House of Ghouls

Chapter Two

The voices in my head were taking over in my sleep. I heard myself screaming for my girlfriend. Claire screaming my name in the middle of nowhere. Pandy’s constant angry screams, punches, loud foreign objects, and beating sounds. I had a flashback of myself naked and bruised on the dirty cold wood floor of Pandy’s cabin as I saw my own blood leaking as the flow moved all over the floor like a river from between my legs and my kagune feathers being ripped out by him.

I woke up sweaty as I took deep breaths in and out. The moon light reflected on my face through an open window of Dragon’s bedroom as the cold air blew into my face drying the sweat on my body. I activated my ukaku as I felt soreness on my back from healing. My wings are still recovering from the four years of torture. My feathers are growing back to its normal sharp size and colors are develop again. I couldn’t stop thinking about Claire. Soon as I recover, I want to find the culprit who took my girlfriend’s life away. Who f*****g did this to her? What sick fucker left her dead? Why? I want justice. I didn’t want to get out of bed until I woke up to a grey and white husky nuzzling on my face shining it’s rainbow diamond collar reflecting in my eyes. It was checking on me. I followed the husky. I smell coffee. I’m wearing a black tank top and dark blue sweat pants. I quietly get out of bed. I don’t know how long I was asleep. The door still cracked open. I walk downstairs to the kitchen. Dragon pouring coffee in two mugs.

“How are you feeling, Viola?” Dragon asked as he brings cups of coffee to the living room. “I made us coffee.”

“Thanks. How long was I asleep?” I asked.

“You slept for over twelve hours. I didn’t want to wake you up. I wasn’t sure when you wanted to be woken.” He said.

I still couldn’t get over that nightmare. I sat next to him on the couch by the fire place. I drank his coffee. I remember the strong Colombian. My favorite taste of coffee. He remembered my favorite type of coffee.

“Do you remember when Claire, you, and I used to go to this coffee shop in downtown few times together?” Dragon asked.

“Yeah, Anteiku. Claire used to order the same thing. I used to steal a sip of hers.” I said as he wrapped his arm around me.

“I miss the Anteiku in Benson town. I still have bags of their coffee beans with imported goods. Three of us always hang out for hours after work and class. Touka and Kaneki would let us stay until midnight closing time. We played Cards Against Humanity or Magic The Gathering. Touka and Kaneki joined us to play while Yomo babysat their daughter Ichika. Five of us played for hours until 2:00 in the morning.” Dragon sipped his coffee and took out photos of us at the Anteiku.

“Is the Anteiku still running? How is everyone doing?” I asked as his head looked down.

“They had to temporarily close down. The state was on lockdown. Wars happened in two towns. Midtown and Uptown. Under attack by Takers. Female ghouls were tranquillized and abducted. Homes were robbed. They used a spell drug sprayed in the hidden ally ways with unknown chemical hazards. It was used to trick the brains to lure their victims. They were a lot of missing person reports in both of the towns. Families were separated. Humans and ghouls were seeking for asylum. Gang of takers took over those areas. Home state where we used to called home is gone. It’s now ‘The Sawyer’ state. I hate that name.” Dragon explained with tears in his eyes.

“I don’t remember how I got across the boarder when I escaped out of the cabin. What state and city are we living right now?” I asked as I carefully wiped his tears with my thumb.

“A lot of survivors moved in Shibuya Town next to the Twin Cities, Minnesota. We are living on Aogiri Tree Reservation for protection of ghoul citizens north from the cities. This house we are staying belongs to Moira Cari Takizawa and her girlfriend Kaye. Shae is Moira’s husky. They are doing an overnight investigation on missing person cases and night watch. I’m taking care of their dog.” He said as he pets Shae on her head.

“What do the Takers want from us?” I asked. “Why are they doing this to us?”

“Takers want to take away rights of our freedom. They are known for their own greed and inhumane behavior. They hate the idea of ghoul rights law. That was why Takers were causing destruction, murder, abduction, s*x trafficking, forced marriage, and wars.” Dragon mentioned as Shae jumped on the couch and snuggled. He held my hand as I got closer to him. I saw the scars on his wrist.

“Dragon. What happened to your wrist?” I asked him.

“I found out that my ex wife was a Taker the way she acted for years of our marriage before all of this happened to our old hometown. She broke my wrist and chained me in my sleep. She locked me in a room with no windows while I was chained on the master bed. I was imprison under Takers roof over five weeks. Takers owned housemaids. A maid secretly help me escape. I followed a group of survivors across the boarder in a boat across the river overnight. Rescuers transported us to the medical tents in the shelters. My wrist was injured so bad. I got really sick. They had to lift me to the hospital with IV fluids and antibiotics. They surgically fixed my wrist. I spent over a week at the hospital. Moira and Kaye took me home. We knew each other back in the academy six years ago. I found a pentagram necklace on the shore in Duluth. It made me think of you.” Dragon mentioned as he pass the necklace.

“I did wore this necklace, but Pandy took it away.” I said as I play with the pentagram.

“Now you have a new necklace that will bring good luck.” Dragon helped put on the necklace around my neck. I hugged and cried on his shoulder. It was hard to express my emotions to him. My feelings are deep for Dragon. I put my hand on his chest and he rubbed my back.

Dragon fell asleep next to me on the bed. Shae napped on the edge of the bed next to us. I couldn’t sleep. My stomach wouldn’t stop growling for hours. My mouth wouldn’t stop watering. I haven’t ate when Dragon picked me up from the hospital. I grabbed my cloak. I snuck out of the window quietly and closed it. I jumped off the roof as my ukaku developed again. I flew as I landed onto the ground in the woods to go hunting for deer flesh. My ghoul eye detected something moving behind one of the bushes was a deer. My mouth watered again. I pounced on my prey as I activated my wings to try and shoot the region of the body. The feather shoot right into the back leg as it was struggling to get up. I jumped on top of the deer. I sliced the neck with my kagune as the blood spills into a puddle. My fangs grew. I took a bite into the flesh. I ate and ate the entire deer. My ghoul body was still healing but my abilities are developing again. I picked up the skull as I left the remains in the woods. I spent couple hours flying in the forest to drop off the skull by the mailbox poll in front of the property where Claire died in the house. I put two of my messy bloody hands together, closed my eyes, and bow down for my girlfriends honor.

I hear wrestling in the woods as I activated my kagune and looked behind my back. I saw another half ghoul jumped from the trees, landed onto the ground, and pointed the kagune at me. The woman had on a wolf mask, white long hair, left ghoul eye, and heavy black cloak with an Aogiri Tree symbol with feathers around the image of her cloak.

“What are you doing here? Why are you trespassing on the deceased woman’s property?” She asked.

“The deceased woman was my lover.” I answered.

“Are you associated with any Takers?” She questioned.

“No. I’m a survivor.” I answered.

“Tell me your full name! Where did you come from?” She demanded.

“My name is Viola Love. I came from this house with a balcony. It is couple acres away.” I answered her again.

The long hair woman took off her wolf mask. She was surprised to meet me in the middle of the night in the forest on Aogiri Tree land. She wears black lipstick and black eye liner. She has brown eyes, very long white hair with blue highlights, braided like a viking, and a cross necklace.

“I’m Moira Cari Takizawa! I’m Dragon’s old friend! I work as a night watch on this reservation! You disappeared from his room two hours ago! I came to look for you!” Moira introduced herself.

I freezed for a moment as I look at my myself covered in deer blood again.

“I scent that you ate a deer recently? Didn't murder anyone?” She asked with her kagune still activated.

“I only hunted was a deer. I didn't kill anyone.” I said with my head down.

“You were just recovering. Let's gets you back to my house. You need to recover first or you'll strain yourself again. Your body could get out of control mentally and physically. If your health gets more worst, you could have a ghoul seizure. Dragon will help get you cleaned up in my bathroom. We will talk more tomorrow morning when everyone is home.” Moira said as she opened her first aid bag and wrapped an emergency blanket around me.