Joseph sat at the edge of his bed staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He hadn’t slept the night before, and the traumatizing event continued to replay in his mind.

He imagined those cold crimson red eyes peering deeply into him, and the thought sent shivers through his body.

As Joseph continued to sit in silence, he heard a soft knock on his door. He looked up and quietly told the visitor outside to enter.

Holly creeped into his room slowly with her eyes pointed at the floor. Her face was engulfed in sorrow as she moved like a lifeless corpse towards Joseph’s bed.

She sat down next to him silently as they both stared into the white walls in front. Their silence and inactivity were nearly in sync as they both pondered the events of last night.

“Hey,” Holly whispered like a mouse and lifted her gaze to Joseph’s distraught face. He looked back at her with heavy sadness in his eyes.

“It bothers me so much,” he paused. “I was the only one that saw that thing behind him, and I stood there frozen. I did nothing.” Joseph’s words dragged like a heavy weight, knowing that he carried such a burden.

“What could you have done, Joseph? Get taken too?”

“That’s probably what would have happened, huh?" Joseph shook his head softly and continued to wallow in defeat.

“Yeah. At least—” Holly paused and sighed quietly. “At least there may be something we can do and not just for Marko, but for everyone.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We’re going to stop this rain one way or another, right? We might not know what the hell we’re doing, but that’s never stopped us in the past.” Holly spoke with false confidence, but at the same time, she seemed to believe in herself.

“Hopefully we do more than just that. We need to get Marko back too.” Joseph started to smile as hope began to settle into his heart.

“That’s right. We’ll do whatever it takes and go to any length. Now look. There’s no sense sitting around. We have work to do.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Holly smiled and stood to her feet. She turned around to face Joseph who slowly looked up to her with a very hesitant smile.

She reached her hand down to him, and he nodded his head slowly as he accepted her help. He grabbed her hand and pulled himself up next to her.

“Get dressed and stuff. As soon as we’re ready, we’re all going to that witch’s house,” Holly said as she began to exit his room.

“I got it. I’ll meet you downstairs in twenty minutes.”

They nodded at each other, and Holly left his room. For a moment, Joseph stood motionless and recollected himself. He then searched around for some clothes to wear and prepped them for his shower.

He then preceded down the hall and into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and got himself properly dressed.

After getting dressed, Joseph rushed down the stairs to the living room where everyone waited for him.

“Good morning, Joseph,” Enrique spoke from the comfort of his couch seat.

“Good morning,” He responded as he stood next to Holly.

“Here’s the plan,” Enrique started. “I’m going to stay here and report Marko missing to the police and explain to them what happened. I know it won’t do us any good, but it’s something I must do. Josh will stay here and accompany me. I think it would be a mistake to have him go with you all to that woman’s house.”

“I ain’t gonna argue with ya. Not this time.” Josh clearly disagreed with the sentiment, but he rarely fought Enrique on his decisions.

“Alright,” Enrique continued. “Joan is going to have the strap. Joseph will wear the GoPro. It’s a little necklace with a tiny camera on it. There is no way she will notice she’s being recorded, so don’t worry about that.”

Enrique stood up and handed the necklace GoPro to Joseph as Josh gave Joan the handgun. He then returned to his seat and continued discussing the plan.

“Holly has our bargaining tool – that book she was talking about. It’s apparently important to that woman’s family. It should do us a lot of good. I want you all to avoid conflict as much as possible. Only use that gun if it’s absolutely your only option in a life or death situation. Be as kind but as direct as possible. Do not offend her in any way. Get the information we need and bargain for nothing else. We do not want this to go south.”

Everyone nodded to each other and committed the strategy to memory. Enrique then asked if there were any questions or concerns.

“I don’t think there’s any questions now,” Joan said. “But, we’re probably going to have a lot of them once we get there.”

“Yeah. I thought as much. If there is anything that comes up, text me, but don’t make it look suspicious. Do not do it at a stressful time or when something suspicious is happening. Find the most normal moment to do so. Is that all clear?”

“Yes sir. Loud and clear,” Joan smiled and moved over to the front door, waiting for everyone else.

“You seem eager,” Enrique said as he examined her.

“Well yeah. We have no time to waste. Now get your asses over here, Joseph and Holly.”

Joseph smiled and shook his head as he and Holly walked up next to Joan. They thanked Enrique and left out to the ominous women’s house.