(A/N):
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....
The journey back to Forks was considerably quieter than the trip to Los Angeles had been.
Leah had fallen asleep for part of the journey, while Lorraine spent most of the time going through the photographs and notes they had collected from Apartment 803.
Jojo, meanwhile, kept his attention on the road and occasionally glanced at the travel bag resting beside him.
The ancient book remained inside, wrapped in several layers of protective material, but even through all of that he could still feel the faint presence coming from it.
It was almost as though the thing knew it had been taken away from the place where it had been found.
By the time they finally reached Forks, the familiar forests had begun appearing on both sides of the road.
The sight of the endless trees and the gray sky almost felt comforting after spending nearly a week surrounded by the noise and chaos of Los Angeles.
They had barely reached Jojo's mansion when his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
"Sara?"
The AI's voice came through immediately.
"Jojo, I have a new report that requires your attention."
Jojo stopped before entering the mansion.
"What kind?"
There was a brief pause.
"A suspected supernatural incident."
Leah, who had just stepped out of the vehicle, immediately looked toward him.
Lorraine closed the door behind her.
"Already?"
Jojo frowned.
"What happened?"
Sara began displaying the information on Jojo's phone.
"A residential property was destroyed in a fire. The entire household was found dead except for one woman who survived with comparatively minor injuries."
Jojo's expression changed.
"How?"
"The official explanation is currently under investigation. The fire department has classified the incident as suspicious because the fire spread unusually quickly through the structure."
"Names?"
"I have the surviving woman's statement."
Jojo looked at the screen as Sara continued.
"She claims that her deceased husband became possessed by a demonic entity before the incident."
Leah's expression immediately hardened.
"Possessed?"
"That's what she told the police."
Jojo scrolled through the information.
"Go on."
"According to her statement, her husband died several hours before the fire began. She claims that afterward, he returned and began behaving abnormally. She described his skin becoming pale, dark veins appearing beneath it, and his movements becoming increasingly unnatural."
Jojo stopped scrolling.
Those words were enough.
Leah looked at him.
"That's the symptoms we saw with that parasite."
"Maybe."
Jojo didn't sound convinced yet.
"Keep going, Sara."
"The woman stated that the possessed body attacked members of the household. She attempted to escape, but the entity apparently pursued her through the house. She eventually locked herself inside a room."
"Then?"
"She says the fire started shortly afterward."
Lorraine frowned.
"How did she survive?"
"She claims she escaped through a window. And used a knife to kill the demon."
Jojo stared at the screen.
"What about the others?"
"All deceased."
"Cause of death?"
"Burn injuries in most cases. However, the preliminary medical reports are incomplete because the bodies were severely damaged."
Jojo's eyes narrowed.
"Location?"
Sara immediately supplied the address.
Leah walked closer and looked over his shoulder.
"How far?"
"Several hours from here."
Lorraine sighed.
"We just got back."
Leah gave her a sideways look.
"You expected the supernatural to give us a vacation?"
"No."
Lorraine looked toward Jojo.
"But I was hoping for at least one full night."
Jojo ignored the exchange.
"Sara, you said the survivor's statement matched our case?"
"Not entirely."
"Explain."
"The terminology she used differs from the Los Angeles incident, but the physical descriptions are remarkably similar."
A photograph appeared on Jojo's phone.
It showed the remains of a burned house.
The structure had been almost completely destroyed. The roof had collapsed inward, the windows were blackened, and what remained of the walls was surrounded by firefighters and investigators.
Sara continued.
"She described the entity as parasitic rather than simply possessing her husband."
Jojo's attention sharpened.
"Did she use that word?"
"No. That is my classification based on her description."
"Anything else?"
"Yes."
Sara displayed another section.
"She stated that after her husband died, something appeared to move beneath his skin during his funeral. She also reported that his blood appeared unusually dark."
Leah immediately cursed under her breath.
Jojo stared at the screen for several seconds.
The description was too close.
Far too close.
The same unnatural pallor.
The same dark veins.
The same dead host continuing to move.
The same attack pattern.
And now...
Another dead body had apparently been turned into a vessel.
"How long ago did this happen?"
"Approximately fourteen hours ago."
Jojo's expression became grim.
"And the survivor?"
"Currently being treated at a nearby hospital."
"Any signs of infection?"
"None confirmed."
Jojo looked toward Lorraine.
"That's something."
Lorraine nodded.
"If she was exposed to the parasite and survived without becoming infected, either she wasn't directly exposed..."
"Or she escaped before it could establish a connection."
Jojo looked back at the photograph.
The burned house suddenly felt far more important than it had a minute earlier.
There was another possibility.
The parasite that had escaped Los Angeles had been injured.
It had returned to its colony.
If another outbreak had occurred only hours later, then either the colony had already expanded far beyond what they had assumed...
Or the escaped parasite had found another host.
Jojo's fingers tightened slightly around his phone.
Sara interrupted his thoughts.
"There is another point."
"What?"
"The fire department recovered several unusual objects from the property before the structure collapsed completely."
Jojo looked up.
"What objects?"
"Fragments of an old wooden container."
His eyes narrowed.
"Anything else?"
"An incomplete metal seal."
Jojo went completely still.
Leah noticed immediately.
"Jojo?"
Sara continued.
"The surviving woman claims the container belonged to her husband's family. According to her statement, he had recently become obsessed with finding something connected to an old family legend."
Jojo's expression darkened.
"Do we have any photographs of the seal?"
"Yes."
The image appeared on his phone.
It was badly damaged, blackened around the edges and partially melted from the fire.
But even through the damage, Jojo could recognize the pattern.
His eyes narrowed.
It wasn't identical to the symbol in the ancient book.
But it was close.
Too close to dismiss.
Lorraine looked at the photograph.
"Is that..."
"One of the symbols from the book."
Jojo nodded.
The three exchanged a silent glance.
The conclusion was becoming harder to ignore.
The fire hadn't simply been an isolated possession.
Someone had been searching for something.
Someone had found it.
And whatever they found had brought the parasite with it.
Jojo slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"We're going."
Leah sighed.
"I knew you were going to say that."
Lorraine picked up her coat.
"At least we got to sleep in our own beds for a few hours."
Jojo looked toward the mansion.
"We'll leave after everyone knows what's happening."
Then he stopped.
His gaze shifted toward the travel bag.
The ancient book was still inside.
The Four Unholy Books were supposed to be scattered across the world.
And somehow, within days of discovering one of them, another supernatural incident had appeared carrying traces of the same symbols.
That was no coincidence.
The parasite wasn't simply reacting to them.
Something else was moving at the same time.
Something connected to the books.
Something connected to the weapon the entity had mentioned.
Jojo slowly exhaled.
"Looks like Los Angeles wasn't the end of the trail."
Leah gave him a tired smile.
"With our luck, it was probably the beginning."
Jojo looked toward the dark forest surrounding Forks.
"For once..."
He picked up the travel bag.
"...I think you're right."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
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