Becoming Monsters 1: Ch. 15

"Why don't I feel bad?" Honoka asked, her voice cracking as she looked back down at the corpse. For a moment, her mind saw one of those basketball girls instead of a cooling body. Without noticing, some tears dropped to the floor, splashing in the blood. "I want to kill him again, I feel like it would make me happy." Turning her face back up to the succubus, she openly wept now. "Diane, why do I feel this way?"

Diane didn't have an answer, but she would regret not giving one.

********************

The police descended on Solomon's brothel like a Biblical plague.

In the lead and in full tactical gear, Sergeant Miner led the charge. Dozens of officers burst through every entrance and some windows, flashbangs and even automatic bursts of gunfire going on inside the converted warehouse. Screaming clients and prostitutes spilled out into the waiting arms of even more cops. Two police choppers spun overhead and shown lights upon any movement. In real-time, the raid only lasted fifteen minutes, but it was very intense as SWAT escorted escorts and their Johns and Janes out of the front in cuffs and zip ties.

News vans and reporters crowded behind the yellow tape and one lucky cameraman nabbed the shot of two women wrapped in blankets, an African American and an Irish American, escorted by Sergeant Miner who handed each girl a purse before putting them in a squad car and driving away. This footage was ignored mainly for the real story. A giant of a man, whorled blue skin and jutting teeth emerging in all his demonic visage, dressed in a tailored suit and notably walking without cuffs to be questioned outside of the range of cameras by two detectives. The elusive Solomon Church had avoided any previous public appearances and catching him on film was a network's dream. Before tonight, some people even wondered if he actually existed.

What the news media didn't notice, nor did the detectives or anyone else, was the small camera in one hand that the incubus casually held, his massive fist completely hiding it from view. If any saw it, they probably wouldn't think much of a pimp holding a ProGo.

"It was self-defense, anyone would see that." Driving the squad car, Philip Miner had his lights flashing to ease his way quickly through traffic, talking to assure the women in the back seat. "The ME's going to say it, I'm going to report it, that's the end of it." He turned right at one road and zoomed past stopped cars. "Isn't a DA that would bother fighting that. First, we'll take you to a hospital to check you out, but only so much they can do for a succubus so I've called Georgia and she's on her way to top you off."

"Thanks," Diane said, meaning it, but it wasn't in her voice. She stared at her wife and didn't know what to say. Honoka seemed disconnected, wrapped in her blanket and looking out the window at nothing. "Hono-chan..."

"I'm fine," Honoka replied, not looking away from the window. She didn't sound depressed or anxious, just flat.

"Georgia is going to probably give you the riot act, Di," Philip kept talking, either not noticing the drama or trying to break through it. "When I told her you both eloped with two other women without a chance for her to put on a proper wedding, I lost the hearing in one of my ears." He chuckled a little, but the police officer wasn't good at keeping a conversation going so the three lapsed into an awkward silence.

"I want to go home," Honoka suddenly announced, eyes still peering out the window. "Can you just take me home?"

Philip looked back, his face concerned. Diane leaned forward against plastic separating the front and back, agony upon her face and in her voice. "Please?" she asked, her eyes going back to Honoka with the unspoken need for her wife to recover.

Not saying anything, Philip found an intersection and swung the car around, heading back towards Norwood. It didn't take long, but turning into a familiar cul-de-sac and shutting off his lights, Philip parked and turned around to look both women over.

"I'm doing this under protest, potions are not a substitute for a doctor. Georgia will come by in about an hour and see if you need anything. I am going to request some officers be parked out here for the next couple of days for your safety. You don't get to argue with me about it. Also, regulations require a psychiatrist meet with both of you in the next week." He exited and opened the door to let them out. "Call me if you need anything."

Honoka didn't say anything as she walked up to the door of her building, producing her pink bag from under the blankets and unlocking the door. Diane gave the closest person she thought of as a father a desperate look and then followed her wife into the dark stairway. Honoka went up quickly because when the succubus arrived at the apartment the shower was already running. Opening her purse Philip recovered in that basement, Diane discovered a lot of missed calls and texts from a worried Banda and Eve. Of course, when Honoka allocated, Banda went out of her mind wondering what happened. Diane sent off some texts and the girls were on their way. Georgia had also tracked down and called Uzume, Honoka's mother, the Japanese mother-in-law leaving a few urgent messages on the succubus' phone.

"I am too young to deal with in-law drama," the succubus lamented, firming her resolve and walking into the bathroom. The water rained down from the showerheads, yet it didn't sound like Honoka was moving, so Diane sat on the tub and didn't enter. "Banda and Eve are on their way over, will be here in a little over an hour. Your mom also heard the news from Georgia so you need to call her soon."

"Ok."

The water turned off and Honoka stepped out, dripping water on the tile. When she tried to go past Diane, the succubus inhaled sharply, seeing extensive bubbled burns on the back of Honoka's head and back, a lot of her hair at her neck singed to ash from the final fire attack. Grabbing the black woman, Diane turned her around to examine the damage. "Honoka, why didn't you say anything?! Stay right here while I fetch a healing salve."

"It's fine, I don't feel it," Honoka replied, trying to break out of the grip and continue into the other room. "I'm tired and just want to go to bed."

"What is wrong?" Diane pleaded, conflicted between holding her and getting the salve, eventually relenting and going to her supplies. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"I said I'm fine," the black hermaphrodite repeated with rising irritation, walking to the bed, throwing off the covers and crawled under them, still wet but pulling them over her head.

Diane came over with the salve and pushed the covers back, rubbing some of the yellow glowing ointment into her hand. "You are not fine. I think you feel bad about killing a man. You shouldn't feel bad, he tried to kill you."

"NO!!" Honoka shouted, turning around kicking off the covers, knocking the salve out of Diane's hands. "I don't care about that sick lowlife, he deserved to die! I wanted him to die! But when I looked over at your face, I saw it." Honoka bent forward and nearly touched their noses together, her intense stare so close. "I can still see it: your disgust at marrying a murderer. You're terrified of me! You're probably asking yourself how you can love someone so FILTHY!!" Pushing the stunned succubus off of the bed, Honoka hyperventilated as she looked down at her hands.

"Honoka, I...I love you," Diane pleaded, but the slight pause, no matter that it came from distress and not doubt, only appeared to confirm Honoka's delusions.

"And you," Honoka said, her mind unable to stay focused, reached between her legs at the erect penis as if she wanted to tear it off and wincing from the burns. "Always controlling me, never letting up, ruining my life, all I ever wanted was to be normal." The last phrase was said in a croaking whisper, her eyes moving upwards towards the kitchen. Diane followed her gaze and saw the knife block.

At the same time, they looked back at each other, then Honoka jumped off the bed. Diane scrambled desperately to follow, diving into a low tackle as the two naked women struggled against one another.

"Let me go! I want to be clean! I want to be normal!" Honoka cried as she fought to crawl closer to the kitchen. Diane proved stronger and eventually, the black woman collapsed and bawled in the embrace of her wife. An hour later, forgetting to lock the door, Eve and Banda walked in on the two women still holding each other while they sobbed on the kitchen floor.