It all came to this. The final shot Mitch had at ending this cult once and for all without any action needing to be taken by Rin. He had dressed as casual as always with his favourite blue hoodie and jeans. A shave and a shower were also important as he was going to be on TV.
Approaching the event from the industrial estate he could see the crowd already gathered outside. Joseph no doubt was preparing for his grand speech so he had no issues blending in with the crowd.
Mitch was here early with a purpose, a plan of attack and a task that was vital before entering. Finding Shaun and Emma standing in the crowd he approached them from the side that faced the entrance to the large hotel where the event was being held.
“I knew you guys would be here.” He said, casual in his approach with his hands in his hoodie pockets.
The two shared a glance once he approached and Shaun responded “Hey man, thought you weren’t into these kinds of events.”
The glance they shared was enough to cut him deeply, they probably hardly even considered him a friend come to think of it. He barely spent any time with him which to them may have felt like nothing, but to him it was everything a friendship needed.
“Well…” He began, afraid to approach the subject in a manner he thought too direct. Thoughts raced about his head, a fear that they would just tell him to leave or that they didn't wish to be acquainted with him anymore. Eventually though, after moments of silence, he had to voice his concern and said “I want to have a serious talk with you two so I came, knowing you would be here.”
The titular glance was once again exchanged between the two and this time Emma chimed in with “About what?”
“I feel this is becoming a cult.” He bluntly responded, hoping that they didn’t take it too far. “I think this is dangerous and I wanted to say that I’m worried.”
“About us..?” Emma clarified.
“Yes, about you.” He said in a quick response.
There was another bout of silence as the two gave him the motion for ‘one moment’ as they stepped away to talk it over.
At this point Mitch had come to accept that they may not want to talk to him again after the stunt he was going to pull today but it would be nice to set up a meeting so he could explain himself to them.
When their hushed talking subsided they returned to him and said “Alright, 5PM we meet up at the cafe by school.” Emma said, not as a question but a statement. “We got a lot to talk about.” She added as she shoved Shaun aside and walked towards the main entrance where the door was soon to open.
All he could manage to squeeze in as a “Perfect!” before they went into the crowd.
With at least a small portion of that load off of his chest he approached the door and entered with the rest. Funnelled into a room that was usually rented out for parties Joseph had set up a small stage with a table prepared for the interview with the slab of wood that had the rune on it having been carved out and placed on display for when he was inevitably going to show it off to the crowd again.
While passing the guards they seemed to be taking a head count. Taking a seat in the middle of the crowd near the back he was hoping that he wouldn't be noticed until he needed to be. All they had to do now was wait and strike when Joseph tried to activate the rune. A small remote sitting in Mitch’s pocket ready to go at that exact moment.
The interviewer was also setting up with a professional looking camera crew this time. They had some lighting ready to go and another chair set up for him to sit across from Joseph. He looked like any reporter did, an average built man stuffed inside another suit and fancy tie.
The crowd was quite packed this time as it was known that it was going to be on the news. He could see Lara near the front in the section for those who were part of the group. Shaun and Emma also had been sitting within that group. Each having an armband like Lara but he only assumed that one from what she had told him.
The crowds chattering slowly came to the halt as the crew got a sign ready for going on air. The interviewer pacing onto the stage and taking a seat on the much comfier looking chair to the left of the table. “Hello and welcome back everybody, my name is Darren O’shaw and I am coming live from Carlow where we are going to be interviewing the leader of one of these ‘alternative religions’ that has been growing.”
Joseph himself had come from the right side through a door that led outside dressed once again in his well pressed suit and tie looking like a news anchor himself if not for his scruffy hair.
As he waved at the crowd that were quiet to his approach he took a seat and shook the interviewer's hand. “A pleasure to meet you Darren.” He formally stated.
Darren shook it in return and began his interview with a very blunt “So Joseph, tell me. What is it about this clumsy carving you have here that inspires people in what you believe?”
“Clumsy?” Mitch thought as he listened in, hard not to pout at the accusation. “I was in a rush, what did you expect?”
It was clear that Joseph was getting quite agitated with the phrasing that the interviewer was using but he kept his calm for now. Choosing his words carefully he calmly explained “I have spent my time the last few years exploring the supernatural. I would find supposedly haunted places and document them. Eventually I stumbled across this runic symbol and from there… well the internet has seen what happened from there.”
“So this carving here is magical?” Darren quickly asked.
“carving?” Joseph asked quickly “No, no, this is far more than a carving!” His frantic actions showed he was beyond eager to show off once again. Pushing back his chair he stood up and motioned towards it without touching it “This is clear proof that there is more to this world and the more people I prove that to, the better!” He spoke with a tone that portrayed sheer determination. A determination to prove those who spoke ill of him wrong. A determination to prove to the world that everything he had worked for had actually amounted to something. This was his chance and he was not going to waste it.
Taking the rune and laying the plank of wood across the table he hesitated. Staring down at it for a brief moment before he steeled himself in his resolve. “I will prove it.” He stated. Placing his hands together he rubbed them back and forth for a moment and he began that speech he had most likely planned since he heard about this interview. “My following may be small but we are dedicated.” He began, his attention turning to those sitting by Lara in the crowd of his ‘flock’. “I will be glad to review your application after.” He added with a sly grin towards the interviewer who, while professional, seemed to be quite interested in what he had to say next.
The moment had finally arrived. He placed his hands together once more in a prayer-like motion before he said “A divine inspiration had come to me one night and led me to my discovery.” Not giving the crowd much time to react before he pulled his hands apart and placed them atop the rune with a loud sound of flesh slapping wood.
The crowd remained in utter silence as nothing happened at first. Joseph could see the rune lay motionless below him and he was clearly beginning to worry. It took him a moment before he collected himself and lifted his hands again, following the same motions and placing his hands down gently this time.
Once again the rune didn’t react.
Though this was where one would usually begin to sweat profusely in an interview scenario he took a step back and went to speak. As he opened his mouth with his hands away from the rune Mitch hit the button he kept hidden in his pocket.
In an instant the rune lit up in a way that caused Joseph to say “Ah, a delayed reaction!” to save face.
The crowd all gasped and a few even began a slow clap which would soon patter out as some voices could be heard muttering “That looks like an LED…” and “What happened to that ‘divine light’?”
Again, panic should have set in but Joseph said “Do not worry, a simple flaw.”
To solidify the light nature of it, Mitch turned it off and on again a few times until it flickered and the light began to die out.
With the crowds muttering, Darren leaned forward and said “So, what is it about this carving that is so magical?” to keep the interview on track.
The pressure was building up and the worry was clearly creeping across his face. Everything he had worked for was falling apart in the final moments but he had a trump card up his sleeve.
Wiping the worry from his face he said “Well, this carving is nothing in light of the definitive and undeniable evidence I have that I have only revealed to those closest to me within my following.”
Lara knew exactly what he meant and this was not the place to summon something as terrifying as that. Luckily Jasper had informed them that it had been dealt with already by Nick a few nights prior.
He didn’t care what the crowd had to say as he raised his hands to the air and shouted “Come out and show everyone your true form, Angel!
Again the crowd was left in a stunned silence at his claim. Most were waiting to see if anything would even happen but he was left standing in silence, holding his stance. After a few more moments of silence he hastily began to look around and now the sweating began “I said come to me!” he shouted, soon adding “You promised!”
This was when the chatter continued to grow and Darren got up from his seat and stated “I think it is time we bring this interview to an end.”
Panic had set in, Joseph was staring around the crowd and muttering to himself. Wiping his now sweat coated brow he looked over the crowd and said “My followers have seen it!”
Darren was unamused at this point and put a hand on his shoulder “Well, sit down and let's talk this through,” he stated as if he was talking to a child.
A clear mistake as Joseph pulled away from him and shouted “You are just here to try to take away everything I worked for from me!” He was starting to become irrational now as he looked back to the crowd where Lara was sitting before his brief scan of the crowd locked onto his target, Mitch. “You!” He shouted when he finally saw him, making his way towards the crowd “Why are you always snooping around?!”
Mitch was quite shocked that he locked onto him, getting up out of his seat to back off when he got close “Ey, my dude.” he began, trying to sound casual but anyone would sound nervous in his position. “I have no idea what you are talking about!”
Of course heads had turned to follow along the commotion, some were already standing up in preparation to step in. Joseph got close to him and asked “Are you here to take this away from me!? Who sent you!?”
Darren attempted to quell his desperation by asking “Why would a child have anything to do with anything you have done?”
Mitch had backed up to the end of the room now as Joseph got in close and said “He has always been snooping around my business and when everything goes wrong he is here!” Joseph began in his ravings, his face distorted now with sheer anger and desperation. “I won’t let you take this from me!” Was the last thing he heard before hell broke loose.
Shocked gasps and screams heard around the room was what he heard before the sudden realisation that he had been punched washed over Mitch. The immediate impact had a delayed reaction and it wasn’t until he was on the floor that he felt it wash over him at once.
It had been some time since he was physically injured and not spiritually so it certainly shocked him. The crowd was quickly on Joseph now and Mitch felt the hands of those concerned helping him up, shouting ensued and he assured those who were worried that he was fine. The crowd separated them and it was clear that the police were being contacted for the assault on television.
This was it, it was over.
There was no chance that anyone would take him seriously anymore, but it wasn’t as satisfying as Mitch had thought it would be. He had succeeded, no one had to die for this outcome, so why did it feel so bitter?
The desperation on his face was an image that lingered in his mind as he sat on the edge of the steps outside the hotel. Joseph was being taken off by the police and even though he planned on not pressing any charges against him he had still been left with this foul taste in his mouth.
After a short moment with the police he told them that he would leave with no charges and got up from his position. He hadn’t seen Shaun or Emma since he had been punched, most likely had left already after what he had done.
The walk home was quite quiet as he left the music off this time. Deep in thoughts he was hardly paying attention to where he was walking as long as it was vaguely the right direction.
That was until his phone buzzed with a message into the group chat, a simple “Don’t forget, 5PM!”
It was surprising to be sure, but they most likely had a lot of questions about how on earth he had any connections to Joseph and what had happened. Assuming it was the last time that they would talk he prepared himself both physically and mentally in front of the mirror back home. A nasty black eye forming around where he had been punched but there wasn’t much else he could do about that.
He spent his time in his room biding time, thinking of what he was going to say to them until he needed to meet up at the designated spot. They were already there waiting for him when he arrived and both seemed a bit impatient as they were fidgeting with their drinks at the table, not a word shared when he approached.
“Well, hello…” Mitch said as he came up, the store itself was empty at this hour bar the clerk behind the till who was far too busy on her phone to even notice Mitch enter.
“Hey.” Emma said, using a foot to kick the chair opposite to her out for him to sit on. The two sat on the opposite side and faced him as if it was some form of job interview. “So, a lot happened there… huh?” She began.
“A lot, yeah…” Mitch mumbled in response, poking slightly around his eye to try to make a joke of it “Joseph may be a nut, but he has one hell of a hook.” He had learned in his time with Jasper that sometimes a well placed joke could ease the tension.
The joke seemed to have fallen flat as they stared at him for some time, Shaun eventually breaking the awkward silence. “Well, what was Joseph talking about when he said you were constantly snooping around?”
Mitch had spent some time preparing a response to the most obvious questions and replied “I had been out around that mansion before with my grandpa. He is a paranormal nut and wanted to visit. Joseph had set up shop by the time we went there and he got pretty paranoid of us.”
It was hard to tell if they believed him or not by the looks on their faces alone but he waited for a response. Shaun leaning forward to rest his elbows atop the table broke the silence with “Do you expect us to buy that?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
His heart sank slightly at the accusation and before he could reply Shaun leaned in again and said “Look man, there is clearly something wrong. If you are in some form of trouble you can tell us.”
While he was prepared for a multitude of situations and questions, this was not one of them. In fact it took him so off guard he ended up unintentionally laughing at them, which caused them to look quite offended.
“Look.” Mitch began once he caught himself and forced some composure. Leaning forward he placed his elbows atop the table, mimicking Shaun and quietly explained “I am the one trying to protect you here. This isn’t something you want to be messing with.”
He needed some time to create a new plan of action with this conversation. When he noticed the two of them getting ready to speak he raised a hand to stop them “It is best you forget about any of this, for your own safety.” He didn’t want it to sound like a threat but it was the only way to get the severity of the situation across to them.
They both needed to think about it but it didn’t seem like they needed long. Emma finally got to voice her opinion on the matter and said “Why do you care so much that we meddle in this?”
He didn’t need time to think about that question and confidently said “Because we are friends. I don’t want either of you guys getting hurt.”
Once again they shared that glance that made Mitch anxious, who knows what they were thinking. Luckily this time they planned to tell him and Emma did the honours “Mitch, are we really friends?”
It was a sentence that caused him to freeze, an icy dagger shot straight into his heart and his expression melted away. “You might think of us as friends but we only ever hung out outside of school like twice.” Shaun added.
“You were at best a casual acquaintance. Always keeping secrets and hardly ever spending time with us. Even in the group chat you would message once every few days until we got involved with Joseph.” Emma said while staring into her coffee.
“You were always shady too. Joseph mentioned your name before during a meeting to that lady that was always with him so we decided to do some investigation.” she added, rummaging through her bag she got out her phone and said “What we found was pretty conclusive to us.”
He had very little time to sort his own thoughts from that previous comment before it was topped by an even more shocking realisation. Turning her screen she showed a picture from that night Jasper and himself had checked out the woods for a false alarm. Standing in a catatonic state leaned up against a tree during their spirit walking.
“We followed you and your grandfather one night and found you like this. No amount of talking to you woke you up. It was like you were on standby.” She ended her accusation by turning off her phone and putting it away.
They eagerly awaited his explanation for the evidence presented but when none was presented Shaun drove his point home, “we went with Joseph for a reason Mitch. If you were actually our friend you would understand that. He gave this boring and bleak world a sense of something more. That we don’t just live to work in a cubicle and die.”
It was getting too much, if it continued like this he would be forced to once again give someone the choice of life or death and he couldn’t bring himself to do that again. Not to people he wanted to view as his friends.
He had to make one thing clear to them and he planned to. Leaning in over the table he said in a whisper “Do you think I want to do this?” Sternly glaring at the two “Do you think that I want to spend every single day of my life working with no free time, do you think that I just decide I don’t want to spend time with you?”
He didn’t let them respond before he continued “I am warning you, stay out of this, for your own sake.” Standing up he felt quite confident he had gotten the severity of the situation across but given the looks in their eyes he said “If you are serious about this, come meet me at my grandfather's place in two hours. You know where it is, right?”
He was sure they did and the nod confirmed it, the old manor was a local talking point amongst the kids and teens after all. “Now, this is the last time I can give you guys a way out of this. I will pretend this conversation never happened and… I will leave you two alone…” It hurt to say but it was best that he distanced himself to prevent anything like this from happening again.
He didn’t wait for a response other than they knew where it was and left to go back home. He felt stupid, of course they wouldn't view him as friends and of course spending time with some normal people would lead to this kind of trouble.
“Stupid…” He thought on repeat, entering his home and after a brief hello to his father and little brother in passing so they didn't see his black eye he returned to his bedroom so he could battle these thoughts in his bed.
It was no more than a half hour later that he received a text from Jasper that he should head on over soon to fill out the last of the paperwork and celebrate a job well done.
He scoffed at the notion of celebrating right now but the paperwork needed to be done. Raising and checking his face in the mirror, splashing himself with water, and grabbing his hoodie he left once again and made the familiar trek to Jasper's house.
The gate was already open when he got there, something that rarely happened and it was a bit concerning for a moment. Mitch chalked it up to part of the celebration allowing him to skip the dad joke for today.
Attempting to knock on the door he found it was also ajar which allowed him to enter. Sophia inside the main hall watering the various plants she had kept on the windowsills “Hello.” She said warmly, nodding towards the living area that he often did his homework in “Your friends have been waiting for you for a while.” His heart immediately sank as she said that. He had warned them so why in the world were they here?
He had almost turned pale but the immediate shock was replaced with a deep welling anger inside him. “I explained this to them!” He thought, grabbing his bag and dropping it by the door he approached the sunroom and swung the door open.
The two were sitting inside chatting about how cosy the place seemed to be compared to the outside. A tray of tea and biscuits sitting between them on the table that was most likely prepared by Sophia.
“Hey man.” Shaun said casually as he entered which only acted to anger him even more.
He couldn’t help himself, with the anger building inside of him along with a sense of disappointment in them he shouted “What the hell are you two doing here?!”
The two were clearly shocked by this and before they could get a word in, Mitch stepped in and closed the door, continuing his shouting. “Do you think this is some kind of game! Do you think this is some kind of happy funfair outing that you can turn your back on when you are done fucking around!?”
He paced back and forth by the door with his heart racing and rising up into his throat, this is not what he wanted. He wanted to protect them as best he could and yet here they were, ignoring his previous warnings. “I thought I made it very clear that this is something you don't want to mess with!”
The two remained quiet on the other side of the room, though they didn’t seem too phased anymore which only served to fuel the fire. “I am trying to protect you from this life. This is something no one would ever want to be a part of!” He continued, pinching the ridge of his nose and impatiently tapping his foot once he stopped his pacing.
He tried to calm himself but he couldn’t find any feasible reason that someone would want to live as part of a life as horrible as this. “I wake up every, single, fucking, day wishing that I didn’t have to work with this shit! Every time I go out home I worry that it may be the last time I ever see my family and if I died they would never know what really happened to me!”
He finally had reached the tip of his boiling point and turned to face them with one final shout of “This life is fucking hell! I didn’t get a choice, I’m giving you what I never got!”
They didn’t need to share the glance this time but Mitch could feel they had been prepared for him to arrive. Emma asked once he was done shouting “That's been on your chest for a long time, huh?”
It felt like she was belittling him and he was getting ready to explode once more but Shaun interrupted his anger this time. “Look man, I get you might have pent up anger towards whatever situation you are in, but we aren’t you. If you took the time to actually get to know us you would know that this is what we want out of life.”
That was a sobering comment, his anger being forced aside as he was forced to face that realisation. “I…” He bleakly stated, but he had no rebuttal. In the end he was being selfish, projecting his own issues onto them and assuming others would feel like him.
He needed a moment to deal with this thought and they kindly gave it to him. He stepped forward and collapsed onto the chair across from them with a thousand yard stare into the tray of confections on the table.
He couldn’t fathom the idea that they wanted to be a part of this, but as they said… He had no idea about them, he didn’t know them anywhere near as well as he wanted to. Leaning forward from his thoughts he finally looked them in the eyes once more and said “I’m sorry… This is a life I just wouldn’t wish to push on anyone. I have already made that mistake once.” Even then when he thought back on it, Lara had claimed to be much happier now that she understood what was wrong with her and that in the end it technically wasn’t even a problem. It all came with its downsides but to her it clearly the positives outweigh it.
The two were puzzled by his ominous statement but let him deal with his feelings. Soon enough Mitch nodded towards the two and leaned forward “I’m sorry to say that it might already be too late for you to back out of this but I am going to do my best to give you one last chance.”
“Come on, man.” Emma said with a half smile and a sort of awkward chuckle.
Mitch cut her off before she could continue and said “Would you be willing to throw your whole life away to work for a cause you may not even believe in?”
Gauging their reactions he moved on as they were left to chew on that “To uphold rules you may not even agree with?”
He already knew the answer but he wouldn’t feel comfortable without giving them the last way out “Death may not even be the end. Your life will be in the hands of the organisation I work for. Is all of that worth some secrets that are best left unknown?”
Shaun almost looked ready to jump out of his seat by the end, the answer predetermined but Mitch added the last and final warning “If you go any further than this there is no escape. I am warning you one last time. This is your last chance to walk away.”
Leave it to Shaun to be the one to try to lighten the mood by asking “How many last chances do we get?” A goofy grin across his face as his leg bounced in anticipation “Do we get any other lifelines?”
Emma shared a calm nod and seemed far more unsure than Shaun but once she had collected her own thoughts she said “We have made up our minds already. Even with all that you have tried to warn us.”
That was it, the final nail in the coffin that led Mitch to accept there was no turning back “Alright… That rune that Joseph found was in fact a mistake by myself while working with my grandfather. We work for an organisation that is simply known as “The Family” and our job is to prevent ghosts and demons from entering and destroying the real world.” He began, gauging their confusion as it was a hard story to believe after all. It sounded like something out of a cheap horror movie and he knew it.
“So you see ghosts?” Emma asked, her tone implying she didn’t fully deny but she would need more than that.
“Not only that, we deal with magic.” Mitch assured, rummaging through his pocket to remove his bound notebook. Flipping it open he left it open on the page that detailed how to create the rune that they had used in the manor. The source of all of this discourse. “I used this to trap the spirit. The light is meant to incapacitate it long enough for a passing to be done.”
It was clearly confusing for the two but Shaun looked like he was ready to explode, leaning forward and reaching for the notebook before he caught himself and asked “C…Can I have a look?”
“It’s too late to back out now.” Mitch replied with a sad but encouraging tone, pushing the notebook forward so he could lift it and glare into the page in wide eyed shock. He leaned over to show it off to Emma who was struggling to understand whatever it meant while Shaun pretended he knew exactly what he was looking at.
Mitch took that as time to give them the choice. Slapping his hands atop his knees he stood and said “I will need a witness to give you this choice, so if you let m-”
His sentence was cut off by the sound of what could only be described as a squeal of some kind from the entrance hall. A shocking noise as the two jumped out of their skin, leaving Mitch shocked but seeming unphased, it wasn't the loudest or worst noise he had heard.
Mitch quickly opened up the door and the two followed him out into the hall where they found something they weren’t expecting to see for a long time.
Joseph was sitting in the hall on a chair close to the staircase with his head held in his hands, sobbing. Both Nick and Jasper standing across the opposite end of the hallway talking to each other.
“Is that..?” Emma asked though Mitch didn’t give a response as he approached Joseph.
He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to approach the man who had assaulted him and Shaun even attempted to stop him before Emma tugged him back.
“Are you…?” Mitch began, standing just out of punching distance to be safe.
Joseph lifted his head from its sorry state to reveal a large grin plastered across his face and tears streaming down his eyes “Oh, It’s you!” He shouted, leaping from his seat and grabbing Mitch’s arm tightly.
He didn’t have time to react before he was pulled forward and enveloped in a hug so tight it could have done more damage to his spine than the punch did to his face “Thank you so much!” He shouted blissfully.
The wind was crushed out of his lungs so he couldn’t respond. Emma and Shaun rushed up to try to help him but Joseph pushed him back slightly to be able to look Mitch in the eyes “This is all because of you!” Though this time, his tone implied that was a good thing.
Shaun caught Mitch when he stumbled back and once he regained his breath he asked “Y…you’re welcome?”
Having heard the commotion, Jasper left Nick to the side and approached “Have you two met before?” He jeered with the same cocky grin plastered across his face that almost reminded him of that aura Rin projected.
He didn’t seem to mind the two behind Mitch and gave both of them a slight wave. Joseph clasped his hands together in front of his face and bowed in front of Mitch “I am so sorry for my assault!” He shouted, still unable to contain his joy.
Mitch stared at Jasper for some context, but he felt he knew what was going on here. Jasper nodded silently in response and Mitch took that as his que to respond “It’s fine. A black eye is the least of my worries in this situation.”
Jasper stepped in to interrupt and state “It seems our three new friends here need a formal offer, do they not?”
“Yeah… I was coming to get you for that.” Mitch explained, glancing over his shoulder to Shaun who looked ready to explode and Emma who had seemingly become confident enough with her choice to nod at them both.
Mitch noticed that Nick had left the manor on his phone a moment ago but kept his main focus on the task at hand. Jasper taking a file from inside of his jacket he said “This is a formal offer for all three of you to join the family.” A thick glare from Mitch ensured that he would state the dangers this time even if it was too late for them to leave “You have two choices here. You can accept and pledge yourself to the family, or you deny and will be killed for knowing too much.”
It was as horrific a choice as always but that didn’t seem to put a dampener on any of their moods but it did give context to why Mitch was so adamant on them leaving. “There’s no way I would say no!” Joseph shouted almost immediately.
Shaun was quick to follow with “We made our choice before we got here, didn’t we?” as he looked at Emma.
She seemed a bit more hesitant now that the weight of their choice was placed in front of them. Be it fear, or determination, she said “We were told there was no backing out already.”
In a moment the atmosphere of the area almost completely changed. The light from the windows began to dim as if clouds had suddenly arrived to cover the sunlight that was entering not long ago.
Figures moved by the windows and the sound of a car pulling up into the driveway distracted Mitch from the others signing the papers Jasper handed them. Jasper himself seemed concerned at the feeling too but before Mitch could ask anything the doors opened once more and Nick entered.
This time he stood with a group of men in suits behind him that held tomes in their arms that had a rune he didn’t recognise engraved on the front. “Mitchell Wright.” Nick said in a furious tone, enough to even visibly shake the hardened Mitch. “You are to surrender yourself to us immediately. Make this easy on everyone and we won’t have to resort to any harm!”
He was left in utter confusion as he asked “What are you talking about?” The others had dropped what they were doing once the group entered.
“Surrender peacefully, now.” Nick reinstated in his fury.
The men in suits entered past him and all got their tomes ready. Mitch looked to Jasper for some form of help but he simply shook his head in response “This is easier if you do as they say.” He said so casually it took him by surprise.
“I… I guess I will see you guys later…?” Mitch asked, still unsure of the situation but seeing as they seemed serious he had no choice but to raise his hands and approach Nick.
When close, Nick placed a hand firmly on his shoulder and glared into his eyes intensely, forcing him around and bringing his hands down to force his arms into a pair of handcuffs that were coated in runes like anything the family used.
“You are now under arrest. I’m now going to inform you of your rights. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say and do can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to attain legal counsel during questioning, if you cannot afford legal counsel The Family will appoint someone to you. You also have the right to end questioning at any time. Do you understand your rights as I explain them to you?” Nick stated in a firm and commanding tone.
“I understand…” Mitch replied bluntly, hundreds of thoughts rushing through his mind as he was shoved forward out of the manor and to Nick's car that had been waiting for them, engine already running. The others were left inside and when they were alone by the car, Nick forcefully shoved him into the passengers side.
Nick got into the drivers and turned to look Mitch straight in the eyes with a glare so intense it could kill. “Did you do it?”
It sent chills down his spine and the hairs on his neck stood on end at the sheer intent to kill in his eyes “I haven’t done anything!” He protested in desperation.
Nick stared at his face for some time longer before he seemed to rest his shoulders and lean into his seat. “I don’t believe you did it, but I needed to be sure.”
Whatever he saw in his face seemed to be enough to convince him at least partly of his innocence on the matter. What that matter was though, Mitch had no idea so he decided to ask “What in the world am I being accused of?”
Nick took a few moments to compose himself, taking a deep breath and reversing the car out of the driveway. Finally after a few moments he said;
“An attempt has been made on Rin’s life and you are one of the prime suspects. You are coming in with me for questioning.”