Page 23 of The Shadows of Excess

Damon rolled his eyes, his frustration evident. “I’m not gonna mess with it, okay? I want to snap a picture and send it to Tim. Dr. Gould might know his stuff, but he’s not the only game in town with expertise.”

Brody tilted his head, and Grady produced a piece of paper that looked like parchment from his leather jacket. “Here.”

Damon took the paper. “This looks old.”

“Agreed.” Brody’s expression grew thoughtful. “This is uncharted territory for us.” He glanced at Grady and Scott. “I’ve never seen anything like these symbols before. They don’t match the symbols found in the cave or imprinted on the victims. We need to gather as much information as possible to understand what we’re dealing with.”

Justice looked over Damon’s shoulder, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “Let me study these. I might be able to?—”

Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered, casting eerie shadows across the walls.

The rose tattoo on my arm burned, and I cried out.

A cold gust of wind inexplicably swept through the room, making the paper flutter in Damon’s hand. Everyone froze, a sense of dread hanging in the air.

Without warning, the parchment glowed with an otherworldly light, the markings pulsating as if coming to life.

Justice recoiled, his eyes widening in shock. “This...this is not possible,” he stammered.

Brody, Grady, and Scott moved closer to Damon and Justice, confused and concerned. The room grew colder, and a heavy silence fell, broken only by the distant sound of something sinister echoing through the hospital corridors.

Then, as quickly as it began, the phenomenon ceased. The room returned to normal, but the tension remained on high alert.

I slid my sleeve up. “My tattoo. It’s glowing.” I gritted my teeth. “And it’s burning. The demons…I think they’re here.”

Everyone exchanged wary glances, the unspoken question hanging in the air. What just happened?

Before anyone could speak, a loud crash resonated from the hallway, followed by a series of panicked screams.

Damon’s hand instinctively went to his side, looking for a weapon he didn’t have. “What the hell was that?”

Brody was already at the door, his super-soldier instincts kicking in. “Stay here. I’ll check it out.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Brody vanished through the door, his footsteps fading quickly. The sound of screams echoed ominously outside my hospital room, sending a chill down my spine.

The hallway erupted into chaos. The pounding sounds were intense and unrelenting, indicating a fierce struggle beyond the door. There were heavy thuds, like bodies being thrown against the walls, mixed with the sharp clatter of what could only be hand-to-hand combat. It painted a vivid picture of Brody engaged in a desperate fight against an unseen adversary.

“Stay with them, Scott.”

Grady didn’t hesitate. He sprinted from the room, following Brody into the unknown danger.

The blows resonated through the door, sending vibrations through the room. The occasional grunt and the sound of labored breathing suggested Brody and Grady were exerting themselves to their limits. The clash of what might have been their super-soldier strength against a formidable unknown enemy created a symphony of violence, terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Amid the cacophony was a brief, eerie silence, as if both combatants were pausing to gather strength, followed by a renewed flurry of activity. The sounds were more frantic now, filled with urgency and peril. Whatever Brody and Grady were fighting was powerful and relentless.

I propped myself up on the hospital bed, my heart pounding fiercely as fear and adrenaline surged through me.

With grim determination, Damon handed the parchment to Justice. “Stay with her,” he instructed firmly. “Don’t let anything happen to my sister.”

As he moved toward the door, the sense of impending danger grew. Something was out there. Something even two super-soldiers were struggling against. I knew my brother was brave, but this could be beyond him.

“Damon, no,” I called.

But Damon was already at the door, his protective instincts overriding caution, as usual. As he disappeared into the hallway, the gravity of the situation hit me. These demons might be even more powerful than the Demons of Gluttony. God, we were so screwed.

After a tense few minutes, Brody, Grady, and Damon stumbled back into the room, their appearances disheveled. The intense skirmish was evident on their faces and clothes. Grady was nursing a gash on his arm, while Brody’s knuckles were bloodied, his breathing heavy but controlled.

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