Chapter XXVI

Once again, Damien found himself standing against the window of the clubroom, with Evan Wright and Rina Davens present and waiting for Eric to start explaining the situation. Liz was at his side, clutching his hand, while Eric was pacing at the front of the classroom. The only one not present was Lilly, who had to leave early in order to go babysit Natalie. Eric chose to accompany her to make sure she got to her building safely before immediately returning, so it was already relatively late in the afternoon and their two visitors seemed to be growing impatient. Eric had already filled him and Liz in on what had transpired in the forest the previous night so they already knew just how hopeless it had become. For one, Nigreos wasn’t the only Master present in the town. He arrived with a partner, the Master of Light, Album Luz, and they had already made an attempt at erasing Rina and Evan.

And then there’s the matter of that boy who was erased.

While he had requested that they try and keep it hidden from Evan and Rina, Eric had told them about a boy named Brad Fischer, whom Album had apparently erased. As was expected, Damien didn’t have a clue who that was, but based on everything that had happened, he didn’t doubt for a second that Fischer had existed.

We lost somebody else. They wiped someone else from existence. Eric believed we couldn’t fight one Master, so if there are two, then we truly are screwed. We have to figure something out. There has to be an answer.

“So?” Evan began, breaking the silence that had descended over the clubroom. “What the fuck are we supposed to do now? It’s crystal clear that you guys weren’t lying yesterday, so what’s your plan? How are we getting out of this?”

Eric stopped pacing and stood still for a moment, never looking at the boy who spoke.

“Like I said earlier, I don’t really know,” he murmured. “Nigreos and Album are powerful, Wright. I don’t want to give up. I truly don’t, but I tried fighting them last night and while I was able to take them on, I’m not even certain how I did it. Not to mention, that was only while protecting myself. If one of you had been there, I don’t think I could have prevented you from getting erased.”

Evan scoffed, his attitude and personality still unpleasant even after learning that they had been telling the truth. “Well then use that dumbass head of yours! It’s your fault that I’m even in this mess to begin with, so it’s your job to fix it! I swear to god, Reiner, if Rina dies because of you, I’m going to fuckin’ kill you!”

Eric laughed bitterly. “That’s the sad part. No, you wouldn’t. You would forget she ever existed and all your memories would be gone. Don’t you see that? They’re powerful enough to alter the very fabric of reality and morph it into whatever is most convenient for them. They can remove us.”

“Then we need to prevent that,” Rina stated, taking a step forward to stand beside Evan. “They have my friends, Reiner.”

“I know they do and that’s the problem.” With a deep breath, Eric finally turned to look at the two of them, though his eyes seemed glazed and distant. “Even if we had the ability to do something, Nigreos made it clear that if we don’t do exactly what he says, he’s going to kill Alice. If we fight him, then she dies.”

“Then we just gotta rescue the bitch, right?” Evan snapped. “If we can figure out where she and Brooks are being kept, we can get them away from those fuckers and if they don’t have them, then you can take them on without having to worry. At least then you could fight them!”

“And how do you suppose we find them?” the other boy muttered. “I don’t have even the first clue where Nigreos and Album would be hiding. They could be in an alternate dimension for all I know.”

“Why are you such a fucking pessimist all of a sudden?” Evan roared, his frustration breaking through. “All though high school, you’ve been an obnoxious ball of cheer and it was fucking annoying! But now that I need you to be like that, you’re gonna act like we can’t do anything?! We won’t know whether we can find them if we don’t try!”

“But if we try and fail then they die!” Eric shouted back.

“And if we don’t, they fucking die anyway!” Evan retorted. “We have two options here! Either we sit around on our asses and they kill us, or we actually do something and maybe they don’t kill us, and I, for one, am not going to die like a pussy! If these bastards are going to kill me then I’m gonna beat them back as hard as possible and go out fighting!”

Evan’s face was red from shouting and Eric was unable to make an immediate reply. Damien was surprised to find that he agreed with Evan. Everything he was saying was what Damien had been arguing since Eric first revealed the truth. He never thought he’d see eye to eye with Evan Wright but he was grateful that he did.

“I’m with him, Eric,” Liz said, inserting herself into the conversation. “Damien and I have been saying the same thing. We have to try something. If we give Nigreos the names then we’re as good as dead. And even if we don’t, they already managed to track them down. Sooner or later, they’ll find us.”

“And they might already know our names,” Rina said softly.

Damien frowned, glancing over at her in confusion. “What do you mean, Davens?”

“Well, it’s just…” She sighed. “I wasn’t sure if you guys knew or not, but I guess you don't… They told us last night that Alice already said that I’d touched the stone. That’s how they knew to come after us.”

Liz exhaled sharply. “N-no… Don’t tell me she…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but she didn’t have to. Damien and Liz just stood there, dumbstruck, while Eric’s expression remained unchanged, making him wonder if he’d already considered the possibility.

They got Alice to talk. So if that’s true then they already know who we are. Alice knew every person who touched the stone, even Natalie, so if she told them what they want, then our one form of protection against them is gone.

“Stop moping around!” Evan snarled. “Yeah, they know our names, so let’s do something about it! Let’s find Mendez and Brooks and let’s throw a fucking wrench into their plans!”

Damien nodded, trying to keep himself calm and not allow their new information to shake him up. “I think that’s the best place to start. But where would they even be hiding? I mean, unless they’re camping out in the woods somewhere…”

“Yeah, the forest would be the best place for them,” Liz agreed. “I mean, unless they can change their appearances, which isn’t impossible, then I’m sure we would have heard about them by now. They don’t look normal, after all.”

Rina nodded. “Especially with what happened at the diner and the hospital. It really sounds like the cops are keeping a close eye on everything. They would have been spotted by now.”

“So what then? They really are just hiding in the fucking woods?” Evan grumbled. “Where though?”

Damien shrugged. “There’s plenty of cabins and such out there. In fact, my uncle used to rent one before he moved away. If there’s any vacant ones, I’m sure it wouldn’t be very hard for them to hide out there.”

“I know what you’re talking about,” Rina added. “When we were kids, Alice, Jay, and I used to sneak out to an abandoned one close by with a friend of ours. I’m sure somebody owns it but it’s not very well kept. We could sneak in no problem so I doubt they would struggle very much to go in and out without getting spotted.”

“Then that’s where we start. The woods.” Liz then turned to the silent boy standing wide-eyed at the front of the class. “That sound like a good enough plan, Eric?”

He glanced between the four of them, seeming uncertain of what to say. “I don’t… Are you guys serious?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Damien inquired. “None of us want to die so we’ve gotta do something.”

His friend stared back at him for a moment then simply nodded, as if realizing that they were going to fight with or without him, and regardless of how defeated Eric was, he’d never stay out if they were putting themselves at risk.

“Fine. We’ll take the fight to them. However, we can’t do this tonight. Nigreos uses the shadows to his advantage. If we’re going to investigate the woods, we need to wait until morning.”

“Fine then,” Evan grunted. “Then let’s meet up on Doris Street tomorrow morning. How about nine?”

Eric shrugged. “Fine, I suppose. Morning it is.”

Damien could tell how much he wanted to fight the idea, but Eric wasn’t stupid. He knew Evan and Rina would go searching for Alice regardless, so it would be best to have him present to serve as defense.

“Good,” Evan growled. “Then now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’m going home. It’s fucking late and I’m tired. If I’m gonna be spending my Saturday traipsing around the woods, then I want to rest.”

“I’ll go with you,” Rina said. “We can walk together.”

“T-then…be careful and…if anything happens, give me a call. You have my number. And in fact…” Eric seemed to be struggling to make a decision before sighing once again and continuing. “Let me give you my address just in case you need somewhere to run to. I can’t protect you guys all the time, but I can at least do this much.”

“Thanks, Reiner,” Rina replied, and the look in her eyes told Damien that her words were genuine. “That would be great.”

The boy quickly gave them his address then bid them goodbye. Once Evan and Rina had left, Eric flopped down into one of the desks and put his face in his hands. “Are we really doing this, guys?” he muttered. “Are we really going to try to fight them?”

Liz smirked. “What choice do we have? Evan was right. Nigreos said we have until Monday to turn ourselves in or he’s killing Alice. Whether we sit here and wait or try to fight, Monday’s the deadline.”

“But that’s only true as long as he still has Alice,” Damien said. “I can’t even begin to guess how we’re going to help Jay, but at the very least, if we can get Alice to safety, we’ll have made some progress. That’s what matters.”

“I suppose so,” Eric whispered, seeming as if he were speaking more to himself than to them. “In that case—” He stopped mid sentence at the sound of somebody knocking on the door. Eric jumped to his feet, looking as if he feared they were under attack as he called out, “Yes? What is it?”

Damien had expected Evan or Rina to have come back for something, so when the door opened to reveal Lilly’s older sister, he was surprised. He’d only met her one time during the festival so he didn’t know much about her, which made him curious as to why she would have dropped by on such a random occasion.

“I want to talk, Reiner,” she said hesitantly, eyeing Damien and Liz briefly before facing the boy once again.

Eric partially relaxed as he realized they were safe, but Damien noticed a look of apprehension in his eyes, making him wonder if his friend already had an idea as to what it was about.

“I would assume so,” he mumbled. “Yeah, come in, Harper.”

Alexa stepped inside and once again looked at the two of them. “D-do they…?”

“Yes, they do,” Eric replied.

Seeming to sense the same strain that Damien was, Liz stepped forward. “Um, Eric? What’s going on?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The boy shook his head in defeat and, rather than respond to Liz, spoke instead to Alexa. “I’m sorry about earlier. I could have handled that better, but I’m just struggling to think straight. Of course you’d want to talk after the way I acted and…whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you. At this point, it’s the least I can do.”

The girl furrowed her brow. “Well…thank you, but…I just want answers. What are you people? How can you do magic and…what did you get my sister involved with? What’s happening to you guys?”

As she asked her questions, Damien and Liz just gaped at her. After all that had happened, he found himself struggling to process each new revelation that came his way, and he certainly hadn’t expected Alexa talking about magic to be their next issue.

Magic? She just asked about magic? But why? How does she…?

“Eric?” Liz said softly. “What the hell did you do?”

Eric slowly got to his feet, returning to his pacing like he had been earlier. He looked exhausted, as if he could fall over at any minute, yet he pressed on with the conversation regardless. “I told her about magic, Liz. I showed her what I can do.”

“Wha—? Why?” Damien demanded. “Didn’t we decide it would be better to involve as few people as possible?! Why would you tell her now?! And for that matter, how much does Lilly know?!”

Eric shook his head. “She doesn’t. And as for why I told her, it’s because of what we’re putting her through by not telling her. Lilly’s suffering and that’s going to be clear as daylight to her sister. At the time, I felt it would be best if we were just honest with her.”

“But what if Nigreos goes after her now?” Liz snapped in frustration. “It seems like they’re trying to get rid of anybody who ever found out about magic, so why would you tell her? It just puts her in more danger.”

“It does not,” Eric insisted. “Nigreos already knows Lilly’s surname, so Alexa’s been at risk since the beginning. Therefore, for the same reason you guys wanted to tell Evan, Rina, and Brad, I told her. At least this way, she can be more cautious. After all, the diner proves that Nigreos and Album don’t give a shit about the lives of innocents!”

Damien clenched his teeth, wishing his friend could have at least confided in them before acting so rashly, and when he glanced over at Alexa, he found her gazing at them in stunned silence.

Lilly’s going to be so damn pissed.

“Guys,” Alexa stuttered. “What are you talking about? Who are Nigreos and Album and…what you have to do with the diner.”

With one last apologetic look at them, Eric turned and faced the girl with a firm expression.

“Why don’t we sit down? This is a long story.”

***

Rina gazed longingly down at the quarter of the medallion clutched in her hand, the name “Audrey Moore” engraved in its center. Ever since Jay had given it to her back in January, she spent a lot of time simply looking at it and reminiscing. To her, it both represented the friendship she cared so strongly about, as well as the promise she made with Jay. He had asked that she hang onto it until he woke up and when he did, she would give it back to him. Ever since, she had told herself that when that moment came, she would restart their friendship and try to make up for what they lost. She knew that the fracture in their relationship was her fault. She pushed Jay and Alice away after Audrey’s death and she was responsible for what happened during Christmas. She wasn’t even sure she deserved to be forgiven by them, but she was determined to try. She wanted to try and fix what she broke.

But if Alice and Jay die…I can’t do that. So no matter how dangerous it might be, I have to save them. That’s the first step in making things right.

There was still so much between them that needed to be resolved. Her feelings toward Jay about what happened to Audrey still tormented her, but she now knew how unfair she was being toward him. Treating them the way she did, lashing out when it wasn’t truly their fault, was disgusting and she knew it.

So I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll scour every inch of this town to find them. I won’t let some supernatural entities take them away from me. I’ve lost too much in my life. I won’t lose them, too.

She had lost her mother and brother when she was young.

She lost Audrey.

So she would fight for Jay and Alice. She wouldn’t be left behind again.

Rina reached down and grabbed the other medallion wedge with her own name on it and placed it beside Audrey’s, smiling sadly at the image of them connected.

Only two more and it’ll be whole again for the first time in years.

“Hey, Rina. I’m leaving!” she heard Evan call from downstairs.

She looked up and stared at her open bedroom door. “Okay, be right there!”

The girl quickly set her own wedge back in her dresser drawer and wrapped Audrey’s around her neck, enjoying the calming sensation that always came with having her old friend’s piece close to her. Rina then hurried from her room and went downstairs to where Evan was waiting in the kitchen. He had accompanied her home so that she wouldn’t be alone, and had asked to use the bathroom before leaving. Part of her wished somebody else could be there to walk him back, but she knew there was no helping it. Reiner was too busy keeping watch on his club and she understood that he couldn’t be there to protect them at all times.

“Thanks for walking me home,” she said with a weak smile. “You sure you’re going to be okay? What if you run into Nigreos and Album again?”

Evan shrugged. “Then I’ll run like hell. But don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine and I’ll make sure to call you when I get back, okay?”

“Yeah, alright. I appreciate it. And I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”

“I guess so,” he grumbled as the two of them made their way down the hall, toward the front door. “After all, I don’t have much of a choice now. We gotta find Mendez and Brooks if we don’t want to get our asses murdered. As much as I don’t want to admit it, we need Reiner to be able to fight them freely. If he’s too busy worrying that Mendez is gonna die, then we’re all fucked.” He stuck his hands in his uniform's pocket and snorted. “So I’ll do what I have to.”

Rina eyed him for a moment, a wry smile curling on her lips. She knew he was still angry about being roped into everything, but there was a strange determination in him that she had never seen before. Evan Wright was somebody who simply went through life doing as he pleased. He was fairly straightforward. However, now, it seemed as if he had a goal. He had something he truly wanted to fight for, and she could see that shift in the way he was talking and holding himself.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m gonna need you, Evan.”

He glanced down at her, and to her surprise, he smiled, a rare occurrence for him. “Yeah, yeah. And by the way, make sure you give Steven a call. I can tell he’s worried about you.”

She cringed at the mention of her boyfriend, recalling how nervous he had been that morning. In fact, it wasn’t just him. Charlotte and Ashley had been giving her concerned looks all day, though neither pressed her for any details. They were all probably assuming that her mood shift was related to Jay and Alice’s disappearance and opting to refrain from prying.

Which isn’t far from the truth, she thought. It’s just not the whole story.

“Yeah, I will,” she assured him. “I’ll call Steven tonight.”

“Good.” Evan then turned and reached for the door. “Stay safe, Rina. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You, too.”

With that, the boy opened the door, prepared to depart the house, but he stopped immediately, gaping in utter shock at the person already standing there. Evan took a startled step back, nearly stumbling over his feet, and when his body moved, Rina was able to see the individual standing in the doorway, upon which her own eyes widened. She couldn’t help but blink, certain that it had to be some sort of hallucination, but the boy was, in fact, right in front of them, his eyes flickering between them.

“J-Jay?” Rina stuttered.

He looked like a complete mess. His head was shaved bald and his eyes were red and swollen. He was completely naked, but his body was coated by a layer of coarse black hair, almost like an animal. His nails were long and sharp and looked as if they could rip their throats out in an instant. She immediately feared he was going to attack them, but the look on his face told her otherwise. His face was as human as ever, and his eyes were pleading with her, searching for help.

“Rina…” he rasped, stumbling forward. “Please… Help Alice. I need you…to help Alice…”

“Brooks?” Evan breathed. “What the fuck happened to you? What’s going on?!”

Jay spared a brief glance at Evan, slight recognition in his eyes, before turning back to face his old friend again. “Rina, please. I can’t…do it. I can’t touch her. I need you.”

“Jay, what are you talking about?” she managed to get out, trying her best to keep her body calm despite the sudden and horrifying development. “What’s happened to you? Where have you been?! Where’s Alice?!”

She took a step forward, reaching out to the boy, but he immediately flinched backwards.

“No!” he screeched. “Don’t come near me! Please, I’ll hurt you, Rina! I don’t want to hurt you! Just come with me! Please come with me!” Before she could protest any further, Jay moved backwards and hobbled across the porch before looking at her again. “I’m begging you, Rina. Follow me.”

She could tell that his mind wasn’t functioning properly and based on his condition, she knew Nigreos and Album had done something to him. For all she knew, he could be leading her into a trap. In fact, it seemed likely. Yet, despite knowing that, she realized she didn’t have a choice but to follow him like he requested. As she reached up to touch the wedge hanging from her neck, she once again thought back to their last interaction.

“Evan, I’m going with him,” she said softly.

The boy immediately rounded on her. “What? Are you fucking crazy? Look at him! Something’s clearly wrong with him!”

“That’s why I have to go,” she insisted. “If he knows where Alice is then I can’t let this opportunity pass me up. So I’m going after him. I want you to call Reiner and let him know what’s going on then get home and stay there.”

“Oh absolutely not,” he snapped. “If you’re going then so am I. I’m not letting you go by yourself and especially not with…that.”

“Evan—”

“No!” he repeated, more firmly. “I’m coming, Rina. I’ll let Reiner know what’s happening, but I’m not letting you go by yourself. You hear me? We’ve already supposedly lost this Brad Fischer kid, so I’m not gonna lose you, too.”

Realizing that Evan wasn’t going to do as she asked, Rina reluctantly nodded and turned back to face Jay, who was watching them with an impatient expression, his head twitching every few seconds.

“Where are we going?” she demanded of him. “Where is Alice, Jay?”

His features hardened and for a moment, his eyes flashed black, but it was gone so quickly that she wasn’t even sure she’d seen it properly.

“Our old hideout,” he whispered. “They’re keeping her tied up there.”

“T-the hideout? You’re kidding? That’s where they are?!”

The boy twitched again. “Yes, they are. Alice is there, but I can’t go near her. I can’t hurt her, so you need to save her. Please, Rina. Please… We have to go quickly. Noctis and Luz aren’t there right now, but I can't be sure how long that’ll last. We have to go! They’re gonna kill Alice. They’re gonna kill her.”

Rina clenched her teeth, recalling that her phone was still up in her bedroom. “Evan, tell Reiner where we’re going. He can meet us there.”

“So we’re actually doing this? Right now?!” he pressed.

She stalked forward, sparing only a brief glance his way. “I have to. I know it could be a trap, but…I don’t think it is. Jay isn’t lying, so we can’t pass this opportunity up. My phone’s upstairs so just call Reiner and let’s go. Hopefully, he’ll get there as soon as he can.”

Without waiting for his response, Rina hurried across the porch and followed after Jay, who had already begun stumbling toward the street. Evan cursed under his breath and ran toward them, falling into stride alongside Rina as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“I swear, Rina…” he murmured as he placed the phone to his ear.

The sky was still cloudy and she could smell rain in the air as they walked along the street with Jay in the lead. As she realized what she was doing, she felt her nerves beginning to get to her as the reality set in. Not only had she not been back to their hideout in years, but she was sneaking into the supposed base of the Masters of Light and Dark—beings that could end her life in a second if they realized she was there. She knew she was being stupid. She knew that doing what she was doing could get her killed, but with Jay right in front of her and the possibility of finding Alice on the table, she knew she would forever regret not going.

“Damn it all,” Evan muttered. “I can’t get a signal. Why is the service out all of a sudden?”

Rina glanced up at him nervously. “Service is down? Don’t tell me last night’s rain knocked it out or something. It wasn’t that bad of a storm.”

“I don’t fucking know,” he grumbled. “But I don’t like it. Come on, Rina. If we can’t get a hold of Reiner then we need to go to the school and get him ourselves. We know where Alice is being kept so we should go let him know. If he comes with us, we’ll be much safer.”

“Then can you go get him?” she asked. “He’s probably still in the clubroom and if not, we know where he lives.”

Evan shook his head, his features growing more and more desperate. “I’m not leaving you alone with Brooks. I still think this is a trap. I mean, just look at the fucker. What’s wrong with his body? He’s…messed up.”

As they rounded a corner, they arrived on Doris Street and Jay was quick to increase his pace as he moved toward the trail leading into the woods. He glanced back at them as if to ensure they were still following, then hurried into the trees.

“We almost got killed in those woods last night,” Evan went on. “Are you really going to go and even unarmed?”

As she walked up to the start of the trail, she came to a stop and bit her lip, staring into the forest beyond. She knew he was right. She knew that she was being irrational, but when she reached up to grip the medallion wedge once again, her resolve grew stronger.

“Evan, Nigreos and Album already know our names,” she stated. “Or at least, it sounds like they do. If that’s the case then they don’t need Alice anymore. There’s nothing stopping them from killing her now. If I have the chance to go save her then I have to take it. I’m terrified…terrified that I’ll wake up tomorrow morning and have no memory of her. I know it’s risky…but I can’t let Alice die. Not after what we did. So if you want to waste time getting Reiner then go ahead…but I’m going with Jay.”

With that, she walked onto the trail and moved into the forest. For a moment, she didn’t hear Evan’s footsteps behind her and believed he was going to go find Reiner, but soon enough, he ran back to her side, his jaw clenched.

“Fine then…” he hissed. “Let’s be quick about this and get the hell out of here before we fucking die.”

She smiled, grateful to have him at her side regardless of how much he complained.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”