Beyond the Bleak Inferno: Vampire Detective Paranormal Fantasy (Blood Veil Book 5) by Nicholas Woode-Smith

Author:Nicholas Woode-Smith [Woode-Smith, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2026-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

31

Fredward was right. Because of course he fucking was. Nothing could ever be simple. But it had been naïve of me to think otherwise. This was a big operation. Massive even. And it had wrapped Cape Town in a blanket of fear so palpable that I was glad I didn’t need to breathe, as the entire city seemed to be holding its breath.

The streets were empty around sundown. 24-hour shops were shuttered. Bars were eerily quiet and dark. Streets that were meant to be alive with partiers, night-workers and criminals were now ghost towns. Even the vagrants had disappeared.

There was no one left who could ignore the killings. This wasn’t like the gang wars or the spate of serial killers who had haunted Cape Town’s streets in the past. Those had all been isolated. Freak events in an otherwise peaceful city. But this? This was different.

Forty-six people had died. Forty-six random people, displayed grotesquely around the city without anyone seeing a damn fucking thing. If anyone had held onto any slim hope that the police could do their jobs and stop the killings, their optimism had been turned to ice and crushed.

There was no rhyme or reason to who was dying or where they would appear next. Anyone could be a target. Any place could become a charnel house.

The only pattern we could identify, and even the mortal press had gotten wind of, was one thing…

“There’s no doubt anymore,” Theo announced, his voice firm and strong, despite hiding a quaver underneath. “This is a countdown. Likely, to the end of the demonic festival of Carnivalis.”

No one in the Night Shift responded. They stared grimly at the board behind Theo, where photos of the new crime scene had been placed next to the map of Cape Town with pins of each murder site. There was still no discernible pattern.

The latest ten victims had been discovered inside a vacant home that had just entered the market. The realtor had discovered the scene after the neighbours had reported finding the front door open.

The victims had been stapled to the ceiling, bolted to the walls, and placed haphazardly on furniture throughout the house.

There was less symbolism this time. Fingers had been chopped off, alongside tongues, but there didn’t seem to be any structure to how the corpses were placed. It was as if the murderers had lost the drive to perfect each scene. It had become routine for them.

I only hoped that routine turned to apathy, which led to them slipping up. But I doubted that. They were good at this. Too good.

Andre stood up, clutching his phone in his hands. He had bags under his eyes and held none of that easy cheer that he usually infectiously spread.

“SAPS fobbed us off. Again. My contact asks why we care who the victims are. Says they’re all likely vagrants.”

Siya clicked his tongue and shook his head, as he sat back in his chair, arms and legs crossed angrily.

“Is there no one higher up we can contact?” Theo asked, desperate.

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