Gnosis

CHAPTER 4: BRINGING BACK THE TAKEN

Word Count: 2495

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The air around (Y/n) was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burning debris as she arrived at the eye factory, now nothing more than a ruin. Flames licked at the charred remains of the building, casting an eerie glow against the night sky. Her eyes darted frantically through the smoke, searching for any sign of him—any hint that Five had been here, that he was safe.

But there was nothing. No trace of his presence, no sign of his sharp intellect or his usual confident stride. The thought that he might have escaped, that he was safe, offered a fleeting moment of relief, but a gnawing feeling quickly overshadowed it when her eyes fell upon the van—their van.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw what was scrawled across the glass of the van's windshield: 'Your Brother Says Hi.'

Dread settled in her stomach as she stared at the message. What did it mean? Did they have Five? And who was the message directed to? Her mind raced with questions, each more terrifying than the last. Was Five in danger? Was this a trap? She felt a surge of panic, but she forced herself to focus. She needed to find him.

(Y/n) took off her gloves, exposing her bare fingertips to the cool air. She reached out to the van, her hands trembling as she gently skimmed her fingers across the letters etched into the glass. The moment her skin made contact, a familiar sensation washed over her, a sharp, almost electric jolt as her powers activated. Her vision blurred, and her head shot up as her eyes turned white, lost in the depths of a vision.

Images flashed before her—fragmented, disjointed pieces of a puzzle that she couldn't quite put together. But she followed the thread of the vision, letting it guide her, until suddenly, she found herself standing in front of a motel.

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March 27, 2019

       - Hazel and Cha-Cha's Motel Room

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(Y/n) arrived at the motel, the dark and seedy exterior doing little to calm her nerves. She hesitated only for a moment before pushing the door open, revealing a dimly lit room. Her senses were on high alert as she scanned her surroundings. What she saw next made her blood run cold.

There, tied to a chair in the center of the room, was Klaus. Bloodied, battered, and barely conscious, his usual flamboyant demeanor had been replaced with a look of sheer terror. His wide eyes locked onto hers, a mixture of panic and desperate hope in his gaze.

"Klaus!" (Y/n) whispered, rushing to his side. Her hands shook as she fumbled to undo the ropes that were binding him.

Klaus's muffled attempts to speak only fueled to go quicker, but before she could fully untie him, the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears and she froze in place.

Her heart pounded as she realized Cha-Cha and Hazel had just gotten back. There was no time to think, only to act. Her eyes darted around the room in search of a hiding place, and in a split second, she made her decision. She dove under the bed, pressing herself against the dusty floor, her breathing shallow as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

The door creaked open moments later, and she heard Hazel and Cha-Cha enter the room. Their voices were low as they discussed between each other. (Y/n) lay still, barely daring to breathe as she listened to every word. They began interrogating Klaus, demanding to know where she and Five were. But Klaus, despite his fear, remained defiant, refusing to give them any information.