It was 4:00 PM on Monday,when two unmarked vans rumbled to a stop five hours after leaving St. Mary's Hospital.
They parked discreetly on a cracked road, about a mile from the abandoned warehouse district. The late afternoon sun hung low, casting long shadows over the desolate industrial area. Dust swirled in the thick air, mingling with an unsettling hum that vibrated through the ground.
Rossie Carter stepped out, her gaze sharp, her bracelet glowing faintly on her wrist. The pulse of the moonflower nestled safely in her backpack felt like a heartbeat, giving her the strength she needed.
The ten hired operatives - led by Marcus and Finn - unloaded their gear, faces set with grim determination.
Tension lingered in the van after the drive, but they had refined their strategy repeatedly during the journey. Now, the time had come to stop the occultic group and the entity threatening their city.
•••••••••
Gathering her team behind a rusted shipping container, Rossie lowered her voice but infused it with authority.
"Team A, you're up. Marcus, create that diversion to draw their lookouts away.
Team B, we move through the service tunnel once it's clear." Her strategic plan, honed in the dim light of the hospital, served as her anchor, bolstered by the bracelet's strength and the energy flowing from the moonflower.
Marcus nodded, signaling to his five-man team.
"Let's make some noise." They armed themselves with flashbangs and tranquilizer darts, creeping toward the warehouse's main entrance.
Moments later, an eruption of sound filled the air as a flashbang detonated, chaos spilling out - shouts and the scuffle of a staged fight broke the tense silence.
Shadows darted from the warehouse as guards rushed toward the commotion, giving Rossie and Team B the opening they desperately needed.
Leading Finn and three others - Tom, a burly ex-security guard; Lena, a sharp-eyed scout; and Carlos, a tech specialist - Rossie guided her team toward the western side where the service tunnel loomed ahead, narrow and overgrown with weeds.
"Stay quiet," she instructed, slipping inside the dank space. The tunnel's damp walls glistened with moisture, and a low hum resonated with the glowing pulse of the moonflower nestled in her backpack.
Carlos switched on a small flashlight, the device pinging softly as they navigated through the darkness.
"Structural integrity's shaky, but it holds," he murmured, his voice a whisper.
With bated breaths, they emerged inside the warehouse's lower level - a cavernous space filled with rusted machinery and flickering lights that barely illuminated the growing shadows.
The air was thick with incense, and faint but distant chants echoed ominously from above.
Rossie peered through a cracked window, spotting the increasing crowd of the occultic group - now numbering around twenty, including Jake, Sam, Tom, Sarah, and Mia—gathered around a massive altar.
The symbols etched on their skin glowed with an unsettling intensity, and shadowy tendrils writhed in the darkness; the entity's presence was dangerously palpable.
•••••••••
Before they could advance, two guards roamed the lower level, their movements unnatural, heightened by the entity's corrupting influence.....Rossie signaled quietly to Finn. He fired a tranquilizer dart, the first guard collapsing silently to the floor.
The second guard turned, eyes flaring with a menacing intensity. With inhuman speed, he charged directly at them.
Rossie braced herself, a surge of energy from her bracelet coursing through her. She dodged his attack, narrowly avoiding a blow that dented a nearby metal beam, then countered with a precise strike to his chest, the bracelet's power amplifying her strength. Finn finished him with another dart before Rossie even caught her breath.
"Nice move," Finn whispered, admiration dancing in his eyes.
Rossie nodded, shifting her focus. "Let's keep moving - up the stairs."
As they climbed a rickety staircase that creaked beneath their weight, until they reached a balcony high above the chamber, granting them a commanding view of the unfolding ritual below.
The chant of the occult group escalated into a frenzied pitch, the altar pulsating ominously as they prepared to summon a new host.
Rossie quickly assessed the scene: the altar was central, flanked by four enhanced guards, while the rest centered around the altar, channeling malevolent energy.
"We hit the altar first," she decided, her voice firm. "Finn and Lena, take the guards with darts. Tom and Carlos, cover the exits. I'll use the moonflower to break their link."
Her team nodded resolutely and took their positions, anticipation radiating off them.
Rossie unslung her backpack, the glow of the moonflower brightening as she prepared to disrupt the ritual. Courage surged through her as the warehouse trembled, echoing the growing power of the unseen entity, setting the stage for a confrontation that would determine their fate.
As the clock ticked to 4:10 PM, the abandoned warehouse shuddered under the weight of the occultic group's chanting. The air thickened with incense and the entity's shadowy tendrils coiled ominously around the altar.
From her vantage point on the balcony, Rossie felt the bracelet's glow intensifying with the frantic energy below.
The twenty occult members—including Jake, Sam, Tom, Sarah, and Mia - encircled the pulsating altar, their runes glowing fiercely, feeding the entity's power.
Meanwhile, Marcus's Team A continued their diversion, filling the air with sound and confusion as guards rushed toward the clamor.
"Now!" Rossie breathed, feeling the warm pulse of the moonflower resonating with her.
Finn and Lena sprang into action, firing tranquilizer darts that dropped two of the four enhanced guards. Tom and Carlos held fast at the exits, fending off stragglers.
Fueled by adrenalin, Rossie leapt from the balcony, her movements a blur, landing with an agility that seemed almost superhuman.
The occult group whipped their heads around, eyes igniting with fury, but Rossie was already in motion. She dashed toward the altar, narrowly dodging a strike from a tendril that lashed out at her. Jake lunged, muscles rippling as he attempted to restrain her. The ground cracked beneath his feet, but Rossie danced around him, delivering a precise kick that sent him sprawling.
Reaching the altar, the moonflower's power surged as she gripped its edge, her strength amplified. With a determined roar, she heaved, the stone altar splintering with a deafening crack, the reddish glow erupting into sparks.
The ritual's connection shattered as the chanting faltered, causing the occult members to stagger backward in shock.
But the occult group recovered quickly, fueled by desperation. Sam and Mia charged at her, movements fueled with dark energy, but Rossie matched their speed, a whirlwind of motion as she defended herself. She blocked Sam's punch, the impact vibrating through her forearm, then countered with a swift elbow strike to his jaw, sending him to the ground.
Mia's tendrils lashed toward her, but Rossie twisted out of their reach, her agility guiding her. She closed the gap in mere seconds, striking with precision and sending Mia crashing into Sarah.
Tom, guarding the exits, absorbed a glancing blow from an occult member, pain radiating through his cheek as a bruise formed. Lena stumbled, a tendril grazing her arm and drawing a trickle of blood, while Finn and Carlos braced themselves against the fray, sustaining minor injuries. Yet Rossie continued to defend her team, her bracelet amplifying her reflexes, allowing her to parry and strike with exceptional skill, her movements a dance of light and power channeling through her.
••••••••••Stopping the ritual••••••••••
The destruction of the altar weakened the entity's grip, its shadowy form flickering lethargically as the occult members cried out in irritation. Jake, half-risen again, shouted through gritted teeth,
"You can't stop it forever!" His words felt desperate, a hollow defiance against the tide of power shifting in the room.
Rossie seized the moment. Raising the moonflower high over her head, its warm light flooded the warehouse - bright and unwavering.
The occult group shielded their eyes as the entity's presence roared in protest, its dark form receding with a guttural groan as the oppressive energy of the ritual shattered under the brilliance of the flower's glow.
As silence enveloped the warehouse, the remaining occult members collapsed or fled into the shadows, their sinister plan thwarted. Rossie lowered the moonflower, breaths coming heavy now as the bracelet's glow gradually faded.
Finn quickly helped Tom to his feet while Lena clutched her arm, grimacing at the cut. Carlos nodded in respect, awe glimmering in his eyes.
"You did it," Finn exclaimed, still reeling from the spectacle. "That was… unreal."
Rossie managed a tired smile, checking over her team.
"We're not done yet. We need to secure this place and call for backup."
Although the ritual was broken, the entity's lingering threat loomed on the horizon, a reminder that their battle was far from over, and that Rossie's extraordinary display had only turned the tide—still at a cost.