Chapter 12: The Echo of Scents

  The police presence had grown thicker since Noir’s first attempt to enter. Officers moved in and out of the house, their tired voices ced with unease and confusion. Noir used this to his advantage, hiding his presence while he approached the house once more.

  Even without his Biological parents upbringing, Stealth seemed to be an instinctive quality of his.

  He easily snuck into the yard of the house bordering the murder victims and made his way to it's backyard. He stopped around the corner, where the side of the house dipped into shadow and a worn wooden fence bordered the backyard of the murder victims, Noir crouched low and tested the fence’s height with his eyes. It was taller than he expected, but not by much. He took two steps back, bent his knees, and leapt.

  His body easily soared like a shadow through the air before he nded softly on the overgrown grass inside the backyard. His nding disturbed a few insects resting in the brush, but otherwise, the night remained undisturbed.

  The back door of the house was suprisenly unlocked. " Guess the officers didn't see the need to lock it since they're still conducting their investigation."

  The moment he slipped inside, the air grew colder.

  The only light source in the back was a blinking smoke detector above, fshing red like a heartbeat. The faint smell of blood still lingered in the air, but it was hours old. Still, it was strong enough to make his blood flow increase, his nerves tensing.

  Fortunately, he was still able to keep his mind in check, suppressing his beastly urges.

  Noir then used his superhuman speed and zipped through the house like a living gust. His movements were fluid and quiet as a gentle breeze. He searched the rooms in a blur, first the kitchen, the dining room, guest bathroom e.t.c.

  To make matters more intense, he had to avoid the cops still conducting their investigation, making sure to remain as illusive as possible.

  Eventually he reached the bedroom.

  The door creaked open, just a sliver. The smell inside was different or should he say stronger.

  The scent of iron and tension was far higher than in any of the previous rooms he'd been to.

  Noir listened for any activity inside, once he noticed that no policemen where inside, he stepped in, closing the door gently behind him. The floorboards beneath his feet groaned softly. His golden eyes swept the room—a small bed pushed against the far wall, its sheets crumpled and stained. Dried blood had sunk deep into the mattress. Near the foot of the bed, streaks of it ran toward the door.

  He could already tell that struggle must've taken pce here. But what disturbed Noir the most wasn’t the physical remnants of violence. It was the feeling in the air. A heavy silence that made his nerves stand on edge. A silence he was all too familiar with.

  ".... Could it really be another one?" Noirs face turned solemn, his eyes filled with a rare sharp glint.

  He pressed a hand to his chest to calm his thundering heart. Then he drew in a long, deliberate breath through his nose.

  The moment he did, the room began to change.

  His vision dimmed, this time he opted to use his sense of smell to view the world around him. Shadows gathered around him and Faint silhouettes began to appear—ghostly remnants of the past drawn forth by scent alone.

  He stood in a foggy, scent-shaped memory of the room.

  First came the silhouette of a woman.

  She was curvy and tall, wrapped in the scent of vender lotion and tears.

  Her hands trembled as she clutched the pillow from the bloodied bed. Noir could almost hear her broken sobs. Her despair lingered in the air, as if unwilling to let go of the space her son had died in.

  'She's his mother....' Noir thought, heart aching. He pitied her, knowing that your own kin must've been subjected to such a grueling end mustn't have been easier for her to bear.

  After the woman's scent, Noir went farther back and discovered another scent. The sharp, stiff presence of the policemen—multiple men with boots, weapons, and cigarettes.

  They had paced the room, their movements frantic. They touched the bed, inspected the floor, muttered among themselves. Their scent clung to everything like static—order, worry, sweat, and the faintest traces of fear.

  But their presences faded quickly.

  The fog shifted again, now revealing the next presence.

  Two silhouettes—one male, one female. The boy—young, lean, smelled of cheap cologne and shampoo. The girl—older, her scent complex and dark. She smelled like lilies soaked in wine, sweetness masking something sour beneath.

  " She's definitely not some average girl that's for sure...."

  The scent of their encounter repyed in front of Noir like a haunting ballet.

  They were close—hugging, kissing. The boy ughed nervously, hands unsure. The girl’s scent curled around him like a snake.

  She pushed him onto the bed, slow and deliberate.

  Noir frowned. " This isn't getting me anywhere..." He muttered in frustration.

  He almost turned away, not wanting to see more, but then the scent twisted.

  "Huh?" Noir muttered in surprise, focusing on the scent once more.

  The female silhouette’s body warped, 4 appendages sprouting from her body. Her fingertips morphed into elongated cws, curved like daggers. Her mouth unhinged slightly, fangs pushing past human lips. The sweetness of her perfume soured into a metallic, animalistic stench that coated the air like smoke.

  ' She's just like it!' Noir’s eyes widened as he recalled the creature he'd killed years ago while trying to protect his brother in-w but to no avail.

  He clenched his palms tightly, his suppressed emotions slowly forcing their way to the the surface.

  Noir watched as the boy tried to sit up, his silhouette jerking, struggling—but his movements were sluggish and disconnected, becoming weaker and weaker as the paralysis took effect. His scent reeked of confusion, fear, and most telling, paralysis.

  The monster who was once in human skin, was on top of him in a fsh, cws gleaming as they tore into him. The blood spray was overwhelming in the scent but Noir still remained silent as he continued on.

  The boy watched, pain-stricken, as she bent over him. Her body twitched with unnatural glee as she fed.

  Chunks of him were devoured.

  Then, as if it had been a simple meal, the female silhouette stood, morphed back into a human silhouette and licked the blood from her fingers. She then walked calmly out of the room.The scent then came to an end.

  Noirs expression had long since darkened into a grim visage. His hands were still clenched at his sides, and his nails had slightly punctured the skin of his palms. He was shaking, not from fear nor apprehension but from pure unbridled rage.

  Luckily , Noir knew that letting his anger fre up now might expose his position to the w enforcers in the building so he inhaled again to steady himself, forcing his wild heart to slow.

  He walked to the bloodied bed. The scent of blood was still as thick as ever, but his nose could easily tell apart the multiple different scents on it.

  He bent over the mattress and took one long, deliberate breath.

  The world around him dulled again, but this time there was no vision. Only crity. The scent was tangled in itself—hidden under police boots, clinging beneath the bedsheets and headboard, but it was there.

  Her scent...Exotic. Predatory. Feminine. Something that would've been mistaken for a human woman's if not examined closely.

  “Found you.”His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of certainty.

  Noir opened his eyes again after getting a firm hold of her scent. But unlike before, his pupils had shrunk into sharp golden slits, glowing faintly even in the dark.

  From this moment onwards, The predator would become the hunted.