Kenzie's fingers trembled as she unravelled the last of John's bandages. She held her breath, expecting the marks to have vanished overnight. Underneath the blood-soaked gauze —four deep claw marks still remained, their edges ragged. She swallowed hard; noting that most of the other wounds had closed up.
"John, the claw marks aren't going away," Kenzie whispered, her voice strained with disbelief.
"They are from a Supreme," he grunted. His face was pale but determined. "They take longer to heal, I'll be fine."
"They don't look good, John. I'm just starting to wrap my head around... all this." She gestured vaguely toward him. "But I think you need more help healing."
"Call Ethel," he said through clenched teeth.
"I already have...five times. No answer," she replied, frustration lacing her words. "Is there anybody else?"
"Zack, call Zack." John moaned.
"Zack?" She reached for her phone but stopped short when Lindsey breezed into the room, her blonde hair swinging with purpose.
"Kenzie, is the Jane Doe from last night in here? I need to talk to her," Lindsey demanded, her expression set in a grim line. "She is our only witness to whatever happened out there last night."
"She is in the room next door" Kenzie pointed to the doorway, "I don't know how much you will be able to get from her though, she was out of it when she came in," She led Lindsey to the next room over only to freeze in the doorway.
"She's gone," she managed to say, glancing towards the empty bed. "She took out her IV."
"Great. Just what we need." Lindsay's eyes narrowed as she reached for her radio. "This is Officer Lindsey, our Jane Doe is on the run, block all exits and start searching each floor,"
While Lindsey and Kenzie were distracted someone quietly made their way up behind them. The nurse stood in the doorway, her eyes glowing with a faint red colour. Her gaze fell upon Nicole’s empty bed and the pair searched it for any signs of where she went. A guttural growl rumbled from her throat, as she turned and made her way to the room next door.
A sudden chill spread through the room as a nurse entered, her stride directed and ominous. She leaned over John to make sure he was still sleeping, before plunging a syringe into his IV line.
"Consider this a gift," she hissed, her lips curling into a sinister smile as emptied the syringe into the IV bag. "Greed sends his regards."
---
In Psych220 Deb's heart pounded as she scrawled a note intended for the person sitting behind her: "Can we talk?" Slipping it back to Zack, she watched his eyes skim the words, before he looked at her.
"Sure," Zack whispered back, just as Rob burst into the lecture hall.
"Zack, you need to get to the hospital. Now!" Rob's urgency cut through the lecture causing students to stare as Rob grabbed Zack and started dragging him toward the door.
"What is going on?" Zack's voice held a hint of dread. He looked back at Deb, his eyes meeting hers for a fleeting second.
"It's John, he is in rough shape," Rob urged, not noticing Zack's longing stare at Deb. "Dude, do you ever pick up your phone?" Rob continued once they were in the hallway. Zack glanced at his phone to discover the five missed calls from Kenzie
"I had it on silent for the lecture" Zack admitted, cursing himself for not at least putting it on the desk where he could see it.
"Well, he's not healing and they need you before the hospital attempts surgery and realizes they can't because he insta-heals every time they try to cut him" Rob explained. "Don't worry about the class, I'll take notes for you."
"Right," Zack nodded, leaving Rob to head to the hospital and hoping he didn't just miss his only chance to talk to Deb.
---
With Zack gone, Ahmed took his seat. His fingers traced the margins of his notebook, and the drone of the professor's voice seemed distant as his thoughts walked him back to his vision of the panicked young man. Rob slid into the seat beside him with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.
"Hey, you doing alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," Rob whispered, watching Ahmed absentmindedly scribble in his notebook.
"I'm fine," Ahmed murmured, "I just didn't get much sleep last night." His gaze was vacant, as he stared straight ahead.
"Visions again?" Rob prodded gently, leaning closer, "They're trying to tell us something, Ahmed."
"Gluttony and I aren't connected anymore, these are just bad dreams." Ahmed's voice was low, and Rob got the hint. Rob leaned back in his seat to focus on the lecture.
Ahmed returned to his own notes when a droplet fell onto his open page, crimson blossoming against the white. Then another. Blood dripped steadily, rhythmically, leaking from an unseen source. Ahmed lifted his eyes and swept over the sea of unsuspecting students, no one else seemed to have noticed the leak.
"Something's here," he breathed, just as a figure slammed against the window, bloodied hands streaking the glass. A young woman, her eyes wide with terror, mouth open in a silent scream. Ahmed jumped at the sight of her, before feeling a calm hand on his shoulder.
"Did it happen again, just now?" Rob's voice, laced with urgency, as he stared into Ahmed's eyes. Ahmed looked back at the window but it was clear, the girl had gone as swiftly as she had appeared.
"Was it the same guy from the other night?" Rob pressed, his eyes searching Ahmed's face for answers they both knew weren't there.
---
"Slow down, Zack!" Kenzie gasped as they dodged gurneys and nurses, her curly red hair a fiery comet tail behind her.
"Can't—John needs aura—" Zack panted, as he raced down the hallway.
"I should have called you sooner," Kenzie admitted between breaths, "I just thought with all the work you put in to get back on track, I didn't want to set you back."
"This doesn't set me back. I planned for this. I'll be ok," Zack replied, flashing her a reassuring smile.
They skidded to a halt before the elevator, Zack slamming the call button with more force than necessary. The bing let them know it was right there and they clambered in. But before the doors could obediently slide shut, a cane shot out, halting their progress.
"Second floor, please," a smooth voice requested. The man smiled at them, charm oozing from every pore even as he leaned on his prosthetic leg.
"Um, sure," Zack acknowledged with a nod, but the hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end.
"Such a kind young man, we need more men like you these days. Do you mind?" Asked asked, motioning to his prosthetic leg. Zack nodded and the man gripped his shoulder, causing Zack's entire body to stiffen.
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"Are you ok?" Zack asked, watching the man adjust his leg with his free hand. The numbers above the door blinked in sequence, a countdown to an uncertain confrontation.
"I'm fine," The man smiled, disarmingly handsome. "Just an old battle scar that acts up every once in a while."
The man finished adjusting and straightened up, taking his cane back off the wall. Zack couldn't explain it, but he felt trapped in that elevator, the minutes felt like they stretched into hours and all he wanted to do was get away from this man.
On the second floor an orderly, a tall lanky man, unlocked the wheels on John's bed and began to roll him toward the elevators. He scanned every corner as he tried to avoid as many of the cameras as he could.
Zack and Kenzie, still shaking off the weird encounter in the elevator, rounded the corner just in time to see the back of the orderly stroll past him. This time he knew exactly what he was dealing with, the powerful aura radiated from the orderly, a Supreme. Without hesitation, Zack launched himself at the orderly, just as he made it into the elevator. His body shifted mid-leap, sprouting claws and elongated canines, the transformation tearing through his clothes as his telekinesis prevented to doors from closing.
The impact threw him against the orderly, who caught Zack with inescapable strength. With a swift blow to the gut, the Supreme winded Zack. The man slammed Zack into the ceiling, then the floor, his own shape morphing—claws extending from his gloved hands, and his muscles increasing in size.
"You're in over your head, kid," the orderly sneered, his voice a guttural growl as the elevator arrived on the bottom floor. "I am Supreme."
"Good to know," came a calm voice, just as the elevator pinged open. Ethel stood there, her dark hair flowing over her shoulders. She struck quickly, her hand morphing into a claw that raked across Duncan's back.
"So am I," she declared, flinging Duncan out of the elevator. He hit the opposing wall with a thud that left him slumped and unmoving.
"Don't you have classes today?" Ethel asked Zack, an eyebrow raised in wry amusement.
"Oh is that where I'm supposed to be," he grunted, rolling his shoulders to ease the pain. Zack looked over to where the orderly had been only to see they had vanished. "He got away," Zack huffed.
"Don't worry about him, I'm sure he'll be back," Ethel said looking at the space where he had just been. She turned to Zack. "We need to talk,"
---
Soon they found themselves in Ethel's apartment, a sparsely furnished but safe space. Zack sent a quick text to Rob: 'Need you at Ethel's. Urgent.'
"Sold the old place," Ethel mentioned, glancing around. "I have to stay off the exorcist's radar. Besides this place is perfect for training vessels, a lot more space."
John lay still on the couch, his breathing even. "He'll recover," Ethel assured, though her gaze lingered on the healed wounds. "But some scars don't heal with supernatural power."
"That orderly was one of Greed's. And he was on the weaker end too," she started, then stopped herself. "There is no doubt in my mind that they have Kristian and Olivia. They are trying to lure me out. It's why they went after John too."
"So what do we do," Zack asked, watching John breathe. "They'll just keep targeting you until you agree to be tested by Greed. Who knows who they will go after next?"
Ethel looked at Zack, "That's my problem isn't it? You need to go back to school and be a regular student. Hanging around with me puts a target on your back," Zack went to argue but Ethel's glare shut him down, for now there was nothing he could do.
---
As Deb and Ahmed made their way through the parking lot, a woman came stumbling into view. "The Supreme, I need to talk to the Supreme," she muttered. She slid on the gravel and Ahmed raced to catch her.
The moment they touched, Ahmed's eyes were distant, clouded with the fog of a premonition. He began to hum quietly to himself, freezing in place while the woman staggered away.
"Ahmed, what's wrong?" Deb queried, she rushed to his side trying to snap him out of it.
"It's dark, and it's so cold," he said, tugging at the collar of his shirt as if it suddenly choked him.
From Ahmed's view, he was no longer in the parking lot. He was in a dark and dingy room he had never seen before. But he wasn't alone, he could hear whispered voices from the shadows.
"who's there?" He called out into the darkness, the voices suddenly fell silent. He moved closer, and the shape of a body laid on the dirt floor came into view, he felt a chill race through his body as he realized who he was looking at.
"Ahmed?" Deb nudged, finally breaking his trance. He quickly looked around for the woman but she was long gone.
"Olivia," he finally breathed out. "Cold... dark... I don't think she made it..." The words tumbled out disjointedly, as he tried to recall the vision.
"Let's get you out of here," a familiar voice interjected. Jessica had arrived, she looked at both of them with concern. She slung an arm around Ahmed, lifting him off the ground and guiding him toward the car. "I don't know what is going on here. But by the sounds of it our time is running out," she said, as they reached the car. The trio, now very concerned about their miss acquaintances.
---
Zack's hand hovered over the fresh paint on Ethel's door, as he waited for Rob to arrive to pick him up. It was too deliberate, a cover-up that screamed of secrets beneath. With a flick of his claws, he chipped away at the paint, revealing the stark outline of Greed's symbol etched into the wood.
"Damn," Zack muttered under his breath, feeling the hum of energy pulsating from the mark. "How much trouble are you in."
Ethel, who had been watching him with an impassive gaze, finally spoke. "I thought I told you to go home, Zack. You are going to have to pay for that door now."
"What door?" Rob interjected, as he made his way to them. "Oh shit, that is Greed's symbol, he found you even after you moved?"
"He wants a Supreme with time manipulation powers," Ethel explained as she surveyed the symbol on her door. "He will do whatever it takes to force me to follow him."
"Like kidnapping your vessels?" Zack asked, his claws vanishing and running a hand through his tousled hair.
"We'll find them," Ethel replied, her eyes distant like she was calculating her next move in a war only she fully understood.
A sound came from inside the apartment and John appeared in the door frame. His voice was rough with disorientation, "The woman who saved me... where is she?"
Ethel and Zack exchanged a look before asking in union, "What woman?"
***
The empty locker room reeked of sweat and desperation. The woman, who had saved John, gripped the splintered broom handle fending off her attackers. The nurse, the orderly, and the handsome Chinese man encircled her—their eyes glowing as they moved in.
"Come on, Nicole," The orderly goaded with a twisted grin, he took a swipe at her. She countered quickly, ducking under his intended arm before thrusting the jagged end of the broom handle into his armpit. The man roared in pain as he stumbled back
Nicole kept a tight grip on the broom handle, watching the other two closely. It was the nurse who moved next, and Nicole thrust the broom toward her but she caught it. Flames erupted from her fingertips, engulfing the handle in a blistering inferno. The heat seared, and Nicole released that handle, losing her only defence against them.
Nicole waited for them to finish her, but they both took a step back as the sound of metallic clicking filled the room. The man with the prosthetic leg entered the room, wiping crimson from his hands with a cloth that seemed too fine for such a task. He leaned on his cane, his brilliant blue eyes glowing so brightly she could see them through his sunglasses.
"A bounty hunter and a Leprechaun," he said, almost as if he admired her. "I have to say that is quite the unique use of your talents."
Nicole looked at the sin, trying to get back on her feet before the nurse forced her down again. "It was nothing personal, Danny, just business. They needed John to be on the board. They paid me a lot for it."
"Was it worth it," Danny asked with an unsettling calm. "Do they think one vessel will change the game? And as for you, well I hope you had a chance to spend that money, hate to think it is just going to be sitting untouched in an offshore account somewhere."
"You really think you can kill me?" she raised an eyebrow, "Far more talented people than you have tried."
"Well, why don't I just test out that claim?" Danny chuckled lowly, turning to make his exit. "Finish her," he commanded without looking back, leaving his covenant to snuff out the last sparks of Nicole's resistance.
---
Ahmed gingerly peeled back the sleeve of his sweater, wincing slightly as the fabric brushed against the tender skin of his forearm. Deb, sitting cross-legged on her bedroom floor amidst a fortress of cardboard boxes, glanced up from the photos she was unpacking.
"Everything alright?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern as she caught sight of his grimace.
"That woman must have scratched me when I caught her," Ahmed replied, as he looked over the small scrapes along his arm.
"Let me see," Deb urged, abandoning the photos and moving closer.
As she did, Ahmed's arm shifted into the light, revealing an odd configuration of small cuts that looked like strokes of a pen. They seemed to be almost intentional, forming a symbol that neither of them recognized, but a pattern was clear.
"Looks like... some kind of ancient writing," Deb murmured, her brow furrowing.
"I've never seen anything like it," Ahmed couldn't take his eyes off it, his mind racing. He could not shake the feeling that this symbol was a message, like the woman was still trying to tell him something.
"Maybe we are reading too much into this, I mean what are the chances there actually is a secret message hidden in some scrapes" Deb suggested, half-joking yet half-serious.
"Right it would be pretty lucky if this was a secret message to help us," Ahmed added, his tone sombre. "I just feel like we are running out of time."
"I know," Deb sighed, watching his expression darken.
"Seeing Olivia like that felt so real," he whispered, almost afraid to say her name aloud. "I felt her fear and her pain and then nothing."
"It was just a vision," Deb tried to calm him. "You know they aren't always easy to understand,"
"We have to find her," Ahmed cut in, standing abruptly. "I have to be sure she is ok."
"OK, then we better start looking for her," Deb decided, her determined nature taking over. "Tell me everything you can remember about the room she was in."
"Ok," Ahmed nodded. "It was underground, there were no windows or lights..."
Deb listened carefully, making mental notes about possible locations, if Olivia was really on the verge of death then she would stop at nothing to save her.