Cop Craft – Dragnet Mirage Reloaded

They found the shredded remains of an iron shutter on the east side of the mall, about two hundred meters from the carpark.

The place did not stand out whatsoever. Hidden behind a tree, the breach on the fencing was nigh invisible, even if one carried a flashlight. The reason they found it was due to no less than Tilarna’s exceptional sense of smell and the observation skills Matoba had honed over the years.

「Enough for someone to squeeze through.」

Matoba said. The shutter had been ripped off by force, revealing the clean circular hole left behind on the glass window. It was just big enough for an adult to fit through.

Radioing in their findings to headquarters, Matoba requested a perimeter be set up around the mall. Just as he was about to step foot inside, Tilarna stopped him from behind.

「Wait, Kei.」

「What’s up?」

「Is it wise to go in with just the two of us?」

「Yeah. Even if we brought those rookies along for backup, they’d just get in the way. You have a problem with that?」

「No……」

Seeing her at a loss for words, Matoba furrowed his eyebrows.

「What, you scared?」

「That is not it. It is just, I have doubts whether we will be enough to handle her on our own. We cannot afford to make light of that vampire’s strength.」

It did not appear as though she was afraid.

However, it was true that they would probably lose if they fought head-on with that monster. Thinking back to the first time he came across the vampire at the morgue, he would have avoided jumping into the fray at all costs if he could. And their positions at Vice meant that they really did not have any obligation to continue the investigation.

Then, why exactly were they doing all this in the first place?

It was obvious. To get even. Even if it was not their business to do so, they were the ones who had brought the vampire into the morgue, allowed it to murder innocent civilians, and let it escape in the end. They could not just sit still and let it be.

Even so, Matoba casually said.

「I know that. If things look bad, we’ll hightail it outta here.」

Tilarna looked blankly upon his blatant dishonesty, before acknowledging his words with a nod.

「……Well, that may indeed end up being the case.」

「Well, well. I thought you’d have said something like, “A knight would never dare show her back to her enemies.”」

「Shut up. Let us go already.」

With Tilarna pushing him onward, Matoba stepped foot into the shopping mall.

Inside, a small cafe greeted the pair. It was dark. Not a single sound could be heard. Chairs were stacked upside down atop the tables, left as is by the proprietor. Several signs had been folded by the entrance, accompanied by a pile of garbage bags and bottles of milk.

An unnatural silence.

Attached to the ceiling, the security sensor was flashing red. Coming in from behind, Tilarna carelessly headed for the entrance. Matoba grasped her shoulder.

「What is it?」

「The security system’s still on. Don’t move.」

「Hmm……」

Contacting the local authorities, Matoba tried to confirm whether the security installations in the mall were functional. By their account, several of their officers had already made their way to the security room, leaving the security system untouched and functioning as usual. If that was the case, why has the vampire not been detected?

「Can that vampire trick the infrared lasers or something?」

Raising his voice, Matoba asked Tilarna.

「What is this ‘lazer’ you speak of?」

「Narrow beams of light, sorta like string. You step or cross into it, the alarm’ll start ringing.」

Though he had explained the concept quite simply to Tilarna, she could only tilt her head in confusion.

「I do not know, though it is certainly possible. It is said that the vampire can see perfectly well in pitch-black darkness ⸺ on nights when the moon does not shine. That monster is perfectly capable of finding some loophole around these ‘lazers’.」

Some species of animals are capable of detecting certain frequencies of electromagnetic radiation beyond the visible light spectrum, such as infrared and ultraviolet rays. It would not be strange for that vampire to do the same herself.

「Got it.」

He radioed the security room, requesting that the alarm be disabled even if the security system detected intruders. The officer at the scene complied with his terms. This way, they would be able to move freely around the mall. And if indeed the vampire was caught by the security system, they would immediately know of it.

Advancing towards the entrance, they stepped over the garbage bags onto the mall proper.

The path curved into a gentle ‘R’, stores lined up along both sides. Accessories, women’s clothing, sports goods, toys, you name it.

Billboards highlighting famous brands were everywhere. Dior, Hermes, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton. The whole package. A number of glass panels were installed on the ceiling, allowing natural light to shine through during the daytime. Now, only the dim light of the moon remained.

They could not find a single trace of the vampire. From this point on, they were relying solely on Tilarna’s senses.

「How’s it look……?」

「Not much change.」

With a crease in between her brows, Tilarna muttered.

「Not much change? What do you mean by that?」

「Her location is unclear. It is vague, indistinct. While it is certain she is within this building, I am unable to accurately pinpoint her position. She could have purposely scattered rahtena to throw off our scent, thereby erasing her presence.」

Matoba looked down, thinking quietly to himself.

「Hmm, if that’s the case……」

That vampire probably knows we’re coming. Worst-case scenario, we’d be in for an ambush.

「This is looking mighty dangerous.」

「Do not falter now, Kei.」

With his shotgun at the ready and Tilarna’s longsword pointed straight onward, Matoba carefully advanced through the mall.

Passing through the area from which they first entered, they moved on to the next section of the mall.

The name ‘Paradise Square’ was written on the wall. And yet, this place was anything but that. Neither was it a square. Like the stores earlier, the corridor was lined with boutiques, boutiques, and even more boutiques.

Why the fuck do these malls and department stores sell this much clothing and makeup? If there was a place with gun shops lining up both sides of the aisle, I’d be there in a second. Or so Matoba thought. A Winchester for every Dior, a Heckler & Koch for every Hermes, A Glock for every Louis Vuitton. A mall filled to the brim with guns seemed a perfectly good idea.

Their surroundings were pitch-black. Around every corner awaited an ambush from the vampire they sought to hunt.

Though they initially began their search on the first floor, the two had arrived at the third floor before they even realized it. As usual, the shops on this floor were arranged meticulously in a complicated layout. In front, there lay a grand, circular atrium, which looked down upon the fountain in the square below. Hexagonal skylights decorated the ceiling above them. A massive curtain stretched all the way down to the first floor from the middle of the ceiling.

「‘Tis a bit stronger now.」

Tilarna whispered.

「Her scent?」

「Yes. Be careful.」

You say that, but I can’t see for shit. How the hell are we supposed to know if she’s getting closer?

「Oi……!」

Tilarna suddenly shouted.

A woman clad all in black was standing right next to Matoba.

She was smiling. Her dress flickered in the air, almost as if they were flames. A sleek, voluptuous, pale body. Gray hair. Lips dripping in red. And above all else, a piercing gaze that looked like it would never let go of him. Both her eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.

「Wha⸺」

Matoba reached for his weapon on the spot. He did not make it. With a swing of her right arm, five razor-sharp fingernails tore out his throat.

⸺No, he was able to use his shotgun as a shield just before her claws pierced his skin. The impact almost knocked him unconscious. Snapping like a twig, the gun flew from his hands. Still, Matoba was incapable of blocking all of her attacks. Disoriented from the initial barrage, he crashed into the handrails behind him.

Such tremendous power. It was as if a heavyweight boxer had just punched him straight in the nuts.

And that was not all. Using her slender arms, the vampire clutched his throat once more. They were deathly cold hands. Unable to breathe, his head throbbed over and over again.

「Kei!?」

Turning around, Tilarna swung her longsword down upon the vampire. In response, the vampire nimbly thrust Matoba forward, intending to use him as a shield.

「Khh……!」

Tilarna stopped her blade mid-swing. Not letting go of that chance, the vampire invoked one of her illusions to create her characteristic afterimages, delivering a sharp kick toward her enemy. The tips of her toes made contact with the wrist of her opponent. The longsword flew out of Tilarna’s hands and planted itself onto the nearby wall.

「Tila⸺」

Unarmed, Tilarna reached out to the vampire with her hands. Almost as though they were alive, her black clothes and hair twisted around Tilarna’s limbs, restricting their movement. Gasping in pain, Matoba managed to draw his beloved automatic from the holster below his armpit. But before anything else, the vampire flung his body into the atrium. Three storeys above ground.

「!」

If he had not resisted with all his strength, his neck would have most likely broken by now. Matoba spun furiously as he descended from the center of the atrium, colliding his head against the curtain, entangling himself all the way down to the fountain below.

His shoulder and back, the back of his head were hit hard. Water sprayed everywhere around him. The last thing he heard before everything faded to black was the anguished cry coming from Tilarna.