Amelie dragged Iris’s unconscious body through the undergrowth, not caring about the broken branches and dirt that stuck to her back. Now that she would be getting the proper ritual circle though, Iris would not be alive to complain. Through the gaps in the tree trunk she noticed Archer leaning down and completing the new ritual circle with a robotic precision that she hadn’t seen in him before. She was glad that she managed to persuade him in order to get him on board. It saved her some significant difficulties and put her in a good position in regards to his organisation. Amelie almost called out to him, but paused as he stood up straight and pulled the phone out of her pocket. Curious, she dropped Iris and stepped closer.

"Of course she doesn’t know. If she did, she wouldn’t be here… Yeah, yeah. I’ll call back once we’ve sorted it. Don’t worry, Amelie will be dead before the day is out.” The world around her paused, the only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat. Archer had planned on betraying her? She had planned on betraying him at some point but she hadn’t expected the idiot to try and outplay her. She turned and ran, almost tripping over the sprawled body of Iris before sprinting off into the forest. The rhythmic thumps of Archer’s feet echoing behind her, so close that she dare not even look. So close that she sometimes mistook them for the beat of her heart.

Which made it all the more obvious when those sounds faded into the background, and then disappeared entirely. At first this didn’t bother her, it meant that she would be able to reach the village before Archer reached her, and then she could hopefully spin things her way… Though she would have to dispose of Iris in a less mystical way. All she had to do was-

“You seem to be in a rush.” Was whispered into her ear. Amelie stopped and spun around to see the source of the voice. It was so close that it felt like it was right next her ear. No one was there though. The woods around her seemed shrouded in fog, to the point where she couldn’t see ten feet beyond where she had stopped. A small blue light in the distance was the only break in monotony. “Ah, finally. You have stopped.”

“Who- who are you?”

“Hm. I am someone who would like to talk to you about your current position, and how to change it.” The voice was far away that time, from the direction of the blue light. Then the fog cleared and Amelie realised that the blue light was the pulsating iris of a woman in blonde hair. Someone who had been standing at where the clearing met fog.

“I would accept any help I can get, but I have to move. I can’t let Archer find me.”

“Archer won’t find you unless I want him to find you.” She threw her arms out wide. “As you can see, I am perfectly capable of hiding you.” Amelie looked around and then took a deep breath.

“What- do you- want?”

“To help. I am in an… antagonistic position regarding Archer and his organisation. I believe you can help me in taking them down. I don’t want you to get put into protective custody, to be locked up like that like Keira has.”

“What… do you suggest?”

“We make a deal. I’ll make it so that Archer and his associates will not be able to hurt you, in return you offer yourself to help me.”

“Help you how?”

“I need to fulfil another deal, and I want your help in order to do it. Fortunately, it shouldn’t take too long, two minutes at most.”

“Okay… Then yeah. This sounds like a good deal for me. I accept.” The woman clapped her hands together, the biggest smile that Amelie had seen yet was plastered on her face. She held out an inconspicuous looking hand.

“I’m a little old fashioned, you see.” Was added with a wink. Amelie chuckled and accepted the offered hand in a firm handshake. Once that was done she made to take her hand back, but the strange woman kept a firm hold. Smoke began to rise from the where their hands met and Amelie yanked her hand back with a firmer tug, this time freeing it from the grip. It also freed the blue flames from their captivity.

Amelie screamed in pain as her arm quickly caught fire and it started to spread past her shoulder. She dropped to the floor and began to roll around on the dead leaves to try and attempt to put them out again. The fire was a magical nature though. Such efforts were futile. Brown leaves remained in the wake of the flames as the consumed Amelie and her broken screams turned into a dying croak. As the light died to embers, small ribbons of blue fire trailed off of Amelie’s blackened skeleton to Gastele, who clicked and completely cleared the mist. Behind her stood Archer, blank faced and staring emotionlessly at the charred body on the ground.

“You played your part wonderfully puppet. All you have to do now is play the final part and I’ll be done with you for now. Call your boss and update him on your situation.” Archer gave a stiff nod and pulled out his phone, only stopping when Gastele laid a hand on his phone. “Tell him that you never received a package from him too.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“Of course.” He dialled a number on his phone and held it up to his ear. “Hello. I fear that my position has been compromised. The detective is on high alert and I will be unable to get what you wanted. Out potential sacrifice has also been compromised and won’t be able to be the catalyst to complete the ritual.” There was a groan on the other end.

“What a shit show. After we just found someone suitable as well. In any case, you’re approved for extraction. Get back to the headquarters and we’ll settle you into your new home.”

“Thank you sir.” Then Archer hung up. Gastele felt a cruel smile grace her face and she patted him on the head.

“Good boy. As a reward, you shall get a brief reprieve.” Then she was gone, leaving a very confused Archer in the clearing.

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Euan had lived a good life. A fulfilling one too, able to pursue whatever passions came up to him. Such as research in the paranormal. It was because of this research that he knew what was coming when he saw that ghostly apparition in the mirror. One that looked just like himself, albeit cheeks more gaunt and a glassy fog already overcoming his eyes. At first he chalked it up to the trick of the light, or the consequence of old age. When he saw it again however, standing in the middle of the garden with its eyes fully rotten from its skull, he knew what it was, and that he wouldn’t make it past the full year.

Doppelgangers were rarely a welcome sight. Often they were heralds of death, an unavoidable one if they were born of someone’s malice towards the recipient, but they were known to be more passive if the person who saw it was supernaturally inclined and was about to meet a violent end. A deep sense of melancholy settled in as he realised that if he did not take initiative, he may never see his family again. And of course, he couldn’t leave them truly unprotected to the horrors of the world. The garden was large and while it would be physically challenging to set up a ritual circle, it would be possible. He would need something from all of them to put inside the circle, but he also needed to say goodbye to his family. A multipurpose visit then. As soon as possible too, for he did not know when he would die. In some ways it was fortunate that he got this warning. It would mean that he would be prepared in some ways.

So, seven months after this holiday when he felt his death coming, he didn’t mourn it. He was searching for the book that Gallagher had given him in its usually hiding place, but when he didn’t find it he groaned and looked in the wardrobe where his journals were. There is was, sitting on top of the pile of boxes. Euan sighed aloud.

“Harriet! What did I say about moving the book away from where I’ve hidden it?”

“If you’ve hidden it, how do you expect to find it again? And you’ve put it underneath my section of the bed! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that is? Why don’t you-“

“I get it! I get it.” Euan sighed. This wasn’t the note that he wanted to end on. “You know I love you, right?”

“Of course.” Harriet poked her head around the corner and met his eyes. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, no. I just… need to get some fresh air.”

“Well don’t be too long. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, but don’t wait for me if I am late.” They hugged for a very long time. He didn’t want it to end, but it had to. Euan pulled out of the embrace and opened the front door, giving his home one last look before setting upon the path to the park. His plan to die a peaceful death amongst nature, however, was interrupted by a weird sight.

A flock of crows, a murder. A horde. Euan wanted to say hundreds, but there probably wasn’t more than fifty. All looking at him. Continued looking at him even as he moved deep into the park and found a bench to sit on. As he rested there, four rats crawled up to his feet carrying a notebook and then left it there.

“Can’t pick that up. I have a bad back.” They all looked at each other, then the closest rat opened the notebook and on its first page was written a simple introduction.

Greetings. I am the Keeper.

“Hello? Is there any reason you’re bothering me now?” a crow dropped a pen and the rats scurried around to write another entry with something that can be described as precision.

I have heard of you only recently, you are difficult to track.

“I see… and why did you wish to track me?” This time it appeared that the rats had a prepared answer.

I am a Keeper of knowledge. One more generous than the others. Is there anything you wish to pass on?

“Ah. Everything I wished to pass on, I already have. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I had a dream of dying peacefully surrounded by nature. And the next park is five minutes away.”

Are you sure? There is nothing?

Euan thought about it, and then it seemed as though something just occurred to him.

“There is something actually. You know of the book Gallagher left me I presume, it’s currently residing in the bottom of my wardrobe in the bungalow. I was planning to hide it in that room, but my wife had other plans. You are free to take it as long as you give it to my descendants should they need it. That wouldn’t be too hard, would it?”

I can take many forms in many animals. From otters to crows, your descendants will never be out of my reach should they need help.

“Then those are my terms then.”

The rats seemed to deliberate, then they flicked through the notebook. Through pages of predetermined answers interspaced between blanks, until it reached towards the end.

I’ll be seeing you then.

“Sure.” The birds scattered high in the air simultaneously, then they flew in different directions. When he looked down, he noted that the rats had also disappeared. Euan briefly lamented the fact that he didn’t have a chance to investigate this further, but he decided to put it behind him. He wasn’t going to die troubled just because the local wildlife gained sentience. So, he shut his eyes. And they never opened again.