In the dead of night, the room was shrouded in darkness, broken only by the faint glow of the moon filtering through the curtains. The air was heavy and oppressive, as if weighted down by the burden of unspoken fears.
He lay wide awake in bed, his body stiff with expectation, feeling the tendrils of sleep draw ever closer, threatening to drag him into the depths of their subconscious. However, he resisted, struggling against the inevitable plunge into darkness.
Then it began; a gradual, insidious invasion of his mind, with threads of gloom twisted around his thoughts, twisting and contorting them into gruesome shapes. He found himself stuck in a labyrinth of visions, with his greatest fears vividly realized.
He tried to run, to escape the clutches of the darkness that threatened to consume him whole. But no matter how fast he ran or how hard he fought, he couldn't shake the feeling of the impending doom that hung over them like a pall.
With each step, the nightmare grew more vivid, more terrifying until he could feel the icy grip of fear tightening around his throat, suffocating him with its relentless hold.
Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, he woke with a start, gasping for breath as cold sweat soaked through his clothes. The room was bathed in an eerie half-light, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging to the edges of his consciousness like a lingering shadow.
As he lay there, shaking and bewildered, the weight of guilt settled over him like a heavy blanket. He couldn't escape the belief that he was somehow responsible for the atrocities he had been forced to witness — that if he had been tougher or braver he might have prevented it.
-x-x-x-
Mr. Bingo stepped out of the airport terminal and the bustling chaos of the Chicago greeted him like an old friend. The air was thick with the scent of exhaust fumes and the distant hum of traffic filled his ears, a constant reminder of the ceaseless motion of the world around him.
He moved with purpose through the crowd, his strides confident and assured as he navigated the maze of bustling streets and crowded sidewalks. His sharp and alert eyes scanned the faces of those around him, searching for any sign of danger or deception.
But despite that, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered at the edges of his consciousness. There was something in the air, a sense of impending danger that made his skin prickle with apprehension.
Miguel and Molly looked up from their seats towards the door when Mr. Bingo walked in. They looked at each other with a mischievous glint before returning their attention to him.
Mr. Bingo stopped in his tracks and observed them, wondering what they had planned for him.
Molly gave Miguel a nod and they both stood up to prepare for their next move.
He looked at them in puzzlement and asked, "Hey, what are you guys planning?"
Miguel responded, "Yeah, like we would tell," and looked at Molly.
She chimed in with a geeky grin, "Oh boy, you've got a lot of explaining to do." and took a stride towards him.
Mr. Bingo's eyes widened in amazement before he decided to make a run for his life.
"You can't escape us, Mr. Bingo." Molly cooed as she chased him down the crowded streets of their town.
The onlookers found themselves drawn into the heart-pounding spectacle with a mix of fascination and trepidation.
Some leaned forward eagerly, their eyes wide with excitement as they followed every twist and turn of the pursuit, exchanging hushed whispers and excited murmurs, their voices mingling with the sound of pounding footsteps and frantic shouts.
Others watched with a more cautious gaze, their brows furrowed in concern as they fretted over the safety of those involved.
And then, there were those who simply stood by with their mouths agape in disbelief as they struggled to comprehend the absurdity of the situation unfolding before them. They shook their heads in disbelief, their minds reeling with the sheer audacity of it all.
"We're onto you!" Miguel called out.
The pursuit of cat and mouse began. Molly and Miguel chased Mr. Bingo as he attempted to flee their misadventure.
He turned back and saw that they were catching up to him. He took the next right before immediately taking the following left.
Molly and Miguel stopped in their tracks wondering which turn he took and planned to go in either directions to catch him.
Mr. Bingo assumed he had overtaken them and decided to take it a little slower.
He stopped his run to inspect an eatables shop. He quickly looked over the choices he had and noticed a chips packet sporting his name.
He couldn't contain his excitement and cheered, "Bingo!"
No sooner did he say that out loud, did he regret his actions.
He looked about with dread. There was not a single hint of any of them. He breathed a sigh of relief until a hand pulled his ears, putting him on quick alert.
He looked towards the person who did it and sure enough, Molly stood in front of him with a victorious smile.
"Bingo!" Molly chimed as she tossed her free wrist into the air. Miguel joined them shortly after, his cheeks flushed from sprinting.
He looked at the scene and giggled prompting the other two to laugh along.
They decided to stroll to a neighboring park and to collect their breath and discover what was awaiting them.
"You guys didn't have to chase me down!" Mr. Bingo complained.
They located a seat in the park that was isolated from the rest of the area and chose to make use of it.
"Who knows," Molly started with a mischievous grin playing on her lips, "You might've just escaped us again if we didn't catch you in time."
"I wasn't planning on escaping this time." he grumbled.
"Whatever you say, Mr. Bingo," Miguel said in between his chuckles, "You sure have a penchant for mischief and misadventures."
"Which you guys started." Mr. bingo stated, "Besides, I didn't know I would've to prepare for a sprint as soon as I entered the cafe. I wouldn't have skipped my cardio today then."
"Good for you, we're finally here" Molly reasoned.
"Spot on!" Miguel grinned at her commentary.
"Now that we're here," Molly began in a serious tone, "What's with the letter you wanted to show us, Nick?"
"I have got it here." Nick searched through his bag before finally presenting an opened envelope with the letter still intact in it.
Miguel opened the letter and looked at its contents in puzzlement, yet he couldn't shake the ominous feeling when he saw the identical sign he had seen before.
'Wasn't this...'
He looked at Molly and then Nick to confirm if what he was seeing was indeed not a coincidence.
alt text: the above image is of the letter. there's a cryptic text in between which will be revealed soon. there's a symbol of EOS at the right corner which is a pyramid like triangle with an eye in it. the eye color is greenish and in one of the two white spots that show reflection of light, one says EOS. the left corner of the image says "UNKNOWN" in first line and "-x-x-x-" in second line.
Molly took the letter from Miguel's shaking hands and the color drained from her face.
"I couldn't decipher the text in the middle of the page though." Nick calmly explained.
The three of them huddled closer to study the letters and it clicked into place.
You're Next.
- Unknown
-x-x-x-
An eerie sense of foreboding settled over Molly, Miguel, and Nick. The once vibrant hues of the evening sky now faded into dusky shades of purple and gray, lending a sinister edge to their surroundings.
A cool breeze whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves and sending a shiver down Molly's spine. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over her like a heavy cloak, tightening with each passing moment.
Miguel glanced nervously over his shoulder, his senses on high alert as he scanned the dimly lit pathways for any sign of danger. The gentle rustling of the bushes seemed to take on a menacing tone, and he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
Nick's gaze flickered nervously between his companions, a knot of fear tightening in his chest.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of impending danger looming over them akin a storm brewing on the horizon.
They arranged the wood Molly had collected from their surroundings in a small circle at the center of their makeshift campsite, careful to leave enough space for the flames to breathe. Nick rummaged through his backpack, producing a small box of matches with a triumphant grin.
As the first stars began to twinkle overhead, Miguel struck a match against the rough surface of the matchbox, igniting it with a soft hiss. The flame flared to life, casting a warm glow over their faces as he carefully brought it to the waiting kindling.
With a gentle breath, he blew on the tiny flame, coaxing it to spread until the entire pile was engulfed in a crackling blaze. The fire roared to life, sending sparks spiraling into the night sky as the trio watched on in silent awe.
"We deciphered the letter, but that's not all," Miguel started in a contemplative tone, "if we look closer, there's more to the letter than meets the eye."
He leaned forward to show the tree like design imprint on the upper left corner of the paper.
Molly and Nick closely observed, following his lead. She thought about it for a while and flipped through her notes.
Nick looked at the letter and tried to look for more patterns that they could've missed.
"What about the Unknown?" Molly finally asked, breaking the silence and looking at them
"I guess the person who wrote this didn't want to reveal themself." Miguel reasoned.
"Okay, let's put our heads together on this." Molly said as she fixed her posture and sat back upright.
Miguel and Nick sat upright too and nodded their heads.
The fire seemed to pulse with a life of its own, sending sparks spiraling into the night sky like tiny fireflies. The scent of burning wood mingled with the crisp evening air, filling their senses with a comforting familiarity.
"Who's unknown?"
"I'll begin," Miguel started, "I had received a call from an "Unknown" reporting about Paige's disappearance but, eventually I found out it was Nick who also likes to go by Mr. Bingo."
Nick nodded his head to confirm the details.
"And for me," Molly started, "I had a text from "Unknown", providing me details of Dane and asked me to stay away from digging into things that shouldn't be my business. The person also was on my trail for the longest time and was quite creepy. But, ultimately it was Nick, our Mr. Bingo, right?"
Nick looked at her in confusion. "I sure did ask you for help, Molly. I sure pulled some inconvenient strings. But what you said, especially about the conference doesn't add up for me. Could you detail that for me?"
Molly described the constant figure that seemed to be looming over her and how they also threatened to submit evidence against her to her department. She also mentioned a note which she assumed it was either left by Miguel or Mr. Bingo. Miguel admitted to not knowing about the note at all, even after she showed him the proof and Mr. Bingo was unsure too of who could've written that note.
If it was none of them, who could it possibly be?
"Someone's laid a web of deception far deeper than we could ever imagine and we're strung together in it." Nick stated, "I once again sincerely apologize for my ways, Molly but I assure you, I didn't mean to harm you in any way even though it looks like it on the surface."
"You don't have to apologize, Nick," Molly said as she managed a small smile, "But its chilling to know that our adversary is far more dangerous than all of us could've ever imagined."
There was a moment of silence as they pondered over any further details they might've missed.
"What about the "-x-x-x-"?" Nick questioned.
"It could be anything at all and yet the symbol of dosh and cross, the particular choosing of it deliberately starting with a dash and having three crosses encased in it is intriguing. Maybe its a representation of something very crucial." Molly theorized.
"Fair enough," Miguel stated, "But as much as it could be an indication to something personal, is there a possibility it could be a landmark?"
Molly thought of it for a moment and Nick contemplated on the possibility and it seemed likely that this could be a landmark that's crypted in code.
They agreed to settle on the agreement to assume it was a landmark and go with it.
"In that case," Nick stated, "Prepare to embark on a long journey to locate our destination."
Word Count: 2,063
I thought this would be the last chapter, and yet again, it turned out that its not 😂 its as if the story has taken a life of its own, wanting to unravel more secrets, tie off any possible loose ends and also blurring the lines of fact and fiction.
I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I do in writing it. Have a great day ahead munchkins ❤️
cheers,
sara <3