Entering the room, Crow quickly shot a glance towards the table; it was lying on its side in the middle of the room, propped up as if someone had previously used it to shield themselves. Droplets of water formed on his skin, as the crisp icy air condensed around him. He let his eyes dart around the room, forming a quick mental image of it for reference.
The room was relatively small, about twelve by six. There was a large window to his left, if needed he could most likely exit through it. He took a few steps, growing closer to the table. There was something off about it… Normalcy crept upon him as if attempting to take his thoughts away from the strangeness of it all. Lost in thought, Crow scoured across multiple possibilities, with each second spent, his brain was numbing. Just what the hell is it?
As he raced to a conclusion, a ratchety clicking sound rang throughout the room. Slow, rhythmic, sonorous clicking filled the small space. It reverberated off the walls with a slight hum, similar to a siren's calming song. As Crow processed the sound, he felt his once tense self begin to unwind. His once taut muscles returned to passive fibers. His mental grasp of it all steadily unfurled, and the room in his mind began to deform – No. It would be more accurate to say his perception of the world around him was being shattered, and subtly mended.
Mesmerized by the clicks, Crow allowed himself to lower his guard, only for a moment. But a split second was all it needed. In the midst of the continuous clicking a sharp whistle broke Crow's immersion, and a stygian scythe tore through the air.
His nerves fired and reflexively his body lurched back, shooting backwards through the air. Crow took note immediately, he knew he was no match for his opponent; the stygian scythe grazed his face, but even if it just barely struck, it sliced through his cheek. However, it was truly the least of his worries. Due to his automatic response, Crow ended up in a lose-lose situation, where he tumbled down the stairs.
In less than a second, the back of his head was met with the rotted wood of the staircase. The impact completely nullified his vision. It was like looking through static, there existed no perceivable state beyond it; yet for a split second, beyond its horizon existed a significant existence. The enemy. Its onyx armor, dark and great. Its stygian scythes, sharp and daunting, its bug-like mantle horrid, and its red beady eyes; filled with insatiable hate.
As he disgracefully rolled down the stairs; in all his awe he could only think of one name: Black Mantis… And then he hit the floor. He groaned in pain as he heard footsteps rush towards him, distant as they seemed. Is it going to chase me down here, butter cup ice cream would be… – For the love of! I've gotta focus here! Crow's scrambled thoughts began to arrange themselves as he heard clicking slowly descending the stairs.
That black mantis, I can't let it get to me!
He scrambled to his feet but promptly fell back onto the hard floor. Suddenly two arms grabbed him from behind and threw him behind the kitchen counter. Though he hadn't fully regained his vision, Crow could just barely make out a female figure. "Must've been Amelia," he groaned. He shot up and regained his footing, using the counter to support his weight.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three gunshots rang out. Up ahead was the black mantis, standing upright menacingly. He almost bolted away at the sight of it, until he realized it stood limp. Green fluid oozed out three holes in its head. The holes were lined up next to each other perfectly, with only an inch long gap separating them. Standing behind the kitchen entrance, was Hunter; gun in hand, he had swiftly brought an end to the foe, and mercilessly killed it. Maybe I should've brought my gun too… Crow sighed. The corner of his mouth twitched, probably due to stress, but he couldn't focus on that with his current situation.
"Anyone gonna tell me what the hell that was?" Crow probed. However, to his surprise, he was completely ignored. "Fuck… The Dome's been breached," Hunter muttered.
"This… Is not good," Amelia replied awkwardly. Crow's head shot back and forth between them, and then he finally asked, "Does anyone want to clue me in on what the hell is going on?"
With an exasperated sigh, Amelia answered, "The Dome's barrier has been breached, Crow. That's what we mean."
Notebook Entry #1
After the recent events at the barnhouse, I don't know what to think any more. Amelia told me that the black mantis creature, was a mutated creature from outside the Dome, Hunter said the barrier had been breached. A while after that they gave me a classified document on it, and apparently that creature was called a "Springer". Their namesake comes from the fact they can coil their legs like springs, and stuff like that.
It's all just insane. Really I don't have much to say about these murders, but the creature appearing in this house has made this a threat to the entire Dome. This isn't just a normal serial killer we're up against, it's someone who wants to kill us all.
Well all things considered, I have it pretty good right now. I'm sitting at my desk as I'm writing this but… It all just feels off. Like they could come in right now and tell me something insane like "Magic… is real", or "We're a team of super soldiers," both in their voices respectively. I just don't really want to be involved in it. Yet here I am, still willing to keep the case for some odd reason. I mean I literally had the general of the army (I don't know why I had to meet him personally) come to me and tell me I could abandon this case if I wished to.
It was tempting, but ultimately I chose not to, I mean as horrifying as it is, it's damn interesting. I'd at least want to keep getting more info on this case, but I can't if I'm not actively participating. Well my goal is just to stay on the sidelines anyways, but this should be enough for now…