Valeria was quick to notice the weird atmosphere. Hellen knew she had shared with the former about the ghost at home, so she quickly explained what they thought of.
With a shocked expression, Valeria recounted.
“So… you mean at the same time that murders were taking place, the specter in your house seems to be suddenly not able to use its phaseless ability? This… is weird.”
“Very” Hellen stressed. She had never come across a case like this.
What’s going on?
Even Aiden felt confused when faced with such a problem.
Finally, Valeria looked at Hellen and said, “You can notify the Bureau.”
Hellen narrowed her eyes at Valeria, a hint of suspicion in her tone. “You know about the specters and the Bureau. Who are you?”
“A crime investigator who reached high enough ranks I guess. I am not yet at a level enough to be in their field teams but I am often called to the scene when there are confirmed no specters around.”
Valeria simply answered without getting defensive about it.
“Can’t you notify the Bureau yourself then?” Aiden interjected.
“I can, but Hellen’s words, who was a collaborative field agent in the past would be taken more seriously. So why go through me when she can pass on the message with better results?”
Aiden tilted his head. “True.”
Hands folded under her chest, Hellen informed them, “No need to worry, the Bureau has already dispatched a team here. We can simply ask them. I’d rather not contact the Bureau if I can. It’s their policy plus I am not in the mood to contact them right now.” The voice of the recent operator flashed through her as she spoke the last line.
“They have sent a team here?!”
Valeria exclaimed. While Aiden was clueless on the side, Valeria had a clear picture of the situation. And it was one she did not want to be in.
“You understand the implications of it. I am surprised you are still staying.”
Valeria stated pointedly to Hellen, who replied quickly.
“The Bureau has given orders that I must stay behind to assist the team which is to come. Of course, not like I must definitely follow it, the Bureau can’t order me around. But there’s also the specter which has targeted Aiden. If possible I don’t want to leave a hidden danger behind for him. If everything goes as intended, I’ll leave the town with Aiden and his sister, after we are done dealing with the specter.”
They heard the sound of footsteps, glancing around to realize it was Lucas. He walked over to sit beside Aiden and took in the atmosphere. Getting a slight hint that his entrance might’ve caused the silence, he slowly spoke,
“You can continue… I won’t disturb.”
Hellen cast her eyes on each person in the room before she began, “Actually, what happened was —” She explained what took place after she got her phone, and even put some questions in the end.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lucas remarked, his mouth working to chew a bar of chocolate.
“I might know why they sent a team consisting of supers here. I heard it from an operator who called me —”
“You are?” Valeria cut him off in the middle. She had assumed he was just another of Aiden’s friends, like Elias. Coupled with how he had come with Hellen, she figured he knew the basics. But from his sentence earlier, it was clear he knew more than just basics.
After getting a subtle nod from Aiden, Lucas introduced himself to her. “Lucas Nolan. A super under Bureau, and a childhood friend of Aiden.”
Valeria’s eyes shot up in surprise as she first examined Hellen and Aiden’s faces. Realizing it wasn’t a joke, she exclaimed while approaching Lucas for a handshake.
“I can’t believe I can finally work with a super.”
He awkwardly got up and shook her hand, not too experienced in dealing with straightforward females with looks of her caliber. He instead brought forward the previous topic.
“About the reason why the Bureau sent a team here, I heard from an operator that a team was nearly wiped out near the town. With only one escaping. It was the reason they classified it as a danger zone and sent another team here.”
A heavy pin drop silence hung in the air as soon as Lucas completed his sentence.
Hellen was the first to inhale heavily as she muttered with wide eyes directed at Lucas. “What the fuck?”
Valeria’s expression was aghast. “Holy shit!”
Aiden’s expression didn’t change much. He had never known much about Bureau after all. But judging from their reactions, it might be a very serious thing. Suddenly, the gears in his brain rotated as he turned to find Hellen was looking his way too.
Both of them exclaimed at the same time. “Evander?”
“I am assuming Evander is another one of your friends?” Valeria asked Aiden. “Yea, one of my childhood friends, same as Lucas.”
“It would make sense this way.” Hellen continued, ignoring the gazes of others as she looked at Aiden. “The team must have dealt with the ghost, with Evander being the only survivor. It would explain why he knows about one of the conditions of the specter.”
“The condition… is it what you told me to have the men ask the townsfolk?” Valeria asked Hellen. But before even getting a reply, Lucas interrupted suddenly, “Wait wait wait. You said Evander knows about one of the conditions. Is that what was in the letter?”
“Yes.” It was Aiden who answered. Confusion was etched onto Lucas’ face as he replied, “But the operator told me that the Bureau doesn’t know any of the conditions of the specter.”
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“What?” Hellen snapped unknowingly with a deep frown on his face. Valeria mirrored her expression while Aiden was worried instead for his friend. He hesitated as he spoke, “Did Evander never reach the Bureau? Or contacted them?”
“No. He must have reached the Bureau or at least had contact with them. How could they have known otherwise that he was the sole survivor? And if they knew he was the sole survivor, they would immediately try to get the information.”
“Things aren’t adding up.” Valeria concluded, her lips pressed thin. Even if things were confusing, some concrete facts like a Bureau’s time falling here still remained, and it was enough to plant seeds of hesitation in her mind. Should she continue staying in the town to deal with the problem?
As silence reigned across the room, Valeria happened to glance at the notes in her hand and remembered what she was here for. She had so thoroughly been swept away by their flow that it escaped her mind what she was here for. After taking a rough glance at her notes, she coughed and announced with a serious voice.
“There is a bit of a silver lining, thankfully. I believe my men have found a pattern in the specter’s killing.”
Without giving a chance for Aiden to pop up with his doubt, Hellen answered for him, already knowing what he would ask.
“It’s crucial to know a pattern in killing. It helps us recognize who did the specter spare. You are smart enough to realize what that entails.”
Aiden halted, with his mouth open as he wanted to express his doubt. He quickly thought about the implications as what left his open mouth now was his understanding rather than doubt.
“We’ll get more information through the people who the specter spared. They are an inconsistency in the pattern of killing. Sometimes finding the inconsistency is easier than finding the pattern. Patterns can be derived if we spot an inconsistency.”
While Valeria was impressed, Hellen had a look on her face which said she expected it. Lucas had already tuned out what they were saying as his eyelids drooped occasionally, feeling extremely drowsy.
“C’mon. Let’s go. We’ll have some lunch, then visit another site.” Valeria announced loudly, snapping Lucas out of his drowsiness.
*****
The roads of the town were mostly empty, but the sidewalk had plenty of people. Aiden could see many people going about their days peacefully.
The government had excellently planned the fragmentation of the population. Where there used to be numerous cities, divided by vast empty lands, in countries bordered by other countries, now only four of them exist. Arastel, Damar, Modegan and Peleria. Bluris town came under the Peleria country.
Numerous towns now occupied the vast lands of the country, spaced at a nearly uniform distance. Placed strategically between them were cities, where the population was higher than towns and a higher level of civilization thrived. They served as a base for communication and management of nearby cities.
Although the fragmentation of population was designed in a way that a town or city would be as self sustainable as possible. It was far from that in certain matters, like things which could only be produced in a factory. Such things were transported to all towns monthly to replenish their stock.
Speaking of factories, after the Great Smog, the production had met a great setback. Prices of some things had fluctuated considerably, leading to a severe imbalance in the market. A cigarette might cost 40 to 50 times more than the lighter, a pencil might cost 20 times more than the pen and so on.
“We’re here.” Valeria announced as Lucas stepped on the brakes. After he was done parking the car, the four of them made their way towards one of the few restaurants of the town. Rosanne’s Cuisine.
Nestled within the center of the town, it was the highest end restaurant of Bluris. Surrounded by lush, manicured gardens and illuminated by eco-friendly lanterns, the serene vibes it radiated calmed down the anxiety in the group’s mind.
The interior of Rosanne’s Cuisine featured a large, floor-to-ceiling window on the right that offered a panoramic view of the town’s central park. The décor was minimalist, with polished wooden floors, and sleek marble countertops.
Soft, ambient lighting created a warm, inviting atmosphere, further reducing the tension in Aiden’s heart. For some reason, he couldn’t help but feel weird but couldn’t point out what it was. He furrowed his brows but eventually relented under the peaceful environment.
What could even go wrong here?
“A chicken burger. Put green and black olives, more lettuce, less cheese.”
Aiden ordered as soon as he sat down. Lucas followed up with a succulent grass-fed beef filet with truffle-infused mashed potatoes, instructing the waitress to make it sweet, while Hellen and Valeria decided to share a Pizza.
“Damn, I was getting really hungry.” Lucas leaned back into his seat while rubbing his stomach, earning him an accusatory glance from Aiden. The latter had seen how many packets he devoured, and he was still hungry?
“So? Where are you from?” Hellen asked Valeria. She had checked with the officials and confirmed there was no one of such post in the town.
Chuckling slightly, Valeria answered, “From the Broris city. I was ordered to travel here to assist a Bureau team with a possible specter case in the town. I was really confused these days as there was no such team in the town. I thought they were late so I focused on gathering clues ahead of time.” With fear evident in her tone, she continued, “Who knew they would be dead.”
Aiden noticed her hands shaking subtly while she continued talking, “I already feel like leaving the town. But if the Bureau comes to know what I did, any chances of my climbing the ladder would be as good as zero.”
Hellen offered no words of consolation as she silently listened to her. She lightly scoffed after she finished speaking and replied, “You think after climbing the political ladder high enough there would be no one above you? Heh. There will always be someone who’ll order you to do tasks you don’t want to.”
“What’s wrong with that? I get to exercise my authority over those below me. It’s only natural that someone uses their power over me. It’s but a minor inconvenience in front of the immense power you’ll hold in your hands.”
Aiden, sitting diagonally opposite to her, was the only one who noticed sparks of insanity in her eyes as Hellen couldn’t notice it sitting beside her and Lucas was in a world of his own.
They spend the time idle talking, surrendering to the serene atmosphere of the restaurant rather than worry about the heavier matters. It was roughly 30 minutes later that Lucas and the rest got their order, while Aiden, whose burger was delivered earlier, had already been finished.
When everyone was done, Lucas insisted on paying. His argument was that he earned the most, being a registered super under the Bureau, so it was only obvious that he must pay. On the side note, no one had even opposed Lucas from the beginning.
With their stomachs full, they exited the restaurant, worry creeping back into their mind as soon as they laid their eyes upon the town. It felt like the restaurant was truly in another world, cutting them off from their reality and transporting them to a realm of peacefulness.
It was complete silence in the car as Lucas drove them to the third site of murder guided by Valeria.
“Take a right tur—” A notification from her phone suddenly cut her off as she looked at what had popped up.
After reading through the message, she forwarded the message to the group chat and said,
“The police of the town have interrogated all the nearby residents of the victims and everyone who could have been in contact with them. They have also asked questions to the people, who, according to the pattern of the ghost, have been spared.”
Aiden and Hellen read the message forwarded on the group chat with frowns on their face. Even with his sharp mind, it was difficult for Aiden to piece together the information he had received in such short notice.
While looking at the information, Aiden hesitated a bit before saying, “I think looking at the red moon and whatever is going with the shoes might still not be the only conditions. There should be more if this information needs to be sensible.”
Lucas, who was driving in the front seat, shrieked in horror and slammed hard on the breaks as soon as he heard that. Panting hard, he turned around to look at Aiden with a terrified expression as he asked,
“What did you say?!”