Chapter 1- Not as it seems
Vincent and Juno stood in front of a weathered door. Vincent nervously fiddled with the strap of his satchel while Juno adjusted the bat slung across his back. After a moment, Juno knocked.
The door swung open, revealing a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He tilted his head, eyeing them curiously.
“You’re the ones who are supposed to help me with my problem, right?” he asked.
Vincent nodded. “Yeah. So, what seems to be the problem?”
The man stepped aside, allowing them to enter.
“Things have been screaming at night. I hear footsteps, too. I’m not scared or anything; I just want it gone.”
Juno nodded. “Got it. What’s your name?”
The man headed toward the kitchen. “Miller.”
“Miller,” Juno repeated quietly, committing the name to memory.
Vincent nudged Juno’s side. “Side bar.”
Juno glanced at him before following him a few steps away.
“Ask him some questions so we know what we’re dealing with,” Vincent whispered. “I’m going to look around.”
Juno nodded, and Vincent wandered toward the back of the house.
Miller turned from the kitchen counter. “Juno, right? Do you drink coffee?”
Meanwhile, Vincent searched the rooms, inspecting the corners and hallways for anything unusual. Then, from somewhere deeper in the house, he heard a faint humming.
*Huh. That was fast,* he thought. *Usually, it takes me a while to find anything.*
He followed the sound, feeling an odd pull drawing him closer. As he entered the room, he spotted a woman hovering near the far wall. Her face was ghostly pale, and she wore an elegant white dress stained with blood.
Vincent cautiously approached her, trying to get her attention.
The woman gasped sharply and spun around.
“You’re the one I saw through the window,” she said, her voice hollow and eerie.
She floated closer, her expression unreadable.
Vincent took a steadying breath. “Why are you scaring this guy?”
The woman’s lips stretched into a disturbingly wide smile.
“Because he’s a bad man.”
Vincent staggered back slightly. “He seems nice. Normal, even.”
The ghost laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the room.
“That’s how he gets you.”
Vincent stared at her before his eyes drifted toward the bloodstains covering her dress.
“Did he—”
“Yep,” she interrupted. “He was so sweet at first. Took me out, showed me a good time, then brought me home and offered me coffee. I thought it smelled weird, but I didn’t think much of it. So, I drank it.”
Her smile faded.
“After a while, I started feeling strange. I couldn’t think straight, and I could barely walk. But apparently, that wasn’t enough for him. He grabbed a kitchen knife, and then…”
She trailed off.
Vincent’s expression darkened as the pieces fell into place.
“He murdered you.”
The woman nodded.
Vincent immediately turned and sprinted toward the kitchen.
He arrived just in time to see Juno lifting a coffee cup toward his mouth. Miller sat across from him, watching with an unsettling smile.
“No! It’s poisoned!” Vincent shouted.
Juno froze, then slowly lowered the cup.
“What?”
Miller’s smile widened. He reached toward a nearby drawer, pulling out a gun.
Juno reacted instantly. Grabbing the bat from his back, he swung it hard against Miller’s head. The man crumpled to the floor.
“Damn it!” Juno muttered, staring down at him.
Vincent, still catching his breath, pulled out his phone.
“I’m calling the cops.”
Juno nodded, keeping his eyes on Miller. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”
After Vincent explained the situation to the police, he ended the call and slipped his phone away.
“Apparently, he murdered a girl,” Vincent explained. “She was trying to scare him, but I guess she was also trying to stop him from killing anyone else.”
Juno glanced at Miller, who remained unconscious on the floor.
“Well, that’s fun.”
Vincent turned toward the hallway. “I’ll be right back.”
He retraced his steps to the room where he had encountered the ghost. However, the woman was gone. In her place, resting on the floor, was a delicate white flower with petals that shimmered like pearls.
Vincent crouched and picked it up, a small smile appearing on his face. Then he headed back to Juno.
“She’s gone,” he said.
Juno nodded, his expression softening.
“Good. I hope she finds peace. No one deserves what happened to her.”
Vincent quietly agreed before slipping the flower into his satchel.
“Come on. Let’s go to the bar.”
Juno let out a tired laugh. “Yeah. I’ve had a shitty day.”
Vincent nudged him playfully. “Yeah, because you almost drank poisoned coffee.”
Juno rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know it was poisoned!”
“Uh-huh.” Vincent smirked. “Since I just saved your life, how about you buy me a drink?”
Juno shook his head, laughing under his breath.
“Fine. Whatever.”
