The Scythe Kusari - Chapter 1

     Angel's father disappeared into the dark gaming store, where the theft had taken place. Only an hour before, the place had been robbed of approximately $300 worth of merchandise. Her father was chief of police and was leading the investigation.
     Two cop cars and her father's car were parked outside. Angel's father had ordered her to stay put in the car. The only reason she had been allowed to come in the first place was because they had been out gathering groceries for dinner when he received a call on his cell. They had raced back to the apartment, where he had changed into his uniform, grabbed his badge, and left without Angel even stepping out of the car.
     She wasn't the type to 'stay put', and opened the car door a crack to listen. It seemed like no one was outside, so she pushed open the door and stepped out into the cool spring night air. Unlike its name, Kousaku City was only a large town. Thefts, robberies, and the like weren't common, but weren't exactly rare, either.
     Her father made enough money to support them and rent a small apartment for the two of them. Angel's mother had left long ago, when she was only two. Her father hadn't really told her why, and Angel didn't press on the subject. Life was hard, but it could be worse.
     She snuck around to the alley behind the store, careful to avoid being spotted by her father or any of the other cops. The back door was after the corner, and dumpsters and boxes filled the alley.
     She touched the cool metal handle of the door, surprised to feel it swing open easily at her touch. She poked her head in, hoping that no one was in the room.
     Angel saw no one, and stepped into the dark room. She shut the door behind her gently. Boxes, crates, and copies of old games were stacked on shelves that occupied the room.
     There was a chain dangling from the ceiling, and she grabbed it and pulled. A single dim light bulb flickered on, chasing away shadows.
     Angel's original plan was to put her ear to the door and listen in to what the case was about. She loved to do things like this whenever her father took her along. So far, she had never been caught. Angel smiled, walking quietly across the room.
     Suddenly her foot hit something. Angel looked down to see a small necklace, and picked it up. It had a delicate silver chain with a single charm. The charm was modeled to look like a Scythe, and was very detailed. Definitely handcrafted, Angel thought, turning it around in her hands.
     The chain was looped around the end of the staff, fight before the blade. Angel was about to put it back when she heard the voices approach the door.
     "Chief, we still haven't checked the back room," someone called.
     Oh, no! I gotta fly, Angel thought quickly. She clicked off the light and dashed to the back door, closing it hastily behind her. She clutched the necklace as she ran back to the car, but stopped at the mouth of the alley.
     There, looking through the garbage was something Angel had never seen before. At first she thought it was a dog, but it had a devil's tail, tiny bat wings and was covered in red, bristly fur. Spikes ran from its head down its back, and large horns were on top of its head.
     She gasped and dropped the necklace. The creature vanished as soon as the necklace was out of her grasp. Angel blinked and rubbed her eyes. Still, nothing appeared. "Oh, wow, I must be tired," she laughed to herself.
     She reached down and picked up the necklace. As soon as she looked up the creature was back. Angel stood frozen this time. It glanced up in her direction, a piece of chicken between its rows of razor teeth. Angel slowly lowered into a crouch and placed the necklace on the ground, pulling her hand away. The creature disappeared. She poked the necklace, and the creature appeared for as long as her poke lasted. When she pulled her finger away, it disappeared.
     This is cursed or something, she thought, grabbing it and standing up. The creature was back. Wonder if the necklace lets me see demons or something, she thought, slowly walking past the thing. It took no notice of her and continued poking around the trash, sounding and acting just like a stray dog. At least it's not as affectionate as one, she thought with a shudder.
     She stepped out of the alley to see her father exit the game store. "Angel? What are you doing out of the car?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
     "I, uh, thought I heard a noise," she said quickly. "Do you see anything in the alley?"
     He looked at her for a second, and then came and stood beside her. He reached down and grabbed a flashlight from his belt, clicking it on. He swept it around the alley, illuminating it. When the beam fell on the dog-demon, it growled and ducked behind a box, plainly visible for a second.
     "There's nothing there, sweetheart," he said, turning off the flashlight and re-clipping it to his belt.
     "Oh, okay," she said. So it is the necklace that lets me see demons, she thought. "Did the cameras reveal anything?" she continued as if nothing had happened.
     "Yes; a boy who looked to be in his mid-teens. He didn't even try to cover the evidence. All but smiled into the cameras," he said. "Although, we still haven't figured out how he got in. All the locks and alarms haven't seemed to be tampered with at all."
     Her father fished around his shirt pocket and dug out a photograph. "We managed to scan a photo from the video we got from the camera." He showed it to her, and Angel took it to study.
     A boy with mischievous red eyes looked back at her, his silvery hair gleaming. He wore a black coat over a red shirt and black buttons. His pants were black, along with his shoes. "Can I keep the photo?" Angel asked suddenly.
     She didn't know why she wanted it; she had just suddenly blurted it out. "I suppose, if you want it that badly. Just don't go waving it around," he said, giving her another funny look. "Anyway, I came out to drive you home. It looks like I'll need to come back and help with this investigation, and I wouldn't want you to have to stay here all night with me."
     Angel nodded. "Okay," she said, walking over to the car. Her father went to the driver's seat and she got in next to him.
     He started up the car, and Angel was soon lulled to sleep by the purring of the engine. Even as she dreamed, she still clutched the photo and the necklace.

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