The man pointed him to his couch and Caleb helped him lay down. The inside of the house was large and spacious.

Caleb left for a bit to pick up his bike and the mess they made outside, then came back. He felt comfortable leaving the man to rest since he didn’t seem too bothered by his injury.

After asking the man where it was, he brought him his “medicine.” It was the only thing in his bathroom cabinet.

There’s some stuff placed here and there, but otherwise this house is pretty empty.

Weird. I guess he just moved in here or something.

The medicine itself looked like pills in a jar, but it had no labels.

Caleb brushed it off. For some reason, he couldn’t compel himself to worry.

“Do you want me to get you anything else?” he asked. The man hadn’t said much, staring out the window. He looked back at Caleb when he spoke.

“Hm? Oh, in that case, can you make some tea?”

He pointed to his brewing machine and Caleb made cups of tea for them both. He handed the man his cup and sat in the chair across from his couch.

“I appreciate you helping me out. I think I’ll feel better in no time, and it’s all thanks to you.” The man said as he smiled.

I guess I’ll just roll with it. I’m not in the mood to question his views on medicine. He seems ok anyway.

Looking away, Caleb chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

“Well, I was the one who put you in this situation in the first place, though…”

“Even so, not many people would have been so cooperative. Many would have run off or just called an ambulance.”

I really don’t think I deserve this praise, especially after injuring him.

“Indeed…you’re just the person I needed right now.” The man said. Caleb caught a glimpse of a smirk before the man took a sip of his tea.

Looking at the man’s face again, he noticed another peculiarity: his eyes.

They were noticeably strained. Additionally, his irises were a bright shade of blue, which of course wasn’t unnatural by itself. However…

They seem almost too bright.

Almost white, even.

“You think so?” Caleb said nonchalantly and took a sip himself and looked out the window. From what he could see, the area was still completely barren. No car or person in sight. It was a complete ghost town.

He didn’t really think much of it earlier, but he found it strange that no one seemed to be around to intervene or at least notice the accident.

Even in this man’s unique presence, he felt nervousness begin to creep up again.

This…isn’t normal. It’s not the middle of the night. What happened to everyone?

The man spoke up, still smiling.

“You’re a student I assume? What were you doing out so late on your lonesome?”

“Oh, I was just picking up some groceries. My mom forgot to do it on the weekend, you know,” Caleb said, staring down at his cup.

“Hmm…I can see how that would be a bother. You probably would’ve preferred to spend that time hanging out with friends, right?”

Heh. Sounds like the kind of question you ask a kid when you start to feel old.

Caleb looked back up.

“I go straight home after school…,” he hesitated and chuckled nervously. “…I don’t know that many people, so it wasn’t much of a bother, honestly.”

The man’s smile grew wider.

He’s been staring at me intently for the past few minutes with that damn smile.

At this point, I’m done with all this nonsense. The atmosphere has fully shifted from comforting to creepy.

The only thing stopping Caleb was trying to figure out a way to politely excuse himself. He attempted a placating smile of his own.

“…Well, It’s been nice to talk to you and all but I don’t want to worry my pa—,“ he stopped involuntarily, feeling a heavy tightness in his throat and chest.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was back.

The feeling of DREAD.

This was different from what Caleb felt before. Far different.

It felt like death.

In an instant, the house seemingly erupted in loud noises. Human-like screams and demon-like growling pierced his ears from indiscriminate directions.

“What’s…going…on?” Caleb asked, looking around frantically. he tried to get up but stumbled. he kept himself upright with the chair he had been sitting in.

Stopping to regain just a bit of strength back in his legs, his eyes met the window one last time.

Black.

All he could see was pitch black.

He couldn’t see the street, the sidewalk or any of the buildings that were visible just a minute ago.

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. HELL?!

Panicking and struggling to breathe, he willed himself off the chair and lumbered over to the door.

“Caleb…” The man finally spoke up. Caleb had forgotten he was there. His calming presence had diminished entirely.

Caleb didn’t hesitate and continued towards the door. Thoughts about how the man knew his name briefly swirled in his head, but none of it overrode his natural human instinct to survive.

The man spoke again, this time much more firmly.

“Look at me, Caleb.”

Suddenly, Caleb felt the tranquil atmosphere returning.

A blue light filled the room, coming from behind him.

He wanted to keep moving, but his body turned itself around, as if it had a mind of its own.

The man was the source from which the light emanated. He stood tall with no apparent injuries.

What stood out the most to Caleb, however, was his shining blue-white eyes, more luminous than ever.

The second he looked at his eyes, all of his ailments disappeared, as if the man’s aura was the cure to it all.

“Perfect…don’t look away. Keep your eyes on me.”

Regardless, his aura wasn’t effective in stifling the fear that had built up this whole time, and Caleb could feel himself regaining control of his body.

The man seemed to anticipate this.

Before Caleb could move, the man had reached him and tackled him to the ground.

Caleb was frozen in shock and fear. The man’s eyes were now wide open and piercing through his own. He had a calm smile plastered on his face.

Soon, the room began shaking, and a black, gas-like substance was pouring into the house and into Caleb’s peripheral vision.

“…Wh-What is…that?!”

“Don’t concern yourself with the little things, my friend. You should just listen to what I say. You don’t want to die, do you?”

“Die?!”

Heeding the man’s words, Caleb resisted the urge to look away.

Now the black substance fully clouded his peripheral vision as it surrounded them both.

Nonetheless, Caleb kept his eyes locked on him in fear.

Despite the substance, the man’s aura was as clear as ever. While the substance had enveloped some of the light he emitted, the aura itself persisted.

However, slivers of the gas eventually punctured through the aura shielding them.

Then, the gas shot straight towards Caleb, as if drawn to him. It aimed for various parts of his body, phasing through his skin.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”

A striking, unbearable pain coursed throughout his body, like it was being viciously torn apart.

He shifted in and out of consciousness, praying for this unbearable torture to end.

Answering his plea, the pain ceased almost as fast as it came.

Caleb could hardly see anything now, dangling on the edge of consciousness and beginning to fade.

The man stood up and uttered one final sentence:

“The pact…is complete.”

Then Caleb blacked out.

(Perspective Change)

Gone again, the woman thought to herself. Frustrated, she sighed.

Perching herself on top of another roof, she stopped her pursuit to report back to base.

She sent out a telepathic ping, which was promptly reciprocated.

“I have reached the designated town, but it appears that the Potentiam has dissipated again. The source has already left.”

“I see. Is there a trail of residue?” her contact asked.

“Not at all, the trail has gone cold completely.”

They both paused in silent thought.

“While we’ve managed to follow their path more effectively, we still need to figure out how this source manages to disappear every time.”

“And, on that note, how it manages to appear in these areas right under our noses,” the woman responded.

A sigh came from the other end.

“Yeah, I guess tonight’s another bust. Go out and see if there are any infected individuals to capture. Sorry to make you stay out there another few days…”

“There is no need to apologize. You are merely doing your job to the best of your abilities. I would be remiss not to do the same.”

“…As diligent as ever, I see.” He let out a chuckle.

“Hmph.”

I’ll never understand how such a description became particular to me, when it’s an ideal everyone should strive for.

She closed her eyes again, in search of anyone infected.

“I’m just messing with you, you know that,” He said casually, likely detecting her indignation.

She sighed.

I suppose I should’ve expected this from him.

Even when he jests about it, she can tell that some part of him is serious.

“Of course,” She said, her words laced with sarcasm.

The two fell into another comfortable silence for about a minute. In that time, the woman sensed only a couple of individuals.

“There is not that many of them tonight, it seems,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Infected? That’s good, maybe we’re starting to put some pressure on whoever’s behind this.”

We don’t know for sure if a sentient being is behind this. However, the events as of late seem calculated and intentional, so the idea is becoming more likely.

She restarted her pursuit, but abruptly stopped.

“Wait, I am sensing another one,” She said.

“There’s more?”

That alone wasn’t the reason she stopped.

This Potentiam is…different.

“Yes, however, this one…”

She narrowed her eyes, brow furrowed in realization.

“…is much fainter than the rest…”

“You mean…a partial?”

“A runaway one. A fugitive.”

Even without seeing him, the woman could tell that those words made him tense. It is the only reason a partial would be detected here.

A willing disregard for our laws is a serious offense.

“I see. What are you going to do, then?”

“I will deal with the infected and any potential witnesses first. The partial is likely much less of a threat to anyone at the moment.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

“Ok, that works. Let me know what you find as soon as you can…” He paused.

“…and be careful. I doubt It’ll be a threat to you, but we still don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

“Certainly.”

His worry is unfounded.

With that, he disconnected, leaving her to carry out her plan. She closed her eyes to focus on the Potentiam she can sense.

I am glad that today will be much simpler, at the very least.

As she prepared to move out again, she took one final pause to look up at the sky. The moon was full and shining brightly, bathing the area in its light.

The full moon is a sight to see even in this world, it seems…