Raine's blood continued to pour onto the carpet, and Jax stood there for another moment of silence before the phone in the hallway began to ring.
"Answer that. It might be someone else with some sanity left in them, unlike tu amiga."
Jax followed the female's orders, and picked up the phone, raising it to his ear.
"You really shouldn't have come here." a woman's voice resonated through the device.
"Antonina? What the fuck is going on?"
"There should be a way out through the attic." She hesitated, then said, "Go there- now." The line cut on her end, and Jax slowly put the phone back.
"Okay, thank you that was very helpful in my current situation-"
"We never even checked the upstairs during both this mission and the last one. Perhaps what Nina said is true." Winston suggested, and Jax nodded, going towards the wooden door nearest the bathroom again.
Thuds came from Jax's right and he backed away slowly again. Jax noticed that the door to the basement was locked, so the only way out would be through the wooden door on the other end.
As he passed by the hole, Jax peeked in. He had to do a double take- Raine was no longer lying on the ground as she once was. He entered the small room to investigate.
"Anyone under Erza's control cannot die. They are forever immortal, thanks to the disease he carries." The female hacker continued as Jax came closer. There was the puddle of blood and the axe… but there was no Raine.
"So she's still alive somehow?"
"Sí, señor." Jax sighs at the answer, bending down to at least grab the axe.
"I guess I don't have to worry about her actually being dead." Jax shook his head, exiting the room. He checked out the bathroom to find no one or nothing inside, but when he exited, there were bloody handprints on the wall and the door that was once locked was now unlocked and swinging wide open. It led back into the original guest house where Jax started out at. He raised an eyebrow, taking out the map. "It looks like this hallway is just kind of a secret one. There's the hidden passage right there." Jax pointed to a particular area that was the little room with the hidden passage that led into the basement. "So there's the TV in that living room- I can watch both VHS tapes in there."
"If Raine's still up and about even after you supposedly killed her, I don't think wandering and watching old shows is gonna be such a good idea. Perhaps wait until the next time."
"No, Jax, watch them while you can. You never know whether there may never be another TV in this place." Winston advised, and Jax pursed his lips.
"Let's watch these footages real quick, okay? Maybe I can find something useful in these as to what exactly is going on around here and what I'm facing and all that fancy jazz." Jax told the two, going back to the living room. Since the tapes were in Antonina's purse that Jax had abandoned back at the entrance of the hidden passageway, he had to go there to get them.
After retrieving the films, Jax read them each aloud.
"Delrict House Footage- Rehearsal… maybe this is the one from that van I saw out there?" He asked himself, putting it in.
Just by the first part with Connor turning the camera towards him and saying "Boo!" Jax could tell that this was definitely the people from the first mission. He shook his head, exiting out of the footage and sliding in the other one.
"A Shadow Of Myself. Maybe this is a song, or something?" Jax raised an eyebrow before putting in the film.
On the TV appeared a female with pretty short hair, a pixiecut, and a blond male.
"Athena recognizes the teens as Antonina and Zane- possibly before the little outbreak in their home."
"Zane, are you… are you okay now?"
"Yeah, Nina, I- I'm fine." Zane sighed. The camera was perched on the shelf of the boy's room. He was looking down at his hands in which they were turning black at the veins. He was infected. "You do realize we don't have that much of time before Erza takes over completely, right?"
"Yeah. Seems like you're a little farther along than I am." Nina motions down to the boy's hands and Zane looked back down at them again.
"This sickness I'm afflicted with…
has got my brain decaying.." Zane slowly began. "You remember that song? The one Mum used to sing with that tale of the Molded?"
"Yeah. I always believed that the tale was just, you know, a tale. Seems like the little Prince is real, huh?" Antonina weakly chuckled at the thought of her parents. "It's too bad they're both too far gone now…" She sighed, looking back up at Zane. "Addicted to its wickedness…
this dangerous game I'm playing…"
"I know my God has damned me…
my fate remains unmolded…"
"Guess it runs in the family…
my sense of self, corroded-"
"Rage and hatred, untethered,
heads and appendages severed,
I can't be saved by confession,
endure this torture forever-"
"This aimless anger will fester,
and pain will make me remember,
on the edge of life and death
and I ain't getting better…"
"Lungs filled up with sweat and mud…
Unclean, deceased body wet with blood…
When it comes to carnage I can't get enough…
Ever since mum and dad force-fed me some!" Zane finished off and the two teens took turns.
"Way past saving, can't be helped,
I'm just a shadow of myself,
Let your darkness cascade over me, take over me…
Make me evil, feed me hell…
I'm a shadow of myself,
Swallow my soul, take control of me…"
Zane started the next verse.
"Hold your Holy Bibles tight,
You're sinking in this swamp (swamp)
There's no key to your survival
That's a door that's locked (locked)
Dissected head to toe
You'll be opened up (up)
The only friend you'll get to know is a loaded gun! (gun!)"
"My blackened blood is boilin'
I feel my fear no more...
The scent of dead flesh spoilin'
Have I become a corpse?
Spiders climb up my spine
Feel their venom in my veins..
This torment is divine,
The reaper I'll embrace~!"
"When I'm made a god (god)
I will take a bow (bow)
Evil forged a bond (bond)
She won't break her vows (vows)
Now you know the price (price)
Gotta pay it now (now)
If you have a life (life)
Time to lay it down (down!)
Hear not the voice of reason…
It only tells you lies…
Obey your sins and demons…
Then see through evil's eyes!"
The siblings came back together once again.
"Way past saving, can't be helped,
I'm just a shadow of myself,
Let your darkness cascade over me, take over me…
Make me evil, feed me hell…
I'm a shadow of myself,
Swallow my soul, take control of me…"
"Blood is in the air
My tongue can taste the gore
Smell it on my breath
The flavor I've been craving for.." Antonina looked at Zane, nodding at him to do what was usually their father's part.
"What's the matter, what's happenin'?
I've been served up a platter of pathogens
Trapped within a macabre massacre
By a family of sadistic savages
Ain't seen a chainsaw yet
But I will by the end, I'll bet
I can sense the presence of Evil
Settled deep in this Residence
I've already been through shit
And still haven't seen how bad it gets
Crashin' their party, bash in their heads
Pick up a weapon and splatter the rest
This violence has me laughin'
After makin' a massive mess
I guess I'm past the point of saving
I'd rather end up dead!"
"Give in to your temptation
Transcend mortality~!"
Why let yourself be bound by
Mortal morality~!"
Together, for what probably was the last time in forever, as Zane's hands were completely black, now.
"Way past saving, can't be helped,
I'm just a shadow of myself,
Let your darkness cascade over me, take over me…
Make me evil, feed me hell…
I'm a shadow of myself,
Swallow my soul, take control of me…
Evil molded me…"
Jax blinked after the footage just went off.
"So I was right, it was a song. But how would the mum know about Erza?"
"Juliet Jeanson was originally a scientist for TALON back in the day. She quit because she had met Martin and the two were planning on having a family. She left her work behind and the other scientists continued where she left off." The female hacker explained. "So there you have it, mi hermano."
"My question is why would she make up a bedtime story about it?"
"She was pregnant. That's why she left TALON and married Martin- so the baby would be born to a married couple and not just boyfriend-girlfriend. And that baby was Zane."
"That makes sense, but what about Antonina? She told me to get out of here, and the only way out would be through the attic." Jax wandered over to the fusebox. "So maybe we have to find the missing fuse here to get up into the attic." Jax pointed into the fusebox, showing where the third fuse was missing.
"There was a chained closet in the hallway you entered the kitchen from. Maybe you can use the boltcutters you found by the jail cell to open the door to that cupboard. Maybe the fuse and other useful things are in there…" Winston pointed out, and Jax nodded, going to the kitchen. He glanced up the stairs (in absolutely no hopes to find crazy Raine) on his way, and proceeded to the other side of the kitchen.
Jax took out the boltcutters and the chain dropped to the ground after he cut them. He opened the cupboard and right there was the stair fuse.
"What whaddaya know." Jax chuckles, looking down at the fuse. He pocketed it and went on back into the kitchen. He stopped suddenly.
Raine was right there, limping along down the hall. Jax's eyebrows furrowed, and shortly after she disappeared behind the doorway, Jax followed. She was nowhere to be found- no tracks or anything.
"Wandering around with a neck wound… yeah, totally normal."
"What about this house, so far, was normal?"
"Good point."
The light switched from red to green when Jax inserted the stair fuse into the fusebox.
On his way to the top floor to activate the stairs, a normal Raine suddenly popped out from the closet under the stairs.
"Jax!" Raine was panting heavily. "It's okay, it's okay.. It's me. I know you didn't mean to hurt me." The wound was there. It was definitely no longer bleeding, but it was there. Suddenly, she shoved him against the wall, her face contorting into that of one being taken over. "But you shouldn't have done that!" she screamed into his face, before throwing him to the ground, half his body hunched up against that wall. Jax grunted, making Raine exclaim, "It fucking hurt!" in his face again before she grabbed his arm and raised it. A screwdriver was shoved through his hand, lodging his hand in place. The screwdriver keeping him in place, Raine stood and hobbled off. Jax took the time to attempt to take out the screwdriver, but it was definitely lodged in there a little too far. She bent down by the foot of the stairs before standing and going to where he was again, still trapped. This time, she was holding a running chainsaw.
Jax channeled in his super-strength, and managed to free himself but only just as Raine brought the chainsaw down on him. Upon pure instincts, Jax raised an arm and just like that, the chainsaw cut through it. His left hand now lied on this ground and his arm was spouting blood.
Raine raised Jax again and tossed him backwards easily like Jax would have done to anyone. Jax looked down at his arm and pressed a hand to what would be the stump now. Raine laughed before turning and walking off into the darkness. The blond, struggling to get up, eventually stood and made his way up the stairs groggily. He was still losing blood as every second passed by.
Holding his arm out in front of him, Jax checked the kitchen and there was no sight of Raine before going up the stairs. He pressed the button for more stairs, and from the ceiling protruded, well… more stairs.
Jax made his way up and almost immediately did he spot the door to his right. He entered the room and there was ammo plus a gun just resting on the table.
The blond turned and continued down the hallway, the gun in his hand. He made sure it was loaded before moving on.
In the new room, there was just one mannequin to his right, but he spotted some more ammo and picked that up before turning back around to find another mannequin standing there.
"Is it just me or was there only one?"
"Jax-" It was a new voice on Winston's end. "It's your grandad. Winston's uh… in the bathroom, throwing up. So I'm taking over until he gets back. Anyways, no. There was definitely one before."
"Thanks." Jax rolls his eyes. Normally, Lukas would have scolded him, but this was too much of a situation.
"Try that door at the other end of the room. Maybe there's something in there." Lukas suggested, making Jax nod and follow his instruction. There was only ammo on the table in the room, and Jax decided to head up the ladder.
"This must be the exit Nina was talking about." Jax huffed out, beginning up the ladder. There was a sound on the other side of the window and Jax looked up to find the chainsaw having returned and Raine was stabbing it through the window.
Jax immediately went back down the ladder, pulling out the gun. He made some distance before unloading a clip at Raine while she just swung the chainsaw around, yelling a lot of things that were drowned out over the sound of gunshots and the chainsaw going. Even with all the headshots though, Raine still wasn't going down. Jax escaped out into the long L hallway and reloaded. He was a little slow reloading, though, since he only had one hand to do it with.
He had unleashed two more clips on her and Jax was retreated to the very end. The staircase that would have led back down into the home was brought back up, so there was no way for Jax to escape Raine's wrath for what was probably the five-thousandth time.
Jax got into a stand and raised the gun. There was another full clip of all just headshots from afar, and Raine fell to her knees finally, dropping the chainsaw in the process. She fell forwards, limp on the ground as Jax had killed her for the second time. Blood pooled around her again and it was that time Jax realized that she probably won't stay dead for long.
Sadly, on his way back out to the attic window, Jax was stopped suddenly. He was forced around and there Martin Jeanson was in his yellow-white striped shirt old-man glory, raising his fist and saying words that were familiar more than ever.
"Welcome to the family, son."
Jax was socked across the face, and he fell backwards onto the ground, his last sights on the still-bleeding Raine before looking up to find Martin raising his foot. He stomped on Jax's face, knocking him out completely.