《Demon Hunt》


 1.1 The Hunt Begins

    There are no stars in the sky, only the bleak street lamps and moon illuminate the street. Kyle wanders along the sidewalk, nowhere to go, seemingly aimless. He¡¯s frantically typing messages for his older sister, Laura, and wiping away tears from his face. Kyle¡¯s day has been terrifically terrible, first getting fired from his job, finding out his partner has been cheating on him with his best friend, and then getting kicked out of their shared apartment. Now he¡¯s alone, with his few belongings, trying to find a place to spend the night. Laura isn¡¯t responding, why would she? It¡¯s a few minutes past midnight and she works all day, she¡¯d be sleeping by now. Kyle is desperate though, so he resorts to calling Laura after a bit. It rings and rings, but Laura has yet to pick up the phone. The ringing noise coming from Kyle¡¯s phone attracts the attention of somebody. Somebody looking for another person, and they¡¯ve just found a new victim.


    Laura finally picks up the phone, and Kyle tries explaining his situation to her so she can help him. Unfortunately, he¡¯s interrupted after the stranger hits him in the head with a fucking metal pipe. He stumbles a bit, not quite knocked out, and tries to figure out what just hit him. As Kyle turns around, the stranger hits him in the head again, rendering him unconscious at last


    ¡°Kyle? Are you alright? What are you doing up this late?¡± Laura says groggily through the phone. The stranger drags Kyle¡¯s body away into a black van and shuts the back doors. ¡°Hello? Can you hear me? Where-¡± The stranger crushes the phone with the heel of their boots, cutting Laura off. They leave the glass bits on the sidewalk and enter the vehicle, driving off to who knows where.


    Kyle blinks a few times and tries to get up from the ground. Due to the blows to the head, he¡¯s concussed and disorientated. He can¡¯t remember how he ended up here, but he does know that wherever he is, it¡¯s not good. The main reasons are; that he¡¯s tied up; he has duct tape on his mouth; and three people in red robes stand around him, one holding a weird-looking dagger and some creepy-looking book. Putting it all together in his mind, he¡¯s probably being sacrificed in some creepy ritual. The realization strikes, and he immediately starts panicking. I gotta get out of here, he internally screams.


    ¡°GUYS, I THINK HE WOKE UP!¡± One of the cultists exclaims.


    ¡°Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,¡± the other one says, ¡°he¡¯s moving.¡±


    ¡°Man, this is gonna end up messier than I thought.¡± Says the third one with a sigh, placing the book down and then looking straight at Kyle. ¡°Alright buddy, don¡¯t worry, this will only hurt a little bit.¡±


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    Doubting this statement, Kyle rolls out of the way of the first swing of the dagger. He uses his legs and tries to kick the cultist, too bad he¡¯s tied up and disoriented, so it doesn¡¯t land directly where he wanted it to. Nonetheless, the cultist holding the dagger is stunned for a moment and Kyle awkwardly worms his way out of the centre of the sacrificial room.


    ¡°AGH, DAVID, JOHN, HELP ME OUT!¡± shouts the kicked cultist. Oh fuck, this isn¡¯t good. David and John look at each other for a moment before getting a move on and grabbing Kyle. Kyle starts writhing around and tries to make it difficult for the cultists to get a hold of him. He doesn¡¯t know what the hell he¡¯s doing, he¡¯s just in a state of absolute terror, fear, and adrenaline.


    ¡°Stop moving, it¡¯ll be over soon,¡± John says nonchalantly. Kyle is thrown back where he was originally, and the cultist with the dagger gets up.


    Plan A didn¡¯t work, so it¡¯s onto plan B now. Kyle fumbles at the knots on his arms that are tying him up, and notices they¡¯ve just tied him up in a single overhand knot. He does one single pull, causing the rope to fall to the floor. The cultist attempts to stab him again, but Kyle grabs their arm just in time and throws it away, sending the cultist tumbling down. He quickly unties the ropes around his legs, rips the duct tape from his mouth and stands right up. He frantically looks around for an exit, but this room is too dark and spooky.


    ¡°Oh shit, he got out of the ropes, who tied those again?¡±


    ¡°DAVID, IT WAS YOU WHO TIED HIM UP!¡± The unnamed cultist scolds.


    ¡°Oh, my bad, Fred.¡±


    John goes to tackle Kyle as soon as possible. They both tumble down.


    ¡°Holy shit- what the hell is your problem???¡± Kyle says confused and panicked. John doesn¡¯t bother to respond and puts his hands around Kyle''s neck, attempting to choke him. Kyle uses his legs and kicks John in the groin, freeing himself from restraint. He stands back up again but bends down to cough and open his airways again.


    Unfortunately, letting his guard down was a bad idea. Fred grabs Kyle¡¯s back and plunges him into the dagger. The dagger is driven right into the middle of his chest, slicing a major artery near the heart. Fred shoves it further in a couple more times, ensuring Kyle can¡¯t survive the attack. The pain shoots into him like a sharp, cold icicle. Kyle looks right into Fred¡¯s eyes in disbelief. He bleeds more and more each time his heart beats. He can feel the fleeting of his life at this very moment¡ªthe inevitability.


    ¡°Nothing personal buddy, just doing what the boss said,¡± Fred says through gritted teeth. He takes the dagger out and a trail of blood flies after it. Collapsing on the ground, Kyle holds his hand up to his wound, but it won¡¯t stop bleeding. The crimson colour flows through his fingers and there¡¯s nothing he can do. It¡¯s almost silly, all these terrible things that happened leading up to this very moment, dying in a weird ritual room presumably underground. As Kyle closes his eyes, his only hope is that Laura¡­ maybe Laura can find out what happened to him and move on once he¡¯s dead. He doesn¡¯t want to go out burdening anyone.

 1.2

    Fred nudges John with his foot while wiping the dagger with a cloth, ¡°Come on, ya wimp, get over it.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, Fred. How would you like to get your nuts obliterated?¡± David snickers like the dipshit he is. ¡°Hey, fuck you too, David, if you weren¡¯t so stupid he wouldn¡¯t have gotten out of the ropes to kick me in the first place!¡±


    ¡°John¡¯s got a point, do you even know how to tie a square knot?¡± Fred asks.


    ¡°What is a square knot?¡± David responds.


    ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re so useless,¡± Fred says while pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with already.¡±


    They drag Kyle to the centre of the room and stand around him. Fred opens up the book and flips through the pages.


    ¡°Shit, I forgot to put in the bookmark, which one do we do again?¡± Fred asks.


    ¡°I think it was that one,¡± David points out, ¡°Or maybe that one? I can¡¯t remember either.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, just pick one, the body¡¯s getting cold and we probably need the blood,¡± John says.


    ¡°Okay, okay! Shut up now, I need to read out.¡± Fred retorts. He quickly skims the contents of the book and then begins the ritual.


    The cultist begins the chant. He speaks words of a language long forgotten. Something woven within the fabric of reality awakens and listens to him. It conjures the powers of the underworld while joining in the chant. Kyle¡¯s blood begins to start shifting into a circle around his body, drawing the sigil of summoning. In a sudden burst, plasma energy begins to shoot up in a column. Kyle wakes again to find he¡¯s in the middle of this literal pillar of scorching fire. He tries to get up but he can¡¯t, as if something was keeping him down. He¡¯s confused, flabbergasted, and believes he¡¯s been sent to hell already. The temperature is unbearable like he¡¯s a piece of ice dropped into a volcano. However, he¡¯s determined to get up and see what¡¯s happening around him. One arm at a time, he pushes himself agonizingly off the ground and onto his knees. All around him, flames are ever-burning and bright. There is nothing else around him that he can see. Good news, he¡¯s no longer bleeding from the chest. Bad news, he¡¯s burning inside and out.


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    Unbeknownst to Kyle, it¡¯s not fire burning into him, but pure magical substance creating a hole between dimensions and he¡¯s the vessel for an entity beyond this world. It¡¯s called a summoning for a reason. Of course, a puppet must fit the host, so changes must be made for accommodation. Bones rip through the skin on his back, it¡¯s hot with pain and causes Kyle to crumple down onto his elbows. He screams in excruciating pain, but no sound comes from his mouth. The magic energy surrounding him forms meat and skin onto the bones and him, moulding the new limbs into wings. More new things also grow from Kyle¡¯s body, but he can¡¯t focus on anything else. His eyes are wide open, dreadfully aware and unaware at the same time of his grotesque transformation.


    He feels himself slipping from consciousness once more, but the presence of something is keeping him awake. A figure reaches out from the blaze around him, holding a hand out. It was as if it was telling him, don¡¯t give up and close your eyes. You can still survive. Persevere and you will see. It saw his struggles, his dreams, and his desperation. So it gave him something; shimmering hope. Kyle is still in absolute agony, but he begins to push through with all his might. He no longer wishes to die. He grips the floor with his nails and gradually gets up on one leg. If he can just crawl out of this flaming column, he¡¯ll be free.


    Outside, the cultists wonder whether or not the ritual is working. Surely by now, something should have happened, but the sigil is still spewing intense manifested magic and isn¡¯t stopping.


    ¡°Hey, do you think we messed up the ritual? It really shouldn¡¯t be doing that.¡± John says concerningly.


    David scratches his head, ¡°If we did mess up, then Boss is going to be real mad.¡±


    An abrupt surge of energy shoots out and startles the cultists as they chat, and they begin to notice something inside the pillar rise. A pair of wings shadowed expand out, along with a head with two protruding horns right after, and eerie glowing eyes brighter than the rest of the fire. Kyle takes one step after another and emerges from the flames. After exiting, the magic dissipates instantaneously, and he stands directly in front of the man who murdered him. Fred begins to tremble uncontrollably, his hands shaking as he holds the book between him and Kyle. He stares right into his face, and only one thought comes to Kyle¡¯s mind. Kill.

 1.3

    Compared to what he just experienced, the room is freezing. Yet within him, there is still a raging fire, burning his insides and frying his brain. It tells him to kill. Kyle springs into action, lunging forward at Fred and grabbing at his neck. Fred drops the book and falls to the floor with a panicked yelp. Kyle¡¯s nails dig into his skin and he rips out his throat, blood bursting out like a fountain. The flames within him are not extinguished yet. The other two are horrified and try to run.


    Kyle goes after John next, harshly tugging on his arm as he tries to flee and seizing his head. He grips his upper and lower jaw, and tears the latter right out. He plunges it right back into his eyes and lets go of the poor man. John collapses into a crimson puddle. Kyle has no idea how he had the strength to do that, but it¡¯s still burning inside. He looks over to the last cultist standing.


    David stands firm, almost akin to a statue, holding the dagger in his hands and pointing it at Kyle across the room. His expression tells a different story though. He is deeply, terribly afraid. He does not want to die, but neither did Kyle. He ambles toward the petrified man, arms hanging by his sides and bloody bat-like wings stretched out.


    David takes a shaky step back, holding the dagger close to himself. He mumbles several desperate pleas for mercy, but it¡¯s too late. A direct hit to his face sends him crashing to the ground. He scrambles to get up again, but Kyle begins shredding David¡¯s abdominal cavity with his bare hands. He screams as his skin is peeled off, his flesh torn out piece by piece, organs punctured and ripped away. His intestines lay limp beside him as all the blood within him drains. Kyle grips his ribs and with a crack and a snap, it is no longer part of him. David stops writhing in agony and becomes still soon thereafter.


    Kyle gets back on his feet clumsily while clenching his head. The burning sensation had dissipated and left him severely nauseated. He looks down at the mutilated body and his bloodied clothes, making him feel even more sick. Everything was a blur, but now things are much clearer and horrific. The bodies on the floor are his doing, even if he can¡¯t truly remember why. He holds the walls of the small room for support and tries to find an exit, which is easy to come by. Kyle staggers through the narrow passage and out into the dark rainy night. It is frigid outside, but it''s a welcome change from the burning hot sensations. All around him are large towering pine trees, reaching high up into the sky, and long overgrown grass. He doesn''t recognize anything, so he wanders into the dense forest. He hopes this is all some weird fever dream, he doesn¡¯t want to believe he became some sort of monster and murdered three guys. That just wasn¡¯t possible! Kyle collapses onto the wet grass from exhaustion and curls up into a ball. His wings awkwardly settle behind him, and he tries not to think about it as he closes his eyes and drifts to rest.


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    Kyle covers his eyes with his hands as he sits up after what could be the most uncomfortable slumber ever. The sun is shining bright and the grass is coated in dew. He stretches his arms and stands up, but something still aches. The blood that covered his arms had been washed off, most likely due to the rain, but his shirt was still slightly stained. He could only imagine what a mess he looked like. It¡¯s only then that he realizes where the aching is coming from. His¡­ wings. Straining his neck to see behind himself, he saw a pair of wings, featherless with membranous skin stretched over elongated bone and muscle, coming out from below his shoulders. Where the wings were, his shirt was torn. Kyle is undoubtedly flabbergasted. Hesitantly, he tries to move them. Much like an infant learning to grab things, Kyle has little control over what his new limbs do. The wings stretch back and nearly make him topple backwards, then begin to flap to regain balance, which does the exact opposite. Kyle falls onto his elbows and his wings stop. He pushes himself up from the ground again, slightly annoyed.


    Okay, so, none of that was a dream. He did get kidnapped, then sacrificed in a ritual, then somehow came back with actual fucking wings and shit and killed the cultists. Unless he was still dreaming, which was unlikely, everything was real. What is he supposed to do now? He looked around at his surroundings a little more. He was still in a giant forest, so maybe he should start with finding a way out of here and figuring out where he is. Like Laura had always said, ¡®When you¡¯re lost in a forest, you just gotta pick a direction and start walking.¡¯ Of course, she meant it metaphorically, but it¡¯s still good advice literally, right?


    He begins to roam through the trees and grass, but it all seems the same to him. He hadn¡¯t been walking in circles, but it sure felt like it. Eventually, something breaks the monotony, he finds a little clearing and a dog. It¡¯s an adorable one, for sure, jumping up at Kyle and playfully barking at him too. He¡¯s not an expert, but he guesses it might be some sort of labrador.


    ¡°Hey there! Uhm, buddy!¡± Kyle says to the dog, a little confused but enthusiastic. He goes to pet the dog on the head, but it licks his hand instead. He couldn¡¯t help but be a little amused, so Kyle knelt to ruffle the dog''s light fur. However, the dog suddenly perked up, its head turning to the side and looking at something. Then it started barking. Kyle didn¡¯t realize what the dog was barking at until he noticed the burly man with a hunting rifle, pointing straight at him.

 1.4

    ¡°Woah! Uh¡­ I just¡ª¡± The hunter is too surprised by the way Kyle looks to register his mindless stammering. Taking a good look a Kyle, he raises a brow and opens his mouth.


    "STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU¡ª wait. What are you?!" The hunter slowly straightens from his crouch and cautiously approaches Kyle, rifle held out in front of him.


    ¡°Er. just a normal guy?¡± Kyle is freaking out. How is he supposed to explain anything to this guy? Oh, just waltzed right out of a creepy ritual looking like this. For goodness sake, his shirt is still stained with blood!


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that one bit. I know what you are! A-A DEMON!!!¡± As he yells that last word, he begins to fire. Kyle drops to the ground to avoid the first shot, and as the man starts reloading his rifle, Kyle scrambles to the edge of the clearing and starts sprinting.


    The hunter chases after Kyle and continues blasting away with his gun, firing round after round of failed shots. Kyle weaves around the trees, doing his best to avoid the raining bullets. The once-friendly dog is also chasing behind alongside the hunter. Kyle jumps over a big rock to try and lose them but to no avail. Both dog and hunter are still hot on his heels, whizzing noises travelling past him, and Kyle is quickly losing his breath and stamina. He can''t draw enough oxygen from the air to his lungs. If only he didn¡¯t have such heavy and worthless wings on his back that he never asked for. WAIT! Wings! He¡¯s got wings! How could he forget? He could simply fly away!


    He continues onward, finding a clear path where the trees were more sparse, possibly wide enough to stretch out those limbs and take flight. His wings spread wide, and he can feel the slightest gusts of wind beneath him as they frantically move up and down. For a second, he can feel himself being lifted off the ground. But it¡¯s hopeless, much like a chicken trying to fly. He falls right back down and tumbles, missing yet another bullet that pierces a nearby tree. He clambers to get upright again but unfortunately finds himself face-to-face with his pursuer.


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting away this time!¡± The hunter says, triumphantly and manic, aiming his rifle right at Kyle. He sits there on the ground catching his final breaths, defenceless. The hunter is about to pull the trigger when a sudden crackling noise can be heard from a tree. The hunter looks to his side, then up at the falling log. His eyes go wide and he screams as the timber lands right on him causing several branches to skewer his body.


    He squirms, driving the splinters and wood chips further into his chest. Blood trickles out slowly, pooling underneath him. The log crushes all but his head and an arm. His eyes are locked on Kyle, with furrowed brows and eyes ablaze with rage and agony. He shakily raises his arm to point at Kyle, not breaking eye contact.


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    ¡°y-you¡­ monstrous-¡± He gasps, as scarlet liquid from his lungs clots his throat, making the rest of his words gurgles filled with pain. Pouring from his mouth while his eyes roll back and he drops his arm onto the stained grass. His fingers still pointing, accusing. Kyle takes a hesitant breath once the man finally stiffens. Holy shit.


    He isn¡¯t sure how long he stays in that spot, it¡¯s almost as if the pointing hand of that man was keeping him locked in place, with the last words echoing through his thoughts. Monstrous. Was that really what he¡¯d become? It wasn¡¯t him who made that tree fall on the guy. He just so happened to look like a monster at the moment. Still, the idea was very distressing.


    Kyle snaps out of his trance after the dog goes to lay down on his lap. Its tongue hangs out from the side as it pants and looks up at him with cute beady eyes. He couldn¡¯t not pet the adorable thing, even if it was chasing after him moments beforehand. It gave him a sort of relief, that the dog didn¡¯t think any less of him because of his situation. However, even with such a comforting companion with him, sitting right across from a corpse doesn¡¯t alleviate much worry.


    The dog seems to notice and gets up, it looks around and then back to him. As Kyle rises to his legs, the dog begins to tread along a hidden path to somewhere else. Having no direction of his own, he decides to follow the dog. It skillfully weaves around the bushes and trees, while Kyle stumbles behind it. The faint trail is overgrown, like nobody has walked here in quite some time. He tries to get around, but the endless stray branches keep scratching at him. Kyle notices that they¡¯re heading upwards, the ground getting a little steeper and the trees thinning ever so slightly. After hiking for a while, the dog takes a turn where it plateaus. He follows in its steps and finds himself in a large clearing. He sees the blue sky with streaks of fluffy clouds and the glowing sun right above him.


    Looking down, he spots the dog sitting at the edge of what appears to be a cliff, and over to the side, a cozy wooden cabin overseeing what lies beyond. He walks over next to the dog and takes a look at the world under him. The forest stretches out, but it meets a quaint seaside town, faded yet colourful buildings populating the streets that transition into wooden docks on the yellow sand near the ocean. The salty smell of the rhythmic waves wafts over it all. He can¡¯t help but think to himself, Laura would love this place. She had always been an outdoorsy person, but her work needed her to be in the city, dull concrete buildings and roads with pitiful plant life dotted around. He promised to take her somewhere nice for a vacation some time ago. This place is the perfect place, except for the fact he still doesn¡¯t know where he is. He lets out an exasperated sigh. The dog tilts its head at Kyle. then begins excitedly panting as it trots over to the cabin. There isn¡¯t anyone inside as far as he can tell, so he goes to the front door and turns the knob. The door opens easily, and the dog wags its tail, anticipating for him to enter. Alright then, what¡¯s inside?

 1.5

    Nothing. Well, that¡¯s not really true. There are some things. Against the cabin''s wall is a long wooden desk with a wide drawer underneath it. A layer of grey dust coats the top of it. At the end of the cabin stands a closed wardrobe and another door, leading to what should be another room inside the cabin. Scattered around are the thin sparkling strands of cobwebs in every nook and cranny. He¡¯s not arachnophobic, but he still hopes that there aren¡¯t any spiders living in the cabin.


    He takes a few steps to look down at the desk. Curious, he opens the drawer. A plume of dust flies up at him, and he quickly waves his hand in front of his face to stop it. Once the dust settles, he takes a peek inside. Just more dust. He was hoping for something useful, but suppose that¡¯s just wishful thinking. He turns his attention over to the wardrobe. It¡¯s almost as tall as him and looks like an antique from a thrift store. He slowly pries open the doors, expecting skeletons or something to come out, but he¡¯s thankfully proven wrong. Within the wardrobe is a jacket with dark red accents and a plain monochrome cap. They¡¯re a bit dusty, but nothing a good shake can¡¯t fix.


    Finally, he goes over to the closed door. He takes a deep breath before turning the knob on the door and pushing it open. The door creaks open just a bit but hits something on the other side. With a little more force, the door swings open and a chair falls to the ground. Inside this new room, it¡¯s also just as bare as the first. The only things of note would be the fallen chair that was blocking the door, a sink, and a cracked mirror above it. From the looks of it, the room could be a washroom, except there aren¡¯t any other amenities. He walks to the sink, wondering if it even works. Turning the faucet on, only a small drip of water comes out. He looks up at the mirror, with a snaking fracture on it from one side to the other. Besides the two horns sticking out from behind his hair and the folded wings on his back, he notices his eyes. From dark brown, his irises now had a strange reddish hue to them. Not obviously, he could pass it off as more of an amber. Still, the change made him feel uneasy. He raises his hand to the protruding horns on his head. They feel like teeth, or, more like bone, and are firmly part of his skull. He tenses up and looks away from the mirror.


    Kyle exits the cabin and looks out off the cliff, taking it all in again. The soothing waves rock back and forth, giving him some peace of mind. Maybe he¡¯s not completely hopeless, maybe he can find a way to be normal again, maybe he can go get his life together. A whole bunch of ¡®maybes¡¯, but the slim chance that things will be better gives him hope. Tomorrow, he¡¯ll figure out where he is, and how to get back.


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    ¡°Please! I¡¯m telling you! Something happened to him and I don¡¯t know where he¡¯s gone!¡± Laura slams her hands on the receptionist¡¯s desk. The receptionist stares at her blankly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am, but it hasn¡¯t been long enough to really file a missing persons case, plus he¡¯s an adult, not a child. You¡¯re worrying too much.¡± They wave their hands dismissively in the air and continue typing away at their computer. Laura grabs her hair in frustration.


    ¡°FINE! I guess I¡¯ll go looking for him myself!¡± She storms out of the building. The receptionist grumbles to themself as Laura exits. She tries to soothe her head as she walks along the busy sidewalk. It¡¯s been nearly a whole day since Kyle¡¯s last phone call, and the stress she¡¯s been dealing with is driving her mad. Any attempts to call him led straight to voicemail, calling where he worked just gave her more questions, and going to his apartment to ask his girlfriend, she had no idea where he went either. Laura believes that his girlfriend is lying about something, the nervous and apprehensive tone she had when speaking about Kyle sent off alarms in her head, but she had no definitive proof. Besides, it didn¡¯t help figure out where he went.


    That phone call. That last phone call she got at 12:17 am. He was frantic, worried, about something. He was babbling and she couldn¡¯t even register what he was saying. Then two blunt noises, multiple things fall to the ground, and then the call cuts off. What happened? From the text messages she got, he needed help, but it was written so incoherently. She thinks he mentioned something about his girlfriend, but it was all garbled and gibberish. Laura lets out a disheartened sigh and pinches the middle of her brow. Just then, she steps on some broken glass. She backs away for a second to look at the ground. Scattered on the concrete ground are flecks of glass. Her eyes are drawn to the alleyway to the side, following the faint trail of debris. She proceeds with caution into said alleyway and finds a smashed cell phone. Carefully, she picks up the broken device. Laura brings it closer to her face just to confirm. That¡¯s his alright. The same lame black phone case and silly little dog chain on the side. But it¡¯s cracked, not from a little fall, no, from something or someone smashing it. She tries to turn it on and gets no response. Her mind is racing, the possibilities of this mystery keep on unravelling, yet it¡¯s so far from being undone. Who did this? It couldn¡¯t have been Kyle himself, so who? Laura shoves the phone into her purse and hurriedly leaves the alleyway. Kyle¡¯s in big trouble, she knows it, and she has to find him before it¡¯s too late. Maybe it¡¯s already been too late.

 2.1 Paranormal Investigation

    ¡®San Guines Harbour¡¯ is a peculiar name, he hasn¡¯t ever heard of it before. The name is neatly painted, along with stylistic waves and trees, on a weathered wood board held by two pillars. The welcome sign stands on the side of the road leading to said place, so anyone driving by would easily see it. Or in Kyle¡¯s case, walking by. San Guines Harbour is even prettier up close, with the charming picturesque buildings all attached side-by-side, the dainty street lamps and benches on the wide sidewalks, and the immense amount of pink, purple, and red flora growing in pots and planters. It must be a popular tourist location, he might be able to pass off his inexperience here as being one. Kyle strolls through the town until something catches his eye. A little cafe, with a baby blue exterior, and a cute hanging sign right above wide open doors. He hasn¡¯t noticed the growing emptiness within his stomach until now, but the sight of pastries in the windows leaves him drooling. Without another thought, he walks right in.


    There are several circular and square tables with cushioned seats in the cafe. Small pictures, paintings, and fairy lights are hung on the wall, adding to the cosy atmosphere. The barista is slumped over on the counter, with their head down and unaware of Kyle¡¯s presence. He spots a display case connected to the counter, filled with delicious desserts. He walks over to the sleeping barista and tries to wake them up to order something. After a little nudge on their shoulder, they begin to stir.


    ¡°Eh? Who¡¯s there, and¡­ what time is it?¡± they say, blinking their eyes and getting off the counter.


    ¡°Hi! Uhm, it¡¯s just me, Kyle. It¡¯s around nine AM right now. Can I¡­ get something?¡± He tries his best to sound natural. The barista vacantly stares at him for a moment before processing his words.


    ¡°OH! Right. Sure! What would you like?¡± They snap right up and transition into customer service mode. Kyle points at the glass case.


    ¡°Chocolate muffin, please.¡±


    ¡°Alright! That¡¯d be three dollars.¡± They hold their hand out and smile.


    Kyle reaches into his jacket pocket, only to realise he has nothing. Right¡­ he doesn¡¯t have anything at all. He lets out an awkward laugh, unsurprisingly making the situation even more awkward.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t have any¡­¡± He tugs his cap down nervously and avoids eye contact. The barista raises a brow, unconvinced.


    ¡°Pfft- really?¡± Kyle makes no response, feeling very embarrassed. They immediately drop their smug face. ¡°Oh. Well, maybe you can have a muffin for free.¡±


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    ¡°Actually?¡± He looks back at the barista.


    ¡°You can have the leftover muffins from a few days ago, I¡¯m supposed to throw them out but they¡¯re not expired or mouldy, so¡­¡± They trail off and wait for Kyle¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°That would be really nice! Thank you!¡± The barista nods and goes through an employee-only door to retrieve the muffins. Kyle turns around to find a suitable seat to enjoy his meal in.


    Kyle sits down at a small square table and breathes a heavy sigh of relief. He was worried that people would notice something was wrong, but his lacklustre disguise is somewhat working. He had washed his clothes the other day in a little stream to get rid of all the blood and adorned the jacket and cap from the cabin to hide his¡­ peculiar features. It was a close call with the lack of any cash, but thankfully the barista was forgiving. Speaking of which, the barista swings open the door with a plate of muffins and sashays over to his table.


    ¡°Here you go! They might be a little stale, but perfectly fine to eat,¡± they chime while placing the muffins on the table. Kyle takes one of the muffins and takes a bite. They weren¡¯t wrong about the staleness, but he¡¯s just happy to have something to eat.


    ¡°Oh shoot, I forgot to introduce myself. I¡¯m Bailey! Thanks for waking me up, by the way,¡± Bailey takes a seat with Kyle and takes a muffin for themselves. ¡°So, are you new around here? Vacation?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I¡¯m just travelling,¡± he says, a bit anxiously. It¡¯s not an obvious lie, but still a lie nonetheless.


    ¡°Nice, haven¡¯t had a bunch of tourists in a while, how long do you think you¡¯re gonna be staying here?¡± Kyle stalls for a bit by munching on the muffin. He hasn¡¯t thought of a full cover-up story yet.


    ¡°Probably¡­   a couple of weeks? Not really sure.¡± Kyle takes another bite, then changes the subject, ¡°Do you know any fun things to do around here?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely! There¡¯s a bunch of things you could do here. Hiking, fishing, camping, shopping, swimming, yadda yadda,¡±¨C Bailey stops for a moment to put their muffin down and then leans closer to Kyle with a smirk¨C ¡°but most people are here for the ghosts and spooky stuff.¡±


    ¡°Spooky stuff?¡± Kyle asks, listening intently.


    ¡°Mhmm, stories of ¡®underground cults¡¯ and ¡®satanic rituals¡¯ are pretty popular, a lotta weird stuff goes on in San Guines Harbour,¡± they say with an ominous tone. Bailey then leans back nonchalantly and munches on the muffin, ¡°I don¡¯t believe any of it, though a coworker of mine certainly does.¡±


    ¡°And who¡¯s your coworker?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be April, she''s part of this whole ¡®paranormal investigator¡¯ club.  They¡¯re pretty much accepting anyone into it, so if you want to join, feel free to. They usually meet up at her place, Baywood Street, the light green house, you¡¯ll know when you see it.¡±


    ¡°Huh, thanks for telling me,¡± he says after finishing his muffin. Bailey smiles.


    ¡°No problem! I¡¯m just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check out this ¡®paranormal investigator club¡¯, I guess. Thank you for the food!¡± Kyle gets up from his seat and waves.


    ¡°No problem, have a great day!¡± Bailey does so as well, returning to the counter and going about their duties. He leaves the cafe and scans the street signs for a ¡®Baywood Street¡¯. If anyone knew anything about his situation, it would probably be April and the paranormal investigators.

 2.2

    Even with Bailey¡¯s instructions, finding April¡¯s address was a bit of a wild goose chase. But when he finally found it, it was easily recognizable. He stands on the steps leading to the mint-coloured building. Hanging planters are under the window sill and the curtains are drawn. The door in front of him is bone white, with a silver handle and peephole. Kyle knocks on the door and waits for an answer. After a few seconds, a short woman opens the door and looks up at him.


    ¡°Uhm, who are you?¡± she says.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m Kyle, uh, are you April?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do you¡­ need something?¡±


    ¡°Bailey told me you guys were paranormal investigators. I wanted to¨C¡± Before he can finish, April¡¯s eyes light up and she jumps up excitedly.


    ¡°Oh! Do you want to join us!?¡±


    ¡°Er. I guess?¡± Kyle is caught off guard by the sudden shift in April¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Of course! Come in!¡± She grabs him by the arm and drags him inside the house. He nearly trips over the door frame before regaining his balance. Two other people are lounging in the living room, on a couch and beanbag respectively, and look over to see who¡¯s just come in.


    ¡°Change of plans, Julia! Meet Kyle! He wants to join us!¡± April says, enthusiastically using jazz hands towards Kyle. He waves hello with his hand.


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± the one on the couch says, shifting her position to face him, ¡°I¡¯m Julia.¡± Across from her, another guy waves his hand at Kyle.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m Tim, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, I heard ghost hunting was pretty fun,¡± Kyle says as he puts his thumbs up and weakly smiles.


    ¡°We don¡¯t just hunt ghosts, but alright,¡± Julia playfully adds.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the new plan then?¡± Tim asks. April skips over to the living room¡¯s wall and stands in front of a large whiteboard on wheels.


    ¡°Okay. So originally, we were going to try and find stuff in the woods, but since Kyle is here and it¡¯s his first time, I say we try going around town instead!¡± Popping off the lid of a marker, she draws a rough map of San Guines Harbour. Kyle goes to take a seat on the couch with Julia, watching April present the plan. ¡°I¡¯ve heard suspicious activity was going on in town, namely the less populated streets and the old docks by the water!¡± She circles parts of the town, then taps the board so all of them can see.


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    ¡°Oh! Especially near the abandoned fishery,¡± Tim remarks.


    ¡°Yup! I¡¯ll let you and Julia scope it out there,¡± April turns to Kyle and points at him, ¡°and you¡¯ll come with me, so I can show you how we do this!¡±


    ¡°Okay, so, how do you do this?¡± April drops her arms and puts her hands on her hips.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get there when we get there!¡±


    ¡°Well, what now?¡± Kyle says, fiddling with the polaroid camera in his hands. April unpacks some equipment from her backpack, pulling out some things and her own camera. She turns around and faces Kyle.


    ¡°Okay, from what I¡¯ve heard, there¡¯s been some suspicious activity going around this specific part of the town.¡± She points in the general direction ahead of them, ¡° What we¡¯re here to do, is to find out whether or not these rumours are true! When we find anything weird, we¡¯ll take a picture, then after¡­ let''s say two hours-ish, we go back to the cafe to discuss what we find!¡±


    ¡°Right, so what would be weird things?¡± Kyle asks, nervously looking around.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ well, it could be anything, like people doing odd things, mysterious graffiti¡­ things that are generally not normal,¡± she taps her chin to think, ¡°Honestly, not too sure, rumours were a bit broad, except for something about¡­¡± April waves it off, ¡°Eh, just follow my lead! Better if I show you.¡±


    Quickly zipping her backpack up, she swings it back on and promptly begins walking. Kyle walks beside her, camera in hand ready to catch anything ¡®weird¡¯.  Contrasting the main street, this place was far from the welcoming tourist area he had seen moments before. There are bits of trash hiding away in corners and dull paint peeling from the vacant buildings. He gets the eerie sense that something might be watching them, but from the windows and roofs, he can¡¯t see it back. If anything, it¡¯s probably just anxious feelings from being found out. Figuring that there¡¯s probably not much to find, he tries to make some small talk.


    ¡°So, uh, come here often?¡± He asks and immediately regrets it.


    April looks at Kyle with a raised eyebrow, but casually responds, ¡°Well, for as long as I¡¯ve lived here, I haven¡¯t gone to the more secluded areas in town like this one that often. There¡¯s not much here anyways, just empty houses that some people come back to each summer or rent out.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that explains why it¡¯s so¡­ empty here,¡± He says. The lack of activity bothers him somewhat, like the wind not blowing and the locals nowhere to be seen. The only reassurance being April next to him, like a small light in a dark room illuminating the way.


    She tilts her head, ¡°You¡¯re right, it is empty here, more so than usual. That¡¯s weird,¡± She spins around and looks back at the road. ¡°Maybe we should get a picture of how empty it is!¡±


    ¡°Sure, I can do that,¡± Kyle turns around and holds up the camera. With a tiny click, he snaps a photo of the road and after a second, a sheet rolls out of the camera. He takes the photo out and sees nothing.


    ¡°You gotta wait for these ones to develop, isn¡¯t that neat?¡± April beamed, holding her hands close to her chest. ¡°I¡¯m a sucker for vintage things, especially technology. Those pictures you see in the cafe? Yeah, I took those,¡± she proudly smiles.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± he says with well-meaningness. The photo is slowly fading into view. ¡°Should I just put this in my pocket?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s best to keep it out of the light while it¡¯s still developing. Try not to bend them, though,¡± she turns back around and waves her arm forward, ¡°come on, let¡¯s keep going! This is just the beginning!¡±

 2.3

    Both of them continue walking, watching for anything out of the ordinary, but they find nothing other than the weird emptiness. Kyle decides to strike up another conversation, still feeling uneasy.


    ¡°Why did you join this, uhm, paranormal investigation club?¡± He asks, repeating the question they asked him.


    ¡°Well,¡± she hesitates, ¡°you could say it¡¯s some sort of coping method for childhood trauma.¡± she jokes, laughing but then faltering once Kyle¡¯s face shows concern. ¡°Ah, sorry, it¡¯s this whole thing-¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, it¡¯s perfectly fine,¡± Kyle backs off.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m fine!¡± April consoles, ¡°It¡¯s just a little hard to explain,¡± she takes a breath in, ¡°So basically, I was raised in this doomsday cult, but thankfully I escaped with all- er- most of my siblings. Being a paranormal investigator kinda helped me come to terms with all the things that happened I guess. It helps to know about all these spooky things, rather than just be scared and stuff.¡±


    ¡°... damn. If it doesn¡¯t bother you, can I ask what this doomsday cult was about?¡± Kyle silently cringes at himself for being so pushy.


    ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t remember too much, but it had something to do with ¡®the rapture¡¯ and angels coming to take us all to salvation from demons or something,¡± she scoffs at the ground, ¡°It was a whole load of bullshit, and¡­ just bullshit.¡± April says, bitterly.


    ¡°I''m- uh- sorry.¡± Kyle says.


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    April snaps out of it and looks back up, ¡°It¡¯s fine, the past is past and all that. I should be sorry, really, just dumping all that baggage onto you,¡± she lightly chuckles.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright,¡± They both stop speaking for a moment. Farther down the road, Kyle can see the tops of the trees over the buildings, and a split in the road. ¡°There¡¯s two ways to go from there,¡± He says, diverting the conversation.


    ¡°Hmm, how about you go left and I go right? I think you can handle yourself for a bit and after that, we can just meet back up at the cafe!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± he holds the back of his neck with one hand.


    ¡°If you want, you can have a walkie talkie!¡± She pulls out two from her backpack and hands one over to Kyle. ¡°If you need help, just press this button and talk into it.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Thanks,¡± he takes the device.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you! Don¡¯t get lost and try to get back in time!¡± With that, April walks away, leaving Kyle alone. He looks at the walkie talkie and holds it tightly as he goes on his own.


    Wandering through on his own, the uneasy feeling grows tenfold. Kyle looks behind his back, trying to catch whatever might be following him, but finds only the pavement and litter. He feels a shiver down his spine as if the air got colder. But that can¡¯t be, nothing has changed, everything is still empty.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something move in between the buildings. Was that a person? Even if it wasn¡¯t, it would still be worth going after whatever it was to get some more pictures. He quietly sneaks over to the gap in the buildings and takes a peek inside. Despite the lack of light, he could see pretty clearly within the alley. Concrete floor, metal ladder, strewn about garbage. But drawn on the wall in black marker, a strange symbol. He is clueless, his best guess is some sort of angry Cyclops drawn in a stick figure style doing a sumo wrestling stance. After snapping a picture and taking the film out, he finds another drawing on the wall. An arrow, pointing away from the street and further down the gap. He hesitates, is he really going to go down the spooky alley with cryptic symbols?

 2.4

    On one hand, it¡¯s the stupidest idea ever. No doubt about that, especially considering the circumstances that lead here. On the other hand, his curiosity is unwavering. What does the symbol mean? Why is there an arrow there? He could easily be walking into some cult activity, but the likelihood of that happening was slim to none, right? Besides, isn¡¯t that what he was supposed to be doing? And even if there¡¯s something dangerous waiting for him, he could deal with it pretty easily. He won¡¯t forget how he tore apart those men back at the ritual. The hunger for answers wins out against his common sense and he steps into the alley.


    After hopping the chain-linked fence, he finds himself behind all the buildings and immediately spots another strange symbol, followed by another arrow. Whoever drew these symbols must¡¯ve drawn them to leave some sort of crumb trail to find. This symbol was simply a pentacle, with nothing much else to note. He takes another picture and puts the photo away. The trash and numerous metal staircases attached to the backs of the buildings make the alleyway feel more cramped than it actually is, putting Kyle slightly on edge. If something bad were to happen, he wouldn¡¯t have a clear escape. He tenses up a bit but shakes the idea off. It¡¯s fine, he¡¯ll be cautious just in case. Kyle heads in the direction of the next arrow, still unable to shake the feeling of something watching him.


    Yet another drawing. It¡¯s just a plain triangle... the person behind all these drawings must have been running out of time, as the next arrow is hastily scribbled too. Is this some kind of joke? Maybe some rowdy teens were doing some vandalism and he¡¯s stupidly fallen for it. Even so, he already started, so he might as well get a picture of this one. The arrow is pointed in the same direction as the last one, presumably leading him to the end of the passage. He¡¯s both eager and worried to get moving again. Eager to find out where all the symbols have been pointing to, worried that his arrival will be met with something unpleasant. He continues onwards, finally reaching a wall. Kyle is stunned. Four words are written on the wall in big capital letters, surrounded by a myriad of unfamiliar symbols. The marker is discarded on the floor, still slowly rolling in a small circle.


    ¡®YOU SHOULD BE DEAD¡¯


    Is that a threat? Specifically to him? It wouldn¡¯t make any sense if it was just any random person, so considering the circumstances¡­ Kyle turns around and starts bolting out of the alley. The faster he gets out, the better. He¡¯s not going to be just some sitting duck or the stupid side character in a horror movie that opens the door for the killer. Sure, coming here in the first place and going further was dumb, but at least he¡¯s not stupid enough to stick around any longer. He takes out the walkie-talkie.


    ¡°I-Is anyone there? I think I-¡± The walkie-talkie flies out of his hand and clatters onto the ground, buzzing with electricity. A bullet nestled right into it. He spins around to find who shot the walkie-talkie out of his hand. A person wearing a hood stands behind him, holding a pistol. Ah, shit. Time to pick up the pace. He continues running, but now in a zigzag pattern as the person starts running after him. Several bullets flash past him and hit the walls as he sprints faster. Too bad the alley is so narrow, at this rate he¡¯ll get shot. He notices a large metal trash bin up ahead. Maybe he can juke out his pursuer if he hides behind that! With a quick dash behind the bin, the person runs past him for a moment, but it doesn¡¯t take long for them to look back.


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    ¡°Ahah. Nice try, but I can¡¯t be fooled that easily.¡± They say. Immediately, they point their pistol at the trash bin and shoot. He jumps out of the way and the bin is pierced. It starts leaking some sort of dark yellowish fluid and suddenly combusts. It is a literal dumpster fire, with the trash on the ground burning too, cutting off his way of escape. ¡°Well, well, well¡­ seems like we meet again. I know what you did to them. Don¡¯t think you can just walk away like nothing happened, demon.¡± He¡¯s sandwiched, with them between his escape and the fire raging behind. The person walks menacingly towards him, pointing the gun at his face. Kyle holds his breath. ¡°See you in hell.¡±


    Kachink.


    The pistol doesn¡¯t fire.


    ¡°... fuck¡­ come on¡­ not now¡­¡± They mumble as they shake the pistol, trying to get it to work. The cartridge slides out and pathetically lands on the floor. Now¡¯s his chance. He throws a punch at their head and scrambles to get upright. They stumble back and the hood falls, revealing her face. He doesn¡¯t recognise this person at all, but she seems to know him.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± He raises his fists and gets ready for another hit. She puts her hand on her face to soothe the pain, but then a sly grin spreads on her face.


    ¡°Heh, didn¡¯t you see me? Oh, who am I kidding, I¡¯m way too good at my job for that,¡± she sneers while flipping her hair. ¡°Gotcha with the metal pipe, remember? Or did I hit your peanut-sized brain too hard and you forgot?¡±


    ¡­ This asshole. He tries to hit her again, but she moves out of the way and returns a strike. He takes a step back and clutches his chest. She throws the empty pistol into the fire and cracks her knuckles. Her grin grows wider.


    ¡°This¡¯ll be easy.¡± She launches herself forward and collides with him. The air is knocked out of him, but he keeps his composure. He¡¯s a lot bigger than her, so he shouldn¡¯t be worried about her overpowering him. With a slam, he throws her off him into the wall behind them. She collapses onto the ground from the impact but quickly gets up again. She runs back at Kyle, her fist about to make contact with his side. He grabs her arm just before that and twists it away. She hisses in pain but suddenly dramatically spins around to regain the upper hand. Using her free arm as momentum, she swings Kyle around. He trips from the unexpected move and she takes advantage of his imbalance.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been craving a barbeque,¡± She remarks as she violently shoves him into the dumpster fire.

 2.5

    It¡¯s warm. Cosy even, but that doesn¡¯t make sense. He¡¯s just been thrown into a blazing fire. At any moment now, he could start suffocating from the smoke or have his flesh cooked. But he is still alive. He watches through the flames as the woman heaves from the prior battle, then takes out her phone and dials someone once enough energy comes back.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me, Eve.¡± She idly looks at her nails.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, I killed it, we don¡¯t have to worry now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I was going to shoot it, but then I ran out of bullets. Don¡¯t worry though, I pushed it into a dumpster fire. He¡¯s just gonna be a pile of ash!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Of course it¡¯s dead¡­¡± Her tone shifts, becoming slightly annoyed.


    ¡°...¡± As she listens to the other person on the phone, the colour from her face drains a bit. Her pupils visibly shake and she turns around.


    ¡°A-are you kidding me!? Why-¡±


    Kyle darts up and grabs Eve by her arm. She lets out a startling cry as he pulls her into the fire. She crashes to the ground and the blaze starts eating away at her. He immediately tries covering his ears, Eve¡¯s screams are piercing. Her hair is singed, further feeding the fire as it spreads around her. Her skin tears apart and her flesh darkens. She looks at Kyle through it all, eyes dry and strained red. She writhes aggressively, making it hard to hold onto her. The scent is utterly putrid, he can taste it. Her body spasms and contorts as more of it is charred, and then the screams seem to stop. The inferno rages on with smoke billowing up and out the alley. He stands motionless in the fire, unaffected physically, but a new memory burned into his mind.


    It takes a moment for Kyle to remember how to move again. Eventually, he rushes out of the passage and starts violently coughing out smog. A massive headache forms along with the urge to puke, and he almost collapses onto the street. Thankfully, he has enough strength to stumble over to a wall and sit down for a moment to process what just happened. Okay, so, he¡¯s immune to fire. He just burned somebody alive. That somebody is the one that kidnapped him. And there are more people involved with this. He rubs the side of his temple with one hand and lets out a long, exhausted sigh. What has he gotten into? Shaking his head, he gets up. He looks up at the sky and notices the sun has nearly set. Oh. He¡¯s supposed to be at the cafe for lunch.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ April? Are you sure you told Kyle to come back here?¡± Tim says, fidgeting with the buttons on his shirt.


    ¡°Yes! I did! I don¡¯t know where he is right now!¡± She puts her hands on her face and groans. ¡°He¡¯s not responding on the walkie-talkie¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe he bailed on us,¡± Julia dejectedly muses.


    ¡°What?! No way! He¡¯s, uh, just late,¡± April reassures, but her hope is dwindling.


    ¡°Three hours late! What is he doing?¡± Tim exclaims before slouching in his seat. ¡°Maybe Julia¡¯s right-¡± The door flies open and Kyle runs in, breathing heavily. The three of them stare at him, surprised.


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    ¡°Woah! What- What happened to you?!?¡± April yells.


    ¡°Huh? Oh-¡± He looks down at himself, his clothes covered in ash. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s a long story. I got some pictures!¡± He tosses the photos he took onto the table, and plops down into an empty chair at the circular table. Julia takes the photos with symbols and examines them.


    ¡°Hm¡­ interesting¡­¡± She says, her brows furrowing.


    ¡°Can I see them?¡± April leans over Julia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ooh! A pentacle! That¡¯s cool.¡±


    Julia nods her head, ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m curious about this one. Monas Hieroglyphica.¡±


    ¡°Monas Hiero-what?¡± Tim tilts his head. Kyle can¡¯t help but be curious too. Julia flips the photo over for them to see.


    ¡°This peculiar symbol was the work of John Dee. He was a lot of things, including an occultist and alchemist, and wrote a book called ¡®Monas Hieroglyphica¡¯ to explain this symbol and other such things. To sum it up, this symbol represents ¡®the unity of all creation¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Wow, how¡¯d you know this?¡± April asks.


    ¡°Oh, just a bit of searching online. Honestly, I don¡¯t know too much about it.¡±


    ¡°So, what about the triangle? Does it mean anything?¡± Kyle interrupts, curiosity unable to be contained.


    ¡°The triangle, that¡¯s simple if we¡¯re going by alchemy and occult logic, it should represent fire. Then fire can represent things like conversion and transformation,¡± Julia explains while resting her head on her hand. ¡°¡­ Where did you find these?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just, y¡¯know, found them in an alleyway.¡±


    ¡°What!? You¡¯re saying you randomly came across these? How¡­ On the FIRST day?!¡± April¡¯s mouth hangs open, shocked. Kyle doesn¡¯t respond,


    ¡°You better tell us how you got like that too, no matter how long the story is.¡± Tim points at Kyle¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Well, funny thing, while I was following those things,¡±¡ª He looks up at the ceiling, quickly thinking of a cover story¡ª ¡°a dumpster caught on fire, and I kinda¡­ had to go through it?¡±


    The three of them all have varying degrees of bewilderment on their faces. A drop of sweat forms on Kyle¡¯s head as he awkwardly smiles. April breathes in with her nose and puts her hands on the table.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± She says with all seriousness.


    ¡°I mean, there is a burnt dumpster in that alleyway,¡± he quickly backtracks. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t cause it, if that¡¯s what you think! I genuinely have no idea what¡¯s going on, and-!¡±


    Tim squints at Kyle suspiciously then shrugs. ¡°I believe you, staging a dumpster fire sounds like way too much effort for a fake story.¡±


    Julia checks her phone and jumps up from her seat. ¡°Shoot, I¡¯m late. Sorry, I got to go, you should probably also start leaving.¡±


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯m taking all the pictures home. See you next time!¡± April waves as Julia hurriedly exits the cafe. She turns to Tim and Kyle. ¡°See you guys, too! I¡¯m pretty tired.¡±


    ¡°Yup, can¡¯t wait to go home, who knew that abandoned fisheries were so fishy,¡± She hits him on the arm. ¡°Ow, sorry!¡±


    ¡°That was the worst joke ever,¡± the two of them sit up and leave the cafe, leaving Kyle unattended.


    Once they leave, Bailey walks out of the employee¡¯s only door and spots Kyle still sitting there. They step over to the circle table and greet him. ¡°Hey, Kyle! So, how was the ghost hunting?¡±


    ¡°Mm, it wasn¡¯t bad. I hope the next time will involve less fire though, haha.¡±


    ¡°Yup. Oh, I wanted to let you know something! I know you¡¯re a little¡­ lacking in the financial department¡­ but you¡¯re in luck!¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    ¡°Sure are, a position for a park ranger just opened up,¡± they say while putting their arm on the table.


    ¡°Huh, what happened to the old one?¡± He inquires.


    ¡°I dunno, some old grumpy guy named Hunter. Someone found him crushed by a tree earlier today. A freak accident, probably.¡± Kyle¡¯s face goes a little pale.


    ¡°... Damn, well, thanks for letting me know.¡± He stands up from his chair, ¡°I should go home now, bye.¡±


    Bailey waves their hand, ¡°Bye!¡±

 2.6

    April finds the Monas Hieroglyphica symbol drawn on the wall, just as Kyle found it. She takes the photo he took out of her bag and compares it. It looks the same, except it¡¯s currently the dead of night and there¡¯s no sunlight to help her see one bit. She quickly puts it away and goes down the passage, following the arrow. A chain-linked fence blocks the way, but she¡¯s no stranger to some light trespassing for the spooks and the occasional urban exploration. Grabbing onto the fence, she jumps up and over, gaining a few scratches. She clumsily drops to the ground, landing on her arms to absorb the fall. April dusts herself after getting up and grabs her flashlight. With a flick, it brightens up a portion of her vision.


    She slowly creeps along the alley, making sure her steps are silent so as not to alert anyone. Carefully waving her flashlight around, she steps over the trash and looks for the next symbol¡ªthe pentacle. Not long after, she finds the wall with it. She takes out the photo again, confirming the position. She nods her head, maybe Kyle did stumble across these on his own. It wasn¡¯t hard to find them after finding the first one, the arrows pointing in the right direction lead the way. Though it was suspicious, why did someone do this? The night breeze picks up, causing bits of paper to lift off the ground. The gentle swishing alarms April and she quickly illuminates the ground. She lets out a sigh when she realises nothing is there, thankfully.


    She sneaks forward, flashlight in front of her, and comes to a halt. The ground looks darker here, as if¡­ something burned it. Could this be the dumpster fire he was talking about? She squints and wafts the air after an unpleasant smell reaches her. Slowly, she raises her flashlight to see farther, and the light barely hits a figure, splayed out on the ground. April gasps and nearly drops her flashlight in shock. Confused, she calls out to the figure.


    ¡°Hello? A-Are you okay? What¡­¡± As she gets closer to help the person, the realization dawns on her once the light reveals the truth. This person is dead. Her hand, reaching out to them just before, covers her mouth instead. She trembles and is taken aback at the sight. A woman, wearing a sooty hoodie and melted flesh on her bones. Her face is unrecognizable, skin cracked and eyes sunken in. The few strands of hair left on her head are tangled and dry. April¡¯s breaths get shakier as if her brain was short-circuiting. What. How. Why. When. Who. Her eyes dart around to find answers to the gory scene. A blackened metal dumpster, bullet holes, an empty cartridge, gun. A fight, probably. Some altercation, between Kyle and this person? Then somebody shot at the dumpster, prompting a fire to start. But¡­ why? She slows her breathing in an attempt to calm her beating heart. April remembers something. In the pictures that Kyle took, there was a triangle symbol along with another arrow, but there was no other image afterwards to show what the arrow could have been pointing towards. She¡¯d been wondering why there wasn¡¯t another photo after that. It must have something to do with this person¡¯s death. After biting her lip, she carefully steps over the body and goes on.


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    She warily scans the walls as she gets further down the alley, noticing more bullet holes. One, two¡­ counting the one in the dumpster, the total amount would be sixteen. Scrawled onto the side, she also finds the triangle. Sooner or later, April would find the missing piece to this puzzle. As she approaches the passage''s end, her hand begins to tighten around her flashlight. The circle of light drags across the darkness before finally hitting the edge of the wall. She raises her arm and illuminates the message. Her eyes flicker from left to right over and over again, following the crude letters and trying to look for a reason or meaning. Why should someone be dead? Who is this message referring to? The dead body, or¡­ Kyle? It just doesn¡¯t make sense. But it needs to make sense. Otherwise, the danger is unknown, and if she doesn¡¯t know, how can she protect herself and everyone else? She can¡¯t steady her breathing here anymore. April needs to leave. She turns almost exactly a hundred-eighty degrees and starts sprinting out of the alley, being light on her feet. Just what is Kyle hiding?

 3.1 Haunted Houses

    The warmth of the rising sun passes through the small window in the cabin and gently falls onto Kyle. He gradually flops over from where he had been sleeping the night prior and lays on his aching back for a moment. The uncomfortable wings are simultaneously spread out and squished under him, making his morning just. Unpleasant. Blinking his groggy eyes, he realises something isn¡¯t quite right. He tries getting up, but he tumbles off the wooden desk and helplessly drops onto the floor.


    ¡°woAh- ack- fucking- ughh, what?-¡± He rubs his eyes, but something is still wrong. Kyle can¡¯t see anything. Or, more accurately, he can see, but it¡¯s all these strange blobs of colours. Looking down at his hands, he can see that they¡¯ve changed to completely different colours, more vibrant than the floor and desk. He is baffled. Has he somehow gone blind in the middle of the night? But he can still see, so perhaps he¡¯s gone colourblind? No, he doesn¡¯t know much about colour blindness, but it definitely doesn¡¯t look like this. He pushes himself off the ground and continues to look around. The vague appearances of the wardrobe and the chair can be seen with a dimmer hue, though the top of the desk looks to be more vibrant. At the same time, the rays of sunlight can be seen landing onto its surface. It clicks in his mind. He¡¯s somehow seeing temperature.


    Ah, but how does he go back to normal vision? Kyle rubs his eyes hard. Nothing changes. He tries again, desperation rising. Maybe he needs to wash his eyes? He guides himself to the washroom and turns on the faucet. He listens as a slow drop of water makes its way down and lands in the sink. Right, right, there¡¯s no running water here. He¡¯ll have to go to the stream outside. The blurry unnatural colours he sees as he walks give him motion sickness, akin to closing one¡¯s eyes on a swing set. Stumbling out of the cabin, the outside looks even stranger. The grass and trees are a collage of hues and the sky is a shifting mass of vibrance. He closes his eyes and wonders if this is what mantis shrimp see, like being on LSD. He can hear the soft sounds of rushing water coming from the stream. Considering that his vision was unreliable at the moment, he¡¯d have to make his way down with only the sound to direct him. He hesitates, but carefully steps forward. What other options does he have anyway?


    Manoeuvring around the trees with his arms out, he feels their rough bark scratch his hands. The sounds of the flowing stream start to get clearer and clearer, along with the strange colours-that-aren¡¯t-colours looking slightly sharper. The pounding dizziness in his head seems to lessen from getting used to the sight, but he¡¯d much rather go back to normal. The trees get sparser around the edges of the stream, and he notices the ground beneath him is dirt and rock. He¡¯s pretty close to the water now, just a few more steps and¡­ nearly walks off the edge into the rolling water. He quickly takes one step back and takes a mental note to be more careful. He kneels down and scoops a handful of water down from the river. Just as he¡¯s about to splash his face with water, someone pushes him in.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The icy cold water meets his face first, his nose and mouth submerged in a split second. It rushes through his mouth and into his chest, sending him into a choking, coughing fit. He thrashes around to get a hold of something, anything, to get him out of the water. He kicks off the stones at the bottom and grabs onto the dirt above. Just as quickly as he got in, he emerges from the stream and spews water everywhere, gasping for breath. His eyes burn from the unexpected exposure to the flowing water, and he squints in pain. He drags his soaking body out of the water and collapses on the ground, still heaving. Who the hell just did that?! He looks around but the person is nowhere to be seen anymore. Wait. He rubs his eyes again to make sure he isn''t mistaken. He- he can see clearly again! But¡­ why?? What changed? Was it something he did? Maybe it was because of the water? That person? There are too many variables to understand what exactly brought his vision back, but at least it was back. Oh man, he¡¯s absolutely soaked. How¡¯s he going to go meet up with the paranormal investigators like this?


    April, Tim, and Julia are waiting at the cafe once again. Chatting over some baked goods Bailey made this morning.


    ¡°Is he always going to be late to everything?¡± Julia asks, watching the time tick away on her watch.


    ¡°I hope not, but if he is, I hope he¡¯s at least got an interesting story to tell!¡± Tim responds.


    ¡°I bet he¡¯s going to come in a few seconds from now.¡± April chimes in.


    ¡°Well, I bet against you.¡± Julia crosses her arms.


    The three of them wait a few seconds in silence. Julia smirks.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a few seconds, I think I win-¡±


    ¡°SORRY FOR BEING LATE AGAIN-¡± Kyle rushes in once again. Julia freezes in surprised shock. April mimics the smirk and holds out her hand.


    ¡°I think I win this time, actually,¡± Julia grumbles and hands over a bill to April. She quickly pockets the money.


    ¡°Dude. WHY are you drenched.¡± Tim questions.


    ¡°Uhhh, sink malfunction?¡± Kyle says helplessly. Technically it¡¯s the truth, the sink does not function.


    ¡°Damn, you seriously need some dry clothes.¡± Tim teases between fits of giggles. ¡°Uh, do you want some of mine?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Uh, YEAH, that would be amazing. You sure you''re okay with¨C ?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, just try not to get them soaked or sooty.¡± Tim''s eyes flick up and down Kyle. ¡°Might be a little bit hard for you,¡± Tim says sarcastically. Kyle awkwardly laughs.


    ¡°S-sure, I promise it won¡¯t happen,¡± Kyle responds.


    ¡°Alright, you can go change, but after that, I¡¯ve got something special planned today.¡± Julia interrupts.


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± April says curiously.


    ¡°We¡¯re exploring a haunted house.¡±