-MIKE-
I've gotten used to Logan telling me about her visions, and they often have connections to what she calls my "night job," but they've never been as intense as what she experienced tonight. They usually happen when she's asleep, and she would have trouble remembering them, and the details would come back to her on instinct as we worked on a case.
This time, she could recall every detail to the point that she sketched them out after she explained what she saw.
"Do you know about anything that could do this?" she asks me, pointing to the drawings of the corpses she's seen.
"I have a few theories," I reply. "But there are ways to track them...none of the victims have been found yet?"
"We wouldn't be eating dinner if that was the case," Logan reminds me.
"That's true," I realized. "We can figure it out when you meet the guys tomorrow."
"Mm," she nods in agreement as she finishes her food. "So, is there a reason I hadn't met them yet?"
"There's more than one," I admit. "But I'm sure you knew that."
"I may not be able to control it sometimes, but I know how to set boundaries," Logan assures me.
"Valid point," I agree. "I shouldn't have assumed...I know I don't speak for you or make decisions for you, but I've been..."
I pause for a moment, wondering how to voice my concerns. She doesn't rush or interrupt me, and she never has. I appreciate her more for that.
"We haven't figured out everything about your powers," I began again. "What worries me is what happens after some of your cases...and I don't know what could happen if you run into a demon or something, and I don't want to know...Logan, some of them are hundreds of years old, maybe more."
"I get that," she says after a while. "But something tells me that we won't have a choice. The killer isn't human, Mike...and besides, we have another problem."
"What's that?" I ask her as I gather the food containers to throw away.
"There's a possibility that the Grinning Ghost Killer could be connected to this," she explains. "What if this is what's waiting for me?"
"Whatever it is, it can keep waiting," I growled. "I won't let it anywhere near you."
"I believe you," Logan assured me. "We have one clue: it's a male. The killer said that 'he' was waiting for me."
"...I don't like the sound of that," I admit.
If it's a male demon, they tend to be obsessive to the point that the objects of their fucked up affections never survive. We have to narrow down what this thing could be. Soon.
"We have another issue," Logan winced. "We have to work this case within the confines of our jobs, and I don't know how you've been able to cover up your hunts, but this feels like it won't be easily contained. Also, your friends are in a different division than us."
"I have an idea for that," I murmured as the idea formed in my mind. "A task force...but there's a risk."
"Okay," Logan replies as I hear her turn on her television. "What is it?"
"We're going to have to tell Captain Blake the truth," I tell her. "Just enough to solve this. We don't need to overload them, and we'll need him to bring Jason, Salim, and Nick over."
Recognition flashes in her eyes when I mention their names.
"What's up?" I ask her.
"I've heard those names before," Logan tells me. "And I've seen them."
She bit her lip, and I know she does that when she's keeping something from me...or she's trying to.
"Logan..." I press her, nudging her shoulder.
"Hm?" she mumbles innocently.
"What's going on?" I continue.
"...Nothing," she murmured as her face reddened. "I don't know what it means yet, so..."
I decided to drop it for now. She seemed flustered, and whatever it was, she'd tell me if she wanted to or when she was ready to.
-JASON-
I've had the same goddamn dream for the past few months. I've been hunting this thing for just as long, but aside from the victims, I can't track it. Even though the victims are left a husk, I don't see any puncture or exit wounds. It's unlike anything I've ever encountered.
Usually, I'd chalk it up to the stress of the job: SWAT by day, hunter by night, but I've never had any issue with it. I'm glad to see that Nicky has settled into it and has met his wife along the way, but it's not my priority. If it happens, I'd rather it not be because I was looking for it. Whatever this thing is, dream or not, I know I must find it. I can feel it...
Then...there was the woman. She was always there, tracking the thing down, too. There's something about her that I can't put my finger on. I never took an interest in dating, and it made me wonder if that's where she came from at first. I'd remember if we had ever met because she's beautiful: legs for days, hair the color of cherry Coke, and her eyes?
What caught me, aside from their color, was that they held more pain and knowledge than you would think someone could handle. I knew she was a psychic, but I'm unsure what type she was. I've met a few in my line of work, but no one like her. I've told Salim about this because dreams aren't simple for people like us.
He didn't judge or question me about the woman I'd seen. He asked for every detail I could remember before speaking to Raven about it. She's our comms expert, one hell of a tracker, being a hybrid between a werewolf and a vampire. Even as we hunt monsters, we still operate like a military unit. If there is anything to be found, she'll know it.
Tonight was a bit different. Usually, she would be out of reach; even though she was looking for the same thing, we never spoke to each other. This time, we were in the woods, miles from the city. The moon was full and high, and I could hear the wolves through the trees.
She was in the middle of a clearing, and it was burned, just as the space around the victims was. Oddly, there were never any burns on the bodies...
"Who are you?" I asked her.
"I could ask you the same thing," she replies in a smoky voice. "If you're gonna share my nightmares, you should ask a girl to dinner first."
Despite the fucked up situation we found ourselves in, I found myself laughing.
"Fair enough," I acknowledged. "How about I start with my name? Jason Kolchek."
I extended my hand to her, and recognition lit in her eyes.
"Logan Kade," she replied as she shook my hand. "...You hunt with Mike."
"Ah, you're the girl he stood me up for," I joked.
"He's...protective," she hedged.
"It's alright, we understand," I tell her. "But we can also help. There's a whole world out there and others like you. He's just worried. I'm sure you know his story."
"Yeah, I do," she sighs. "But..something's coming. I can feel it. It's going to take all of us to handle this..."
"I know," I confirmed. "What do you think it is?"
"I'm not sure," I admit, moving around her to inspect the body on the ground behind her.
"It leaves a burn mark, but nowhere on the body," Logan remarks.
"The bodies are drained to the point that they look preserved, but there are no puncture wounds," I follow up. "They've been drained of blood, but it's never left a trace of it."
"Have you seen any of the victims in the real world?" she asks.
"No," I tell her. "But the shifters have been riled up...maybe they can sense what's coming."
She nods, processing what I've told her, but I caught something else.
"I can hear you thinkin'," I point out. "Is there somethin' you wanna ask me?"
"Are you psychic, too?" she wonders, cocking her head.
"No," I chuckled. "But I can read faces. So, what's up?"
"I'm...I saw what happened in that temple," she admits.
"How?" I asked.
"The Curator," she tells me. "I don't know much about him, but he has to watch as we live and die, and he's not allowed to interfere. He broke the rules to ask for help."
"I see," I murmured. "Looks like we need to meet up in the real world."
"Yeah, we do," Logan agrees. "Did...is anyone else from the temple with you?"
"Yes," I tell her. "Nick and Salim hunt with us here. Eric and Rachel joined The Council. They work with others to try to keep the peace between humans and, well, shifters and all that, but they made it out."
"Oh," she nods. "Well, that's good."
"Yeah, it is," I agreed. "Why'd you ask?"
"I've seen parts of what happened out there," she confessed. "I guess I wanted to know what happened."
"You must have seen the Wendigos, too," I surmised.
"Yeah," she nods. "That's why I don't argue with Mike when he worries about me."
It made sense...Mike harbors guilt from what happened on that mountain. It's shaped the way he lives his life. I've heard him call Logan on hunts before we've met. I don't know what he would do if anything happened to her. I decided to help him keep her safe, too. Not only that, she seemed to be the key to stopping whatever this was.
"So what do you make of all this?" I asked as we inspected the area around the body.
"Hmm," she hums. "I'm not a hunter, but I learned a few things from Mike...shifters and vampires leave marks, and their kills aren't clean because the Rogues are overcome by bloodlust. Even if they were to drain their victims, there would be trace evidence...claw marks, bites...the bodies would have been torn apart. Aside from the burn marks on the surrounding areas, the bodies are clean."
"My guess could be an upper-level demon," I contribute, impressed with her scene analysis. "There are ancients that we don't know much about."
"Interesting," she murmurs. "...I wonder what changed?"
"I don't know," I shrugged. "We hadn't been able to have a conversation before."
"What should we do now?" Logan wonders.
"Mike told me that you're able to find clues in dreams like this," I point out. "I suggest we do some digging til we wake up."
"Sounds good to me," she agrees with a smile.
*******************
I'm not sure how much time has passed, but by the time I woke up, I could hear Salim in the kitchen downstairs.
"You're awake," Salim realized. "Good. Come eat."
For once, I had an appetite. Usually, I was out of it after having one of these dreams, but this time, I felt just fine. I tore into the plate that he set in front of me.
"Are you all right?" Salim asks in alarm.
"Mmhm," I reply after finishing a bite. "Just hungry- thank you."
"Of course," he smiles as he sits with a cup of tea. "...I know that look. What happened?"
"You remember the woman I've mentioned?" I remind him.
"Yes, I do," Salim responds. "What about her?"
"She's Logan Kade," I informed him.
"Wait, as in Mike's friend?" Nick interjected, announcing his presence.
"Yeah," I answer him as Nick grabs some coffee.
"Interesting," Nick mused. "What else happened?"
"We met at a crime scene in the woods," I tell him. "But if what Mike says is true, no one has seen it yet...so we need to keep it contained."
"A crime scene?" Salim asks with a frown.
I launch into what I've seen in the woods, comparing notes about the other dreams I'd had until my phone rang.
"Hey, Mike," I greet him after checking the screen.
"Hey," he returns. "How did it go last night?"
"It went all right," I shrugged as if he could see me.
"Do you think the others can cover the shifters for now?" Mike asks.
"I'm sure they can manage," Salim answers, as I put Mike on speaker. "What's going on?"
"The bodies are turning up," Mike sighs. "I came in early to keep it quiet."
"Bodies?" Nick frowns. "Plural?"
"Yeah," Mike groans. "They're pulling them into the morgue now. They're setting up the task force for us."
"How did the good Captain take it?" I wondered.
"...Better than I thought," Mike admits. "Someone else beat me to it, and he wants that person on the task force with us."
"Really..." I murmured. "Who the hell is it?"
"I don't know yet," he replies. "Cap wants us to come in and meet him."
The three of us exchange a look before I reply.
"On our way," I assure him before I hang up.
"I don't like the sound of this," Nick admits. "We know everyone on the force that works with The Council, don't we?"
"Yes, but we only work within the territories we are assigned," Salim reminds us. "From what you've told us, the situation may be beyond us. The Curator contacted Logan, remember? I agree, however, that we should proceed with caution."
"That was a long-winded way of telling me that you agree with me," I pointed out.
"Some things never change," Nick chuckles. "Alright, let's go."
-LOGAN-
I don't know why I'm so nervous. It's not like I've never met him before...technically. But...I guess this is different. Maybe?
"You ready to go?" Raven asks, peeking her head through the door.
After I...met with Jason, Mike called her. Raven and I hit it off immediately. She's a beautiful hybrid with chocolate hair and honey highlights. Her eyes are a bright hazel that reminds me of sea glass.
"Uh-"
"You're nervous about meeting your dream man," she teased.
"He's not my dream man," I insisted. "He's. A guy. That I met in a dream."
"I mean, who wouldn't want to meet Jason Kolchek or any of the Marines in a dream?" Raven teased.
"Aren't you with Salim?" I asked. "Or...the two of you are interested in each other, at least."
"Maybe," Raven smirks. "But I'm not the one wondering what to wear..."
"I just. I don't know," I confessed. "It feels weird."
"If it helps...you both wore less in that dream and...that's why you're nervous," Raven realized. "Think about it this way: it can't be any more awkward than that!"
"True," I sighed, ruffling my hair.
"...Or is this about Mike?" Raven asks.
"What about Mike?" I echoed.
"I mean...you're like an unofficial couple," Raven shrugs, grabbing one of my band tees and throwing it at me. "I've been wondering if he's just...suppressing how he feels because of his masochistic guilt. I mean, do you have any feelings for him?"
I toss the shirt over my head and smooth my hair out of the way before I reply, "I've never thought about it. I've...this is the longest time I've stayed somewhere, and I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, for me to leave again."
"I've been there," Raven tells me. "I understand, believe me. Just...feel things out. Try to live a little. Whatever this is, we need to remember that...I'm not psychic but I have a bad feeling about it."
"Right," I murmured as I armed myself. "I'm not here to think about a Marine-"
"-Ooh, Logan-"
"Hush," I quiet her half-heartedly. "You're the one who's dolled up for Salim."
"Hardly," she sniffs. "...He doesn't like a lot of makeup. I saw that when a Siren tried to hit on him."
"You enjoyed the rejection," I remarked as we left my apartment.
"Immensely," Raven says with no shame. "You know how Sirens are...and they enjoy trying to seduce men who don't belong to them-"
"So, you and Salim are official, then?" I asked.
"I-well, yes and no," Raven replies with a frown. "It's more...unspoken than anything."
"What does that mean?" I wonder.
"It means that even though we haven't had a dramatic conversation, he beat down some handsy warlock last week for being inappropriate, and I almost snapped a fae girl in two over him," Raven shrugs. "Get it?"
"You know what?" I agree with a smile. "I think I do."
Raven is very transparent with how she feels. I envy that freedom. I've had to suppress myself for so long, while others were celebrated for their gifts...even as an adult, I still feel like I'm trying to figure out who I am on my own.
"Let's see who the new guy is," Raven decides as we get in the car.
"I'm wondering about that," I admit. "Who is he, and what the hell made him decide to tell Captain Blake about all of this?"
"And how did he get the Boss Man to accept it, let alone agree to the task force?" Raven follows up.
"I guess we'll find out," I sighed.
*************************
Mike had gone ahead to speak to Blake about the situation we'd found ourselves in. When Raven and I got to the station, Blake guided us to the back of the building where a section had been secured for us. I saw Mike inside one of the conference rooms, with someone I didn't recognize.
I could feel the tension and caution from Mike, letting me know that he was not familiar with the man who spoke to our Captain. Raven gave the air a subtle sniff-she was trying to figure him out, too.
The other man in the room wasn't familiar to me. He looked deceptively lean, but I could tell that he kept in shape. As the others filed in after me, I'd forgotten why I was nervous this morning, because I needed to figure this out.
"It's been brought to my attention that there are...forces beyond the control of our police department," Chief Blake began. "Special Agent Park here has been sent to us from the FBI."
He looked like he rolled off of a set for a police K-drama if I'm being honest. It's almost as if his looks were meant to disarm you. His hair brushed his collar as if he was testing to see how long he could have it while working for the Bureau. It framed an angular face with a strong jawline.
His gaze is sharp, and piercing. It held secrets that he wanted to keep to himself while he would try to glean yours. They caught mine, and I realized why I felt uneasy: I couldn't read him. Usually, I can without trying, because the criminals I caught weren't psychic...or stable enough to defend themselves if they were. It made me feel uneasy. Not because I think that I'm infallible, but because I feel like I'm walking into this blind.
We don't know anything about this man, and yet he knows about this case and Captain Blake trusts him implicitly. I don't even sense any stress from him. Who the hell is this guy, and what did he say to the Captain to get him to accept the truth?
Detective Park raised an eyebrow at me and gave me a half-smile. My face heats up and I feel Raven poking my ribs. Oh. I wasn't even trying to pry. How did he...
"Who sent you?" Jason asks Park without preamble.
"The Council did," Park replies with a slight accent. "We've experienced similar murders in Korea and we reached out to the American branch. They intended to discuss it with you, but when the bodies turned up we had to act."
Then he turns to me, and I admit, I'm proud of myself for not folding. I'm not shallow or anything like that. It's just...I don't know how to describe his gaze. It calls to you, but at the same time, some primal part of me knew that I shouldn't want to give in to it. I don't know anything about this guy, and I have to be cautious. So why did I want to know more?
"You're like me," he comments softly. "I felt it the moment you stepped into the room."
Before I could respond, I felt two very protective hands grab my elbows as Jason and Mike both joined me on either side of me.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jason demands.
"Stay where you are," Mike adds.
I freeze as Raven gives me a smug look.
"I'm sure he meant no harm," Salim says smoothly, stepping between the four of us. "People with psychic ability can sense one another. It's alright. She is alright."
Detective Park raises his hands, palms up.
"Salim is right," he adds. "If we're going to solve this, we need to work together. I understand the gravity of not being informed of my arrival. I'm sure the Council will explain. I don't mean any harm."
He looked at me when he said that last line. As soon as I relaxed, so did Mike and Jason. God dammit, Raven.
Nick, who had been silent the whole time, asked, "You said there were bodies. How many?"
Captain Blake nodded as he took his leave, muttering about having phone calls to take. Jason and Mike let go as soon as Park moved away from me a bit. I hate when Raven's right, sometimes.
"Six, as far as we know," Park sighs. "I've marked their locations on the board here-"
He gestures to a large corkboard behind him. The bodies are just as I remember them. Empty husks without any indication of how they were drained...I hadn't noticed before, having been distracted, that the burn marks were intricate patterns, almost like an altar.
"...I think the murders are sacrifices," I murmur as I observe the photos.
"Looks that way," Jason agrees. "Each of the bodies was facing a specific angle-Wait-"
He pulls down the photos and we lean in as he arranges them on the table in front of us. As he works, I hear Salim, Nick, and Raven move around us. Mike hasn't left my side, because Park hasn't.
Once Jason is done, I see that my theory is sound: the symbols and the positions of the bodies depict a Satanic pentagram, but it wasn't so simple. There were other runes and symbols etched into it. The sixth body was laid in the middle of the other five.
"Good eye," Nick remarks.
"Thank you kindly," Jason crawls while tapping the cap on his head.
"Do any of you know what could do something like this?" I wonder, fighting the smile that crept over my face.
"It could be a cult or Rogue coven of some kind," Nick offers. "They probably summoned the thing."
"So you think that these murders could be offerings," Park murmured.
"I'll see what I can find on the Dark Web," Raven decides, moving to the nerve center that was set up for her. "What happened in Korea, Park? Isn't this why the Council brought you over?"
"The runes weren't there before," Park murmurs. "I don't know what's changed. The Council felt that I'd be of service, because I know it's patterns."
"Yeah...patterns...shiny..." Raven murmurs.
"Shiny?" Park frowns.
"Raven has been itching to get her hands on her new set up," I explained.
I see her eyes glaze over as she takes in the multiple monitors and gadgets.
"I don't think we're going to see her in a few days," I joked as Park nods with another disarming grin.
"Not if I can help it," Salim states in a light, but firm tone.
"Fair enough," I chuckled, sobering up as I glanced at the photos.
"Can you sense anything from the photos, do you think?" Jason asks me.
"No," I sighed as I test his theory. "That's what's confusing about this case. What about you, Park?"
"I'm in the same boat as you are," he admits with a shrug.
"Our next step should be to visit the morgue," Mike suggested. "We'll see what the ME finds."
"She probably used dental records to identify them," I mused.
"I think Park and Logan should go," Nick offers.
"Why?" Jason asks sharply.
"Even if they can't sense anything from the bodies, they can from the ME," Nick explains.
"I didn't realize that took two psychics," Mike mutters.
"We're going in blind," Nick insists. "We need to be strategic...but with that being said-"
He walks up to Park and looks him square in the eyes as he warns,
"-if anything happens to Logan on your watch at any time on this case, not even the Council can save you from Jason and Mike!"
I wanted to protest that I could handle myself because I could. But this is a slippery slope with these two, and I can feel waves of tension and distrust pouring off of them. It's best not to rile them up right now. We're going to have to address it soon, though.
Park acknowledged the warning before we left. Part of me felt flustered by the way the two of them were acting, and from my conversation with Raven earlier.
"Are you alright?" Park asks. "I felt a spike. I wasn't trying to, uh-"
"Oh-no, you're fine-I mean, it's fine," I stammered. "So...this has happened in Korea. How did you solve it?"
"We haven't," Park sighs. "The murders just...stopped. Twenty years ago. My father had been on the case. That's how I made the connection, and it's why the Council sent me here. I took up the case after he died."
"That makes sense, and I'm sorry for your loss, " I reply as we make our way to the morgue. "This is all so sudden, though."
"Thank you," Park acknowledged with a nod. "Whatever this thing is, we weren't able to stop it. Maybe we can this time. The Curator reached out to you for a reason."
"How did you know that?" I wonder.
"I've seen him, too," Park admits. "Only something like this would cause him to interfere."
"Do you know much about him?" I asked.
"No," he replies, opening the door for me. "But I know there are...entities that watch over us. They aren't lower to interfere, or maybe they chose not to."
"Until now," I murmured as got closer to the ME's office.
"Logan, wait-" The urgency in his tone caused me to tense.
"What is it-" but as soon as I'd turned the corner, I felt it, too.
Excruciating pain. Visceral fear. Obsessive yearning. I don't understand any of it. I can't process it. Park moved himself in front of me as we entered the office.
I had to will the headache away as best I could. I had to remember that it wasn't mine. The door was ajar, and he went inside first, holding an arm out. To prepare me, or to warn me?
I crept inside after him, and I saw that one of the body bags lay halfway open.
"Where is she?" I wondered about the ME.
"Logan," Park called out to me in a soft but taut tone. "You might want to take a look at this..."
I move around the open body bag, noting that the strange feelings I'm dealing with grow whenever I am near the body. This must have been...Nick might be right. I've felt this before when I dealt with a cult. The victims may have been members.
The medical examiner was propped up against the far wall-
"Her eyes..." I gasped.
They're gone. The sockets looked as though they burned away, but the odd part was that the blood had already coagulated. It made me wonder if this was how the victims had died. As if this wasn't disturbing enough, what was left of her face was twisted into an expression of fervent devotion. What the hell?
"It's the same creature I tried to find in Korea," Park confirmed as he checked for a pulse. "There's a cult that worships it, but they couldn't name it...they can't even look at it."
"But-how can they devote themselves to something they can't see?" I exclaimed.
"I have a theory that it chooses a form that its followers can handle," Park informs me.
"What is this, then...?" I asked. "What happened to her?"
"Your ME has clairvoyance, doesn't she?" Park asks.
"I-yeah, but what does that have to do with this?" I replied with another question.
"She must have tried to see who or what killed these people," he reasons. "But it doesn't work that way. Whatever this thing is, it doesn't want us to pry."
"But...if Nick's theory about a cult is true, then how would they...go about the sacrifices?" I frowned.
"They leave the victims alone and wait, I suppose," he sighs. "She's still alive, barely. I'll call this in to the Council."
"Would she...have there been survivors before?" I asked.
"Yes," Park replies in a somber tone. "But they don't make reliable witnesses."
"Why?" I question him next.
"To put it plainly, they lose their minds," he reveals. "Whatever they saw was too much for human comprehension."
As a small squad of people move in on the room, I wonder why the Curator has asked us to do this. What if I'm not enough? What if this ends up being another story in his Repository? How do you fight something that you can't see without losing yourself?