed her friend’s mouth was hanging open, she whacked him on the arm to make him snap out of it.

            “What?” he looked back in surprise. “Oh yeah.”

            He straightened, closed his mouth and gave me a goofy grin. 

            I liked his smile, it told me that he was a nice person.

 

*****

I came from a climate where a ‘hot day’ could reach forty-five degrees Celsius; to a climate which could drop to minus forty-five degrees Celsius.

 

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

9th September 2380 – Nine Months Previously

 

            The hover-car landed with a gentle thud on the side of the road out the front of Alma High School and powered down. 

            Our second-hand hover-car wasn’t as shiny and new as the other models that we passed on the streets, or even those that were parked in the student car park.  Our vehicle also made a loud humming noise coupled with a slight rattle when we were zipping from A to B whereas the newer models moved almost soundlessly.  These differences only aided my self-conscious tendencies which were nerve-wracking when starting at a new school.  

            Mama turned off the ignition and turned to give me a brave smile. 

            She ordered, “Don’t be scared.”

            “I’m not,” I lied.

            “Today is my first day at my new job.” Mama continued. “I’m not scared, I’m excited.”

            “Mama, I’m not scared.” I repeated.

            She wasn't convinced though as she examined my face which looked very similar to hers in features, but our colouring was different.

            Mama was full-blooded Mali with the typical smooth, dark brown skin, big brown eyes and short afro hair. Her eyes were her best feature as they were large and yet pointed in the corners which gave her a feline-like quality. Mama was 170 cm’s tall and skinny.

            I wasn’t as tall as Mama, I was at least ten centimetres shorter. I was 16 years old so I still had a couple of years left where I might reach her height. My hair was long and frizzy and my skin was a light brown colour. My paler skin came from my father since he was Caucasian French.

            My parents divorce had just been finalized.  Papa had moved back to France at the start of their separation and with its completion, Mama and I moved to Alaska.  It was thanks to her getting a job at the new hydro power plant which operated just outside of Alma.

            It was ‘fall’ as they called autumn here.  Mama and I were already wearing coats as we had to adjust to the colder climate. I had moved from arid conditions to almost arctic.

            I came from a climate where a ‘hot day’ could reach forty-five degrees Celsius; to a climate which could drop to minus forty-five degrees Celsius.  Alma had odd daylight hours being so close to the Arctic Circle.  In summer, I've heard that there are days where the sun doesn’t set until 11 PM and in the middle of winter, there are days when it doesn't rise until 11 AM.

            I didn’t want to come here. I didn’t want to leave Mali. I miss my Aunts and Uncles and I miss playing soccer with my cousins. I miss the warm weather and the warmth of my family.

            Alma has a population of around 7,500 and people here aren’t as friendly.  When Mama and I first moved into our small, two bedroom townhouse which was in a complex, we asked a neighbour for directions to the supermarket. The lady was snobby and only gave a short answer which wasn't helpful.  Now I'd be going to school with people like this and I've been dreading my first day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How could we make the Detective and Forensic Scientist understand that this was a war between Werewolves and Vampires?

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

It took me a minute or two to regain my bearings and recognize physical sight instead of my gifted sight.  I blinked then I blinked again as my mind returned to Alaska.  I lay on my back, breathing deeply to slow my racing heart.

            Eventually, I turned my head to look at the digital clock sitting on my bedside table and saw the time read as 7.49 AM.

            Were the Sabre’s awake, especially Aunt B and Uncle Dec?  I wanted to run into their bedroom and deliver my warning.  I knew they'd believe what I had ‘seen’ in my sleep, but what would their reaction be?

            Would they harm the Moscow Police Officers?  I've seen what Uncle Dec can do to protect his family.  Could we think of a peaceful solution instead that prevented his arrest?  How could we make the Detective and Forensic Scientist understand that this was a war between Werewolves and Vampires?

            The smell of bacon and eggs cooking filled my room, indicating that he was awake and preparing food for the family as usual – which now included me.

            Uncle Dec wasn’t really the cold-blooded murderer the Officers thought.  But how to make them see this, without exposing the Sabre family and the Lokoti Tribe’s secret?  Now that would be tricky. 

            Oh dear Mama in heaven, what do I do?

            Anxiously, I jumped out of bed and flung open my bedroom door.  I raced down the upstairs hallway in my flannel pyjamas then slowed as I approached the staircase.  But just as I started down the stairs, I stopped.

            I saw below the Sabre family congregated around the table with Uncle Dec carrying people’s plates out from the kitchen.  He and Aunt B were dressed but their children were still in their pyjamas.  Susanna was wearing her ‘Scooby Doo’ set and Sophia was wearing dark purple satin.  Lucia sat in her usual seat in a white singlet top and grey pyjama bottoms.  They looked just like a regular family preparing to eat their Saturday morning breakfast.

            “Mali, you’re right on time.” Uncle Dec greeted, as he carried out a plate and put it down at my spot.  “Pull up a seat.”

            But I couldn’t eat, not with the bad news I was carrying inside.

            Aunt B noticed my hesitation and she asked, “Mali, what’s up?”

            I opened my mouth to answer but I couldn’t find my voice, I was so nervous.

            Lucia and Sophia noticed this as they looked up from their food whereas Sues seemed oblivious and kept on eating. 

            “Mali, are you OK?” Lucia looked on concerned.

            “Spit it out!” Sophia prompted.  “Our breakfast is going cold!”

            My wide eyes met Uncle Dec’s curious ones as he stood beside his seat at the head of the table, holding the last plate of food which was for himself.

            “I had another storm dream.” I uttered out.  “They’re coming for you.”

            His eyes narrowed as he squared off his shoulders defiantly as if he thought I meant more Vampires. 

            “Who Mali?”  Aunt B stood up in alarm. “Who are coming?”

            “The Moscow Police.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And while I interview them, you could hide a scanner inside your handbag and secretly scan them!" he thought up.

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Griggori jumped off his stool in excitement wearing a grin from ear to ear.

            "Babushka, you're brilliant!"

            She was caught off guard when he rushed up and swamped her in his arms and swung her about.

            "And while I interview them, you could hide a scanner inside your handbag and secretly scan them!" he thought up.

            “You want me to come with you?” her eyebrows rose in surprise.

            “Of course, can you imagine the reaction we'd get if we shared our theory with another Detective?”  he scoffed.

            “I can be packed and ready to go within the hour," she smiled excitedly. 

            Inwardly, Julia was thrilled to work on a case with her amore and most of all, to get out of the lab for a change.

            Griggori looked up at the clock on the wall, “The Moscow Trans Port have international shuttle flights departing at 6 AM.  I’ll book us seats to Anchorage and then to Alma, which is located next to the Lokoti National Park.  In Alma we can pick up a rental hover-car.  I’ll meet you at the Trans Port at 5 AM!”

            With that, he spun on his heel and departed with Julia noting that he strutted out like a man with a purpose. 

            “I’ll clean up, shall I?” she sighed tiredly, looking at the take-away containers sitting around their respective computers. 

            After she cleared away the mess, she saved all of the files they had onto her laptop.  Then she slid it into her carry bag to take with her, along with a hand-held Forensics Scanner.  Then she shut down the computers before she too departed the lab.

            With her bag slung over her shoulder; she strolled down the main corridor which was much quieter now being so late, and exited the building.

            Outside, she put up her umbrella to protect herself from the rain which was still pouring down as the storm lingered over the Russian city…

            …

            …but it was a storm nonetheless, I recognized this detailed dream as a sign.

            My eyes snapped open as my heart raced.  I was no longer seeing the outside of the Moscow Police Station.  Instead, my eyes were staring up at the ceiling of my bedroom inside the Sabre household.  

"Two hundred years is a long time to be married."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

"What do we know about Hodge Endeavor?" he postulated.  “The company began in the early 20th Century, starting out as a Pharmaceutical company which branched into Medicine and Engineering.  It made its money with cutting-edge technology in the field of medicine and computer science.  After World War Two, the company began a Finance division which worked on the Stock Market, known as The Hodge Endeavor Shares and Stock Exchange.  They have never made a bad investment.  Numerous times over the centuries the company has been audited but it has always come out clean.  It's politically connected, it helped organise the ‘Apology Admission’ that was signed by all of the world’s governments.  It did it by sponsoring financial, medical and educational aid to the former Third World countries, putting them on par with the First World’s economies.”

            "Politically connected, da," she deflated.  "Imagine telling your Lieutenant that your chief suspect is centuries old, has human and canine DNA, is OO Positive which shouldn't exist in nature, and has false birth certificates created for him by the most powerful company in human history."

            "What if our Mr X, or we should call him Declan Sabre, has a passport?"

            Next, he headed back to his computer, sat down on his stool and returned to work.

            "What are you looking for?" she pondered, as she came over to look.

            "Da, I was right, he does have a passport," he spoke excitedly.  "Now let's see if he's visited Russia on the dates the recent murders were carried out."

            Julia looked over his shoulder as he pressed a button here or there on the touch-screen however, he couldn't find anything.

            "Declan Sabre does have a passport but he hasn't used it yet."  Griggori groaned.  "According to this, he's never left the country."

            Tiredly, he rubbed his face and Julia gave his shoulders a sympathetic rub.

            "Da, he hasn't used his new passport yet," she pointed out.  "But what if it's because it's new, like his latest driver's license?  What if we did a search on his previous passports under his previous incarnations?"

            "It wouldn't hold up in court," he shook his head.  "His Defence Attorney could argue that it's a different Declan Sabre with a different date of birth."

            "Who've all lived at the same address with the same woman?" she arched her eyebrows.  "Two hundred years is a long time to be married."

"He's supposed to be in his forties, too? Like his wife, he looks like he's still in his twenties!"

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Griggori pressed a new command into his computer which displayed the driver's license complete with a photo of a woman named Bianca Sabre.

            "She's attractive," Julia noted, as she looked on the woman's long, black hair, smooth white skin and dark blue eyes.

            "If you like that sort of thing," he shrugged back, before looking appreciatively at his girlfriend's blonde hair.

            "She looks good for her age, too," she remarked.  "Her date of birth has her in her forties but she looks like she's still in her twenties."

            "Let's see what her husband looks like," he hit a new command on the touch-screen and a new driver's license came up.

            "How do you know that she's married?" she arched an eyebrow.  "Perhaps she's a single mother."

            "Alma Sheriff's Department reported that after each mugging/wild animal attack, the husband arrived at his wife's side."  He said simply. 

            "Alma?" she echoed.

            "The name of the town in Alaska where the attacks took place," he brought her up to speed. "The husband was this man, Declan Sabre."

            Julia leaned in for a closer look, "He's supposed to be in his forties, too?  Like his wife, he looks like he's still in his twenties!"

            The Detective and Forensics Scientist stared at the male on the screen with handsome features, bright blue eyes and wavy, blonde hair down to his ears.

            "The couple are definitely in their forties because their eldest child is 16 years old and has a driver's license."  Griggori hit another button on the computer.

            Next, they were looking on a pretty teenaged girl with bright blue eyes and long, dark blonde hair.

            "Lucia Grace Sabre," she read the name off the screen.  "Where do the Sabre's live?"

            He enlarged the section of the license which displayed the address and read aloud, "5 Hill Road, Lokoti Tribal Lands, Lokoti National Park, Alaska."

            Just then Julia leaned back with a grave expression on her face which she turned on Griggori.

            "But how long have the Sabre's lived at this address?" she wondered.

            "Hmm?" he passed her a puzzled expression.

            "Declan Sabre and Bianca Sabre look young for their ages, da?" she began.  "Our Mr X doesn't seem to age, either.  Perhaps there's a connection between the Sabre's and our suspect?"

            His face took on a determined expression, "I'll do a background check on them."

            "And I'll check their medical histories and see if they've had any blood tests or scans, which will give us a sample of their DNA and blood type."

            Then the two went to work on their different computers with a renewed sense of purpose.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I have the case file open and what's interesting to note that on both times, Mr. X rescued the same woman."

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

"The huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly sounds like what our Mr X might be," Griggori continued.  "In 2364 there was a 'wild animal attack' in Alaska where witnesses described this creature as the one who did the attacking.  Three victims were mauled in a supermarket car park with their heads being eaten through.  It appears to be the preferred way our Mr. X kills his targets."

            "I saw this case file too," she nodded along, before returning to her Forensics notes.  "This creature has the same DNA as our Mr X and look at the blood work, Griggori.  The victims were OO Negative, but they're a different type of OO Negative."

            "So they're not the same species of OO Negatives from Scotland and St Petersburg?"

            "Nyet," she shook her head.  "Did you see there was a second attack in the same place again?  In 2372 Mr X mauled another three victims in the supermarket car park, who were also OO Negatives, but they too were another species.  Their blood work doesn't match the previous OO Negatives in the first attack nor the OO Negatives in Scotland or St Petersburg."

            "Da," he pointed at his computer screen, "I have the case file open and what's interesting to note that on both times, Mr. X rescued the same woman."

            "Huh?" she blinked, as if she misheard him.

Again, she left her computer with its Forensics reports and went to his to look on his which the InterPol reports were on.

            "On both occasions our huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly mauled the OO Negatives who were reportedly mugging a woman.  On the first occasion she was pregnant and on the second she had two small children with her.  Mr. X would suddenly appear on the scene, the security camera outside the supermarket would be disrupted by static so there's no footage of the animal attack, he would maul the three OO Negative muggers and then run off.  It's the same MO of our recent murders and the same description of the attacker."

            "Who is this woman?" she enquired.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A large creature which was supposed to look like a huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly but DNA analysis put it in the canidae family.

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

“Tell me in linear order.” Griggori requested. 

            “In China in 2226 AD, a large group of grey wolves were found dead in a remote area of the country.  Some of them had been killed by a silver sword, evident by the traces of metal in the singed flesh around the cuts. However, most of them had been mauled by a larger animal.  The DNA in the animals' wounds belonged to Mr. X but the animals also had OO Positive blood type.”

            “Wolves with OO Positive blood?" Griggori pondered.  "Why would Mr. X eat the wolves, especially if part of his DNA is canidae?"

            “As I said before, Mr. X is not a particular eater.” Julia said coolly. “May I also remind you that motive is your department!”

            “Yes, of course Babushka," he rubbed her back affectionately.  "Please continue.”

            “In Scotland in 2236, there was a report of a break-in," she began. "When the Police came to investigate, they found large amounts of OO Negative blood splatter as well as two different types of OO Positive blood.”

            “Wait, I remember this case, I read about it tonight.”  He moved over to his own computer.  “Nothing was stolen but the house was trashed.  It appeared to be the scene of a fight from the large amount of blood on the walls and floors.”

            Julia remained at her computer as she read out the results which had been uploaded to the InterPol Forensics Database.

            “Several samples of OO Positive saliva were found mixed in with the OO Negative blood.  From analyzing the DNA in the saliva, it appeared that there were two different kinds of OO Positives involved.  Mr. X appeared to work in conjunction with another type of OO Positive.  You see the differing third and fourth sequences here in the DNA?  Whoever fought with Mr. X was also OO Positive but they were a different type of species of OO Positive.  But the OO Negative victims must have fought back, because upstairs in one of the bedrooms there was a large blood stain which belonged to the different type of OO Positive.”

            "So our wolves in China had OO Positive blood and there's another kind of OO Positive in Scotland, which brings us to three different types of OO Positives."

            “In New Orleans in 2240 a ‘wild animal attack’ was blamed for three human deaths," she went on.  "Mr. X’s blood and saliva were taken from the crime scene.”

            “I looked at this case as well," he pressed his touch-screen computer to bring up the Police Report.  “A large creature which was supposed to look like a huge, hairless, mutant, albino grizzly but DNA analysis put it in the canidae family.  Several security cameras caught footage of the anomaly.  US Police couldn’t fathom how this mystery animal vanished in the middle of a city, while leaping across rooftops running at 300 kilometres per hour.”

            Julia left her computer for Griggori's to see what he had, which he put on ‘replay’ to show her.  Her eyes widened as she watched a blurry image run on all-fours across the New Orleans city skyline.  The 'animal' deftly leapt from rooftop to rooftop as it bolted in an impossible speed, which accounted for the blurriness.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How can you link Mr. X to the murders today and to the ones 236 years ago?”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Reluctantly, she set aside her cold Chinese food and together they congregated around her computer so she could explain the readouts.

            “I have been able to isolate several saliva samples in the victims’ bites to allocate them to specific members of the OO Negative and the OO Positive species.  I believe I have even found the perpetrator of your latest crime.”

            “You have?” his eyes bulged.

            “But Griggori, I must warn you," her voice dropped.  "I do not think you will be able to take this information to your Lieutenant.”

            “But why?”

            “Your OO Positive murderer in our latest OO Negative killing spree, is the one and the same.  It’s the same OO Positive who killed his own kind as well as one of the OO Negative victims found 236 years ago.  I will call this particular member of the OO Positives, Mr. X.”

            “Very well," he gave a nod. “How can you link Mr. X to the murders today and to the ones 236 years ago?”

            “Mr. X’s DNA was found on one of the twelve OO Negative species killed in 2145.  His DNA was also found on the younger male and female OO Positives ravaged necks.  It would appear that Mr. X and these two OO Positives were also of the same species.  From the blood found in the stomach of the older male OO Positive who had been impaled, as well as the younger male whose neck had been ravaged, they too killed two of the twelve OO Negative victims.”

            “The same species of OO Positives attacked the twelve OO Negatives together and then they turned on each other?” Griggori summed up.

            “Da.”

            “Can you postulate why?”

            “Forensics can uncover a lot, but not everything," she said haughtily.  "Motive is your job, Detective!”

            “My apologies Babushka, please continue.”

            “Mr. X’s DNA turned up in several more crime scenes over the years," she frowned.  "He does not appear to be selective in his victims, as he has fed on OO Positives, OO Negatives, humans and animals."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What's certain is the OO Negative species require fresh blood to replenish their necrotized bodies.”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

The pair worked solidly away in a comfortable silence over the next several hours. As Grigorri searched the InterPol database for 'wild animal attacks' or sword-related deaths, Julia combed the Forensics reports for anymore OO Positive and OO Negative blood samples taken from crime scenes.  They each worked at separate computers with cartons of half-eaten Chinese food and half-drunk caffeinated sodas around their work areas.  Yet, they worked in unison with a common goal in mind.

            At 10.59 PM she rubbed her stinging eyes before yawning loudly.  He could relate, the glare off the touch-screen computers was hurting his eyes too.  He sat back on his stool and did a big stretch when he saw what she was doing.  She'd picked up her chopsticks to finish off her cold leftovers.

            “Griggori," she began, in between mouthfuls.

            “Da, Babushka?”

            “Don’t call me that, not at work," she flashed him a warning look which was negated by the smirk after it.

            Griggori looked around the empty room before returning her smile with a goofy grin.

            "Look around Babushka, we're the only ones in the lab," he pointed out.  "No-one is here to hear your nickname."

            “Griggori," she returned to her original train of thought.

            “Da?”

            “I've noticed something about the DNA samples of the OO Positive and OO Negative subjects from the different crime scenes you found in the InterPol database.”

            “Da?”

            “The samples, they differ slightly.”

            “Do you mean they're by several different perpetrators instead of the one?”

            “Da and Nyet," she sighed tiredly.  “Mostly, it’s by the same perpetrator but I have found differences as well as similarities.”

            “Tell me, Babushka," he said affectionately.

            He pulled her seat closer so she could sit down beside him which she did.

            “I believe there are several different species of OO Negative and OO Positive that we're dealing with.  The various species appear to have different physical characteristics, by the different bite marks, clawing and the saliva taken.  For example, some of the OO Negative saliva samples contained an unusual, poisonous compound, like venom.  The saliva can either kill a human or incapacitate them."

            This made him sit up straighter as if she'd just thrown cold water over him.

            She continued as she ate, “What's certain is the OO Negative species require fresh blood to replenish their necrotized bodies.  This theory can be supported by the differing puncture wounds primarily on a human victim’s major arteries, such as the jugular.  The OO Negative species appear to paralyze or incapacitate their victims, to drink from them.”

            "Then after they've drained the body by feeding off them, they use laser rifles to burn the evidence."  He concluded.  "Julia, forgetting about our OO Negative victims for a moment, what if the rise in charred bodies found throughout Europe and the UK are human victims, who were prey for the OO Negatives?"

            "It would make sense, to burn the body and remove any evidence of teeth marks or traces of the perpetrator's DNA including saliva," she nodded along.

            "Is there any evidence that the OO Positives are killing humans?" he asked. "Maybe the OO Positives are helping humans by killing the OO Negatives."

            "But you're forgetting the OO Positive Jane Doe and John Doe whose necks were ravaged by another OO Positive; the OO Positive who's also the culprit of our latest OO Negative murders."

            "So he killed his own kind, then?"

            "Da," she verified.  "And it had help, by the swordsman or woman, who killed the older OO Positive male."

            "Do you think that perhaps our OO Positive attacker who's murdering our latest OO Negative victims, is fighting back in self-defence?"  He postured.  "Do you think there could be a war on between the two species?"

            "Good question," she thought aloud.  "If I were a OO Negative who was missing red and white blood cells, proteins, antibodies and blood sugars, I'd target a species that has an abundance of them, like our OO Positives."

            "Now tell me why you think there are several different species of OO Positives and OO Negatives," he requested.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The tissue samples taken from their skin showed extreme photosensitivity and several of their major organs weren't functioning. Their bodies appeared to be in a form of biological stasis.”

  (Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Next, he asked, "If the OO Positive victims were strong with amazing immune systems, what were the OO Negative victims like?"

            "Quite the opposite," she announced.  "The tissue samples taken from their skin showed extreme photosensitivity and several of their major organs weren't functioning.  Their bodies appeared to be in a form of biological stasis.”

            “What?” he blinked in disbelief.

            "What Forensics discovered in their autopsy 236 years ago match what I've discovered today," she began. “The tissue samples that were taken from the organs such as the liver, those cells were necrotized.”

            Griggori frowned, “You mean my victim had liver disease?”

            “Nyet," her voice dropped and she looked uncomfortable saying this. “Her liver was dead and from the preserved state it was in, I'd say it as well as several other organs hadn’t worked in some time, perhaps even years.”

            “But that's impossible!” he stood up from the stool in shock.  “When I ran a background check on her, I didn't find any medical records showing visits to hospitals for organ failure.  If this woman was dying, she would have been in a hospital, not in a nightclub!  A nightclub, that's in the middle of the city yet eyewitnesses claim they saw a large animal mauling her.  A large animal which suddenly appeared in the middle of Moscow and nobody knows how it got there.  Yet when we checked the security cameras to see the attack, there was unusual electrical interference which created static..."  

            As he vented his frustration at this nonsensical case, his voice trailed off as if he heard how ridiculous all of this sounded.  She watched him rub his forehead with his hand, giving away his stress.  Sympathetically, she put her hand on his arm and gave it a supportive squeeze.

            “You can see why the first case 236 years ago was simply dismissed as a wild animal attack, da?” she said ruefully.  “Who can seriously investigate a case such as this when abnormal seems to apply.”

            “Or paranormal," he muttered, while looking away.

            “Hmm?”

            “Julia," he turned back to his amore.  “Can you do something for me?”

            “Of course, Griggori.”

            “Are the Forensics records from 236 years ago accurate enough that you can use the original blood sample taken from our OO Positive friend and compare it to the OO Positive sample you found on our latest OO Negative victim?”

            “I believe so," she frowned thoughtfully.  “Why? What are you thinking?”

            “I’m betting that aside from our latest victim from two days ago, we’ll find many more cases that have been 'swept under the rug'.”

            "You want me to comb through Forensics reports for the last 236 years?” she blanched at the idea.

            “Please Julia, I’ll help!" he pleaded.  "I will look through the InterPol Database for wild animal attacks, or murders where the instrument of death was a sword.  Can you go through the Forensic Reports, looking for OO Positive and OO Negative samples?  You said so yourself, that with the OO Positive blood samples, their DNA had canine aspects.  What if we're looking for humans can turn into canine-like creatures?”

            She faltered at the idea, it was nearing her shift and she was looking forward to getting out of the lab and besides, his idea did seem farfetched.

            “I’ll have dinner delivered and consider this a date," he took out his mobile phone.  "Does Chinese sound appealing?"

            He knew it would as it was her favourite food.

            “Grigorri…” she smilingly shook her head, “…you'll owe me for this later on in the bedroom.”

            “Fair is fair," he gave her a grin.

            “We're talking candles, Griggori!" she waved her finger in his face.  "Scented candles and massages!"

            “Of course, Babushka.”

 

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