Victoria and Adrian were silent during the drive back home to New York. Before they would leave Maine they decided to pull into a gas station to resupply on their snacks for the road. The gas station Adrian chose just so happened to be the same lonesome, isolated, independent one that they had stopped at before shortly after arriving in the state. The same car from before was parked there and just like before, not a single customer in sight. Adrian pulled up to the pump closest to the doors.

"You want to wait in here while I go inside?" Adrian asked.

"I'll go in. Need to use the bathroom anyway." Victoria replied.

Adrian nodded and let her get out while he sat and checked his phone. Victoria headed inside and made her way to the bathroom. After she finished up she grabbed some snacks and headed for the counter. But something was off. The young man that initially was there last time was gone. Instead there was a dark-skinned young woman with exceptionally long black hair, silver halo-shaped earrings and a black eyebrow piercing above her right eye. She was leaning against the counter on her phone, chewing bubble gum. Victoria was confused because the car parked outside was the same one as last time. She got to the counter and set the snacks down. The woman glanced at her, setting her phone down on the back counter.

"Hey there. Finally a customer. Been dead as fuck since that storm hit so there ain't nobody out on the roads right now. So what's up? Ya' find everything you wanted?" The woman said with spunk in her voice.

"Uh yeah. Say, isn't there a guy that works here? Said he was the owner? I... noticed his car outside. Was here the last time I stopped in like a week ago." Victoria said. The woman just cocked her head to the side, looking confused. She then snickered.

"Owner? Girl you're looking at her! And I only have two other employees, my beautiful sister and her bestie who's only here cause it's easy money."

"H-huh? You sure? He was taller, short black hair, piercings, and was a bit cocky."

"Hm? No clue what you're talking about. You okay? Sure you weren't hallucinating? I mean you seem chill but you're worrying me."

Victoria was starting to feel chills down her spine. She thought she was being messed with but could tell that the woman wasn't lying. The car parked outside was exactly the same from the tinted windows to the blacked-out rims and even the same base color. Now her head was starting to hurt. Something didn't feel right.

"I um, I-I don't know. Maybe I was, I-"

"Yo chill out for a second, okay?" The woman interrupted. "You look uneasy like you've seen a ghost. You said this was a week ago? Exactly?"

"Yes."

"Around what time of the day?"

"Late afternoon. Evening basically."

"I was off last weekend so it would've been my sister working at the time. Hold up lemme' call her."

"Huh? Uh sure?"

The woman grabbed her phone and contacted her sister. Victoria listened closely to what the woman was saying:

"Yo. So like, this goth chick strolled up in here and said that she was here last weekend and a man was working behind the counter, late afternoon or evening. You were here weren't you? Uh-huh. Okay. Hmm. You were in the back placing orders and stocking shit from the freezer until it started getting dark? That slow huh? I gotcha' homie. Alright. See ya' later." The woman hung up and shrugged her shoulders. "She never saw someone like you come in. Don't know what to tell ya' honestly."

Victoria was trying to comprehend what she was being told. Unable to find anything else to say she just pulled her debit card out and paid for the snacks. She left without another word. The woman just raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

Adrian sat in the car nodding his head along to some melodic death metal when Victoria jumped into the truck and shut the door. She turned the music down and explained the conversation that went on with the clerk inside the gas station. Adrian was deep in confusion, pressing a hand to his head and shaking it. Now he was just as lost as she was. He looked into her eyes and laid his other hand on her shoulder, leaning close towards her face.

"Babe...I've seen this kind of shit in movies and it never means anything good. What the hell does this mean? Who was the clerk you spoke to earlier then?? None of this makes any sense!"

Before Victoria could respond she immediately felt another headache coming on. Suddenly the voice from inside started to speak to her in a whisper;

"Something is not right, child of the bloodline. Return to thou's residence at once by thy command."

"W-we need to leave now Adrian...just gun it and let's get back home." Victoria stuttered. Adrian nodded and floored the gas pedal, heading onto the road and driving away in an instant.

  The bitter cold winds of western Chicago blew in the air. A group of men and women in suits wearing coats and gloves stood on a hotel balcony along with Natalia overlooking the dilapidated neighborhood just a couple blocks away from where the hotel stood. In the distance the occasional gunshots or sirens could be heard echoing through the streets. Natalia shook her head and sighed. Two of the men were holding tablets with pens taking notes on the state of the area.

"To think our previous leaders let this place degrade so horrendously for so long...it's disgusting. It's clear from what I'm seeing that these specific lower-class neighborhoods are in dire need of reparations. Make sure to note down Chicago for a top spot in our list." Natalia stated. The two men nodded and jotted down more notes.

"And this is just one of the many neighborhoods in this city plagued by corruption, violence and lawlessness madame president. As a resident of the city myself it always pains me to see places like this. The bill you just got passed will do wonders for these poor citizens." One of the women said. "I must ask, how will you tackle the gang problems? Your economic solution seems to be planned out well. But it will take more then funds to fix these kinds of neighborhoods."

"Easy. We'll commence what I like to call a 'cleansing' before we start the reparations."

"Th..the cleansing?"

"We gather the toughest veteran police officers, SWAT team members, even National Guard soldiers...organize teams of armed individuals and spread them around to cleanse the drug havens these petty criminals and gang lords reside. They'll either submit themselves peacefully...or face the consequences of disobeying the law."

"Y-you don't mean...killing them? Do you?"

The other individuals all lowered their heads. The woman glanced around at them then looked back at Natalia, her expression bore a serious look and eyes as cold as the winter air.

"This is the only way this will work. A lack of proper law enforcement, deep-rooted corruption and negligence of the state governments is what led to these places to become war zones. A country like ours should not be riddled with these kinds of dire issues. Reparations can help to mend the broken neighborhoods, but the hammer of judgment is the only solution to the constant violence these hooligans commit every day. Do not look at me with such discontent ma'am. You have my word that this is for the good of the people. We will be sure to spread the word of the cleansing to the general public. Keep them indoors and safe while we weed out the gun-toting cowards and confiscate all illicit narcotics in the process."

As Natalia walked past the woman to look over the railing, her eyes were faintly glowing red. Her determination and confidence had her feeling well with her plans. The woman was shaking with fear and backed away.

"Well...i-if that is what it takes, then by all means. Do what you must madame president. Where our previous leaders failed...perhaps you can be our savior." She said with a nod. Natalia turned to face her with a wicked smirk across her face.

"I will be your savior. You have nothing to worry about. These people deserve better. Innocent lives are lost every day in places like this. In due time...this country will stand proud having been ridden of the festering diseases that have poisoned these once peaceful streets. Chicago...is only one of many. But a top priority regardless. Let us continue to gather information on the rest of these neighborhoods and we'll be on our way."

Natalia and company seated themselves in the limousine and carried on with their observations. The day went on, rundown areas that seemed to stretch for many miles. Trash littered the streets, Homeless people stood taking solace near barrel fires. Businesses and homes once teeming with life stood as empty shells of what they once were. Shady individuals walked in groups with their hands tucked in their pockets hiding their faces with hoods and turning their heads away from the limousine. Children sat on porches with lifeless eyes staring down anyone who passed by. Everything Natalia observed only brought her more discomfort and anger. It was reminding her of her travels abroad to third-world countries suffering from these same conditions.

Once the entourage had gathered all that they needed, Natalia and crew returned to the airport where Air Force One was docked. They departed from the limousine and headed into the large aircraft. One of the men sat with Natalia and removed his sunglasses. He was a stout, middle-aged man with a bald head. He rubbed his temples to ease his frustration.

"Madame President...do you really think the Senate will approve of your 'cleansing' plan that you've been devising? I'll admit it's bold and well thought out but-"

"Relax Jared. I'm going to make sure they do approve of it. I need time to tweak it of course since we still have many more places to go visit and gather information on. Their eyes will be opened up to the severity of this country's problems. Besides, when I took office I made sure to root out anyone that was incompetent, which many of them were, within the Senate and unable to work with my ideals and strategies to improve the economy. Everything will be okay. Looks like Detroit is next huh?" Natalia interrupted the man, browsing her tablet.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Perhaps the worst of the big cities. Half of it has been a ghost town for decades. Chicago may have the most violence, but Detroit will be a major cut into our funds due to the scale of it's disrepair."

"I am well aware of this but thank you for the tidbit of information anyway. We should be departing soon..."

Natalia and Jared got cozy to await the takeoff phase and head for their next destination. Detroit. Natalia bore solace knowing that she had Madison working on her grand plan back at the White House.

  "Hey can you...pull off at the next rest stop? I need to use the bathroom again." Victoria murmured with a hesitance in her question.

"Yeah sure. We're only a couple hours from home so holding it in just isn't an option." Adrian replied.

Throughout the drive the two of them occasionally chatted but mostly remained quiet and listened to the lengthy atmospheric progressive metal playlist Adrian had set up. Just a few miles ahead was a rest stop littered with semi-trucks in the large lot but very few regular vehicles. Adrian pulled into a spot while Victoria hopped out, taking a breath of fresh air before heading towards the restrooms. The cleanliness surprised her at first but she didn't want to get distracted. She looked into the mirror and stared deeply into her own reflection.

"Okay you...it's time to start talking. I understand you're withholding information from me for now but you clearly knew what was going on back at the gas station so spit it out!" Victoria hissed. The reflection in the mirror remained the same, but now started to speak when her own mouth wasn't moving, making her uncomfortable;

"Thou art a stubborn one. What thou witnessed was a distortion within thou's own reality. The one whom spoke to you before was but an illusion. A false form that manifested at some point, only to cease existing afterwards. Thou's reality has remained constant, stable, through the many generations I've been harbored inside thou's own lineage. But... Now we have witnessed a discrepancy in thou's world. This could only mean, that something is happening...a source unknown to us has made it's presence known that of which should not even be here to begin with. Child...thy fears that this may be a sign of something truly horrific."

Victoria was trying not to freak out and only keep herself calm. She took a quick glance around to make sure nobody had entered the restroom. Her hands were trembling on the sink.

"A distortion? S-so he wasn't supposed to be real even though he seemed real. It's not some kind of shapeshifter is it??"

"No. Thy would have sensed it. The illusion had thy own mind fooled as well. This cannot be good. Child, thy power is limited within the confines of your subconscious. It is but too soon to know what could be the source of the distortion. Thou should take leave at once. We do not know enough to comprehend the situation. Let us depart from this foul place."

"Huh hey wait! How do we not 'know enough' huh?? Answer me damn it!"

There was no response. Her reflection no longer warped as the voice had ceased talking. Victoria slammed her fist on the wall next to the mirror and stormed off.

Adrian was smoking a joint with the driver window cracked down, thinking about talking to Victoria about something important he wanted to bring up at some point during their drive. Victoria approached the truck and hopped in. He glanced over at her.

"I would ask if you were feeling better but uh. You look pissed off." He stated his observation.

"I'll explain on the road. Let's go." Victoria huffed.

Now on the highway once again, Victoria explained what she just went through back at the rest stop. After what he heard her go through in the cave, this was somehow less shocking to him that she was communicating with the deity inside of her.

"That's creepy as fuck... So that thing you have in your mind can't even find an explanation huh? What the fuck is going on then? That shit was not normal! Are we just supposed to just go back to our lives like everything is normal when clearly some supernatural shit is happening??" Adrian spat. Victoria lightly patted his shoulder.

"I..I'm sorry. But yes. It refuses to tell me more right now, and it can't determine what the deal was with that guy who clearly never existed but I spoke to." She tried to reassure him.

"This fucking sucks. It's like only half of the mystery has been solved but more is left unanswered. Will you be okay once we get back home?"

"I'll be fine. It's weird but...ever since the experience in the cave I feel more...I don't know...at ease mentally? Now that I've seen the voice's true form and can speak to it somewhat freely at will...maybe I really have made progress in dealing with my mental issues."

"That's..that's good. I'm glad."

The two remained silent for a long period of time. Adrian was wondering if he should bring up what he was thinking about despite the heaviness in the air. To him it was now or never and never was not an option for him. He turned the volume down and calmed himself. He was feeling very nervous, wiping the sweat off of his brow. Victoria looked over at him.

"Is everything okay? You lowered the music volume." She asked. He took a deep breath. His heart was pounding inside his chest like a war drum.

"Victoria...So like, we've been together for some time now. Not super long or anything, at least to me. But um...would you like...ever want to...get m-married someday?" Adrian stammered, biting his tongue. Victoria swiftly glanced over at him, her heart suddenly started racing. "It's a stupid question to ask right now, I know. It's just, you mean the fucking world to me. It took all that effort out of me spoiling you and caring for you to finally get you to tell me about what happened to your parents the night of that party we went to after you graduated. Hell, you even paid for that parking ticket I got when we went to that punk concert because I wanted us to be closer to the venue since we didn't leave early enough for a good spot. We drove all the way to Maine together, ventured through an old house and a cave to uncover secrets about your family's past even with the doubts that it may have been a dead end for fucks sake. And now we're here, having this lingering fear of some paranormal shit going on we don't know about. But the important part is that we stuck together through it all and will continue to do so, hopefully getting all the answers we need. Shit what was this initially about? Oh yeah, marriage...I-I figured I'd ask now but..."

Adrian trailed off losing any more words he would've added to his long-winded confession. With the cruise control on and no cars on the road nearby, he looked over to Victoria. Her eyes were gleaming, a beaming smile on her face. The happiest he had seen her look in awhile.

"Adrian I..." She reached over and took his unoccupied hand in hers. "...I would definitely love to marry you." Victoria answered. Adrian felt the butterflies in his stomach going wild. He smiled and gripped her hand tightly.

"Just the answer...I was hoping for."

  The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. Snow was falling down on the streets of Manhattan. Once the truck was parked Victoria grabbed Adrian and pulled him in for a deep kiss. With both of them having the following day off, Adrian decided to stay the night. So they began unpacking their belongings and headed inside, out of the freezing cold. Now that they were in the apartment, Victoria and Adrian headed into the bedroom, stripping down their clothes and started making out on top of the bed. Adrian laid underneath of Victoria as she pressed her hands on his bare chest and started to ride on top of him, his eyes focused on her exposed breasts. He grunted, grabbing her soft thighs and giving them a squeeze. She let out a sharp moan and bit down on her lower lip. The two continued to fornicate passionately as time passed on. Night had completely fallen by the time they were finishing. Victoria clawed her nails down Adrian's chest as she climaxed, still on top of him. He took a deep breath as he came, hands latched onto her hips.

"Shit...I already feel so much better after being crammed inside the truck." Adrian boasted. Victoria lifted herself up and laid on top of him in a comfortable position. He stroked a hand through her hair while she just ran a finger down his chest with the marks where her nails had scratched him.

"Me too. I can't believe it's already dark." She murmured.

"You underestimate how long I can last even after all this time together. Shame on you girl."

"Only took you over a year."

"Shut it."

They snickered and kissed each other. Adrian then reached over to grab his phone and browse through social media. He noticed a link to a news article shared by one of his friends. The article headline read: New bill passed recently. Military funds being cut as government plans to start refurbishing impoverished towns and cities throughout the country.

"Get a load of this babe. The president is slashing money from the military and like, is gonna' be investing it to fix the economy." He summarizes as he reads the article.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah. She also plans to deal with the high crime rates that plague these struggling cities too. Interesting."

"I mean, she has been more assertive and done more then the last few guys so. I have faith in her."

"Same. Got a few relatives that live in places like those. I'm sure they're really happy about this. See what happens when we stop having playtime in the Middle East? We can fix our own problems now."

The two of them would get lost in reading news articles then just watch television when they got bored throughout the rest of the night before eventually drifting off to sleep.

The sleep seemed peaceful within Victoria's dream. She sat upon a grassy hill with a calm wind blowing and the sunshine beaming down on her face. Dandelions and sunflowers stuck out like ornaments on a Christmas tree. It felt very real. She missed the summertime and found an escape to those feelings within her mind. All was calm. Then, dark clouds started to shroud the skies above and cover the sun. It was dark. Victoria's smile withered away as she stood up. A figure suddenly stepped out from behind the single tree on the hill a few feet away. She looked to the figure, stepping out from the shadows of the leaves and revealing themselves. Her face went pale. The pierced man from the gas station was approaching her. His eyes were empty black voids, skin as white as snow, but had the same hair, build, facial features and clothes. Victoria tried to scream but nothing came out. She was frozen in place and couldn't move. The zombie-like figure mumbled some garbled, unrecognizable words. As he drew closer his body began to change. His fingers started to stretch out forming into masses of tendrils. His legs mended together into a snakelike tail and with his jaw open as his teeth grew large and sharp like a serpent, several tongues flayed out and a bloodcurdling scream came from his lungs. Victoria once again tried to scream but to no avail. The creature got closer and wrapped it's tendrils around her. As it's gaping mouth closed in about to devour her head, the dream-turned-nightmare ended. Victoria awoke and sat up in a cold sweat. Her heart pounded, body trembling with fear. Despite the initial shock, she was glad that it was over but was unable to go back to sleep, stuck wide awake into the early hours of the morning curled up next to Adrian, who remained asleep.

  Several hard knocks rapped against the steel cell door. The two guards in charge of the solitary confinement wing were once again visiting the cell that held the insurgent leader Al-Shamar. No response came from within the cell.

"This sick fuck. Gets one day of the week to be out of his cell and all he did was ramble on like a madman to the other prisoners and scaring them." One of the guards muttered.

"I'm tired of it too. Gonna' beat his ass with some hard-earned discipline once we get in. Hey asshole! We're coming in!" The other guard shouted unlocking the door and opening it.

"Wonder what wild shit he's etched in the walls today-"

The guard went silent. He covered his mouth for a moment then started to vomit onto the floor. The other guard's hands started to shake. In the cell at the center, was a symbol of unknown origin etched into the floor with chalk, and in the middle was Al-Shamar's lifeless body. His chest had been carved with the same symbol on the floor, eyes were stabbed through and seeping blood from the sockets and his stomach was cut open. Blood had pooled beneath his corpse. In his right hand now splayed open was a bloodied, razor-sharp shiv made out of what looked like a screwdriver. The horrific sight left the guards sick to their stomachs and speechless. They quickly left the cell and shut the door tight, running away to find the warden and report their terrifying discovery...