The sound of the rain echoes as it falls heavily unto the ground, accompanied with it are cracks of lightning and thunder in the union of light and sound spreading in a continuous show of light throughout the sky.
Chatter is being heard from a nearby store, it's coming from a woman getting groceries. She walks into the store as she sees the store manager, an old friend of hers, Adam.
"Hello Adam Walker", Maria greets after walking in,
"Maria, it's been a long time you know, how've you been", Adam asks sincerely after seeing her enter,
"I'm hanging in there", Maria states. As the conversation ends silence befalls the two, but what filled the air wasn't awkwardness but tension.
"I know you are in some kind of trouble Mary, people watching you? coming by asking questions that don't have answers?"
"I don't want to talk about it Adam, sorry you haven't been seeing me for a while, but I just came for provisions", she interrupts him and puts on a cold-sad face, only to get a sigh from the store manager. He comes back a few minutes later with her orders and groceries.
"Just know that I will always support you in your time of need", he says with his body language signifying a hidden meaning. He pulls out his keys and hands it to her while whispers urgently,
"I got an old motor at the back, far safer than public transport. At least let me do the little I can", he says gesturing to the gaze of mysterious eyes from normal folk walking in and out of the store.
She takes the keys and looks him in the eye with sorrowful eyes filled with tears threatening to pour,
"Thanks Adam", in her heels she walks out of the store, bags in one hand and her baby in the other, she stops abruptly and looks back one last time and whispers loud enough for him to hear and comprehend,
"For everything"
And with that, Adam is left alone with his thoughts but feels uneasy when the gaze of watchful eyes lingers after their brief and momentary interaction He doesn't know where and he doesn't know who, but he perceives it has something to do with the woman he has known his entire life, the woman who has been a daughter to him for years, the woman that he now barely recognizes. After she leaves the store, he replies with tears in his eyes as well as that might be the last time he ever sees her again,
"Don't mention it, kiddo".
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"The world never thought that there were other creatures out there"
Maria walks to the nearest garage and sees the rusty old vehicle that has a design that matches the keys, she smiles as she unlocks and opens the door. In the nearest distance, she hears shuffling sounds as she notices hooded dark figures at the corner, but she so wished they were figures but they could be best described as entities for they did not look nor sound human.
She frowns for she knew they were close, she gets in the car and starts driving carefully but swiftly through the road.
"You know how they react to alien and other myths and legends, but then again they were nothing more than myths and legends right?...Wrong"
And the only few people that has come in contact or have knowledge of this 'myth' have always been thought to be crazy"
Back at the store, strange men enter the building and head straight for Adam asking for the woman and the child, Adam knew exactly what would come next, but he didn't think it would come so soon, that it would be this way. He prepares himself mentally for thes upcoming doom as he recalls something from a few days ago…
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"So maybe the world didn't believe the philosophers, archaeologists and the darn right crazy people, but they did believe the movie directors the actors, the poets and novel writers because it proves that there has to be a rational explanation for everything and that it was also safe for the public to hear, to prove to themselves, that they were indeed sane."
Adam is on the phone with Simon, Maria's uncle a few days back.
"I'm serious Simon, she's in grave danger",
"And you think she's being chased by a group of assassins??",
"I wish they were, I'm telling you Adam…they weren't human",
"Save the dramatics Mr. Walker, take your pills, go home, rest and probably book a therapy session while you're at it", he says in a sarcastic tone as he ends the call and turns his chair to the group of hooded individuals in front of him,
"Take care of this, and make sure make sure no one lives to tell the tale", he pauses and stares at the picture of Adam Walker…
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Adam opens his eyes and sees a familiar face in the midst of the figures, a person who's been in on the secret for a long time, a person who was once thought a protector from all evil, turns out to be the devil in detail.
"Go ahead, she's already long gone by now", Adam says with anger and pride that Simon could no longer catch her. Simon takes of his hood and laughs hysterically,
"Though she's safe for now but she can never hide from me, and as for you Mr. Walker, huh! the odds are not really in your favor", he says raising his fingers up in the air,
"Goodbye Adam".
And with a snap of his fingers, the entities devour Adam's entire being leaving nothing but bones scattered around the floor. Simon exits the store but stops to give a final command,
"And boys, I said no one gets to tell the tale", he says as the folks and staff in the store scream with horror as they suffer a fate far worse than death.
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A vehicle arrives at a clearing near the forest where five individuals stand. Out of the vehicle came Maria and the child as she spoke with fear and haste,
"I don't have much time, they're right behind me",
"It's ok Maria just hand her over, we'll take it from here", one of the hooded individuals said with a feminine voice,
"Thank you Claire", Maria says with her tone filled with gratitude.
Then with that, bright lights shone from Maria signifying the completion of the promise made by the brotherhood of Vera Luce. As the darkness gets closer, the five brethren vanished as Maria runs for the hills. Though escaping the darkness, but never to be seen again.
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"You know what? I'll give you a hint, you know the theory of salt and white sugar? how they look alike but are entirely different things, how they come from different places but are found in the same place and are majorly used for the same thing, it's actually funny if you think about it, and that mankind hasn't discovered what has been hidden all along in plain sight…
Her name was Ashley Crescent Silas, aka Shades. Daughter of Maria, granddaughter of Quetsiyah.
But I think we need to start from the beginning, it all started when she turned 18…"
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