Ethan and the blue-bearded man teleported to the entrance. Going through the first door which led to the stairway, they walked up to the trapdoor. Voices of people above ground were heard. Hurried footsteps resonated into the ground above them. It sounded as if they were running from something. Others could also be heard fighting.
Looking up, the two guys noticed that a small metal had been used to hold the trapdoor to the wall tightly. They looked at the thing before them with shocked expressions.
"Is this what she meant when she said she wasn't strong enough?" the blue-bearded man asked. He inspected the metal.
Ethan examined the metal and looked back at him, "Can you undo it?"
The man showed Ethan his hands, "Do you think this can even hold on to that thing?" He pointed to the small metal.
"So, you're just useless," Ethan muttered.
The man seemed to have caught onto what Ethan said and pushed him against the wall, "What did you say?!"
"You are useless, but when we really need you, you come through for us. That's what I meant," Ethan voiced out.
"Thought I heard different," he put him down and backed away so Ethan could take care of the small metal.
Ethan adjusted his dress and took a coin from his bag. Upon flipping it, his body was filled with power. Ethan could feel an increase in strength. With his new strength, he easily undid the lock on the trapdoor.
The fighting and running above ground ceased. This caused the duo to wonder what had happened. Curious, Ethan slightly opened the trapdoor to peek outside.
The guards above the ground were now all under Evelyn's control. Ethan locked eye contact with one of them. He immediately looked away when he remembered Evelyn's words, "They will have glowing pale green pupils. Do not look into their eyes."
Ethan closed the trapdoor and turned to the blue-bearded man, "she said with pale green pupils. Come take a look." He moved out of the way for the man to take a look at them. "Don't look into their eyes for long, you will lose your senses."
The guard's eyes had an unnatural pale green color and the glowing effect made them look terrifying. The man closed the door and looked at Ethan. "They're not moving," he said.
Ethan assured him everything was okay, "They only do what Evelyn tells them."
One of Evelyn's puppets opened the trapdoor. "Time is of the essence," Evelyn told them through the man. "Return to the pub. The masked man might eliminate all captives if we attack him head-on. After scanning through their memories, I have located our friends. I will let the guards return to their posts while we find a way to get them out of there."
"We are coming back," Ethan informed her. They both teleported back to the pub using Ethan's coins.
Evelyn was sitting by the counter when they returned. Ethan approached her and suggested she let some of her puppets go into the three buildings while pretending to work for the boss.
"I can't control dead people. Getting them to tag his bodyguards would be a good idea," Evelyn informed him. Ethan nodded and went to sit behind his laptop, watching the guards that have now returned to the entrance.
Those who discarded their weapons around retrieved them before returning to their posts.
Evelyn gave them an order to tag anyone they met in the streets. She also ordered six people to divide themselves into two and head to the three buildings. Each group should go to each of the three buildings and tag the guards. Evelyn wanted to know how many more she could control and how long she would be able to do that while focusing on the mission at hand.
The six guards who received the order from Evelyn marched to their destination while the others roamed the streets looking for people to tag. The rest remained at their posts.
Two guards were situated in front of each of the three buildings. The first group reached their location and approached the guards.
"Return to your posts. Only come when you are requested," a guard said to them, "What is your reason for defying that command?"
Through them, Evelyn spoke, "We have discovered the location of those who refuse to follow the boss." Looking into their eyes, the two guards lost their senses, succumbing to Evelyn's ability. The same happened to those guarding the other buildings.
"You did it," Ethan said, offering Evelyn a high five.
Evelyn looked at his arm and told him they hadn't achieved anything yet. "I am still learning about my ability," she told him. Her puppets marched back to their posts after accomplishing their mission.
The boss's guards entered the aim, their aim; tag everyone except the captives.
Through the guard's memories, Evelyn found Vanessa and the others' locations. Mira's location, however, was unknown. It seemed the masked boss didn't trust them enough to give them that information.
"I found them," Evelyn announced.
"How?!" one guy asked.
"I can read people's minds through their emotions," she explained, "they are in the second building."
"If that's your gift, what is my name?" he pointed to himself.
Evelyn pointed at each one as she mentioned their names. "Question my gift again and I will hand you over to the masked man in exchange for my friends," she threatened.
The man frowned, pulling out his pistol, "You are not dead because Ethan needs your help to save that filthy vampire. Even he is here because of his gift. We would have discarded him if he had not aided in our escape."
Ethan turned to face the man, "Everyone is here for their own purposes. No one is killing anyone."
"You don't make the rules," the blue-bearded man barked.
Evelyn sighed and looked at Ethan who looked back with fear in his eyes. She got down from her seat by the counter and addressed the guys before them, "That filthy vampire you mentioned is my friend. We don't really know each other that much, but I'm not going to sit here and watch you insult her. Also, since Ethan here is her only friend, maybe I should just send you three to hell."
"You're starting to get on my nerves. You should work on your mood swings," the old man who hurt her arm said. He also equipped a pistol in his right hand. "Your gift can't protect you against bullets."
The blue-bearded man joined, flexing his huge arms, "Even if you evade the bullets, these arms are going to squeeze the life out of you."
Evelyn's smile widened once again. This seemed to have happened many times within the day. "Do you want to do this?"
"Do what we tell you to do and you will be able to meet your friends," the old man informed her. He brandished his pistol and threatened to harm Ethan if he also tried anything stupid.
Evelyn stood between Ethan and the three men, "You three do not possess gifts." Looking back at Ethan, she asked, "Why did you let these fools tell you what to do?" He opened his mouth to answer but she stopped him. "You don't know how my gift works. You have been talking to me the whole time. Just a single word from my mouth, or a single thought from my mind... and you will become mindless zombies waiting for my order. You should think carefully about your next actions," she told them.
"Calm down, everyone," Ethan stood between them, "Everyone goes their way after we rescue our friends. Let's just corporate for now."
"Shut up!" the three men said simultaneously. They aimed at Ethan when he put his hand into his bag. "Don't try anything stupid." One of them questioned Evelyn when they heard her chuckle.
"Discard your weapons and sit down there," she pointed to the only good chairs in the pub. Like obedient dogs, the three men left all their weapons and did what Evelyn told them.
"They're going to be pissed," Ethan stated.
"This wouldn't have happened if I worked alone," Evelyn told him.
"I agree they were useless but they helped me," he said.
"Did they not just confess to you saving them?" Evelyn's words made Ethan stutter as he began to talk.
On the other side of the city, in one of three buildings, a masked man's guard who had fallen under Evelyn's control stood in a small room with the masked man and Evelyn's friends, Vanessa and Clara. The two girls were held up by a rope tying their hands together.
The masked man approached them and requested to know why they came to this island.
"We came to get information on the King of the East," Vanessa answered.
The masked man raised his hand and gave her a painful slap. "Tell me the truth. Did you come here to stop me?"
Vanessa groaned, "We don't even know who you are."
Not convinced, the masked man retrieved a pistol from a desk beside them. "Tell me the truth, or she's dead," he aimed at Clara.
"It looks like your boss doesn't appreciate life," Evelyn stated. Ethan asked her what she saw and she told him. Giving a command to all the men and women at the entrance of the city to surround the buildings, she told Ethan to follow her, "We have a clown to kill."