It came as no surprise to Ashton that the support team that Ms. Gale arranged was Jared’s. The familiar faces were always a relief, especially since Ashton knew not everyone would react well to his strange relationship with MysteriousMaskz. Summer seemed relieved to see Jared as well.

  The address belonged to a small one-story house at the edge of the commercial district. The paint was faded and the garden was in an odd state of half overgrown and half dying. Despite this, the building itself seemed to be in great condition. The path was clear and the door was clean. They all waited while Jared and his team set up the perimeter to make sure everything was clear. As they waited, Ashton found himself looking to the sky.

  "There are cameras everywhere," Ashton muttered, spotting the various types so obviously handing from the streetlights and powerlines around them. No effort had even been made to disguise them.

  At his words, Summer’s head whipped around to try to find what he was talking about. As her eyes locked onto the various cameras, she started biting her lip. After getting used to being watched in secret, perhaps this obvious display put her on edge. Ashton was about to comfort her when he saw Jared give the signal that it was time to proceed. He opened the door and stepped out of the car as he formulated how to turn his comfort into a death flag.

  "Don't worry," Ashton said,gently grabbing her hand to guide her out, "Everything will be over soon. Once this is over I will give you a proper proposal."

  Summer visibly cringed. Ashton was having to hold it back as well. Could he really pull this off? Just saying the first line gave him a rush of goosebumps. Maybe mentioning a proposal had been going too far? Summer was starting to turn red from her neck up and Ashton was sure he was the same. Maybe he should switch tactics?

  "We should split up to cover more ground," Ashton told the rest of the team, clearly ignoring Derrick's hurried cough to disguise his laughter, "Summer and I will look around the inside. You block the exits and make sure there are no other secret passages."

  "Got it," Kai said, excited to play along, “I will scout the back with Levi.”

  Ashton was a step late in following Summer to the door as he watched Kai drag Levi behind the house. Once she made it to the door, she froze and shot a nervous glance at Ashton. Though he hated to admit it, Ashton was nervous too, but it was more than that. Hidden behind his nerves was anticipation. What would be laying in wait for them this time? A trap? A gift? A message filled with sarcasm?

  He raised his hand to knock on the door only for it to push open effortlessly. It wasn’t latched? More than that, the view from the now open doorway was far from what he had expected. It was empty, though it was too clean to have been long abandoned. Someone had been there recently. The only thing remaining in the barren rooms were the curtains covering the windows so nothing could be seen from outside.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Let’s check it out,” Ashton urged, pushing forward, “There might be something further inside.”

  Ashton cautiously entered the house, opening the curtains to let the light in. There really was nothing inside. Not even dust. Ashton kept moving further inside, checking each room as they passed. Empty. Bare. Was this really it? Something didn’t feel right. The door was closed on the final room to check. The master bedroom. If there was going to be anything in this house, it would be here.

  “Do you need me to open it?” Summer offered.

  “No, I should do this,” Ashton denied, reaching for the handle. If there wasn’t anything here, what should he do? All of this might have been for nothing.

  The door opened silently to yet another dimly lit room. This one wasn’t empty. There were two things that immediately caught his eye. A large screen, and a metal case in the middle of the floor. The screen flickered on the moment the door opened and black words began to appear on a white background.

  “Surprised? I don’t even need powers for something this simple,” it read, “I hope you like my present. Since you want to die so much I figured I should grant your wish.”

  Ashton jerked back. “Summer, get out of here!” he ordered, his eyes still locked on the screen as the message slowly changed.

  “Now make your choice. Who is going to die here tonight? Ashton Gray, or Shadow Phoenix?”

  The metal case in the middle of the floor popped open revealing an outfit that Ashton thought he would never have to see again, complete with the obnoxious flame mechanisms hidden amongst the decorations. On the inner doors was a message written in sloppy red paint.

  “Time to die”

  This wasn’t something that could be prepared last minute. Ashton had been careful to discuss it without any technology present, so how had he known? Then a chill went down his spine. The watch. The bug. How could he have already forgotten? He was still wearing it on his wrist even now. The whole conversation about death flags must have been leaked long before they even came to visit.

  Ashton stepped into the room and grabbed the main part of the costume. “Even if I put this on, how is Shadow Phoenix supposed to die without killing me? He shouldn’t even be here.”

  “Didn’t RefRain do it before? All you need is a set, a camera, and an audience. I have already prepared everything for you.”

  MysteriousMaskz wanted him to put on a show. Why? Because he was trying to bait him with death flags? Still, killing off Shadow Phoenix who he liked so much was odd. Was the obsession with Shadow Phoenix part of Ned, not MysteriousMaskz? There was a chance that they weren’t the same person in the first place.

  “Why?” Ashton asked.

  “Shadow Phoenix was fun, but he isn’t the reason I chose you. Now that everyone is looking for him, he needs to die before anyone makes any unfortunate connections. Don’t you want to put that past behind you for good?”

  The temptation was too strong for Ashton to refuse. “When does this happen?” he asked.

  Three dots appeared on the screen as if to signify a pause. They stayed there for several seconds before new words appeared.

  “Why don’t you get changed?”