Chapter 13

"What's the assurance this plan of yours would work?" Clara asked. They were now at Mrs. Smith's house, and Mr. Ben was there with them, working on some sort of device that he intends to create another stone with.

"It will if we can stick to the plan," Mrs. Smith said sipping from her cup as she watched Mr. Ben get himself busy with his toys.

"He's a demon Lucy, not human" Clara argued. She had considered the plan a good one before, but after several thoughts, she felt it was not a good idea.

"I'm aware of that" Mrs. Smith replied.

"And you'll still go ahead with it?"

"Of course, anything to get my husband back," she replied, "except if you have a better idea" she added. Clara said nothing. She kept her gaze locked on Mr. Ben's devices for some time.

"I don't" she replied with a sigh.

"Then we stick to the plan," Mrs. Smith said sharply, draining her cup.

"This is crazy!" Said Clara, "I hope you know Richard is dead the moment he knows you're trying to trick him?" She added.

"You'll make sure that doesn't happen. You're sniping, remember? You have enough salted bullets" Mrs. Smith said as Clara nods in confirmation.

"Let's just get this whole thing done once and for all," Mrs. Smith said pouring herself another glass of Señior Tequila. "I'm leaving this city once I get my husband back. I'm tired of this shit" she said as she downed the whole content and dropped the empty glass on the stool opposite her.

****

Slenderman was at his hideout in the woods as usual when one of the trees was struck by thunder, all of a sudden. He got down from the tree he was observing as he felt another presence around him. His tentacles grew out long and he took a fighting stance. His eyes scanned the dark environment carefully.

A portal suddenly opened and Kakodaimon stepped out of it. Almost immediately, beasts in human forms with claws and the head of a unicorn came out of the woods behind him, they were vast in number and it was an army.

"What are they?" He asked Kakodaimon.

"Amdusias" he replied, "you asked for an army, you have them. Their lord will meet you soon. Be careful, she's not as patient as I am. Follow her orders, bring me the stone together with the boy, and you'd be fine, " he replied. The portal swallowed him up before Slenderman could say another word.

****

"You called for me," Trey said immediately af he got into Miss Brentwood's office. It was just a few minutes to closing hour and he seems not to remember what happened earlier.

"Yes, I did" she replied, her eyes fixed on the pendant on his neck. "Lucy wants me to show you something tonight, and it's important that you follow me," she said catching Trey off guard.

"How did you know aunt Lucy?" Trey asked surprised.

"Well, we've known each other for a long time now" she replied, "came back last week and, kinda settled for the only job that makes me happy" she added with a smile.

Trey smiled a little, but it soon fade off as he said, " she didn't tell me about it this morning"

"She called me" she replied sharply.

"How about I confirm that?" Trey asked providing his phone from his back pocket.

"Your call can't go through now, she's too busy trying to protect you" she replied and Trey was taken aback. "Don't be surprised Trey, I know about your family's secret. Lucy told me everything" she said, "including that pendant hanging around your neck" she added pointing at the glistening pendant.

****

It was 20:59 when Mrs. Smith arrived at Oak Street In her SUV. She was putting on a very long brown leather jacket that was zipped up to her neck level. She stepped into the old warehouse which was dimly lit by the old electric bulbs that hung from the ceilings.

She looked around her one more time, walked deeper into the warehouse, took a mental note of everything around her before proceeding. Four main doors lead to the main hall from outside, but only one opened to the street. The windows were closed and cobwebs hung around as spiders were busy making their artistic work.

The place looked deserted and so silent, but Mrs. Smith knew he would come, she was sure of it. He needs the stone. She adjusted her red-rimmed glasses and glanced at her wristwatch which just clocked 21:00, just as she felt a presence.

She turned around and looked up to see Detective James Smiling down at her. He was standing on the balcony which leads to the set of offices lined up in the warehouse.

"Mrs. Lucy Smith," he said with a dry smile, "you were punctual, I see"

"Where's my husband?" She asked with a mean expression.

"Where is the stone?" He demanded.

"I need to know if my husband is alive," she replied with a tone of seriousness.

"I knew you would doubt me, but I kept my word" he replied as the door to the office opened up by itself, Richard was led out by Empusa who had her claws wrapped around his throat.

"Richard," she said with a soft and sorry voice.

"What's going on Lucy, I'm lost. What do they want from you" Richard asked. He's still in the dark concerning the whole thing. He never knew about Mrs. Smith's family background.

"It's gonna be okay, Richard"

"It's not gonna be okay!" James yelled, cutting her off. "It's not gonna be okay if you don't hand over the stone " he added as his eyes flashed red.

"It's with me, right here," she dipped her right hand in her pocket and brought out the pendant which glowed as she raised it for him to see. "I'll give you the moment you release him" she added as James stared dreamingly at the stone.

"The stone of fear," he said in a whisper.

"Let me have it," he demanded.

"Let me have my husband" she replied as Empusa chuckled.

"I hate doing things human ways," Empusa groaned.

"You won't have to anymore, daughter" a voice said as a woman in a red robe stepped out of the office. She was putting on a golden pair of shoes and she looked so pretty that one could almost call her age mates with her daughter, Empusa.

"Fine," Hecate said from the balcony, "Let him go," she said to Empusa who released Richard immediately, and with the speed of light, James was standing right in Mrs. Smith's face with his hand stretched out.

"The stone," he said, gritting his teeth as his eyes flashed red again. Mrs. Smith gently placed it in his hands as he raised it, observing it with a satisfactory smile on his face, as Richard hurried down the stairs.

"I can't believe you can be fooled so easily," a voice said as they all looked towards the direction where it came from. There at the main entrance was Miss Brentwood, holding Trey's hands as the pendant on his neck glowed.

"No way!" Empusa said as her fangs grew out.

"What's going on?" Detective James asked, turning to face Mrs. Smith who was surprised at the latest development.

"Was that part of the plan?" Clara's voice came in through the nano earbuds plugged in her ear.

"Not" she replied.

Hecate had a shocked expression on her face. She took a step forward as she stared at Miss Brentwood, then back at Empusa.

"You were easily fooled by humans, what a shame" Miss Brentwood said again as James looked at the stone in his hand and that on Trey's neck.

"You tricky bitch!" He cursed as veins appeared on his face, he charged at Richard, but a bullet pierced his side before he could get to him.

"You didn't come alone, did you?" James said as he dug his hand into his side, pulling out the bullet.

"You didn't keep to your part of the deal too, so, we're even" Mrs. Smith replied immediately after Richard got to her side.

" What's going on? " He asked.

" There's no time to explain" she replied, " you see that door that opened to the east?" She said as he turned to the door she was referring to.

" Yes," he said with a nod.

" Run as fast as you can. A car is waiting for you there, you can trust the man driving, get out of here as soon as possible" she said almost in one breath as she shove him aside when James charged at her. She released a wave of electric charge from a device attached to her wrist as he crashed stop the ground.

" Go! " She yelled at Richard as he raced towards the door.

" Surprised? " Miss Brentwood said as she stepped into the hall with her hands clutching Trey's wrist.

" Let me have the boy and this won't have to get messy," Empusa said, seething viscously.

" Come get him," Miss Brentwood said, shoving Trey behind her.

" There's something I don't seem to understand," Hecate said as she came down the stairs. " Whose side are you exactly? " She asked.

" I'm on no one's side" Miss Brentwood replied.

" You should be on my side. You're my daughter" Said Hecate.

"Not anymore" she replied as her eyes turned completely black just as Empusa charged at her, aiming to grab Trey with her superspeed, but Miss Brentwood was faster than her as she hit her off with such strength that she flew down the hall.

"Very well," Hecate said as a golden, crescent-shaped crown appeared on her head with a golden torch. A green serpent wrapped itself around her as her eyes glowed. She stretched forth her hand and all of a sudden, there was an ear-piercing sound that made every creature present cover their ears except Hecate. Then there were growls coming from the distance.

Mrs. Smith heard footsteps behind her as she looked back to see Joe who was in his combat suit coming running inside with Richard.

"What the hell's going on?" Mrs. Smith asked.

"The city is crawling with monsters" he replied, his other hand holding a shotgun.

Trey's cry was heard as Miss Brentwood turned to where it came from. A black creature that was almost invisible at night, except for the color of its eyes which was as red as crimson grabbed one of his hands, and before it could do any other thing, Miss Brentwood had ripped his heart out.

"I don't know where these things are coming from, but the whole city is going crazy" Clara's voice came in from the earpiece again.

"Hold your position, I've got this" Mrs. Smith said as the creatures started pouring in from every possible entrance they could come in from.

One charged at Richard, but Mrs. Smith released the electric charge from her wrist as it burned to ashes, she kicked another and jumped over a box and she zipped down her coat, revealing her black combat suit. She removed the coat in the air and flung it at the face of the monster following her, removed two mini-Uzi from her holster, and released shots at its head as it burnt to ashes.

"No one gets to Trey," she said into the nano earpiece as a bullet hit one of the blenders of darkness that wants to grab Trey. It was from Clara. She was smiling from the building opposite the warehouse with a smirk on her face as she enjoyed picking off the monsters.

Joe was quick to get to where Trey was as another monster grabbed his hand, but Miss Brentwood raised the monster with telekinesis as its head exploded making its body burn to ashes.

"Qui primus tetigerit, morituro primus erit" Miss Brentwood said in latin as her fangs grew out. Trey stepped back in fear.

Empusa the heads of two monsters standing in her way as she charges at Miss Brentwood who was fully ready for her, by now Trey was lost. He does not know who to trust as everything was happening so fast. He saw Joe from afar off thought it was his chance to get to him as he raced towards him.

Empusa dodged Miss Brentwood's claw as has grabbed her hair, throwing her against the wall with it.

Hecate who was controlling the monsters saw Trey from the corner of her eyes as she stretched forth her hand, trying to control him with telekinesis, but there was a loud bang that got everyone's attention. No one knows where it came from.

Detective James got up and removed another bullet that was shot at him by Clara as he listened closely, but they heard nothing, only the growls from the monsters.

Hecate's magic had been altered by the noise and Trey was free, but before he could get to safety, Slenderman jumped down from the ceiling, grabbed Trey, and made to escape, but Detective James was faster than him as he grabbed his bony neck on the ground, making Trey crash roughly, bruising his elbow in the process.

"Faceless man," Detective James said as he stared into his face, " it was you all along," he said as veins appeared on his face. He made to dig his hand Into his chest, but Slemderman's Tentacles held his right hand as he slashed his face with his bony fingers, it healed up almost immediately. James growled, grabbing him with super speed as he used his head to break every object in sight.

" Over here" Joe called over to Trey who was crawling on all fours towards him. He was so terrified and confused.

Mrs. Smith's glasses were beeping danger with a hexagram symbol and a red background as She felt a powerful presence different from what they have been fighting.

" Get Richard and Trey out of here," Mrs. Smith said to Joe he shot confirmed with a bid as he shot one of the monsters.

" Clara, a little help here," Mrs. Smith said into her earpiece as she looked towards Empusa and Miss Brentwood who were busy inflicting damage on each other as if they had an unsettled business beforehand.

"Can you feel that?" Mrs. Smith asked Clara who was trying to scan the environment with the scope of her gun.

"I feel it, but I can't see a thing" she replied.

Miss Brentwood was about to land a punch on Empusa's face when she stopped mid-air. She looked up and saw Joe taking Trey away.

"No!!" She yelled, but it was too late. A force broke the wall, throwing Joe, Trey, and Richard of.

Unicorn-headed monsters were standing in the opening the explosion had caused.

****

Clara was still busy scanning the whole environment when she saw some monsters with the body of a man and the head of a unicorn. They were taking out the blenders of darkness in their way and we're also coming in their numbers, same as the blenders of darkness.

"Uhmm..." She was saying when a monster grabbed her leg from the roof of the building and flung her down the skyscraper, she was fast enough to grab the healing gone attached to the holster on her thigh as she aimed at the monster's head, and shot it. It howled as she recoiled the rope, drawing her up in the process as she grabbed the sword that was attached to her back, decapitating the head of the monster in one slash as she landed back on the roof.

"Don't fvck with me" she cursed, sliding the sword back into its sheath just as an explosion rocked the warehouse.

"Danmit!" She cursed as the monsters were now dominating everywhere, bothering the unicorn-headed ones and the blenders of darkness.

"I'm coming down," she said into her earpiece when she saw the series of cop cars coming down their direction, including choppers and armored vehicles. They were entangling some of the monsters already, but the vans were coming to the warehouse.

****

A portal opened up in the middle of the warehouse and a lady stepped out of it. She was putting on a royal robe, and her feet were adorned with golden shoes as well as the bracelet on her hands. What caught their attention was her head. Instead of hair, all she has was snakes on her head.

All the monsters that faced her directly turned to stone except Hecate. Slenderman quickly hide his face and Detective James did the same when he saw what happened to those that looked her in the eyes. Mrs. Smith, Trey, and Joe were behind her, so they weren't affected.

"All this mess for a stone?" The lady said as Empusa charged towards her with her super speed, but Hecate was quick to cast a spell that shielded Empusa from getting to where she was.

"It's worth it," Hecate said. Keeping a straight face.

"What do you want?" Hecate asked as she took calculated steps toward her.

"Same thing you're here for, and I always get what I want," she said.

"Not this time" Hecate replied as she stretched forth her hands, her eyes glowed green and the flaming torch she held went off, with the flames coming back in the green.

Gunshots could be heard outside the building as the SWAT team was already there, trying to fight the monsters.

The lady with snake hair groaned as she looked out through the opening in the wall. There were cops everywhere.

"I'm not here for this, " she said and looked towards the direction where Trey was, but he was gone, together with Mrs. Smith, Joe, Richard, and Miss Brentwood. They were all gone.

Some of the SWAT team were already coming into the warehouse through the roof. Hecate was mad with anger.

"I hate distractions," the lady with snake hair said as she made contact eye with the first SWAT who turned into a statue immediately.

****

Mrs. Smith and the rest, except Miss Brentwood, could be seen in the SUV Joe brought speeding down the highway. Clara was the first to break the silence.

"What the hell happened in there, was that Medussa?" She asked as Mr. Ben kept operating his Ipad.

"It would have been better if it was Medussa" Mr. Ben replied without raising his head.

"But they all turned to stone, that was Medussa's power" Clara argued.

"That's Stheno Gorgon, one of the Gorgon sisters," Mr. Ben said showing them the picture on his iPad.

"How powerful is she compared to Medusa?" Mrs. Smith asked curiously. She had read about Medusa's myth and how powerful she was, and she wants to be sure about what they were dealing with.

Mr. Ben shook his head. There's a worried look on his face.

"She's Medusa version 3.0" he replied as their eyes widened in shock.

.

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Foreign words:

Latin: Qui primus tetigerit, morituro primus erit! - English: The first to touch him will be the first to die!