Kristian''s fingers trembled slightly as he pinned the photograph to the corkboard of the makeshift memorial. The image captured laughter, a moment frozen in a time when he was still happy. Beneath it, the note card clung, the Sharpie message stark against its pale surface: "12 steps to a better life, Lori. I will miss you."
"Didn''t expect to see you back on campus," came Rob''s voice, as he approached the memorial, taking in the pictures and messages left by Lori''s friends and family.
Kristian turned, towering over Rob as he glared at him. "We aren''t exactly friends, are we, Rob? Why would I report my comings and goings to you?"
"Fair point." Rob stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, his gaze drifting to the photo. "You and Lori were close, then?"
"Group counselling, we both had some issues," Kristian said, his voice flat. "It doesn''t make us friends."
"Yet here you are," Rob observed, nodding toward the memorial.
"The only real friend I had is dead," Kristian muttered, both boys looked down at the ground, Rob knowing he was talking about Olivia.
Rob shifted uncomfortably, but when he spoke again, his tone was scholarly, almost detached. "You know they say there is a gene that can determine whether you are likely to become addicted to things or not. Did you know that? It is genetic, not really the person''s fault at all. We can''t change the way we were born."
"Why are you telling me this?" Kristian interjected, looking back up at the growing memorial. "Not quite following."
"I think someone is targeting people who struggle with addictions," Rob explained, his eyes darkening. "Shannon, Cliff and Nemo were all killed while being recovering alcoholics. Her fiance claims she wasn''t one but..."
"She wasn''t one, she only drank on special occasions" Kristian offered, his expression both inquisitive and solem.
"So my theory is off," Rob conceded. His eyes scanned over the memorial until they landed on Kristian''s note. "Wait, this talks about the twelve steps. Isn''t that an AA thing? Maybe she didn''t tell anyone about it. If Lori..."
"the twelve-step program isn''t just for alcoholics," Ahmed cut in, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "It was painkillers, she was in a car accident. It really messed up her leg."
"Painkillers," Rob echoed, as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe my idea was too specific, maybe having any addiction could make you a target. If she was in the program trying to get clean—that also tracks with the others."
"What do you think she was in group for?" Kristian said, rolling his eyes, "Now can you please get out of here, some of us are trying to mourn."
"Right, sorry," Rob gave Kristian a worried look, Kristian was in the same group as Lori—he was a possible target, and now they both knew it. Rob walked away from the memorial, a look of worry drawn across his face.
---
Out in the university parking lot, Deb''s fingers worked quickly to rework the wires under the steering wheel. The car''s engine roared to life, and she flashed John a triumphant grin. "There we go," she said, patting the steering wheel. "Now, listen closely. If this goes sideways I will deny everything."
John nodded, hands gripping the leather wheel with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Deb stepped away from the car, her black hair whipping around her petite frame as she shut the door, leaving John alone in the stolen vehicle.
"Remember, don''t get caught," Deb called out, stepping back onto the curb.
John revved the engine, taking a deep breath. He eased the car forward, picking up speed as he navigated the parking lot labyrinth. With each turn, his confidence surged.
Meanwhile, inside the biology lecture hall, Zack slipped unnoticed into the back row where Kenneth and Brian were seated. He slowly unzipped his backpack, and without missing a beat, he began to pull out car parts—a spark plug, a side mirror, even a gear shift knob—and casually placed them on the empty seat beside him.
Brian''s eyes widened in horror, recognizing the dismantled pieces of his beloved car. As realization dawned, he shot up from his seat, his face contorted with rage. Kenneth grabbed at his arm, but Brian shrugged him off and bolted for the door.
Outside, John was now fully in stride, the car barreling along the path reserved for students. Brian emerged from the building just in time to see his car whizzing by. With a supernatural burst of speed, he chased after it.
"Stop!" Brian bellowed, planting himself squarely in front of the speeding car.
John''s foot slammed on the brakes, but it was Brian who brought the vehicle to a halt, his hands pressing against the hood with a force that caused it to dent. He peered through the windshield, eyes burning with fury. "Get out!"
John lept out of the car, he flipped over Brian, landing gracefully on the pavement behind him. He dusted off his jeans and sprinted away, leaving Nic to seethe.
"Absolutely not!" Professor Jake Rivers appeared, flanked by curious students and campus security. "This is a walkway, not a racetrack!" He turned to Brian with an expression of disappointment. "Your parking privileges are revoked. In fact, your vehicle is banned from campus."
Brian sulked back to his immobilized vehicle, defeated and humiliated as whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
***
Ahmed''s pen scratched across the page, as he stared off into space. The lines formed distinct stones, each one unique and filled with detail. Lost in the motion, he didn''t notice Leona''s approach until her shadow fell across his artwork.
"Wow, that''s... pretty grim, they look like tombstones," she commented, as she looked over his work. "You really should be in an art class, you know."
With a jolt, Ahmed looked up, suddenly noticing he was on the stage, the expectant faces of students in elaborate costumes peering curiously at him from backstage. Leona stood before him, painted tears on her cheeks.
"Um, why am I on stage?" Ahmed asked, bewildered.
"I mean you tell me right? You were here when we got here," Leona explained, seeming confused by the question. "I was actually coming to ask you if have you seen Mr. Millar. He''s late for rehearsal."
"Who?" Ahmed mumbled, still disoriented.
"Doug Millar," someone shouted from the wings. "He is still not here!"
"Twenty minutes and counting," Leona sighed, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Looks like we''re going rogue—rehearsing without him."
The murmurs of agreement turned into action as the students began to organize themselves. Ahmed slid off the stage and he started making his way back to the doors. But he stopped mid-stride when he spotted something glowing under a theatre seat. He moved closer and realized it was a cell phone abandoned in the aisle.
The weirdly eerie ringtone drew him to it, Ahmed picked up the device and noticed a message was recorded on it. With the press of a button, the recording started to play—a conversation half-heard, a man''s voice talking to no one about temptation. Then, the recording ended, but a woman''s voice escaped the phone:
"One more, he''ll take one more..."
Ahmed stood frozen in the aisle, grip slipping from the phone. It clattered to the floor as Ahmed''s gaze whipped back to the stage. His eyes landed on a ghost-like figure but it wasn''t Nemo this time, it was Prof. Dowding staring back at him before fading away.
"Did you see that?" Ahmed gasped, pointing to the stage.
"See what?" Leona asked, turning to follow his finger, seeing nothing but an empty stage.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"Never mind," he muttered, picking up the pace as he headed for the doors. He needed to find Prof. Dowding, he could feel his time was running out.
---
Rob found Paulina in the dim light of her candle-laden office. Books lay open, as she studied their writing.
"Paulina, I think I figured it out," Rob began without waiting for her to acknowledge his presence, his expression grave. "They are recovering addicts, I don''t know why exactly this thing is targeting them though."
"A recovering addict can be particularly vulnerable," Paulina replied dryly, leaning back in her leather chair.
"So it is targeting them at their most vulnerable," Rob said, pacing now. "Maybe it has something to do with temptation. Like it is testing them and if they fail, they become a victim. But who is it finding them."
"You''re dealing with a supernatural entity that drains everything from its target," Paulina mused, her eyes narrowing. "Your killer is most likely some sort of incubus or succubus—seducing their victims is their whole MO."
"Right, ok, so how do we find it? I mean there has to be some way to lure it out. If I knew how they were finding their victims," Rob started to pace, trying to piece everything together.
"You can''t just find one of these creatures, Rob. They are rarely seen because they have to find you," Paulina explained closing her book, her gaze holding his.
"So what are you saying?" Rob countered. "That we can''t stop this thing? That it is pointless? I can''t just sit around while people are dying."
"I''m not saying that," she shook her head, sliding her book over to the edge of her desk. "I am saying it will be hard, but there are a few methods that have been known to work from time to time."
"Maybe we should tell Lindsey about all of this," Rob said, his voice barely above a whisper, as he considered letting Lindsey into the world of the supernatural.
Paulina''s office fell silent while they both held their breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Rob leaned against the wall, deep in thought, knowing they needed more help with this. Paulina sat with her legs crossed, he expression unreadable.
"Why?" she began, "What made you come to this decision? For most discovering this world breaks them, humans don''t have a good track record among us."
"But if she knew, then she would be able to use the police resources to figure out how the victims are being chosen," Rob reasoned, doing his best not to make eye contact with the woman.
"It would be risky." Her voice was steady, but there was a tremor of something else. "The problem is when people start asking questions. They start snooping, they start seeing behind the veil and then they start killing."
"How do you—" Rob''s question was cut short by the urgent buzz of his phone.
Ahmed''s voice crackled through, panic lacing each word, "The killer took the theatre director! and I saw more, Deb isn''t picking up. I need you now!"
"I''m on my way," Rob said, grabbing his coat. he looked over to Paulina, who also stood up.
"We can finish this conversation another day," She reached for her own coat, "I''m coming with you."
---
The university loomed ahead, as Rob pulled up next to the university theatre. Inside, Ahmed raced to the vehicle, the phone clutched in his hand. He played the recording—a muffled conversation and Lori''s haunting words—and Paulina''s face tightened.
"Send me a copy," she said, her mind already dissecting the audio. "Being able to hide its voice isn''t normal for them. This one must be very powerful."
"Ok," Rob interrupted, getting out of the car. "Let''s think this through. First, it kills Nemo, Cliff and Shannon but then it stops for weeks. Now it''s killed Lori, and taken this director within days of each other."
"You''re suggesting it kills in cycles, which would mean there is still a third person needed..." Paulina''s voice trailed off.
"I think I know who the third person is," Ahmed interjected, looking back toward campus. "I saw Prof. Dowding on the stage in there when no one else did. I think he is the last one if you''re right about these cycles."
"You''ve been having visions?" Paulina raised an eyebrow.
"Um yeah," Ahmed murmured. "For a few months now."
"Interesting," Paulina whispered to herself, looking Ahmed over. She seemed to want to say something more but held herself back.
---
On the other end of campus, the last set of classes were let out of the night. John and Zack stepped out into the cold air, they both sensed the presence of Kenneth and Brian almost instantly, they turned their heads just in time to see Brian appear from the shadows, his eyes as black as the night. Kenneth''s lime-green eyes pierced the night as he approached them from behind.
"Run!" Zack yelled, dragging John along, but the Supremes were faster, Kenneth summoned roots to trip them. They landed hard, as the root entangled their bodies.
"Damn it," John muttered, gripping some dirt in his hand, charging it with kinetic energy.
"Just be careful, don''t blow us up too," Zack warned, watching John work.
Then, as if summoned by the chaos itself, Danny made his way up the path. Kenneth and Brian reverted back to their human forms under his piercing gaze, shame replacing their earlier rage.
"Really, boys?" Danny chided, his fingers finding the secret compartment in his leg. A knife appeared in his hand with a flash of silver, he marked each of them, the cuts appearing on their cheeks. Blood poured from the wounds that didn''t seem to heal.
"Discipline must be maintained," Danny stated coldly, watching as his minions recoiled from the sting.
"Get ready," John muttered, eyeing the knife warily.
"If you are going to do it, do it now," Zack added, watching Danny move closer to them.
"Please gentlemen, I refrain from doing anything idiotic here," Danny replied, "We will be leaving and you are free to go," He shot Kenneth a look and the roots instantly receded back into the earth. Brian kept his head down as he touched a shadow and all three vanished within it.
---
The rhythmic scratch of pen on paper ceased abruptly as a knock echoed through the office. Prof. Bobby Dowding glanced up, his eyes landing on the silhouette of the person behind his door. He closed his day planner, and he rose, setting the pen down with deliberate care. He crossed the room, footsteps muffled by the dense carpet, and opened the door.
"Evening Bobby," The mystery figure greeted, devoid of any warmth.
"Good evening, you''re on campus pretty late aren''t you?"
"I could say the same for you," The man responded.
"I admit, I may have lost track of time," Bobby replied, stepping out of the office. He closed the door behind him and everything fell silent.
Minutes later, the silence shattered as his door was kicked in, Paulina''s leather boot announcing their arrival as they entered the space. Ahmed and Rob clambered into the small office space, each scanning the room hungrily for clues.
"Search the place, we need to know where he could have gone," Paulina commanded as she moved toward the man''s desk.
Ahmed zeroed in on the planner sprawled open on the desk. His fingers traced over a day with just the letter ''S'' written on it, flipping another page revealed a day marked with a single ''U''. Ahmed continued until two other days were marked with a single letter, ''L'' and ''T''. "Lust," he breathed out, without thinking.
Paulina leaned over, her gaze sharpening. "This is worse than I thought, Lust is a sin like no other. There is no covenant, no curses, just death and power."
"But normal sin rules apply right?" Rob asked, looking from Paulina to Ahmed. "We figure out what deal Lust made with its host and we figure out who the real target is."
"You will have to figure this out quickly, if lust reaches full power then no force on Earth will be able to stop them," Paulina concluded, shooting Rob a worried look.
---
Ethel was scrubbing the scorch marks off her floor when John finally arrived home.
"You need to leave, John," Ethel said, without looking up from her work.
"What? What are you..." a look of confusion painted John''s face, he stepped toward her to try to see her face.
"Stop right there. I''m serious, you need to leave," she snapped, turning away so he couldn''t see the tears streaming down her face.
"Ethel, please—" He reached out for her but she pulled away, he stepped back, his own tears staining his face.
"I''m serious, I know you want to join Zack''s covenant." She was near tears, "So stop wasting both our time and just do it already," She wished she could tell him she was doing this to protect him. Kristian and Ashley didn''t have a way out like John did.
John stumbled back out the door, he turned back but Ethel didn''t follow him, he wiped his tears away and headed out into the night. Ashley, hidden from view, watched it all play out. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.
"It is the only way to protect him from Greed, I''m just sorry I can''t do the same for you." Ethel lamented, "You and Kristian are too loyal to me as your Supreme, you would never abandon me, it''s what you are programmed to do." Ethel felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
In the cold embrace of the night, with nowhere else to turn, John found himself pacing outside of the entrance to Rob and Zack''s apartment. He went to knock when the door swung open.
"So are you coming in or not? I could feel your anxiety from the other side of the apartment," Zack said, motioning for him to come inside.
"Oh, uh yeah." John''s replied as he stepped inside. "I just um... I didn''t want to disturb you."
"We just discovered that Lust is responsible for the mummy murders," Rob explained, clapping John on the back. "A late-night visit from you isn''t exactly disturbing,"
"It might be more than a night," John muttered avoiding eye contact. Rob and Zack shot each other a look before guiding John to the couch.
"Stay as long as you want," Zack offered "Do you want to tell us what happened?"
"The funny thing is. I''m not sure what happened," John sniffed.
As the rain began to tap a morose rhythm against the windowpane, the trio settled in, deciding the answers could wait for one night.
---
The rain slammed against the old bridge drowning out all other sound. Bobby Dowding''s soaked shirt clung to his body, as he struggled against his restraints, desperate to escape.
"Please," he implored, as his captor tightened the ropes on his hands, "I made a mistake, but I can change, I swear."
A set of ruby-red eyes glowed from his attacker''s hoodie, as they pulled the ropes so tight Bobby winced. Satisfied with the knot, the figure dragged Bobby under the bridge.
"All you had to do was pass the test," the figure said, the voice was chillingly calm, "I don''t give second chances."
Bobby''s eyes darted wildly for any sign of other people, but the bridge was empty, the storm ensuring no one would be around anytime soon.
"Look on the bright side," the figure continued. "Your death will have meaning, by dying here you will increase my power."
"Please," Bobby repeated, his plea drowned out by the rumble of thunder.
With a movement swift and precise, the figure clasped Bobby''s head, fingers entwining in his hair like serpents. A sound escaped Bobby''s lips—a mix of a gasp and a sob—as the killer began the grim ritual. His life began to be siphoned away, and Bobby''s vision began to blur as his body rapidly aged.
The rain intensified, battering the bridge relentlessly. The river below roared as the energy was released from Bobby''s body.
Bobby''s struggles waned, his body becoming limp, his skin like leather. As the last breath fled his lips, the killer released him, allowing the body to crumple into the river, discarded and empty. With a final glance at the fallen professor, the figure turned and vanished into the night.