Point of View: Jody Johansson
It had been about twenty minutes since Sera left with Mickey.
I was sitting alone on the living room sofa, casually scrolling through social media on my iPad, half-heartedly trying to distract myself.
But I wasn't just mindlessly browsing—I'd been digging through every news outlet I could think of, trying to find any report, any whisper at all, about the disappearance of Director Collins or Palmer Lake.
Nothing.
Not a single mention.
How the hell were they covering this up so cleanly?
"Move it. I wanna sit."
A familiar deep voice called out from behind me—Syd.
He was carrying a cheap green plastic bowl of something.
"There's tons of space."
I gestured toward the wide open seat beside me—wide enough to play a round of golf on.
"My house. My couch. Got it?"
"Yes, sir~"
I scooted over.
He jumped over the back and landed on the plush cushions like a cat.
But I couldn't help myself. Just as he was about to sit, I scooted right back to where I was.
Our shoulders bumped. He flinched slightly and gave me the most annoyed look.
Most people probably wouldn't find that cute—but I did.
" Are you for real???? twin??? "
I just smiled sweetly and let out a small laugh. Sometimes, saying nothing was the best way to draw out his charm.
Since I've known him, one thing's been clear—Syd hates being treated like a kid.
Which makes it even more fun.
"I'd never be able to match you sensei."
" Man, stop playin' with me cuz, swear you're gonna wake up with shattered legs if you keep this bitch up…"
I have no idea why he always thinks I'm being sarcastic.
I glanced behind us.
No one else was around. It was just the two of us in the living room.
"Where is everyone?"
"Knocked out cold."
"They haven't slept yet?"
Syd shook his head.
Well, that made sense. Ever since they got here, they'd been working non-stop. Especially that girl.
"This house only has two bedrooms. So where is everyone even sleeping?"
I asked.
"Toshi'll sleep anywhere. Roxy's in my room."
Wait, what?
"…Then what about you?"
"I sleep here."
"Ohhh… So that's why you won't leave. I'm basically sitting on your bed, huh?"
"Exactly. Now get off, birdshit blondie."
"Yes, sir. Please don't hurt me."
I put my hands up like I was surrendering.
"Keep poking and you're gonna get more than a punch."
And then I realized… we were alone.
Just the two of us, uninterrupted.
Something I'd been wanting to ask came to mind. I figured now was the time.
"Hey, Syd."
"What?"
He replied without taking his eyes off the TV.
"I heard you're a big deal in the organization. That true?"
"…Toshi runs his mouth too much."
"Don't be shy."
"No one's shy here."
"I heard it's hard to work with you. That right?"
That got him to turn and glare at me immediately.
"…Who told you that?"
I could almost see the list of suspects in his head. It was probably just his own gang.
"You're pretty amazing, you know… No powers, and yet you've carved out a name for yourself among people who do have them."
Compared to me, he came from nothing. But he pushed himself this far, into a world full of powered people— and got respected for it.
I really did admire him for that.
"Yeah? Well, powers don't mean shit when a bullet goes through your skull."
He picked up a piece of yellow mango and popped it in his mouth.
"Powers are like money. They give you leverage. But at the end of the day, they're just tools. Hand a gun to a caveman, it's still a mess."
"..."
He stared at the TV, but his words came straight from the heart.
"Does your organization have a class system or anything?"
"Powers or not, it doesn't matter. If you've got something else that stands out, you'll rise."
"…But to control the world, wouldn't you need power?"
"Sure. But if you've only got brawn and no brain—or all left brain and no right—you're not gonna make it far, are you?"
"..."
He had a point.
"How does Thrak manage to control the world, then? Even the CIA's got internal conflict."
"Faith."
"Faith?"
"Faith is the most powerful weapon. Power and intelligence alone can't control people. You need belief. And belief—that's rarer than both."
He took another bite of mango.
"Faith in something real, something undeniable. Something you can't argue with no matter how you look at it… That's what we are."
To be honest, I didn't expect this philosophical side from Syd at all…
"Wow… I didn't peg you as a philosopher, Syd."
"I'm not some wannabe deep-thinker."
"Could've fooled me. That was peak Tumblr quote material."
"Bullshit."
"I'm serious."
"Go be serious somewhere else. I'm tired. Turn off the lights when you leave."
He leaned back on the couch and waved me off.
"Yeah, yeah…"
I guess I should get some sleep too. I shut my iPad and got up from the couch.
"Alright then. Night, Syd."
"Mm."
I reached for the switch—
And the moment I flicked it, the entire downstairs floor went dark.
Pitch black.
I couldn't even make out Syd lying on the couch… Thank god for the stair light, or I'd have tripped.
"Goodnight, big boy~"
"Go fuck yourself."
I saw the faint silhouette of a middle finger in the dark. He's seriously just a big kid.
When I got to my room, I plugged in my devices to charge, then collapsed into my fluffy white bed.
The fatigue from today hit me all at once.
I was out in seconds.
.
.
.
.
.
…?
"..."
My body stirred on its own. Some primal instinct kicking in.
"…Mmm…"
I shifted under the covers and slowly opened my eyes, staring into the pitch-black room.
I thought it was morning already, so I turned toward the glowing red digits of my bedside clock.
And what I saw made my stomach twist.
3:22 AM
…?
Three twenty-two?
It threw me off.
Have you ever had that feeling—when you know you were supposed to sleep like the dead?
But then you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night. No grogginess. No reason.
Just… awake.
Why?
Why did I wake up at this hour?
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch…
A sound?
What the hell was that?
Scrr… scrrk—scrrk… thunk!
"..."
It sounded like someone was scratching something wooden. Right next to me.
It wasn't coming from outside.
No.
It was right beside my bed.
I don't know if I was imagining it, but it stopped—almost like it knew I heard it.
I tried to think positive.
Maybe it was just a mouse in the ceiling… or the bed frame creaking…
But the moment I moved—
I realized something.
My whole body was soaked in sweat.
I lifted a hand to my face—my palm was slick.
"..."
What… the hell?
The room was perfectly cool.
Why was I drenched?
And then… I stopped breathing for a second.
Because I realized—
I was not alone.
Step. Step.
!?
There it was again—some weird sound I couldn't place. The room was still pitch-black, yes, but my eyes had adjusted to the dark by now...
I could make out the usual outlines of my furniture, all right where I left them. Everything looked normal.
But then—
Thud.
"…?"
Thud… thud… thud… thud…
I heard it. Footsteps.
They were clear—undeniably, unmistakably footsteps.
Someone was walking around in the room with me.
There was no way to explain it away—not pipes, not a creaky floor. They were steps.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Pacing around my bed.
Left side… then circling to the right.
Then back to the left again… and again to the right…
"…Hello?"
I called out.
"…Syd? Is that you?"
But the footsteps went silent.
If someone had really been there, I should've seen them in the low light—at least a shadow. But there was nothing.
I reached for the lamp beside the bed and flicked it on.
Click.
A soft amber light washed over the room.
Nothing.
Totally empty.
It was starting to get to me now… That creeping sensation.
What was that sound?
Whose footsteps?
The first thing that popped into my head was that maybe… it was someone. I jumped out of bed and rushed to switch on the main lights.
Click.
Buzz-buzz-buzz.
The fluorescent overhead lights flared on, flooding the room.
I checked everywhere—from behind the curtains to inside my closet.
Creeeak.
Nothing.
"..."
Something instinctual kicked in.
My body pulled power out on its own—blue aura began swirling out from under my skin.
The air around me responded, circling around my index and middle fingers, forming the shape of a loaded gun.
"..."
I even looked under the bed.
Still nothing.
"..."
My heart was thudding, eyes darting everywhere. Muscles tight, ready for anything.
Could it be an intruder?
But how could someone get inside…?
A spy from Betty's crew?
No—whatever it was, I needed to get out of this room first.
I scanned the space for something that would make a loud noise if I needed to alert the others.
The window.
It was glass—if I fired at it, the whole house would wake up. That would work.
Okay. Now or never.
I bolted toward the door.
But then, just as my hand touched the knob—
Thud… thud… thud…
Footsteps again.
But not on the floor.
They were coming from above.
Thud… thud… thud… thud…
BANG!!!
The sound dropped from the ceiling—landing right in front of me.
And then I heard it.
A woman's voice whispered directly into my ear, close enough to feel her breath.
"You must die."
"?!?!?!"
I spun around on instinct and immediately raised my hand—blasting off air bullets without thinking.
Pfft! Pft! WHMP!
But there was nothing.
Just the room—lit and empty.
The bullets hit the closet, tearing holes straight through the doors.
Syd was gonna be pissed… but that wasn't the issue right now.
That voice. That woman's voice.
I swear it was real. It wasn't some illusion, not a trick. It was right beside me.
I swear to God.
Click! Creak!
I flung the door open and hurried out as fast as my body would allow.
Of course, with my condition, I couldn't exactly run—I could only walk fast.
But then I heard it.
Not just walking—running.
Something was running at me from inside the room.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! THUD! THUD! THUD!
I couldn't see anything. Not a single soul.
But I could hear it.
Whatever it was—it was chasing me.
Even if I looked back, nothing was there.
I snapped. I started firing blindly behind me—
WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!
I didn't care where they hit—anything to slow it down.
One shot smashed into the glass window in my room.
But I didn't even hear the shatter—my whole mind was focused on the sound of those footsteps.
They got closer. And closer.
And then—
They ran past me.
Every single hair on my body stood on end. I could feel it—cold, crawling down my spine.
My heart pounded so hard it echoed in my ears. My skin was flushed with tension and fear.
I scanned the room again.
And then—
Clap.
I heard a clap behind me.
I whipped around. Nothing.
And then… a woman's voice from the corner of the room—like she was watching me from the shadows.
"Just a little welcome."
At that moment—
All the lights in the house turned on at once.
Syd stood downstairs at the base of the stairs with a pistol aimed in my direction, flanked by Toshi.
Roxy burst out of her room across from mine, red aura flaring around her.
"Jody?! What's going on?!"
"What happened?! I heard glass break! Are we under attack?!"
"..."
Their voices were loud, panicked—but I couldn't hear them anymore.
All I could hear was a high-pitched ringing in my ears, like the world had gone muffled.
If it wasn't Roxy… if it wasn't the boys…
Then whose voice was it?
We weren't sleeping anymore.
The whole house was wide awake.
The guys were upstairs now, patching up my broken window.
(Holy shit, it blew straight through—Jesus, am I gonna have to pay for this? This is my life now, huh?)
I heard Syd muttering something in Thai from upstairs. I had no idea what he said, but I could guess.
I was now seated in the living room, trying to calm down, warm glass of water in hand—courtesy of Toshi.
Sitting across from me?
Roxy Barrett.
Arms folded, legs crossed, eyes locked on me.
"…You said you heard someone… that wasn't one of us."
I nodded, sipping my water.
She's definitely pissed at me… not that she liked me to begin with.
Now I've made it worse.
"I—I know it sounds crazy… but it was a woman's voice. I don't know if it was an enemy… I didn't see any aura…"
"Looking at your face… I can tell it's not crazy."
"..."
"What did the voice sound like?"
"It wasn't a kid… It was an adult woman. Her voice… it didn't have ambient echo or anything. No reverb. Just a normal speaking voice. Clear as day."
I didn't know what else to do.
I had to tell the truth.
"..."
She seemed to be processing it carefully.
Just then, the guys came down from upstairs.
"We checked everything. No signs of forced entry," Toshi reported.
"Jody, what kind of nightmare were you having?" Syd asked, eyebrow raised.
"Practicing your assassination skills in your dreams or something? You trashed my closet."
"…I wasn't dreaming, Syd. I swear…"
He didn't believe me.
Honestly, I'm not even sure I believe it myself.
What the hell did I just go through?
At this point… there wasn't much left for me to say.
I just sat there quietly.
And listened to my heart trying to slow down.
Switch back to 3rd person
After Jody had finally calmed down, the three agents standing in the living room silently watched the blonde girl retreat to her room.
Thunk.
The sound of her door closing echoed faintly through the house.
"..."
They stayed still for a few moments, assessing the mood, before Syd finally spoke.
"…Yuto… think the enemy might've been hiding in the ceiling or something?"
"No. I checked every corner already. Nothing. Might need to sweep it again just in case…"
"No need."
?
Both men turned to look at Roxy.
She had her hands folded beneath her chin, deep in thought—then, without wasting time, opened her mouth to speak. But first, she raised two fingers toward Syd and Toshi.
It was a signal only known among their group.
It meant that she and Syd were switching to another language—one that Toshi couldn't understand.
That language… was Thai.
"P'…"
"..."
"What."
Roxy didn't respond right away. Instead, she slowly lifted a single finger and pointed it straight at her brother.
Toshi didn't need a translator. Just seeing that gesture, he already understood what was going on.
They were talking about Jody.
He fell silent, a little stiff from the tension.
"..."
"P'... do you know what Jody told me?"
"…"
"She said… a woman's voice whispered into her ear—'You must die'… and then she heard clapping… and after that, 'This is just a welcome.'"
"…?! …"
"..."
The two siblings locked eyes, unblinking.
Toshi too—he didn't understand the words, but the weight of Roxy's expression and tone told him enough.
They stood there in silence.
Then finally—
"…Get some sleep."
Syd switched back to English as he grabbed a blanket and tossed himself onto the couch.
"Yuto, kill the lights."
"…Yeah… okay," Toshi replied stiffly.
Roxy looked furious. She turned without a word and started walking toward the stairs.
Toshi reached out, trying to stop her gently.
"Roxy, just—"
"Don't touch me."
"..."
His hand recoiled immediately. He watched as she disappeared upstairs.
Creeeak… clunk.
The three of them retreated to their respective corners of the house to rest...
Not knowing that Jody Johansson's phone had been recording them the entire time.
If someone had zoomed back in time a little, to the moment the three were speaking—and shifted perspective up to Jody's room—they would've seen her door left slightly ajar. And through the crack, a small iPhone peeked out, mic on, stealthily recording their conversation.
She had been listening in.
But once Roxy and Syd switched to Thai, Jody lost the thread. She couldn't understand a thing.
Still, no big deal. The audio was recorded, after all.
Jody pulled her phone back and quickly plugged in her headphones to check the playback.
The voices were a little faint, which made sense—they were coming from downstairs. But after cranking up the volume to max, she could just barely make some words out.
Amidst the stream of foreign language… one word stood out:
"Jody."
They were definitely talking about her. Jody was sure of it.
Judging by their tone, though… it didn't sound angry. If anything, it seemed serious. Quiet. Heavy.
She quickly opened up her iPad and launched Google Translate, playing the recorded audio into the microphone to get a live translation.
"..."
Didn't work very well.
Of course not.
The result was a jumbled mess of broken English and out-of-order grammar—classic Google Translate.
"..."
Jody sighed and shut her phone.
She glanced at her bed.
After all that weirdness earlier? Yeah, right.
No way was she sleeping in there again.
What if it came back?
Creeeak…
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Jody quietly crept downstairs into the living room and walked over to the sofa where Syd was lying.
She nudged him lightly.
"…Hnn…?"
Apparently, he wasn't fully asleep yet.
"…Syd…"
"…hmm…?"
"Can I… stay here? Like, around here…?"
"Uhhh-huhhhh…"
She didn't know if he actually heard her.
But Jody was going to take that as a yes.
She grabbed a cushion, quietly lowered herself down onto the floor beside the couch...
And finally let her guard down—for now.