Chapter 154: The Sinister Subway
After dealing with the Alien, Jon went straight back to his Exorcist's Office. The following weeks were quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary happening.
Jon didn't hurry back to the Marvel Universe right away because he had some things on his mind. The Alien he had fought wasn't a ghost or a demon; it was an actual alien. This got Jon thinking: if aliens like this one existed, then maybe other alien beings, like Xenomorphs and Predators, might be out there too.
The idea of Predators being real was intriguing to Jon, especially because of their high-tech gear. If he could find them, their technology might be just what he needed to upgrade his own weapons.
There was another thing keeping Jon from returning: the Instance Mode in the Marvel Universe usually kicked in once a month, but time worked differently in the Free Exploration Mode. He could spend a long time here, and only a few hours would pass back in the Marvel Universe.
Jon was curious to see if staying in this world for a full month would trigger an Instance mission.
But just as the month was nearing its end, Nancy came to him with some unsettling news.
Nancy liked to add a personal touch to the office by shopping for decorations, and she wasn't too keen on driving Jon's car, even with its autopilot feature. So, she often took the subway instead.
One day, she came back with a strange story. She had sensed something evil on the subway.
Jon had taught Nancy a bit of magic in her spare time, including how to recognize dark magic. At first, Jon didn't think much of Nancy's feeling, but she kept sensing dark magic on the subway. Once, she even saw a girl sleepwalking and screaming on the train.
With this in mind, Jon, who had been taking it easy and indulging in his hobbies for the past few weeks, decided it was time to investigate the subway line Nancy had mentioned.
"I hope I run into this dark magic," Jon muttered to himself. He had been enjoying his downtime, but the thought of getting back to work was a bit of a drag. He just wanted to deal with whatever this was and then get back to relaxing in his office.
***
Jon purchased a ticket and made his way to the subway station, where he boarded the train and found a seat. He scanned the area, trying to detect any dark magic or sinister presence, but everything seemed normal—just another day on the subway.
"I'll hop off after a few stops," Jon decided, shaking his head. He knew the stations Nancy frequented, and if he didn't sense any dark magic by then, he'd chalk it up to a false alarm.
The train was quiet, with most people at work, leaving only a few passengers scattered throughout the car. Jon's attention was drawn to two individuals sitting across from him—a woman with golden short hair dressed in denim and a teenage girl with pale skin, long hair, and a sweet demeanor.
The girl clutched a painting, likely her own creation, and leaned against her mother, her eyes heavy with sleep.
Jon wasn't particularly interested in them, but they struck a chord of familiarity.
As he mulled over where he might have seen them before, a sudden realization hit him. He could sense the dark magic and a subtle trace of sin that Nancy had described.
'Could there be a real problem here?' Jon pondered, now aware that the dark magic and sin were not emanating from the crowd but from the girl herself.
'What's happening here?! Dark magic is one thing, but why does this girl radiate such a sinful aura?' he questioned internally.
Jon's unique ability allowed him to perceive the sins of others even without being in his Ghost Rider form. So when he sensed sin around the girl, he examined her more closely, but his Eyes of Judgment revealed nothing.
This was perplexing. The girl appeared purer than most, with no visible sin, yet there was an undeniable aura of sin surrounding her.
His Penance Stare showed no sin, yet the sin was palpable, a contradiction that was highly unusual.
Focusing on the girl's aura, Jon realized something alarming. Her consciousness seemed to be under the influence of an external force.
'That's it!' Jon concluded. 'The dark magic isn't something she's learned; it's something that's afflicting her!'
Jon's determination flared as he focused on the girl. "Who dares to do such a thing on my watch?!" he thought, his attention fixed on her consciousness.
He knew that if her consciousness was being pulled by dark magic, the one casting the spell must be trying to take it somewhere specific.
As her consciousness seemed to be fully drawn out, Jon's own awareness followed suit. Suddenly, the environment around him shifted dramatically.
"What in the world?" Jon muttered, his frown deepening at the sight before him.
He was still on the subway, but it was no longer the ordinary train car he had boarded. It was deserted, shrouded in darkness, and in disrepair, with rust coating the walls and... disturbingly, streaks of blood.
Jon stood up, his movements deliberate and cautious. A peculiar red glow caught his eye from the center of the subway car. He moved closer and discovered a strange, red sigil painted on the floor.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
The sigil seemed familiar to Jon, but before he could place it, a scream pierced the eerie silence. It was a scream of pure terror, the kind that chilled the blood.
Without hesitation, Jon sprinted towards the source of the scream, bursting through the door into the next car. There, the black-haired girl stood frozen in fear.
Before her loomed a monstrous entity, its form twisted and grotesque, a mass of writhing flesh.
Jon didn't waste a moment. He drew his high-tech pistol, took aim at the abomination, and fired. A brilliant blue beam shot out, and the monster exploded into pieces, its remains splattering across the car before dissolving into a dark pool of blood.
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