Howard Jones followed the thick line markings on the walls of Salem City, Oregon.
They were everywhere, hiding in plain sight. They were strategically placed near graffitis, narrow alleyways leading to dead ends, and even inside public restrooms.
But if you know what you were looking for, you'll be able to follow their trail.
Howard eventually found himself in an abandoned church. It was a rainy day, and it was a good thing that he took an umbrella with him. However, there were many leaks on the roof, so he still had to use it even inside the church itself.
There was a sign outside, but it was ruined. From the looks of it, the signage just decayed. Black marks covered almost all of it until the only thing you can read was the word…
'Beloved'.
Howard shivered at this word. There was nothing more destructive to him than that word.
Everywhere in this church, there was corruption and decay. He saw dozens of scuttling insects and tried his best to avoid stepping on them with his metal feet. He was still getting the hang of it, and he doesn't want to topple down from losing his balance over avoding a bunch of cockroaches and beetles.
The pews had long turned soft as they rotted from the inside. They don't break, but instead become soft and malleable. And sticky, like a tree sap.
Howard accidentally stepped on one, and the wood stuck on his shoe like gum.
He tried his best to yank it off. As he did so…..
There was movement in the altar behind him.
Howard was not a fighter. He was not the most alert either. When he was young, he was a punching bag for all sorts of people. He was not brave either, or had any confidence in himself to deal with situations that were outside his comfort zone.
But he was different now. He could feel that.
Something inside him snapped. Something that seemed to have always been present for a long while now, though he didn't know when.
Well, that was actually a lie.
He did know when it started. This change. But it did not manifest externally right away, because he instead chose to sulk over the death of his beloved wife.
The very day of her funeral was when he acquired that change, along with the mark on his neck.
But he buried it. He drowned it all out in denial, and chose to live a half-assed 'normal' life with his children. And now many years have passed, and what he buried has grown. It spread, and corrupted even his eldest son.
He must kill it before it kills his boy. Before he loses someone again.
Howard turned in a swift motion, and caught sight of what was hiding in the shadows. It was a human. But he knew it must not be any ordinary human.
Sure enough, sounds of hissing came from the shadows.
There was barely anything recognizable in the altar, as they were covered in filth. All except one.
A figure of someone holding a child, dressed in red with a halo.
This person had long black hair, and wore a red veil. Like a bastardization of the Holy Mother, the veiled figure held the infant in a way that you could tell it was its mother.
But it was a man.
That doesn't change the fact that it was the child's mother.
Howard gritted his teeth. "You won't take Harker away from me. He is my child, and Josephine's. You understand!?"
There was no response, of course.
But the moment he said this, the hidden figures had stepped out from the dark and showed themselves.
They were like regular humans, except that they had sharp and dirty teeth. They eat everything, from the bugs to the wood and even the occasional stray cats and dogs that were unfortunate enough to take shelter in the church from the rain.
There may have even been people who were also just as unfortunate.
But the sharp teeth weren't the only thing disconcerting about these creatures. In the space where their eyes should be….
There was only one, big and unblinking.
Howard curled his fist as they slowly approached him on all fours like dogs. They wore nothing but their own hair, and he could see their rib cages along with a tail.
He closed his umbrella, and aimed it on their face.
"Do you understand me? Were you sent by the Night?"
The one-eyed creatures did not answer.
Instead, one more appeared. But this one seemed different. This one walked on two feet, holding a cane. It was also wearing a hood, and its hair was pure white. If anyone would see it from behind, they might think that it was just an old hag.
But its big eyes remained unblinking, just like the others.
"We are Likho." It spoke in a feminine voice, with a thick Slavic accent. "We are of the Night, yes. But not in the stead of anyone."
Howard narrowed his eyes. "Which is it?"
"It means, Traveler... That we are from what is evil, and corrupt, and misfortunate….. But we are free. We are not bound to some ruler. Not this one."
She pointed at the Lady in Red Veil statue.
Howard sighed in relief, then stiffened again. He asked:
"Do you know where it is? The marks led me here. And I can feel its influence in this part very strongly."
The old likho lady shook her head. "This was once theirs. But not anymore. So we took over."
"But do you have any idea where it is???" Howard asked desperately. "I need to find it—"
One of the creatures suddenly jumped on him. Howard quickly used the umbrella to bar its sharp teeth, and struggled beneath this likho.
"Noch is somewhere that we do know, but we have no reason to tell you. We do not want you to escape either, Traveler. We are hungry, after all. And we shall feed."
Howard pushed through as best as he could, but this creature was much stronger. They took their time to surround him like dogs choosing to sniff about and salivate over a piece of meat before eating it.
But despite his enemy's strength, what Howard had was his determination. He pushed with all his might. His arms had always been the strongest part of him, especially since he lost his leg and had to push him on a wheelchair or crawl using them.
"Ahhhhhh!" He shouted as he finally shoved off this creature…..
And used the tip of the umbrella to stab it straight into that single, unblinking eye!
They all roared in fury, but Howard was unfazed. He took a deep breath, and with only a bloody umbrella in hand….
He faced all of them alone.
"I won't go until I get answers. I won't die until I see the Night. I will never die until I kill it with my own hands."
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