CHAPTER 45
"Hey, Mike, I think we should check this out. Word is, there's something in that house that could be useful to us "
"Hey, Zack, no talking during class."
"Sorry, sir."
Zack leans closer, whispering quietly,
"We'll go take a look after school," he says.
When the final bell rings, they leave the classroom.
To Mike, the school feels unfamiliar now cold walls, empty hallways… everything seems meaningless.
But even so, he still has responsibilities he needs to face.
As they walk side by side down the corridor, Mike turns to Zack.
"So, that house you mentioned… what's the story?"
Zack grins and shrugs.
"Rumor has it that's where everything started. How do I know? Some legend floating around online. But hey, might as well check it out. Besides, you're not exactly like normal people, are you?"
Mike exhales deeply.
"Yeah, you're right. That's why I'm going alone. I can't risk your safety anymore. Please don't come."
"Oh, come on, Mike, don't do this. We're brothers, remember? Whatever's waiting out there, we face it together. Don't ask me to leave you alone in this."
Mike smiles faintly and shakes his head.
"You're so damn stubborn, Zack."
"Well, maybe I don't have powers, but no one's ever escaped my stubbornness, huh? Hahaha!"
Mike lets out a short laugh.
"Alright, fine. Let's kill some time until it gets dark."
"Sounds good. Hey, by the way what about that Emily situation, huh? When are you gonna make your move?"
"Dude, don't start. My brain's fried enough as it is. Let's just talk about something else."
Their voices echo down the corridor as they walk away.
When night falls, the air grows thick and misty. The streets are silent.
The darkness feels alive like it's breathing.
They arrive at the house Zack mentioned; the sky is gray, and the wind moves heavy and slow.
"Hey, Zack, are you sure this is the right place? I don't feel anything."
"Well… according to the rumors, it should be. Maybe it's just a myth. But we've got nothing else to go on. Remember that bar you said you saw in your visions the one called Cloak? That place doesn't exist. Maybe demons see the world differently… or maybe our worlds overlap. That's why I thought you might be able to see it."
Mike narrows his eyes.
"You thought right… but this isn't the place."
Just as Zack is about to reply, Mike suddenly stops.
"Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"You didn't feel it? Something's here…"
Zack's face hardens.
"Wait if I can't feel it but you can… then there really might be something here."
Mike's eyes go distant. Visions flash before him.
Time bends.
Echoes of the past flood his mind.
This place… it's like the center of a thousand lives colliding.
War, chaos, peace, serenity everything has happened here.
This is the place where all things connect: demons, angels, heaven, hell, life, death…
The point the Devil himself seeks to claim.
Then, from within the darkness, a figure emerges.
Malcolm.
"Thank you, Mike," he says, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
"I knew you'd bring me here. I played a little game with you. And don't forget you still belong to me. You're my little toy. The world is too… but you, you're my favorite. So I'll save you for last before I break you. Hahahahaha!"
Zack grabs Mike's arm. Mike jerks, his breath catching in his throat. His pupils dilate, his mind falling into a brief void then he blinks hard, as if waking from a nightmare.
Zack's voice trembles with worry.
"What happened? What did you see?"
Mike tells him everything.
Zack clenches his jaw.
"Listen, that was just your mind playing tricks on you, okay? And even if it wasn't so what? The Devil wants you scared. He wants you broken. That's how he wins. So right now, we need to do something anything but we don't stop."