Regressor In A Strange World

"...And who could that be?"

I questioned with a raised brow.

Klaus pointed ahead.

And I shifted my gaze towards what he was pointing at.

"Long brown hair, deep black eyes and to top it all, a curvy waist."

I frowned.

'...How does this prove anything?'

But Klaus continued anyway:

"And from her facial appearance, I'd bet a hundred bucks that she's most likely in her early thirties."

I simply stared at him, too dumbfounded to say a word.

I tried to speak, but no word escaped my mouth.

I closed my mouth and opened it once again, and eventually, I regained my ability to speak.

Throwing him a glare, I spoke up:

"Seriously?"

Klaus coughed lightly.

"Alright, alright."

With a smile, he added: 

"But what does she have in common with the other victims?"

My brows arched downward.

"Curvy waist?"

Klaus let out a light cough.

"...Do you really think your elder brother is that thirsty?"

I nodded with a serious expression.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

Klaus let out a light sigh.

"...Even my own younger brother doesn't seem to trust me."

"Who else have I got in this cruel world?"

His lament earned him a roll of my eyes.

'Can't you be serious for once.'

Shaking my head, I sighed inwardly.

With a light laugh.

Klaus's gaze slowly turned sharper, his hands ramming against the edge of the steering wheel.

"Anyway, let's get back to business."

Lightly shaking his head, he added:

"If you had stayed at home whilst going on frequent hunting trips, perhaps you wouldn't have failed to notice."

"..."

I was kind of rendered speechless.

With a frown, I said:

"Are you gonna bicker or get straight to the point."

Klaus's hand went for the newspaper before handing it over to me.

Gazing at him with a frown:

"...And what am I supposed to do with this?"

With a serious demeanor, Klaus replied:

"Pay more attention."

"And tell me the similarities between each one of the victims."

I was silent for a while.

'Did I fail to notice something while going through the report?"

But,

"Alright."

I still nodded in reply.

Since Klaus had said so, then I must have certainly missed something.

Tick-

Tick-

A few seconds later.

My eyes that were glued to the newspaper finally caught a glimpse of something.

"...How could I not have realized?"

I face-palmed myself.

Eliciting a light chuckle from Klaus.

"As you can see, every single one of the victims are all in their-"

"Early thirties."

We both said at the same time.

Klaus nodded.

"All we've to do now is just to wait for a couple of hours. And we'll have the shapeshifter falling right into our hands."

'...Just hope I don't get my hands on you.'

While Klaus was busy rubbing his hands and fantasizing on numerous ways in which he was going to deal with the shapeshifter.

I let out a light yawn.

"Well, until then, I'm gonna have a few minutes of reprieve."

Klaus nodded.

My eyes slowly got closed and I reclined my back against the seat.

Gazing at his brother.

'...Although they both had their grudge-filled days. He had to say, he really missed his twin brother.'

With a light smile, he brought out a camera. 

Since shapeshifters practically resemble humans in every sense of the world. 

Unless one was an awakened or a transcender, the only way to distinguish them would be by capturing the flare of light which occasionally flashes within the depth of their eyes.

And usually, without any supernatural-related item. The next best option would be to make use of a camera.

And that was just what he was doing.

***

Three hours easily clocked by with the crimson rays of the moon illuminating the ground beneath it.

Klaus kept his eyes open in hopes of catching a flare of light. Yet as the surroundings grew more and more desolate, he still hadn't found anything suspicious.

...He was even beginning to question their analysis. 

"Were we wrong?"

He muttered under his breath.

But he still decided to keep it up.

If there still wasn't anything after one more hour. Then he would probably hand the case over to the military agents or... the security companies. 

Coming to this conclusion, he nodded and moved the camera to his face once again.

...I had my brows quivering lightly and the amplitude was only increasing.

It was growing faster and faster and before long-, 

I suddenly found myself standing in a dimly lit room, with the crimson rays of the moon illuminating the room's contours. 

The surrounding was white and I thought I saw eerie, dark shadows moving across the walls.

Thump... Thump...

"...Where is this?"

My hands trembled violently and before long-,

My body soon joined in the fray, as the deafening sound of my heartbeat echoed through the stifling silence. 

I glanced around me and tried to move.

And just as I tried to move-,

Crack!

I heard a voice and-,

Thump... Thump...

It was coming from-,

My eyes widened in horror,

Ba-dump! Ba-dump! 

My heart raced against my chest, the sound akin to defeaning thunderclaps in the stifling quiet.

Turning back-,

Whoosh!

I was met with silence.

A silence so stifling, it sent cold chills slithering down my spine.

But,

Thump… Thump… 

Except for the shadows dancing across the walls. 

I couldn't really see anyone else.

Forcing down the unease swiftly rising within me. 

I slowly approached the door before me.

Tok-

I took my first step.

Tok-

And then, the second.

Tok-

Each step was a battle against the suffocating pressure pressing in on me from all sides.

Tok–

Tok-

A smell of rotten corpse suddenly wafted through the air, causing a sonorous tremor to run through me.

My hands trembled violently and before long, my body soon joined in the fray.

Blinking.

As my heartbeat thundered in my ears.

I suddenly found myself in... another room.

No. Judging by the various utensils ranging from knives to cups and pestles.

I knew I was definitely in the kitchen.

'...What the hell is going on?'

I struggled to keep my composure.

I felt like I was going mad.

I mean-,

What else can explain all this strange things.

But still,

Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

I forced myself to calm down.

And then-,

Tok-

Tok-

I slowly moved towards the door, and then-,

Katcha!

I heard it.

Turning back-,

Thump... Thump...

I saw shards of broken plates on the floor.

'...How the hell did that just happen?'

With a wary gaze, I assessed my surroundings but-,

Whoosh!

There was nothing out of the extraordinary. 

Everything seemed relatively normal.

Still,

Thump... Thump...

I dared not relax.

I had a lot of questions but I knew to get any answer. I had to somehow manage to survive whatever this was.

Clenching my hands, mostly to stop the sonorous tremors running through them. 

Tok-

I headed for the door once again.

Tok-

Arriving before a few set of knives.

Biting onto my lower lips.

'...I knew it was better to go in prepared.'

My hands moved towards the set of knives before me and then-, 

Whooosssh!!!

Swiiissssh!!!!

They all flared to life!

Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

My eyes widened in horror as I tried to move out of harm's way.

And just when it seemed like I would really lose my life.

Just when the knives were inches away from sending me to hell.

Thump... Thump...

I suddenly found myself in another room.

But,

Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

This time around, I wasn't alone.

I caught a glimpse of a lady.

The same lady that Klaus had previously pointed to moments prior.

She was seated on a chair. No.

I frowned.

She wasn't seated on the chair. But was actually tied to it. 

Tok-

Tok-

A figure of a man slowly appeared in my line of sight.

'... Who's he?'

I had a lot of questions but I knew they would soon be answered, so I just stood there and watched.

The man squatted before her.

Sometimes, he stood up. 

And sometimes, he laughed maniacally whilst making use of various sharp weapons to torture the young lady.

'Before long, I came to the cold realization that this was:

'...The shapeshifter?'

Torturing young ladies. 

The psychopathic personality.

I was now more sure of it, likewise I was certain about it.

Thump… Thump…

This was the shapeshifter.

…I immediately tried to move. 

Tried to save the lady. 

But,

Thump… Thump…

'Fucking move you damn body!'

I couldn't.

It was almost like watching a cinema with a first-class ticket. 

I could only watch but could do absolutely nothing about it.

Slowly, I could feel it.

A familiar emotion.

Anger.

It was slowly crawling its way towards me.

Slowly eating me from the inside.

And as I watched the torture go on and on for hours, or perhaps even days.

The anger only continued to increase in intensity.

My hands got tightly clenched.

And slowly, I could feel it.

Anger.

I-...it was slowly overwhelming me.

I-...it was slowly trying to consume me.

***

.

.

The man continued with his gruesome act, clearly oblivious to my presence.

Tears streamed down the corner of the lady's eyes and she struggled to speak, yet no words came out. 

I could see it.

Not only that.

But,

Thump… Thump…

I could also feel the pain.

Drip!

Drip!

The agony.

I could feel them all.

A-almost like I was the one going through them.

My hands trembled and I had to clench them tightly in order to stop the sonorous tremors running through them.

But,

Thump… Thump…

It wasn't working.

If anything, the tremors only increased in intensity.

And in the process of quelling it, my fingers dug deep into my palm.

Drip!

Drip!

Blood dripped onto the ground beneath me.

Yet, I was oblivious to the bright red liquid flowing through my hands.

And to make matters worse. 

Despite the fact that the young lady was in so much pain.

So much agony.

The shapeshifter simply held a wide grin, laughing wildly without any restraint. 

His grin and laugh said it all.

He was clearly enjoying t-his... this inhumane act.

And that only further served to amplify my anger.

And what made it even worse-,

Thump… Thump…

What heightened the anger slowly rising within me.

Drip!

Drip!

'...Was the fact that I could do absolutely nothing about it.'