Anomaly

(POV - Victor Hale)

Almost the entire trip passed without any major issues, something Victor found himself genuinely grateful for. Strange as it might sound, he was no stranger to complications arising during the transport of anomalous subjects.

In fact, his experience had taught him that assignments like this were rarely straightforward. They usually involved unexpected chases, explosions, impossible creatures, or some other equally ridiculous disaster.

Because of that, both Victor and Rupert remained vigilant for most of the journey. Their eyes constantly shifted between the road, the mirrors, and the surrounding area, ready to react to any threat that might emerge. After all, when dealing with the abnormal, you never knew what to expect.

Something could come flying out of the sky, sprinting through the alleys alongside the road, leaping onto the vehicle, or simply materializing out of thin air directly in front of them. The possibilities were as varied as they were unsettling. Fortunately, none of that happened.

The miles passed without incident, and the steady hum of the engine eventually became the only companion on the trip. The girl seated in the back also displayed no unusual behavior. She remained quiet for nearly the entire ride, her eyes fixed on the scenery drifting past the window.

Every now and then, her gaze would follow a distant building, a road sign, or a structure standing along the roadside, but other than that, she didn't say a single word. It didn't exactly reassure Victor, but it was certainly preferable to any of the alternatives his professionally trained imagination could come up with.

Some time later, the car slowed smoothly before coming to a stop in front of what Victor could only describe as a true luxury mansion. The estate stood proudly behind ornate gates, surrounded by meticulously maintained gardens and artistically trimmed trees.

In truth, it wasn't just the residence that drew attention, the entire neighborhood seemed to belong to a different reality. Wide, impeccably clean streets were lined with equally grand homes, each displaying its own statement of wealth and prestige.

To Victor, it was easy to imagine that the people living here occupied influential positions in the city's political, technological, or economic circles. Perhaps even the world's. As soon as Victor, Rupert, and the girl stepped out of the vehicle, Rupert was the first to break the silence.

A long, clearly audible whistle escaped his lips as his eyes traveled across the mansion's facade, taking in every detail of its elegant columns, expansive windows, and sophisticated architecture: "Now that's an impressive house"

His tone sounded casual, almost indifferent, but the slight lift of his eyebrows betrayed a certain degree of admiration. It was rare to see him genuinely impressed by anything.

His attention then shifted toward the girl, as though expecting a more meaningful reaction from someone accustomed to this kind of environment. Instead, she simply shrugged: "It's just a house"

The response came without hesitation, accompanied by a completely neutral expression, as though the entire display of wealth was nothing special. For someone who had probably grown up surrounded by it, the mansion before them was simply another ordinary home.

"My mom and dad bought this house when I was still really little" the girl explained. Her gaze wandered across the neighborhood, lost in old memories as she looked down the streets to her left: "They told me it originally belonged to my grandmother and grandfather, but they ended up selling it because of safety concerns. Back then, a lot of strange things used to happen around here... incidents nobody could explain. My grandmother thought it was too dangerous to raise my mother in that environment, so eventually the whole family decided to move"

For a brief moment, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. There was a touch of irony in her expression, like someone finally understanding an old joke played by fate: "Who would've thought that the real cause behind all those mysterious events was actually anomalies?"

She let out a small sigh and turned her eyes toward the horizon. A gentle breeze stirred a few strands of her hair as her thoughts seemed to drift deeper: "The world we live in is truly mysterious..." she murmured. Her eyes reflected an almost melancholic curiosity: "Far more mysterious than most people realize. And in more ways than they could ever imagine"

Victor and Rupert listened to the girl in silence, exchanging only brief glances as they tried to process her words. Neither of them knew exactly how to respond. In truth, what unsettled them most wasn't the content of the conversation, but the way she spoke.

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The young woman seemed strangely calm, almost indifferent, despite knowing that the area had been the site of countless anomalous phenomena over the years. Her words reminded them both of everything they knew about the region. freёwebnoѵel.com

As the girl had said, this had once been one of the areas most heavily affected by anomalies. For decades, reports of apparitions, spatial distortions, and unexplained occurrences had surfaced with alarming frequency.

In recent years, however, the situation had changed dramatically. Strangely enough, the area had become relatively quiet. Almost no anomalous incidents were being reported anymore, and when something did happen, it was usually minor, harmless enough to go unnoticed by most residents. To the locals, it was just another ordinary neighborhood.

Then, almost simultaneously, Victor and Rupert realized something strange about their own conclusions. An uncomfortable feeling crept over both of them as they mentally revisited the reports and statistics they had studied countless times.

The anomalous events hadn't gradually decreased. They had simply plummeted. About sixteen years ago, the number of incidents had dropped sharply and abruptly, as if someone had flipped an invisible switch.

There had been no recorded containment operation, no major incident, and no plausible explanation. That alone was abnormal. Back then, areas with activity levels that high rarely remained populated.

Standard protocol was to evacuate the population and cover up the area under some convenient pretext, industrial accidents, chemical contamination, radioactive leaks, or even fabricated natural disasters used to justify isolating the location. But none of that had happened here. The place had continued to exist as if nothing were wrong. And somehow, the anomalies had simply... vanished.

Both men's gazes naturally shifted toward the girl. Victor and Rupert exchanged a quick look, and the same question seemed to appear on their faces at the same time. Victor was the first to break the silence: "By the way, how old are you?"

The question immediately drew the girl's attention. One eyebrow arched in suspicion. Victor noticed it right away and raised both hands in surrender: "Hey, relax. It's just a normal question. You don't see someone your age volunteering at a community center every day. Usually it's college students doing internships or people working off community service hours" Rupert let out a brief snort of amusement but remained silent.

The girl continued studying Victor for a few seconds, clearly evaluating his intentions. Though she still looked suspicious, she eventually answered: "Sixteen... Why? Is that important or something?"

Victor simply shook his head: "No. I was just curious"

Silence settled between them once more. The girl kept her eyes on Victor for a few more seconds, as if expecting some additional explanation. When it became clear that none was coming, she looked away and focused on something else, completely dismissing him.

Victor and Rupert exchanged another meaningful glance. Neither of them needed to say a word. They had both reached exactly the same conclusion. Something was definitely wrong here. The dates lined up far too perfectly.

The girl's birth, the recent events, the details that kept surfacing little by little... Everything seemed to fit together like pieces of a puzzle they still couldn't fully see. Victor knew he had paranoid tendencies.

In fact, he was the first person who would admit it. But he also knew that his paranoia hadn't come from nowhere. Ever since inheriting the anomalous senses granted by the [Angel of Death], his perception of the world had changed dramatically.

Small inconsistencies, hidden dangers, and poorly concealed intentions stood out to him with startling clarity. Experience had taught Victor to trust those instincts. And right now, every single one of them was screaming that something important was hidden beneath the surface: "So..." Victor and Rupert were pulled from their thoughts by the girl's voice.

She remained standing beside them, completely at ease, as though she wasn't being analyzed by two of the most dangerous people in the organization. Her casual, unconcerned tone made it seem as if she had absolute control of the situation.

A faintly amused smile appeared on her lips as she rested her chin on one hand: "Finished imagining all the different ways I could possibly be guilty of something yet?"

Her gaze shifted between the two men before she shrugged: "Because my mom and dad told me to be home before nine, and I'd really rather not get grounded because of you two"

Victor and Rupert stared at the girl for a moment. The silence that followed was brief, but long enough for Rupert to raise an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by how naturally she had said it: "You're a pretty weird... and honestly terrifying girl. You know that, right?" Rupert asked. His tone was completely serious, without the slightest hint of a joke.

The girl let out a light laugh, almost crystalline, as though she had heard something genuinely funny. An amused smile spread across her face as she clasped her hands behind her head: "Yeah, I've been told that plenty of times. But hey, being a scary girl has its perks. You'd be surprised how many guys at school are into me" Rupert opened his mouth to reply, then thought better of it. He wasn't entirely sure whether knowing that made the situation better or worse.

Victor, on the other hand, didn't even bother commenting. He simply let out a long, tired sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose before taking a step toward the mansion looming before them: "We're clearly getting sidetracked from our main objective" he said dryly. His eyes settled on the girl. "Let's go check things out. Like we said earlier, we'll explain everything to your parents, so you don't have to worry about getting in trouble"

The girl nodded immediately, apparently trusting his words. Beside her, Rupert let out an amused chuckle. The idea of this strange girl, who talked about disturbing subjects with a smile on her face, getting scolded by her parents was oddly funny.

Without dragging the conversation out any longer, the three of them headed toward the mansion. Their footsteps echoed across the stone pathway as the enormous structure drew closer and closer.