Brittany's room fell silent after the glowing letters vanished into the air.
None of the four girls seemed particularly enthusiastic about their new "job."
Brittany was the first to speak, her voice tired.
—So... how exactly are we supposed to do this?
She looked at the others.
Vivian, her expression serious.
Ana, clearly annoyed.
Madeleine, whose eyes still carried traces of the trauma from the forest.
—Do we follow them? —Vivian suggested.
—That sounds illegal —Ana replied immediately.
Vivian looked at her calmly.
—We're working for a clown who kills people with balloons and confetti.
Ana opened her mouth...
Then closed it.
—...Fair point.
Brittany let out a short, nervous laugh.
As absurd as the situation was, Vivian had a point.
Legality had stopped mattering a long time ago.
Vivian rested her elbows on her knees and thought for a few seconds.
—You two should stay out of this —she said, looking at Ana and Madeleine.
Ana immediately shook her head.
—No way.
—Ana...
—No.
Her voice was firm.
—It's dangerous.
—Exactly why I'm not staying out of it.
Madeleine spoke as well, though her voice trembled slightly.
—Neither am I.
Vivian watched them silently.
She knew both of them were still carrying the trauma of what happened in the forest.
But she also knew they could no longer stay on the sidelines.
Finally, she sighed.
—Fine.
—Then let's think.
Brittany nodded.
—We know the twins first appeared around Madison and Chloe.
—And when they rejected them, they started approaching us instead —Vivian added.
—Then the school flood happened —said Ana.
—And they completely disappeared —Madeleine finished.
The four exchanged glances.
It was true.
Since the temporary closure of the school, nobody had seen them again.
As if they had simply vanished.
Madeleine remained thoughtful for a moment.
—I have an idea.
Everyone looked at her.
—What is it?
—Ask them directly.
Silence.
—What? —Brittany asked.
—Basic information. Where they live. What they do. Whether they have family. Normal things.
Ana slowly nodded.
—That sounds reasonable.
—Besides —Madeleine continued— they seem interested in you two.
She looked at Vivian and then at Brittany.
—So technically, this would be a double date.
Brittany immediately blushed.
—It's not a date.
—Of course it is —Ana said with a grin.
—No.
—Yes.
—No.
Vivian raised a hand to stop the argument.
—Alright. If they show up again...
She looked at Brittany.
—We'll try talking to them.
—And get as much information as possible —Brittany added.
The four girls nodded.
Completely unaware that they were stepping into something far more dangerous than they imagined.
---
Far away from there...
In a dense forest on the outskirts of the city, two young men walked calmly among the trees.
Jack and Justin.
The twin brothers.
Justin let out a low chuckle.
—That clown has been looking for us.
Jack shoved his hands into his pockets.
—I know.
—And you don't find that funny?
—Not particularly.
Justin rolled his eyes.
—You're boring.
—And you talk too much.
They continued walking.
Their eyes didn't look normal.
There was something unsettling about them.
A faint purple glow that appeared and disappeared.
Justin sighed.
—The Lord told us to stay still.
—Then we'll stay still.
—We're his strongest subordinates.
—I know.
—And the ones who've received the most gifts.
Jack nodded.
Justin smiled.
—And what are we going to do about Vivian and Brittany?
Jack raised an eyebrow.
—What about them?
—I like Brittany.
Jack remained silent for a few seconds.
—You like Vivian.
—I won't deny it.
—They're both beautiful.
—Yeah.
—Then we agree.
The two continued walking.
Calmly.
Relaxed.
As if they were discussing something completely ordinary.
Then both of them stopped at the exact same time.
They turned their heads.
Their gazes settled on two women walking along a nearby trail.
The women moved with stiff, almost mechanical motions.
Justin smiled.
Jack smiled as well.
Because those women were no longer human.
They had already been sacrificed.
They had already been offered to the Lord.
And now only their bodies remained...
Moving because something else controlled them.
If Ryan had been there, he would have recognized them immediately.
They were the same two girls who appeared in his visions.
The same ones he had been searching for.
The same ones whose fate had already come to pass.
The twins' eyes glowed with a sickly purple light.
And somewhere far away...
The mark on Ryan's chest began to burn more intensely.