The Devil's son - 4. There's something about Arthur

“Hey, doc! What have you got for me?” detective George Russo asked when he entered the morgue. This morning hadn’t started that good: bodies before breakfast wasn’t Russo’s idea of how to start a day.

 

“Ah, George. Always a pleasure.” Dr. Wall of Bellevue Hospital Center said. “These are very interesting cases”.

 

“I’m sure they are, doc. So, fill me in”.

 

“Well, let’s begin with the most obvious victim” dr. Wall said. “They called him Big John, if I remember correctly? Well, besides he’s very large another part of his anatomy could also be responsible for his nickname. Unfortunately for him, that part of his anatomy is not his brain. I never seen such a big man with such a small neocortex. It’s almost like you’re looking at an early version of man.”

 

Detective Russo sighed. If dr. Wall was like this, this was going to be a very long session. Like most teachers, and especially professors, dr. Wall didn’t know when to shut up!

 

“My guess would be the skull fracture is the immediate cause of death in this one, although I can’t be completely sure. You see, his other injuries would have been fatal as well.”

 

“Hang on, doc. Are you telling me he suffered from two fatal injuries?” Unlike in Hollywood productions, it’s very rare to find a murder victim suffering from two or more fatal injuries. Causing one fatal injury, without a gun, already proved difficult.

 

“George, he was gutted. All of his intestines that belonged on the inside of the abdominal cavity were on the outside. Of course that would have killed him. As soon as the cuts were made his faith was sealed. Not even our best surgeons could have fixed that. And that’s where it gets freaky.”

 

“More freaky, you mean?” George asked.

 

“George, if you thought this is freaky you better pull up a chair, because we’re only getting started.” dr. Wall said.

 

A long afternoon indeed.

 

“Remember the Wolverine-murders a couple of years back?” dr. Wall asked.

 

“You mean that guy who made those claws out of knives so he could be like Wolverine in the X-men movies?”

 

“That one, yes. He made those claws so he had three knives on both hands. It took us weeks to figure it out. And when we did we had the trouble with the press because he was only killing rapists, muggers and drug dealers. People weren’t too happy when you arrested him”.

 

“Please, don’t remind me” George said. “But why is that relevant?”

 

“Well, because of the pattern of wounds in this Big John character. What do you know about anatomy?”

 

“The basic stuff we get at the academy but not more than that” George answered.

 

“One of the main characters of primates is the opposable thumb” dr. Wall said. “That makes us different from other mammals in the sense that we can use our hands for other things than just walking. It also makes that our thumbs are in a slightly different position than our four fingers. Just look at your own”. George looked and he saw his four fingers and his thumb that was slightly angled in comparison.

 

“Now look at the cuts“ dr. Wall said. George saw five deep cuts over the abdominal wall but he didn’t see anything strange about them. “I take it you don’t see it?” dr. Wall asked.

 

“Right, doc. Sorry, but I don’t understand what you want me to see”.

 

“You see five deep cuts, right?”

 

“Only a blind man wouldn’t see those five deep cuts” George responded. “But they could be from a predator, right?”

 

“Ever seen a predator that mortally wounds it’s victim and than smashes the skull out of pity?” dr. Wall asked. George didn’t answer.

 

“Besides, if these wounds were from an animal, it would have to be a catlike predator, like a tiger or a lion. Wolf like animals have only four claws and they prefer to kill with their teeth instead of their claws.”

 

“Ok, so we’re looking for a catlike predator” George said.

 

“Look closely to the wounds again, detective” dr. Wall replied.

 

George looked again but still didn’t understand what dr. Wall thought he should see.

 

“I’m sorry, doc, but I really don’t see anything strange except the wounds itself”.

 

“Exactly! The fifth cut is slightly angled in comparison with the others and was made with something not quite as sharp as the others” dr. Wall explained.

 

“Wait! You’re telling me these cuts were made by human hands? By human fingernails??” George was shocked with the idea.

 

“I don’t think it were human fingernails but definitely by human hands, considering the anatomy of the cuts. Besides, it also fits the smashed skull. Maybe the murderer felt sorry for his victim and decided to end it quickly” dr. Wall said.

 

“Doc, do you know what you are saying? You’re saying someone made a weapon like the Wolverine-killer but this time made it so it resembled the anatomy of the human hand!”

 

“Yes, that’s what I think happened” dr. Wall said. “And with a great eye for detail as well”.

 

“Ok, so I’m looking for a killer who gutted a very big man with a weapon resembling the human hand but with claws?”

 

“And it was done with a right hand so your killer is probably right-handed.”

 

“And the other guy?” George asked.

 

“Very well done, extra crispy” dr. Wall said.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Like I said, burned to a crisp, consistent with a large electric discharge” dr. Wall said.

 

“Ok, and could you explain how that is possible in Central Park, where there is no high voltage or anything?”

 

“Normally I’d say it was lighting but there are some problems with the theory” dr. Wall said.

 

“Yes, like there was no thunderstorm over New York last night”.

 

“That too, but that’s not my area of expertise” Dr. Wall said. “I mean the dispersal pattern of the burns”.

 

“What do you mean?” George asked.

 

“Normally when someone is struck by lighting the burns go from the feet to the head because of the energy discharge. But in this case the burns appear to start in the chest and head for the feet. The face is burned because of the residual energy but not because of a direct lighting strike. I have no explanation for this other than that it was not lighting but some other form of electricity” dr. Wall concluded.

 

“And what kind of power source would you need to do something like this?” George asked.

 

“Hard to say. I don’t see how it is possible without something less of a high voltage cable”.

 

“Thanks, doc. When will I have the report?”

 

“End of the week it will be on your desk, George. Now, how is Vanessa doing? Getting tired of her pregnancy already?”

 

“Doc, you know my wife. Being confined to a bed is not her idea of life. But she’s doing as well as can be expected. She has to if she wants the triplets to live” George said.

 

“Tell her I said hi and wish her luck from me” dr. Wall said.

 

“Will do, doc” George answered while walking towards the door. Maybe Homeless Pete wasn’t so crazy after all.

 

 

“Arthur, are you even listening to me?” but Samuel already knew the answer to that question. This morning Arthur called Jayden back and they agreed on going on a date tonight. Samuel just didn’t understand what Arthur saw in this guy. Now Samuel was straight so not attracted to men at all, but normally he understood why a gay guy like Arthur liked another gay man. But not with Jayden. Jayden still made Samuel nauseous and he didn’t understand why. He also didn’t understand why he couldn’t be happy for Arthur. Arthur had been happy for him all the times he had found “the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with” even though the pattern was he would go on a couple of dates and end it shortly after. Samuel had a somewhat short attention span when it came to women. Medical mysteries however could occupy him to no end.

 

“Samuel, you heard dr. Wall. He had to talk to this detective. He would listen to what we had to say tomorrow. You can’t solve this overnight so let it rest for now. We also have our regular patients, remember? And I really want to be on time for my date tonight so let’s get back to work.” Arthur said, a little annoyed. Tonight was his first date in over 3 years. And, even better, his first date with Jayden. He didn’t know why but he felt safe with that guy and a connection he had only felt with his second brother.

 

“Ok, I will shut up about our theory. But I wanted to talk to you about Jayden. Are you sure going on a date with him is wise, at the moment?” Samuel asked. And as soon as he finished the question he wished he could take it back. Arthur turned around and he never had looked that angry, ever.

 

“What do you mean? Do you mean a gay man can’t date? Or that a gay doctor can’t date? Or that I can’t date?” Arthur asked.

 

“No, Arthur. I mean there is a mysterious disease out there, attacking gay men. And you are going out with a gay man you know hardly anything about. What if he is infected?” Samuel said.

 

“Bullshit! We haven’t seen anything that suggest this disease is contagious. No, there’s something else. Spill it!”

 

“Ok, you asked for it.” Samuel answered. “Bottom line is, I don’t trust Jayden. The guy gives me the creeps.”

 

“Really? And that has nothing to do with your Catholic upbringing?” Arthur asked.

 

“That’s not fair, Arthur. You’re gay too and you don’t creep me out. There’s just something about Jayden that makes me feel dirty.”

 

“Samuel, I love you. You’re a great friend. But right now I can’t look at you without wanting to hurt you. I’m going to do my rounds” and with that Arthur walked away, leaving his friend standing there.

 

“I love you too” Samuel mumbled before he realized what he had just said. He quickly looked around but no one was there. No one heard what he just said.

 

 

Jayden was still lying in bed around noon, feeling a burning sensation in his fingertips. He looked at his hands and saw his fingers looked slightly burned, like a mild case of sunburn. He remembered exactly what happened last night, but had trouble believing it. He knew he had some kind of power but this?! He had transformed on some kind of creature with wings and claws and he gutted one guy and hit the other with some kind of black lightning. After that he flew away to another part of Central Park and there he transformed back to his normal self.

Jayden threw away the covers only to find out they were wet and hard from his semen.

 

“I’d better get a milking machine and hook it up to my dick 24/7!” Jayden thought to himself only to find his dick being hard again and his hand moving in to stroke himself to yet another orgasm.

 

“This has to stop!” Jayden thought. “No one is this horny all the time, unless they are seriously ill. Was I on some kind of medication to prevent me from being horny all the time? Something I don’t remember? And why do I remember how to throw black lighting and how to fly but not where I lived last year?” Jayden was frustrated and walked into his bathroom to take a shower. While in the shower he stroked himself to yet another orgasm, strong enough to cause a earthquake.

 

 

Of course he was late. The same had happened the last three times he wanted to go on a date and the guys he was dating back then weren’t forgiving. Two of them never called back. The third was even worse, coming to the hospital the next day demanding an explanation and causing a scene in front of the nursing staff. Thank God they had believed him when he said the guy was a mental patient who had a crush on him. But it had been close.

Arthur was fidgeting his tie. He hadn’t worn a tie since graduation. He hated wearing a suit or tie. A jacket was normally as far as he wanted to go but Jayden told him he should dress up because he wanted to take him to a very classy place. So here he was, in the intern’s dressing room, trying to fix a bow tie while he was actually more tired than he had been in years. He wanted to go on this date, however. Jayden made him feel so special. He felt so wanted and safe at the same time but he also had the feeling Jayden and he were meant to be together, somehow.

Arthur finally finished his bow tie, grabbed his coat and ran out of the locker room, running Samuel over. Arthur heard Samuel calling his name but he pretended he didn’t. He really loved Samuel but right now he just felt angry towards his friend. As soon as he had started ditching about Jayden Arthur had felt a need to choke Samuel or worse. He really needed to talk about this with Samuel but that would have to wait till tomorrow. He felt high and on edge and somehow Arthur knew talking to Samuel now would end up in bloodshed and he really wanted to prevent that from happening. He kept practically running through the hospital, ignoring more people than just Samuel, including his supervisor.

 

“This is going to cost me two days from now, during my next shift” Arthur thought. But than he reached the entrance of the hospital and saw Jayden standing there, even though he was almost 20 minutes late. And the sight of Jayden almost stopped Arthur’s heart. Arthur had fallen in love.

 

 

“I’m an idiot” Jayden thought. “Why am I still waiting for this guy? I hate it when people are late”. But deep down Jayden felt the same thing Arthur did: safety, longing and meaning. And, to Jayden’s surprise, not the intolerable horniness that plagued him so much. That, however, worried him as well. What if he just didn’t get horny for Arthur?

Jayden just decided to go to the sauna to find someone to take care of his excruciating painfully hard dick when Arthur came running out of the hospital. And, like it was magic, his throbbing dick became softer and stopped aching so much. He was still excited and he knew he could have a boner any time he wanted to but somehow seeing Arthur made it bearable.

 

“You look great, doctor Ericson.” Jayden said.

 

“Well, thank you” Arthur answered. “So, which direction are we heading?”

 

“Let’s take a cab. It’s too far to walk” Jayden said. As if by magic an available cab arrived. Jayden gave a signal and the cab stopped.

 

“Whereto, sirs?” the Indian cabdriver asked.

 

“The Plaza, please” Jayden answered.

 

“The Plaza?” Arthur asked. “What are we going to do there?”

 

“Having diner” Jayden answered.

 

“But that’s way too expensive, Jayden” Arthur said, more than a little shocked. “I can’t afford the New York Plaza!”

 

“Who said you had to?” was Jayden only reply. “You can drive, sir” Jayden said to the cabby, ignoring Arthur’s objections. This was going to be a great night if Jayden had any say in it.

 

 

Did you ever realize how much Hollywood ruins people’s minds? According to Hollywood Harlem was one big pit of sins; a no man’s land where the rules and laws of normal men didn’t apply. In fact Harlem is a normal neighbourhood, maybe somewhat less classy than the Upper East Side of Manhattan but for a lot of people who weren’t rich it was home and they loved their neighbourhood.

In one thing Hollywood is right, though. The crime rates were higher, especially in the major crime area. Tonight was no different.

The young Afro-American man had been nobody special. His name wouldn’t even be in tomorrow’s paper. Only his race would make it up in the statistics. Another black man getting killed in a gang- or drugrelated crime.

The young man had been 18 or 19 years old, slim build and of average height. He wore black and white and, the worst part was, his only crime had been being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Two drugdealers had gotten into a fight and shot their way out. Neither of them were very handy with firearms and they both got away unharmed, unlike the young black guy. Two bullets had hit him, in his stomach and his upper leg. It had taken him almost 4 hours to die but the last two hours he had been unconscious because of the pain he was in. And right now, his body was lying in the alley, waiting for someone to find it.

That would never happen, however. Rigor mortis had set in; all blood had been drained and his clothes were soiled with all kinds of things. When, all of a sudden, dried blood became liquid again and started flowing back into the body. The wounds healed, the heart started beating again and the eyes, that had been closed, shot open and saw the world once more.

The formerly dead boy got up and looked over his clothes, complete with bullet holes, soiled with trash and faeces from when the body died. He had some trouble standing and, when he took his first step after his resurrection, he immediately fell on his face again, soiling his clothes a little more. But he got up and tried again. Three attempts later he managed to walk, although clumsy. But he was a quick study and, before he left the alley, nothing seemed out of the ordinary when it came down to walking or bodily control. However, even without the soiled clothes, people who paid attention would notice a strange facial expression, a bewildered look in his eyes and a constant whisper:

 

“Jayden. Have to find Jayden. Have to warn him”.

 

Luckily, in New York City, people pay little or no attention to other people.

 

 

The date had been everything both Jayden and Arthur wanted and hoped for. Jayden learned a lot about Arthur and himself, though Arthur didn’t get to know that much about Jayden because of his memory problems.

 

“And besides, I doubt my life would be half as interesting as yours. I mean, you safe lives on a daily basis. Me, I’m a playboy at best. No match for a doctor like you” Jayden said.

 

Of course, Arthur was shocked to learn about Jayden’s memory loss.

 

“Maybe one of the neurologists at Bellevue can help you” Arthur said, although Arthur knew a memory loss this massive normally meant brain damage and, as a result, an unrecoverable memory.

 

“Doesn’t it bother you, not knowing anything about your life before a couple of months ago?” Arthur asked.

 

“Of course it does but what can I do about it?” Jayden answered. “No matter how hard I try, it’s still gone. And somehow I feel that trying harder will only make my memories less reachable”.

 

After that the main course had come and they had switched their conversation to lighter subjects.

After diner they had drinks in an old fashion club, where there was live entertainment to continue their conversation. All too soon the bartender announced last round and 20 minutes later the place as closed, sending Arthur and Jayden out in the streets. They decided to walk since it was a nice night. Not long after they reached Jayden’s apartment.

 

“Do you want to come up for a last drink?” Jayden asked.

 

“I think it’s better I don’t” Arthur answered. “I’m not the kind of guy who has sex at the first date and, since it’s been ages since I last had sex, I don’t think I could restrain myself. So let me be smart and go home”.

 

“You sure?” Jayden asked. When Arthur nodded he continued: “Ok, but can I call you tomorrow?”

 

“Only if you promise to call at the end of the afternoon. I don’t think I’ll be up anytime earlier” Arthur giggled.

 

“Ok, babe” Jayden answered, before leaning in to Arthur and kissing him. Sometimes they say a kiss can be electric or heaven. Well, the kiss Jayden and Arthur shared was as electric as a full blown thunderstorm and, if this was heaven, they would have gotten all the choirs of angels with it. So, when the kiss ended after about 10 minutes, both were reluctant to let go.

 

“So, I go now” Arthur said.

 

“Are you sure I can’t talk you into staying?” Jayden asked.

 

“Oh, I’m sure you could, which is exactly why I’m leaving” Arthur answered and with that, Arthur turned around and left, leaving Jayden standing in front of his apartment building.

 

 

“It really is a nice night” Arthur thought. “And it was a great date. A little over the top for me, but I can imagine Jayden likes this. I know I could like it sometimes”. Arthur walked and walked and didn’t really pay attention to where he was going. Imagine his surprise when he saw he was near Central Park. He hesitated before entering the park, knowing it was not the safest place in the world after dark. The bodies they had found that morning had proved that once more. Still, in the end Arthur started walking into the park, knowing it was a short cut to his home.

All of a sudden Arthur saw an older woman being mugged by some low-life. All of a sudden Arthur felt a rage he couldn’t remember he ever felt before. Somehow he found the energy to run towards the mugging, but he also felt a change. He felt a tingle on his back and heard his clothes rip. He thought he saw a glimpse of wings when he turned his head, but that was hardly the strangest thing. He felt a band on his head and he saw a burning sword in his hand. Ar’Thurian had surfaced. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone when it happened. Both the older woman and the mugger saw the change and both reacted to it: the older woman by falling to her knees and starting to pray, the mugger by trying to pull the woman to her feet and getting her between Ar’Thurian and himself.

 

“Oh, no, you piece of trash! You’re not using that woman as a hostage!” Arthur listened to his voice as Ar’Thurian and was intimidated himself. His voice sounded warm and deep, but also harsh and intimidating. At least it had the desired effect: the mugger stopped trying to use the woman as a hostage, turned around and ran. Ar’Thurian spread his wings and took off, chasing the mugger. In only seconds he had caught up with the mugger and he landed in front of him. The mugger pointed his knife at the young angel.

 

“Are you sure you want to threaten a soldier of Heaven?” Ar’Thurian asked. The only response the mugger gave, was running towards Ar’Thurian, holding out the knife.

 

“Very well. That’s the last mistake you’ll ever make” and with that Ar’Thurian struck with his sword, cutting the mugger cleanly in half.

Copyright © 2011 Phoenix1977; All Rights Reserved.