Chapter Text
The Arxis dumped her out onto a cobblestone street. Michelle blinked slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness of the outside world. As she glanced around taking in her new surroundings she watched as Shiloh, Elijah, Daniel, and Micah came flooding through the Arxis as well. They too looked around confused. The courtyard that the Arxis spawned inside of wasn’t odd at first glance. Dozens of stone homes surrounded a central stone well, creating what seemed to be a town square. The M.O.M. Agency had traveled to many medieval Raelos, but this one was different. It was quiet. Too quiet. The courtyard held the eerie silence of a world full of unspeakable dangers. Exactly what Michelle needed on a Thursday afternoon.
“Hello?” Shiloh called out into the courtyard. Only the whistle of the wind winding through the cobblestone streets responded.
“Didn’t you say we got a call here?” Daniel inquired.
“We did,” Shiloh responded rather cautiously “Someone or something called us here. But I don’t know what.”
“Great,” Elijah noted sarcastically. “That’s just lovely.”
Michelle looked in more detail at her surroundings. There wasn’t too much to note. The stone buildings had vines dangling and cracks forming, clearly showing time without maintenance. Suddenly the wind that had only a few minutes before been a pleasant breeze through the courtyard picked up. The wooden shingles on the surrounding houses rattled and groaned under the winds pressure. The vines wrapping the stone buildings blew in all different directions, creating the shape of some sort of distorted creature from their tangled limbs. The once silent courtyard was now full of noise, as if the wind had caused the buildings themselves to come alive. Michelle already missed the eerie silence that had greeted them.
A gust of wind whipped through Michelle’s hair, sending a shiver down her spine. Then she heard it. “Monster.” A whisper so quiet she easily could’ve missed it, if it wasn’t for the fact that every hair on her body stood up. The noise made Michelle jump slightly, an involuntary yelp escaping her lips from the shock. She spun around in a flurry only to be met with concerned looks from all of her teammates.
“Michelle,” Micah said, stepping forward to try and see what had happened, his hand reached out to comfort her but stopped before it reached her arm. “Is everything ok?” Even as Michelle panicked she couldn’t help but notice how cute Micah looked when he was worried. The way is brow furrowed slightly in concern and his lips turned down just a bit at the ends. God, get it together Michelle, she told herself. You’ve been over him for months at this point. Stop looking at his lips.
Michelle composed herself and tried to subdue the blush forming on her cheeks; the situation at hand was much more important than any delusions she was having about Micah. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine, just-“ Michelle thought carefully about her words before saying anything. The last thing she needed was for her teammates to think she was crazy. “Did one of you guys say something?” Her teammates glanced around at each other, their once concerned faces morphing into confusion.
“No?” They all said in unison. Great, maybe Michelle really was losing it.
“Sorry,” Michelle started, slightly embarrassed at the scene that she’d caused over just a breeze. The blush once again spread across her cheeks involuntarily. “Must’ve just been the wind.” Before Michelle could sink deeper into her pit of embarrassment, a shuffling noise from across the square stole the groups attention. Almost on instinct the group assembled into defensive positions; Elijah bared his fists, Shiloh grabbed both of her laser guns, Daniel drew his blaster, Micah unsheathed his sword, and Michelle grabbed her ax from its holder on her back.
“When did you get a sword?” Daniel asked Micah, temporarily breaking his stance.
“Oh, right,” Micah said admiring the blade “Judah thought I should try it out, said I ‘looked like a guy that would be into fencing’”
“Was that a compliment or..?”
”You know I’m actually not sure, maybe he-“
“Guys, focus.” Shiloh ordered, snapping both boys out of their conversation and back into the problem at hand.The team searched the courtyard for the source of the noise, prepared for a scuffle, but all they saw was a lady with a pail headed towards the central well. The group froze slightly before awkwardly putting away their weapons. The woman seemed about as threatening as Rosco; they’d clearly overreacted. At least now Michelle wasn’t alone in her embarrassment.
“Hello?” Shiloh called out across the square. The lady ignored her, and continued to make her way towards the well and hook her bucket onto the wells rope. “Hello?” Shiloh repeated, louder this time, even adding an accompanied hand wave for good measure.
“Is she deaf?” Micah questioned. Elijah gave him a judgmental look. “What! You never know.”
“I don’t think she’s deaf.” Shiloh interrupted.
“Is she purposely ignoring us then?” Daniel chimed.
“No, there’s something in her ears. Look.” The group followed Shiloh’s gaze to where the woman was standing, now beginning to lower the bucket into the well. Her back was to the group, so she’d clearly not seen them yet, but her head was angled slightly so that they could see half of her face. Lodged in her right ear looked to be a large clump of something white and hard.
“Maybe she just has really bad ear wax.” Michelle smacked Micah on the arm playfully. Only Micah could come up with such a dumb idea, but still somehow make it funny.
Michelle chuckled. “I don’t think that’s the issue. Might be for you though.” Micah faked being insulted and clutched his imaginary pearls, causing Michelle to laugh even harder. Michelle loved this about her and Micah. Sure she’d had a crush on him, not any more of course, but them being friends had always been more important to her. He was her first friend whenever she had first joined the agency, and she couldn’t imagine a world without him. That’s why Michelle forced herself to move on from him. If she hadn’t, she could’ve ruined a great friendship. Risking their friendship to tell him her feelings wasn’t worth it, at least, that’s what she told herself. Michelle and Micah continued laughing at each other with goofy grins spreading across both of their faces, before a shriek interrupted their glee. The scream shattered the silence of the courtyard, and Michelle once again focused on the woman by the well.
“It seems that the mystery lady is no longer ignoring us.” Elijah chided. Thank you captain obvious. The group carefully made the way towards the woman, Shiloh leading them with her hands up in a surrender position. The lady had since regained her composure, and was now watching the group with fear etched across the lines in her face. This wasn’t a normal kind of fear though, the woman didn’t look afraid of them, she looked afraid for them. The woman glanced around hurriedly before rushing up to meet the group in the middle of the square, halting them before they could reach the well.
“COME WITH ME,” the lady yelled, waving her hands in a come hither motion. She didn’t seem to notice how loudly she was yelling at the group, but that didn’t stop the ringing in Michelle’s ears. The lady picked up on how much the group winced at her voice and she quickly adjusted her volume. “Sorry, sorry, come with me. You can trust me I promise.” Usually that didn’t mean anything good, but as the team glanced around at eachother they seemed to notice their lack of other options. Shiloh nodded towards the woman, following her as she turned around and started walking towards one of the stone buildings on the square. Michelle didn’t have a great feeling about this, but she wasn’t about to argue with Shiloh’s authority. She couldn’t quite place it, but something about this Raelo felt dangerous, more than usual at least. Hesitantly Michelle followed the woman and the rest of the group through the door of what she assumed was the woman’s home.
Michelle thought that it looked cozy, nostalgic even. In the middle of the room sat a seemingly handmade couch, with cushions sewn together out of old flower sacks and spare bits of fabric. On the far wall a fire roared in a stone fire place, something boiling in a cauldron hoisted above it. It smelled like soup; delicious, amazing soup. Michelle hadn’t realized how hungry she was until right that moment, and her stomach growled in protest. Along the left wall was a small wooden table surrounded by 6 chairs. The table was cluttered with fabric dolls and wooden blocks; in fact, the whole room was littered with toys. The culprits of the messy room soon revealed themselves, as three rowdy children came bustling into the room from the hallway on the right wall. Three kids: two boys and a girl did laps around the couch, seemingly playing an intense game of tag. Then a fourth came bursting into the room from the same hallway.
“SAMMY, BETH, SIMON. STOP RUNNING.” She yelled. The girl, no older than 12, had to be one of the woman’s kids. They shared the same yell. Just then the girl seemed to notice that they had guests, and weaved her way through the still rowdy children to the door. “Hi mom, and hi whoever you all are.” She gave them a quick smile before returning her attention to the woman. “They’re driving me crazy mom.” Despite her apparent young age, the girl had large purple splotches under her eyes, making it evident that the poor thing was exhausted.
“I’ll put them down for bed Percy, you lock up and get ready for supper.” The woman glanced back towards the group, who were standing tightly packed together near the door, not wanting to disturb anything. “If you’ll excuse me for just a moment.” She made her way towards the screaming children, herding them out of the living room and back towards the hallway. “I promise I’ll explain everything once I get them settled.” Michelle still felt on edge on the woman’s home, but it did give her some comfort knowing that the woman was a mother. Michelle turned her attention to the young girl, Percy, who was now standing in front of the group expectantly.
“Excuse me.” She chided impatiently, as if the group was to know that they were in her way. The team shuffled out of the way of the door, revealing a complex lock system reaching from the top to the bottom of the doorway. Percy began latching every lock one after another. Yup, Michelle’s anxiety was raised again. This could only mean something bad. She glanced at Micah with a concerned look on her face and he returned her worry. Yet another thing that Michelle loved about their friendship, it’s like she could read Micah’s mind just by looking at him - at least most of the time - and they were almost always on the same page. Somehow knowing that Micah was also concerned for their situation made Michelle feel more comfortable. At least she wasn’t nervous on her own. Percy finished locking the incredibly complex (and probably overkill) lock system and then turned back around to face the group. “You guys aren’t from here, are you?”
“No, we’re from the M.O.M. Agency. We’re here to help you.” Said Shiloh, spouting her normal dialogue for whenever they investigated a new Raelo.
Before Shiloh could continue, Percy snorted. “There’s no helping us,” she said it a tone that would usually make Michelle’s blood boil, making her now realize the girls striking resemblance to Jocelyn. Though there was something else hidden below the girls snarkiness, a kind of sadness only found in people that had lost all hope. “You’re wasting your time.” Shiloh opened her mouth to dispute her, but closed it again before any sound could come out. Michelle had only been at the agency for a few years, but this was the first time she’d ever seen Shiloh speechless. The group stood in solemn silence for the next few minutes as Percy cleared the table of her siblings toys. Michelle wanted to help Percy, but she didn’t feel right. They were still strangers after all, and Michelle had a feeling that Percy didn’t take too kindly to strangers. Soon after Percy had cleared off the table and disappeared back down the hallway, the group began to speculate amongst themselves.
“Do you think we can trust her?” Daniel asked, keeping his voice hushed.
“I don’t think we have a choice. Just stay on guard.” Shiloh was a natural born leader. Even as the youngest one in the agency, she had an authority about her that nobody seemed to oppose. Despite being three years younger than her, Michelle had always looked up to Shiloh for the confidence that she exuded. Shiloh seemed unshakable, always ready with a plan, and always loyal to anyone, even strangers. It’s no wonder that she became the head of the agency so quickly. Even though Michelle wasn’t there to witness the start of Shiloh’s leadership, she’d never once doubted her for a minute.
“Alright I finally got those rascals to bed.” The woman said, emerging from the hallway. “I’m Bessie, and I’m sorry for the circumstances that we met in. Sit, sit, I’ll get you all some supper and explain everything. I know you lot must be proper confused.” Michelle took note of Bessie’s accent as the team gathered around and took seats at the table. It was something bordering on either Scottish or English, but Michelle couldn’t distinguish which. Michelle took a seat between Micah and Shiloh, bumping Shiloh’s arm as she sat down. Shiloh glanced at her and Michelle offered her a reassuring smile. Michelle wished she could offer Shiloh more; a plan or words of wisdom or something more useful than a smile, but it still seemed to slightly ease the stress written in Shiloh’s face. Bessie brought the scolding pot of soup over from the fire and began ladling servings into each of the team’s bowls. Michelle glanced up to see Daniel staring down at his bowl like a pack animal ready to devour its prey. She sweared she could even see him drooling a bit. Maybe she wasn’t the only one that was starving. Finally the group began to dig in, Michelle tipped the warm broth down her throat and felt as it hit her empty stomach, finally quenching some of her hunger. The soup was a medley of vegetables and boiled chicken, and despite its simplicity, it was the best thing Michelle had ever tasted.
“Goodness you all must’ve been starved,” Bessie commented. “Where did you all come from anyways.”
“We’re from the M.O.M. Agency,” Shiloh started once again, managing to stop herself from eating long enough to give Bessie a proper explanation. “We travel from Raelo to Raelo helping those in need. We got a call from this Raelo to help so, here we are.”
“You shouldn’t have come here.” Bessie warned, her tone suddenly stern and less comforting than before. “We’re beyond help.”
“That’s exactly what Percy said.”
“She’s a smart girl. You’ll only find pain in this world, you should leave while you still can.” Michelle suddenly felt sick to her stomach. The soup that had just moments before tasted amazing was now sickening. It seemed she wasn’t the only one to feel a wave of panic and nausea, as the clinking of spoons against bowls slowed for the rest of the group as well.
“What do you mean by that?” Elijah asked. Michelle wasn’t sure if she wanted the answer.
“We had a great life. Teddy-“ Bessie’s voice broke and her eyes started to brim with tears. “Teddy and I had raised a good family. We were happy. Then a few months ago, the wind came.” Michelle’s curiosity and panic was peaked simultaneously. “Eight or so months ago, the village was running as usual when a breeze blew through. It didn’t seem like anything unusual at first, Teddy and I were out at the local market and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But then the shrieking came. Dozens of people shopping at the market stalls began shrieking and covering their ears. It was sudden, vicious even. I didn’t understand what was going on until Teddy started to holler about-“ Bessie stopped herself, glancing around to see that all of the windows and doors around her were locked. “About the whispers.” The last word was barely audible, Bessie said it like the word was cursed in some way. The stress lines in her face showed more evidently than ever. Bessie couldn’t have been older than 40 or so, but years of stress had aged her face quickly.
“But, what did whispers do to the town-“ Bessie reached across the table and clamped her hand over Elijah’s mouth before he could finish.
“Do not speak that name loudly. You’ll bring them into my home.” Elijah looked petrified as Bessie slowly pulled her hand back to her side and settled back into her seat. “They are like an infection. A disease if you will. It might seem like harmless wind but as soon as you hear them speak you’re as good as dead.” Michelle’s blood ran cold. She could feel the color draining from her face as she remembered what she’d heard earlier. ‘Monster’ She thought she was just hearing things, but what if she wasn’t, what if she was in danger, what if- “It prays on your biggest traumas.” Bessie continued, cutting off Michelle’s rapid thoughts. She had to compose herself. She couldn’t let the group see that she was panicking, not until she knew for sure what was going on. “Once you hear it speak to you it will imbed itself into your mind, slowly making you relive your greatest fears, traumas, insecurities, anything to evoke anxiety. It’s like a parasite that will burrow into your brain and not leave until it’s in full control.” The group sat in stunned silence, the soup in Michelle’s stomach beginning to churn uncomfortably.
“How do you know that?” Shiloh dared to ask.
“I watched it happen.” Bessie replied sorrowfully. “My poor Teddy didn’t deserve that. He lost himself, slowly. It takes weeks to fully take over. That made it worse. I watched as he slowly faded away, having fits of nightmares, and visions, and delusions-“ Bessie choked on her words, finally letting the tears spill over her eyes. “I’m sorry, I need to excuse myself. Please help yourself to as much soup as you want. There are sleeping bags in the broom closet in the hallway that you all may use, and the loft is empty if you want to stay there. I can offer you refuge for tonight, but I must insist that you get home tomorrow.” With that, Bessie left the stunned group and sank into the darkness of the hallway.
“We can’t leave them.” Shiloh said. Well shit. As much as Michelle admired Shiloh’s resilience, she couldn’t help but hate it right now. “Earlier Bessie had something in her ears, it must’ve been to keep the voices out. Let’s see if we can find what she was using.”
The group got up from the table, the soup sitting neglected it its bowls, slowly growing colder. The team scoured the room for anything that could be used to plug ears - possibly the weirdest thing that Michelle had ever searched for, which is really saying something - careful to avoid the hallway in order to not wake up Bessie or the kids. Shiloh, Daniel, and Elijah searched around the table area, Elijah making the occasional joke in order to lighten the mood. It wasn’t working. Micah and Michelle decided to search the couch and fireplace area. Michelle searched furiously in the couch cushions trying to bury her anxiety about the earlier conversation while at the same time trying to unearth whatever they needed to find. Why would Bessie hide it in the couch cushions? Michelle had no idea, but she would do anything to distract her brain at the moment.
“Hey.” Micah said in a hushed voice, low enough for the others not to hear. He startled Michelle out of her thoughts, causing her to flinch slightly. “Woah, you’re really jumpy today.” Micah chuckled, attempting to make Michelle smile. It didn’t work, and an expression of defeat overtook his face. “Are- are you ok? You went really pale at dinner earlier, it was like you saw a ghost.” He asked hesitantly. Shit. Michelle thought she hid that enough that nobody noticed.
“I mean, weren’t we all kinda scared?” She tried to laugh it off but only a strangled awkward chuckle came out. She wasn’t selling it that’s for sure. It’s a good thing you never wanted to be an actress she thought to herself.
“Michelle,” Micah started, his voice oozing with worry. “I’ve seen you scared. This- this was more than that. You looked downright terrified.” Michelle’s wasn’t used to Micah showing this much concern. Usually anytime they had a tender moment he’d interrupt it with a joking comment or they’d have to go back to focusing on the mission. This was different. He wasn’t joking around, Micah was actually, fully concerned for Michelle. If Michelle wasn’t so filled with anxiety then she might’ve felt to butterflies beginning to fill her stomach.
“I don’t want to talk about it Micah,” it’s true, she really didn’t. The last thing she wanted to face at that moment was the idea of her being cursed with an incurable, brain eating parasite that would force her to relive her greatest traumas until she eventually lost her mind. “Can you please just let it go?” She begged.
“Michelle please, I know you.” He started, almost pleading with her. “If something’s going on I want to help-“
“I’ve got something!” Daniel hollered across the room. Thank god for Daniel’s poor timing, this time it actually saved Michelle. Michelle rushed over to the open kitchen cabinet that Daniel was standing in front of, leaving Micah still crouched by the couch.
“Candles?” Michelle questioned.
“Of course!” Shiloh exclaimed. “How could I not have seen it sooner.
“What exactly are we seeing?” Chimed Elijah.
“Bessie must melt the candle wax until it’s a putty consistency, and then mold it into her ears. It’d completely block any noise. A perfect solution. Nice find Daniel.” Shiloh looked amazed at the solution. Such a simple yet genius idea.
“So we need to stuff candles into our ears in order to survive?” Elijah still looked skeptical at the idea.
“Exactly. Just remember that every time you go outside you need to cover your ears-“ Shiloh kept talking but Michelle could no longer hear her. Her body moved involuntarily, and it felt as if all of the air had been ripped from her lungs. Shilohs words echoed in her skull, ground louder and more distorted with each bounce. ‘Cover your ears, cover your ears, COVER YOUR EARS’ pounded in her head, forcing itself to be heard. The pain blinded Michelle, forcing her to her knees as her legs could no longer support her. She couldn’t see anything, just darkness. The only thing she could hear was the rattling of her own skull as Shiloh’s voice became more and more demented. Michelle couldn’t take it anymore. She clamped her hands over her ears, begging for the noise to stop, and released a blood curdling, agonizing scream into the dark void.