"Ghouls?" Gallows asked, freeing the last of the four teens that had been secured to the columns. "Is that what that smell is?"
"Correct. Ghouls have a very specific scent," Wednesday replied, then spoke into her comms, telling Agnes to get down there once she had seen the first group of teens safety to the van.
"It smells like the rotting corpse of a wet, dead dog and an earthy smell," Gallows commented.
"A succinct and accurate description," Wednesday said with a nod.
They ensured the teens were unharmed and led them back upstairs into the mansion, where Enid and Agnes were coming through the door.
"Detective Doyle just arrived," Enid said, exasperated. "The kids are safe, but the cops will be here any minute."
"Wait here; I must confirm something first," Wednesday replied, then without any explanation turned and got into the elevator as Gallows followed her.
"Wait! Where are you going?" he demanded as the door slid shut and it began moving up to the top floor.
"Vorlack's library. If my suspicion is accurate, he will have a specific grimoire that I have been wanting to acquire. One that will prove beneficial when it comes to fighting a ghoul infestation," Wednesday explained. "The library might also contain a diary or journal of some sort that Vorlack keeps, one where he writes down his innermost thoughts and feelings and might include a confession to his crimes."
The lift stopped as the doors slid open and she drifted out across the floor into the expansive and very luxurious study, the rear wall lined floor to ceiling with books. Wednesday scoffed as Vorlack's diary lay on his desk. "He left it out for us, how thoughtful of him. I guess even practitioners of human sacrifice have a soft side."
"Huh, well, that was easy," Gallows huffed with amusement.
"self-assured arrogance is often a weakness found in those with vast fortunes at their disposal," Wednesday replied, flicking through the pages. "In Vorlack's regard, it manifests itself as a case of profound carelessness. Now for the grimoire."
Wednesday began browsing the shelves as Gallows looked on as she moved along the shelves, her eyes dancing as she searched.
"There's got to be close to two thousand books here," he commented. "We don't have the time to.....
"Found it!" Wednesday interrupted, plucking the book from the shelf and carrying it over to him, holding up her prize. "'The Cultes Des Ghoules' by Francois Honore-Balfour written in 1703. It is the definitive text on ghouls and one of only sixty copies printed; and it is in excellent condition. It's worth a veritable fortune, both monetarily and more importantly as an extremely rare piece of occult and outcast literature," she said, her expression betraying a grin and her tone betraying her excitement as her eyes shined with delight.
"Ah, I understand how that would be useful," Gallows said with a nod, as he smirked at her, taken with her sudden and uncharacteristic enthusiasm as she was practically gushing over the volume; or as close to it as Wednesday Addams would ever get.
She cleared her throat and composed herself into her usual continence. "Now, let us return to the foyer and debrief with Doyle and his team," she said, leading the way once more as she marched with purpose back towards the elevator, her posture ramrod straight and her nose in the air. She slipped the book into her satchel, only just managing to contain the volume in the bag as they entered the elevator. As they stepped out of the elevator, they rejoined Enid as Agnes walked in, having seen the kids safely to the van.
"It appears Alistair Vorlack wasn't quite the sorcerer I gave him credit for. The ritual they were conducting wasn't a sacrificial ritual after all, but more of a summoning and protection one to alert a nest of ghouls residing somewhere under the city that their tribute is ready," Wednesday said. "The pretence of being a powerful sorcerer is the wishful thinking of a mere dabbler and poseur. An extremely wealthy member of the social 'elite' who aspires to greater power than mere monetary wealth can provide," she added, a hint of disdain in her voice.
"Wait, tribute?" Enid asked, confused. "You mean…."
"Yes. The youth were not to be sacrificed per se but offered up as a gift to the ghouls for them to devour. It all makes sense now. When the Vorlack family first came to America from Eastern Europe in the mid 18th century, they came as poor farmers seeking greener pastures in the new world. The patriarch of the family, Edgar Vorlack, got lucky when he discovered a vein of silver in the mountains, which changed the family's fortunes overnight. Now, two and a half centuries later, the family leads a significant business empire worth some six hundred million dollars. Edgar didn't discover the silver vein; he stumbled upon the ghouls, made a pact with them, and they showed it to him in exchange for a tribute of eight lives delivered to them every decade for as long as the Vorlack family line continued," Wednesday explained. "The Vorlack's have been making significant donations of two million dollars to the New York diocese through St. Sebastian's church every decade for the past ninety years. Probably with more secretive donations to a few highly placed individuals in the diocese. I stumbled across it in the church's financial records but dismissed it a token act of corporate charity. Until we learned of the van's destination, then the pieces fell into place. The presence of the ghouls completes the puzzle."
"They've been paying the church to provide them with tributes," Gallows said, understanding crossing his features before they took on a look of contempt.
"So, hundreds of people have died just so this family could strike it rich?" Enid asked, her eyes wide with shock.
"Correct. Alistair Vorlack is personally responsible for the deaths of sixteen homeless teenagers since he became the family patriarch, over thirty years ago," Wednesday said.
"Oh my god, that's....that's... sick!" Enid declared.
"Yes, it is indeed quite grotesque," Wednesday agreed.
Just then Detective Doyle and his men came in through the expansive entrance. He came with the promised SWAT team and another dozen officers in tow. They watched as the officers took custody of Vorlack and his minions, placing them in handcuffs and leading them away as the SWAT team began a search of the premises for any potential escapees or anyone trying to hide.
Doyle, an older man in his mid-fifties, tall and powerfully built, now mostly turned to fat, was nonetheless a commanding presence as he quickly took control of the situation. "Get those scumbags out of here," he barked, gesturing at the handcuffed acolytes. "Alistair Vorlack, you're under arrest! Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law!" He declared, reading him his rights, as Vorlack was hurled to his feet. Doyle turned his attention to Wednesday and co. "Well, well, Wednesday Addams. As soon as Dev mentioned your name, I knew trouble was afoot, but I had no idea as to the sheer scope of it."
"Detective Doyle, it's a pleasure as always," Wednesday said drily.
He scoffed. "I'll cut right to the chase. This little investigation of yours had better be all Dev claimed it was, or so help me god, I'll…."
"It is, and significantly more, I'm afraid," she interrupted.
Doyle nodded. "Just so you know we're both taking a significant risk on your claim," he said. "Dev's putting his head on the chopping block with this case and risks suspension for digging into the account for your services without prior authority and then dedicating time and police resources to this without approval. We're risking a lot on your word."
Wednesday shrugged in indifference. "Detective Gallows came to me with the case, not the other way around," she pointed out. "Regardless, you can be assured success will veto any disciplinary actions your superiors would have taken. I have extensive evidence implicating the Vorlack family in a century-long conspiracy that has resulted in the deaths of over sixty teenagers. Including the current patriarch Alistair and his direct involvement in the deaths of sixteen youth, the attempted murders of eight others, and various other crimes relating to kidnapping, false imprisonment, bribery, and conspiracy to commit murder," she said.
Doyle studied her suspiciously. "Whatever it is, it had better be good," he warned. "Those are some serious allegations."
Wednesday nodded. "Indeed they are. And I have video and audio evidence to prove it, along with the eyewitness testimony of the eight kidnapped youth and various financial and business records connecting the operation to St. Sebastian's Church; and Vorlack's own admissions in his diary itself."
"Video evidence? Financial records? Diary?" Doyle asked, surprised. "How did you obtain all of that?" he demanded.
"Through investigation, infiltration, and intelligence gathering, of course," she said, matter of fact.
"Oh my god!" Doyle cried, burying his head in his hands. "In other words, evidence that was illegally obtained and therefore inadmissible in court," he said with a grunt of indignation. "You're a real piece of work, Addams."
"The legal system is a tool; when it becomes an obstacle to preventing grievous harm, alternative methodologies must be employed. The evidence's provenance is a secondary concern to its veracity and the produced results," she retorted, her tone ice.
"Regardless of whatever mental gymnastics you're playing at Vorlack is an American citizen and has rights. You've violated them and broken the law by procuring it with your dubious methods. This case is going to get hurled out of court if they discover this," Doyle huffed.
Wednesday glared at him, her dark eyes burning with restrained fury. "Okay….come with me," she said, walking towards the door as she motioned for him to follow.
"What? Where? Why?" he demanded, confused.
"Come with me and tell those teenagers to their faces that you care more about the right to privacy of a man who intended to essentially murder them than you do their lives," she said.
"Huh? Wh…n…no! I don't!" Doyle sputtered.
"Ah! …a sudden change of heart," Wednesday replied. "It appears that when confronted with the harsh reality of the situation you are not so invested in your obsession with procedure and operational legality after all," she observed. "I have little time nor patience for your pearl clutching. I have a ghoul infestation to deal with," she said as she turned and left. "Enid, Agnes." The utterance of the two names a quiet summons as they hurried after her.
"Oh wow! You went right for the throat back there!" Enid said once they had returned to the van. "No clever arguments, just hit him with the cold, hard facts!"
Agnes tilted her head in consideration. "You can't hide behind procedure and warrants when you're standing in front of someone who was almost monster chow."
Wednesday stopped and studied them both. "It is the most effective tactic. Appeals to abstract legal principles often crumble when confronted with the visceral reality of the victim. Forcing Doyle to contextualise his procedural concerns against the tangible, saved lives creates the necessary cognitive dissonance to shift his priorities."
Wednesday returned the teens to the shelter, but not before interrogating the staff as to their culpability.
"How did it go? Are the staff in on it?" Enid asked.
"I'd be shocked if Pat is, she seems to genuinely care about the kids,"
Agnes added.
"From what I can gather Pat isn't involved in the conspiracy. She's shocked and visibly upset. If she is involved, she deserves an Oscar," Wednesday replied. "For now the teens are safe, and that's what matters. Further police investigation will reveal guilty complicit parties. Our job now is to locate and purge the ghoul nest under the city."
"Purge?" Enid asked with concern. "Can't we just scare them away or something?"
"No. Ghouls are opportunistic predators and scavengers. Even if we manage to frighten them away from the city, they will just relocate and terrorise another community," Wednesday explained. "A complete and total purge of the pack is the only way to ensure they do not prey upon anyone else."
Wednesday dropped them both off at home and then returned to her apartment above the agency office. Before she retired for the evening, she had one more thing to do. She picked up the phone and dialled Gallows' number.
"Hello?"
"We must find an entrance into the network of tunnels the ghouls have leading to their nest so we can infiltrate it and purge the city of the subterranean infestation," she said.
"That's an odd way to say hello," he replied. "But I agree. Why don't we just enter via the tunnels under Ravencrest?"
"No. Ravencrest has been compromised. The arrest of Alistair Vorlack already has his heirs assembling at the family estate to discuss how to navigate the crisis. Considering that and recent events, security there will be high and present too great a risk," Wednesday explained. "There is sure to be a number of other entry points. We just have to find them."
He sighed. "Okay. How do we go about doing that?"
"Enid and Agnes will be working on it tomorrow. We must analyse city sewer systems, maintenance tunnels, and subway routes for potential connections, map them, and then investigate to verify their status," she said.
"I think we should wait a few days before we go gallivanting off to raid their nest. The ghouls are going to be on edge for a while; I suggest we give it some time for them to calm down. You don't spray a wasp's nest with a hose and then decide to poke it with a stick," Gallows said.
"A logical delay," Wednesday conceded. "Once we locate the nest, we will implement a surveillance period. Three days total. No direct engagement. In the meantime, you will report to the office tomorrow to help locate the nest."
At 6pm Gallows entered the office to find Enid and Agnes still there. A new desk and computer filling the back office that had been hastily rearranged. "Sorry to crowd your space," he told Agnes with a smile. "I'll try to be quiet and bring plenty of snacks to make up for it."
Agnes looked up from her computer, her sharp features softening into a wry grin. She gestured to the new, sleek black desk facing hers. "Snacks will definitely make up for it. I accept candy and cheeseburgers as tribute," she said with a mischievous grin.
Enid bounced up from her station, her face a mixture of excitement and anxiety. "Hi Devin! Oh my gosh! It's so weird and kinda fun to be working with you on a case like this. All official and in the office," she said with a smile. "Wednesday is... upstairs. She's been... well, she's been Wednesday!"
The sound of footsteps descended the stairs. Wednesday appeared in a plain and unassuming black dress. She carried a slim file folder. Her gaze swept over the room, lingering on him for a fraction of a second longer than necessary, a silent acknowledgement of his punctuality.
"Your workspace is prepared," she stated, her voice all business. "Enid, continue monitoring police frequencies for any mention of subterranean activity or suspicious sightings. Meanwhile, continue to compile that map of potential hive tunnels and access points in the area around Ravencrest. Agnes, cross-reference the municipal utility maps with historical sinkhole reports from the last century. We are looking for hive access points and signs of tunnelling."
She placed the folder on Gallows' desk. "This is the preliminary dossier on the ghoul hive, compiled from the Cultes des Goules and municipal records. Review it. We'll convene in the briefing room tomorrow morning to compile a list of possible entry points and establish a surveillance and eradication strategy."
Gallows took the folder without a word and began studying it. After a few hours all they had managed to put together were a few reported instances of strange animal noises coming from the sewers in various neighbourhoods and a couple of sightings of apelike creatures reported to the police. There were otherwise no sign the ghouls had been causing trouble. Agnes' reference of the city utility maps and examination of the city's sewer and subway systems had led them nowhere. New York City had thousands of miles of sewers and hundreds of miles of subway tunnels and various access ways for maintenance tunnels. The reports of sinkholes were relatively few and far between.
"Damn it!" Gallows snapped. "This is getting us nowhere!" Gallows looked up at Agnes. "Wednesday wants to find other means of tracking them down, but we found their tunnels in the basement of Ravencrest. They're sure to lead to the ghoul's nest eventually. Problem is the Vorlack family is on high alert after old Alistair's arrest. The mansion's on lock-down, but I think we might just be able to sneak in and get into the basement like Wednesday and I did, through a maintenance hatch and down the elevator shaft. We get in there.....we follow the ghoul tunnel directly to their lair," he said to Agnes. "I'm going, regardless, but I could use your help."
Agnes swivelled in her chair, her expression turning sharp and calculating. She glanced toward the staircase to Wednesday's office, then back at Gallows. "You want to deviate from the plan before we've even presented it to her." It wasn't a question. A slow, dangerous smile spread across her face. "High-risk, high-reward. Very old school."
She leaned in, lowering her voice. "Agreed, the estate will have private security crawling over it now the family is gathered. But Wednesday will have my head on a pike if we go in without orders." She tapped a fingernail on her desk. "Give me one solid reason beyond 'it's faster' that outweighs getting pummelled by my boss." Her eyes glinted with challenge. "I'm intrigued, but I'm not suicidal."
"We're gathering intel and tracking down the ghoul's nest; that's what she told us to do," Gallows said. "We're just scoping the place out and finding where it's located so we know where to strike when we return. If we're quick, we can be there and back in a few hours. If anything happens and she gets moody, I'll take the blame."
"Hhmmm," Agnes hummed. "Moody is a quaint way of putting it. Murderous rage would be more accurate."
"You possess the unique ability to get close to their nest without being seen. We'll take some night vision goggles with us, follow the tunnel, and when we're getting close, you do some exploration and check the place out. Then we make a quiet retreat, make for the surface, and note the location. Achieving the objective," Gallows continued.
Agnes held up a hand. "Stop selling. I'm in." She pulled a key from her desk drawer and unlocked a heavy cabinet behind her. Inside was an array of specialised tools and equipment. She retrieved two pairs of sleek, military-grade night vision goggles and a compact but powerful thermal camera. "These have low-light amplification and thermal overlay." She packed the gear into a backpack. She slung the pack over her shoulder and stood. "One condition: if Wednesday calls, you answer. And you tell her exactly what we're doing. We're following her directive, just… proactively."
She gave him a pointed look. "You might be willing to brave her wrath, but I've seen what happens when someone messes with her methodology. I'd like to keep all my fingers."
Gallows nodded. "If all goes well, she won't even notice we're gone. Then when we give her actual results...." he shrugged. "We'll tell Enid we're going for pizza," he said as he slipped into his trench coat.
Agnes rolled her eyes but nodded, a smirk playing on her lips. "Fine, pizza run it is." She double-checked the night vision gear and handed a set to him. "But we take comms. If we get separated or something goes sideways, we need to talk."
She zipped up her jacket, all business now, the playful edge gone, replaced by the sharp focus of a professional operative about to step into the unknown.
Gallows led the way into reception, where Enid was working diligently. "Bye, Enid, Agnes and I are off to get some pizza. We're hungry, and empty stomachs make it hard to focus," Gallows said, slowing as they passed through. "Want us to pick you up anything?"
Enid looked up from her monitor, her eyes lighting up. "Oh! You guys are the best!" she chirped. "Um, yeah! Could you get me a slice of the sausage supreme from Luigi's? Extra cheese? And maybe some garlic knots?" She tapped a pen against her chin thoughtfully. "You know what, just get a whole pizza. I'll save the rest for tomorrow!"
She grinned, completely unsuspecting. "Don't be gone too long; Wednesday's been in her office for hours and she gets extra… Wednesday when she's hungry. Don't tell her I said that!" She gave a little wave and went back to work.
The cab pulled to a stop a block away from the looming gates of Ravencrest. Agnes paid the driver, and they slid out, walking down the street towards the mansion and its expansive estate. As they entered the proximity of the mansion grounds, they melted into the shadows of a large hedgerow.
She unzipped her backpack, handing Gallows a pair of night vision goggles. "Looks like we were right; the family aren't taking any chances," she whispered, her eyes scanning the fence line. "Two guards on the gates and probably another two on the main entrance. Probably a good three or four more doing patrols of the grounds."
She pointed a slim, black device towards the manor. It emitted a soft beep. "On the plus side there's no motion sensors in place."
"They don't really need one when they have this damn fence," Gallows commented, looking up at the top of the fence looming well above their heads.
She looked at him, her features partially hidden in the shadows. "Same entry as before? The elevator shaft?"
He nodded. "Yes, it's easy access and will allow us to travel quickly and unseen down into the basement. The hard part will be getting to the maintenance hatch, but from there it's smooth sailing."
They approached the fence in the shadows and began the difficult climb over it, the pointed decorative spear tips at the top being sharper than they looked, a subtle security measure. Gallows removed his coat and bunched it up before hurling it as hard as he could up and over the fence before scrambling up and over the barrier, somewhat less gracefully than Agnes, as he fell while trying to scramble down the other side and landed in a heap. Agnes dropped into a crouch beside him as she landed and smirked at his clumsy landing. "I see stealth isn't one of your strong points," she said.
He frowned and retrieved his coat but said nothing as he carried the bundle and they moved towards the mansion. Agnes scouted ahead as she vanished completely, popping up in front of him periodically to escort him another leg of the journey to a hiding spot or patch of shadows while she went and assessed the way ahead once more. It was slow going and took them twenty minutes to complete a five-minute walk, but they finally found themselves before the maintenance hatch to the elevator. She got it opened while he got out the harness and cable for the shaft, where together they could slide down the thick elevator cable to the basement.
"You'll have to hold onto me; we've only the one," he said. "Wednesday should really invest in another. Don't worry, I'll keep a good, tight hold of you," he assured her, stepping out into the shaft and extending a hand.
Agnes eyed the yawning darkness of the shaft, then his outstretched hand. A smirk tugged at her lips. "Don't get any ideas, lover boy," she said as she stepped into the harness with him and secured her arms around his torso.
He frowned down at her. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
She poked him in the ribs. "Ssshh! Get moving, Pops."
He grumbled and pushed off into the shaft as they slid down into the darkness. The descent was a controlled rush into the cold, damp underworld.
As they touched down on the basement floor, Agnes released him and pulled the goggles down over her eyes. "Clear," she whispered.
Gallows donned his coat once more as they made their way towards the ritual room where Vorlack had intended to sacrifice the teens to the hideous creatures.
Wednesday walked down the street towards the diner. Her phone dinged with a message from Enid. "Dev and Agnes have gone for pizza. They've been gone a while. Want them to pick you up anything?" She frowned. Why would they go out for pizza when it was much easier to get it delivered? An inkling of suspicion tugged at her, and she pulled up the tracker she had on Agnes' phone. She stopped dead in the street, her eyes boring into the screen as a feeling of hot anger began to flare up inside her. Agnes' phone was heading into the north of the city, far from the office and far from any nearby pizza place. She knew exactly where they were going. Taking a deep breath, she buried the rage building inside her and focused on the task at hand. She would deal with them later.
Wednesday entered the diner, her eyes scanning the establishment for her contact. She spotted her sitting up the back at the booth beside the jukebox, sipping on a cherry cola. Wednesday took the seat across from her. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I know this isn't the most ideal time," she began.
With her slim figure, classical beauty and dark Mediterranean features, Wednesday's contact could've been a model. Investigative reporter Fiona Fanelli nodded. "The things I'm willing to do for a story," she said with a smile. "So, what've you got for me?"
Wednesday slid a folder across the table. "Insider information on the Vorlack family and their involvement in a century-long conspiracy kidnapping local teenagers with the help of St. Sebastian's Church. The teens were then fed to a nest of ghouls that live under the city as a once in a decade tribute in payment for services rendered to them over two centuries ago," she said casually.
"Jesus Christ!" Fiona exclaimed, taking the folder and opening it as she rifled through the documents inside.
"I prefer Wednesday."
"Ha ha! Very funny," Fiona said with a scowl, looking up from the documents. "Wow, this is crazy. Of course no one is going to believe the bit about ghouls; that's too insane for people to believe," Fiona said, glancing over page after page. "I'll have to edit that part out for the masses."
"Reality is often a bitter pill people refuse to swallow," Wednesday replied. "The story is yours; do whatever you must with it. I've fulfilled my end of our bargain regardless. I need a favour from you."
Fiona nodded as she put the folder down. "Sure, what do you need?"
"I'm trying to locate the ghoul's hive. I need your help with any reports of ghoul activity. It will likely manifest in the form of reports of strange ape-like creatures being spotted through the city, bizarre animal noises, reports of strange occurrences outside of the usual activity. If we can gather a report of incidents, they may indicate a general area to narrow our search parameters," Wednesday explained. "I have a contact in the NYPD doing the same, but he has been largely unsuccessful. I thought it would be prudent to explore all avenues of intelligence. Your network of informants is different from his, hence useful."
Fiona laughed and shook her head. "It's different, but sure, I'll see what I can do. The siren community can be surprisingly informed. I'll have my mum ask around," she said, her green eyes flashing with excitement at the prospect of the story.
Wednesday gave a curt nod and stood up to leave. "Very well. Thank you."
Fiona gestured at the menu. "Wanna get a serve of onion rings to share?"
"No," Wednesday said, then turned and left without another word.
Fiona watched her leave, then shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "It was worth a shot."
Agnes pointed a gloved hand towards a jagged, irregular hole in the ancient stone wall—the same hole from their last visit, which was framed by the fittings of an elaborate marble fireplace. The edges were rough, claw-marked, and stank of wet earth and rot. "Let me guess, that's it?"
He nodded. "Yep. Come on, let's go!"
Despite the fact it was two meters wide and equally as high, allowing them to move through it with ease, the tunnel was still stifling and invoked a sense of claustrophobia.
He led the way as they followed the tunnel, which was irregular, but quite straight in its underground trajectory, or so it seemed. The faint stench of ghoul festered within the tunnel, gradually getting stronger by small degrees as they followed it.
Agnes sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Eewww, it smells like the wet, rotting corpse of a dead dog," she whined.
"Try not to think about it," he said, focusing on the path in front of them. The tunnel was a nightmare of packed earth, roots, and the occasional bones used as crude structural supports. The smell was oppressive, a biological soup of decay and damp.
"No recent footprints," she murmured. "The soil's been disturbed, but it's not recent. They're either dormant or elsewhere."
They walked for what felt like five miles, the air growing cooler, the ghoul-stench intensifying to a gagging thickness. Gallows suddenly stopped. "There's something up ahead," he whispered.
A dark shadow lumbered across the passage ahead, grunting softly as it trudged along with an ape-like stride, hunched over, head protruding forwards.
They froze as Gallows stepped back and hugged the wall of the tunnel, Agnes crouching beside him as they studied the oblivious ghoul mere meters away. It shuffled off with a grunt, scratching its ear. The tunnel opened into a significantly larger space that was obscured from view.
Gallows looked at Agnes, and she nodded in acknowledgement, biting her lip before she disappeared in a flash and made her way towards the opening.
She poked her head out to ensure the coast was clear and inched her way into the subway, taking in her surroundings as she took one step at a time. The tunnel was dug into the wall at one end of the platform; from there Agnes could see out across the expanse of the station. There were piles of debris such as old suitcases, trolleys, discarded electronics and all manner of things littered everywhere that the ghouls seemed to place value on and that they had decorated their nest with. Old mattresses, parts of couches and piles of blankets and assorted random clothing were heaped together to make beds. The ghouls either lounged around, shuffled about aimlessly or sat grunting and jabbering at each other in some odd guttural language.
Agnes began sneaking around as she surveyed the station; piles of earth filled the valley where the track sat between platforms. Several ghoul pups wrestled nearby as she stopped and decided to venture no closer. The ghouls resembled bald, ape-like creatures with grey, olive or muddy green coloured skin. They had large heads and eyes twice the size of a human's, looking like a cross between a gorilla and a grey alien caricature. On the pile of earth sat a large totem pole of jewellery and bones, and opposite it a shrine decorated with all sorts of bizarre relics.
She was studying the shrine when she heard a chattering sound beside her and whipped around to see one of the pups had ceased wrestling with its companion and had scooted closer, sniffing the air and studying her with an unmistakable look of curiosity. Agnes froze and willed it to go away and lose interest in her, but she wasn't so lucky.
It inched closer, careful as it sniffed the air and tilted its head in confusion. It fell to its haunches and shuffled closer, reaching out a clawed hand tentatively to poke at the spot of nothing that smelled like human. It's finger prodded her thigh, and it gave a grunt of surprise as it leaned forwards and sniffed again, smelling her clothing as Agnes whispered loudly for it to go away and get lost. It ignored her and gave a loud and happy hoot of excitement.
"Uh oh," Agnes muttered as she started to inch away from the creature. As soon as she moved, it gave an excited bark, drawing the attention of half a dozen other ghouls.
One nearby came bounding in her direction, barking excitedly.
"Aaawww nuts!" Agnes declared as she turned and ran for the tunnel.
The ghoul closed in on her with impressive speed, gaining on her as it lashed out with a clawed hand, opening a gash in her backpack as she reappeared. She could hear it growling behind her and feel the hot stinking breath on the back of her neck as she ran as fast as she could.
Bam! The ghoul pitched sideways and crashed into the wall as Gallows punched it in the head as they entered the narrow confines of the tunnel.
"We have to go, now!" Agnes cried as the hooting and hollering of the excited ghouls became louder.
"Shit! Yeah, let's go!" Gallows agreed as they turned and hurried back the way they had come. The ghouls were in hot pursuit, diving into the tunnel and barrelling after them.
Agnes ran as fast as she could, her legs pumping as she breathed heavily, fear gripping her chest as the ghouls kept getting closer and closer, their hooting and the sound of running feet echoing through the tunnel and increasing in volume.
Gallows ran in front of her as Agnes struggled to keep up. The detective was considerably taller than her and hence had a far greater stride.
Her legs burned with effort; she gasped for air as she tried to suck oxygen into starving lungs.
"Devin! Help!" She cried, feeling the strength begin to leave her as she forced herself to run, pushing herself as hard as she could as the ghouls gained on them.
Gallows slowed, grabbing Agnes by the hand and pulling her along with him.
Suddenly one of the creatures lunged at her and leapt onto her back, knocking Agnes to the ground as she screamed.
It snarled with rage and clawed frantically at her back, shredding the backpack and damaging the equipment inside.
Gallows kicked it in the face and sent it flying off of her as he grabbed her again and dragged her to her feet.
"Come on!" he cried. "The sewer intersection we passed, we have to reach it. It's our only chance to escape!"
She nodded, breathing heavily as she forced herself to ignore the burning fatigue and run as fast as she could.
She glanced behind them to see the green-tinted visages of the ghouls not far behind, barking excitedly as they hunted their prey. "Eep!" She looked back in front and focused on running. Just when she thought they would never reach it in time, the tunnel ended and spread out into the wide gaping maw of the sewer.
They stumbled through the knee-deep water running through the middle of the shallow valley and up the slope on the other side as Gallows pointed to the light shining down through the rectangular hole of a storm drain. "You go first! I'll cover you," he cried, drawing his sidearm as it roared twice and a ghoul bucked with the impacts, spurts of blood erupting from its chest as it went down, howling in agony.
Agnes nodded and bolted for the sanctuary of the light, scrambling as she clawed her way up the side of the sewer and scrambled up into the hole.
The gun barked again several times as Gallows fired on them.
Agnes dragged herself up and out of the opening and onto the street as she gasped for air. The gun went off twice more, and then there was silence. Then the detective scrambled up out of the hole, breathing hard on his knees beside her.
As soon as they got back onto the street, the reception returned and the phone's GPS started working again. They took a minute to compose themselves as Agnes's phone beeped at her successively three times. She looked at her phone. "Oops," she muttered. Three missed calls from 'Black Death' wasn't a good sign.
Before she could decide on a response, Gallows' phone vibrated in his pocket. A text message."Midland Avenue. That is a long way to go for pizza. Awaiting your delivery. -W."
Agnes peeked at his screen and winced. "She knows. Of course she knows. She always knows." She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "Well, at least we have the intel to deliver. Let's go face the music. And pray she's in a... forgiving mood." She didn't sound hopeful.
Gallows glanced at Agnes and shrugged. "Hey, we were successful. How angry could she be?"
They stood before Wednesday as she sat in her gothic throne at her desk. She sat in rigid silence, her hands folded in front of her, frozen in place as her eyes blazed with fury. The Cultes des Goules lay open before her, next to a city map with a red 'X' marking the Midland Avenue station.
"The average pizza delivery," she began, her voice quiet and deadly calm, "even allowing for traffic, a misplaced order, and an armed robbery, takes no more than fifty-seven minutes. You have been absent for two hours and fifty-one." She looked at Agnes. "Your phone's signal appeared at the site of Ravencrest before vanishing again into a subterranean dead zone for over an hour, only to re-emerge at the coordinates of a decommissioned subway station."
Her gaze shifted to Gallows. "Your explanation is irrelevant. You disobeyed a direct instruction—co-opted the use of one of my operatives—and compromised agency security by using Enid as an unwitting accomplice to your subterfuge." She stood, a slow, deliberate motion. "The intelligence you gathered on the nest location is valuable. It has been logged. Your methods, however, were reckless, insubordinate and demonstrated a profound lack of judgement."
Her voice dropped lower as she narrowed her eyes. "You are an ally, not a business partner or employee. We are supposed to be working together to achieve the same goal. You do not take my operative on unsanctioned, high-risk excursions without my knowledge. That is not a partnership. That is a coup d'etat."
She stood and took a step out from behind the desk, the movement predatory. She didn't raise her voice. "The intelligence is irrelevant if it is gathered by operatives who are dead or compromised. Ghouls are inherently superstitious and primitive creatures. If you couldn't make any headway in locating the nest, you should've been looking at methods of purging it," she chastised him. "You led a member of my team, using my resources, into a live ghoul tunnel without backup, without extraction, without my knowledge. You gambled with her life on an impulsive hunch." She pointed a finger at Agnes without looking at her. "Her speciality is infiltration and intelligence, not close-quarters combat with a subterranean hive. You placed her in a terminal scenario."
She turned her burning stare to Agnes. "And you. You allowed operational enthusiasm to override basic protocol. You disobeyed my specific instructions on a whim and showed casual disdain for my command and judgement. You are not a blunt instrument. You are a scalpel. You do not belong in a tunnel with a rogue member of the NYPD hunting ghouls in the darkness with no known escape vectors."
She returned her gaze to the detective, her fury visible in the tightness of her jaw, the clenching of a fist. "This is not a game. This is not a thrilling midnight escapade. This is my business. My team. My responsibility." Her voice trembled with barely suppressed rage. "You do not get to jeopardise that because you are impatient, enthusiastic about a current whim, or because you wish to prove something to me. The next time you have a tactical suggestion, you will bring it to me and accept my judgement on its merits. Is that understood?"
Gallows nodded. "You agreed to bring me in on this case because of the particular skills I have to get the job done. I've done exactly that," he said. "And yes, Agnes's skills are in infiltration and intelligence gathering, the exact purpose I used her for in this undertaking. Our goal was to follow the ghoul tunnel from Ravencrest to their nest and discover its location without engaging them, and we had a plan for backing out if things got too crazy. The ghouls have many tunnels connecting to each other and subway lines as well as sewer systems. We took note of all that we passed so if we needed to, we could retreat down one of them," he explained. "You wanted us to find the location of the nest...we did that. You never specified that we had to stay in the office to do it," he said, bringing up a dangerous technicality. It was the kind of thing that, while true, really bent and got creative with the interpretation of instructions. Something he knew Wednesday would hate being used against her, despite her penchant for it herself.
"I decided to undertake the mission via Ravencrest without your knowledge, because I knew you would disapprove, considering our earlier conversation. The risk presented by Ravencrest itself and traversing through the tunnels," he admitted. "Agnes isn't to blame. I had the idea, I recruited her, and I convinced her it was worth incurring your wrath. Although it should be noted this isn't an official agency mission, no one hired or is paying for the job. It's a cleanup extension of the job I hired you for specifically. So in a manner of speaking, I'm continuing my own work."
Wednesday inhaled with visible, yet composed, anger. "I did not authorise the infiltration of Ravencrest because I wanted to ensure we had explored all other avenues first. If we couldn't locate the ghoul hive by other means, then Ravencrest would be the entrance vector, but I was utilising it as a last resort," she explained. "Agnes.....you are dismissed," she hissed as Agnes bolted from the room as quickly as she could without running.
"This team operates effectively as a collaborative unit under my command. If you are working with us, you implicitly accept to work under my authority. It is that simple. I never want to hear such juvenile and transparent attempts at misdirection and justification for your insubordination ever again. The next time you openly defy me, it will be the end of our collaborative efforts." Wednesday remained standing, the fury radiating from her like a cold front. She didn't repeat herself; she said nothing else. She simply waited, her dark eyes locked on his, challenging him to defy the dismissal. The silence in the room was absolute, charged with the weight of her authority and the crackling aftermath of his transgression. Her posture said everything: the conversation was over. Any further words from him would be an act of rebellion, and she was waiting for him to give her a reason to make the consequences even more severe.
He was silent for a few moments. "You're right. I deliberately disobeyed you and took creative liberty with instructions you had given," he confessed. "All to pursue a mission and a goal of my own so I could notch another success on my belt," Gallows said with a nod. "It was stupid and reckless, despite its success. Everything you said is true, and I'm sorry." He paused. "But let's not pretend for a second if the roles were reversed you wouldn't have done the same thing," he added, his tone and expression neutral, not gloating, happy, or annoyed, just stating a fact.
Wednesday froze, considering him with intense regard. "This is not a matter of reciprocal action," she snapped. "It is a matter of structure. You are correct. I would have undertaken the reconnaissance. The difference is that it would have been my decision, within my operational framework, with my assessment of the risks to my operatives. You do not have that authority. You do not have that purview. You did not emulate my methods; you usurped my role. You did not prove your capability, you did not prove we have something in common and you did not prove we share some ….misconstrued notion you harbor of a bond." She took several steps closer, coming to stand in front of the desk. "Your confession of fault is noted. We are finished here."
Gallows nodded in acknowledgement. "You're right. It won't happen again. But we've got work to do, so I'm going to get back to it and start putting together some ideas for this plan. Now we know where the nest is," he said, then turned and left. Wednesday watched him leave, the echo of his words lingering in the silent, cold room. He was right, of course. She would have done the same. She had done similar things countless times.
Her hands, which had been clenched, slowly unfurled. The logical part of her mind catalogued his confession, acceptance, and apology as positive data points—efficiency in conflict resolution and acknowledgement of fault.
He and Agnes were safe. The location was secured.
She turned to the map, her finger tracing the red 'X' over Midland Avenue station. The mission was all that mattered. But as she stared at the map, the ghost of his words—if the roles were reversed—hung in the air, a quiet, uncomfortable truth.
Gallows studied maps of the subway and sewer systems in the area, assessing it for potential entry and exit points. There were a few options available to them, but more importantly, they had a nest of ghouls to deal with. They couldn't possibly fight them all and hope to survive.
Wednesday was right that the ghouls were superstitious and would react with panic and fear if they destroyed their totem poles and sacred idols. But the team had to ensure they wouldn't reorganise, which meant killing their chieftain. If they did those two things, they could ensure any ghouls that survived fled and never returned, becoming an unorganised and directionless rabble. Gallows considered the undertaking as he remained alone downstairs, Agnes and Enid having left for the night.
The faint, almost imperceptible sound of a footstep on the staircase broke the late-night silence. Wednesday stood at the base of the stairs, her silhouette framed in the doorway. She had changed into a long black silk robe. Her eyes scanned the maps and notes spread across the desk, taking in his work. The fury was gone from her expression, replaced by a deep, analytical mask.
He looked up and stopped what he was doing. "I'm off the case?" he asked, suspecting she had come to a decision. "While I understand the sentiment, I think it would be ill advised. We're going to need every resource we have."
"I did not come down here to argue. I came to inform you that you will be required for the coming mission, despite your insubordination. Your assistance is required....and desired," she informed him. "When you have finished your shift tomorrow, come here immediately for a mission briefing and discussion. Until then, I suggest you go home and get some sleep." It was an order, but it was also a reinforcement of his utility. A professional olive branch. Without another word, she turned and glided back up the stairs.
The next afternoon Gallows walked into the office at 5pm, right on time for the meeting on the upcoming raid on the ghoul nest.
Enid, standing over her desk as she tidied it, looked up as he entered and smirked. "Finally! We were just about to begin without you," she says, motioning for him to follow her. "Come on, hurry up. You're in enough trouble with Wednesday as it is, mister. Don't push your luck!" she teased, leading the way into the conference room. Agnes was already waiting, while Wednesday was taking down notes on the white board. They both sat on opposite sides of Agnes and waited in silence while Wednesday finished jotting down her notes.
"I can't believe there's been a nest of ghouls under the city for more than a century and no one ever really knew about it," Enid said to Agnes.
"The presence of a ghoul hive beneath New York City, remaining undetected for so long and preying on the city's inhabitants going largely unnoticed, is a testament to the size and scale of the city," Wednesday said, putting the marker down and turning around. "I have spent considerable time assessing the situation and devising a strategy to ensure the ghoul infestation is dealt with permanently. However, it is open for review, critique, and adjustment, as per the reason for this meeting. We must ensure we have the best strategy possible and everyone understands their role."
Wednesday walked to the light switch and turned it off as a projector fired up an image of the subway station from when it was in use. "Midland Avenue station. A subway station opened in 1946 and closed in 1974. It has since been repurposed as the ghoul's nest. Studying schematics of the station, I have decided we will attempt to cause a cave-in of the hive, which can be accomplished by planting explosives and severely damaging structural supports here, here, and here," she said, taking up her marker and putting three Xs on the white board over the projected image. "Causing a collapse would bury the station, seal it off, and crush most of the ghouls in the process. This will be our primary objective," Wednesday said, addressing the team. "There are four ways into the Ghoul hive. The first and second are the train tracks that run through the station; the third is the tunnel they excavated to Ravencrest, and the other is the sewer entrance to the north," Wednesday explains. "We will divide into two teams for the assault on the hive. Gallows and Agnes as one, Enid and I as the other, employing a pincer movement to assault the hive from two points simultaneously to sow confusion and create chaos. Detective Gallows has analysed maps of the area and hopefully can present us with appropriate entrance and exit vectors," she said, turning to him.
He nodded. "The Eastern train track was sealed off years ago by the city; we don't know if the ghouls have excavated it or not, so the sewer entrance to the north is the best option. You and Enid can enter via the sewer while Agnes and myself approach via the Ravencrest tunnel. The tunnel Agnes and I followed joins the sewer system further back. We found the entrance when we had to make a hasty retreat the other evening," he said as Wednesday narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
Wednesday continued. "Agnes's role will be to plant the explosives at the station pressure points and prime them for detonation." She changed the slide to show pictures of the layout of the station as she drew lines to illustrate her points. "There are an estimated fifty ghouls in the pack. Our goal is not to eliminate them all, but keep them occupied long enough so Agnes, using her ability, can plant the explosives uninterrupted. Enid in her wolf form will then proceed to attack the ghouls. A rampaging werewolf appearing seemingly from nowhere will assist in adding to the chaos. Gallows, you will locate and eliminate the chieftain while destroying their totem poles and sacred idols. Without their leader to coordinate their movements, they will disintegrate into an unorganised rabble. Equipped with my bow, I will act as support and provide cover fire for you and Enid," she told Gallows, looking to Enid. "Decapitation of the leadership is necessary to prevent reorganisation, and destroying their religious artefacts will utilise their superstitious nature against them to ensure they flee and never return. Once Agnes has set all the explosives, we will fall back to the Ravencrest tunnel and detonate them, bringing the street above down on the station and burying the nest."
Gallows nodded in agreement. "The tactical fundamentals are sound. The more we can delay, the better, as it gives Agnes valuable time. Planting explosives is time consuming and even with the three she has to plant, it will take her at least five minutes to move to each spot and rig them successfully."
Wednesday nodded. "I am allocating seven minutes to the execution of the mission. It is the optimal time frame for the undertaking while allocating for a minimal window of error. Once Agnes has the last explosive in place and primes it, there will be a twenty-second window for us to make our retreat into the Ravencrest tunnel and clear the blast radius."
"That's a long time in an intense close-quarters combat situation," he said.
"Which is why your secondary objective is to sustain the chaos, not just ignite it." Wednesday met his gaze, her dark eyes intense. "Do not simply kill him. Make it a spectacle. Sever the head. Impale it on his own totem. The psychological impact will be more valuable than a quiet assassination. It will fracture their cohesion definitively and decisively." She gave a curt nod. "Enid will provide the initial, overwhelming shock. You will provide the sustained, demoralising terror. I will provide the methodical, lethal precision, and Agnes will provide the final, structural solution. It is a symphony of controlled violence." Wednesday turned to Agnes. "You will have seven minutes from the moment the chaos initiates. The charges will be set at these three structural weak points. The detonation sequence is synced; you will have twenty seconds to reach the minimum safe distance after pressing the trigger. You will not engage unless your cover is blown. Is that clear?"
Agnes nodded. "Crystal!"
"Enid, your objective is shock and awe. You will transform at Point Alpha here." Wednesday pointed with the marker, drawing as she went. "...and charge directly into the station. Do not engage a specific target. Run through them. Knock over their bone piles. Roar. Your purpose is to be a force of nature, not a combatant."
"So you don't want me to kill ghouls?" Enid asked.
Wednesday's marker paused on the board. She turned her head slowly toward Enid. "If you can kill any ghouls in the process then by all means, but that is not your primary objective. I want you to be the tornado that precedes the earthquake. You are the opening act of terror. If you stop to engage, you become a target." She tapped the board sharply where the explosive charges were marked. "The earthquake, in this metaphor, is five pounds of C-4." Wednesday's gaze shifted to encompass the room. "Clarity. Precision. Each of you has a single, focused task. Deviation from that task is the primary vector for mission failure." Her eyes landed on Gallows, a clear reference to the previous night. "Do not improvise. Execute the plan."
"Wednesday is right; if you stop to fight them, they're likely going to swarm you. Having ghouls leaping all over you isn't something you want," Gallows said.
Agnes gave a tight, approving nod. "A moving target is a hard target."
Enid fidgeted, her expression caught between worry and a dawning sense of purpose. "So... I'm the distraction. The big, flashy, 'look over here!'" She squared her shoulders, a flicker of her wolfish confidence surfacing.
Wednesday observed the exchange, her gaze calculating. "Enid's initial charge and our ranged attacks will create the initial disruption. Gallows, you will have a ninety-second window of maximum confusion to close with the chieftain before their discipline reasserts itself. His elimination will extend the chaos and give Agnes the full seven minutes."
"There's like fifty ghouls in this hive though; that's a lot of enemies," Agnes said with a concerned look.
"There are bound to be at least ten pups among them and a number of twenty female ghouls who are typically non-combatants. They will instinctively move to protect the pups and not get involved in the fighting unless we attack them. That leaves us with a much more manageable twenty potential combatants to deal with," Wednesday replied.
"If Agnes is sneaking in and planting the bombs, why do we need to make the big distraction?" Enid asked.
"Ghouls are primitive creatures, but not to be underestimated," Gallows said. "Their idea of security is limited to basic sentry duties and relying on their keen senses of smell, hearing, and sight. Otherwise, we could just have Agnes sneak in and set the bombs. But despite the fact she's invisible, they'd still smell and hear her. We need the distraction so they're not paying attention to the weird spot of nothing moving around that smells like a young woman."
"It's less about achieving a victory and more providing a prolonged and viable distraction so I can get the bombs in place. The successful completion of that objective is the real victory," Agnes noted.
"The desecration of their icons, followed by the very public, very gruesome elimination of their chieftain, should keep the remaining defenders fixated on Gallows," Wednesday continued. "I will remain in a position to provide you and Enid with support, focusing on ranged attacks, unless it becomes vital that I interfere more directly."
"You need to be sure you can still provide covering fire for myself and Enid if it's necessary," Gallows reminded her. "She'll have no problem tearing through one that gets in her way, but they're pack animals. They'd likely try to mob her with three or more at a time."
Wednesday nodded. "I will remain mobile and adjust my positioning as necessary." She turned and faced the group, assessing them in silence. "We are basing our strategy on psychological warfare against creatures of base instinct. It is sound, but not guaranteed. The contingency for a cascading failure is... limited." A grim resolve settled in her eyes. "We will succeed. The math favors it, although the margin for error is thinner than I prefer. The plan is finalised. Use the time to rest. Your role requires peak performance. Final gear checks, preparations, and mission briefing will commence at Twenty hundred hours tomorrow. Dismissed."
About an hour later they were all in position around the abandoned subway station that served as the ghoul's nest. Wednesday and Enid came through the northern entrance, scurrying through an ancient, unused water pipe, while Agnes and Gallows descended from the street above to enter from the southern end.
Beside him, Agnes cracked her knuckles and crouched as she prepared herself, adjusting her backpack as she grasped the first explosive charge in one hand.
"We're in position," Gallows clarified over the comm. "Awaiting your signal."
Wednesday's voice followed a crackle of static, calm and low in his earpiece. "Acknowledged. Agnes, move out!"
Agnes vanished in a flash as she began her mission to set the explosive charges.
"Pixie is a go," Gallows confirmed.
"Copy. Enid.....initiate Operation Werewolf," Wednesday commanded, her voice flat.
From the northern tunnel came a deep, reverberating roar that shook dust from the ancient ceiling that was followed by the thud of heavy, running footsteps as a werewolf burst into the subway, leaping up onto the platform and racing across it, knocking several surprised ghouls over. Enid bounded down the platform, grabbing a ghoul in her jaws and shaking it like a toy as she bit down and blood sprayed the platform as she tossed the shrieking creature aside. Enid snarled at the ghouls, batting one aside with a heavy paw and crushing the leg of another with a stomp as she thundered down the platform. The ghouls shrieked, barked and hooted in alarm at the sudden invasion of their nest, reacting fast to the invader as a handful of them raced to engage Enid.
"Distraction is live. I have a visual on the primary targets. Moving to suppress." Wednesday's voice was cool, calm and collected. The barely audible thwip of a bow sounded through the station as an arrow took a ghoul rushing at Enid in the side of the head, dropping it like a rock.
From his position Gallows could see Enid's massive, grey-furred wolf tearing through the milling ghouls on the platform, a blur of fang and fury. The creatures scrambled, their attention consumed by the bestial threat in their midst.
Where the train track ran in the centre of the station soil had been heaped to fill the crevice, sloped on each side and raising several meters above the platform. Atop it was a bone totem pole created with the bones of their victims and decorated with masses of stolen jewellery from their prey. Two pearl-white skulls grinned down from the top of the eight-foot monstrosity. Beside it a larger, more heavily built ghoul with ritual scars and a necklace of bones stood with pride, bellowing orders as it shook a lead pipe sceptre, its massive eyes fixed on Enid. It wore the rings of many a victim, shining on its grey primate-like fingers. Gallows identified him as the chieftain as he entered the fray; now he had sighted his target.
The steady stream of arrows came slow but with lethal precision; each shot a kill as a ghoul crouched to leap at Enid, and an arrow sang through the air, taking it through the eye as it yelped and fell backwards.
Wednesday notched another arrow, took aim at its eye socket and fired at a ghoul charging at Gallows. The arrow took it right in the throat as it stumbled, pulling the arrow out and gurgling as blood gushed from the wound, and it collapsed face-first into the dirt in its death throes.
Wednesday frowned; she had missed her intended target. Her aim was off; she was getting sloppy.
Agnes waited five seconds for Enid's rampage to draw the ghouls' attention before she broke into a run and raced towards her first target. Apart from dodging and weaving around a couple of ghouls she ignored them, concentrating on her task as she gripped the first explosive charge in her hand. She crouched at the base of the pillar and set the charge, hitting several buttons to activate it as it beeped and a row of little green lights lit up. One down, two to go.
Gallows withdrew a futuristic-looking hatchet from within the folds of his coat and swung it in a sweeping arc at a ghoul that charged towards him. It jumped back from the swing as he stepped forwards and drove the axe overhand into its face with a wet crack and splash of blood. The ghoul howled in agony as he withdrew the axe and followed it up with another sweeping strike that opened a gash in its throat as blood cascaded from the gaping wound. Kicking the dying ghoul aside, Gallows continued stalking his target, his gaze set on the chieftain.
Enid roared, growling at some ghouls engaged in a stand-off with her. Her galloping rampage had come to a halt as the trio of ghouls blocked her escape, keeping the end of the platform and themselves between her. She raised her head and howled, a shrill keening cry that echoed in the cavernous underground. The three ghouls were hesitant to engage the significantly larger werewolf, as she snapped her jaws at them and snarled, spittle flying. Then, invigorated by their superiority of numbers, the three ghouls barked back at her, and hooting excitedly, they attacked.
A ghoul stumbled back with an arrow protruding from its throat, but the other two leapt at Enid as she swatted one out of the air with a basketball-sized paw and snapped at the other. It ducked under her gnashing jaws and jumped onto her side, clawing at her thick hide as she snarled and whipped around, grabbing an arm in her powerful jaws as the bone audibly cracked and plucking it off her. She bit down on its head and squeezed as, with a pop and sickening crack, the skull burst in her mouth like a grape. The werewolf hacked and then growled and resumed her chaotic run.
Two ghouls raced at Gallows as he advanced on their leader, coming to his defence as the detective drew his handgun and shot one of them twice at point blank range. Blood sprayed everywhere as the ghoul collapsed to the dirt, and the other snarled in rage, leaping at Gallows as he brought his arm up to defend himself, the weight of the ghoul knocking him to the ground.
The ghoul stood over Gallows, snarling down at him in triumph; its hot, rancid breath inches away from his face as it had him pinned to the ground. It raked its claws at him, getting the leather on the arm of his jacket as Gallows fought to get the beast off of him. An arrow sung through the air, taking the ghoul in the chest as it jerked backwards with a shriek. Another arrow joined the first, and it contorted in agony as Gallows shoved the dying ghoul off and scrambled onto his knees, driving the axe into the side of its head with a splatter of blood. He stood to see the chieftain studying him from his spot. It only ascended two meters above the platform, but it was enough to display the ghoul's power and status. A ghoul beside the leader hooted and came charging down the small hill towards him as Gallows knelt down, retrieved his gun and shot the incoming ghoul in the stomach twice, blowing its guts out with a burst of foul-smelling blood and gore.
Agnes activated the second explosive with a beep, and she moved on to the final charge. She ran between two hooting ghouls as she made her way towards her target. She was making great time, two charges set with three minutes left on the clock. Invisible, she slunk through the darkness of the abandoned subway, her night vision goggles paving the way with their green-tinted light. The decorative arched entrance of the station on the northern platform was her last target. Enid had cleared the platform of the ghouls as they were chasing her up and down the far end of the subway as she toyed with them, keeping a handful distracted. There was another problem however: a handful of pups with two females were clustered around in front of the entrance where she had to plant the charge. With a hiss of frustration she slowed and began creeping past the ghouls. The pups cowered back behind the females, who snarled and barked at the intruders.
Agnes was sliding past them when one of the females stopped, sniffed the air and then turned and looked right at her. "Uh oh," she muttered as the ghoul bared its teeth at her in a snarl. She didn't have time to react as the ghoul ran at her. She turned to flee but wasn't fast enough as it grabbed her from behind, hissing and snarling as it tried to bite her. Agnes threw her arm up behind her head just in time as the ghoul started biting her arm, growling, its powerful arms wrapping around her waist as it held her in an iron grip.
"Aaahhh! Help!" Agnes screamed into her comm as she struggled with the ghoul, trying to dislodge it.
The ghoul munched on her arm, the Kevlar body armour saving her limb from being torn to shreds, but it would only offer protection for so long.
"Help!" She screamed, lurching this way and that as she wrestled with the ghoul.
"Calm down, stop panicking and stay still," Wednesday chided her, trying to get a clear shot.
"That's easy for you to say!" Agnes snapped through gritted teeth as she fought the ghoul with everything she had.
A roar of pain and anger permeated through the tunnels as Enid was set upon by another trio of hooting ghouls. A massive paw belted one over the head as she lunged and bit its arm off.
It shrieked in agony as blood pumped from the severed limb.
The other two ghouls leapt at Enid, one of them jumping onto her hind quarters and burying its claws in her thick hide as it tried to bite her, clinging on as she bucked and tried to dislodge it. The other ghoul managed to scramble up onto her back as it began clawing and biting at her in a frenzy. Enid howled as she tried to get the ghouls off her, snapping her jaws and snarling, but they were determined to cling to their perilous mount.
Wednesday suddenly found her attention torn between two members of her team. She hesitated only for a second. "Hold Agnes; Enid requires assistance."
Agnes grunted as the ghoul wrapped its legs around her middle and clung to her like a koala. "Fine! I'll handle it myself," she spat as she turned and staggered back against the wall, ramming the ghoul up against the bricks with all her strength and jerking her head backwards. The ghoul hit the wall with a smack, its head hitting the brick wall before the back of Agnes' skull smacked it in the nose. It squealed in pain as it wriggled, trying to pry itself loose as Agnes had it squashed between herself and the wall. It started to slide free as she brought her elbow smashing up and back into its face, its nose breaking with a crack as it gushed blood. She brought her other hand up and jabbed it in the neck as it screeched in agony then grabbing the ghoul's head with both hands, dropped to her knees and flipped it over her, grabbing it in a headlock and snapping its neck in two swift movements. She leapt to her feet and ran towards her objective, stopping to pick up the charge that had fallen out of the shredded remains of her backpack.
The ghoul clinging to Enid's back screeched with pain as it flailed, its grip loosening as an arrow took it in the back of the neck. Enid managed to shake it free as a chorus of hooting and hollering sounded from the tunnel behind them and another half a dozen ghouls came running towards them out of the abyssal darkness.
Wednesday hissed and fell back as they came rushing at her, notching another arrow in her bow as she prepared to take aim. The unexpected arrival of additional ghouls would turn the tide against them.
Gallows heard the hollering of the reinforcements charging down the tunnel towards them as he advanced on the chieftain.
The ghoul narrowed its eyes at him with a feral grin as it raised its pipe sceptre and rushed him, bellowing with rage.
Gallows returned the smile as he raised his arm, took aim and opened fire, the handgun's roar echoing loudly in the subterranean depths as the back of the ghoul's head exploded with a shower of blood and its corpse crashed to the ground. He strode past the body and took a flare from his coat, twisting the cap as it flashed to life, and he hurled it into the shrine as it was engulfed in flames.
Ghouls everywhere began screeching as the desecration of their shrine and the death of their leader seized their attention. The other members of the team forgotten as the males rushed Gallows.
"Er....little help?" he said, sounding worried.
"Bingo! Charge is planted!" Agnes cried over the comm.
"Acknowledged....all units fall back, now!" Wednesday ordered. "The countdown begins."
Gallows didn't need to be told twice as he began to retreat, the gathering of pups and female ghouls hooting in shock and panic as they remained amassed on the left side of the station, huddled in a group between the platforms.
Enid bounded up the other side onto the platform as she raced for the exit, Wednesday jogging behind her as she kept her bow notched, just in case.
Agnes vanished once more as she bolted, glad the attention was off her and now on the fiery inferno that was their beloved shrine.
Gallows backed up as he fired at the incoming ghouls, trying to keep them at bay, lest they decide to rush him. He turned and ran as Wednesday passed him, and they fled to the refuge of the Ravencrest tunnel.
Agnes reappeared beside them as they stopped, the sound of running feet in pursuit as the ghouls had apparently decided to chase them after all.
Wednesday didn't delay in pressing the button as a massive explosion shook the earth, deafening them all for a few seconds as the subway station was crushed beneath thousands of tonnes of soil. The nest of ghouls definitively dealt with once and for all.
Epilogue:
Exhausted and filthy, the group ascended to the street above, where they took a few minutes to compose themselves before Enid, bruised and battered, smiled. "Well, here's to a job well done! I think this calls for a celebration with some post-mission drinks," she said, turning to Wednesday. "How about it, chief?"
Agnes cheered. "Great idea! I could really go for some cocktails!" she said, looking to Wednesday with a hopeful smile.
Wednesday nodded in agreement. "A good activity to build morale and reward oneself for a mission successfully completed. I approve."
Enid nudged Wednesday and looked in Gallows' direction as he fussed with his appearance.
"Well, I'll see you later, I guess," Gallows said with a nod as he turned and began walking away.
Wednesday gave her a look as Enid smiled and nodded before she turned to Agnes, and the two of them began walking down the street arm in arm, singing cheerfully.
Wednesday sighed and called out to him. "Devin!"
He stopped and half turned around. "Yeah?"
She jerked her head towards Enid and Agnes in the distance.
"Oh, are you sure?" he asked.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, now hurry up before I change my mind."
Gallows smirked at her and came walking back as the two of them walked side by side behind Agnes and Enid.
The End.