Episode 15

"911, what's your emergency?"
"This is Detective Robinson... I'm... I don't know where exactly... Far... near the mountains. There's a tower... we have several dead. We...ed...uld...ease..."
"Detective Robinson? Robinson."

*** Before ***

Gerald replayed the last terrifying moments that occurred at the university.  Everything was muffled like he was under water, he could hear the distorted cries from Maren struggling against her assailant as he dragged her further and further away. Gerald himself couldn't move. He heard whispers, they were screaming in pain, begging, cursing, but there was no source of the voices, just the black cloud that consumed him, Ryan, and Aaron. It no longer looked like they were in a school hallway, just pitch blackness.
The inhuman figure grew more disturbing the closer it got to him. Gerald noticed its fingers extended to three times the normal size. He had a sinking feeling they were going to work a lot like blades. Gerald drew his gun and aimed it at the creature's face but to no avail. One shot, two shots, both disappeared into the black mass like nothing happened.
Gerald saw the creature's arm raise, and he dove to the floor instinctively. He made the right call. Once those long fingers grazed Gerald's shoulder, he bled instantly. If he'd hesitated even for a second that could've been his head.
However, being on the ground didn't grant him much sanctuary. The creature loomed over him ready to strike again when Aaron flew into the scene. Idiot!
"You made a deal!" Aaron barked.
To Gerald's surprise, the creature didn't pulverize Aaron. Instead, it watched him. What deal was he talking about?
Aaron was acting responsive, but the creature wasn't speaking, at least Gerald couldn't hear anything. Without another word, the black clouds and soul singeing sensation started to pull away. The air was breathable again, and Gerald gasped.
They watched the blackness crawl backward until it evaporated, taking the creature with it. Ryan was silent, watching Aaron still standing defensively by Gerald.

Now they were in the car. No one spoke, but Ryan played with the first aid kit as they inspected Gerald's arm. It was a nice clean cut, probably four inches long. He knew it needed stitches, but he couldn't take his mind off of that monster. It definitely wasn't human. Aaron and Alaire were telling the truth, and he knew no one else would believe them.
Ryan wrapped the wound as best he could, "I think we need to sew you up."
"It can wait."
Gerald had Ryan drive this time, "Head to this address," Gerald installed the GPS coordinates into his phone.
"Where is it taking us?" Ryan asked, "Shouldn't we look for Maren? Call someone?"
"Of course I want to help her! It's my fault... but we already informed the SPD of her kidnapping," Gerald stated, "If we finish this case we'll find her... Aaron," he turned to the backseat, "I need your help with something."
Aaron nodded eagerly. Gerald pickpocketed Ryan's phone and opened the YouTube app.
"Tell me," Gerald instructed, "the voice of kidnapper. Do you hear similarities with this man? If any of us, you would know. Take your time."
Aaron took the phone and when he read the title of the video he looked confused. Before Gerald could explain, Aaron clicked the play button of Professor Kellor's Psychology Presentation Part 1.

*****

Maren groaned loudly, "Oh... ow..." Her head felt like lead. That jerk must've hit her with something. She forced her eyes to open several times, until the black spots disappeared, and were replaced by the masked man hovering above her face.
She screamed, "Where are we! What have you done? Why can't I move? Screw you! You mother-"
A loud clank shook Maren, cutting her off mid-insult. Her kidnapper looked about the room, nonchalant, "You've got quite the mouth..."
"Shut up!"
"No, no. It's a good thing," he said, his voice dripping with venom, "You'll need it. Once you don't have your eyes... or skin."
"What!"
Maren was strapped to a cold metal table, one strap across her throat, and ones for her hands and ankles. To her horror, her shirt had been torn, exposing the flesh of her stomach, "What are you gonna do..."
The masked man circled her table, coming back with a clean knife in hand. Maren couldn't breathe. Her eyes trailed to the right of her noticing a pale colored blanket hanging on the wall. That's no blanket... 
Flesh. Bright blue hair was still attached to the scalp, but the skin had shriveled. The suit belonged to another person and had been removed with skill and artistry. Maren wanted to vomit. He wasn't kidding... he wasn't kidding!
"No, no, no, let's not, ok? Let's not do that! Please!"
The man pointed the tip of the knife on the center of her belly, not breaking the skin, but uncomfortably twirling it in a circle, "It wasn't part of the plan originally. But I do need more of you... Might as well, right?"
"NO!"
He wasn't bothered by her shouting, and continued to spin the knife as casually as before, "Don't worry, you won't be alive for it."
A gurgling sound distracted him for a moment. Something, or someone, banging against iron, gurgling and wheezing all the while. The kidnapper finally pulled the knife away, letting Maren feel brief relief. She didn't dare take her eyes off of him, as he maneuvered around her table. It was hard to turn her head, but on the other side of the room was a cage. A body strapped to a similar bed to Maren's was inside, and writhing. But it was only a body. Only the meat and bones and teeth...
And alive?

Episode 14

Alaire lost count of the hours, possibly days, that she'd been in this basement. The hooded man hadn't done anything to her or hardly spoke except for the one time. The hospitality was questionable, in fact, she was given water and the occasional Capri Sun... Her curiosity was killing her slowly, had he found Aaron? Was Aaron okay?
Something about this felt... sloppy. Alaire couldn't put her finger on it, but she didn't feel as in danger as she ought to. And she knew that because as of late she was borderline insane with paranoia. But something was off.
After intimidating her the one time, the hooded man let her free from the chair but kept her on a chain like a dog. Another reason Alaire found this to be sloppy. It was like the hooded character couldn't decide to be evil or treat her more as a pet. She was fed and even given a pillow and blanket because it was freezing. He worried about her comfort?
Death didn't seem to be a factor in this scenario. She had to make a plan to escape. It was hard to plot when it was mostly dark in the room. She explored as far as the chain let her, but there was nothing to grab, no potential weapons or anything.
The door of the basement opened again. This time, the hooded man flipped the lights on. Alaire shielded her eyes, not accustom to brightness. She could hear his uneven breathing... no wait... crying? Was he crazy?
Her chains tugged, and she flinched, waiting for him to finally hurt her in some way, but then the chain went limp. She blinked a few times and saw that the chains had been removed.
"Go."
Alaire couldn't believe what she was hearing. Could it be a trap? His voice wavered, and he wouldn't look straight at her. His broad back faced her, almost like he was ashamed.
Alaire knew she should've run, taken the opportunity and bolted, but she had to know, "What?"
"I said... go. You can leave. Fly you fool."
Sarcasm? That's rich coming from the kidnapper.
"What did you do to Aaron?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"But... all this?"
"Yeah well, I changed my mind. I don't... want to do this anymore."
He couldn't have decided that before he stole her from her home? Again, something was eating at her from the inside, and for some reason, couldn't bring herself to run. She inched towards the door, making sure it wasn't a gimmick and he would come after her any second. Relief flooded her when she reached the stairs, and she turned back once, "Did something happen? You aren't with them... are you?"
"Them?"
"The cult?"
"No."
No? He could be lying. She started up the stairs, still in disbelief how easy this was. Alaire knew better than to not expect a trap, but nothing was in her way. Her fingers clenched together, why was this bothering her? She should go!
"What happened?" she called back downstairs. In her right mind, she should lock him in the basement, barricade the door, and call the police.
"I can't tell you, just go."
The disguised voice he practiced from before was gone. His voice was deep, but he sounded young. Still he hadn't moved from his spot, almost like he'd really given up like he didn't care what Alaire did. She wanted to kick herself, "If you aren't with them, then why do you have the recording from that night? How do you know Taylor?"
The man sniffled. Sniffled? 
"You cared about her... right?" Alaire pressed.
"They gave me the recording. Told me no one else cared. Told me I could bring her justice... But I can't. I'm... sorry for what I did."
Alaire kept a safe distance at the top of the stairs. She was in a kitchen, a model kitchen. It looked too perfect and clean for anyone to actually live there.
"Why don't you turn them in then?" Alaire asked.
"I don't know who they are. But they knew me..."
"They knew to contact you because..." Alaire pondered.
The man finally turned around, Alaire braced herself, ready to run if she felt the need. He wasn't wearing a mask any longer, just the dark hoodie. Underneath were a pair of chocolate brown eyes and a stern handsome face. A young face...
It wasn't a perfect match, but his face looked very similar. Very similar to...

*****

"You ready?" Matthew pointed to Ethan. He was positioned closely to the snake, crouched and unmoving. Matthew readied the knife in his hand. They didn't have time to waste, according to Ethan, a creature could be coming for them at any moment. Ethan didn't explain, or couldn't, but whatever was behind the door Ethan arrived through was terrifying enough to really shake him. Matthew wasn't keen on waiting to see what it was.

If Matthew's prediction was correct, the key card they needed might be in the bowels of the snake. Considering the sadistic nature of this prison they were in, it only made sense. Genessee and Capri got ready for any rebounding, stationed on either side of the snake, but far enough that it wouldn't care about them.

Ethan pounced, right atop the snake's head. His hands firmly held the neck of the snake so the mouth was no longer a danger to any of them. The snake stronger than Ethan thought, but he was still able to steady himself. The snake's body flailed angrily.

"Alright, do it already!" Ethan said.

Matthew tried to straddle the thick scaly body, unfortunately, he didn't have the anatomy memorized, so he stuck the knife as close to the head as he could get and made a jagged cut as far as he could reach. The snake twitched. 

"Gosh... put it out of its misery," Capri complained.

Ethan nodded, "Give me that."

Matthew tossed the knife to Ethan, and he stabbed it through the snake's head. He looked disgusted and anguished to do so, but once the snake stopped slithering, everyone was more at ease. Matthew pulled at the incision he made, feeling the slick stickiness of the snake's blood and muscles. The stomach was closer to the center, and a rectangle shaped object peered through the thin layer of the stomach's lining.

"I was right," Matthew made a face, "Here's the key to our freedom..."

He pulled out the key card, a piece of entrails dangled from one of the corners. Everyone looked away. Matthew shook it off and left the snake corpse to open the door. Luckily, even with the junk on it, the door automatically opened. 

"This doesn't look like freedom," Matthew frowned.

Before them was a long dark tunnel. The walls were made of metal, and there was no sign of sunlight or an opening anywhere. That could only mean one thing.

"We aren't done here," Ethan groaned.

Episode 13

Gerald and Ryan paced the empty hallway outside of the classroom, leaving Aaron and Maren alone. It was quiet for a time while Ryan tried to process what Gerald just told them. Gerald was still white in the face, walking back and forth
"You've seen a lot of dead people," Ryan said, "But this is freaking you out. A lot."
Gerald pulled out his phone again and handed it to Ryan, "Go ahead. Look."
Hesitant, Ryan looked down at the glowing screen. He turned away instantly.
"Oh! What the... How? Who sent you this picture?"
"I have friends," Gerald grunted.
Ryan gagged and shoved the phone away, "Holy crap..."
The door of the classroom opened, and Aaron joined them. He slowly shut the door behind him, "What's going on? You've been out here for a long time. If you're trying not to freak Maren out I think you're doing the opposite. Oh, and me too. You're freaking me out."
Ryan started walking away, one arm covering his torso.
"Where are you going?" Gerald called out.
"Gonna go puke..."
His footsteps echoed as he disappeared down another hallway. Aaron gave Gerald an inquisitive glare.
"I don't want to show you," Gerald sighed.
"I've probably seen worse," Aaron challenged.
Gerald's eyes rolled in a full circle before surrendering his phone for the second time. Aaron glanced at the image, averted his eyes, but didn't threaten to hurl.
"Well... I haven't seen that before," he grunted.
Gerald took the phone and shoved it into his pocket, "When I got the call that Tina was murdered I was surprised... It seemed too soon. Even if word got out to the cult fanatics that her shop had a relic of theirs, they would've needed time to plot or something. I don't know. And then her skin..."
"Have you seen anything like that for this case before?" Aaron asked, "Like... skinning people?"
"Did you?"
"I saw some pretty terrible things... A kid shoved into an iron maiden. A girl shot in the head when she sat right next to me. But I didn't see anyone skinned... Like an animal. You don't think we have a Silence of the Lambs killer, right?"
"It throws me off," Gerald admitted.
"Well, maybe this killer is different... Matt and Taylor are dead," Aaron said, "Do you know for sure the killer is related to the cult?"
"If you look at the picture longer... The killer left a pretty blatant message using the blood and her... eyes. It's the same lettering as on the torch. I think they want us to know they're after it..."
"Her eyes?" Aaron gaped, "Oh boy..."
Commotion. Rustling sounds started coming from the classroom, followed by Maren's loud shouting. Aaron pivoted and swung the door open. A thick cloud of black smog was growing and almost engulfing the entire room. Maren scrambled away from her desk with the torch in hand.
"What the hell is that! What the hell is that!" she almost bulldozed Aaron over.
The cloud thickened until it looked like sludge. Gerald couldn't believe what he saw coming out of the darkness. A figure made of the same sticky black mass stepped out, looking like a human with no real features. Aaron muttered "No way... No way... Oh shit... Oh shit..."
It didn't speak, just stalked towards them.
"Nope," Gerald ushered Maren and Aaron with his arms, "Run, we are running!"
Aaron needed a second to snap out of his deja vu, but Maren was already halfway down the hallway. Gerald couldn't feel an inch of his body as adrenaline rushed them down the school corridors. What was that thing?
"Oh... no. No. No. No." Maren groaned.
Standing by the public restrooms was Ryan accompanied by a man, a real man, dressed in black. A dark mask covered his face, and he held a gun to the back of Ryan's head.  Ryan looked at Gerald apologetically and did his best to stand tall without shaking.
Aaron, Maren, and Gerald came to a halt, waiting with anticipation.
"I've been looking for that," the man in the mask said, "Why don't we make a trade. Your toy for my toy."
He nudged Ryan's head slightly with the front of the gun. Gerald's mouth went dry. He moved to Maren's side and reached for the torch.
"Make the girl do it," the man ordered.
Maren made a terrified hissing sound, "Gerald, who is this guy? Gerald..."
"I don't have all day," the man sang, "I had to drive all the way out here because you people couldn't just have a damn video conference call."
"Huh. Why didn't we do that?" Maren whispered to Gerald.
"Let's go!" The man bumped Ryan's head again. Ryan looked torn between wanting to throw up again or elbow the man in the face.
Gerald and Aaron were frozen in place while Maren slowly made her way to the gunman. Ryan made eye contact with her the entire time. Both looked like they were about to piss themselves.
"Ok," Maren was close but at a safe distance, "Let's... swap."
The man's black gloved hand reached out, but he didn't lower the gun.  As soon as the torch reached his palm, he yanked on it, catching Maren by surprise, and pulled her along as well. With a violent kick, Ryan flew forward to the ground. Now Maren was in the man's clutches.
"What gives!" Gerald said. He rarely ever used his own gun. It made his cases complicated when there were casualties. But his fingers were itching for the pistol he had stashed in his clothing.
"I don't want you losers following me," the man held the gun to Maren's temple.  She shut her eyes tightly, mutterings prayers of some sort.
He started to drag her away, not turning his back on Aaron, Ryan, and Gerald.
"Do you have Alaire," Aaron suddenly said.
The man turned his head to Aaron but said nothing.
"I think you three have bigger problems to worry about."
Gerald was suddenly very aware of the soft whispering from behind him. The dark mist crawled passed his shoes and slithered against the walls. That thing was still with them. When Gerald turned around a wall of darkness greeted him. The wall moved forward along with the dark figure leading the way.
"The freak is that?" Ryan pushed himself off the floor.
"Thanatos," Aaron said.

Ghost Brigade #2

Episode 12

After the events of last night, Ryan, Gerald, and Aaron decided they could not wait. They camped out in the living room altogether, but no one was able to get a wink of shut-eye. Not even with the artifact locked tightly away in the car. Ryan finally called it, "Let's just get the freak out of here... I can't stop seeing that thing in your kitchen."
"At least you don't live here," Aaron grumbled.
Aaron left a note and a few presents wrapped in shiny red paper on the kitchen table. He didn't want to leave his mom on Christmas, he didn't want to hunt down a killer - and ghosts - on Christmas, he didn't want Alaire in the hands of the killer on Christmas either... Tough.
"You sure you want to come?" Gerald stood at the front door, eager to leave.
Aaron looked up the stairs one more time, debating waking his mom up, but said, "Yeah, let's go."
Ryan practically ran to Gerald's car, letting Aaron take the passenger seat.  The air was so icy that their nose hairs froze as soon as they left the house. Dawn had barely begun, and a thick fog surrounded them. Aaron watched his breath come out as little white clouds.
"Does anyone else want to drop the torch in a river somewhere," Ryan said, "What if it possesses the car?"
"Let's not think about it," Gerald snapped, "Or talk about it. Or acknowledge that it's even there. Until we get to Seattle."
"Yeah, alright..." Ryan rolled his eyes.

Luckily, the car ride was smooth and uneventful. By hour two, the car smelled of McDonald's breakfast, by hour five Ryan was passed out and sprawled out in the backseat, and by hour nine they were all ready to pass out.
"Need me to drive?" Aaron offered.
"I think I'm alright. We'll just have another coffee run or energy drink pit stop..."
Aaron looked at the floor of his seat, which was cluttered with empty cans and foam mugs.
"If you say so," Aaron shrugged, "We're about an hour or two away."
"Cake," Gerald said in a silly tone. He started to giggle.
Aaron side glanced at him, "You sure you're ok?"
"I'm... peachy! Running on no sleep, driving ten hours, there's a possessed object in my trunk, and we just saw what could quite possibly be a ghost or demon in your house. I'm fantastic."
Aaron sighed, "I really thought this was over."
"Did you..." Gerald mused, "Ever see anything like that? When you were kidnapped."
"Yes."
Gerald was silent.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, you're a rational guy looking for facts and evidence, but... The first time I saw a figure like that, it was Thanatos. He appeared out of nothingness. It felt like you were suffocating. Like you were slowly dying the closer he got to you."
"You really saw this thing?" Gerald didn't sound like he was teasing.
Aaron nodded, "It's what killed Taylor and Matt - grabbed their faces and popped their skulls like a melon."
"You didn't mention that in your report," Gerald noted.
"They didn't let us get to that part..."
Aaron remembered talking to the police from his hospital bed, and how incredibly frustrating it was. Not only that but for the first three weeks, he could hardly move his left arm from the gunshot wound in his shoulder. Aaron rubbed the scar.
"How are you holding up, by the way?" Gerald asked, noticing Aaron starting to cringe.
"The scar is ugly, but I'm alive. I can't say the same for the others."
Gerald tapped the top of his head, "I mean up here."
"Oh... I've been better, and I've been worse. It was really bad when I first got home. I'd throw up after having nightmares, and any loud sounds would make me jump. Now I can hide it a little better."
"I'm impressed," Gerald said, "Seriously. I may never know completely what you and Alaire went through, but I've seen some pretty messed up shit. And those survivors didn't look as well-off as you."
"Thanks, I think," Aaron smiled.

*****

"Gerald! How the heck are you? You-you guys smell like eggs and sausage..."

A woman with thick dark hair wrapped into a ballerina bun, hugged Gerald as soon as the door opened. She introduced herself to Ryan and Aaron as Maren, the brilliant.

"Nice to meet you both," her white teeth gleamed at them through her big smile, "You all look pretty haggard, though, if I'm being honest. There are showers in the locker rooms if you're desperate..."

"We'll get a hotel later," Gerald said, "It's good to see you, it's been a while. Sorry, we had to come on Christmas day."

"No kidding! That's alright, it's nice to get away from crazy family sometimes. Besides, your request sounded interesting. You have something for me right?" Maren raised her eyebrows with enthusiasm.

She escorted them into her classroom, which was empty for winter break. The seats were staged like most universities - in bleacher formation. A large black chalkboard displayed itself behind her rather large wooden desk. 

Gerald set the trunk down and carefully opened it.

"Oh..." Maren pulled out her reading glasses from her pocket, "Is this... Greek." She pointed at the writing imprinted on the torch's handle.

"Yeah," Ryan jumped in, "I looked it up, basically it means death."

"Huh..." Maren examined the torch, turning it over and over, "I mean that makes sense. A torch upside down is symbolic of a life cut short, hopelessness, loss of enlightenment, bereft of future, yadda-yadda."

"It's an artifact for a cult that worships death, or this thing called Thanatos," Gerald said, "Do you know anything about it?"

"Oh I've heard some things on the news lately," she said, "However, I'm having a hard time believing the thing they worship actually being Thanatos."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Thanatos is from Greek mythology," Maren explained, "He's the god who's also the personification of death. But to my knowledge, he wasn't one of the worst gods... In fact. I'd be more afraid of his siblings."

Gerald, Ryan, and Aaron in unison said, "Siblings?"

Maren nodded, finally taking her eyes off of the torch, "Thanatos is the son of Nyx and Erebos -night and darkness - and his twin is Hypno, god of sleep. But there's more. His other siblings are more negative personifications, Geras - old age, Oizys - suffering, Moros - doom, Apate - deception, Momus - blame, Eris - strife, Nemesis - retribution, and Charon the boatman. Thanatos himself is supposed to be exclusive to peaceful deaths. There is something a bit more bloodthirsty... the Keres."

"That was a lot of info..." Ryan groaned.

Aaron stepped forward, looking Maren dead in the eye, "What are the Keres?"

Maren waved the three of them over to her computer. She pulled up some photos and articles under Keres.  Images of winged female demons flooded the screen.

"Keres are the embodiment of violent deaths. They're female death spirits, of the unpleasant kind... Again, that's the Greeks. If your cult is worshipping Thanatos by brutally murdering people, then... I don't know. They might be really naive or might know something we don't."

"Naive is a possibility since the last two involved in the cult were no older than Aaron," Gerald said.

His phone started vibrating in his pocket, "Excuse me," and he left the classroom.

Maren sighed, and plopped down in her desk chair, "Do you guys care if I keep this?"

"Just don't take it home with you," Ryan suggested.

After ten minutes, Gerald finally returned. His normally tan face looked pale and ghost-like. 

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

Aaron waited anxiously, for some reason his heart was racing. He'd seen that facial expression several times over - whenever someone was killed in the Thanato Project. Alaire had that same face in the hydrotherapy room when Jacob died, and when Taylor and Matt were obliterated. He knew that look more than he cared to.

"That was um..." Gerald paused, "Tina, the woman who sold us the torch... she's been murdered."

Aaron's body felt like heavy led and ice. His blood was cold and his brain felt like mush. How could this still be happening?

Ryan slowly turned to Maren, who set the torch down on her desk like it was infected.

"You sure you wanna keep it?" he asked.

Ghost Brigade Characters

Hey y'all! Here's the characters that may appear in the Ghost Brigade comics - courtesy of Genessee Robinson!

Episode 11

Matthew and Genessee watched Capri float uncomfortably in the tank, the snake's body coiled around her legs and filled up most of the empty space.  There were several wheels left to turn, full of possibilities, good and detrimental.  Matthew didn't waste any more time.
"Spin them all!"
Genessee hesitated, looking from the tank to the wall of wheels.
"Just do it!"
Their hands were covered in rust.  Sounds of splashing erupted from the tank, but neither of them dared to check what caused it.  Only a couple wheels remained, and as soon as Matthew turned the next wheel in his hands he knew he'd hit the mark.
Water flooded the floor, accompanied by tiny leech creatures. The tank was draining! One of the glass doors had flung open allowed the mess to dump out.  Capri, still unconscious and soaking wet, rolled onto the floor.
Genessee maneuvered around the snake and started unwrapping its grip from Capri's legs.  Luckily, the snake didn't seem too interested in clinging and lazily slithered about the room.  When it got close to Matthew he kicked it away, "Egh..."
"She's not breathing," Genessee pushed Capri onto her back and started pressing into her diaphragm.  When that didn't seem to be working, Matthew shooed Genessee aside and pressed down, more like a hard punch to the chest.  Capri's mouth sprayed, coating Matthew and Genessee in a mist of spit and water.  She coughed and gasped for air.
"Splendid..." Matthew wiped his face.
"What happened?" Capri's voice was hoarse, "You ended up saving me after all? Do you know where we are?"
Genessee shook her head, "Not a clue.  Whoever put us here said you had a key in there with you.  Did you find it?"
Capri's long brown hair almost touched her hips, and she rang it out like a towel.  A leech fell out, and for a second, it looked like Capri would pass out again.
"It was a key card I think," Capri said, "But... I lost track of it after I... well, passed out."
Matthew searched the empty tank for anything other than leeches and blood residue, but no luck.  The girls followed suit in searching the rest of the room where the water spread.  Their shoes were soaking and covered in leech guts from stomping on the little buggers.
"I'm not finding anything," Genessee sighed.
"It has to be in here," Matthew said.
Without warning, all of them heard shouting.  A man's screaming somewhere far away sounding like it was getting closer and closer. Matthew approached one of the doors, this one had no way to lock or unlock, but someone was definitely on the other side.
And then, it opened.  A dark-haired fellow with a matching beard had somehow opened the door from the other side and slammed right into Matthew.  The two of them yelled at each other before scrambling back to their feet.
"Who are you!" the man said.  He had a small knife in his hand and a key card!
"Hang on," Matthew put his hands up, "Don't go shanking me, now."
"You," the man pointed the knife at the girls, "You're all trapped here too...?"
They nodded.  It didn't take long to realize the room the man had stumbled into was another trap-like setting. He calmed, "What happened to you guys?"
The man was out of breath, and his eyes were wild.  Matthew didn't want to know where he just came from.
"Not good stuff," Matthew said, "Is that a key card?"
"Yeah, I got it to open one door, and this one..."
"Let's get out of here!" Capri tried to push the man out of the way, but he grabbed her by the arms.
"No!" he pleaded, "Do NOT go that way.  You don't want to, trust me."
"Then try the key card on the other door," Genessee suggested.

Matthew observed the man attempt to open the door, worry filling his gut.  The man had blood splattered on his clothing and was twitching like dying animal.
"Who are you?" Matthew asked.
"I'm Ethan. You?"
"Matthew, Genessee, and Capri."
"You all friends?" Ethan asked.
Matthew shook his head, "I didn't know them before... all this."
"I didn't know the girl with me either," Ethan muttered.  The key card refused to work and the door stayed sealed tight.  Ethan flung the card to the ground and cursed loudly. "We need to keep moving! There's something terrible back there..."
"We were supposed to get our own key card," Genessee explained, "But..."
"We can't find it," Capri finished.
"Damn, damn, damn..." Ethan pressed his forehead against the door.
Hope deflated from the room. Genessee and Capri kept searching every dark corner, just in case.  Though, nothing resembling a key card or a key was anywhere in plain sight. Matthew leaned against the wall, keeping a close eye on Ethan when the snake circled back after making a full lap around the room.  It's dark and scaly body glided with ease through the layer of water.
"Oh..." Matthew pressed his lips together.
"What is it?" Genessee asked.
"There is one place we haven't looked."
Matthew extended a hand out to Ethan, who eyed his suspiciously.
"Let me borrow the knife."

    

Episode 10

-The Same Night-

Tina hadn't seen a customer since noon. It wasn't terribly surprising being Christmas Eve.  Regardless, things weren't looking too prosperous for her little antique shop.  Thank goodness they made some money off of the detectives.

Dylan had Tina's feathery pink duster and was brushing the line of lamp shades, all a different pastel color.  Dust particles danced in the air, and Dylan sneezed a three times in a row. He looked bored enough that he could pass out.

"Dallin!"

"It's Dylan."

"Dylan," Tina corrected, "Clean off the jewelry boxes and mirrors then you can leave early."

"Sweet," Dylan shrugged.

Tina counted out for the day and flipped the open sign to closed.  She started putting storage boxes in the huge closet they had in the back and almost tripped over a trunk on the ground.

"Ooooh, ouch!"

Dylan tromped into the room, his dark brows furrowed, "What was that?"

"This... trunk. Did you take it down today?" She rubbed her foot tenderly.

"Uhh... No, I don't remember it out at all."  

"Well, let's put it away, I guess." 

It was the same trunk the detectives searched through the other day.  A little odd, Tina thought, but she forgot a few things here and there.  Oh well.      

  

"Alright, see you Monday," Dylan waved. 

Now Tina was alone in her quaint little space.  She had planned to visit family but the snow was too terrible to make the trip that weekend.  So it was going to be her and her cat, Felix. Her home was actually right above the shop.  It was about the same size, but an apartment with plenty of room for one and a pet. 

There was a door slightly hidden in the back room that led to her apartment.  She locked up the shop and headed up the staircase to get ready for her small festivities.  Felix and his bulbous fluff of a body mewed in protest, demanding to be fed as soon as she entered the apartment.  

After Felix had a generous portion of canned fish, a special Christmas treat, Tina put on some classic holiday movies accompanied with a large diet coke and buttery popcorn.  After the second movie started, her eyes drooped and she started to fall asleep.

Midnight.

Tina woke with a start.  Felix was fast asleep.  The air was still.  Her Christmas tree was still lit along with her fake fireplace she had running on her laptop screen.  All seemed well.

Except her door was open.  

Tina adjusted her little reading glasses that had slid off her nose during her nap.  It couldn't have been the wind because the staircase was attached to the inside of the store.  She gulped. 

"Felix," she hissed, "Felix, go investigate."

Felix lay like a slug sinking into the couch cushions.  Tina grumbled, and rolled out of her comfortable position.  She should call the police.  

She grabbed her phone and a small can of pepper spray from her purse before braving the open door.  The staircase was dark and the shop was even darker below, like staring into a void.  Unfortunately, the light switch for the staircase was at the bottom.  So Tina tiptoed, avoiding the one step she knew always squeaked until she reached the shop.

Nothing looked too out of place.  It was dark except for the Christmas lights from outside and the moon reflecting on the piles of white snow.  Tina's windows were frosty.  She shivered.

As soon as she found the light switches she turned all of them on.  The room flooded brightly, and again everything seemed to be fine. Tina checked the locks one more time, just to be cautious, and was about to return to the stairs when she stubbed her toe.  Again!

"Oooooh, darn it, dumb thing!" Tina glared at the trunk, "Dylan didn't put you away? Ugh..."

The trunk was open this time, and when Tina peered inside, she noticed everything was missing.  All of the other deemed artifacts.

"A thief?" Tina pursed her lips.  It couldn't have been the detectives, they were nice boys, but perhaps someone else that knew about the Thanatos cult?

All of the lights went out.  Tina nearly jumped out of her skin, her phone tumbling to the floor.  The brightness of her phone screen lit up the area around her as it rested on the floor.  She gasped, noticing someone hidden in the corner creeping out in her direction.

"Intruder! The cops will be here any second!" she threatened.

The burglar didn't run.  He stood in horrific silence watching Tina as she readied her pepper spray. 

"Silly woman.  Where is the artifact." The man's voice was nonchalant like he wasn't even breaking an entry, or he was used to this sort of thing.  

"You already stole them!"

"These? Fakes? Who bought the real one?"

"People who work for the city, and police, so you're wasting your efforts trying to find it!"

"That's really too bad.  I don't enjoy wasting time," his voice got cold real fast, like diving into a pool in the winter.  Tina released a wave of pepper spray, and the man retreated back.  The fumes filled the store quickly, and Tina found herself choking, tasting the sourness of the spray in the back of her throat.  Her eyes tingled as she reached for her phone.

"What a nice collection you have," the man whispered in the darkness, "It even has jewels in the handle.  The craftsmanship is sublime."

She knew what he was looking at.  Her heart stopped, right before an ice cold knife was plunged into it.  The knife collection, damn him! "AAAHHHH!"

Tina got to be close and personal with her killer.  She recognized his face from somewhere.  Even as blood decorated her product and the killer's hand, she muttered, "You...? I... saw you...on T.V."

The killer grinned.

"H-how..."

Tina crumpled to the floor.  The killer whipped the blood off of the blade with his fingers, "Now.  Do we want to be clean or messy? Tch tch tch..."

He picked up Tina's phone, snooping at her recent contacts - Landlord, Rebecca, Petco, Dylan Atchley... The killer smiled.

R.I.P 

Tina Surlin

(Grandma, you're a trooper to be in my creepy stories, love you! Hehe)

Episode 9

The three men sat in Aaron's front room, lounging on the red plush couch cushions with their bellies satisfied.  Aaron's mom had already retreated for bed.  Nice lady, Gerald thought, and a master baker.
"You guys," Ryan exclaimed, "Really know how to feed your guests."
"Thanks again," Gerald added.  Aaron smiled, but his eyes were still clouded with concern.  Gerald watched the Christmas lights on the tree slowly change from white to green, to red, and back to white again.  Christmas was never a huge holiday for him, and he'd dealt with many cases, runaways, kidnappings, cheating spouses, homicides, etc. However, this night in particular, he pitied the students trapped in a game of life and death on Christmas Eve.
"So," Aaron cleared his throat, "What exactly did you find?"
Gerald set his suitcase down onto the coffee table.  He ground his teeth as he unlatched the buckles.
"It looks like... something they'd decorate crypts with," Aaron said.  He lifted the torch and rotated it around several times, looking for something.
"Is it weird?" Gerald asked, "Being so close to all this again?"
"You have no idea..." Aaron grumbled, his brow furrowed, "You said you had a friend who's, what, a cult enthusiast?"
"Yup.  We'll see her as soon as possible."
"Can I come?" Aaron asked.
"If you want," Gerald didn't see the harm in him coming.  He was the client after all.  Aaron might even be safer if he stuck with them, Gerald thought.
"Do you think she's ok?"
Aaron didn't have an ounce of hope in his voice.  Gerald wished he had more news.
"As you know, they didn't find much of anything at Alaire's house.  She hasn't been in contact with friends recently, just you and her family. We've been following some leads into the cult.  It's all very..."
"Freakish..." Ryan chimed in.
Aaron suddenly froze.  He glared at the artifact for a second before tossing it back in the suitcase, like it was suddenly searing hot.  And then, the lights in the house went out.  Everything was pitch black.
"Fuse?" Ryan said, trying to sound casual.
"We need to get this thing out of here," Aaron's voice shook.
Gerald could barely make out Ryan and Aaron's silhouettes in the darkness.  It could've been the fuse, but nobody moved.  Gerald was a little ashamed how spooked he was; his heart skipped a beat.
"I'll go check..." Ryan offered.  The couch groaned, indicating Ryan was on his feet. "Hey, Aaron, which side of the house-"
Thump.
The torch artifact landed on Gerald's toe.  Instinctively, he jumped to his feet and his heart did another cartwheel.  He fumbled blindly for it on the floor - while trying to ignore the fact that it was sitting in his suitcase before, and not entirely able to make it to the floor on its own...
"Aaron," Ryan whispered, "Tell me that's your mom..."
Gerald frowned, what was Ryan on about now? 
Standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen was a tall dark figure.  Gerald only met Aaron's mother earlier tonight, but he knew she wasn't that tall or broad.  A chill ran down his spine.  Before he could address the intruder, the floor started to quake.  Furniture and decorations rattled.
"What the crap!" Ryan moved backward and tripped over Gerald.
"Who are you!" Gerald barked.
As suddenly as the lights turned off, they were on again.  Objects had moved in the room from all the shaking.  Other than that, everything was still again, and the figure in the doorway was gone.  The three of them looked to each other before Gerald said, "We're going to see Maren. Tomorrow."
Ryan nodded vigorously.  Aaron picked up the artifact and locked the suitcase, "Well, you were looking for something of Thanatos's... I think you got it."
Aaron had seen or felt something before the lights went out, and Gerald didn't dare ask what right then. If Gerald wasn't a superstitious man, he was definitely reconsidering.
"Freaking Krampus..." Ryan shivered, "Happy holidays everybody..."