Leech

June Yi coughed as her throat burned. A scene of fire and black smoke straight out of hell wavered from the heat. Her house was burning, and in the room past the sliding door, an anguished scream echoed. She ran towards it and slid open the door, searing her hand in the process. A silhouette engulfed in flames rolled on the floor.

"Mom!" June reached out.

The ceiling collapsed and fiery rubble rained down in front of her and blocked the way with a wall of flames. June cried and screamed.

"Captain!" someone yelled. Who was that?

"Captain!"

Jun awoke. The room was cool and dark, and a faint white light was cast on her futon through the paper of the sliding door, the shadow of the door's grid frame interrupted by a silhouette of someone kneeling outside.

"Captain Song, are you awake?" It was Lieutenant Shimol Jang's voice.

"Yes, of course. What brings you here in the middle of the night?" Jun asked.

"We've been assigned a case," Shimol said.

"And this can't wait until morning? I do enjoy a good night's rest."

"Believe me, no one wants that more than me. I tried. The Interior Minister was adamant that we had to move now."

She yawned. "Fine. I'll get dressed and join everyone at the gate."

"I'll wait for you here."

"You're dead if you try to sneak a peek."

"I wouldn't do something so unseemly. I'll turn around." His silhouette shifted.

Jun undressed her white night robes and opened her drawer to take out the bandages. She bound up her chest and changed into her black uniform. There was a certain sleekness to her pants and jacket that, when combined with the golden lines on the cuffs and near the buttons, had an air of modernity. This had been styled after Western uniforms after all. Jun grabbed the sword in the corner of her room and holstered it. She put on her cap over her short hair. She slid open the door, and Shimol was staring at the moon, his cap's shiny black bill gleaming in the moonlight.

"All ready?" Shimol looked back with a grin. He had flowing black hair and a high nose. His smile was cute enough to die for, though sometimes he was a lot cuter when he didn't talk.

"You really didn't have to wait for me. People outside our unit think I'm a man. They might get the wrong idea if you're too clingy. You might even be demoted if someone from the Imperial Guard caught wind of this."

Shimol shrugged his broad shoulders and stood up. "Being assigned to this unit is considered being demoted to rock bottom anyway."

They made their way across the stone paths to the front gate of the unit's quarters. Below the black, shingled roof overlooking the red columns of the gate, two people wearing black uniforms stood in the shadows.

"I woke up the captain. We're ready," Shimol said.

"What did the big wigs foist on us this time?" Eugene grunted, adjusting his shoulders for the large backpack he was carrying.

"It's a bit north from here. The manager of a lumbermill was murdered. His body is in a horrific state. That's all I know."

"This is what they consider an emergency? We're not their pets." Eugene scoffed, and the breath ruffled his partially grey mustache.

"Whatever. Let's just go. I'll blast the evil spirits away easy," Desun proclaimed, crossing his arms. As usual, his uniform's buttons were misaligned, and his hat was crooked, so his bed head was poking out. His short stature and youthful face gave him a childlike appearance, but he was nothing so innocent as that. Not that anyone could say anything due to his skill.

"Let's move out." Jun ignored them and walked over to the boxy black automobile suspended on large, thin wheels. Eugene did have a point though. The higher ups wouldn't summon them so quickly over a single person's death, especially if they weren't a noble. Something smelled strange. She opened the door, and everyone climbed in, Shimol taking shotgun. Jun inserted the magitech crystal into the slot next to the wheel. A low hum filled the inside of the car; the magitech engine was in perfect condition.

Jun pulled the levers to switch gears, then turned the wheel and stepped on the accelerator, speeding out the gates of the Imperial Exorcism Unit's compound. Eugene and Desun grabbed onto their seats clinging for dear life.

"Whose idea was it to let Captain drive?" Desun complained.

Shimol said, "Magitech engines are a state secret, so the Interior Ministry has only given Captain permission to use one. Besides, it's not so bad if you're used to it—" The automobile jerked up, and he hit his head on the roof. "Ow!"

"We're heading into bumpy territory as we approach the lumbermill. Watch your head," Jun said.

"Gee, thanks for warning me."

When they rolled up to the lumbermill, the tires crunched the gravel and leaves, and the mill was dark and still. There was only a faint light near the entrance. After they pulled up by the front, the light approached them. It was a stout police officer in dark blue uniform. They climbed out of the automobile.

The round-faced officer saluted. "I'm Officer Ou of the Imperial Police, Shinra Metropolitan 1st division. I've been told to expect you."

Jun returned his salute. "I'm Captain Jun Song, from the Imperial Interior Section. Please take us to the body." It was technically true that her unit was under the Interior Section, but the Exorcism Unit didn't officially exist, so she always ended up fudging the truth a little.

"Yes, sir."

The officer led them around to the back of the mill near the forest. A cold wind howled through the trees, and the foliage rattled like a snake. Several clearings full of stumps like desolate islands in a sea of harsh moonlight.

"I'm honored to be working together with such elite inspectors from the Interior Ministry. They even gave you an automobile. It's my first time seeing one up close. Is it a Solradian import?" Officer Ou sure was talkative.

"Yeah," Jun answered blithely.

Shimol elbowed Jun. "That attitude's not going to make any friends."

"We received it rather recently. The Ministry recognized that our job requires much travel and decided it was time to modernize and move on from horseback," Shimol said.

"Wow. I hope the Ministry comes to that conclusion for the police department too."

Holding a lantern, Officer Ou lit the path further in to where the body lay against a tree. The man was dressed in a Western suit, and upon closer examination, his skin had turned grey, and his whole body had shriveled up like a raisin. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks sunken. It looked as though a leech had sucked him dry.