Days leading to Friday 11th March, 1892
One of Garv's old flames came up to him, to save her husband, Garv looked quite uncomfortable saying no to her. Coming over to the group and explaining that her husband has been missing for some weeks, his recent interest in gambling had soon become a problem and he was last seen entering the renowned gentleman's club “The Umbral Rooms”, which my broker Mr. Green knows of, so he was able to give us a few directions. I gave my option “ Piece of cake just go straight in, grab him, fight anything that stops us?” My option was quickly ignored and snubbed at by Sir Robert, I nick name him Sir Bobby, its more my language.
Saturday 12th March, 1892
Much time was spent thinking something I never spend much time thinking about “seductive” plans. Just like fighting, keep trying new things on the spot when Im in the ring. Eventually the “intellectuals” decide a plan on how to get inside the club because entry was by invitation only. Next day we would sort out props for our disguise.
Sunday 13th of March, 1892
Waking that morning, I went outside for my newspaper. Flagging a paperboy, shouting “Death at docks, beast suspected” I immediately thought that the beast that I fought for the entertainment of Red Sash, had escaped. Taking the paper from the boy I flapped it into shape, to get the full front page. Scanning it I read around the huge letters of the paper “Death at docks, victims bitten in chunks” several bodies, were found one each day for the last four days. Each of them missing limbs and lying in a large pool of their own blood. All victims were at or in dock or the surrounding dockland terraces. From what I recalled I never saw the Beasts mouth in the nights light, but it never went to bite me, it was a brute who went fists first. Glancing up to recall more of that shady night, I see the pawn broker across the road was selling a harmonica. It was silver, with a brass bar across the end of the vents. It reminded me of my knucks. Taking the paper into the lodge, so I can sit with a Guinness. Reading more of the paper, things became more dodgy, the first body was discovered at pier 37, which is where the spices gets processed, the smells from India always waft around 37, the cargo is normally comes in sacks and is generally handled 1 at a time by the crew and horses. So how an animal was in that vicinity was even more strange. Something was going on.
All that talk about preparing for tonight upset the Reverend Steel. That such “nefarious deeds are to be done on the day of the holy sabbath” so we lose a day effectively. Ms Morag, Sir Bobby and the Reverend visit their churches. Leaving me, Garv and Doc to do our own things. At this point I show them the paper, explain this is something out of the ordinary for that area of docks, we establish an investigation.
That morning I got a letter brought to me by a boy. Opening it it was Portman's bad handwriting, it read “I'm in trouble, help me mate” I got Willie and Doc to come give us a hand, telling them one of my mates was in a spot of bother.
We visit the Tiger Docks where the killings started. I ask around from the foremen and the workers, there is an air about the place, different to the usual salty mist with seagulls plaguing the surroundings. The foreman tells me that Portman has been absent from work for 2 weeks. Any men that are within eye shot don't say anything to me, they seemed shit scared.
Abandoning the docks we went to Portman's house. Knocking we were answere by a large lady with a piny on. “What you want?” she belted with a alrge warty mouth, my god was Portman an unlucky man. “Hello mam, is Portman in,” “who are you she shouted” “I'm a work college who was wondering why he hasn't been at work.” “No he hasn't been home for a while either, he's probably at that damn inn while I'm here looking after his five children” she tells us not noticing the faces me and Garv are pulling at her spitting when she speaks. Garv asks the name of the inn and we are on our way when she points down the street saying, “down there second street to your left.”
Arriving at the pub with a well used door, probable propping up drunks and slammed against the wall when its closing hours. There is a large commotion of voices in the inn, generally dark and not for a lady to be seen in. I go in and ask for Wilie to wait outside with Doc. I normally have a bit more leeway with the dockland workers, most have heard of me, so I can get a few nods some of the time. Approaching the barman, I ask him for a drink, he ignores me spitting into a glass and starts screeching it when he wipes it clean. I ask him a bit louder whilst slamming my hand on the bar for service, started he looks at me as do the other men sitting at the bar, “what you want” he orders. “I wanna know if you've seen a docker called, Portman” then gave him a description of the feller. “I see a lot of those” he says “Why's this one any different”. For goodness sake, this isn't taking turns with questions, I loose it and grab the edge of the bar, the fancy bit nailed on top for decoration and I start to squeeze it, making a horrible creaking sound; glaring I spit out “Because the dumb fucker owes me money and I want to get my hands on him”. The bar top, now completely warped from my touch, sent the barman quivering. “I've not seen him” he trembles, spluttering his words on the glass hes just wiped.
Garv shoves his head in the bar and shouts out “Rig come out a sec” leaving the bar I make sure no one starts on me, prowling the room, with each footstep, and my gaze scanning for movement. Flapping the door shut, I see Garv and Doc, up the road , the one with the dead end, that backs onto the estates close to the bar. Garv signals for me to catch up, jogging along we see two guys up ahead, one with a large white hat on, probable a sailor. A huge roar from one of the men bellows towards me then one of the men collapses strangely. When we can see them both up close, we see two halves of a man,, while the other one has a large hea with row upon row of spear head teeth heading straight for Garv. Garv cleverly grabbed part of a crate from the street, broken a plank off and wedged the incoming jaws with it. The plank was a good idea, but it didn't last. Just enough time for me to catch up and get it's attention. The beast was an odd colour, normal skin was mottled with a placid grey shade, bit like a corpse colour. Avoiding its jaws I gave a few sweeps and uppercuts to its chest, a single jab to its face. I was lucky to get my arm back, because those jaws snapped with such force, it echoed through the beast's chest.
I get punched by the human arm with inhuman strength sent flying into some crates. This sent me into a rage, last thing I see is Garvin distracting it with some fancy knife work, setting the scene for a open throat attack. I jumped in the air and sent a over arm punch right into its gills. My hand went through the slimy gills and hit part of the skeleton. The fish snuffed it, blood gushing from its neck, trying to stop it gushing with both hands. A gurgling sound escaping its mouth, it slumped to its knees and fell backwards with a splash into its own pool.
What happened next was completely fascinating. After it stopped twitching, the necklace around its neck became still, the head began to collapse on itself. The teeth eroded to more smoother, square like gnashes the eyes seemed like a grey black mix or ink, with a clear blue color emerging like an island in the gloom. Slowly the rest of the features morphed into a man, a man I knew the face of all too well, except the huge fist shape hole in his neck, I knew one thing for sure, Jacob's wife was going to kill me if she found out. Glancing at the other guy straining my neck to get the angle, the other man under the blood resembled Portman. One thing about the two men, except they both were covered in gore, was that necklace. I didn't suit Jacob's usual look. Grabbing it from his neck, carefully, I close his eyes and place two shillings on their eyes each, not a proper dockland respect but all i can manage in the short time. Throwing the necklace up in the air playfully, Doc comes in and wants to use Jacob's body for research, I feel uneasy about this, but Garv seeing my quietness, throws in to the conversation, “It would be difficult to get the body back Doc in this light.” Leaving the body, I glance behind me at the two bodies and wonder could I have done more for them.