CHAPTER FIVE

"That's not possible," Lucas mused. He repeated this to himself over and over, trying to convince himself that what he had just heard couldn't be true. But why wasn't it working? If anyone else heard that story, they would probably think she had just seen a man in a suit or that it was a result of the trauma she had experienced.

"So why do I believe her words?"

The answer was obvious.

He had experienced something similar—an encounter with a non-human being, an entire island vanishing before his eyes, and a storm forming on water. He had spent time in Australia, trying to convince himself that none of it had really happened.

"No matter how far I run, I always end up at the same point," he muttered placidly.

"I'm very sorry for what happened to you. Come with me—I know a place where you can stay," he said, offering the girl a reassuring smile.

She looked up at him, surprised.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"L-Lily."

He took her hand and led her out of the dark street. But as he looked around, he realized something—he still didn't know his way around this city.

He described John's living area, and Lily took his hand and guided him toward a busy street.

The city was stunning at night. The towering buildings glowed with lights of varying intensities, illuminating the streets below. The sidewalks were crowded, people moving as if it were still rush hour.

"I'm not used to this kind of environment. I grew up in…" Lucas paused.

Lily looked at him with curious eyes. "Why did you stop?"

"I-I don't know. My memory of my childhood is… blurry."

She stared at him, her expression unreadable. Then Lucas realized something else—his way of speaking might have been more advanced than she was used to. He wondered how she had been following along so far.

"I don't remember much from when I was your age," he rephrased, simplifying his words.

They walked for a few more minutes, and Lucas noticed how the buildings were becoming shorter. After about ten minutes, they arrived in a neighborhood with more ordinary-sized houses. This time, he took the lead, relying purely on muscle memory to guide him, hoping he hadn't already passed the house he was searching for.

"How do you not know where you live?" Lily asked, frowning.

"It's complicated," he replied.

He stopped in front of a house that looked just as extravagant as the others—except for the figures moving inside.

"Well that's new," he muttered as he moved to open the door, only to find it locked. He knocked and was surprised when a ginger-haired woman opened it.

He was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice. Without hesitation, he let himself in—bringing Lily with him.

Inside, he saw John with three other people, excluding the ginger-haired woman.

Lucas fought back the emotion welling up inside him, glancing around and realizing how stunned he probably looked.

"Where have you been?" John asked, looking between him and Lily. "And is that your daughter?"

Lucas understood the confusion. Both he and Lily had jet-black hair and striking turquoise-colored eyes.

"Trying to find my way around. And no," he answered both questions at once.

He took in the people around him.

The ginger-haired woman had fair, flawless skin, unblemished despite the country's harsh climate. Her long, bright hair cascaded past her waist. Her eyes held a certain look—one of preparation. For what, Lucas wasn't sure, but he knew she was ready.

The second woman looked to be of Asian descent. She had shoulder-length hair, much like his own, and was dressed entirely in black. She was focused on her phone, seemingly indifferent to her surroundings.

There were two other men in the room besides himself and John.

One of them stood out due to his sheer size. He made Lucas, at 6'5", feel short—an impressive feat. This man had to be at least 7'0".

"Here I was thinking I was tall," Lucas remarked.

The man looked up from the book he was reading, his expression unreadable, before resuming his reading. He had short hair, a freshly shaved beard, and an unmistakably European appearance—likely Italian. He appeared slightly older than Lucas and had a bulky build.

"Reacher," Lucas immediately thought.

The second man was of average height, dark-skinned, with a mischievous grin. His long, curly hair framed his face, and a faint mustache hinted at his youth.

He was the first to speak.

"Who the hell is this guy?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Lucas shot back.

Everyone in the room paused, turning their attention to the exchange.

"This is the person I told you about," John said calmly.

If anyone had been trying to hide their surprise, they did a poor job of it. Their astonishment was evident.

"It seems you left out a lot in your description," the dark-skinned man muttered.

"Isn't it illegal to house an immigrant of his kind?" the ginger-haired woman asked with genuine curiosity.

"Looks like we have another tall guy in our group," the Asian woman added.

"You're quite the looker," the ginger-haired woman said, eyeing Lucas.

Lucas wasn't surprised—he had heard similar remarks before. People often commented on his appearance. His jet-black hair and his striking turquoise eyes of a hunter, were uncommon. His sharp features—a chiseled jawline and high, hollow cheekbones—were striking. His height, baritone voice, and athletic build only added to his imposing presence, though he still paled in comparison to 'Reacher'.

"Let's cut to the chase," the Asian woman said. "My name is Julynn Pao."

"Austin Drakes," the towering man introduced himself.

"I'm Eve O'Holmes," the ginger-haired woman said.

"Dante Valieri," the dark-skinned man added.

"Jude Ross," Lucas replied, seeing no need to forge a fake surname.

"Is everything John said true?" Eve asked earnestly.

"That depends on what he told you," Lucas responded cautiously.

"Don't worry, you can trust them," John reassured him. "I withheld some information from you, but you're part of our operation now, so I invited everyone here for a briefing."

All eyes were on him. Their expressions varied, but they all shared one thing—pure, unfiltered disbelief.

They didn't believe him.

"I didn't believe the story before," Julynn said, staring him in the eyes. "But after seeing him in person, we might as well turn this into a movie."

"Let's give the guy a chance to explain himself," Austin said, as if he were in charge.

Lucas exhaled. "Before I say anything—what exactly did John tell you?"

"Jumped out of an exploding plane…"

"…disappearing island…"

"…storm on water…"

"…otherworldly entity…"

A cacophony erupted as everyone began talking at once, like contestants shouting out answers to a million-dollar question. They spoke as if recounting the adventures of a fictional character.

Lucas understood their skepticism. The story sounded impossible.

"Most of those things happened," he admitted. "Though I never wrestled an alligator," he added, glaring at John, who was busy admiring the ceiling.

"This isn't a movie. All of this is real."

His voice grew distant as his gaze unknowingly fell on Lily.

"Many people have lost family and friends to these supernatural occurrences," he continued, locking eyes with her.

"I would assume that is why we are all here right now," he said, sparing no glares at everyone present. They all looked at him with contempt, but Dante moved toward him, his left hand forming a fist. However, as if resisting at the last moment, he grabbed him by the collar instead. It was an awkward scene due to the height difference, but Dante persisted, standing on the tips of his toes and pressing Lucas against the wall.

"Phrase your words appropriately next time," he said, staring at him as if trying to tear him apart with his eyes alone. As he spoke, Lucas noticed his voice falter and wondered if this was the same person he had seen when he first arrived.

"I'm sorry if my lack of insight brought up bad memories, but we have another victim before us," Lucas said, shifting his gaze toward Lily.

"Why did you bring her here instead of taking her to the police?" John asked.

Lucas had considered that option, but his current stay in the country was illegal, and the last thing he wanted was to go anywhere near the police. "How ironic," he thought to himself with a wry smile, given that he had been an officer not too long ago.

There was another reason he couldn't take her to the police—one that affected everyone in the room. The circumstances surrounding her predicament were too complicated. If they took Lily to the authorities, what would they even say? Telling the truth was obviously not an option—no one would believe them. They could fabricate a story, but that would likely come back to haunt them later.

"Let her stay with me," Eve suggested.

At her words, Lily hid behind Lucas and clung to his trousers.

"Don't worry, she'll take good care of you," Lucas assured her, looking at Eve with questioning eyes. She responded with a firm nod.

"What exactly happened to the girl?" Austin asked, looking down at everyone like some kind of demigod.

Lily began to shiver and squeezed Lucas from behind.

"Let me take her upstairs," Dante said, gently taking Lily's hand and leading her away.

When he returned, Lucas glanced around as if making sure no one else was listening to what he was about to say.

"I found Lily in a dark street…" He paused as their eyes locked onto him, expecting him to name the place. "…I don't know its name, but it looked like somewhere people trade drugs—extremely decrepit." He hesitated before continuing. "She told me what the 'monster' said. It was really obscure, and she spoke as if she were being controlled."

He relayed Lily's words to them, and confusion deepened across their faces. They all listened with rapt attention—even Austin, who had been standing the whole time, finally took a seat.

"She said she told her parents about the monster, but they didn't listen…and then it killed them," Lucas concluded.

"If all you say is true, then there's a big question in your story," Julynn said, crossing her legs.

Lucas already had an idea of what the question could be and spoke before Julynn could finish.

"Why is she still alive?"

The room fell into pin-drop silence. Everyone was deep in thought, pondering possible answers.

"Maybe she was just lucky," Dante said, breaking the silence.

"Or she outwitted it," Austin added, earning a disapproving look from everyone.

"It probably wants to make use of her later," Eve suggested—and was surprised when her answer seemed to resonate with everyone.

"That seems probable," Julynn added.

"Don't you think that's a stretch?" John asked.

"Do you have any other reasonable answer?" Dante responded.

John opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, as if realizing he was about to say something foolish.

"What are we going to do about all this? We need answers if we want to efficiently plan our next move," Eve said firmly.

"There's only one thing we can do," Lucas said as grin formed on his face.