Chapter 12: Ink and fire

Zack walked into Dark Mark Tattoo with a confident smile, completely unaware of what fate had in store for him.

The sound of needles piercing skin, the smell of disinfectant and ink floated in the air. The walls were covered in dark and macabre designs: skulls, demons, coiled snakes, strange symbols.

"Do you have an appointment?" asked a tattoo artist with a scruffy beard, looking at Zack with disinterest from behind the counter.

"No, but I want something simple. A skull on my back."

The tattoo artist nodded, flipping through a catalog.

"I can do that. Do you have any references, or do you like one of these?"

Zack pointed to one of the designs on the wall: a cracked, aggressive-looking skull.

"That one."

"Good. Have a seat."

Zack took off his shirt and leaned back in the tattoo chair. While the tattoo artist prepared the needles and ink, he checked his phone, not bothering to read the messages from his friends asking if he was okay.

He wasn't worried.

He didn't believe in superstitions.

He didn't believe in fate.

It was just a damn tattoo.


Meanwhile, Ethan was driving through the streets of Salem like a lunatic. Myeong was in the passenger seat, her eyes glued to her phone's GPS.

"Go straight down West Hollow, the store is a few blocks away."

Ethan hit the gas.

But just as they turned a corner, a black car cut in front of them.

"Shit!" Ethan yelled, slamming on the brakes.

The driver of the other car rolled down his window.

"Are you crazy, idiot?! Watch where you're driving!"

Ethan ignored the yelling and tried to avoid the vehicle, but at that moment, a delivery truck pulled right in front of them, blocking their way.

Myeong banged on the dashboard in frustration.

"No, no, no!"

The truck driver slowly got out with a box in his arms, walking leisurely toward a store.

"Move it, damn it!" Ethan growled, honking the horn repeatedly.

The man ignored him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the truck started moving and they were able to continue.

"We're falling behind," Myeong whispered desperately.

Ethan accelerated, but they hadn't gone a few meters when the light turned red.

"Fuck!"

He tried to pass it, but a police cruiser appeared out of nowhere and turned on its sirens.

"No way!"

An officer got out of the car and approached.

"Do you know how fast you were going?"

Ethan gripped the steering wheel furiously.

"Officer, we're sorry, but we're having an emergency."

"Get out of the vehicle."

Myeong looked at Ethan desperately.

"We don't have time for this."

The officer was about to ask for their license plates when, by sheer luck, the patrol car's radio crackled.

"We have a situation on the main road. Backup needed."

The officer cursed under his breath.

"I'll let you through this time, but slow down."

Without wasting a second, Ethan started off.

"Go, go..."

But they'd already wasted enough time.


Back at Dark Mark Tattoo, the tattoo artist began working on Zack's back.

They didn't notice when a moth flew into the shop and landed on an old, slowly spinning ceiling fan. Its wings got caught in the mechanism, causing the motor to work harder than usual.

Beside them, a coffee pot bubbled on the counter. An employee had forgotten to turn it off, and the hot liquid was still evaporating.

A spark jumped from the fan onto an alcohol-soaked rag on the table.

Zack, oblivious, checked his phone.

"How's it going?" he asked without looking up.

"Almost finished."

The spark ignited the rag.

The fire began to slowly spread toward a cardboard box containing aerosol cans.

The tattoo artist, busy with the design, didn't notice the smoke beginning to rise behind him.

The trapped butterfly struggled to free itself, causing the fan to move erratically.

A loosely plugged cord behind the counter fell into a puddle of water. Sparks flew.

The fire reached the aerosol can.

A click.

An explosion.

The tattoo artist barely had time to react before the fireball engulfed him.

Zack screamed and jumped out of the chair, but the flames spread quickly.

An oxygen tank used for cleaning tools was near the flames.

Internal pressure increased.

The metal expanded.

And then...

BOOM!


Myeong and Ethan arrived just as the explosion rocked the building.

The glass facade shattered into a thousand pieces, sending burning fragments tumbling into the street.

The Dark Mark Tattoo sign collapsed, crashing onto the sidewalk with a deafening sound.

Myeong got out of the car before Ethan could stop her.

"Zack!" she screamed desperately.

Flames were engulfing the shop's interior.

Ethan ran after her and grabbed her arm.

"Myeong, you can't go in!"

"He's still there!"

At that moment, something fell from the ceiling with a heavy sound.

It was a charred body.

Myeong froze.

The remains of what had once been Zack lay on the ground, unrecognizable.

The skull tattoo on his back was still visible among the charred skin.

Ethan felt nauseous and looked away.

Myeong fell to his knees, his gaze blank.

Another death.

Another vision fulfilled.

And further proof that there was no escape.

Death still followed them.

And he wouldn't stop until his work was complete.