The late afternoon streets of Paris shimmered in golden light as Brendon and Christopher made their way back to the apartment. Cars hissed by on the damp roads. Brendon walked a few steps ahead, cigarette between his fingers, the smoke swirling around him like a ghost.
He exhaled deeply, his eyes narrowed on nothing in particular. "It's like staring into a void," he muttered.
Christopher caught up beside him. "Still thinking about the case?"
"Yeah." Brendon took another drag. "Every clue we've got — dart, rope, knife, notes — they're all fragments. Scattered. No pattern we can hang onto."
Christopher's tone turned grim. "And we've got no suspects. No witnesses. Just... deaths."
Brendon glanced at him. "Exactly. Which makes me think this killer — or these killers—are either trained... or absolutely insane."
"Could be both," Christopher replied. "So what now?"
"I'm still working that out," Brendon murmured. "Waiting on Dr. Banik's lab results. Maybe something from that fabric will break the fog."
Christopher frowned. "But until then, we're blind."
"Not blind. Just in the dark," Brendon said. "And the darkness always hides something."
---
Meanwhile — Somewhere in Paris, 7th arrondissement
A modest hardware shop buzzed faintly under fluorescent lights. The scent of coiled wires, oil, and fresh wood filled the air.
A hulking figure stood at the counter — easily seven feet tall, wrapped in a tattered gray coat. His features were partially obscured by the fur hood, but his furred hands and pale white claws made it clear: he was no ordinary man. A polar bear hybrid.
He placed a stack of items on the counter. Thick nylon rope. Clamps. Duct tape. Metal rings.
The shopkeeper, a stout man with dark-rimmed glasses, blinked at the load.
"Planning a camping trip?" he joked awkwardly.
The hybrid looked up, his icy-blue eyes locked onto the shopkeeper's face.
"Something like that," he said in a flat, rasped tone. "A personal project."
The man chuckled nervously. "Well... alright then." He scanned the items quickly. "Strange times, huh? All these murders on the news. Makes you think twice about walking alone."
The hybrid's lips curled slightly. A smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"People will think about a lot more soon," he said cryptically, dropping a few notes on the counter. "Much more."
Before the shopkeeper could reply, the bear hybrid picked up his package and stepped out onto the street.
---
Outside, the mood was different.
Humans walked briskly, chatting, scrolling through phones, sipping from paper cups. But as the polar bear hybrid moved among them, heads turned. Murmured comments followed him.
"Mon dieu, did you see that?"
"Disgusting."
"Why are those things allowed to walk free?"
Children stared and hid behind their parents. One woman wrinkled her nose and crossed the street.
He said nothing.
But the hatred in their eyes etched itself deeper into his skin than frostbite ever could.
Beneath the heavy hood, his expression remained unreadable. Only his thoughts swirled with venom.
You look at me like a monster.
Then I will show you what monsters truly look like.
As he reached a small alley near the metro, he stopped and stared at his reflection in a dusty store window. The glass warped his silhouette — a distorted blur of man and beast.
He lowered his hood.
And smiled.
"I will surely take my revenge," he whispered.
Then he vanished into the deepening evening.