As Oscar had said, a member of the Iron Jackals came to Lisa's house to give us the location where we'd be working today. He would also be our supervisor for the day.
At that moment, we were standing by the door, saying goodbye to Lisa. Since we were heading out anyway, we offered to walk Emily to school before going to work.
"Have a good day, everyone," Lisa said with a warm smile.
"You too, Miss Lisa," I replied.
Just a few minutes passed. We were already nearing the old church that had been repurposed into a school.
Emily was as cheerful as ever. Any trip felt short when she was around.
But something kept nagging at the back of my mind...
I looked to the side and saw her talking to Alice, all animated, her hands waving in the air like she was telling the most exciting story.
"Emily..." I called out, lowering my voice a bit.
"Yes, brother Ethan?" she replied. Her face shifted slightly as soon as she heard me like she'd picked up on something off in my tone.
Unbelievable...
"Do you know someone in the Iron Jackals named Mason?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
And then...
Her expression completely changed.
What I saw in her face made my blood run cold. I didn't think Emily could even make that kind of expression.
It was pure disgust.
"I don't like him"
----------------------------------------------------------
Everyone had already left the house.
Emily was glowing that morning. The fact that Ethan and Alice were taking her to class made her so happy in that unfiltered way only children can show. She really adored them.
Those two… they're good people. I could tell just by looking into their eyes. My husband used to say the eyes are the window to the soul.
And Emily… she had the purest eyes I've ever seen. That same purity showed in how she saw the world.
It was comforting, having company last night. I truly wish things could stay like this.
Then someone knocked at the door.
Emily? Had she forgotten something and turned back?
I got up quickly and went to open it.
But...
It wasn't Emily.
"Mason…" I muttered, unable to hide the unease in my voice.
"Lisa. It's been a while," he said, that smile of his creeping across his face. He reached out to touch my cheek, but I stepped back before he could.
That seemed to irritate him. He frowned.
"Lisa, I thought we were past this. Your husband and I were good friends. I'm sure Colin would've wanted me to look after you and Emily."
What a liar...
Colin and Mason had never gotten along. Not even as kids. Mason had always hovered around me, but when I got with Colin, he backed off. He never confronted him directly ; Colin was always just a bit stronger.
But after Colin died...
Mason came back.
He wormed his way in, telling Emily he'd been her father's friend.
But she... she never bought it.
Even as a little girl, she saw through that fake smile and that forced kindness.
So did I.
I've hated him ever since.
I wish I could keep him away from us forever.
But...
"I'm sure Colin wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you two... especially to Emily," he said, his smile turning colder.
"And I know you wouldn't want that either. I'm guessing you wouldn't want the two weaklings staying here to have any kind of... accident, right?" he added, placing his hand on my cheek, more boldly now.
"Ethan... Alice... please, don't hurt them," I whispered, my eyes beginning to water.
"That depends on you, Lisa. You know, I've been busy lately. Haven't seen you in days. I've been holding back a lot. I need you to help me... let it out. You can do that, can't you?" he said, that sick grin spreading wider across his face.
His other hand slid around my waist.
I let out a quiet whimper, disgusted.
"Relax, Lisa. I promise I won't be too rough," he whispered in my ear.
A tear slid down my cheek.
I closed my eyes.
----------------------------------------------------------
Alice and I were heading back to Lisa's house after work.
We'd been assigned to clear debris from an old collapsed house. The place had crumbled from years of neglect.
While we worked, we managed to gather some important info from Hugo, our supervisor.
Aiden, the hidden enforcer... apparently he stays about a month in each zone he visits. He hides, watches, waits. And if he finds someone he deems worthy of being "hunted," he takes them down no matter if it's someone important.
Five years ago, he killed the leader of the Ashen Wolves the second most powerful group in the center.
Luckily for them, they had another member ranked as novice who stepped in to lead.
Since then, all the groups have tried to behave more fairly, trying not to provoke him.
The center's changed because of him. Before Aiden, the groups were tyrants over the non-users.
Could he be seen as some kind of savior?
I'm starting to hope he's not the killer.
If Alice and I catch him, things could get worse for the non-users.
He has no fixed pattern, but he never visits the same zone twice within five months. That helps us narrow down where he might be.
Then Hugo told us something surprising.
"The only zone he hasn't been seen in over the past four months... is this one."
Looks like we arrived at the right time.
Hugo was a good guy. We got along because we worked hard and fast. That helped us get more out of him not just about Aiden, but also about the Iron Jackals.
Most of it was meaningless gossip... except one thing.
We asked about Mason.
Turned out it was a lie that he'd been friends with Lisa's husband.
The truth? Mason had been after Lisa for years. But he never dared make a move while Colin was alive.
When Colin died...
That bastard...
Everything clicked. And with it, some awful suspicions started to form in my mind ones I hoped weren't true.
We reached the house and knocked.
Lisa opened the door shortly after.
"Ethan, Alice you're back earlier than I expected. I was just about to pick up Emily from school," she said with a smile… but something was off.
She looked a bit pale. Tired.
Her eyes were slightly red, barely noticeable but there.
Alice glanced at me, then smiled back at her.
"We finished early. Hugo said we did a good job," she said, pretending not to notice the warning signs.
"I'm glad to hear that. Well, I'll go get Emily. You two rest," Lisa said, stepping out.
As soon as the door shut behind her, Alice and I walked straight to the bed.
We lifted the old sheet.
And there it was.
Small bloodstains on the mattress.
Some were old.
But others... others were fresh. Not even fully dry yet.
They had happened just hours ago.
Alice clenched her fists.
"That sick bastard…"
Mason.
You're about to experience a whole new kind of hell.