Phantom Recall

32 || end of the line

I leave ahead of Javier.

I've no doubt he took his car here anyway so it's not like I need to escort him home or anything. He could handle his own regardless, I'm sure. One glimpse of that dark energy swirling in his palm and I felt my entire perspective alter for a moment. And by the end of our conversation I still haven't shaken that feeling. It's terrifying to think he sold the rest of his life away, just for a chance at seeking vengeance against Takashi... the same Takashi who (supposedly) once nurtured Noir into a killing machine, killed Javier's mother, and who has been inadvertently drawing the monstrous phantom beasts from out of the border realm and into this one.

As if one of those things wouldn't be enough. He's been nothing if not busy these past 130 years...

I feel a strange headache coming on the moment I step back into the warehouse and close the door behind me. Already, before even having done so, I mentally prepared myself to resume my lonely session of sitting by the fire in the center of the room, accompanied by my little rat friends, had they not grown tired of waiting for my return. But once I'm inside again everything is gone. The fire was put out, and I hear not the faintest squeaking or scuttling of rodent feet over the floorboards.

I squint into the darkness — it only seems to be growing darker by the second, too, though I'm sure that's only in my imagination.

"Harlow, are you back yet?" I call out and start walking ahead in a straight line. "If this is a prank then it's in very bad taste..."

The moon must have shifted, too. Scarce amounts of light pour in from overhead. I can barely see my own hands in front of my face. I light a small flame over my palm. My chills double, ironically. Thinking about it now, I did notice dark clouds forming in the brief time I was outside. Maybe it would rain tonight. It's still summer. These things are normal. In spite of everything going on...some things remain the same.

I let out a deep breath as I approach the wood pile, ready to light it. I hear a car starting up outside. Probably Javier's, I think to myself. I wonder if he lives far from here...

My hand hovers over the wood for a few seconds. I start to crouch but I don't get far. From out of the shadows and without warning, another hand extends to latch onto my neck and pushes me back to the point where I trip over my own feet. But it's firm enough to keep me from falling.

That suspicious layer of darkness I thought to be the work of clouds passes away, all at once, like a powerful fan clearing fog from a stage.

Takashi's burning red eyes stare into my soul.

"Geez, it really is true..." I choke out these words while reaching up to latch onto his wrist. "You really....do have eyes and ears everywhere-"

"What have you done with him?"

My grip on Takashi tightens but so does his. And unfortunately, it's unquestionable who has the upper hand here. I may not feel as though I'm losing oxygen, but the pain of my throat being constricted diminishes the fire exuding from my palms. Chances are it feels like nothing more than a sunburn to him now.

Truth be told, I'm only partially surprised he turned up out of nowhere. It does seem to be his speciality. Perhaps it's a perk of being a reaper, an additional sense tacked on to the irreparable damage their curse entails. Although, I would personally argue it to be an extension of the curse. To always know when you're being discussed, when people, whether acquaintances or strangers, are harboring ill will against you.

If true, it sounds like a nightmare.

"Answer my question, Mr. Phoenix."

My back is slammed against one of the warehouse pillars. I try to phase through it but with no luck. "I don't..." Speaking hurts. "I don't know...what you're talking about..."