BLACK GHOUL
Chapter 63: Black Silver-lining

Chapter 63: Black Silver-lining

Upstairs

East Wing

Control Room

The doors automatically opened by sensors as they walked into the wide hall having a wide window made of glasses in front, and air computers widely in front at several displays. They walked towards it.

"This place keeps getting better," Rory said looking around at the amazing gadgets around.

"Fuck the agency," a young man said as his hands waved on the air transparent computer.

"Race, any word on Liam" Sean said to him, he turned to face them, he had light brown hair and black eyes.

"Nope not yet, his comm is out of range," Race said, turning to face the footage back.

Kayla rushed to her seat operating the system, her fingers going fast against the transparent keyboard.

"It’s almost daybreak, boss can’t be out in the open on a flight," Kayla said.

"I got footage where he was last seen," Race said zooming in.

Their eyes land on it. It was inside the mall at the lobby, Liam standing as he merges with Ghost flying out, a figure they couldn’t see very well was on the ground in shock, the clip went off.

"And that’s it, it’s been three hours" Race said stressed, exactly the amount of hours he has been looking for him, where could he be?

*Loud Flapping Sound Of Wings*

"Do you guys hear that?" Rory asked.

They all faced the window, they sighted a black shadow coming in speed.

"Oh shit! It’s boss, give way" Race said as they moved away from the window.

"Why?" Iris asked, puzzled.

"This" Sean motioned.

Iris squeaked when the shadow crashed through the window with force like a zap inside.

"His landing still needs some work," Sean adds.

The shadow was against the wall in a crack, it lessens revealing Liam as he forced his body up, the black shadow going back inside him, he stood fully facing them.

Iris gasps when she sees his blood-stained shirt, and she rushes to him.

"Liam, are you okay?" Iris asked beyond worrying about checking him.

Liam was silent with a dark expression.

"Boss!" Kayla and Race said worriedly.

Liam walks towards the air computer ignoring as he checks for something.

"Liam, are you okay?" Sean asked, getting more worried.

"Kayla, I want you to hack this database," Liam said, shifting air of information to her, she took it.

"I need the list of all the recruits or transfers of the agency, check for the name Hart," he said with a stern look.

Kayla just nodded as she did as she was told.

"Liam!" Sean said placing a hand on his shoulder, Liam turned to him with an unreadable expression, but Sean could see it in his eyes, the pain and he lost feeling.

"Talk to me, what happened" he adds, knowing something was wrong, it was rare over the past years that Liam looked as emotional as this.

Liam stares into his eyes.

"Riley," Liam said darkly.

Sean froze so did Rory and Iris, Kayla, and Race just looking at them puzzled.

"I..." Liam closed his eyes for a brief second, not knowing how he would put it.

"I saw her, Sean" he adds, opening his eyes.

"But Liam, Riley’s dead," Iris said certainly.

"Boss" they turned to Kayla as she brought out a profile of Lorna Hart. Her picture came up.

"Riley," Rory said shocked, Iris and Sean froze.

"Lorna Hart, she has been in the agency for four years now" Kayla read out loud. Liam read the profile too.

"Riley died three years ago, this Lorna has been in the agency for four years, a trainee for four years, and now transferred here" Sean reasoned.

"She looks exactly like Riley, how’s that possible?’ Rory said in wonder.

Liam was silent as he stared at the picture, he saw everything for himself, her birth history and every other information was different from Riley.

"Liam, she just looks like Riley, everything about her is the opposite" Sean assured him.

"I don’t understand, why does sh--" Liam sighs closing her eyes, his fist clenched tightly.

"Riley died in your arms Liam, you saw it yourself, this agent just happens to look like her but...this... isn’t Riley," Sean said softly.

Liam waved the screen information off and walked towards the broken window, he stared into the skies.

"Let’s give him some space," Sean said.

Kayla and Race nodded as they walked out, along with Rory and Sean. Iris stood for a minute with shaky eyes, she could imagine how he felt right now, how lost he was when he thought about the possibility of Riley being alive. She turned to leave him to his solitude.

Liam stood watching the skies as the sun came up and brightened everywhere. Ghost surged out and stood beside him.

"Riley not Riley?" Ghost said.

The wind blew in lightly as Liam looked dark. Ghost faced front when Liam didn’t answer him.

There was complete silence between the two, but it was calm and peaceful.

***

One Week Later

Lorna’s Residence

A noise was all it took for Lorna to be alarmed, and there she was close to her balcony with a gun at hand.

Lorna plunged just her head, turning sideways, her eyes observing the medium space, but nothing just the dark space, she looked up at the ceiling and the lights were busted.

"Great," she said sternly, now she had to get a new one.

Stepping out fully and observing the space more, the cool breeze blew against her skin, she shivered, rubbing her arms, making a shivering noise. She stepped further to the edge of the pillar line and looked down, the neighborhood was just calm as usual, with city night lights everywhere.

"I’m just overreacting," she said, sighing as she turned.

She rubs her eyes walking back to the glass doors, she feels sleepy and that was the number one thing she would do once she’s back inside, to crash on her bed.

Suddenly the hairs at the back of her neck stood up in alert, her eyes slowly widen as she gasps in realization, she felt something like a black shadow behind her, in a panic she turns pointing her gun but like a blink of an eye, the shadow came at her pushing her body against the wall, hard. She gasps at the impact as he holds both her wrist, locked together in his tight grip above her head, her gun falling to the ground from the impact, his height towered over her, she was but a small doll in his presence.

Lorna couldn’t scream that moment, it was like she lost her voice all of a sudden, the scream she wanted so badly was hung in her throat as she stared at his chocolate brown eyes like she was lost again in them, curse those eyes.

One of his hands was on the wall keeping a space between them, but she wondered for how long.

"I told you I will come back for you," Liam said darkly, his deep dark husky voice sent a shiver down Lorna’s spine, it wasn’t just the cold anymore, Lorna’s heart slammed loudly in her chest, she stared into his chocolate eyes, trembling. The black ghoul came for her like he said he would. ’What now?’ Lorna thought in extreme fear that held her voice. ’He’s here for me’

*

Lorna gasped out of breath as she woke up, she sat up looking around in panic, no one was there and her balcony door was closed. She took a deep breath of relief as she turned to her laptop, it showed the profile of Riley Leah, she left it open before she slept off at the dining set.

"Thank God! It was just a dream" she said, sighing again as she rubs her eyes, she gets off her bed and heads to the balcony, she slides the glass open and steps out, she rests her arm at the flat pillar edge staring at the skies, the cold wind against her body.

***

One Building Away

Liam squatted at the edge of the roof, watching her in a distance, the harsh wind flapping his clothes, his eyes sadden as he watched her from the distance he was, the wind carrying her dark midnight hair weightlessly.

’I’m not Riley!’

The words she said to him still rang in his head like a constant reminder of the truth, a bitter truth he still found hard to believe because every time he looked at Lorna he saw his Riley, her looks were too convincing to turn a blind eye to the truth.

He watched as she turned and walked back inside, she turned to close the glass but paused for a minute. Liam blinks at her action, she just looks around once more like she felt someone was watching her but she just shrugs closing the glass.

His eyes drift away, as his fingers tighten against his raised knee. ’She’s gone’ that was the thought in his head, what he had to believe, there was no other way to see it, he had other things to wonder about... his Riley was gone and that lady over there was just an agent, his enemy.

***

Days Later

Section Eleven

The Black Lotus

The sun shone brightly, reflecting on the mansion. Jarvis was in his office staring out the window. He hasn’t heard from Rory and Iris ever since their mission, it has been a week now, He sighs lost in thought, he figured they were already dead, it was a waste. He knew they couldn’t stand a chance against Wayne, to begin with, he would have just told them to stay put. He heard the news, the black ghoul back, after all these years finally back and with a new organization he didn’t have Intel on, they were good at what they do, he had to figure out a way to gain Intel.

His eyes drift to where the graves were, where he laid hundreds of them but then he froze when he saw a dark hooded figure. His eyes widened in realization, He rolled his wheelchair straight downstairs, just what he needed had come to him at last.

***

Liam stood in front of Riley’s grave, he dropped a bunch of flowers, they were Lily’s Riley’s favorite.

"Liam!" Jarvis said behind him.

Liam didn’t make a move to turn, his eyes lingered on the gravestone then to Evan’s beside it.

"I heard the news, you’re back," he said again, forcing a smile.

"Iris and Rory are okay, they are with me," Liam said, turning to face Jarvis with an unreadable expression.

This was unlike the Liam he knew all these years, he was always easy to read and control but right now, it was like staring at a blank paper.

"No need for you to worry," he adds.

"Why aren’t they coming back," Jarvis asked puzzled.

Liam walks towards him, his shoes brushing against the grasses swiftly, Jarvis’s eyes fixed on him as Liam squads in front of him. Jarvis’s body shakes for a reason he didn’t understand, staring into his dark chocolate eyes gave him unease, his presence alone gave a wide killing around, he could almost feel like he was choking but he composed himself.

A faint smirk pressed against Liam’s lips when he felt his fear, good he was afraid he should be.

"The black lotus is at a toll here" Liam began feeling a finger against the wheels of his chair, Jarvis eyes shaking.

"And...I have reason to believe someone made it that way" he adds, facing Jarvis back.

He scoffs at his words.

"You believe there’s a traitor here?" Jarvis asked amused.

"Yes and I don’t wanna risk Rory and Iris’s lives, they have been through too much," Liam said, rising to his feet.

"Seems like you suspect me, Liam, what’s with the cold glamour"

"I know you lost a lot but this your attitude towards me, is off the charts" he adds.

Liam’s smirk broadens more.

"Your organization is going after the agency, you are risking every chance we have with peace" he fired.

"Peace?" Liam said the word like it was foreign to him, Liam leaned to Jarvis, his hands resting on his wheel arm, his bore in his in a heated gaze.

"You speak of peace when you’re a V-ghoul," Liam said with a stern look.

Jarvis froze as his eyes widened, there was no way Liam could have found that out, he made sure he erased any traces of him being on but it seems like Liam was up in his game.

Liam smirked standing up fully, knowing he got him cornered.

"What was the story again? About Rory and Iris’s dad being a human and falling for a ghoul?" Liam said amused. Jarvis gulps hard.

"I did my homework Jarvis, you see when I was away, I did a thorough digging on your profile, cause I was always curious and then I found your deepest darkest secret, it wasn’t easy to find," Liam said, hands in his pocket.

Jarvis’s eyes shaking.

"Rory and Iris’s dad was a ghoul and so was their mom, but you Jarvis resulted in rage and ended up a V-ghoul" Liam adds.

"That’s why when I saw you I knew you weren’t a ghoul I just guessed you were human cause I wasn’t familiar with V-ghouls then" Liam shrugs.

"You are a piece of shit, you know that" Liam adds darkly.

"You bought out this sham of peace when you sold your organization when we wanted to storm the agency three years ago. It was you who informed the agency, anonymously" Liam said sternly.

Jarvis looked away as his fist tightened.

"You don’t deserve to run the black lotus of my forefathers, thereby I’m taking it away from you," Liam said finally.

Jarvis’s eyes drift to his.

"Won’t you kill me, Liam?" Jarvis asked with a stern look, trying so hard to read Liam’s cold glamour, but nothing, nothing at all.

"Am the reason the plan was exposed three years ago, am the reason Riley died" Jarvis adds, hoping to get a faint of his emotion but instead, Liam brought out something from his pocket and threw it at Jarvis, it landed on his lap.

Jarvis’s eyes drift to it, it was a syringe, a white liquid inside.

"One shot to the chest is enough to give the full impact of a bullet to the heart," Liam said firmly.

"I won’t kill you, Jarvis, for the sake of Rory and Iris. It’s for you to choose for them, either you take your life and take all responsibility for your actions or you stay alive and get every forgiveness you can from your niece and nephew, then I kill you" he adds the last part darkly.

"Either way you die," Liam said amused.

Jarvis gulps hard at the options.

Liam walks past him, leaving him to burn to his decision.

Jarvis shaky took the syringe in his hand, a tear fell from his eye. The wind was blowing harshly around him.

***

Outskirts Of The City

The Silver-lining Manor

Iris’ eyes shake in horror when she saw the information on the screen.

"Uncle is a V-ghoul" Iris said disbelievingly.

"He was the traitor," Rory said, standing leaning on the wall with a dark expression.

Tears filled Iris’ eyes as they fell.

"I’m sorry Iris" Sean said sincerely, knowing that the truth will hurt them more than anything.

"No" Iris sobs as she walks out.

"I have to go to him," she said leaving. Rory’s first tightens, he looked away.

Liam walked in, Iris halted when she saw Liam.

"Liam" she began as she sobs.

"No not uncle he can’t-"

"And where do you think you’re going?" Liam said.

Rory turned to Liam with bloodshot eyes.

"To him, to my uncle, I have to hear it from him," she said shakily as she sobs.

"You might not like what you see".

Her eyes drift to his, his looks unreadable.

"What do you mean?" she said, trembling.

"A hunch," he shrugs.

Iris stared at Liam like he had two heads, Liam was always considerate and affectionate about everything but what she saw right now was another man entirely.

Liam reached for her, his cold fingers brushed against her cheeks, he pulled some strand of her hair behind her ear, it wasn’t affectionate or anything, it was a simple gesture because Iris didn’t feel anything.

"When you go and Jarvis is not dead then he’s ready to seek your forgiveness," he said, retreating his hand.

Iris was about to say something.

"Then I will kill him" he adds as his eyes darken by his words.

She gulps hard, knowing he was damn serious.

"And if he’s dead," she said shakily.

"Then you know that your uncle is a piece of unforgiving shit and he’s the reason countless ghouls lost their lives three years ago".

***

Section Eleven

The Black Lotus

Iris walks into Jarvis’s office, but he wasn’t there, she turned rushing towards his room, she headed to another floor towards the lobby. She quickly opened the door and found him on the bed with a syringe on the floor.

She froze when she saw him out of breath dead. A tear fell from her eye. Rory walks in behind her and sees the scene, Iris breaks into tears, Rory quickly hugs her as she cries her heart out.

"Why? Why did uncle do all this, why did he betray us, why?" she cried. Rory was silent as he held his sister tightly, they were both in pain, a pain that gave them a realization that all their life has been a lie.

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