Salem, 
2015

THE SMELL OF CHEAP food filled my nostrils. I grimaced as my grip on my bag tightened. This was not the Salem I remembered, but I knew it would be different. Yet that nagging voice in the back of my head continued to pester me, saying that I had been hoping it was the same.

I really should've expected it to look like the cheapest tourist trap ever. There were a multitude of people walking around in gaudy paranormal and supernatural getups. I saw at least five restaurants with some witch pun name. My eyes almost got stuck looking into my head because they rolled so far back there. Why would someone ever be enticed to come to such and obvious grab at money?

Humans had gotten complacent, and I certainly wasn't an exception. If I was thrown back into the seventeenth century I'd surely die of starvation or something. Maybe one of the fifty diseases I died from in the past.

Death by disease had to be my least favorite way to go. Such a long process. It got to the point where I'd just shoot myself to get it over with quickly. One time I got tuberculosis, so it's pretty understandable why a bullet is more welcomed.

A growl ripped through my stomach. I placed my hand on it, rubbing it in annoyance. Of all the times—

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I sighed and pulled it out, ignoring the hunger pains. The caller I.D. showed me that that Detective had called again. Probably wondering if I had arrived yet. I sight before answering. "Hello?"

"Ah, Mr. Herwy. Have you arrived in Salem?"

"I have, Detective. Where am I meeting you again?" I asked, continuing the trek towards my motel room.

"The police station. Have you already checked in to a hotel?" He sounded insistent, probably wanting me to be there right now.

I looked out towards one of the haggling group of scarcely dressed girls in paranormal wear. "No, I'm on my way to do that now." I muttered while rolling my eyes. Why would anyone wear something like that? It's so confusing to me. I guess I still retained the properness that had been drilled into me for centuries.

"Alright. Just make sure to get here as soon as possible." The detective muttered.

"Will do." I answered. The detective didn't even say goodbye when he hung up. I sighed, shoving the phone back into my pocket.

My gaze swept over the streets again, eyeing each sign. It was supposed to be on this street. I did my absolute best to try to find a motel that did not have a stupid pun name, which proved to be impossible. I wanted a cheaper option only because it would ensure I didn't have to spend all of my money on living accommodations in this godforsaken town.

Part of me wished I still had my old family home, but I doubt it was still standing. If it was, then it was probably a part of a 'Haunted Ghost Town!' rumor the marketing team for this town were peddling. Why would anyone realistically want to mess with the paranormal? I bet if the paranormal was a known topic, seventy-five percent of people wouldn't do the stupid crap that people do while they think it's fake.

But then again white people are still a thing, so who knows.

My eyes continued to scan the street until they finally landed on it. 'The Wolf's Den'. Ugh. I'd dealt with werewolves before. The accursed things were way too good at detecting lies. How could someone ever be friends let alone lovers with them? I mean, it would be nice to know they will always know where their significant other is based on hearing and smell, but if someone ever lied to them to either protect them or themselves, they'd flip. Their anger issues were common knowledge.

I could sense some wandering around the town. There was a mix of various creatures milking everywhere. From wolves to vamps, Salem was filled with the supernatural. It made sense. Why not settle somewhere already known for being weird instead of in some normal community.

The bell above the door jingled as I walked in. A young girl standing behind the counter looked up. She grinned, revealing rows of shiny teeth. Brown dust surrounded her, causing a frown to grow on my face. She was a werewolf. I walked forward, dragging my bag along with me. "Hello there, sir! How may I help you?"

"I made a reservation."

"Name?" She asked as she began to type on the computer.

The brown continued to swirl around her. A pit formed in the bottom of my stomach. All of my instincts were telling me to run. She is a werewolf, she'll kill us.

And yet I can't leave. I have to protect the few humans that do populate this town. I have to protect the world from the dead. Hell, if it gets out that the dead are coming back to life? That'd be absolute chaos. The dead need to stay dead, me included. I died over three-hundred years ago and have remained miserable since then. Darkness settled over my mind as I answered the wolf. "Lawrence. Lawrence Herwy."

She nodded, her brow slightly furrowed as she typed my name in. "Alright, you're in room 5c." She grabbed a key from the wall behind her and then held her hand out.

I reached forward and grabbed it, but she kept a hold on it as she looked into my eyes. "And please, sir, if you are feeling down or anything, don't hesitate to ask us for assistance. We want to keep our customers happy and healthy."

My arm jerked down as she released her hold. "I'll keep that in mind." I muttered, grabbing my bag.

And with that, we parted ways.

•••

THE HUBBUB IN THE entrance of this police station was intense. There were paparazzi’s and people busy trying to get information on the phenomenon from a few days ago. Someone shoved against me as I stood in the middle of the mob. A grunt escaped me and I glared at the perpetrator. A stupid tourist dressed in a witch’s costume. Wonderful.

She looked me up and down before rolling her eyes and looking away. Curses bubbles up in my mind, forcing me to bite down on my bottom lip to keep from blowing up on her.

I looked back up towards the entrance towards the offices of the police. Swirls of color spilled out of every crack. There were a lot of supernatural in there. A few were in this crowd, but not as many as there were inside. Why would they invite a human to investigate? Unless, per chance, they weren't expecting me to arrive?

My fingers pressed against the cool metal of my phone before I pulled it out of my pocket. I quickly dialed the detective's number and then put the phone against my ear. A few moments passed before he answered. "Mr. Herwy! Where are you?"

"Stuck in the mob." I muttered, my eyes scanning the windows.

I watched as one of the blinds lifted up, and I saw a man press his face through. People began to point at him and surge towards the window, but he quickly snapped the blinds closed. "Okay, now listen to me. I'm gonna need you to get outside and then use the back entrance."

A groan escaped me. "I'm stuck in the center of this mess."

"I know, but we can't let any of these people in to tamper with any evidence."

"Fine, okay. I'll meet you there, I assume?" I said, turning towards the door and pushing my way out.

"No, there'll be another guy there, maybe a girl..." his voice trailed off, almost as if he was looking for someone, "Ah! Evelyn!"

A muffled female voice passed through the phone. "I need you to get the back entrance and open it. I have a guy coming in to look over the crime scene."

The voice sounded hesitant. The detective only sighed. "This isn't normal, okay? I know you know about this stuff but I figured an outside perspective would do us good too."

"Everything alright?" I asked, finally pushing out of the mob.

"Yes, there will be someone to meet you at the back. She's a young woman named Evelyn. Can't miss her."

"Okay then, see you in a bit, Detective."

He only grunted in response before hanging up. I rolled my eyes as I walked towards the back. Did this guy not know how to say goodbye? A huff escaped me as I made it to a door. This was most likely the back entrance.

It was only a few moments later that the door opened. I frowned as I looked down. A young woman with waves of curly brown hair and striking grass green eyes stood there. She had a rounder face and wasn't skinny but not obese either. I probably would've attempted flirting with her had I not seen one huge turn-off.

Green tendrils shifted around her body, fading in and out of existence. They shimmered whenever I saw them, coiling tighter around her limbs. A sigh escaped her full lips. "Are you Lawrence Herwy?"

I nodded curtly, trying to keep my souring mood in check. Of course there'd be a witch here. What was I expecting, a human welcome party? The girl sighed, turning away from me. "I'm Evelyn Pennington, a consultant for the police. Please, follow me so I can lead you through this maze of a building." She laughed to herself, turning towards the entrance.

My stomach churned. The thought of following a witch was sickening to me. I hadn't trusted one in my entire existence, especially after Lavern. Except for one, actually. But that was a dark time in my life that I preferred not to think about. My chest burned, so I absentmindedly rubbed the spot.

Evelyn gestured for me to follow her again and I did so with a frown on my face. Following a witch into a building was always a bad idea. They could corner you and kill you without even batting one of their eyelashes. I hate them so much.

My legs get like lead as every instinct within my bones told me not to follow Evelyn. She was a witch, the one species I hated the most. Warlocks were annoying, but I had never really gotten involved in any of their problems. Werewolves were invasive and smelled like dogs. Vampires were okay as long as you didn't expose your veins to them, especially the jugular. But witches? They were nasty bitches.

The hallways were lit, thankfully, and there were a few windows that had bars on them. Evelyn led me past multiple doors and even the holding cells. My stomach churned as I saw the metal bars. Prison was not someplace I wanted to be again.

Eventually we made it to an open room. Colorful swirls billowed around the floor. My movement slowed as I walked through them, noticing every single shade. How many supernaturals were in here?

I looked up, and saw about fifteen people. One of them looked at me. "Mr. Herwy?"

"Yes, that'd be me. Are you the detective?"

He nodded. "Jacob Adams, pleasure to meet you." He was a human. The one human in here. Everyone else was a supernatural.

The swirls blew away as I moved my arm up to shake his hand. I gave him a small nod before turning towards the rest of the group. I identified the brown of a werewolf, the red of a vampire, a great chunk of witches and warlocks, and a few other species. I think there was a water nymph, but I could be completely wrong.

My nerves swelled up, and I could see the werewolf in the room eyeing me. He was feeling my nerves. Great. I couldn't lie to them, if I did he would know. Werewolves and vampires on a police force were great as they could easily sense pulses, allowing them to know when someone was lying. Witches and warlocks could probably use a spell if they were of the right type but I hate all of them so I refuse to say something good about them.

"This is Leslie Doyle, the head detective here in Salem." He gestured at a man who had brown falling off him in waves. An alpha.

I held my hand out to him and kept my pulse as steady as possible. "It's nice to meet you, Detective Doyle."

"Pleasures mine." He said, his voice deep and gruff. His sandy blonde hair was gelled to perfection and the little bit of stubble he had actually made his chiseled face look better. His eyes were a light color, green or blue I couldn't tell.

My hand fell from his as a voice rang out. "Are you sure this is the right guy? He looks like a sixteen year old!"

I turned towards the accuser. Standing there was a vampire who appeared to be in his twenties. The red swirled around him, weaving through his limbs. His hair was a deep black and curly. He had a clean shaven face unlike the werewolf. "I'm actually twenty-five, just have a young face." I smoothly answered.

Detective Doyle glared at the vampire. "That's Gene, he's far too inquisitive. He's one of the forensics. Just ignore his constant questioning."

"Good to know." I muttered, turning away from Gene. His dark eyes shimmered a soft red. He probably smelled my blood or something, perhaps my pulse quickened slightly. I wasn't sure, and I really hope he didn't think anything bad about me. I just needed to solve this problem and then get out of here.

Of course, with so many supernaturals here, this whole excursion would be even more difficult than I originally planned.