(A/N):
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....
Beth stood near the entrance of the apartment, watching Jojo carefully wrap the ancient leather-bound book inside a thick black cloth before placing it into his travel bag.
Lorraine carefully packed the damaged cassette recorder into a separate protective case along with every handwritten note, newspaper clipping, and document they had collected from the apartment.
Nobody suggested leaving anything behind.
After witnessing what a single book had been capable of, none of them wanted even a single page of it to remain in civilian hands.
The apartment had finally become quiet.
Not the unnatural silence that had existed while Ellie was possessed.
This silence was different.
"...."
"...."
"...."
It was the silence that came after surviving something horrifying.
Danny sat on the edge of the sofa with his head lowered, refusing to look at the desk where the cursed book had rested for weeks.
Bridget remained beside him, quietly holding her brother's hand.
She wasn't angry anymore.
Seeing Danny cry the way he had...
Seeing how much guilt he carried...
Her anger had disappeared long ago.
Kassie sat beside Beth, occasionally glancing toward the now empty bedroom.
Every few seconds her eyes instinctively searched for her mother before reality reminded her there was no one left to find.
Bruce slowly closed the Bible in his hands.
"I suppose..."
He gave a tired smile.
"...this means my career as an amateur exorcist is officially over."
Leah laughed quietly.
"I'd recommend sticking to your day job."
Bruce chuckled weakly.
"That was already the plan."
Even Mr. Fonda, who had spent the entire ordeal trying to appear brave despite his obvious fear, finally allowed himself to relax.
"I've lived in this building for thirty-one years."
He shook his head slowly.
"I've dealt with earthquakes."
"Power outages."
"Riots."
"Even a gas explosion."
"But tonight..."
He looked toward the bedroom.
"...I hope I never experience anything like tonight again."
Lorraine smiled gently.
"I don't think anyone does."
Beth slowly walked toward Jojo.
Her movements were hesitant.
Almost uncertain.
She looked as though she had aged years over the past few weeks.
There were still tears in her eyes, but they no longer carried the hopelessness Jojo had seen when he first arrived.
Instead...
There was exhaustion.
Grief. And relief.
She stopped before him.
For several moments she couldn't find the words.
How did someone thank the people who had saved her children but couldn't save her sister?
There really wasn't an answer.
Finally she lowered her head.
"...Thank you."
It wasn't a dramatic speech. It wasn't elaborate.
It was simply honest.
"If you hadn't come..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"...I don't think any of us would've survived another night."
Jojo looked toward Danny and his sisters before returning his attention to Beth.
"The danger inside this apartment has ended."
He spoke calmly.
"But grief doesn't disappear as quickly as monsters."
Beth silently nodded.
She understood exactly what he meant.
The nightmares would remain.
The memories would remain.
Ellie's absence would remain.
But at least...
Her children were still alive.
That alone was worth holding onto.
Beth reached into a small drawer beside the entrance and removed a plain white envelope.
She hesitated before offering it to Jojo.
"I know this probably isn't enough."
"There isn't much money left."
"The hospital bills..."
She stopped herself before continuing.
"But I still want to pay."
Jojo looked at the envelope for several seconds.
He wasn't interested in the money.
The DMC had enough funding to handle cases like this without charging desperate families.
But he also understood something important.
Sometimes allowing people to repay a debt gave them back a small piece of dignity.
Refusing it would only make Beth feel as though she owed him forever.
He accepted the envelope with a small nod.
"Thank you."
Beth smiled faintly for the first time since they had met.
"No..."
She looked toward her children.
"...thank you."
After making sure Beth had emergency contact information for the DMC,
Jojo gave her one final instruction.
"I don't want any of you staying here."
Beth blinked.
"I already destroyed the infestation inside this apartment."
He looked toward the sealed kitchen.
"But I still don't know how far this thing has spread through Los Angeles."
"I'd rather not take unnecessary chances."
Beth nodded immediately.
"My parents live outside the city."
"I'll take the children there."
"Good."
"If anything unusual happens... You call us."
"Immediately."
"I will."
Danny slowly stood up before Jojo reached the door.
"...Mr. Jojo?"
Jojo stopped.
The boy took a deep breath. Danny looked at the floor again.
"I won't hide anything anymore."
Jojo didn't lecture him.
The boy had already learned a lesson that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Sometimes guilt itself was punishment enough.
A few minutes later the three finally stepped outside.
The cool evening air greeted them immediately.
Rain continued falling over Los Angeles, though nowhere near as heavily as before.
The streets reflected thousands of lights from passing cars, while distant thunder rolled lazily across the dark clouds hanging over the city.
For a while none of them spoke.
Each was occupied with their own thoughts.
Leah shoved both hands into her jacket pockets.
"I was expecting a simple possession."
She looked toward Jojo.
"Instead we find an ancient parasitic colony connected to four cursed books."
Jojo smiled faintly.
"When has anything involving us ever stayed simple?"
Lorraine laughed softly.
"I stopped expecting normal a long time ago."
They slowly walked down the rain-soaked street toward the main road.
Jojo pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed a single contact.
The call connected almost immediately.
Sara's familiar voice answered.
"Good evening, Jojo."
"The operation has been completed successfully."
"I've already updated the mission status."
"I need another task."
"I'm listening."
Jojo continued walking while speaking.
"I want continuous surveillance across California."
Sara remained silent, waiting for the full instructions.
"Monitor every unexplained death."
"Every missing person report."
"Every hospital admission involving unexplained infections."
"Any cases involving sudden personality changes."
"Mass disappearances."
"Reports of strange biological growth."
"Ancient artifacts."
"Cult activity."
"Archaeological excavations."
"Construction sites."
"If there's even the slightest similarity to today's incident..."
"I want the report on my phone immediately."
Only two seconds passed before Sara replied.
"Understood."
"I'll create a separate monitoring protocol dedicated to this investigation."
"I'll cross-reference police databases, hospital networks, public emergency services, DMC field reports, contractor observations, and online reports."
"If any behavioral pattern matches the parasitic profile..."
"You'll receive an immediate notification."
"Good."
The call ended.
Leah looked at him.
"So..."
"We're not going home."
Jojo slowly shook his head.
"Not yet."
He looked toward the endless skyline of Los Angeles stretching beneath the rain.
"The parasite escaped."
"It knows I destroyed one of its nests."
"It also knows I now possess one of the Four Unholy Books."
He remained silent for a moment.
"If I were controlling that colony..."
"I wouldn't wait."
"I'd either eliminate every loose end..."
"...or accelerate whatever plan was already in motion."
Lorraine nodded thoughtfully.
"So we stay."
"We watch."
"And we wait for it to make the next move."
Jojo looked at the travel bag resting against his shoulder.
Inside, wrapped beneath several protective layers, lay the ancient book.
Even through the cloth he could still faintly sense it.
Alive.
Patient.
Waiting.
His fingers lightly rested on the bag.
"There are four of these."
He spoke more to himself than anyone else.
"If one book nearly caused this much destruction..."
He thought back to the recording.
The old researcher's final warning.
The destroyed laboratory.
The mention of four books working together.
Then he quietly exhaled.
"As long as these things continue to exist, someone will eventually become curious enough to open one."
He looked up toward the rain-covered sky.
"It doesn't matter whether it's ten years from now or a hundred."
"It'll happen again."
His eyes gradually hardened with resolve.
"So I won't just stop this infestation."
"I'll erase its source."
"The moment this case is over..."
"I'm hunting every one of those books."
"And when I find them..."
"There won't be a fifth generation left to repeat the same mistake."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
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