Chapter 107: Tashtego's Realizes... Jojo Arrives At Down...

While David was explaining how he was ambushed by a strange, demon-like creature, his voice trembled.

He recounted how the creature mercilessly killed an old man right in front of him, chased him like a predator playing with its prey, and slaughtered four unfortunate people who had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"____"

"____"

"____"

Gulp~

Hearing David's explanation, Deputy Dana, Darry, and Trish turned pale.

Their faces reflected sheer terror as they involuntarily gulped, the weight of his words sinking in.

"Dana... try calling Sheriff Dan Tashtego. Right now, our only hope is him."

After taking a moment to steady himself, David instructed Dana to contact Sheriff Dan Tashtego, the man who had promised reinforcements to help them.

Sigh~

"Sir, I've been trying to contact them, but... there's no response on the other side."

Dana shook her head in disappointment as she sighed, her voice laced with frustration.

"What about the intercom?"

Frowning, David pressed further, hoping for a different answer.

"I've already informed them, sir. Sheriff Dan Tashtego's special team has left, and they're on their way."

Dana nodded slightly and informed him that she had already sent a message through the intercom system, notifying the reinforcements.

"Damn... then what's taking so long?"

David clenched his fists and cursed under his breath.

The frustration of knowing help was coming but not knowing when it would arrive gnawed at him.

Old North Church...

The entire Old North Church was engulfed in flames as firefighters worked tirelessly, aiming water cannons from their fire trucks to extinguish the roaring blaze.

"Come on! Do something! This fire needs to be put out immediately!"

Sheriff Dan Tashtego shouted in desperation, his voice carrying over the chaos.

He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration and anxiety evident.

"The evidence inside that church is the most valuable lead my team and I have been hunting for all these years—like a bunch of crazed lunatics!"

His eyes stayed locked on the burning structure as the flames danced higher, consuming what might be the culmination of years of relentless investigation.

His heart sank as each second passed, the fire showing no sign of relenting despite the firefighters' efforts.

Flashback...

While patrolling with his special team—a unit he had meticulously assembled to hunt and eradicate the Creepers once and for all—Sheriff Dan Tashtego received an urgent call from a fellow officer.

At first, he was reluctant to entertain it.

The mission at hand was critical, and distractions were the last thing he needed.

But a nagging instinct gnawed at him, compelling him to believe that the call might somehow be linked to the Creeper they were tracking.

His gut feeling proved correct. When he finally answered, the confused yet urgent voice of a female cop on the other end filled his ears with unsettling details.

As she explained the situation, his eyes widened in realization—the Creeper had already chosen its next targets.

Without hesitation, he ordered his team to the old church, which he suspected held critical evidence tied to the creature's activities.

At the same time, he dispatched four fully armed patrol units to the hotel where David, Deputy Dana, and the siblings—Darry and Trish—were located.

They were the Creeper's targets, and their survival was paramount.

But despite knowing the urgency of protecting the lives at the hotel, Tashtego couldn't ignore the significance of the old church.

He believed it housed vital clues that could finally lead to the Creeper's demise—a chance to put an end to the nightmare once and for all.

15 Minutes Later...

The fire at the Old North Church was finally under control, the relentless blasts from the water cannons gradually extinguishing the flames.

Sigh~

Sheriff Dan Tashtego let out a breath of relief as he surveyed the scene.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned to Michel, his deputy and trusted second-in-command.

"Michel, take the team and search the remains of the church. Look for anything—documents, items, remains—anything that can give us a lead," he instructed firmly, his tone leaving no room for hesitation.

As Michel rounded up the team and approached the smoldering ruins, Tashtego's attention was drawn to his ringing phone.

Recognizing the number, he realized it was the same female cop who had called him earlier.

He picked up.

"Sheriff Dan Tashtego,"

he answered, only to be immediately bombarded by Deputy Dana Lang's frantic voice on the other end.

"Sheriff! Where are you? Where is the reinforcement you said you'd send? Why haven't they arrived yet?"

Her anxious questions struck him like a blow, and his expression turned grim.

"... What?"

he muttered under his breath.

A sinking realization dawned on him.

He had already sent the patrol units to the hotel, but if they hadn't arrived, there was only one chilling explanation—the reinforcements must have encountered the Creeper.

Wasting no time, Tashtego grabbed his walkie-talkie and attempted to contact the patrol cars.

"Patrol Unit Alpha, respond. This is Sheriff Dan Tashtego. Come in!"

Only silence answered him.

He tried again.

"Beta Unit, report your status!"

Still nothing.

His jaw clenched as dread coursed through him.

Whatever had happened, it was worse than he feared.

"I'll be there soon,"

Tashtego finally said to Dana, his voice heavy with urgency.

"We've lost contact with the reinforcements. That likely means they've encountered the Creeper. Be on high alert. Do not—under any circumstances—let your guard down. I'm on my way."

He hung up and threw his phone onto the passenger seat of his car, his hands gripping the wheel as he prepared to race to the hotel.

In the back of his mind, he knew every second counted.

Down hotel...

Vroom~

After hearing the response from Sheriff Dan Tashtego, David's face turned pale. He was sure they must have met that devil.

Just when the atmosphere among them was getting tense, they were interrupted by the sound of a car engine roaring.

Tu~ tu~ tu~

Tu~ tu~ tu~

And the old, simple car stopped at the parking lot, which is located at the front of the hotel.

Hearing this, all three inside looked out of the hotel to see who had arrived through opening the curtain a little.

Click~

With a click, one of the car doors opened, and a young teen with silvery white hair, around 16 years old, stepped out.

Sigh~

"Finally, I arrived. I should buy a car. Damn, this time it really got me."

With a relieved sigh to see the hotel sign before him, and by the look of it, it seems there is no attack launched on it for now, he cursed and contemplated buying a car.

"Is that kid still safe?"

With a shaky voice, a middle-aged woman, likely in her early 50s, stepped out of the driver's seat and spoke.

She had a serious and weathered face, with features that suggested someone who has lived a life of hardship and introspection.

When she looked at the hotel, her eyes carried a haunted look, noticing the siblings and the cops looking back at them.

"Who are you?"

Seeing it was not the reinforcement but a teen and an old lady, with a frown, David questioned.

"____"

"It was me... who called before. Hi, I am Jojo."

Hearing the question from David, with a smile, Jojo introduced himself while signaling a call using his hand.

"____"

"It was you who talked with me."

While Darry was silent, Trish came forward and exclaimed with wide eyes.

Seeing the time had passed 1 AM, Trish had already considered the teenage boy who spoke with her wouldn't come as he said.

Flush~

But seeing he had really arrived, Trish spoke a little loudly, which drew others' looks.

A small flush appeared on her cheeks.

"Sister, seriously..."

Chuckle~

When Darry looked at his sister, whose face turned red, he shook his head with a teasing smirk on his face, trying to lighten the mood.

After entering the hotel, Jojo started to explain who he was, why he could help them, and introduced them to the DMC Foundation, which he founded to solve supernatural cases.

"Cool... then can me and my sister leave now?"

Hearing the full explanation about DMC and what they do, Darry exclaimed in awe.

For him, it was like some movie.

Sigh~

He could finally be relieved from the pursuit of the pervert who sniffed his underwear.

Since now there was someone who could solve it, he could finally be free and leave with his sister without any worry.

"No... Darry, you can't leave. The creeper's target is you, so he will definitely come after you. Only he could save you."

Listening to Darry, who wanted to leave, Jezelle shook her head and immediately denied, finally breaking her silence.

When explaining, her haunting eyes glimmered a little with hope when her gaze landed on Jojo, who was sitting beside her.

Ring~ Ring~

While chatting with David and Dana and explaining to them, suddenly Jojo's mobile started to ring.

Looking at the caller ID, it was Freya who was calling him, so Jojo immediately answered the call.

"Hello... Freya... yeah, I have arrived."

Attending the call, Jojo went to the side and started chatting with Freya.

"Oh... we too arrived. Since it was not as severe as the Pet Sematary case, I formed an 8-member squad. And a surprise for you."

Giggle~

Hearing that Jojo had arrived, Freya gave an update on their side and teased him with a little mystery in her voice.

Vroom~

This time, once again, the old truck in which the creeper goes passed the hotel, but this time it slowed a little at the front of the hotel entrance and left.

"____"

Looking at the retreating truck, Jojo frowned because he couldn't feel any sins or malice from the truck. It was like there was no one present in the truck.

'Why am I unable to detect any sins or any life inside?'

Seeing he was unable to detect any sins or life from the truck made him feel a headache approaching.

If creepers could really escape from under his radar, then something very complicated was going on with it.

'Creeper is using something to avoid my radar, or the one he really hunts isn't the original creeper. Then who is it?'

While gazing at the road where the old truck had disappeared, Jojo's mind buzzed with many questions, which he needed to find the answer to as soon as possible.

If it's the latter, then dealing with the creeper will become harder if he cannot find the real location of the creeper.

Even he was not sure about the real origin of the creeper, since in his previous life they never showed the creeper's origin story or how to deal with him clearly.

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(Author's POV)

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