Epilogue: The Shadows Remain

In a dimly lit room at Mexico police headquarters, Hernandez sits at his desk writing a report on this month's case—he called the report "Chupacabra July."

After we escaped from the secret lab, El Mystico went to court and got a guilty verdict. After that, he begged for a retrial, saying he would reveal some key cartel information like drug smuggling routes. But we all know the only cartel he's going to rat out is his rival, and besides, I'm pretty sure he's going to end up free anyway—either by bribe or escape from prison.

As for the other dogs that got turned into "chupacabras," all of them were euthanized. I really begged Fernando not to euthanize them, but he said the order came from the top. I guess this might be for a cover-up—maybe someone at the top works for the cartel.

The lab also got examined and we secured the missing chemicals. As a reward, Teresa said she might consider a joint operation next time there's going to be a case. Essentially, I can lay back on some cases while DEA agents from America work hard for me.

"Hey Hernandez, are you writing the report for this month's case?" Ramirez asked.

"Yeah, I'm writing the report now. Say, have you seen Vincent?"

"Nope. You think he's avoiding us because, you know..."

"Huh, oh hehe, yeah. Or he's getting scolded for letting us capture one of the key cartel leaders."

"Oh, Hernandez, what happened to the dog you rescued?"

"Hmm, oh, I gave it to my sister Maria. She owns a vet clinic, so I gave the dog to her for checking and some free treatment."

"Oh, is that so? Shame—I hoped he could be an official police dog."

"Yeah, I agree with you, but Fernando isn't too keen on us having a walking furball that might sniff out the rats here. Hehe."

"Eh, hehe, nice one."

"Well, I'll leave you to it then. I'm also going to work on some reports."

"But you aren't required to write reports like me, right?"

"Yeah, Fernando told me to write the report for him."

"Huh, that's weird. Fernando usually isn't a busy person, so... nah, it couldn't be."

Somewhere in the outskirts of New Mexico, a building stands in the Mexican desert with the name "La Casa de las Sombras" (The House of Shadows).

In one of the rooms, some of the most important members of the cartel gather there: Arana, Santos, Reyes, and including Los Hermanos del Dolor, which is part of the larger group called La Sangre Unida (The United Blood).

"How could you let this happen, Vincent?"

One of the henchmen hits Vincent with a baseball bat.

"Eh, it isn't my fault—El Mystico just got reckless."

"Inexcusable. Hit him again."

The henchman hits Vincent again.

"Ahhh, that one seemed personal."

"Well, of course, Vincent. Since El Mystico got arrested, the wrestling match we planned for his son got cancelled, and we lost a lot of money because of it."

"Huh, well, you should have bet on other sports. Hehe."

The henchman hits Vincent again, again, and again until he bleeds and loses some teeth.

Then a man opens the door.

"That's enough. He's already gotten his punishment. Let him go."

"Ah, Don Sombra Azul, glad to see you could join us here."

The whole room went silent—cigarettes were crushed out mid-puff, conversations stopped mid-sentence. No one bowed; they simply stood, backs straight, heads down.

"Yeah, let Vincent go. He's suffered enough."

"Hehe, of course, muchachos."

Soon the henchman frees Vincent from the chains and brings him to another room.

"So since El Mystico is unavailable, what's next, Hermano?"

"We have to lay low for now—that's the message from our leader."

"Just lay low? Has our boss lost his mind? The other cartels might hit us and take what's ours."

"Watch your tongue, Hermano, or you might lose it."

"Ah, calm down. I'm just stating the obvious, Hermano."

"You better be. Anyway, I'm done here. I have to return to 'work.'"

"Hehe, so soon? Why don't you stay here to relax? Your 'work' surely could wait."

"Sorry, but I'm not feeling it. Besides, if I don't return to 'work' soon, you might get replaced. Heh."

The man leaves the room filled with cartel leaders and members.

"Tch, who does he think he is? He's just a rat."

"Oh well, let's see—maybe you'll be the one who gets replaced, Fernando. Hehe."

Back at the police station:

"Ah, finally done. How about you, Ramirez?"

Ramirez yawns. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm done here too, Hernandez."

"Well, since we're done writing reports, let's celebrate this case."

"Oh right, hehe. How could I forget our delayed celebration?"

"So where are we going to go for this case celebration, Hernandez?"

"Hmm, I don't know."

"Ohh, how about birria tacos?"

"Really? Birria tacos? Wait, have you been craving goat ever since we worked on this case?"

"Hey, don't blame me. When Fernando said those poor 'goats' tasted like lamb chops, I couldn't help but think about birria tacos."

"You know what? Fine, sure. We could go for some birria tacos this time."

"Really? Okay then, let's go."

Hernandez and Ramirez leave their office.

"Ah, finally July's going to end. Soon it will be a bit cooler, right?"

"Nah, since there's global warming, I bet it's going to continue to be hot."

I wipe the sweat from my face.

"Yeah, shame. So are you going to order four tacos or even seven tacos?"

"Four? Seven? That chupacabra might have bitten your brain or something. Hehe."

"Ah, screw you, cabrón."

Ramirez and Hernandez then leave the police station to go to the taco place.

For them, this case might be over, but soon there might be other bizarre or dangerous cases they might face. But in the meantime, they can enjoy the small victory of solving this case.

The End

Thank you for reading Chupacabra July till the end.
See you another time. Adiós.