Operation Witchcraft

Chapter 2: The Warehouse

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Most of the time, when someone is spiraling, they don't spiral quickly. Most of the time, they spiral in large, wide arcs that are almost unnoticeable. Their friends would brush off their odd behavior as "just being them" but a little bit extra today, or they wouldn't notice the change at all. It's slow, but distinctive, over the years with small changes here and there.

Olivia could always tell when someone was spiraling, she just knew. She always explains it to others as being able to pick up on body language that most ignore, but in reality, all Olivia needs is one look and she knows exactly what they're thinking. Usually, she does nothing with that information, but around Ella she felt free enough to talk about it.

Right now, Olivia could tell something was wrong with her friend. She didn't know quite what, but one look at Ella and Olivia could almost feel the spiral her friend had been on for years take a sharp turn directly downwards. But, she had already prodded once today and once was enough for now.

The pair were on the train, headed to the warehouse district in town. Olivia was a social media influencer in her free time - it only brought in a little bit of coin - and Ella was a phenomenal photographer. Packed in a duffel and a roomy backpack were three outfits and accessories to match, enough for at least the next weeks worth of posts. Ella always grumbled when Olivia dragged her out for photo shoots, but Olivia know she secretly loved it. Plus, Olivia always gave Ella's photography accounts a shout out, and it brought some recognition to her work.

The train rumbled through the various sections of town, wind whistling through a slightly cracked window. It always smelled stale in the train cars, but at least it was on the emptier side today. Olivia bounced up and down a bit as she chatted about what outfit would go with what accessory and what pose.

Ella, only half listening, was quietly surveying the car. Olivia watched Ella's eyes settle for a moment on a guy across the train before moving on, and she quickly glanced at the man of interest.

"Who's that?" Olivia tried to keep her voice quiet so the train would cover her curiosity. Ella looked at Olivia, clearly confused. She gestured at the Japanese boy behind her.

"Oh that's Wendall. I know him from work, a bit surprised to see him out here on the other side of town."

Olivia furrowed her brows, "Wendall? Isn't that the same guy from yesterday?"

"The very one," Ella nodded. Why did Ella look worried? Olivia turned to take him in. Wendall was in a green bandana - to match his socks? - and plain clothes. He wore a messenger bag like bag, made from leather that looked both authentic and hand crafted. He had headphones in and was hopping out to what must have been really good tunes. Nothing remotely disconcerting about him at all.

"Ollie, don't worry about him. Tell me about what you wanted for the first outfit again?" Ella must have noticed Olivia's concern. She turned and flashed her friend a smile, trying to brush off Ella's coworker.

"Girl, have you been listening?"

The rest of the train ride was fairly uneventful, the full 3 minutes that it was. The two walked to the warehouse that Olivia had researched earlier. It had been used as an old textile factory before the company had shut down due to workplace abuse. Supposedly the old floor manager had just snapped one day and tried to kill 15 employees, and then disappeared from police custody. The factory shut its doors the day after.

Stepping inside the factory, the air seemed to still. There was a dark presence, as though some monster still roamed the factory floor. Olivia shivered, perfect.