The room in the Brooklyn Brew café felt suffocating, the air thick with uncertainty. Alastor's eyes were locked on his phone screen, the video still playing in an endless loop. His pulse quickened as the haunting message repeated in his mind: They're coming for your family. You'll be next. And then, at the end, the name: Levanzo.
His heart skipped a beat. It wasn't just a random threat. It was a name. The name of someone tied to the cult—and perhaps someone even more dangerous.
Mr. Thompson, standing at the edge of the room, glanced at Alastor, his brow furrowing with concern. "What did it say? Who was it?"
Alastor's gaze flickered up from the screen, his face pale. "It's not just a warning. It's a threat. They're after me, but also someone close to me—someone I care for." His eyes drifted toward Mr. Thompson, the weight of the unspoken truth hanging heavily in the air.
Mr. Thompson's lips tightened. "It's me, isn't it?"
Alastor didn't respond immediately. The confirmation was painful. Mr. Thompson had been a constant in his life, someone he trusted implicitly. To know the cult was targeting him was a sharp blow, one that Alastor wasn't sure how to process.
"I—" Alastor started, but the sudden ringing of a phone on the table interrupted him.
Derek reached for it, his fingers brushing the device before he stopped. "It's them. They know we're onto them."
The phone rang again, louder this time, and the urgency in the room intensified. Before anyone could react, Mr. Thompson's voice cut through the tension. "Wait, kid," he said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "How do you know this message is for you? How do you know they're after you and me? What makes you so sure?"
The room fell silent, everyone turning to Alastor, waiting for an answer.
Alastor felt their eyes on him, and for a moment, he couldn't bring himself to speak. The truth was too dangerous to reveal, too personal. He clenched his jaw, trying to steady his racing thoughts. The name Levanzo on the screen—something about it felt like a piece of his past, a key to unlocking everything. But how could he explain that without exposing too much of his history?
His gaze shifted away from Mr. Thompson's questioning eyes, his fingers tightening around the phone in his hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. And then, in a weak, surprised, and almost terrified voice, he whispered, "Levanzo."
Rachel frowned, crossing her arms. "Levanzo? That name doesn't sound random. Is it someone tied to the cult? Or…" Her voice trailed off as she exchanged a glance with Emily.
Emily, ever analytical, tapped her fingers against the table. "If the cult has a leader—or someone orchestrating everything—this name could be the key. It could explain why they've been targeting people."
Jack interjected, his voice sharp. "But why Sarah Lee? And why Rachel's brother? If Levanzo is connected to all this, what's the link between these disappearances?"
Rachel froze at the mention of her brother, her mind racing. The cult had taken so much from her already. Now, they were after her family again. She turned to Alastor, her gaze hard. "You know something about this, don't you? That name—Levanzo—means something to you."
Alastor's face was drained of color as he looked around at the others, his gaze frantic. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his racing heart. "Levanzo," he repeated, his voice shaking. "It's... it's the name from the video. It's the one who—"
Before he could finish, Jack's voice cut in, his face suddenly registering a flash of recognition. "Wait... Levanzo?" He turned to the others, his voice sharp with realization. "That's the name of the symbol we saw at the abandoned warehouse! The one on that wall, the one we couldn't figure out."
The tension in the room spiked again, but this time it was different. Rachel and Emily exchanged a quick, knowing glance. The symbol at the warehouse—it had meant something. And now, hearing that name again, it clicked. The pieces were starting to fall into place.
Rachel took a step forward, her voice shaky but firm. "The symbol... that was connected to the cult, wasn't it? What does that name even mean? Who is Levanzo? Why do you look so... terrified?"
Alastor's eyes flickered between the group, his mind racing. He could feel the weight of their questions, the pressure to explain everything that had been left unsaid. But the truth was dangerous—too dangerous to speak all at once. He could feel the walls closing in.
The urgency in the room built as everyone waited for him to explain further, but Alastor remained silent for a moment, his thoughts swirling in a storm of memories and fear.
Rachel froze, her face pale as she stared at the phone in Alastor's hands. The message on the screen sent a chill through her: Your family—Mr. Thompson, Rachel, and her brother. You will be next. The implications were staggering, but something about it didn't sit right.
Her brother. The cult had killed him. But why? If Alastor claimed the message was meant for him, and if Mr. Thompson was now a target because he was close to Alastor, what did that mean for her? She was Mr. Thompson's niece, and that connection made sense—almost. But her brother had been dead long before either of them had even met Alastor.
Her thoughts tangled as she tried to piece it together. If Alastor was the real target, how could her brother's death tie into all of this? How had the cult known to target her family before Alastor had even come into their lives? And how did Alastor know the message was meant for him? It didn't add up.
Her voice trembled as she turned to Mr. Thompson. "They killed my brother, didn't they?" She hesitated, then turned to Alastor, a mix of confusion and accusation in her eyes. "But now they're after you. And you've only been in my life for a few days. My brother died long before any of this… long before you even knew Mr. Thompson. How does this make sense?"
Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she forced them back, the realization of her brother's death being part of something bigger cutting into her like a blade.
Alastor's expression tightened with guilt. He stepped closer, his voice low. "Rachel, I… I don't have all the answers. But I never wanted this. I never wanted you or your family to be dragged into this mess. I'm so sorry."
Rachel shook her head, anger igniting in her chest. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't explain why my brother is dead. It doesn't explain why they're coming after us now!" She took a shaky breath, her grief hardening into resolve. "All I know is that this is connected to you somehow. And now they're coming for all of us."
Alastor lowered his gaze, his grip tightening on the phone. The name Levanzo hovered in his mind like a curse, a shadow from his past that refused to let go.
Before he could respond, Derek spoke up. "What if this is exactly what they want? To pull us into their trap? To make us act without thinking?"
Emily nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. "We can't let them control us. But Derek's right—we can't rush in blindly."
Rachel's voice cut through the tension, cold and unwavering. "We don't have time to wait. They've already taken too much. They'll destroy everything if we let them. I won't stand by and let them take anyone else from me." Her fists clenched, her grief burning into determination.
Alastor looked at the others, the pieces of the puzzle swirling in his mind. The cult's motives were still unclear, but their threat was undeniable. And the name Levanzo… it was tied to all of this, a thread connecting the past to the danger closing in around them now.
"You're right," Alastor said, his voice steady despite the storm raging within him. "We need to figure this out—now. If they're targeting Mr. Thompson, then this is bigger than we realize. We have to be ready for whatever's coming."
Rachel nodded sharply, her expression hardened. "We will be. But I'm not letting them break us. Not this time."
The room felt charged with tension, her words lighting a fire in everyone. But as determined as Rachel sounded, Alastor couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that they were missing something critical—something buried in her brother's death, in Mr. Thompson's involvement, and in his own haunted past with Levanzo.