(A/N):
Thanks for the support!!!
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
-------------------------------------------------
The hall remained silent for a long moment.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Ilona stood across from him, half-shadow, half-memory of a woman who once read the stars for kings.
Jojo watched her.
His eyes were still burning red.
Half his face carried the rising flames of the Ghost Rider, the fire licking through bone beneath skin.
Inside his mind, he evaluated her.
A curse that had replaced a life.
He felt something rare for her.
Pity.
But pity did not erase consequence.
If the tarot deck fell into the wrong hands—Someone could turn Ilona into a weapon far worse than most cursed spirits.
Even more versatile than Sadako Yamamura, the vengeful entity that crawled through televisions and slaughtered those bound to her curse.
Ilona could move through fate itself.
That made her dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
Jojo spoke calmly.
"You can stop."
The fire on his face dimmed slightly.
"Leave those four alive."
Ilona's amber eyes hardened.
"It is not my choice."
Her voice was iron.
"They drew the cards. The cycle demands completion. No one escapes fate."
Jojo's burning eye narrowed.
-Frown
"...."
"FATE IS NOT LAW."
Ilona shook her head slowly.
"It is. The stars wrote their ending when they touched my deck. They must die."
The air thickened.
The flame on Jojo's half-transformed skull flared suddenly brighter. Heat flooded the room.
The glass bench beneath the tarot box cracked again.
-Crack! -Crack!
His voice deepened into something monstrous.
"MAKE YOUR CHOICE."
The command hit Ilona like a physical force.
The pressure pouring from him made her spirit tremble.
For the first time since her curse began centuries ago—
She felt helpless.
Ghost Rider's presence pressed down like a judge's hammer.
She could not move.
She could barely breathe.
But surrender meant abandoning the only oath she had left.
Her duty. Her justification. Her daughter's ashes.
Minutes passed...
Neither spoke. A silent battle.
Finally—Ilona lifted her head. Her voice came out rough.
"Then we gamble."
Jojo did not react.
"Speak."
"Three days," she said.
"Three days until this same hour."
She gestured toward the tarot box.
"In that time… I will hunt them."
Hayley. Paige. Paxton. Grant.
"If I kill them within three days," she continued, "you will stop pursuing me."
Jojo's flames flickered slowly.
-Flicker! -Flicker!
"And if I stop you?" he asked.
Her eyes flickered with tension.
"...."
"Then I will submit."
The words tasted bitter.
"I will accept animal sacrifice in their place."
She added quietly,
"They must name the animal with their own names before it dies."
The old ritual law. A substitution of fate.
"And afterward…" she said slowly, "…I will obey your command regarding the tarot deck."
Meaning ownership. Meaning control. Meaning she would become bound to him.
A leash.
Jojo watched her carefully.
"...."
Ilona continued with her condition.
"During those three days… You must not seal me. You must not destroy the deck."
Her voice hardened.
"You must allow the hunt."
Silence returned.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Jojo considered for a second. Then he spoke again.
"My condition."
Ilona waited waiting for Jojo to list his side of condition.
"You will not harm anyone else."
His burning eye locked onto hers.
"No indirect killings. No collateral deaths. No manipulating others. Your target is only those four."
The room trembled slightly as the condition settled like a contract.
Ilona clenched her jaw. Her curse resisted.
"...."
But the rules could adapt.
Slowly—She nodded.
-Nod
"I accept."
Jojo lifted his hand. The fire dimmed slightly.
"Then the game begins."
Ilona's shadow form dissolved again, thinning into drifting smoke.
Before vanishing completely, she spoke one final sentence.
"Three nights."
Then she was gone. The tarot box fell silent.
Jojo glanced at the wall clock.
"...."
9:00 PM.
He exhaled slowly.
-Sigh
"Three days," he murmured.
Then he went to open the door.
The mansion door opened with a soft creak.
-Creak!
Jojo stepped out.
The last traces of smoke that had surrounded him inside faded away, and his face returned fully to normal.
The burning red in his eyes disappeared, leaving only calm focus behind them.
Outside, the clearing around the mansion was crowded but silent.
The Quileute wolves had taken positions in the shadows of the trees, their massive forms barely visible between the trunks.
Alice and Rosalie stood near the driveway, while Caroline leaned against the railing, watching Jojo carefully the moment he appeared.
Gayathri, Sophie, and Cecilia stood a little farther back with Lorraine. Everyone had been waiting.
Jojo glanced once toward the forest.
"Did you deal with it,"
Alice said quietly, sensing the shift in timelines.
Jojo shook his head.
"Not yet."
The wolves moved slightly as he stepped forward.
Their leader stepped out from the treeline and shifted into human form.
Leah Clearwater crossed her arms, her expression serious.
"What happened in there?"
Jojo looked at her calmly.
"...."
"It's a curse tied to a spirit," he said. "And it's active."
Leah frowned hearing the spirit hasn't dealt with.
"How bad?"
Jojo's answer was simple.
"Three days."
The wolves exchanged low growls. Jojo continued.
"For the next three days, Jenny's house needs full protection."
His gaze swept across the pack.
"No gaps in patrol."
Then he looked directly at Leah.
"You'll supervise it."
Leah didn't hesitate.
"Got it."
She turned and gave several quick hand signals.
The wolves immediately began shifting positions, expanding the patrol perimeter around Jenny's house.
Alice stepped closer.
"So we're guarding them for three days?"
Jojo nodded once.
-Nod
"That's all."
Caroline tilted her head.
"And the spirit?"
Jojo's expression remained unreadable.
"She's hunting them for three days."
That was enough explanation.
Without another word, Jojo turned and walked toward the neighboring house.
Jenny's house...
The lights inside were still on.
Through the windows he could see the four college students sitting close together in the living room.
They looked like people waiting for a storm they couldn't see.
Jojo opened the door and stepped inside.
-Creak!
The room fell silent instantly.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Hayley stood up first.
"What happened?"
Grant straightened from the wall, skepticism still present but weakened.
Paige and Paxton looked terrified.
Jojo didn't sit. He looked directly at them.
"You have three days."
Confusion flickered across their faces.
Paxton spoke first.
"What does that mean?"
Jojo answered calmly.
"The spirit will try to kill you."
The bluntness made Paige gasp.
-Gasp!
"...."
"But if you follow the rules," Jojo continued, "you survive."
He pointed slightly toward the covered mirrors in the house.
"You already know the warnings your cards gave you."
Hayley nodded slowly.
-Nod
"Yes."
Jojo continued.
"You follow them exactly. No going outside. No separating. No mirrors uncovered. No ignoring the conditions your cards set."
Grant scoffed slightly.
"This is insane."
Jojo looked at him.
"...."
For a moment Grant felt the same cold pressure that Ilona had felt earlier.
"You break the rules," Jojo said quietly, "and she wins."
Grant didn't answer.
Jojo's voice softened slightly as he looked at all four of them.
"Three days."
He pointed toward the clock on the wall.
"When the third night ends, the curse stops."
Hayley swallowed.
"You're sure?"
Jojo nodded once.
-Nod
"Yes."
Outside, the wolves began their patrol.
Inside the house,
The four targets sat back down slowly, the weight of the next seventy-two hours settling heavily on their shoulders.
"...."
Jenny's living room fell quiet after Jojo stepped out.
The door shut behind him with a soft click.
For a few seconds none of them spoke.
Hayley sat on the couch staring at the floor, fingers tightly intertwined.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Paige had wrapped a blanket around herself even though the house was warm.
Paxton leaned against the wall, arms folded, eyes darting nervously toward every window.
Grant broke the silence.
"So that's it?" he said sharply.
Three heads turned toward him.
"...."
"...."
"...."
"We just sit here for three days and wait for some ghost to show up and murder us?"
Hayley looked up slowly.
"That's not what he said."
Grant scoffed hearing it.
"That's exactly what he said."
He paced across the room.
"Think about it. If this thing is hunting us… why would we stay where it knows we are?"
Paxton shook his head immediately.
"Because he told us to. According to what we heard he seems to be a expert in dealing those things."
Grant threw his hands up.
"Oh right. The guy who talks like a demon. Sure, let's trust him."
Paige's voice trembled.
"He's team saved us."
"Did they?" Grant snapped. "Or are we just sitting ducks now?"
He looked at Hayley.
"Come on, Hay."
She didn't meet his eyes.
"We should stay," she said quietly.
Grant looked between all three of them.
"...."
One by one, they avoided his gaze.
Paxton rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm not leaving."
Paige nodded quickly.
-Nod
"Me neither."
Grant let out a harsh laugh.
-Haha
"You're all insane."
He walked to the front door.
"If the curse wants us here, then I'm not giving it the satisfaction."
Hayley stood up.
"Grant—"
Too late. He yanked the door open.
Cold night air rushed inside.
But the moment he stepped onto the porch—He stopped.
The yard was full.
Massive wolves stood in the darkness around the house.
Their silhouettes moved silently between the trees.
Golden eyes watched him.
"...."
Grant froze. One of the wolves stepped forward.
The fur rippled across its body and the enormous animal shifted shape, bones cracking as it transformed into a tall woman standing barefoot in the grass.
Leah Clearwater
She crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"Going somewhere?"
Grant swallowed while his eyes were still open.
-Gulp
"I'm leaving."
Leah raised an eyebrow.
"No you're not."
He gestured behind him.
"I'm going back to my dad's farm."
Leah stepped forward onto the porch.
"You open that door again and I'll carry you back inside."
Grant scoffed nervously.
"You can't keep me here."
Leah didn't even argue.
She simply shoved him backward.
Grant stumbled two steps and landed back inside the living room.
Before he could protest—Leah slammed the door shut.
Click.
The lock turned.
She spoke through the door calmly.
"You stay inside."
Her voice carried the quiet authority of someone used to controlling dangerous situations.
"Three days."
Grant stared at the door in disbelief.
Outside, the wolves resumed their patrol around the house.
Inside, Paige let out a shaky breath.
Paxton muttered quietly,
"Man… I'm starting to think leaving might actually be the worst option."
Grant ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
[New Fan fic: Star Entertainment: Building An Empire. Check it out.
There will be two chapters a week(Monday and Tuesday)
If delayed I would post it on Wednesday or Thursday.]
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!