52- Karakaram

"Well, hello there!" Skye exclaimed as Mazurka and Kavak entered into her lab. "So nice of you to finally arrive."

"Sorry, got held up by Harlowe. Anyways, Skye, this is Detective Hakan Kavak of Clairmont Heights. He was reassigned to the task force and will be joining us for the remainder of the case. Kavak, this is our lead analyst, and the best in all of Freetier, Skye Landry."

"He only says things like that to stay on my good side," she remarked as Kavak offered out his hand to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, best hold that thought," she replied as she shook it. "Has Yechi warned you about what you're going to see yet?"

"He did, but I have to admit, his warnings were vague. I'm eager to see this thing for myself."

"Then grab a seat. Headsets are on the desk behind you. Power buttons on the back of the left ear, volumes on the right," she explained as she moved to her desk and picked up her tablet before turning on the large monitor. "This is the original footage as recorded by the nanny cam, and delivered to me via flash drive. Keep your eyes on the right side of the screen and you will see Mrs. Schneider enter the bedroom, then focus on the left side. And brace yourself. Everyone's had difficulty watching this."

Putting on their headsets, Mazurka and Kavak pulled out stools and sat down before the monitor. Having already watched the footage, Mazurka knew what to expect, and from the moment the footage finished loading, he focused on the left side of the screen, hoping to catch anything he had missed previously. He kept scanning over the area as the video played wanting to see something more. A second outline, a shift in the shadow, a reflection, anything to indicate what the creature was or if it was there alone.

The video was mere seconds in when Mazurka felt the heft and weight of Kavak's hand against his arm, squeezing as it shook.

"My people once spoke of creatures like this. Woeful demons who devour human souls, leaving naught but dried husks behind," he gasped and drew silent for the remainder of the footage. Removing his headset, a look of horror lingered on his face. "It cannot be."

"Do your people have a name for these creatures?" Skye asked as she tapped at face of the tablet.

"Karakaram. Living shadows summoned by witches to feed on those that have somehow wronged them. Deemed nothing but folklore in days passed, by cultures that are not our own. There are still few Tuhané that believe such tales were ever real. Fewer still remember the old ways, and none practice them now. What is left of my people's culture lies locked away in dusty vaults or linger in the corners of our wisewomen's houses, and fewer of those remain every year."

"Any chance there's one of those wisewomen nearby?" Mazurka questioned in all seriousness.

"You would have to travel to Cove-Atal to speak with my grandmother, but she isn't truly considered a wisewoman. To speak to one of them, you have to leave this country and go back to my people's lands in Tüsyroce, and travel high up into the mountains where secluded villages still cling to the old ways."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were Tuhané," Skye remarked lowering her eyes.

"Thank you, but it isn't overly apparent and not something I normally speak of. I was born in the village of Ecanath before the Tyrant's war spread from the capital. And when the company my father worked for offered him a position here in Meuwago, he accepted. We became citizens shortly after. I was eight at the time. My father brought his mother over when we moved to Cove-Atal a half decade later. They remain there to this day. As much as I want to believe this was something summoned by old magics, even the Karakaram were bound by the purpose for which they were summoned. Whatever that is, it appeared to be speaking."

"I'm so glad you brought that up, because just when you didn't think it could be any worse, I found the audio I was looking for."

Mazurka felt a cold chill run down his back, a lump catching in this throat forcing him to swallow, "It has a voice?"

"Yes, and it speaks our language… really well."

"Why was it not audible in what we just watched?" Kavak asked as he looked to Skye for answers.

"It recorded at too high of a frequency, but it doesn't explain how she would have heard it, which she clearly can, since they are, in fact, having a conversation," Skye replied as she poked at the tablet, loading up files and pushing things around on the screen. "I had my audio program adjust the vocals into an audible range, but I wouldn't recommend using the headset for this, it sounds," she paused and bobbed her head side to side a few times, "sharp. It's hard to describe, but it's really abrasive in this range. So, if it's alright with you two, I'll put it through the speakers."

"Please," Mazurka replied and closed his eyes as she began to play the file.

*Tick. Tick. Tick. *

*Tick. *

"Who's there?"

*Tick. Tick. Tick. *

"Perceptive, fleshling."

"Show yourself."

*Chattering. *

"What are you?"

*Chattering. *

"What I am does not matter."

"Why are you here?"

"To dine, tender creature."

"Denis sent you, didn't he? That bastard."

"I was not sent."

"Then why not them instead of me? I'm a good person. I've not broken any laws. I've kept faith. I give to charities. Denis may not have sent you, but he sent those men downstairs."

"They are here to kill you. They will make you suffer. I am here to ensure you do not spoil."

"They're going to torture me. Why not take them instead?"

"They are not ripe. To pluck fruit from the branch leaves it bitter. You will be far sweeter."

"I don't want to suffer. Can't you stop them at least doing that? Will you show me no mercy?"

"I do enjoy the subtlety of true courage. Mercy you shall have. This will not hurt, tender fleshling. I will be gentle and savor every bite."

"Make Denis pay for this."

"You need not worry. Desperation is chewy. His soul will take millennia to devour."

"Thank…"

*Thud*

"Tender. Ripe. Savory. Such is the flavor of courage. Such an unexpected delight."

Mazurka opened his eyes as the audio dropped off and the room went silent.

"Fucking hell, it can talk," Kavak uttered as he stared at the monitor, his eyes wide and shaky. "She knew it was there. She knew it was there to kill her. I need some air. Excuse me."

Mazurka and Skye watched as Kavak hurriedly left the room.

"I tried to warn him," Skye remarked as she looked at Mazurka.

"Don't worry. It's a lot to take in. We've had all night to come to terms with the idea of that thing. He needs time."

"And probably a lot to drink," she replied, setting the tablet down on the nearby desk. "I drank half the bottle while I was in the bath, and I would have finished the rest if I hadn't woken up in a tub of cold water. I was far from sober, but all I wanted to do was wrap myself in some warm blankets and pass out on my bed."

"At least you got to sleep on a bed. I woke up on a couch, and it wasn't mine."

"Oh? We talking a one-night stand with some random?" She quirked her brow and then shook her head. "Nah, it's something more banal, isn't it? Do share though. I could always use a good laugh."

"Thanks Skye. Glad to know that you can take one look at me and see nothing but a boring life."

"You're welcome. And don't take that the wrong way. Sometimes, boring is the best way to be. You get enough excitement working a job like this, do you really need anything more?"

"It probably wouldn't hurt on occasion for me to get out and about. Either way though, yes, I didn't do anything exciting. I went to spend time with an old friend of mine, and I fell asleep on his girlfriend's couch. She was nice enough to let me stay the night and even woke me up so I wouldn't be late for work."

"Damn, that was pretty nice of her. That must be some friend you have to let you crash at his girlfriend's overnight."

"It's not like I was alone, he was there too. They just moved in together not too long ago, so I guess it just still feels more like her place than his."

"I get that. Hey, you think Kavak's going to come back?" she asked as she looked towards the door.

"Yeah, he'll be back. Probably just chanting some prayers in the hallway. While we wait, can you play it again through the headset?"

"Sure, but like I said before, it's painful to listen to. It's bad enough over the speakers, but it almost made my ears bleed when I first listened to it," she warned as she adjusted the audio outputs of the computer and waited for Mazurka.

Adjusting the volume button on the back of the headset, he nodded to Skye, before putting it on.

Setting his hands over the earphones, he closed his eyes and focused in on the sounds in the background, paying special attention to the strange ticking and chattering noises.

"Stop it there, and play it back again from the beginning," he requested, and Skye obliged, only to say, "one more time," a few seconds later.

Having listened to the first few seconds of audio several times through, he took off the headset and placed it onto the desk.

"What did you hear?" she asked, her head tilted in curiosity.

"At the beginning of the audio there are ticking and clicking noises. Any idea what they could be or why they stopped?"

"No idea. The only thing I can tell you from the audio, is that those noises were recorded in the same frequency range as its vocals. They were probably coming from whatever that creature is. What did he call it, Karakaram?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Mazurka replied as he took a deep breath

"Then that's what we'll call it. Karakaram. It's better if it has a name. It makes it a thing, not just a random unidentifiable creature, but something that's been seen before. That's known to someone, somewhere. And it makes it sound a bit better, doesn't it? Karakaram. A bit less…" She stopped as Kavak returned to the room.

"I apologize for that," he remarked with an apologetic bow.

"No need. Like I said, we've all had difficulty with this," Skye said in an obvious attempt to make him feel better. "I don't know if you drink, but it helps."

"I don't mind the occasional beer now and again, but tonight, I think it will be better if I stay sober. I find it easier to face what I've seen with a clear mind."

"You're going to have to teach us that trick sometime," she remarked, a faint pink hue warming her cheeks as she turned, walked towards her desk, and sat down before starting to type away. "I honestly don't know what to make of any of this, but thankfully, it's not my job to figure it out. It's yours. I've sent copies of all the files to your inbox Yechi. Renamed them to, so you know what they are."

"Thanks Skye," Mazurka replied as he stood up headed towards the door.

"Yeah, no problem. Stop by any time. And Kavak, thanks for giving us a name for that creature. It might not be what it really is, but it's more than what we started with."

"I'm glad that I could be of some assistance. It was nice meeting you Skye. I look forward to working with you again soon," Kavak added as he followed Mazurka out of the door. "She seemed nice, and I'm really sorry for leaving like that. I didn't realize how much that was going to affect me."

"Yeah, it takes a while to sink in, but I think you helped Skye out by giving her a way to identify it. It really doesn't sound so terrifying when she calls it a Karakaram. But yeah, now you know what we're up against," he said as he led Kavak into the lunchroom, where several other cops were sitting around eating, tossing friendly waves towards them as they entered.

"I didn't mean to give Skye any false presumptions about what that creature might be. The tales of the Karakaram are from ancient stories, and until I saw that on the video, I was of the belief that it was impossible for something like that to be real. And Harlowe simply dismissed that thing as being human?" Kavak questioned, purposely keeping his voice down as he looked around the room, tossing small waves, or nods when appropriate.

Mazurka pulled a couple of bills from his wallet and fed them into the vending machine, "Yep. Without so much as a hint of hesitation. It was like we had watched two completely different videos. Now you know why I went back to the crime scenes, and why I want to go back to the rest," he explained as he punched in the numbers for a chocolate bar. When the machine finished pushing it out, he knelt down and grabbed it from the drawer, before gathering his change. Standing up he pushed the chocolate bar into Kavak's chest. "Eat this, you look pale, and the sugar will help."

Once Kavak had taken the bar from him, he put his change into his pocket and went and sat down at the table in the corner of the room. He watched as Kavak opened the chocolate bar and tossed the wrapper in the trash before sitting down at the table and splitting it in half.

"When it comes to being pale, I'm certain I am not winning the contest between us." He smirked as he held the one half out towards him.

"Hey, I may not have the perfect copper tan you're sporting all year round, but I wouldn't say I'm pale either," he replied as he snatched the half of the chocolate bar from Kavak and took a bite. "It's been a long day, and it's almost six…"

"Yechi! There you are!" Ginny exclaimed cutting him off as she quickened her pace towards the table, while a few of the other cops in the room, gathered their food and made a hasty, yet strategic, retreat. "Skye said you had just left, but your car was still here, so I kept looking. Anyways I have news. I heard from the D.A., the warrant you've been waiting for, it will be ready in the morning."

"What was the hold up?" Kavak asked given that he had just watched Mazurka stuff the rest of the chocolate bar into his mouth.

"The judge refused to sign off on anything until we sent proof of the victim's identity, and that took a bit of leg work to track down. But who are you?"

"Detective Hakan Kavak. It's a pleasure to meet you," he replied as he stood up and bowed towards her.

"Ginny. I'm Ginny. Uh, Ginger Jigaro. But everyone just calls me Ginny. I'm head of the research department for the precinct. If I can't find what you're looking for, it probably doesn't exist."

"She's amazing," Mazurka complimented as he struggled to swallow down the last of his mouthful.

"And don't you forget it," she replied with a smug little smirk and tilt of her head. "Take lessons Detective, Yechi's a real charmer around here, and that tends to get things done faster."

"I'll keep that mind, Ginny."

"Thanks for bringing me the news. I only wish it hadn't taken so long. If there was anything in his place that would have been incriminating, it's probably long gone by now."

"Why so focus on this kid though? We got the warrants for the other four guys yesterday, didn't Harlowe tell you?"

"No, actually he didn't. So, if you will excuse us, I'm going to go find out why," Mazurka remarked as he stood up and headed out of the lunchroom.

"Hey, you didn't hear about those from me!" He heard her call out from behind him.

"Yechiel, now may not be the right time for this," Kavak stated as he grabbed the back of Mazurka's arm. "Think about it. He's already acting strangely. Arguing with him now could further alienate him and he may end up throwing you off the case. It's best to handle this more strategically."

"And what exactly do you suggest?"

"What was the victim's name?"

"Kenneth Ogilvy, but he exclusively went by the nickname Three. He didn't carry any ID with him, and despite gang ties, he had never been picked up, so he wasn't in our system."

"How did you identify him?"

"Fingerprint registry, but it took a while for the computer to comb through the possibilities. Like I said, Ginny is amazing at her job. She aged up the photo of the kid from the registry and tracked down the address."

"That is impressive. Then I suggest you simply ask what time Harlowe would like us to meet him at the Ogilvy residence. How he responds will tell us everything we want to know."

Mazurka knew Kavak was right and nodded in agreement before slowing his pace and making his way back to the office where Harlowe was sitting behind his desk reading through a file.

"How'd it go with Skye?" Harlowe questioned as they walked into the room.

"It went," Mazurka replied before asking, "Did you listen to the file?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Still think it's a human?"

"I never thought it was. Still don't, but it doesn't make a difference on how we treat it. Human or not, it has to be stopped. Try not to let the reality of what it might be cloud your judgement about how handle it. If you see that thing, you shoot to kill. We can ask all the questions we want about it, after its dead."

"At least on that, we can agree," Mazurka replied as he sat in his chair. "We were about to head out but wanted to know what time you wanted us at the Ogilvy residence tomorrow."

"Ha! Leave it to that she-devil to spoil the good news." Harlowe huffed and set down the file he was holding. "The warrant will be active at six in the morning, but there isn't much point in being at the residence before eight. You aren't there to arrest anyone. It's just a search and seizure of the victim's personal belongings. The warrants for the rest of the victims are ready too. I've assigned Salinger and Hathaway to Jason Alogrin's residence, and after our meeting with Ms. Vershinin, you and Kavak are to head to Timothy Bower's. I'm just waiting on word from the captain about the squad assignments, hence why I'm sitting here on my ass going over paperwork and autopsy reports. But that's my problem to handle."

"Heavy is the head," Kavak remarked as he cast a broad grin, "is that not how the saying goes?"

Harlowe huffed again, "It's been a long day, and tomorrow isn't going to be any better. Get the hell out of here while you still can."

"See you tomorrow morning," Mazurka said as he stood up and motioned for Kavak to step out into the hallway.

"Bright and early, and with GOOD coffee."

"Straight from Kiches," Mazurka replied as he left the office and headed outside with Kavak to drive him back home.