Cord grimaced. "Well, yes, of course it is… Still, seems a bit ghoulish to have you lot coming in here and removing souvenirs’."
While Samantha and Inspector Cord were exchanging words, Lazarus had moved away. He knew that Samantha would keep the man occupied long enough to allow him to finish his business. The reference to ‘The God of Hate’ in that letter, coupled with the presence of a moonstone, was sparking his memory again. He wanted to check with Eun to see what the young man had come up with, but he was beyond positive that all of this was related to something quite evil. Lazarus was sure that during his previous existence, he’d never crossed paths with The God of Hate but he’d heard of him and the stories had been quite terrifying.
It was at that moment when Lazarus spotted one last clue: it was a sheet of paper, the sort used by schoolchildren the world over. Someone had drawn a crude image of a monster on it and Gray felt a chill go down his spine as he lifted the paper from the ground. Evidently, a child had been awake at the time of the stranger’s visit and had drawn this image of him while looking out his window. Gray saw a human figure staring back at him but the face was filled with razor sharp teeth and elongated ears. The monster’s hands looked like each finger was topped by claws.
"I see you," he whispered aloud, as if the figure on the page could hear him. "I see you."
Eun Jiwon turned the yellowed pages of the manuscript, his mouth feeling increasingly dry. It hadn’t taken long to find references to The God of Hate in the library but the things that he’d uncovered had boggled the mind. The God of Hate, also known as The Claw and by half a dozen other terrifying identities, was practically a demonic force unto himself.
According to the dozens of sources he’d found, The Claw was an inhuman figure that had lurked along the outskirts of humanity for centuries. There were unconfirmed stories that he’d once been a human who had either bargained away his soul for power or a scientist whose pursuit of dark answers had led him astray. But most of the tales simply said he was a monster who had emerged full-force into an unsuspecting world.
Eun paused at a charcoal depiction of The Claw and he wondered how accurate it truly was. Surely, he mused, this was an exaggeration of the figure’s actual appearance. With the oversized teeth and claws, along with the elongated ears, it looked like a distant cousin to Max Schreck’s Nosferatu.
The young man was so lost in thought that he failed to hear the soft footsteps behind him. It wasn’t until a cold, dry hand closed around his mouth and another grabbed his arms that he realized he was no longer alone. Being a man of action, Eun struck back quickly, driving an elbow back into the midsection of the person who had grabbed him but he cried out in shock. It felt like he’d struck a brick wall and from the pain in his elbow, Eun wondered if he’d broken it.
"Shh," a slightly high-pitched voice whispered into Eun’s ear. The man’s voice was as cold as the grave and Eun involuntarily shivered. "I won’t harm you, Eun Jiwon. Not now. My war lies not with you but with the man you serve. If I release my grip upon you, will you listen to what I have to say?"
Eun nodded, forcing himself to relax. When he felt the hands leave him, he spun about quickly, his eyes widening. Standing there before him was the living proof that the charcoal artist had been right: The Claw was just as hideous as the book had promised.
The Claw smiled coolly and his sharp teeth glistened wetly. "Your master is off in search of me? He got the letter I sent?"
Eun tried to keep the horror from his voice but he failed to do so, which shamed him. "Yes. He’s going to stop you before you kill again."
"He will try," The Claw agreed. "But as you can see, the impressive defenses he has put around his home failed to stop my entrance. I have no doubt that in personal combat, I would be able to best him." The God of Hate stepped closer and the foul odor that came from him caused Eun to back away, until his rear bumped against the table covered by books. "I wish to be done with this business between us. Tell him that. Tell him that I will hold his lover in my grasp until he comes for her. He should come alone and unarmed. Then we will see which of us is the deadlier. You will tell him this?"
Eun nodded, wondering at the creature’s words. Gray’s lover? Who was he referring to? He’d bet his last dollar that Lazarus and Samantha weren’t carrying on a secret affair and the girl from Gray’s past — Miya Shimada — had fled Sovereign. Nevertheless, Eun knew what he needed to do. "I will make it clear to him that you mean business."
The Claw laughed. "Good. Then I will let you live, so that you might pass on this message. I have shown him my cruelty and now I show him how easily I could take away what means most to him."
Eun watched as The Claw spun about and exited the room. After waiting a few seconds, Eun bolted after him, hoping to see how the villain had pierced the base’s defenses. But all he saw in the hallway was a still and quiet emptiness.
Chapter III
Loves Lost Forever
Samantha had developed the bad habit of chewing her nails. She wasn’t sure when it had begun but she’d first noticed it during Morgan’s last stint in the hospital. She was engaging in the habit now as she sat in the passenger seat of a black sedan, parked across the street from The Sovereign Museum of Natural History. If Eun, who was seated beside her, noticed her actions, he didn’t comment upon them. In fact, they’d been sitting in total silence since Lazarus had left them, wandering alone into the museum.
The Sovereign Museum of Natural History was a sprawling structure standing in the heart of downtown. Comprised of twelve interconnected buildings, the Museum housed well over a million specimens, only a relative few of which were on active display. With a scientific staff of over a hundred, the Museum funded nearly four-dozen scientific expeditions each year, sending explorers out all over the globe. The Museum was divided up into numerous displays but the most popular was the ever-present Start of Sovereign Hall, where the origins of the city were examined. To access this, visitors had to stride through the huge entranceway, where they could stare up at a full-size model of a Blue Whale which hung from the ceiling. It was an awesome view and one that Samantha had enjoyed on many visits. But at the moment she couldn’t bring herself to think about anything but Lazarus and his secrets.
"I can’t believe he’s never mentioned this," she said at last, tearing a thin piece of nail off with her teeth.
"Why would he? It was before he’d met most of us. It’s not like we share all the details of our personal lives with each other."
Samantha glanced over at Eun, a look of disbelief on her face. "What are you talking about? Every time one of us goes out on a date, everybody knows it. I guarantee you that Morgan knows all the men I’ve ever so much as held hands with."
"Yes, but that’s because Morgan is romantically interested in you. I don’t parade my romantic entanglements for all to see."
Samantha paused, realizing that Eun was right about that. Early on, he’d made a few perfunctory passes at her but even then she’d thought his heart hadn’t been in it. And since then… she’d never seen him with any girl at all. Apparently, he was more private than she’d realized. "Okay," she finally admitted. "But if Lazarus had been sleeping with the daughter of the Museum’s curator, I think we’d have heard some mention of it."
Eun sighed, knowing that Samantha carried a torch for Lazarus Gray nearly the size of the one borne aloft by the Statue of Liberty. But she also had feelings for Morgan, which led to all kinds of stress within Assistance Unlimited. Gray seemed unaware of Samantha’s desires, which only made things tenser.