(A/N):
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Justine led them without a word, her car slowing as the familiar, too-quiet street came into view.
The houses stood close together, tidy lawns and white fences pretending nothing was wrong.
Jojo's grip tightened on the steering wheel the dark sinister aura leaking from the house.
"...."
Justine said, pointing. Her voice thinned.
"There, That's the house."
They all saw it at the same time.
"...."
"...."
"...."
A police cruiser idled in front of Alex's home, lights off.
One officer stood at the doorway, his hand locked around the arm of a teenage boy who struggled weakly.
The boy's feet scraped against the steps as he was dragged inside.
The door slammed shut.
The sound echoed far too loudly.
Justine hit the brakes and got out before her engine even died.
"No… no, no—"
Arthur was already moving, rage breaking through his grief.
"Could it be he was the one responsible for all those missing kids?"
Jojo and Caroline stepped out together.
"...."
"...."
Caroline's eyes tracked the house, every instinct tells her that the place was wrong. She said quietly.
"That cop, Did you see his face?"
Jojo nodded his head while locking his eyes at the locked door.
"Yeah. He wasn't blinking."
They crossed the yard fast.
Arthur reached the door first and banged on it hard enough to rattle the frame.
-Bang. -Bang.
-Bang. -Bang.
"Tom! Linda! Open the damn door!"
Nothing only silence replied to him.
"...."
"...."
"...."
He hit it again, louder this time.
-Bang. -Bang. -Bang. -Bang.
-Bang. -Bang.
"I know you're in there!"
Silence answered him. Thick, heavy, unnatural.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Justine's heart pounded. Memories of the last time she came to the house resurfaced in her mind. The taped windows. The dead air. The same place she'd stared into through a gap in the newspaper day ago.
She whispered in low voice trying to calm down Arthur who seemed to be in a agitated state.
"Arthur… This is wrong."
Since he finally found a lead on his missing son. After days of non stop searching.
Arthur slammed his fist into the door again.
"Alex! Open the door!"
After a long pause, the lock clicked.
-Click!
The door opened just enough to reveal Alex.
He stood there calmly, hands at his sides, his face carefully blank. Too careful. He spoke flatly.
"My parents aren't home, You should come back later."
Justine stared at him. She could clearly tell he was lying though his action where he hesitated and avoiding her eye contact.
"...."
"Alex, we just saw a police officer drag someone into your house."
Alex didn't blink.
"You're mistaken."
Arthur leaned forward, fury shaking his voice.
"Where are your mother and father?"
Alex replied nervously as his grip on the door tightened.
"They went out, I'm alone."
Caroline took a step closer, eyes narrowed.
-Frown
"Funny. Because this house feels very crowded."
Alex's gaze flicked to her for a fraction of a second—fear, sharp and raw—before the calm snapped back into place. He said, firmer now.
"...."
"You need to leave, Please."
The door began to close.
A boot slid into the gap.
"...."
Alex froze. The door creaked wider under the pressure of Jojo's boot, the hinges giving a tired protest as if the house itself didn't want what was about to happen.
Alex eyes flicked from Jojo's face to Arthur behind him… then to Justine.
For a split second, fear cracked through the practiced calm on his face.
"Alex, right..."
Jojo said quietly, voice even, controlled.
"We're not here to hurt you."
Alex swallowed nervously trying with his all might to close the door but he couldn't move an inch.
"You need to leave. Now."
Behind him, the house felt wrong. Too quiet.
"...."
"...."
"...."
No television hum. No footsteps. No breathing sounds from other rooms.
Just a thick, pressing silence, like cotton stuffed into the ears.
Arthur stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Where are your parents, son?"
Alex's jaw tightened seeing his efforts are not working.
"I told you. They're not here."
"That's a lie,"
Justine said, unable to stop herself. Her voice trembled, but her eyes didn't leave him.
"I saw them, Alex. Sitting in the dark. Yesterday."
Alex's lips twitched. Something like anger, something like panic, crossed his face. As he snapped.
"You shouldn't have followed me, I warned you."
Jojo gently pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside, Caroline couldn't enter without a invitation.
The air shifted immediately—cold, stale, carrying the faint metallic tang of dried blood and old incense.
The living room lights were off.
Newspapers covered the windows from the inside, taped with obsessive care.
Symbols scratched faintly into the wooden floor peeked out from under a rug that hadn't been moved in years.
Arthur took one step in—and stopped.
His breath caught.
On the couch sat Alex's parents.
Upright. Hands folded on their laps.
Eyes open. Unblinking. Not breathing.
"Oh God…"
Arthur whispered in shock looking at their condition.
Justine felt her stomach drop. She asked softly.
"Alex… What did she do to them?"
Alex's shoulders slumped, as if a heavy weight finally crushed down on him. He muttered.
"They're fine, She said they're just… resting. if I don't follow her orders. She will make my parents kill each other."
Jojo turned to him slowly.
"She?"
Alex laughed—too sharp, too hollow for a kid his age. "That old bitch is too curel."
Caroline's eyes flashed as she was still standing outside of the house.
"You mean Gladys."
The name hit the room like a dropped glass.
Alex's head snapped up.
"Don't say her name."
The lights flickered.
-Flick -Flick
From somewhere below the floorboards, a low, wet creak echoed—like wood bending under pressure… or something shifting in a space that shouldn't exist.
Jojo felt it then.
The reek of old sins. Of children screaming into mouths that never answered.
He placed a hand gently on Alex's shoulder. The boy flinched, expecting pain—but none came. Jojo said softly.
"Listen to me, She will not keep her words. She took them. Your classmates. Your parents. And she's using you because you're scared and alone."
Alex's eyes burned but he knew the truth.
"You're right. But what can I do? If I try something she will kill my parents."
A sudden thud came from beneath the house.
-Thud.
Then another. A muffled cry.
Arthur surged forward.
"That could be my son."
The floorboards near the center of the living room trembled. Hairline cracks snaked outward, dark liquid seeping through—thick, black, and alive.
From the shadows of the hallway, a familiar, sweet voice floated up.
"Alexander,"
It crooned, warm as honey.
"Who's at the door, dear?"
Alex's face went pale hearing that voice..
Gladys stepped out of the hallway shadows like a bad idea dressed as a grandmother.
The wig sat crooked on her head, powdered too white against skin stretched thin by desperation.
Thick lipstick bled slightly at the corners of her mouth, the smile beneath it sharp, hungry, wrong.
In her hand she carried a black, thorn-filled branch, twisted and knotted, bound with clumps of hair tied so tightly they looked fused into the wood.
She twisted one end of the branch.
A gunshot exploded.
-BANG!!! -Shatter!
The flower vase beside Arthur shattered, porcelain and water spraying across the wall.
"...."
Arthur stumbled back with a shout, heart hammering.
From the doorway behind Gladys stepped the cop.
Justine's ex. Uniform neat. Gun steady. Eyes empty.
"...."
A puppet with a badge. He said flatly, voice hollow as a basement,
"If you take one more step, you die."
Caroline didn't flinch. She looked past the gun, straight at Alex. She spoke softly with confidence.
"Alex, invite me in."
Gladys's head snapped toward the boy.
"DON'T."
Her smile vanished, replaced by naked fury. She yanked the thorned branch tighter. Gladys hissed,
"If you invite her, your parents will scream while they die. Slowly."
Alex's face drained of color.
"...."
His lips trembled. He looked toward the couch where his mother and father sat frozen, eyes wide, mouths slack.
"I—I can't—"
He whispered but was interrupted.
Jojo finally spoke. Calm. Grounded. Certain. He said, stepping forward just enough that the gun tracked him,
"Alex, look at me."
Alex did as Jojo said while his face was still pale thinking what would happen if his parents died. Jojo continued evenly,
"I promise, if you invite her in, I will save your parents."
Gladys laughed, sharp and cracked.
-HAHAHAHA!!!
"You lie like all men who fear death."
Jojo didn't look at her.
"I'm not lying."
Alex swallowed hard having conflicted thoughts which decision he should take.
-Gulp
"You can't promise that."
Jojo met his eyes, and for a fraction of a second Alex felt it. Not power. Not fear. Truth. Jojo said quietly.
"She's already killing them, Every second you wait."
Gladys snarled and twisted the branch again.
-Snarl
Alex's mother's fingers twitched.
-Twitch -Twitch
"...."
Alex gasped. As he shouted, panic finally breaking through. His eyes burned with tears as he looked at Caroline. At Jojo. At his parents.
"STOP!"
Then he made his choice.
"I—I invite you in,"
Alex said, voice shaking but loud enough to matter.
"Please… come in."
The air shifted. The resistance Caroline felt has vanished the moment she heard the invitation from Alex.
Gladys staggered back, shrieking in rage as the magic snapped like rotten thread she knew Vampires were the one who need invitation to enter someones house.
She knew how dangerous were they. Especially for her who relies on puppets to fight.
"NO—!"
Caroline stepped fully across the threshold. Her eyes flashed gold as veins appears under her eyes.
The cop's gun wavered for half a second.
That was all it took. Caroline blurred.
-BLUUUUURRRED!!!
The gun clattered across the floor, metal ringing.
-BAM!!!
The cop slammed into the wall, pinned there by her hand at his throat, eyes still empty, mouth opening and closing like a broken doll.
Gladys screamed and raised the thorned branch—And Jojo moved.
"HOW DARE YOUUUU!!! I WILL KILL YOUR PARENTS___"
He caught her wrist mid-motion. Not fast. Not violent. Absolute.
"...."
-SIZZLE! -SIZZLE!
-SIZZLE!
The black thorns sizzled where his fingers touched them, smoke curling upward.
Gladys shrieked as the branch cracked down the middle.
-Creak!
"You're obsessed with youth,"
Jojo said calmly, tightening his grip while his blue eyes turned yellow gold as it's emitted heat in there.
"But you don't understand life."
Arthur stared, shaking.
"...."
"...."
Justine covered her mouth, tears spilling as she rushed to Alex's parents, checking for breath.
"They're alive,"
Justine sobbed as a relived sigh escaped from her mouth.
-Sigh
"Oh God, they're alive."
Alex collapsed to his knees.
-Huff -Huff
"...."
Seeing years of careful planning collapse in front of her eyes, Gladys staggered back a step, clutching the thorned branch like it was the last bone keeping her upright.
The illusion of youth flickered across her face, then cracked—just for a heartbeat—enough to reveal the desperation underneath.
Her gaze snapped to Caroline. Her lips curled, half snarl, half disbelief.
"Why is a vampire interfering in my affairs?"
She demanded, voice sharp with wounded pride.
"I never harmed your kind. I never provoked you."
Caroline chuckled softly, the sound light and almost amused, like she'd just heard a bad joke.
-Chuckle
"You didn't have to,"
She replied, tilting her head.
"You crossed lines that tend to get noticed."
Before Gladys could retort, the air in the house shifted.
Footsteps. Measured. Confident.
-Thud. -Thud.
-Thud. -Thud.
The front door opened wider.
Gladys turned sharply—and froze.
Inadu stepped in first, her presence pressing down like a storm cloud that didn't need thunder to announce itself.
Her eyes flicked once over the room, already cataloging every spell, every ward, every hidden cruelty etched into the walls.
Behind her came Gayathri, cautious but alert, fingers twitching slightly as if spells lived just beneath her skin.
Debbie followed, pale but resolute, eyes darkening the moment they landed on Gladys thinking whois this crazy old hag.
And last—Cecellia.
She hesitated at the threshold for a heartbeat, then stepped inside, her gaze locking onto the old woman curiously.
Gladys's breath hitched.
"...."
Her eyes darted from face to face, and with every new arrival, the room seemed to grow smaller.
"You…"
Gladys whispered, her voice cracking. Her gaze lingered on Inadu, lingering just a fraction too long. Envy flared hot and ugly.
"That aura… no. That kind of power doesn't come cheap."
Inadu met her stare, unimpressed. She said coldly.
"It doesn't, And it doesn't come from stealing children."
Gladys swallowed. Her eyes slid to Gayathri—dismissive at first, then narrowing as she sensed the witch beneath the surface.
-Gulp
"...."
To Debbie and Cecellia, her expression changed entirely. Recognition struck. Gladys breathed.
"You were marked, Both of you. You were meant to—"
Cecellia cut her off, voice shaking but firm.
"We were meant to suffer. You don't get to decide that anymore."
Gladys laughed weakly, the sound fraying at the edges.
-Hehe
"You think this ends with me? You think you've won?"
Her gaze finally found Jojo.
He was still holding her wrist.
Still calm. Still devastatingly close.
The instinct she'd been ignoring screamed again—louder now.
Run. Never come back. But her legs wouldn't move.
Jojo's fingers tightened slightly around the branch, and the thorns began to smoke where they touched his skin.
Gladys felt it.
Jojo wasn't glowing. He wasn't transformed. He wasn't even angry.
That was the worst part.
Jojo still held her wrist, fingers firm around the branch. The thorns smoked where his skin touched them, black sap dripping like burned blood.
-Hiss!!!
-Drip! -Drip!
"...."
Inadu stepped closer, her voice low and cutting.
"You used children as batteries for your vanity."
Gladys's face twisted thinking how unfair this world is.
"I DESERVED my youth! I earned it! I gave the Blind—"
She stopped. Because Jojo smiled.
"...."
Not wide. Not kind. Just enough. He said quietly.
"You felt that, didn't you?"
Gladys's breath came fast now. Her instincts screamed louder.
"I—"
She tried to pull free. The branch snapped. Not cracked. Snapped.
-Snap
The thorned wood disintegrated in Jojo's hand, turning to ash that drifted uselessly to the floor.
Gladys gasped as if someone had ripped the air from her lungs.
Her knees buckled, magic bleeding out of her in a wave that made the walls creak. She whispered.
"No—no, no—That was my anchor."
Jojo released her wrist. She collapsed.
For the first time, she looked old. Truly old. Skin sagging, eyes sunken, the illusion gone.
Jojo crouched in front of her, eye level. He said softly.
"I don't save everyone, I stop things."
Gladys finally looked straight at him. And broke.
"...."
Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head violently.
"Please. I can leave. I'll disappear. I won't touch another soul."
Jojo's eyes didn't change. Inadu folded her arms.
"...."
"She's lying."
Gladys sobbed harder started even more panicking.
-Sob -Sob
"I swear it!"
Jojo exhaled slowly. As he spoke.
"You're not afraid of dying, You're afraid of what comes after. Your instincts were screaming right..."
Her sobs turned into panicked gasps. She whispered.
"Please, Anything but that."
The room went still.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Even Caroline stopped smiling.
Jojo stood. He said gently, without turning,
"Alex, take your parents outside."
Alex didn't hesitate. He ran to them, helping them up as Justine and Arthur followed, guiding them out.
The door closed.
Gladys screamed.
"No—WAIT—!"
Jojo's voice dropped, steady and final.
"You made children walk into the dark with their hands raised."
His shadow stretched unnaturally long across the floor.
"You don't get mercy."
The lights flickered. The air grew hot.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
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