Department Of Paranormal Entities (D.O.P.E)

A cold, sterile stillness filled the Metrospore Mortuary. Samuel and Danny stood just outside the viewing area, both wearing gloves and pale expressions. Behind them were Agent Vick and Captain Jonas, both reluctantly dragged into this latest mystery.

Jonas exhaled sharply. "All the bodies recovered from that incident were brought here. I've already filed the request with the person-in-charge to identify the girl you mentioned… what was it—Pinky?"

As he spoke, a hospital attendant shuffled over, scratching his head nervously.

"Uh, yeah… about that. So far we've received thirty-two bodies. We checked all of them, but none match your description. No one with pink hair."

Before Samuel or Danny could react, Jonas snapped his head toward the attendant, eyes wide.

"Wait, what do you mean thirty-two? The report clearly stated thirty-three bodies were recovered at the scene. One's missing?"

The attendant looked down, now visibly uneasy. "That's what the file says too, sir. But we only logged thirty-two arrivals."

While Jonas and the attendant started going back and forth in panic, Samuel and Danny exchanged a look. Their eyes lit up.

"She actually made it."

"Told you that soul-preserve trick might work," Samuel whispered telepathically.

Danny gave a tiny, excited nod.

Agent Vick caught the change in their expressions and stepped forward. "Alright, enough silent staring. Someone explain what's going on."

Samuel turned back, voice calm. "We used a… special method to preserve the soul of someone we thought we lost during the incident. She was important to us. Dangerous situation, limited options."

Danny added, "We weren't sure it'd work. But if she's not here—then maybe she's alive."

They kept their explanation vague—no mention of Maya.

Earlier, Samuel had warned Danny mentally: "Don't bring up Maya. Not yet. Some truths are better kept hidden. She's our secret card."

"You guys can do that? Saving souls or whatever it is? What exactly was that?" Agent Vick whispered, clearly confused about what he'd just heard.

"Well… it was dangerous. I lost consciousness while doing it. It's a forbidden method. I don't think I can do it again—it was a desperate, last-minute attempt," said Samuel.

Danny nodded quickly, agreeing like a bobblehead. "Yeah, what he said."

Vick gave them a skeptical look. His internal lie detector was back online—he could tell they were hiding something, but it also felt like there was real danger involved. Enough to make him hesitate.

"Alright," Vick said quietly. "You've got twenty-four hours. Pack whatever you need and report to the address I gave you."

Meanwhile, Captain Jonas was still arguing with the hospital attendant.

"I don't care what your log says—I want to see all thirty-three bodies!" he barked, voice rising with frustration. "It's clearly written in the report—thirty-three were recovered! How the hell did no one notice one was missing the moment they arrived?"

He stepped closer, jabbing a finger toward the mortuary hallway.

"So that means the body went missing after they were brought in. I want every CCTV feed from this wing pulled up. Every camera. Every angle. I want answers—now!"

Agent Vick stepped in, calm but firm. "Captain Jonas, I'll sign off on the correction. She may still be alive—that's why we're here in the first place. Also, keep your eyes open. If anyone matching her description shows up—pink hair, small frame—flag it immediately. For now, log her under a missing persons case with her photo and name."

After giving Jonas the directive, Vick turned and walked off with the boys.

As they exited, Danny whispered via telepathy. "Hope she's alright. Man, I wish we gave her our address… or at least got her number."

Samuel responded, "I've got an idea. Let's drop a message on our YouTube comments. Something only she'll catch."

Danny grinned. "Smart. Let's pack and get that posted ASAP."

Somewhere far from the city, in a valley cloaked in darkness, a faint light flickered beneath a crumbling staircase. Huddled in the shadows was a small, thin figure. Her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, trembling. Her face was buried, her body shaking with fear—or something far worse. A faint glimmer of pink hair caught the dying light.

Pinky.

She looked broken, physically there but mentally unraveling. Her breath hitched, uneven, and her fingers dug into her scalp as if trying to claw something out.

Inside her mind, a voice screamed like iron scraping against bone.

"You are the cause of everything! Your soul now belongs to me!"

Pinky cried out, clutching her head harder. "No! No, I don't want this! I don't even know what's happening! Where am I? What happened to me?!"

The voice hissed again, now colder, darker.

"Surrender your soul to me. You and your body are mine now."

She shook violently, her back arching as if trying to resist an invisible force trying to consume her from the inside. Her body twitched with each word from the invading presence.

But she wasn't alone.

Not far from the ruins, heavy footsteps echoed in the night.

A towering figure approached—the outline of a massive, bulky woman. Rage burned in her glowing red eyes.

Cheeky.

She snarled, her lip curling as she stepped into the broken stairwell.

"I watched her die," Cheeky hissed. "I saw Queen rip her soul out. How the hell is she alive?"

She stormed forward, grabbed Pinky's ankle, and yanked her out from under the staircase like she was dragging trash. Pinky screamed as she was lifted upside down, dangling helplessly.

Cheeky's voice turned savage.

"I'm going to tear you into pieces. I'll chew your flesh while you're still alive, watching me."

Then—suddenly—Pinky went completely still.

No screams. No crying.

Just silence.

Then the shift.

A violent surge of dark energy rippled outward from her body. The air around her warped, turning cold and heavy.

Cheeky froze.

Her eyes widened, trembling as her bloodlust evaporated. The grip on Pinky's leg loosened.

"No… No, this can't be…" she whispered.

The power she felt now wasn't human. It wasn't even demonic. It was something worse.

Cheeky stumbled back a step, her face draining of color.

"This aura… why does it feel like…"

She couldn't finish her sentence.

Because deep inside Pinky's eyes—now open and glowing with voidlight—something else was watching her.

Something that had awakened.

To Be Continue.