"Welcome back Paul!!"
Paul smiled as he entered the SQ headquarters. A banner was crookedly put up with 'Welcome Back!' scrawled in childish writing, and Evelyn was holding a huge teddy bear.
Evelyn rushed up and hugged Paul. "How are you?"
"I'm good." Paul said.
Alva gave Paul a fleeting smile before they all sat down.
"Who made the banner?" Paul asked.
"Matty" Evelyn replied. "He missed you a lot."
"Yeah...well I would have come back sooner if you hadn't made me stay at the hospital longer."
"Well, I was worried."
An awkward silence filled the air as Paul and Evelyn stared at each other. Evelyn's words echoed in the air, and Paul realized how beautiful she was looking today...
"Ahem." Alva coughed and he broke the silence. "Now, I think it is an appropriate time to pop the wine bottle open?"
They sat in silence as Alva poured the drinks, and Paul knew he had to tell Alva what he had seen that day.
"Alva..."
Alva looked up at Paul. "Yes?"
Paul glanced at Evelyn's curious face, and then decided to tell her too. After all, she is part of this too.
"I don't mean to be a party pooper or anything...But I just think I need to get this out in the open."
"What is it Paul?" Evelyn asked gently.
Paul breathed in deeply. "When I got hit...I saw my blood..." He paused. "It...It was forming words."
Alva hissed through his teeth. "God is now here?"
Paul shook his head. "God is nowhere." He whispered.
Evelyn frowned and Alva blanched.
"But...how...?" Alva muttered.
Paul shrugged. "I don't know. But this means...this must mean that it's getting closer."
"What's getting closer? What's going on Paul?" Evelyn demanded.
Paul shook his head and he looked up at them both.
"The Darkness," he said.