The Children

JP with Jaxx, Redsword, Trustno1 and Cindy

The children stood in the corridor just beyond the door, their presence so sudden and absolute it was as though they had always been there, waiting in the gloom. Pale faces glowed faintly in the suffocating black, their skin like wax and smooth, devoid of blemishes, yet lifeless as porcelain. Their clothing was mismatched and anachronistic—sundresses, overalls, tattered suits—all tinged with a pallor that matched their skin, as if the fabric had leeched its color in sympathy with its wearer.

But their eyes… their eyes consumed the light. Solid black orbs stared out, twin abysses that reflected nothing, betrayed nothing, yet seemed to see everything. They were pits of infinite void, and to meet their gaze was to feel the weight of eternity pressing down, suffocating and endless.

The children did not move. They simply stood there, unblinking, their heads tilted at faintly unnatural angles. There was no sound now—not even the dripping water. The silence was absolute, alive, an entity of its own that wrapped around the team like a shroud.

And then, without warning, one of the children’s lips parted. The motion was subtle, almost imperceptible, yet it was as if the darkness itself recoiled. There was no sound, no words spoken, but the movement conveyed something terrible, something that slithered into the mind and festered there like a cancer.

The team froze. Before them, the children remained, patient and unwavering, as though waiting for something. The air seemed to shift, the very fabric of the basement vibrating with a low, rhythmic hum that resonated deep within them

And the darkness pressed closer.

"Anyone have any idea what they might want?" Alyssa asked. After all they seemed demonic, so what do demonic children want

"Try talking to them," said Sartre.

"Talk to them? And say what?" This was reminding her of a like a - what was that movie with the possessed children - Children of The Corn? No that wasn't it. Village of The Damned - that was it. Alyssa took a breath, and spoke to the children. "Um ... Hi. Is there something you need or want?"

Agent Powers looked at the creepy children with a smolder. he wondered if he should simply shoot them but decided to wait as Alyssa was trying to communicate with them. Then he muttered to Ekaterina, "I wonder if they are just cold." Ekaterina elegantly smirked as she knew where Agent Powers was going with that line of thinking since the ammo they were using did fire damage. Ekaterina elegantly replied, '"You know if the residents were not so evil they could make a lot of money renting this place out as a haunted hotel." Agent Powers looked puzzled as he paused then asked, "That sounds familiar. Was it a game or movie?" Ekaterina replied, "I believe it was both, and a book." Agent Power nodded as he prepared to fight if needed.

Alyssa had heard the conversation about the haunted hotel and interjected. "The Shining. It was a book, been made into 2 movies, a mini-series, board and video games and there's a sort of sequel." She focused her attention back on the children as she waited for a response.

Sung's eyes glowed in the darkness, his True Seeing still working. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword but did nothing else. Is this another illusion, and what manner of magic had possessed this place? Sung asked himself.

The Black eyed children rushed towards Alyssa. They whispered as if they were speaking backward in a foreign language. Their eyes were completely black. Sartre removed his handgun and began to fire. "Alyssa, don't look into their eyes!" Said Sartre.