Hey guys! So, back in October I was getting into the Halloween spirit by watching Salem on Netflix and it dawned onto me that wouldn't it be great if Jessica found out that she is descended from Witches. (I know that's not true, it is purely imagination) So here is a DareJones Halloween fanfic just for y'all. Enjoy~ *I do not own any of the Marvel characters or its affiliates*
It was dark and gloomy, and the carriage ride there wasn't pleasant as well. That's the downside of being a blind man. Can't see a damn thing but feels everything around him. Matthew Murdock contemplates again why he chose to leave the church to come out all this way for a favor. Maybe it's the Catholic side of him that drew him to this little town out a ways.
He had heard from a friend that there have been a number of strange phenomenon that have been happening. Loved ones going missing, irregular behavior, etc. but one thing links them together.
The Devil.
Granted the man mostly studied law but growing up around nuns and priests he knows how to spot the wicked.
The carriage comes to a halt, throwing Matt off his seat and onto the floor. The door opens and the driver quickly apologizes to him for the abrupt halt. Being the saint that he is, he lets the driver help him out of the carriage, dusting off his jacket.
"So what business do you have here in our little town?" the driver asks.
"To figure out what's been going on," Matt replies.
"Well if any person can fix these dammed souls it's a man of God."
Matt snorts "Actually I'm a lawyer."
"Oh I just figured because of your clothes-"
"I grew up in a church and I am a qualified priest but I my true profession is law."
"Ah I see," the man was impressed by him.
"Say you've been around here right?" Matt asks.
"Lived here all my life," states the driver as he unloads the travelers belongings.
"What can you tell me about what's happened here."
"Folks around here have had their bad string of luck, crops withering, water supply drying up, pregnant girls suffering from miscarriage. Some claim that there are witches present."
"Witches?" the curious lawyer asks.
"Devil worshippers, ones who practice the dark arts in the forest. If you don't believe me talk to them, hopefully you'll find what you're looking for."
Matt nods back and tosses the driver a small bag filled with coins.
"Thanks for your time."
"Much obliged and good luck," the whip cracks and the horses descend off out of town leaving the blind lawyer to walk through the busy streets of the town.
He listens around the area for guidance, asking townsperson after townsperson for directions to the town hall, each one more unfriendly than the last. Finally he comes to the location, floorboards creaking underneath his feet. A chambermaid starts to pass him but he stops her in his tracts.
"Excuse me but I'm looking for a Mr. Franklin Nelson. I'm a friend of his."
"Third door on your left."
He thanks her and proceeds down the hallway and into the room where his friend is knee deep in paperwork. Franklin, aka Foggy was too distracted by his work to notice his friend standing before hearing a distinct cough. He clears his throat signaling to his friend that there was a presence.
"Well I'll be damn, Matthew Michael Murdock in the flesh."
Foggy rushes over to Matt and gives him a bear hug.
"Good to see you too Foggy."
"You know when I sent you that letter I was half expecting you to not to show up. Probably send me a response like 'No way in hell' or 'I'm too busy' and then I'd remind you that I've been cleaning up your mess since we were kids," Foggy says as a matter of fact.
His blind companion snorts at the comment, "I did tell you that and you did tell me that back."
"And look where we are now," Foggy says happily which makes Matt chuckle more.
"Come, let us get a drink on me."
"Later, I want to start working on the case at hand," Matt states.
"Eager to leave?" asks Foggy.
"On the contrary, eager to test myself out in the courtroom," Matt surveys the room, looking for clues.
"Same old Murdock, our lord and savior," Foggy goes to grab some documents to hand to his friend.
"Here are a list of the victims, they're located at the church. I had my secretary write it in braille for you."
Matt scanned the pages of the names, feeling the bumps across his fingers.
"Sarah Anne age 16, Mary Maddox age 14, Jane Thomas age 15, all girls under 18, no men," Matt inquires.
"It would seem so," says Foggy.
"Can you direct me to the Church?"
One by one, Matt had questioned the girls about what they had experienced. Some were stricken with fear and anguish. Others were trying to seduce the Catholic boy, which failed miserably. However all the facts kept leading back to a particular person, Jessica Jones. He was curious about her and wanted to know more.
So he started talking to the townsfolk, asking them who she was, what she looked like and where she had gone. They call her vile things like a 'witch, whore, devil worshipper' but none had seen from her since. He was frustrated and tired of listening to people so he decides to head to the local bar to kill the pain residing in his head.
The bartender took pity on the poor man and pours him a tall beer on the house. The drink helps him to relax while he listens to the conversations happening around the facility. Lots of drunken bullshit that he couldn't care less about, except for one that peaked his curiosity.
A man in the back was talking to a young girl about finding out where her sister had gone. Apparently she had been missing for 2 days and no one has seen her since. The man had talked about his client who specialized in finding people and would be willing to pass on this information to her. The crying girl embraced the man, thanking him for his generosity and then proceeded to leave. Matt listened closely as the man exits the establishment and starts to follow him.
The man looks behind his shoulder a couple of times before he realizes that he is being followed and starts into a sprint. Noticing this, Matt increases his speed and pursues him. The man ducks into a dark alley, slowing his pace and looking back into emptiness. Before he can rejoice he is pushed up against the brick wall. The air in his lungs were quickly knocked out and now he was having trouble forming the words.
"Look, I don't know why you're following me, I've got no money."
"But you do have something I want, information, specifically about your client," Matt says.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The man was pressed harder against the wall, feeling a twinge of pain in his back.
"Don't play games with me, the girl you were talking to in the bar, you said your client can find people and I need to find someone now are you going to help me or is there going to be a problem?"
He was growing tired of the ignorance from this man.
"Ok ok, I'll help you just let me go," and just like that Matt drops him to the ground hard.
The man tries to regain balance.
"So who do you need found?" he asks.
"A girl by the name of Jessica Jones."
The man is taken aback and asks, "What does a priest want with her?"
"First off I'm a lawyer and second, the disappearances, the strange phenomenon, they all lead back to her and I need to know why."
The stranger looks over Matt looking to find anything from his face that would justify him telling the truth.
"Look I don't want to hurt her if that's what you're thinking, I just want to solve this case and get back to my normal life. Please."
He was on the edge of begging and pleading so the stranger took pity on the poor blind man.
"Alright, I'll bring you to her, but on one condition, that you don't tell anything about this to anyone and I mean anyone, especially your friend down in the courthouse." Matt throws his arms up in surrender, showing he is no threat. "So we'll leave after curfew, when nobody's on the street."
The two headed out of the town and up the hillside through the thick forest.
"By the way, my name is Malcolm," he extends his hand out to Matt.
The blind priest/lawyer shakes his hand.
"Matthew Murdock, but you can call me Matt."
(And there you have it Chapter 1 of our Halloween special. If you like please feel free to leave a review down below and I will try to get back as soon as possible. Happy Halloween!)