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VJ looked up at the dark walls in front of her with trepidation. The report about this job had some very concerning notes. Abandoned, possibly haunted, seeing things in the corner of your eye, people going missing, sounds of disembodied laughter, movement in the walls, all seemingly normal for a typical haunted mansion job. It was the notes about possible physical entities, the remains found within the household, and the apparent human-like skins scattered in the living areas that had her worried. “So what do you think? Ghost of a serial killer who likes weird trophies, along with the ghosts of his victims?” Echo had his staff resting over his shoulder, currently the size of a cane. He was looking over the file Biggs gave them again. VJ doesn't blame him, it was an odd case. He still looked messy from the car ride. His disheveled short black hair and bloodshot eyes being evident of a sleepless night. VJ looked back at the giant foreboding mansion, the uneasy feeling in her gut growing. “If it was a typical haunting, they wouldn’t have been so urgent with us.” She felt the tingling sparks of her electricity arc between her fingers. “I don’t think it’ll be that simple, Echo.” “If I’m being honest,” Misty’s voice popped up from the trunk of the mustang. “It sounds like a shifter to me.” The trunk slammed closed as Misty joined them. “That’s why I made sure to grab extra silver this time.” She hefted the large duffle bag over her shoulder. Her 6’3” height making it easy to carry something so big and heavy. “And uh, what else did you pack for tonight, Cell Tower?” Echo snickered up at her. Misty glared back down at him. “First off, Adachi, being only four inches shorter than me does not give you the right to call me that. Second, the usual stuff. Silver, iron, salt, kerosene, stakes, lighters…” Misty continued rambling off the different weapons and supplies she had in the bag. VJ looked up at one of the windows on the 3rd floor, and jolted a little. Multiple bright, yellow eyes were staring back through the darkness. They blinked once, then disappeared. “Come on, we need to get the cameras and equipment set up before sundown.” Echo looked down at her with an easygoing smile, despite his messy outlook. “Don’t worry, VJ. Whatever it is, it’ll be fine.” He started towards the house. Misty was close on his heels, mics, cameras, and other things floating behind her. Easy for you to say, VJ thought as she followed them. We don’t even know what this thing is. Set-up was going smoothly, or as smoothly as it ever goes. Misty and Echo were in the midst of getting all the nooks and crannies of the entry space complete. Misty was levitating most of the equipment while Echo gave instructions. Well, it was more like Echo was butting in with his opinions, while Misty did the work. Their constant bickering ended up making VJ leave, quickly calling over her shoulder that she was moving on to the west wing. They barely acknowledged her. “I swear, adults are petty…” VJ grumbled aloud as she continued further down the dark hallways. She just wanted to get away from them. Immediately taking initiative, setting up the motion capture devices proved to be short and simple work. She didn’t even notice just how silent and dark the area around her was becoming. She eventually found herself deep in the west wing of the estate. Looking around, she couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her back, the feeling of claustrophobia seemingly forcing the air out of her lungs. Even though she could still see her surroundings, she couldn’t hear her partners or even the creaking of the floorboards beneath her feet. All the while, the darkness seemed to creep ever closer. Now, VJ wasn’t afraid of the dark. Given her experiences, it seemed trivial. However, something felt off about this place, about this job. In her nervousness, her fingers sparked, lighting the immediate area up around her. The dim glow of her fingers seemed to drive the cumbersome darkness back, at least a little bit. Ignoring the cold sweat on the back of her neck, she smirked. “Yeah, I know your weakness,” she called out. Lighting both hands up with her electricity, she took a stance. “I’m a walking embodiment of this shit! Wanna get lit up like a Christmas tree? Come at me!” Her challenge was met with silence as the darkness actually retreated away from her. She let out a breath of relief. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Then she heard it. It was distant. From deep within the wall of shadows, came a voice. It started out no louder than a whisper. "~Laaa la, Laaa la, Laaa la, Laalalalaa~" It was a melody. Like from some kindergarten rhyme, or something similar. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run. Yet she remained rooted to the spot. Her electricity seemed obsolete as she stood there watching. She watched as a creature emerged from the deep darkness farther down the hallway. Well, VJ thought as cold terror gripped the young hunter, at least we know it isn't the ghost of a serial killer. The creature that was maybe 10 feet from her was mixed black and green in coloration. Its long, black, oily hair was dragging on the floor as it crept along on six hands, and a set of feet. The limbs, which connected said appendages, were long and bone-thin, sticking straight up in unnatural angles. It had eight, yes eight, glowing yellow eyes that blinked at VJ behind the curtain of hair. Then it stood up. Its body was tall and thin, easily reaching the ceiling of the hallway. Its neck twisted around, almost as if there were no bones providing support. It was wearing what looked like a muumuu made of old sheets and tablecloth. Still staring at the frozen teenager, it gave an unnaturally wide smile, showing off its yellowed, pointed teeth. In a melodic, motherly-like voice, the creature began to speak.
"Come to me, child. Put away the light, and join me in my song."
VJ didn't waste any time. Loudly yelling "NOPE," she dropped the rest of the devices she was holding, spun on her heel, and took off running in the direction she came from. She could hear the creature's high-pitched laughter as it took up the chase. It had even started up the melody from before, turning VJ's blood to ice. VJ knew that if she could make it back to Echo and Misty, she would be fine. But the hallways seemed to stretch much farther than they did before. She was panicking, her breath was short, her heart was pounding against her ribcage. Cold sweat was beading down her skin, nearly extinguishing the electricity sparking in her hands. She could hear the spider hag behind her, cackling and singing about all the ways she could prepare VJ for a feast. She could hear the hag's hands and feet hitting the walls as the chase continued. VJ even glanced over her shoulder to see how close it was. That was a mistake and a half. The hag was clinging to the ceiling. Her torso was facing upward. Her hands and feet were scuffling along the upper parts of the wall, keeping her airborne. But the worst part was her head. It was upright, her neck twisted around to stare at VJ. The skin taut. And her mouth was still stretched open in that horrifying, unnatural grin. VJ wanted to vomit. Facing forward again, she kept running. She kept running as her legs screamed at her in pain. She was so focused on running that she almost didn't notice the light from the entryway. She also failed to notice just how close behind the spider hag was. Suddenly feeling a hand grab the hood of her jacket, she screamed out in panic. Shucking the jacket off, she made a mad leap for the lit doorway. She landed in the familiar, sturdy arms of Misty. And she heard a loud thwack from behind, followed by a firm and hard thunk . With Misty still holding her protectively, VJ turned to Echo, who had taken a defensive stance between them and the hag. His bō staff had expanded to its full length, soft white light emanating from it. The hag's head rolled out of the way, about five feet from them, as the body had fallen onto the ground. But it was still moving. The two upper hands had started twitching, moving around like it was searching for something. Echo made a sickened sneer at it as he pulled out some matches. Lighting about three, he threw them onto the body. A loud, painful screech came from the head as the body caught fire and quickly turned to ash. The smell of burning flesh made VJ want to vomit again.It took some time, and a lot of breathing exercises, but VJ had finally calmed down enough to explain what happened. Echo had returned from taking care of the head a little bit ago and joined the two women as VJ finished up recounting everything up to when Echo had swung. He had his phone in his hand and an annoyed expression on his face. “I was on the phone with Biggs earlier,” Echo started, pulling something up on the device. “Apparently the thing that chased VJ was a Spider Hag, or Spider Witch.” Showing them the article their boss sent him, the frown on his face deepened. It was no secret to anyone just how irksome Echo found fey to be. “Biggs thinks we should do another sweep, just to be sure. Kuso, I hate dark fey…” “And vampires. And serpents. And angels.” Misty smirked at him. Ignoring his protests about how serpents and angels weren’t real, she took the phone from his hand. Glancing over the article, it looked like any arachnophobe’s nightmare. Complete with an illustration of the hag eating a child. “Shit kid, no wonder you ran.” “You try going up against that thing when you have severe entomophobia,” VJ muttered, paper bag still clutched tight in her fist. Echo sniffed in contempt at VJ. “Weak ass excuse, and you know it.” VJ looked up quickly, eyes narrowed. “What?” Echo was standing over her, arms crossed with the most unimpressed look he could muster. “You heard me. You’ve been a hunter for, what, ‘bout a year now? You should be able to handle yourself at this point. “On top of that, kid, we’ve been working on your power control. You should be able to use that fancy shmancy electricity without spazzing out at this point. And you’re telling me sweaty palms prevented it? You’re 17. I shouldn’t have to be there every step of the way to keep your sorry ass out of trouble.” “Echo, stop.” Misty warned. Echo took a step back from VJ, arms up in the air in a surrendering motion. “Fine, fine. Misty, you and I are gonna make a sweep of the rest of this place. VJ, stay here and man the fort.” VJ, who was on the verge of tears at this point, just nodded in acknowledgement. Echo nodded back. “Good. We’ll keep in touch with the comms.” With the commands given by the team leader, Echo and Misty moved forward. Leaving VJ behind with the rest of the equipment, and her thoughts.Further into the mansion, Misty punched Echo in the arm, hard. “Ow! What the hell, Misty?” Misty was giving him a very unimpressed glare through the dimly lit hall. “I should be asking you that. That was unnecessarily mean to VJ, ya prick.” “It is necessary! She needs to be ready to take on, not just Salazar, but everything else the world throws at her. I’m supposed to be her teacher, her trainer. But how can I make sure she’s ready if I have to keep stepping in to save her?” Echo was getting tired of Misty trying to undermine his teaching style. She wasn’t the one given the task to teach the future savior of the planet, now was she? A low growl formed in Misty’s throat. Yeah, she gets it. VJ is the only electricity-wielder left in the world. She’s necessary to take out the biggest demonic threat facing the planet in three thousand years. But she was still a kid. And dammit, Misty couldn't stand to watch another kid get turned into a child soldier if she could help it. Grabbing the shorter male by the front of his shirt, she picked him up and shoved him into the wall. Echo let out a pained grunt as the air escaped his chest from the force. Her light brown eyes were glaring daggers into his near-black ones. Misty was angry. “She is a child. A child, Echo. You and I? I get it. I get what John, Biggs, and that old cunt Reggie want out of her. But she is still a. Fucking. Child.” Each word was enunciated through her gritted teeth as his eyes widened. “If she's scared? We help. If she's in over her head, we help. We do not make her hate herself because of a fear she can’t help.” Her grip on his shirt tightened. “You are not gonna turn her into another one of us. I won't have her end up like Caleb. Do I make myself clear, boss?” She spat the title at him with such venom it felt like he was being bitten by a snake. Her own eyes had welled up slightly at her brief mention of her brother. She let him go, wiping away the unshed tears. The wall sconce next to his head grazed his ear as Echo dropped heavily on his feet. Using the wall to stand himself back up, he sneered up at her. “Seventeen is barely still a child by law, Edwards. She turns 18 in five months. Your ‘child soldier’ argument isn't viable here, and you fucking know it.” Holding his injured ear, he turned his back to the seething woman. He didn't like it any more than she did, to be honest. They had been chasing after Salazar for months at the time, though they had thought it was just a lower-level demonic presence. They were too late to stop what happened, but Echo had been the one to offer the girl a path. And she took it without hesitation, much to Misty’s chagrin at the time. He wasn't proud of what happened next. Yeah, he knew how predatory Reggie’s plan was. And yes, he should have been suspicious of John’s immediate approval, seeing how those two hated each other. But when the big boss gives the order, what Biggs says goes in this world… He closes his eyes, memories flashing. Memories of… “You bring up Caleb like his fate is related to this,” he chokes out. “You bring up how we were raised like her situation is in any way similar. It's not. She wasn't 5 or 7 like we were, she was 16 . You wanna see a kid?” He looks up, and, in his anger, doesn’t fully register what he saw before him, instead using it to prove his point. “That’s a kid,” he snaps at Misty, pointing at the sickly looking child at the end of the corridor. Misty’s eyes widen as Echo does a double take. Knives fly. Four pin the child to the wall by their long, dirty sleeves. Argument forgotten, the two approach. Echo’s staff is drawn. Three more knives hover next to Misty’s form. Head lowered, the child’s black hair was glinting in the low light of the lamps Misty and Echo had brought. They were short, shorter than that wolf girl Ridgeback, with pale-looking skin and a gaunt frame. They were mumbling something. “What was that?” Misty questioned. “Mommy said she’d be right back,” the child mumbled a bit louder. The adults look at each other through the corner of their eyes and quickly look back at the kid. “It's almost dinner time, and she said she'd be right back,” the child whimpered. They sounded terrified. “She said bad people were here!” Tears were visible on their pale cheeks. Misty made to take another step closer, only for Echo to stop her with his staff. A small shake of his head. Don’t do it. “We’re starving, and-and she still hasn't come back!” The child wailed. It echoed through the corridor, reverberating against the walls and into the darkness. The adults’ eyes widened. Shuffling could be heard as the child continued to wail. Scraping against wood. Thumps against drywall. Whispers in the dark . They took a step back, wood creaking under Echo’s boot. All the noise stopped as if frozen. The child, pinned to the wall, stopped wailing. They sniffed pathetically. Echo’s eyes widened fearfully. Misty cursed under her breath. The child finally raised their head. Grin wide, evil, knowing. Their eight eyes glowed yellow, just like the hag’s.
“Have you seen our mommy?”
A hive. They were in a hive. Not a normal Hag’s Brood. Oh no. They had to stumble into a goddamn, motherfucking hive. Oh, Biggs is gonna love this. Currently Echo and Misty were running blindly through the mansion. The way they came had been blocked off by more spider children. Echo was cursing himself for not realizing the obvious trap. Misty’s mind was going a mile a minute trying to think of a way back to base. The spider child had caught them off guard. They had allowed themselves to be ambushed. Like a couple of amateurs. Knives were thrown. Echo’s staff had swung. Eleven heads out of dozens rolled. And it did nothing. The children just picked their heads back up, reattaching them like it was nothing. The children were singing a haunting melody as more came out of the woodworks and joined the chase. Two jumped right in front of Misty and Echo. Two knives each hit the little monsters. One in the forehead, one through the neck. It didn't do much, but it slowed the monsters down. Misty jumped over a banister, Echo’s feet sliding on the wood and rushing down the stairs. Misty had landed a few steps down from him, stumbling and cursing. Echo couldn't help it. “And that is why we don't rush,” he snarked. Misty threw a middle finger his way as they both rushed down the steps. Another monster brat suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs, mouth open so wide, they could see rows and rows of needlepoint teeth. They leapt over it, Echo turning in the air, taking the thing’s head clean off. Landing on his feet, Echo glared at the body as it chased after its head. Then his attention was directed forward as Misty grabbed him by his collar. “Do you really need to do the fancy tricks while we run for our lives?” She grunted as she rounded a corner, flinging him forward a bit. Using her ability, she pulled anything and everything down behind them, not slowing down for an instant. Hopefully, there was enough to obscure their path. Echo wasn't responding. He just kept running forward, his mind going into overdrive. “Adachi!” Echo was pulled from his thoughts just in time for Misty to push him out of the way of a leaping child. The child was then pinned to a sheet-covered couch by multiple knives through its arms. She turned to him, concern turning to anger. She slapped him upside the head. “Fucking moron! Pay attention! ” For being Biggs’ pick to take over in a few years, the man didn't quite have his smart head screwed on his shoulders all the time. Rubbing the place she struck, he glared back up at his comrade. “So sorry, bitch. But I’m trying to think of a plan right now. Also, I'm worried about VJ!” Worry crossed the woman’s features at the mention of their charge. But they couldn't stay standing still for long. She could already hear the singing horde getting closer. “I'm sure the runt can take care of herself. Right now we need to move!” Echo had to agree. Looking around, he spotted another doorway, with an actual solid-looking door they could close behind them. “Through there,” he gestured for Misty. Quickly shutting the door behind them, Misty gestures downward with two fingers, pulling a giant, heavy shelf down. “Hopefully that’ll keep them out for a bit, yeah?” No response. “Echo?” Misty questioned, looking at her quiet comrade. His face was as pale as a ceramic mask. His mouth was open in shock. She turned to see what he was looking at. And she almost doubled over in horror. They had found themselves in what could only be described as a room of remains. Or a trophy room, depending on how you look at it. Remains. Human remains. Skins, body parts, mummified bodies, all laid about in this room. Heads were stacked on shelves, arms, legs hanging from racks. Whole bodies drained and hardened, posed like statues along the walls. Others swing from meat hooks, bloated and rotting. Skins, so many skins , strewn about. Some hanging from coat racks, some bunched up in piles. Multiple others just scattered everywhere. Hundreds of dead humans being used for decoration in such a macabre fashion. And that's not even mentioning the smell. The grotesque scene in front of her made her want to puke. It made her skin crawl in so many ways that she wanted to rip it off. Misty’s seen some shit over the years. Dead bodies. Limbs missing. Organs in jars. Pools of blood. Ghosts having their way with their victims. Plenty of monsters feeding right before she cuts them down. But nothing quite takes the cake over rotting flesh being displayed so perversely. “Burn it,” Echo whispered. Misty looked back at her friend, still feeling like she was about to pass out. “W-what?” “We’re going to burn this place to the ground,” he muttered darkly. His eyes shone in the dim light. They were dark, darker than she'd seen in a long time. “With what? All the kerosene is back in the entry hall. And it's not like they’ll be easy to keep off of us.” “Did you bring my flamethrower in?” “No? It's still in the trunk.” Echo looked straight at her, face hardened. She remembered him telling her about a run-in he had a few years before she and her brother joined the American HO. About a fight Echo had up north with a creature born from cannibalism and desperation. He had the same look on his face during that story. Echo spoke clearly, not an ounce of sympathy in his voice. “I'm going to get it and burn this place to ashes. Send those fey-fuckers back where they came, treaty be damned.” Misty’s face hardened with steely determination. “We gotta find VJ first.”
Earlier in the entry hall…
“Stupid Echo. Stupid spider monster. Stupid spazzy powers. Stupid stupid stupid…” VJ enunciated each stupid with a kick to a wall, a pillar, or the wood of the banister for the stairs. She, to put it simply, was having a pity party. “Not my fucking fault a giant roach was in that binder that day in 4th grade. Not my fault when Jensen put that spider down my back. Or Ryler’s ant farm cracking open in my backpack. Or Benny putting a centipede in my oatmeal. Stupid Echo with his holier-than-thou teaching method. How would he like it if a Jiangshi or a Moroi or some other vampiric thing attacked him in the dark? Bet he’d run scared. Yeah, scared little Echo, palms so sweaty he’d drop his cherrywood stake wouldn’t he? More comic than leader…” Hot tears of shame and anger welled up in her eyes. She hadn’t had a freeze-up like that in a long time. She thought she was getting a better handle on things. It wasn’t like the last time when a freeze-up landed her in a hospital bed. So why did he treat it like it was the end of the world? And so what if she couldn’t get a circuit to hold properly in her hands? It had always been difficult, always either too much arcing or too little to create anything… Yeah, Echo and Misty have been working with her about it. Helping her work through the limitations, gain better control of it. Now she has a whole plethora of weapons she can conjure using the electricity stored in her body. Not only that, but she’d say she’s a decent fighter too. Without those two’s help, she’d never have gotten this far. She just… She just… She stopped her pacing in the middle of the room, sinking to the floor. Who was she kidding? Poor 17-year-old rich orphan. Saw her long-time friend and school crush’s head land directly into her lap, dead. Now here she was, a year later, trying, and drastically failing, at playing hero. It wasn’t Echo’s fault she had trouble with all this. She sniffled as she pulled her knees up to her chest. So much pressure, so much responsibility. She'd agreed to take it onto her shoulders without thinking much of it back then. She'd left behind everything she'd known… And here she is, on a job, crying like a little girl because she can't face her fear, while her mentors, her friends, go and take care of the problem. The tears felt hot running down her cheeks. Embarrassment, anger, sadness, homesickness. Yeah, Echo had been a jerk, but he was right. How was she supposed to turn into the badass world-saving heroine she wanted to be when she freaks out at a very low-level monster? She gripped the sides of her head roughly. Stupid rejection dysphoria. It ain't that deep! None of this was! She kept shouting it in her head, but it didn't make the tears stop flowing. Didn't make the emotions go away. Didn’t end the stirring of self-judgment and doubt. She only stopped when she heard the giggling. Her head whipped towards the noise as she scrambled back. No. No no nononono.
This was supposed to be the safe zone!
Yet, there they were, in the dark doorway, illuminated by the sunset through the windows. Their pale skin looked almost green, hair short and oily black, their several yellow eyes looked dim in the light. Two children, sharp teeth stained yellow, were giggling at her in the hunters’ base of operations. VJ’s breath caught in her chest as she narrowed her eyes. Oh, this situation was becoming familiar. All too familiar. Monster kids, of course. They even look like the hag, too. The only thing they lacked were the multiple limbs. Despite the cold terror that continues to grasp her heart, she attempted to rationalize the fear. A trick Brio actually taught her back at headquarters. Taking a deep, deep breath, she stood up. Shaky hands sparked to life as she stared down the intruders.
Monster kids. Just monster kids. You know this trope, you got this!
The kid on the right giggled again. “Heheh, look at that. The crybaby is finally on her feet.” “That's the one Mommy was chasing, wasn't she? This’ll be easy then,” the one on the left said all too innocently. VJ did not like this one bit. “D-don‘t count me out just-just yet. I can, I can still take you!” VJ tried to sound braver than she felt. “Aw, how cute.” “What are you gonna do? Stut-stutter us to death?” The brats laughed at her in unison. VJ grits her teeth, the mocking laughter turning her fear to anger. The laughter slowly came to a stop. The two little beasts seemingly ready to actually start. The left one crouched down like it was about to pounce.
“Easy peasy. Fallen humans. Humans to feast. Falling down, falling down.”
“My fair lady!” The other cackled mockingly. “Ashes and bridges, ashes and bridges. Say, got any posies in your pocket?” VJ couldn't take any more of their incessant laughter. Slamming her hands together, her right hand gripped the hilt of a thin knife that formed from solid electricity. Electric conjuring indeed, Ryler. She points the newly formed blade at the crouching one in challenge. “I fucking dare you.” The grin disappeared, replaced with a snarl. The monster pounces. VJ falls backwards. And the child’s face contorts with shock and pain. The knife. It had pierced straight through, poking out the back of the beast on top of VJ. Humming with power, the blade formed from pure electricity held strong, physically stabbing through the body of the monster as it tackled her. VJ laughed in triumph. She held the physical circuit! The monster above her started to smoke, dust particles beginning to evaporate from it. Pain turned to anger. It snarled again, opening its mouth, needlepoint teeth ready to tear into her.
Swish! Schlock!
The head rolled away. The body was pushed to the side, continuing to crumble. VJ had connected her left fist to her right under the beast’s body, forming a longer, second blade. And with a swift jerk of her arm, severed the thing’s head from its neck. Scrambling away, VJ watched with fascination as both the head and body burned and crumbled to ash. The smell wasn't pleasant, and the head screeched in pain, but it was captivating. Electricity, truly the thing that kills and cleanses all. VJ nearly relaxed as the body finally dissipated. Then she was reminded she wasn't alone. A blood-curdling screech sounded to the right of her. Her head snapped to the other little beast. It was on its knees, the dust of its sibling falling through its fingers. Blood-red tears had beaded in four of its eyes. It screeched again, pounding its little fists against its head, against the floor, sobbing. VJ stood up, trying to quietly inch her way around. Have to get away. Gotta get away before- The child looked up, eyes narrowing in on her. Yellow tinged with red, full of hatred.
Well, before that.
It screamed again and lunged for her Only to be shot in the throat by an arrow made of pure electricity. VJ had pulled her dominant hand back from her nondominant, as if she were firing a bow. The beast stumbled around, clawing at their throat. Gurgling and coughing was all the noise they could make anymore. Eyes bugged and welled up with tears. Their body slowly disintegrating, they collapsed on their feet, then curled up on their side, body crumbling to ash. Then the entry hall was empty save for the lone human girl. VJ couldn’t help the twinge of sympathy she felt for the monster siblings. Despite trying to kill and probably eat her as they most definitely have done to countless other innocent people, they seemed to genuinely care for each other. Even for little hellion beastly things like them, family is family she supposed. Shaking her head, VJ released her closed fists, breaking the circuit she was holding. Feeling ever so slightly woozy, she walked over to her pack and pulled out a granola bar. Gotta keep energy up, she told herself, eating the dry brick. Sitting just for the moment, she couldn't help the smile on her face. Not only did she prove Echo wrong, she also faced her fear, and held her circuit without it spazzing out or using up every ounce of her energy. Ha! Take that, Echo! Take that Reggie! No need for ability enhancement surgery, Dr. Savage! Her little happy trance was broken by the sound of a loud crash from deep within the center hallway. Oh right. There’s probably more spider children in there. She jumped up. Shit, there's definitely more spider children in there! And Echo and Misty are probably down there, fighting for their lives! VJ scarfed the rest of her snack bar down, swallowing quickly. Grabbing a bag, she filled it with the bottles of kerosene, figuring she could cause a spark to the rotting wood once it was doused. Taking one last glance around, she dashed down the center hallway, following the crash from earlier.Echo and Misty were lost. It was dark, claustrophobic, suffocating. And they were lost. The only bright side Misty could think of was that they had lost the spider spawn along the way. Downside? That trophy room. That’ll take more than the normal amount of liquor to drown away, Misty decides all too easily. Shaking her head clear of the unpleasant thoughts, she focused back on the present. She and Echo were in some sort of gathering space. An old chandelier covered in cobwebs hung above their heads from a ceiling engulfed in shadow. Dusty ornate mirrors lined the far right wall. More wall sconces matching those of the halls from before were placed strategically around the empty room. In order to give the space light, once upon a time. Now all they held were melted, burned-out candle stumps, or were empty all together. A ballroom, Misty surmised. And yet, even in this wide open space, the mansion continues to choke them, squeeze them, with its shadows. To make them pop from the pressure. It almost felt like the mansion itself was alive. And judging by the colorful language Echo was using, she guessed he'd come to the same conclusion. Now, Misty could understand a little of a bunch of languages. Came with the job. But multilingual, she was not. Even so, Japanese, as hard as it was to learn, became familiar to her over the years. Hence why she could catch every dirty word Echo was yelling in his native tongue about the mansion. And after a particularly nasty string of words about how the mansion could take its living darkness and shove it where the sun don't shine, she had enough of his yelling. A pebble was flung at his temple, making him almost lose balance on his feet. The withering glare he sent her could curdle milk, but she didn’t care. It worked, and his incessant loudness had come to a stop. “Yell about evil living houses some other time, Echo. Stars be damned, normally I'm the one getting worked up and angry.” And she meant it. Just last week, she lost it on a monster who liked to turn peoples’ literal heartstrings into string instruments. Echo grew a bit sheepish at that. “Sorry, M. I just…” He trailed off, groaning quietly in frustration. “Stress? Responsibility? Lack of sleep? A teenage girl refusing to listen, making you pissed off?” He returned her snark with a half-hearted smile. “Yeah. That. Nail on the head, et cetera, et cetera.” Misty rolled her eyes. “Yeah well, arc up when we aren't on the job, dickhead. We’re in the middle of being hunted.” Echo’s face turned serious. “Right.” Eyes darting around the dark hall, a plan started to form in his mind. “If we can make it back to the entry hall and get the canisters of kerosene, maybe even the jars of Greek fire VJ made a month ago, we can start the demolition and holocaust of these freaks here.” Walking over to one of the pillars, he knocked on the wood, testing it. “Hm, hollow. Probably with a solid stone base… Perfect. So you and VJ will tie our explosives up to the four pillars holding the ceiling, connecting them with fuse wire. Once you both are out and safe, VJ will send a shock down, igniting them, and blowing up this room.” Smiling up at the ceiling, the idea coming together wonderfully. “That’ll bring the two floors above this one down, knocking out the middle of the mansion. And then it'll only be a matter of cat and mouse. My flamethrower should make quick work of the rest of them.” Satisfied, he turned to his partner. “What do you th-” Misty made eye contact with him as she pulled the flask away from her mouth. “You done?” Echo deadpanned. “What have I told you about drinking on the job?” He was met with an eye roll. “What? You were droning on about a plan. A plan, mind you, that relies heavily on us reaching the entryway,” Misty pointed out, capping her flask. Echo pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily through his nostrils. “And in order to do that, I need you sharp and on your feet. How can I rely on you if you're inebriated?” Another eye roll. “Look, you deal with trauma by racking up the notches on your bedpost. I deal at the bottom of a bottle. And you know me. I can handle it.” “Can you?” Echo asked simply. “More than capable, you smarmy little-” Boom. Clang. Noises from deep in the suffocating darkness made the two freeze. Misty and Echo exchanged glances, Echo put a finger to his lips. Stay quiet, he communicated, as he moved towards the open doorway. The doorway that, unbeknownst to them, led directly back to the entryway. He leaned against the wall directly next to the doorway, Misty right next to him. A glow was coming from within the darkness. Thumps could be heard as it approached. Something new, Echo pondered. Something dangerous, Misty determined. Another glance between the two. A countdown of Echo’s fingers. Three. Knives hovered next to Misty as Echo’s staff started to glow. Two. Deep, deep breaths were taken, readying them for a fight. Hit them hard, and hit them quick. Always the battle strategy in these scenarios. Air released from their lungs. Teeth grit. One! They leapt out, ready to attack- Only for Echo to freeze at the glowing, sparking sword now poised at his throat. His eyes find a disheveled, panting, slightly scuffed-up VJ with her hands clenched around the hilt of the blade. Blue, the solid electricity glowed blue and white, like lightning. “V-VJ?” Misty stuttered, her knives frozen mid-air. The blade dropped, dissipating when VJ released her fists. “Guys!”“And after that, I came to find you guys,” VJ concluded her explanation of events since the group had parted ways. Chuckling to herself, she continued. “Honestly thought you’d be fighting for your lives, not gonna lie. Should’ve expected that you’d be a-ok.” “I wouldn’t say that,” Echo smiled softly at his student. She’d come a long way, and he was proud to see her growth. “Yeah, we were running for our lives and unable to do anything to the fae-spawn. Then we saw something a bit crook. Otta burn this whole place down.” Misty's voice wavered at the memory, but she still grinned at the kid. “Proud of ya, though. Holding your own like that.” She roughly clapped VJ on the shoulder. VJ beamed in response. “I also grabbed the kerosene bottles, just in case.” She pulled her bag over, opening it, showing the two adults the ten bottles. Echo grabbed the bag from VJ’s grasp, roughly pulling it into his lap. “VJ, I could kiss you right now!” Said girl chuckled in response as Misty swatted at Echo’s head. Echo swatted back, then proceeded to start squabbling with Misty like a couple of kids. VJ couldn't hold her laughter back. Laughter, in itself, is not dangerous. It's joyous, heartfelt. However, it is also loud. And VJ squeaked very loudly when laughing uncontrollably. Brio would describe it akin to a dog’s chew toy. And a squeaking toy reverberating through a loud, empty chamber is bound to gather attention. As soon as the first loud, echoing squeak left VJ’s lips, everyone froze. Misty lunged at the smaller girl, grabbing her and slamming a hand over her mouth. Echo became rigid, grabbing and holding his staff in a white-knuckle grip. VJ’s eyes were wide in fright. She breathed heavily through Misty’s tight clasp. Please, each individual prayed within their heads. Please, they begged whatever was in charge of their luck. Please, they silently pleaded with the living house. Please, please, please… Yet, they weren't so fortunate. As if just to spite them, that suffocating, squeezing, claustrophobic darkness picked up that squeaking call. It bounced around in the ever-expanding space, growing louder off of each surface. Louder, louder still, til each human had to clasp their hands over their ears in pain. Louder, almost as if the house itself was laughing, joy and malice being felt by whatever was living in the disembodied darkness. Louder, as it certainly reached through the halls and to the tenants that call this place home. Loud, loud, so very loud. And suddenly, silence. Deafening silence again as the humans glanced fearfully at each other. We’re dead, one set of eyes quivered in horror. Not yet, another set of eyes promised. Thunderous noises sounded above them through the ceiling. The sound of pounding movement indicative of the horde now fast approaching. Time’s up. “Change of plans,” Echo spoke just above a whisper, voice full of conviction. “Get me to the fucking car, so I can light their pyres.” A glance, a nod, a determined look shared between teammates. Fists crackle with energy. Knives and bottles start to float. A staff expands and glows softly. Running. They were running again. With heavy steps of their feet, they bolted across the floor. They swung with everything they had at their disposal, all to just gain a little more distance for their escape. Knives fly and pin the monsters to the walls as they run past. Bottles crash against surfaces, spraying volatile fluid everywhere. Other monsters burned as solid lightning cut them down. Even more still are beaten back by a white-hot staff of light. A mad, mad dash for the entryway. Skidding, sliding, Echo burst through the doors. Misty followed closely, knives shooting out from her belt and knocking back two more beasts. VJ, taking a stand at the threshold, exchanged her short swords for a bo staff, much like Echo’s. Teeth grit, she twirled and danced with her enemies. Each strike sends her purifying lightning through their bodies. Yet more kept lunging at her with their needle-ridden mouths. Growling, teeth gnashing, they kept coming. And yet… “Back off, freaks!” VJ shoved the end of her staff down the throat of another brat, listening to it choke as it fried. All she had to do was buy Echo some time. “Keep going, kid!” VJ glanced beside her just for a second and found a smiling Misty. A smiling Misty, who pulls the pin on a cylindrical object and tosses it into the growing crowd. BOOM! Green flames rip through the spider spawn, charring a good number of them as they're thrown into disarray. Cackling like a mad woman, Misty had pulled VJ into the entry hall just before the blast would have hit them. The heavy oaken doors slammed shut behind her, barricading it easily. A stunned VJ now stands back in the entry hall where, barely an hour ago, she killed two of those disgusting fae-spawns. Smiling, completely out of breath, VJ slides down against the wall and onto the floor. “Greek fire, Misty!” “I know, right?” Misty replies excitedly. “Greek fire, Misty!” VJ repeats joyously. “I know!” Misty repeats, delight in her tone. “Greek fire grenades! That I made!” “It worked perfectly,” Misty crows merrily. “They did! I knew they could!” VJ couldn't help jumping up and dancing a little jig at her success. “Oh, I knew they would!” Misty got up and joined VJ in her celebration. Hands clasped, the two women started twirling around, exclaiming the joy and success of the new weapon. “They work, they work, they work, they work!” Soon both had devolved into delighted giggles as they dizzily collapsed onto the ground. Cheeks rosy and red from the exertion. Misty pulled out a proper bottle of water and drank from it. Sighing contentedly, she passed it to VJ, who accepted it. “You should feel proud, kid. Not many people could figure out the formula for real Greek fire like that.” Still smiling, VJ wiped her mouth and handed the bottle back to Misty. “It took a bit, but it was finding the right ratio of powders to liquid that did the trick.” “That's good. That's very good, VJ. Great, even.” Misty and VJ both stopped and turned at the sound of Echo’s voice. Echo’s imposing figure through the doorway, emphasized by his homemade flamethrower, struck VJ with recognition. The gas canisters were draped along his back with a gentle movement as his gloved hands positioned the weapon pointed ahead of him. The scene before VJ was indicative of an old movie The Thing , or a game called Team Fort-Something . A small smile was shared between the two. Then steely determination spread across Echo’s face. The moment of levity was gone. Accentuated by the sound of screaming, scrabbling monster children pounding against the closed doors. One word flitted across VJ’s mind. Burn. An evil grin spread across Misty’s face. “Light ‘em up, Echo!” Doors were thrown open. Flames filled the hall in front of the three hunters. Pandemonium greeted them as the fae-spawn screamed and clawed at each other to get away. Their flesh was broiled and charred as the flames licked them. Like a beast born of flame, the flamethrower devoured each and every monster in its path. Ash and smoke drifted through the air as the burned bodies disintegrated under human feet. Echo was going after the fleeing monster children, pulling his shirt up over his nose to keep the smoke at bay. With an indicating jerk of his head, he dove deeper into the mansion. “After them!” Misty laughed madly, following his footsteps. The bag full of kerosene now carrying stars-know how many grenades. VJ smiled, lagging behind a bit. Alright, she thought to herself. Time for the show. Pulling her hands apart, she formed two lengths of flexible electricity. Whips that she planned on using with deadly accuracy. Forward the three hunters pushed, deeper and deeper into the darkness. Their prey finally fleeing, like birds from a wildfire. Even the oppressive, living darkness retreated from them, seemingly sensing its end. The kerosene that had been spread ignited under Echo’s watch, consuming the walls and floors like a starved animal. They made quick work of the fae-spawn. Flames, Greek fire bombs, and pure electricity all working to whittle down the enemy’s number. As the children dissolved into piles of screams, tears, and ash, Misty turned her attention to the house itself. A sneer found itself onto her face. 3, 2, 1, throw! A grenade was launched at a standing pillar. 3, 2, 1, throw! Again, the target being a room with an elegant four-poster bed. Again, into a parlor with a dusty gramophone and couches. Again and again, Misty blew the mansion to pieces. This evil, evil place will fall and burn tonight. These walls, and its occupants.
Early morning.
The sun was rising pleasantly in the sky. Big fluffy clouds scattered the light, turning the brilliant morning golden. The fresh dew on the grass was evaporating. A nice breeze whisked through the smoke of the wreckage of the once-standing mansion. The one thing marring the beautiful morning scenery is the wreckage of the old derelict mansion that had haunted this place for 200 years. A cherry red Mustang sat in the field across from the smoldering heap. And three figures were standing in front, scuffed-up, bloody, and bruised. Soot was smeared over their clothes and skin. One of them was holding a flamethrower. The tallest, a blackened burlap sack. The shortest one had visible cuts still stained red from blood. 24 hours ago, they had stood here, wondering what was in store for them. Now, the next morning, they stand, slightly traumatized by fire and death. Breathing heavily, the shortest one, VJ, went and kicked a smoking, blackened piece of scaffolding. The tallest one, Misty, walked up to her, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “That job-” “That job was hell,” Echo finished. VJ sent them both a rueful smile. “Couldn’t have said it better..” She takes a deep breath, “I need a fucking vacation.” Before Echo could respond, Misty started laughing, hard. “We-hahaha! We don’t get vacations! Hahahaha-holy shit! Oh, hell… No we don’t get vacays, kid. Wish we did, but we aren’t allowed.” Echo watched smoke and ash curl up from the wreckage. His eyes narrowed in thought. They sent us in with barely anything. No knowledge. We almost died multiple times unnecessarily. Screw it, Biggs can give us this. He owes us this much. Echo smiled, catching both women off guard. “Sure VJ. Let’s take a vacation.”