We finished paying and got back into her car. Jinx gripped the steering wheel, her fingers drumming an uneven rhythm. The car sat idling in the parking lot, its gentle hum underscoring the silence as she thought.

“So, where do we go? How do we get there?” I asked, breaking the tension.

Her hands stilled. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” she said, her voice tight. “The best way to get us there.” She paused, then brightened. “I think I remembered a way, but it means we have to go to the Strip.”

“Oh, fun,” I said, my tone laced with sarcasm. “Anywhere in particular?”

“You know that new casino that opened? The one themed after horror flicks and stuff?”

“Oh yeah, The Haunt!” I perked up despite myself. “I thought it looked pretty interesting. We were planning on checking it out after Club Twilight, you know, before…” I trailed off, the memory of that night hanging in the air like a ghost.

“Yeah,” she said, the word heavy. “Well, I know a guy who works there. He’s a pit boss. He should know where the nearest doorway is.”

I frowned, leaning back in my seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I trust you. So, what are we waiting for?”

She started the car, the engine revving with a low growl. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

The drive to the Strip was short, but the weight of what lay ahead stretched the minutes like taffy. When we arrived, parking was surprisingly easy. A bright red sign advertised the promotion: Free parking with validation! Smart marketing. Either you pay to park or pay to gamble - a win-win for the casino.

I couldn’t see the structure anymore, but my memories filled in the gaps. I pictured the looming silhouette of The Haunt, styled after Frankenstein’s castle with a splash of Dracula’s keep. Skulls lined the parapets, glowing torches flickered with mechanical precision, and the massive gothic spires seemed to scrape the sky. It had been the coolest thing I’d seen since arriving in Vegas, and now, I hated that I could only relive it in memory.

Inside, a sharp chill prickled my skin. It wasn’t the standard casino blast of overzealous air conditioning; this was something else. Something wrong.

“Do you feel that?” I asked, my voice low.

Jinx stopped mid-step. “Feel what?”

“The air. It’s… heavy. Cold. Like that creepy feeling you get when someone walks over your grave.”

Her silence spoke volumes. I heard her sharp intake of breath as she stretched out her senses. “Okay,” she said, shivering. “You’re right. There’s something here.”

I tightened my grip on the head of my cane. “So now what? What do we do?”

“Our plan doesn’t change,” she said, though her voice carried a waver. “We find William. He’ll know where the doorway is, and we’ll go from there.”

I shrugged, keeping my tone light. “Lead on, oh Beast Master.”

She snorted and lightly swatted my arm. Then her hand found mine, guiding it to her shoulder. “Let’s move.”

As we entered the casino proper, the oppressive sensation thickened. Each step magnified the unease, as if we were descending into the belly of some ancient beast. The usual casino cacophony greeted us - slot machines chiming, chips clinking, and voices murmuring in an intoxicating mix of excitement and despair. But here, there was an undercurrent of something darker.

The ambient soundtrack added an extra layer of unease. Low, guttural growls and metallic rattles echoed from hidden speakers. The occasional ghostly wail sent shivers up my spine. As we walked, the scents of alcohol and stale cigarette smoke mixed with something acrid, like singed hair.

“Nice touch with the spooky ambiance,” I muttered. “Really sets the mood.”

Jinx chuckled nervously. “Yeah, but is it fake ambiance, or…?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

Navigating the casino was a maze of neon signs, gaudy carpet patterns, and labyrinthine pathways designed to keep you disoriented and spending. I relied on Jinx’s lead, my fingers brushing the edge of my cane as I counted our turns. The noises grew louder as we approached the heart of the place - the craps tables.

“Over there,” Jinx said, steering us toward the far table. The air buzzed with tension and the unmistakable energy of gamblers chasing luck.

“Yo, eleven!” someone shouted, followed by a cheer as the dice hit their mark. On the other side, a roulette wheel spun with a metallic whir, its clicks building a crescendo as the ball found its home.

“No more bets!” a voice announced, thick with a Peruvian accent.

Jinx and I hovered nearby. The woman running the roulette table turned toward us, her piercing gaze unsettling. “Do you have a favorite number?” she asked, her voice dripping with an eerie familiarity.

Caught off guard, I turned to Jinx. “Uh, sure. Red 21. You?”

“Double zero,” she said with confidence, her fingers drumming on the table’s edge.

I raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Care to make it interesting?”

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“Sure,” she said, her tone playful. “Got any cash?”

I patted my pockets and shrugged. “Lost it somewhere between the club and the pit.”

Her lips twitched in a small smile. “Alright, my treat. But are you sure about black hitting first?”

“It’s just a feeling,” I said.

She stared at me for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, Mr. Mystic. Let’s see if you’re right.”

As the wheel spun, my senses sharpened. I felt something waking beneath the din of the casino, something ancient -it was a whisper, almost imperceptible on my senses, like a secret waiting to be unearthed. And somehow I knew, if I was aware of it, it was aware of me.

We waited at the roulette table, the tension between spins as taut as a drawn bowstring. The clatter of the ball echoed like distant thunder, blending with the relentless cacophony of the casino. I tuned out the flashing lights and the chatter around us, focusing on the hum of energy that seemed to pulse beneath the surface. It was faint, almost imperceptible, like a heartbeat buried deep within the walls.

After a few rounds of betting, I leaned toward Jinx. “Now,” I said softly. “Double zero.”

Her hesitation was a flicker, gone as quickly as it appeared. She nodded and stepped forward, laying the bet with quiet confidence. The dealer, a woman with an accent that rolled like distant waves, asked for IDs. Jinx produced hers without missing a beat. I, on the other hand, was not so prepared.

“Step back from the table,” the dealer said, her tone polite but firm.

I raised my hands in surrender. “No problem. Just here for moral support.”

I retreated to stand a few paces behind Jinx, folding my arms as the ball began its hypnotic spin. The clicking rhythm filled the space between my breaths, each sound sharpening the tension. Even without seeing, I could feel the eyes of other gamblers on us, curious and appraising.

The ball finally landed with a sharp clack. The announcement was almost drowned out by Jinx’s triumphant cheer.

“Double zero!” she exclaimed, her laugh bright and relieved. She stepped forward to collect her winnings and retrieve her ID, a self-satisfied grin lighting up her face.

“Congrats,” a voice said, cutting through the din. Smooth, familiar, and threaded with something I couldn’t quite place.

“Thanks, Will,” Jinx replied. There was a warmth in her tone that wasn’t there for most people.

“Declan,” she said, turning to me. “This is William.”

I stepped forward, extending my hand toward his voice. His grip was firm and steady, neither trying to dominate nor appease. My fingers brushed his wrist, a habit I’d developed to pick up on details others might miss. From Will, there was nothing strange - just a solid, no-nonsense presence. Oddly normal, in a place that practically oozed weird.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“Likewise,” he replied, stepping back slightly. The subtle scrape of his shoe against the floor was as telling as a bow - this was a man who knew how to maintain control. His attention shifted back to Jinx, the weight of unspoken familiarity hanging in the air.

“So, what brings you here?” Will asked. “Finally ready to take me up on my offer?”

Jinx stiffened beside me, a barely perceptible shift. “We need access to the Door,” she said, her tone clipped and direct.

Will’s easy demeanor faltered for a split second. “Oh, I see,” he said. “And why the sudden interest? You’ve always stayed away from that.”

Jinx’s grip tightened on my arm, the tension radiating through her fingers. “Things changed,” she said, her voice low. “Sometimes, you don’t get a choice.”

Will hummed thoughtfully. “And him?” he asked, nodding in my direction. “Is he cool?”

Jinx didn’t hesitate. “He’s cool. He’s the reason we need access. We’ve got to get elsewhere, fast.”

Will let the words hang for a moment before moving off toward another pit boss. Their low conversation was muffled by the ambient noise, but I could sense the shift in energy around them. When he returned, his voice carried a sharper edge.

“Follow me.”

He led the way with the confidence of someone who had walked these halls a thousand times. We moved through the labyrinth of flashing lights and slot machines, the hum of the casino wrapping around us like a living thing.

“So, Jinx,” Will said, his voice carefully casual. “Word’s out that something went down at Club Twilight. People are asking questions. About you.”

“It was nothing,” Jinx said tersely. “A dead end.”

The faintest trace of unease seeped into her voice, but she covered it well. I didn’t comment, though my back tensed at the memory of that night.

As we walked, a sharp scent cut through the mix of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and synthetic perfume. It was metallic, tinged with something acrid, and it pulled at my senses like a thread unraveling. I focused, trying to pinpoint its source, when something struck me square between the shoulder blades.

I stumbled forward, catching myself on my cane. “What the hell?” I hissed, spinning around. My pulse raced as my heightened senses reached out, but there was nothing. No sound. No presence.

“What happened?” Jinx’s voice carried a note of alarm.

“I was attacked,” I snapped. “You mean you didn’t see it?”

“No,” she said, her confusion genuine. “Will?”

“Nothing,” Will said, his tone skeptical but calm.

Before I could argue, another force hit me, this time slamming into my shoulder. The impact spun me halfway around, my grip tightening on the cane as I steadied myself. My chest heaved, not from exertion but from the growing unease clawing at my gut.

“What the hell is going on?” I demanded.

“Declan, there’s nothing there,” Jinx said, her voice tinged with worry. “I swear.”

“Great. So it’s just me getting wailed on by some ghost,” I muttered. “Fantastic.”

“Let’s keep moving,” Jinx urged. “Maybe we can lose whatever it is.”

The idea sounded good in theory, but reality had other plans. Every few steps, another blow would land - a sharp jab to the ribs, a shove to my back. It wasn’t enough to injure, but it was relentless, wearing away at my patience and my composure. My frustration boiled over as we navigated the maze-like floor, the attacks pushing me to the edge of control.

Finally, we stepped into a quieter section of the casino. The noise faded into an eerie silence, and the attacks stopped as abruptly as they had begun. I stood still, catching my breath, as the oppressive weight in the air intensified.

“What is that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Will turned to me, his tone curious. “You can feel it?”

“It’s like the air’s alive,” I said, my skin prickling with the sensation. “Heavy. Pressing down.”

Will exchanged a glance with Jinx. “Your friend’s got sharp senses. That’s unusual.”

“Yeah,” Jinx said. “He picked up on it as soon as we entered. So, is this it?”

Will gestured to the dimly lit corridor ahead. “This is the nearest entrance to the Way. Do you need me to open it, or do you remember how?”

“I remember,” Jinx said, her voice steady but low. “Thanks, Will. I owe you.”

He chuckled, though there was no humor in it. “Yeah, you do. And one day, I’ll collect.”

Jinx gave him a brief hug, the gesture more about finality than affection. He turned to me, his handshake firm but softer this time, as if acknowledging an unspoken understanding.

“Nice to meet you, Declan,” he said. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” I replied. “Oh, and maybe look into getting an exorcist. Those invisible brawlers are bad for business.”

Will laughed, the sound short and sharp. “Noted.”

As his footsteps faded, Jinx tugged at my hand. “Come on,” she said. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

The corridor ahead seemed to thrum with latent energy, the air thick with an almost electric charge. Each step felt heavier, as though the ground itself resisted our progress. My skin prickled with the sensation of unseen eyes, watching from the edges of perception.

“What exactly is the Way?” I asked, my voice hushed.

“You’ll see,” Jinx replied cryptically. “Or… not.”

“Ouch,” I feigned hurt.

“Too soon?” She teased. Did I mention I liked her.