Chapter 4: A: Cornering Silas

👉 [Previous choice]: You chose Option A – Heed Dr. Dunbar’s advice and investigate Kincaid’s hired crew.

Dr. Dunbar had given me a lead: Kincaid often frequented the antique district. I spent my next few days off-duty, staking out the old storefronts, searching for anything suspicious. My eyes were peeled for any sign of Kincaid or an accomplice.

On the third afternoon, I spotted him. Not Kincaid, but a younger man, slight and nervous, hauling a heavy crate from the back of an unmarked black van. He wore a dark, oversized jacket despite the mild weather. He fit the description of a reluctant assistant.

He wrestled the crate into a dimly lit alley behind “Curio & Relic,” a dusty shop known for its obscure inventory. I recognized the van as the one Dr. Dunbar had pointed out as Kincaid’s usual transport.

I waited until he emerged, wiping sweat from his brow, his hands shaking slightly. He fumbled with a pack of cigarettes.

I stepped out from the shadows, blocking his path. “Silas Finch, I presume?”

He jumped, dropping his cigarette. His eyes, wide with fear, darted around the alley. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

“My name is Maya Holloway. Julian Kincaid was in my house. My sister, Clara, wrote about him in her journal. She wrote about the mirror, and about Kincaid’s plans for it.”

Silas’s face drained of color. He looked like a trapped animal. “No, no, I just… I drive for him. That’s all. I don’t know anything about mirrors.”

“He leaves occult symbols in attics,” I pressed, stepping closer. “He’s hunting a spectral relic. And you’re his driver. You know more than that.”

Silas shuffled his feet, his gaze fixed on the ground. “He’s… he’s not right. He talks to himself. He has strange books. I just need the money. My sister’s medical bills, you know.” He wrung his hands.

“What does he want with the mirror?” I asked, my voice low but firm.

He looked up, his eyes pleading. “He believes it’s a gate. A gate to… power. He’s obsessed. He says there’s a relic bound to it. An entity, too. He calls it a guardian.”

“Clara called it a protector,” I countered.

Silas shivered. “He says it needs a blood debt. For anyone who tries to steal what it guards. Kincaid, he’s planning to awaken it tonight. Midnight.”

My mind raced. Midnight. I had to stop Kincaid, but Silas was a key. He was scared, but he also knew Kincaid’s movements.

“What is Kincaid planning exactly?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. “What is he doing to awaken this mirror?”

Silas looked down the alley, then back at me. He was clearly terrified of Kincaid, but perhaps more terrified of what the mirror entity might do.

“He’s got a kit,” Silas whispered, his voice trembling. “Full of his ritual tools. He keeps it in his van, locked. But… I have the key code. For emergencies.”

This was my chance. An unlikely ally, forced into a corner.