The room seemed to freeze. Tao could feel the pressure of those words pressing down on his chest. Oscar shuffled uncomfortably, his usual persona was gone. Even Lucy, who was usually unfazed by anything, had an awkward look on her face.
“What the hell….” Tao whispered, barely audible.
The news anchor continued, as flashes of Jacob’s home played over the television screen. But her voice felt distant as if the whole room was submerged underwater. Tao’s mind raced with questions—about Sarah, Jacob, and the disturbing contents of that letter. What had happened to Sarah? Could Jacob truly commit such an unforgivable act?
I mean, the whole town knew that Jacob had a screw loose inside his head, but to act upon it? Nobody could believe it.
“Jacob Mayland killed somebody?!” Oscar erupted, seemingly regaining his composure. His exclamation immediately brought life back into the room.
“It sure seems like it. Who would have thought that that little rascal would turn into a cold-blooded killer?” Lucy said.
That question kept wrapping around Tao’s mind. He had spent a lot of time with Jacob during middle school. Sure, Jacob would constantly be seen as the problem child and often misbehave during class. But, to kill his ex-girlfriend with proof left in the form of a note? To Tao, it just doesn’t seem like something Jacob would do. Nevertheless, the contents of the note resonated in his head. Tao didn’t want to admit it, but the way the letter was written is almost as if he could hear the sounds of fists cracking upon a helpless Sarah. He tried to shake these thoughts out of his head because he still had a sliver of faith that just maybe Jacob was innocent.
Lucy changed the channel back to the mindless reality show that she was watching earlier, but her thoughts kept circling back to the news report. Sarah Lyles, dead. They hadn’t found a body yet, but it was just a matter of time before they did. All they had to do was track where Jacob had gone the day she disappeared, and they would find her body. The image of her bloody and broken body made Lucy shiver. The raw hatred to perform and act so vile wasn’t something you could fake. Lucy frowned, her fingers tightening around her phone.
Oscar held his balance with the knob of the front door. He had known Jacob the most as he lived not far from his house. Oscar didn’t try to make friends with Jacob, but he still knew most of the things he went through. Abusive father. Alcoholic mother. It’s like what they say. Anger and hatred only breeds more anger and hatred. Oscar didn’t want to admit it out loud, but the whole situation had him freaked out. He liked to think he’d seen enough things on the internet to be able to handle it, but this moment felt completely different. This felt real and something that would be too small to ever forget.
Just as everyone began to drift deeper into uneasy thoughts, the sharp ping of a new email snapped them back to reality. Lucy’s chest vibrated as her hands clasped her phone. She glanced down at her phone, her face confused as she read the sender’s name: The Armageddon Time Ark.
Lucy blinked, her confusion deeping. She opened the email, her stomach twisting with unease as she read.
Lucy Morales,
You have been chosen. Aid The Ark in cleansing this imperfect world. Join us at the appointed place by Midnight. If you fail to comply, your mother, Arioles, will suffer. Please be punctual.
A shiver ran down Lucy’s spine. “What the hell?” she muttered, her voice barely audible. Her first instinct was to dismiss it as some sick joke. But how did they know her full name? Her mother ''s name?
There was an attachment on the email with the address of where this meeting was supposed to be. She searched the address up online and pointed to a familiar house. The Garrison ''s.
Lucy stood up abruptly, pacing the living room as her mind raced. The Garrison property was practically a horror story come to life—a place nobody wanted to even imagine. The idea of stepping foot on the property, much less at midnight, made her skin crawl.
“Lucy? Are you okay?” Tao’s voice interrupted her pacing. He and Oscar had a curious look on their faces at first which switched to concern when her face began to turn pale.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said quickly, trying to regain her composure. She shoved her phone in her pocket.
Tao raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look fine.”
“I told you I’m okay,” Lucy said, her tone starting to break.
Oscar didn’t buy it either. “What happened?” he pressured as the boys stepped closer.
Lucy hesitated, then sighed. “All right, fine. I got this….weird email. Some group calling themselves the Armageddon Time Ark.”
Tao froze, his face draining of color. “What did you just say?”
“Armageddon Time Ark,” Lucy repeated. “Why? Do you recognize it?”
Suddenly, all the uneasiness from earlier returned as his chest began to tighten. The imagery returned to his mind: the angel, the sun, the triangle. Oscar exchanged a nervous glance with Tao before deciding to explain.
“We saw something earlier. A website. We received the link similar to how you just did. The website was full of weird cult stuff—like angels and the sun and…other creepy shit. At the very top of the site was the name Armageddon Time Ark.”
Lucy frowned, the pieces beginning to connect in her mind. “The email said I had to go to the Garrison property tonight. At Midnight, Or…” She trailed off, unwilling to say it in front of Tao.
“Or what?” Tao snapped from his thoughts.
“Or something bad happens to me, okay?!” Lucy exclaimed. She couldn’t.
The room fell into an uneasy silence. Tao shifted nervously, his mind replaying the bizarre events at the Garrison house earlier that day. Admittedly, he was very scared, but he would accompany her side no matter what.
“It can’t be real, right?” Lucy said, trying to delude herself. “It has to be some sort of prank.”
Tao scoffed. “Yeah, but what if it’s not? Then what, Lucy?!” Tao exclaimed, letting his emotions peer through.
“Then…I don’t know. I’ll think of something,” she answered.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.“Yeah, no fucking way. We’re not letting you go alone,” Tao said firmly. Oscar nodded.
“Wait, you want to go?” Lucy asked, stunned.
“Do we have a choice?” Tao replied. “If it’s a prank, fine, we’ll call the cops or something. But if it ''s not..”
Oscar gave a thumbs up in agreement. “I’m with yall.”
Lucy rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Deep down, she knew Tao was right. While she didn’t feel comfortable bringing her little brother and his friend, she trembled at the thought of going alone. Lucy glanced at the clock on the wall—8:30 PM. There were still three and a half hours till midnight.
“Ok, they didn’t mention I could bring friends so you guys will stay a little behind me,“ Lucy explained, trying to make the situation rational.
“We’ll probably need a flashlight,” Oscar proposed.
Tao nodded grimly. “Do we have any in the house?” He asked Lucy.
Lucy shook her head. “I don’t think we ever needed a reason to own one. Mom always just used her police issued one. We could probably go buy one.”
Tao and Oscar both nodded. They were terrified, but these three had a deep bond that exceeded fear.
“Lucy, did the email say why they picked you? Why you’re supposed to go?” Something didn’t feel right to Tao. His mind raced back to what he saw through the gap at the Garrison house.
“No,” she said, staring at the ceiling. “It just…said I was chosen. To cleanse this imperfect world. Whatever that means.” She bit her lip, her voice trembling despite trying to sound tough.
Just then, something clicked inside Tao’s head. “Cleanse this imperfect world…perfect knowledge...perfect home. That ''s it. These people want to cleanse the imperfect world by creating perfect humans.”
“What?!” Lucy and Oscar both exclaimed. “What are you even talking about?” Oscar squeaked.
“Yeah…yeah…from the website. The first paragraph I read talked about creating perfect humans through an operation so that their Lord can accept them into the perfect home,” Tao explained.
Lucy frowned, the words coming out of her brother’s mouth sinking in. “This is insane. You’re saying these people are out there, trying to…what, ‘fix’ humanity? By asking people to come and—” She couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence. Or rather she didn’t want to. She didn’t know what would come next. “And now they’ve picked me?”
“Exactly,” Tao said. “And if they think you’re an important part of that plan, then this isn’t just some prank, Lucy. They’re dangerous.”
Oscar groaned, leaning closer to Tao. “Great. So we’re walking straight into a cult’s trap, at night, with zero clue what they’re gonna do. Fantastic plan.”
Lucy shot him a glare. “Nobody’s forcing you to come, Oscar. You could very well go home, right now, and forget this ever happened. I know I can’t change Tao’s mind, but you are a different story.”
“Yeah, right,” he said, waving her off. “Like I’m gonna let you two go alone. But seriously, what’s the plan here? We show up, me and Tao ducking behind some trees, and hope they don’t kidnap all of us?”
Tao’s face tightened. “We don’t have a choice. They’ll do something to her regardless. And honestly…” He paused, gulping hard. “I don’t think they’re bluffing.
Lucy’s stomach twisted. The email had felt way too personal to be just a random prank. This was real and she had to take command as an older sister. “We’ll figure out what to do when we get there,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “We still got a couple of hours. Let’s get what we need.”
“What exactly do we need?” Tao asked, his tone uncertain.
“Anything that might help,” Lucy said. “Flashlights to start, I’ll go pick one up from the store. You guys find something for self-defense and…whatever else we can grab.”
The trio split up to gather supplies. Tao returned with a baseball bat, gripping it tightly like it was a lifeline. Lucy went and returned with a flashlight in a lightning flash. She also picked up a pocket knife, and a portable phone charger, just in case. Oscar rummaged through his backpack, shifting through snacks and water bottles like he was prepping for a road trip.
“All right, that’s it. Let’s just…sit tight until it’s time,” Lucy said dryly, slumping down on the couch. Tao and Oscar sat on the floor in criss-cross position, each holding their respective items.
The next couple of hours felt like a drag as the house was heavy with silence. Lucy stared at the clock mounted on the wall. 11:35 PM. Every passing second felt like a hammer pounding in her chest.
Tao had moved to sit by the window, the bat resting on his left hand, his knuckles popping as he gripped it. He hadn’t spoken much since they’d begun waiting. His thoughts kept spiraling back and forth between everything he had seen today. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t just about Lucy. Whatever would happen tonight felt darker and far beyond anything they could prepare for.
Oscar stayed on the floor, fiddling with the strap of his backpack. He had tried to come up with jokes to break the silence, but nothing seemed appropriate for the moment. This wasn’t a situation he could joke about.
Lucy broke the silence. “Come on, we shouldn’t wait till the last minute. We need to leave now.”
Tao glanced at the clock. “Yeah, let’s leave now and set up. We might not know what we’re walking into, but at least we can be ready for something.”
“Are we truly ready for this?” Oscar groaned, slowly putting on his backpack.
“No,” Lucy said without hesitation. “But we don’t have a choice.”
The three of them stepped out into the cold night air, their breath visible in front of them. The streets were quiet, the only sound was the distant cars and the chirping of grasshoppers. Since the walk to the Garrison house was ten minutes, they decided to not take the car.
Lucy walked ahead, the flashlight in her hand still turned off. Tao and Oscar walked not far behind, the former gripping the baseball bat and the latter gripping the straps of his backpack.
As they turned onto the road leading to the Garrison property, the atmosphere shifted. The air felt thicker like something was pressing down on them. The trees formed a linear casting over the moon making the street look darker than before.
When the house came into view, all three of them stopped.
The Garrison house loomed in the darkness, its silhouette barely visible. The towering fence barely holding back the overgrown weeds and rotten trees that surround it. But something wasn’t right—standing motionless in front of the only gate leading into the property was a figure.
“Get down,” Lucy hissed, shoving Tao and Oscar into cover of a nearby bush.
“Who the hell is that?” Tao murmured, crouching low and peering through the gaps in the leaves.
The figure by the gate stood unnervingly still, their face obscured in the night. It was only 11:50 PM—ten minutes before the meeting time.
Lucy’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing. “I don’t know,” she murmured. “But if it’s them, I can’t just sit here waiting for them to leave.”
“You guys stay here,” Lucy commanded as she straightened up, her jaw clenching..
Tao and Oscar didn’t dare to interject, they knew in situations like these, whatever Lucy says goes. They watched as Lucy stepped out of the bush, her flashlight clutched in her right hand.
“Who are you?!” she exclaimed, her voice firm as she aimed the flashlight towards the figure’s head.
The figure turned slowly, their movements deliberate, almost unnatural. The light pierced their face—and Lucy’s scream tore through the night.
Tao and Oscar instinctively shot upright.
“What’s wrong, Lucy?!” Tao squealed, his hand becoming etched with the shape of the bat.
“Who is it?!” Oscar shrieked, attempting to use his backpack as a battering ram.
They rushed to her side, their breaths coming in short, panicked bursts.
Suddenly both boys stopped dead in their tracks.
The flashlight beam fell evenly on the figure’s face, revealing a pale, wide-eyed expression they’ve both seen many times before.
“Jacob Mayland,” Tao whispered, the name leaving his lips like a curse.