Olivia and Mia stood panting, hearts racing, their minds struggling to process what had just happened. They exchanged a look of disbelief. "Did we… did we really just do that?" Mia gasped, still clutching the cross like a lifeline.
"I think we did," Olivia replied, a mix of exhilaration and terror washing over her. "But we need to stay alert. There might be more of them."
They turned to face the remnants of the office, the atmosphere heavy with tension. The aftermath of the battle felt surreal; they had survived the banshee, but at what cost? They needed answers—and fast.
Mia, still sitting on the ground, suggested, "How about we contact Miss Price? Maybe she knows what happened."
Olivia considered this for a moment. "Okay, that sounds good. We should call her to figure out what the hell is going on in this cemetery."
As Olivia fished her phone out of her pocket, she silently thanked herself for not leaving it in her bag; otherwise, they might have ended up buried alongside the dead.
Mia glanced at Olivia while she dialed, her attention momentarily drifting to the cross. It now felt warm in her hands, a stark contrast to the cold steel she had felt when she ripped it off the wall.
She could sense some kind of power surging through her, as if the cross pulsed with energy, invigorating her spirit.
"Come on, Miss Price," Olivia murmured as she held the phone to her ear, hoping for a response. A knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach as she prayed the call would connect.
After what felt like an eternity, just as Olivia was about to lose hope, an elderly woman's voice crackled through the phone's speaker. "Hello, dear. Sorry for taking the call a bit late, the situation here is a bit chaotic."
In the background, Olivia could hear shouts—urgent cries for a medic echoing faintly through the line. She took a breath, steeling herself for what she was about to reveal. "Actually, there's been some sort of strange disturbance here," she said, her voice steady despite the racing pulse in her veins.
Evelyn's tone shifted instantly, becoming serious. "What do you mean, dear?"
Olivia glanced at Mia, who was adjusting something on the cross, and couldn't help but let a hint of sarcasm slip through. "Well, you didn't tell us that this grave-cleaner job involves not just cleaning tombstones but also fighting ghosts. We thought it was just an ordinary job!"
Evelyn's embarrassment was palpable even through the phone. She coughed lightly, her voice filled with regret. "I'm so sorry, dear. I didn't realize there would be disturbances there too. I never wanted to lead you into the supernatural world, I just needed someone to help me clean the graveyard. Are you both okay?"
"We're alive, but barely," Olivia replied, frustration seeping into her voice. "We just fought a banshee."
"Goodness…" Evelyn breathed. "Tell me everything. What happened?"
Olivia took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the ordeal settle on her shoulders. "We were fighting it with holy water, but we only had two vials. The last one didn't hit it, and just when we were losing hope, I saw this cross hanging on the wall. I thought it might somehow kill the ghost since crosses are considered sacred in some religions. Luckily, it worked when Mia stabbed it from behind, but there was this strange bright light when it connected. It was almost like the cross was alive."
Evelyn fell silent for a moment, her thoughts racing. That artifact… It hasn't awakened in over a century, she mused internally, realizing the significance of what Olivia had described. "Olivia, was it you who used the cross to kill the banshee?"
Olivia felt a pang of skepticism. "No, it was Mia who killed it. I was just throwing things at it, trying to distract it."
"Tell me how she did it," Evelyn urged, her voice laced with curiosity.
Olivia recounted the frantic struggle, the fear and determination that had driven them. "I thought we were done for, and then Mia just… plunged it into the banshee's back. It emitted this blinding light. I don't know what happened, but it felt powerful."
Evelyn was listening intently, her mind racing. Even though an ordinary cross does have an impact on the supernatural, it usually only stuns them. This cross, however… it's not just any ordinary artifact but something ancient and sacred. It only chooses its wielder. Evelyn thought about how her organization had searched for this artifact's chosen one for generations, and after all their sacrifice and effort to awaken the artifact, it ridiculously just chose to be awakened by an ordinary girl. "Olivia, I need to know more about your friend Mia. What is her background?"
Olivia hesitated, confused by the sudden turn in the conversation amid their chaos. "She's… she's an orphan. Why does that matter now?"
Just then, a loud roar echoed outside the cabin, shaking the very foundations of their refuge. It was so loud it shattered the windows, sending glass shards flying. Olivia and Mia became disoriented, instinctively covering their ears as the sound rang in their heads.
Olivia's heart pounded in her chest, her pulse roaring in her ears. "What was that?" she whispered, glancing toward the shattered window, her voice barely audible over the ringing in her ears.