Back in the apartment, Ivy watched in horror as Michael collapsed to the floor, his eyes rolling back in his head. Foam was beginning to escape his lips, his body convulsing violently, and he is letting out guttural groans.
Panic surged through Ivy. She scrambled towards him, her hands shaking as she tried to help him.
Panic surged through Ivy. "Michael! Michael!" she cried, shaking him gently. He didn't respond.
Ivy: (Frantically, she grabbed her phone from the coffee table and dialed the number she remembered Ender giving her.) Ender! (She gasped, her voice trembling.) You need to come here right now. Michael… Michael's not okay.
At a bustling supermarket, Ender was pushing a shopping cart down the aisle, debating between two different brands of cereal. Kyle, who was standing nearby, examining a rack of energy drinks, sighed dramatically.
Kyle: Hurry up, Ender, (he grumbled.) I'm starving.
Ender: Patience, Kyle. Choosing the right cereal is important. It's the foundation of a balanced breakfast.
Kyle: Balanced breakfast? We're on a mission, not going on a picnic.
Just then, Ender's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that it was Ivy.
Ender: Ivy? What's wrong? (he answered, his voice laced with concern.)
Ivy: (Her voice was frantic.) Ender, you need to come here right now. Michael… Michael's not okay. He's… he's seizing!
Ender: (His blood ran cold.) What?! What's happening?
Ivy: I don't know! He just… he just collapsed! He's unconscious!
Ender: (His eyes widened.) Alright, stay with him, Ivy. I'll be right there. (He hung up the phone and turned to Kyle, his face pale.) Kyle, we need to go now! (he said, his voice urgent.)
Kyle, sensing the urgency in Ender's voice, immediately followed Ender out of the supermarket with the energy drink. They raced to the car, Ender's mind racing with worry. What was happening to Michael?
Inside the car, Ender slammed on the gas pedal, the car screeching out of the parking lot. Kyle gripped the dashboard, his eyes wide with concern.
Kyle: What's wrong with him? (He asked, his voice trembling.)
Ender: (He shook his head, his eyes fixed on the road.) I don't know, Kyle. But I need to get there fast.
Kyle: (Just then, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered,) Hello?
A voice, gruff and weary, answered, "Kyle, it's me, Jack. I went to see the whisperer."
Kyle: Oh, okay. What did she say?
Jack: Anna was never possessed. She was a warning spirit.
Kyle: Warning spirit?
Jack: Yeah. She was there to warn the next victim.
Kyle: (He looks at Ender as he realizes that Michael is next in line.) Michael... (He mumbled to himself before he cleared his throat and spoke clear on the phone to Jack.) Jack, Michael is currently in trouble, Ender and I heading to his apartment now.
Jack: Alright. I'll meet you guys there.
Kyle nodded and hung up the phone, his face grim. He looked at Ender, who was still driving intently.
Kyle: Jack went to see that whisperer that Ivy talked about, (He spoke with a low voice.) And turns out, Anna was never possessed. She was warning Michael of whatever is coming after him.
Ender: Huh... Did he mention how to stop whatever is coming?
Kyle: (He sighed in disappointment) Nope...
As they approached Michael's apartment building, Ender slowed down and parked right outside the entrance.
Kyle opened the car's storage compartment, taking out two colt M1911 pistols and a knife, giving one of the pistols to Ender and keeping the other with the knife.
They get out the car in a hurry, rushing towards the apartment building. As they reached the entrance, Kyle felt two finger taps on his shoulder. He whirled around to getting stabbed in the gut by A figure in a black cloak, twisting and pushing in the long serrated dagger deeper.
Kyle grunts in pain before Ender whirled around to getting flung meters aside by the figure's flick of a hand. Kyle looks at the figure in wonder, "Why can't i move my body or talk? What the hell did he stab me with?" Kyled asked himself.
The figure removes the pistol from Kyle's hand and quickly pulled the dagger out. Kyle screamed in pain for a second before getting shot down, three times by the figure.
The figure looked down at Kyle bleeding out before walking over the man, towards the entrance with every step having Kyle's blood stain the ground.
From the side, Ender fired at the figure, unfazed as if bullet proof, not minding any attention to Ender.
Ender runs out of eight bullets in the gun, tossed it aside and ran towards the figure before he gets pinned down by a large skeletal shadow appearing palm.
He tried to wiggle and failed, now only watching as rhe figure enters the building.
Ender: No... NOOOO! (He yelled out, furiously.)
Meanwhile, on the chaotic battlefield, Michael stared at the figure from a distance and asks...
Michael: WHAT IS THIS?
(Unknown): Your end... (The figure said in a deeply raspy male tone.)
Hearing the figure, brought chills down his spine, as Michael moved his legs back, slowly, one after the other, in fear as the figure gave him a 6 second head start before walking to him at the same slow pace.
Outside the apartment building, Jack appeared in a flash of lightning, scanning the area, seeing Kyle on the ground with four holes on his torso, seemingly deaf infront of the entrance to the place.
Ender: Jack! (He called out his name, catching his attention as he continues) It's inside! Get Michael and Ivy outta there!
Jack nodded, reluctant to quickly help Ender and Kyle if he's barely alive but does what is commanded, seeing the bloody footsteps from the pool of Kyle's blood, headed into the building.
Jack took a deep inhale while in a runner stance and dashed with a short lived boom, disappearing from sight, having the entrance door blown off, he reappears in the center of Michael's living room, shortly breathing heavily before seeing Ivy crying and holding Michael.
Ivy's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Jack appear in a burst of motion, seemingly materializing out of thin air. Before she could process what she was seeing, he was thrown back through the window, his body arcing through the air before disappearing from view.
A strangled cry escaped Ivy's lips. She scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. Michael lay unconscious on the floor, his body twitching, while Jack, her last hope, was now gone. Terror seized her. She was alone with this… this thing, whatever it was.
She glanced at the window, her gaze fixed on the shattered glass and the gaping hole in the wall. The figure in the black cloak stood silhouetted against the fading light, its eyes gleaming with an eerie, predatory light.
Ivy felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Fear, cold and paralyzing, gripped her. She knew, with a chilling certainty, that this was just the beginning.
Ivy scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide with terror. She raised her hands, a faint glow emanating from her palms. "Stay back!" she cried, her voice trembling. "I'm warning you!"
The figure tilted his head, ignoring Ivy and taking a step closer to Michael with the dagger raised.
Ivy focused all her energy, channeling her magic. A brighter light emanated from her hands, her eyes glowing with an ethereal blue. But the light flickered, then sputtered, finally dying out completely. Ivy gasped, her face pale.
Ivy: My... my power.
The figure turned to Ivy, his face hidden by the hood, he lowers the dagger before seeing Jack climb back into the room.
The figure paused, his eyes narrowing as he watched Jack struggle to his feet, a grunt escaping his lips as he nursed his injuries.
The figure removed his hood, revealing a face that was both familiar and terrifying. His skin was pale and drawn, his eyes were a deep, unsettling crimson, and a cruel smile played on his lips.
(Unknown): Harvey... (smiles)
Jack: The names Jack.
(Unknown): ... (The smile falters, replaced by a flicker of confusion.) Jack..? (He takes a step forward, his eyes fixed on Jack.) It seems that fate has a cruel sense of humor for ya. (he murmured, his voice a chilling whisper.) We've met before... Well not exactly met, more like... we've been in the same situation.
Jack, still reeling from the impact of his unexpected re-entry, stared at the figure, his mind racing. He recognized that face. He had seen it before, in nightmares, in fleeting glimpses of forgotten memories.
This was no ordinary man. This was something else entirely.
The figure lunged, a blur of motion, his fist impacting Jack's jaw with the force of a battering ram. Jack staggered back, his head ringing. He tried to retaliate, a blur of motion himself, but found his speed strangely sluggish, his movements heavy and clumsy.
The figure smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes. "I've waited for so long for this moment. To meet, face to face with the person that had a kick start in causing me pain.
Jack: Tch... my powers.... What are you doing to me?
The figure doesn't answer as he unleashed a flurry of blows, each one landing with bone-jarring force. Jack was overwhelmed, his defenses crumbling under the relentless assault.
Jack was then thrown across the room, crashing into the wall. The air was knocked out of him, a wave of dizziness washing over him. He tried to get up, but the figure was upon him again, a whirlwind of fists and kicks.
Jack felt his ribs crack, his vision blurring. He tasted blood in his mouth, his body aching in agony. The figure was relentless, a machine of pure violence, his movements fluid and precise. It was like fighting against a force of nature, a raging storm.
Finally, the figure stopped. Towering over the broken form of Jack. He let out a low, guttural chuckle.
Unknown: You know, I wanna thank you, Jack. (he said, his voice a chilling rasp.) For breaking me out.
The figure leaned closer, his violet eyes gleaming in the dim light.
Unknown: Because... You see, If it weren't for your selfish... self righteous nature, ALL of this, all these WORLDS, mutants, monsters, GODS would have cease to exist you know why? Because you broke the rules.
Jack tried to punch the figure but got caught in his hand before the figure bashed his forehead into Jack's nose, causing blood to gush out.
Unknown: (He sighed) I honestly expected alot more from you, 'Jack'. (he spoke, his voice a chilling rasp.) I heard alot that made you like a powerful figure that has time in the palm of your hands. Changing the fates of others which leads to the death of many including... my "world".
(Unknown): And now I have to clean up your mess.
The figure watchedJack get up to his feet with blood sipping out from his palm on his nose and his other arm around his mid section, panting.
Jack: I really... REALLY have no fucking clue of the gibberish you talking about. And honestly I think it made you insane with deaf ears. Because you don't seem to listen. (He clenched shut a fist aside.) My name is Jack Drake! I am not who ever the fuck HARVEY Is and I don't know who YOU are!
Jack swung his fist that made contact with the figure that brushes off from it before scoffing and grabbing Jack by the throat.
(Unknown): No. You recognize me. I can see it in your eyes... See, you can try to hide behind that false identity but you ain't fooling me. I know what you've done and there's nothing that's gonna tell me otherwise. (He placed his index finger on Jack's forehead, a jolt of pain shooting through Jack's head.)
Jack screamed, clutching his head in agony. Images flashed before his eyes: a burning city, a woman weeping over a mutilated newborn, a child screaming in terror with one arm lost. He felt the weight of countless deaths, the raw, unfiltered emotions of fear, despair, and suffering.
Unknown: And now we on the same page. What you seeing are the deaths of every person meant to die in these upcoming days. And you will be the only one that knows when and how they die. You will HEAR their screams of agony, feel their fears, their pain until finally... (he leaned closer, his breath hot on Jack's face,) it's your turn to die. And permanently this time.
Unknown turned his attention to Ivy, who watched the whole brutal assault in horror. A chilling smile spread across his face.
Unknown: Hmm... I expected you to run but it seems from your... (He sees her hands trembling.) state, you scared. Don't be. It's a waste for your final moments.
He then flung Jack against the wall with a sickening thud, plaster crumbling beneath his impact. Jack slid down, pain exploding in his chest and head. He watched with his sight doubling and unfocused, a state of disoriention, as the figure grabbed Ivy, who screamed and tried to scramble away.
Having his fingers digging deep into her hair, the figure tosses her across the room away from the exit. She landed with a sickening thud, unconscious.
The figure then turned his attention to Michael, who lay motionless on the floor. He knelt beside him, his eyes now crimson red gleaming in the dim light. With a chillingly gentle touch, he grasped Michael's hair and lifted his head.
Jack watched, his breath catching in his throat, as the figure leaned closer to Michael. He could see the faint flicker of life in Michael's eyes, the slow rise and fall of his chest.
Then, he smiled, a cruel, predatory grin that sent shivers down Jack's spine. He raised the dagger, the blade glinting menacingly in the dim light.
Jack screamed, "No!" but the sound was lost in the sudden silence that filled the room.
The dagger sliced through the air, sinking deep into Michael's throat. A gurgling sound erupted from Michael's throat, a horrifying mixture of blood and air. His eyes widened in terror, his body convulsing violently.
Jack watched in abject horror as the life drained from Michael's eyes. He heard the sickening schlick of the blade slicing through flesh, the wet, gurgling sound of blood bubbling from Michael's throat. Michael's eyes, wide with terror, bulged from their sockets before finally losing all focus, glazing over.
The figure withdrew the dagger, a crimson stain marring its pristine surface. He wiped the blade clean on Michael's shirt, a chillingly casual gesture. He then turned to Jack, his eyes gleaming with a cruel satisfaction.
Jack, his body trembling, could only stare in horror. The image of Michael's dying eyes, the sound of his gurgling breaths, the sight of the crimson stain spreading across his shirt – it would be forever etched into his memory.
The figure let out a low, satisfied chuckle. "Now," he said, his voice a chilling whisper, "The fun begins."
He turned and walked towards the window, his crimson eyes gleaming in the fading light. "You will witness their suffering, Jack," he said, his voice echoing through the room. "You will feel their pain. And then, when the time is right, you will join them."
Jack slumped against the wall, his body trembling uncontrollably. He felt a wave of nausea washing over him, the taste of blood and fear filling his mouth. He had seen death before, but nothing like this. The cold, calculated brutality, the sheer savagery of the act shattered him.
He knew, with a chilling certainty, that his life would never be the same. He had been marked, tainted by evil, condemned to witness the suffering of countless others before meeting his own inevitable demise.
The figure stood silhouetted against the window, his crimson eyes gleaming in the fading light. He raised a hand in a chilling farewell.
Unknown: See you later... Jack.
Suddenly, the figure paused, his hand twitching. A faint glow emanated from his palm, and a small, shimmering object materialized in his hand. It pulsed with an eerie light, casting dancing shadows across the room.
He clenched his fist around the object, and a blinding flash of light erupted from his hand. The apartment was engulfed in a blinding white light, followed by a deafening explosion that shattered the windows and sent debris flying.