Chapter 8: Chasing Shadows

The city docks were a world of their own, a tangle of rusted warehouses and forgotten wharves under a permanent shroud of fog. The rain had stopped, leaving only the cold bite of the mist as Yahya and Adam arrived, headlights slicing through the damp air. This was when Suraya was spotted. 

They moved silently, their footsteps muffled by the wet ground. Yahya gestured to the left, indicating he'd take the opposite direction as they advanced. Adam gave a slight nod, and the two melted into the shadows, each navigating the maze of stacked crates, twisted metal, and puddles of oil-slick water.

Yahya's mind raced as he scanned the darkness; his mind was thinking about the cases. This wasn't a coincidence. Suraya's connection to Evelyn Thorne's case had been like a whisper at the back of his mind, a nagging doubt. And now it was a roar.

As he rounded a corner, a faint sound caught his attention—a low, rhythmic tapping, like fingers drumming on wood. He slowed, his senses sharp. Every nerve was on edge, feeling the cold seeping into his bones and the static charge of something wrong hanging in the air.

A figure emerged from the shadows ahead, wearing clothes similar to those of a priest. His face was obscured by a low-brimmed hat. Yahya tightened his grip on his revolver, his heart pounding. He recognised the man from his files. It was Suraya.

"Suraya," Yahya called out, voice low but steady. "We have questions for you."

The man didn't respond, only tilted his head slightly, almost as if he hadn't expected anyone to find him here. In the dim light, his face looked pale and drawn, his eyes hollow.

"You don't understand, sir." Suraya's voice was barely above a whisper, his gaze shifting past Yahya as if seeing something far beyond. "They... they come for the broken ones."

Yahya took a slow step forward, his eyes never leaving Suraya's. "Who's coming, Suraya? The Circle of Sorn?"

A faint, eerie smile crossed Suraya's face. "You just don't get it. They will find us eventually, whether we want them to or not. It's too late for me... for us. We're already haunted. It's… like an invitation." He raised his hand, showing a strange sign carved crudely into his palm. The same symbol was etched onto Evelyn's belt.

Yahya's stomach tightened. "I do not know what nature of horror has fallen upon you. So help me understand. What did they do to you and Evelyn? How did they use those wounds and manipulate them? Is that what they did to Evelyn?"

Suraya looked at him, a flicker of recognition in his tired eyes as he heard the names. "The Circle... they showed her things she could never unsee. Showed me too. We were already lost." He took a step back, eyes darting. "And they're coming for you. You and anyone else who walks the line between here and there."

Before Yahya could respond, a creak of footsteps approached behind him. He spun around, only to see Adam stepping out from the shadows.

"He's not alone," Adam said, his voice low. "There are more."

Suraya backed away, his face contorting with fear. "They're here! You'll see. They'll take everything from you, just like they took everything from us!" He turned on his heel and bolted into the shadows, his footsteps echoing in the silent docks.

"Suraya, stop!" Yahya called, but it was too late. 

"Ahhhhhhhh!" the man screamed. 

Yahya watched with horror on his face as he saw Suraya's body become paler and paler like blood leaving his body. But that's not the end of it. 

His body started shrinking and then rotting as if they were watching a body decomposing at a speed never before seen. Both of them didn't dare get close. 

Yahya and Adam exchanged a look, unspoken understanding passing between them. Suraya was gone just like that, but they needed him. He had answers.

"Did you see his hand?" Adam asked, breaking the silence as he stepped forward, his tone tight. "He's marked. He's a part of whatever this is."

"I saw it," Yahya replied, his mind churning. "It's the same as the runes on Evelyn's belt. But he's more than a victim—he's connected to them. Either he's in deeper than he's saying, or he's in denial."

Ahead, another shadowy figure reappeared, darting through a narrow alley between two warehouses. 

Yahya cursed under his breath, picking up his feet from a kneeling position. But as he and Adam rounded the corner, they skidded to a stop.

There was nothing, no one. Only the eerie glow of the city lights reflected off the fog.

"Someone's here," Adam murmured, his voice hollow. "They're here."

Yahya and Adam approached cautiously, weapons drawn, but before they could take another step, a strange sound cut through the silence—a low, humming resonance, like a faint whisper on the wind. Yahya's skin prickled with unease.

"Yahya, don't move," Adam said, voice tense.

Yahya heeded Adam's word. He could see more than he could. 

The mist closed around them, thicker than ever. Adam swore under his breath, eyes darting around, searching the dense fog for any sign of movement before standing straight, and fixing his coat.

Yahya starts calming down before feeling a chill crawl down his spine. He turned around and saw the man with a familiar silhouette... Denavolt. The body is just like how he discovered it but more eerie with the visible decomposing on its skin.

Denavolt starts lunging toward them. Yahya ducks while aiming his revolver at Denavolt. He takes three shots. Two to the body and one to the head. Denavolt's body lands from the front; he lunges with visible difficulty. The body moves like a beast, though with some difficulty. It leaps toward Willaim at a speed not possible for a human, much less a corpse.

Adam, prepared for the attacks, raises his revolver and fires six shots at the body. All the bullets seem to do nothing to the body except the last shot. A blinding light was emanating from the last bullet. As soon as the bullet hit the body. It exploded, destroying half of the body in a seemingly silent explosion. Yahya and Adam cover their faces with their coats as pieces of Denavolt's body.

Both Yahya and Adam stare at each other before nodding and putting their guns back in their coats.

"Let's get back to the station," Yahya said, his voice grim. "We need Jusof's insight on the runes—and whatever they're doing to these people. Also, call the captain to get Suraya's body."