Something's off

Noah sat on the rooftop of an abandoned building near Warehouse 12, staring at the neon-lit skyline. His mind refused to settle. Everything Dante had said played over and over again in his head.

The Reaper. The Collector. Daniel Ross never left.

None of it made sense.

If Daniel was dead, where was his body? If someone took him… why?

Noah clenched his fists. He had been fighting battle after battle, pushing himself beyond his limits, yet something about this felt different. More than just underground fights and rivalries.

It felt wrong.

Xander sat next to him, flicking a lighter open and shut, the small flame casting flickering shadows on his face. "You're thinking too hard."

Noah exhaled. "That's what I do."

Xander smirked but didn't argue. "You're taking this personal."

Noah didn't respond.

Because it was true.

Maybe it was because he saw the desperation in Evelyn's eyes. Maybe it was because he was tired of people like Dante treating lives like disposable currency.

Or maybe…

It was because he felt something.

Something off ever since stepping into Warehouse 12.

A pull. A whisper at the back of his mind.

And it was only getting stronger.

---

The Night Speaks

Noah wasn't the type to believe in the supernatural.

But as he walked back toward Warehouse 12 alone, under the dim glow of the streetlights, he couldn't shake the feeling.

Like something unseen was watching.

Or waiting.

The air was thick, heavier than before. A dense fog curled around the alleyways, unnatural in the way it barely moved despite the wind.

Then—

A sound.

Not footsteps. Not voices.

A whisper.

Noah's body tensed. His instincts screamed at him to run, to get the hell out of there.

But instead, he stepped forward.

The air shifted.

The neon lights overhead flickered—once, twice—before going completely dark.

And in that instant, Noah saw it.

A shadow.

Standing at the entrance of Warehouse 12.

Tall. Motionless.

Watching.

Noah's breath caught. He had faced fighters, killers, and opponents far stronger than him. But this?

This was different.

Then—

The whisper returned.

But this time, it wasn't in the wind.

It was in his mind.

"Leave now, Noah Carter. Or be swallowed by the forgotten."

The voice wasn't human.

It was layered, like multiple voices speaking as one.

And then—

The shadow moved.

No, not moved—shifted.

One moment, it was standing still. The next, it was right in front of him.

Noah barely had time to react. He jumped back, his heart pounding, his instincts flaring to life—

And just as suddenly as it appeared—

It was gone.

The lights flickered back on.

The fog dissipated.

Noah stood there, breathless, fists clenched, trying to understand what the hell just happened.

Then, his phone vibrated.

A single message.

"You're too close. Stop looking."

No number. No sender.

Just a warning.

Noah's jaw tightened.

Too close?

No.

He was just getting started.

---

Answers in Blood

The next morning, Noah met Evelyn at the café.

She looked worse than before—eyes tired, fingers tapping anxiously against the table. The moment she saw him, she leaned forward. "Did you find anything?"

Noah hesitated.

How the hell was he supposed to explain what happened last night?

"Daniel lost his fight against The Reaper," Noah said instead. "After that… he never left the warehouse."

Evelyn's expression shattered. She inhaled sharply, but to her credit, she didn't cry. She clenched her fists instead. "So he's dead."

Noah looked away. "Maybe."

Evelyn's head snapped up. "What do you mean maybe?"

He exhaled. "There's more to this than just an underground fight. Dante mentioned someone called The Collector. I think they had something to do with Daniel's disappearance."

Evelyn's hands trembled. "The Collector…" she whispered.

Noah's eyes narrowed. "You've heard that name before."

She hesitated.

Then, slowly, she nodded.

"My brother mentioned it. Before his last fight." She swallowed hard. "He said if anything happened to him, it wouldn't be because he lost. It would be because The Collector came for him."

Noah's pulse quickened.

So Daniel knew.

He knew something was wrong before he even stepped into that ring.

Which meant—

This wasn't just about losing a fight.

This was about something else.

Evelyn looked at him, her voice barely above a whisper. "What do we do now?"

Noah clenched his jaw.

If someone thought they could scare him off with whispers in the dark—

They were dead wrong.

"We find The Collector."

And this time—

Noah wasn't just looking for answers.

He was looking for revenge.

---