The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the overgrown garden as Jack approached the old Victorian house. The paint was peeling, the windows were grimy, and the air hung heavy with the scent of damp earth and forgotten memories. It was a place where time seemed to have stood still, a relocation of a bygone era.
Jack: Elm street... Check aaaand... (sighs) creepy old house... check.
Jack hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the ornate brass knocker. Taking a deep breath, Jack knocked on the heavy oak door. The sound echoed through the house, followed by a long silence. He waited, his heart pounding in his chest, but there was no answer.
Just as he was about to knock again, the door creaks open, revealing a dark hallway that unsettles him. He sighs, reluctant to step in as he looks back thinking to himself: "Maybe i should walk away... maybe ask Viktor to get walking away and maybe ask Viktor to get someone else to do with this crap..." Moments of silence pass and Jack sighs before taking his steps in, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. The house was filled with an eerie silence, broken only by the ticking of an old grandfather clock.
He went deeper into the hallway, his footsteps echoing on the wooden floorboards. The air being thick with the scent of dust and decay, the furniture covered in white sheets.
Seems this place has been abandoned for years" Jack said in thought as he reached the end of the hallway. The hallway had a couple of doors but there was one slightly ajar, strangely having caught Jack's attention. He slowly pushes the door open, stepping into the dimly lit room, furnished with a large, four-poster bed, a writing desk, and a bookshelf overflowing with books.
In the center of the room, sitting in a rocking chair, was an old woman. She was frail and thin, with skin like parchment paper and eyes as dark as night. She was dressed in a long, black dress, and her hair was white as snow.
Jack approached her cautiously, his eyes fixed on her face. She didn't move, didn't even blink. It was as if she wasn't even aware of his presence.
Jack: Hello? (He said softly, his voice echoing in the room.)
He walks right around the woman, standing infront of her, with no reaction to any sort to his greet or appearance just complete stillness. Jack leaned forward looking into her eyes, seeing she hasn't moved them, he snapped his fingers and waved at face, but she remained unfazed. A shiver ran down his spine. Was she even alive?
Just as he was about to turn away, a raspy female voice spoke, "I've been expecting you, Harvey."
Jack jumped back, startled. The old woman's eyes finally net his. A slow, unsettling smile spread across her face, revealing a set of yellowed teeth.
"We have much to discuss," she rasped, her voice like dry leaves skittering across the pavement.
Jack: "Harvey?" I think you have the wrong guy. My name's Jack.
The woman tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. "Jack..." After a long silence, she spoke again with her voice soft and gentle. "Forgive me, young one. I seem to have mistaken you for an old friend of mine." She chuckled, a dry, rattling sound.
Jack nodded, relieved. He was starting to feel a little uneasy around the woman, her cryptic words and piercing gaze making him feel like he was being watched from a distance.
But tell me, Jack," the woman continued, her voice still soft but with a hint of curiosity, "what brings you here? What troubles you?"
Jack hesitated, unsure how to answer. He didn't want to reveal too much about his mission, but he also didn't want to lie to this mysterious woman.
Jack: I'm looking for answers, (he finally said,) answers about… well, about a situation. A young woman… she was possessed. By something. And now… she's gone.
The woman's eyes widened. "Possessed, you say? By what? A spirit? A demon?"
Jack: (He shrugged.) I don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out. I need to know what happened to her, if she's even still… alive.
The woman leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Jack. "Tell me more. Describe this… possession. What were the symptoms?"
Jack described how the girl's sister had been possessed, her eyes going black, a black goo oozing from her eyes and mouth.
The woman's smile froze. Her eyes widened, a look of sheer terror creeping into her face. "Black goo? Eyes going black?" She muttered, her voice trembling. "No, no, no… this can't be happening."
Jack, alarmed by the woman's sudden change in demeanor, asked, "What can't be happening?"
The woman shook her head frantically, her voice rising in pitch. "It… it's happening again… the… the…" She seemed to be searching for the right words, her mind racing. "It's… it's… the return…"
Jack: (Confused, he leaned closer.) The return of what?
The woman's eyes darted around the room, fear clouding her gaze. "It… it can't be… it's been… centuries…" She took a shaky breath, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You… you brought it back."
Jack: (He stared at the woman, his mind reeling.) Brought what back?
The woman looked at him, her eyes filled with fear. "The girl isn't possessed. She was warning you. Telling you that you're... back on the list..." She looks at Jack in disbelief before her voice rose again, her fear turning into panic. "You brought it back."
Jack felt a shiver run down his spine. "Jesus, lady, you not being clear to me, what the hell sre you saying? Brought what back?"
The woman's voice cracked. "DEATH! I never should have let you change everything. You… you doomed us all!"
Jack, confused and frightened by the woman's erratic behavior, looked at her, speechless.
The woman's eyes widened, her face contorted in fear. "Get out! Get out now!" she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at the door. "You've unleashed it! You've brought it back!"
Jack quickly backed out of the room, leaving the terrified woman behind. He closed the door softly and hurried out of the house, his mind racing. What had that been all about? What had he unleashed? And why was the old woman so terrified of him?
Jack walked down to the pavements, his head spinning. He had come to the old woman for help, but instead, he had been met with fear and accusations. He was more confused now than when he had arrived.
The air in Michael's small apartment hung heavy with the weight of the day's events. Ivy sat on the edge of his worn-out couch, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and disbelief. Michael sat opposite her, a cup of lukewarm coffee clutched in his hand, the silence between them punctuated only by the ticking of the clock on the wall.
"So," Ivy finally broke the silence, her voice trembling slightly, "you're not… you're not really FBI agents, are you?"
Michael: (He sighed, running a hand through his hair.) Nope.
Ivy: (Her eyes widened.) Then… who are you, guys?
Michael took a deep breath, knowing he had to explain. "We're… we're an organization that deal with things that threatens the world.
Ivy: Hm... Like heroes?
Michael: (He chuckled, a small, rueful sound.) Nah. Jack's a hero, sure. But the rest... Hard to believe, even if we hsve done heroic things. We've also done things that can sometimes seem to be unjust.
Ivy: (She scoffs with her brows furrowed.) Why? If you guys know its not fair, why still do it?
Michael: (He looked at her, a hint of sadness in his eyes before he takes a sip of his coffee and speaks softly.) Because sometimes, it's the unjust actions that help maintain order in the world.
Ivy nodded slowly, still trying to process the information. It was a lot to take in.
After his talk Michael felt a chill, a prickle on the back of his neck. He glanced towards the window, his eyes narrowing. A dark shape seemed to shift in the corner of his vision, a fleeting shadow that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Michael's gaze hardened, his eyes scanning the room, searching for the source of the disturbance.
He didn't say anything to Ivy, his attention fixed on the shadows, a silent warning in his eyes. He knew that whatever was out there, it was watching them.
Then, it happened. A wave of dizziness washed over him, his vision blurring. He felt a sharp pain in his head, as if his skull was being crushed. The world around him began to distort, the colors swirling and merging. He stumbled back, his hand instinctively reaching out to steady himself, but he found nothing to grasp. He tried to reach out to Ivy, to warn her, but he couldn't move, couldn't speak.
The next thing he knew, he was standing in a chaotic battlefield. The air was thick with the stench of blood and smoke. Bodies lay scattered everywhere, limbs contorted at unnatural angles. Screams of pain and the clash of steel echoed through the air. Warriors, clad in strange armor, fought with a ferocity he had never witnessed before.
He felt disoriented, lost. He didn't understand where he was, or how he had gotten there. He tried to move, to escape the chaos, but his body felt heavy, unresponsive.
He looked around, his eyes wide with terror before seeing a person in a black cloak standing infront of him, watching, as warriors run around them both.