Michael had driven four hours through thick fog to reach the small town of Ophir in the quiet mountaintops. There wasn’t a single person in sight among the long, empty streets, only the howl of stray dogs prowling around. The jinn kicked one of them away for getting too close, fearing the small creature might scratch its boots. Its vessel’s attire was one of the few things it grew a liking to in this new world. The dog in turn lowered his head as ready to pounce, his barking turning into a furious growl, but after seeing the jinn’s sinister grimace, its sharp curved teeth, and the fire that burst out of its empty eye sockets, it had enough common sense to scurry away with its tail between its legs.

Michael had his eyes set on the distance. The wind blew heavily, scattering the motley leaves. Cold bit into his skin. He snapped his head to the sound of wheezing from the strays, followed by the deep tenor of a familiar voice.

“I saw that,” said Andrzej, glaring at the jinn as he extinguished his smoke into his exposed forearm before promptly lighting another. His servant walked beside him. ”You kick that dog again, and I’ll do the same to you, suka.”

The jinn answered with a chilling grin: “How intriguing coming from a sadist.”

“I don’t hurt animals or children. My wickedness has boundaries unlike yours,” the necromancer turned his attention to Michael. “Glad to see you made it on time; now let’s cut to the chase. I had someone stumble into my office not long ago. He had the appearance of a walking mummy with bandages wrapped around every inch of his body. I could see the rotting flesh peeking out under the rugged gauze. Eyes were murky. The smell was worse than a roadkill left in the sun. He didn’t need to mention the fact that he was resurrected; by the look of it, it was evident that the work was done by a novice. Only someone with a lack of experience could screw up this badly.” he took a puff from his cigarette before continuing. ”Anyway. The man begged me to undo the damage he had suffered, and within our brief conversation, I found out there were dozens of others who were plucked out of their graves unwillingly. All coming from this town. No one has seen the face of the one who brought them to life, hence why we’re here. To find that nasty little bugger.”

“Do you have a theory about the perpetrator’s motives?” Michael questioned him.

“That’s what I was hoping to ask you. I suspect they are self-taught, judging by their lack of skill when it comes to preserving the flesh and organs. No teacher would allow their student’s abomination to walk around freely, even less in the human world where they could easily raise suspicion among non-sorcerers.”

“They are practicing on dead people to hone their skills. It’s not exclusionary to assume there is a whole group of them, run by a leader. Perhaps they are working for someone. Someone who wants to see this world plunge into chaos.”

“Sounds lovely,” said the jinn.

“I’ve dealt with a similar case before,” continued Andrzej, ignoring its remark. “There was this undead pyromancer committing arson all over the state. He was collecting fragments from the true name of an old god. I never found out which one, but if what he said is true and whoever he is working with is determined to summon one of the old ones, the whole fabric of reality as we know it would cease to exist,” he puffed a cloud, staring at the disappearing smoke as he took a moment to consider. “You are probably confused, so let me clarify something: the way our magic works is we use spells that are constructed by the alphabet our goddess, Rhea, created by combining the letters from the true names of each god. If one is to invoke those primordial names out loud, then it is said they would wield the power to summon them. If they don’t lose their minds in the process, that is.”

“And why would anyone want that?” Asked Michael. He once again shifted his attention to the jinn, who in turn shrugged, putting its hand in the pockets of its coat.”

“Sheer stupidity, my best guess,” Andrzej continued, furrowing his eyebrows. “It’s insane what some individuals would do for power. There is a tale in the world of sorcerers about a girl who made a deal with a demon to gain the curse magic of a witch. When the word got out, she was excommunicated. Only the gods know what happened to her after that.”

“Aren’t witches and sorcerers the same?”

“No. As I presume the jinn had already told you, we are born with our abilities. Witches, on the other hand, gain theirs when they give birth to the child of a demon. Plain disgusting. Have you encountered a demon before, Michael?”

“I have not.”

“It was a trick question,” the necromancer snickered, turning to the town’s main street. “You wouldn’t be here if you had.”

****

It was an ocean of grey ahead of them. The town itself was like a ghostly apparition, darkened by clouds and impressively tall trees. Every person they spotted wandering outside promptly scurried back to their homes as soon as they saw the newcomers approaching.

Michael suggested they should ask around the barbershop for information. In his experience, they were a central place for gossip. Luck was on their side, as they saw one open, hurrying their step before the man inside had the chance to shut the door in their faces.

“Do you mind us asking some questions about this town’s residents?” Said the exorcist, forcefully making his way in along with the others.

“I’ve already talked with one of your people,” said the barber. “How many of you is the press going to send before you leave us alone. This town isn’t some bizarre attraction, you know.”

“The press? No, we aren’t reporters, sir. We came here to ask you-“

“About the living dead? I know. That woman came here about the same thing, though I’m not sure if she was just some kid looking for trouble. I’ll tell you what I told her: there are no zombies in here, no monsters, no nothin’! Some buffoon has been spreading rumors about this place, and now people like you come in and out asking silly questions as if you have any business here. Let us be. This is not a freak show. There’s nothing to see here.”

“This is an investigation,” Andrzej budged in. “I can assure you we’re not here for spectacle. If you give us anything, any lead at all, we might be able to help you.”

“Help us? You can start by getting out of this place immediately and tell the rest of the world not to set foot in here until-“

The jinn grew agitated. A cloud of black smoke exuded from its empty sockets like a raging wind as it grabbed the barber by the throat, effortlessly throwing him to the ground with a satisfying thud. “Enough with your blabber,” it said with its usual apathetic, spiteful calmness. “We didn’t come all this way to listen to nonsense. If you don’t give us straight answers, I’m going to scorch them out of you,” the jinn raised its hand. Michael pulled the being to his side, hoping it wouldn’t find a way to make good on its promise. The fact that he had bound its powers didn’t give him enough of a relief to let it out of sight even for a split second. At the very least, he knew it was just as dangerous as any other free-roaming psychopath, and now that one of the rings was missing, only the gods knew what more it was capable of.

“I usually wouldn’t agree with the ma’am and resort to extortion, but I’m afraid that if you keep wasting our time, we’ll be left with no choice. This is a serious matter,” Andrzej leaned closer, grabbing one of the shaving knives laid upon the dressing table. “You realize the fact that you refuse to speak turns you into a prime suspect, don’t you? Are you the one who’s behind all of these abominations?”

“Of course not!” The man protested, now with a distinct fear in his voice after getting his bones rattled, eyes set on the sharp blade pointed at him. “Who are you, people? You can’t possibly be working for the police!”

“Don’t hurt him,” Michael pleaded with the necromancer.

“Hurt him? No, I wasn’t going to do that, but I will shave off his eyebrows if he refuses to collaborate.”

“I say we pull off his nails one by one,” said the jinn.

“We can waterboard him,” said Nami, inspired by all the movies she watched.

“Or break his limbs.”

“Or hang him by his toes.”

“Or feed him to the dogs.”

“Or inject him with cyanide.”

“Or burn him alive.”

“Can you two stop listing off execution methods?” Michael was baffled by their suggestions. He noticed the look of surprise and bewilderment on the necromancer’s face as he turned his head towards his assistant. For the first time, the two men were on the same page when it came to the use of violence. “We’re not barbarians.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you what I know as long as you weirdos leave me alone,” said the barber, drawing back cautiously. “I don’t remember exactly when it started. All I know is that one day, as I was about to end my shift, I saw my old friend – David. I was quite shocked, as you can imagine, given we buried him a week ago. I thought I was losing my mind back then. I ran through the back door like a maniac until I reached my house. In the following days, more and more deceased folk kept appearing. Some rejoined with their families; others wandered the streets like lepers. I have no idea what’s going on. I haven’t lost my marbles enough to muster the courage to have a conversation with one of these… things.”

“They are not ‘things,” Andrzej scowled. “They are people, victims to some idiot sorcerer that doesn’t know what they are doing.”

“A sorcerer?”

“We ask the questions here,” the necromancer proceeded with his tough guy act. Noticing he got carried away, he withdrew his knife. With a slight reluctance written on his face, he continued. “You said there was a woman here who introduced herself as a reporter. What did she look like? Can you describe her to me?”

“She was short with wide shoulders, had short black hair, and spoke in… what I think was a European accent.”

“Did she wear a tracksuit?”

“I haven’t paid much attention, but now that I think of it, “the barber scratched his head. “Yes, I think she did have one underneath her jacket.”

“That’s exactly what I was afraid of,” Andrzej sighed, springing hastily from his spot. He turned his attention to the rest of the crew. “I suppose coming here was a mistake.”

“Do you know the woman he’s talking about?” Michael raised an eyebrow, feeling as if he had missed out on something.

“I’m afraid I do. If we’re lucky, we might not cross paths with her,” Andrzej tilted his head towards the exit, before he lit another cigarette. “Let’s go. We’re not gonna find more details if we’re stuck with this loser. Do you have any more brilliant suggestions, dear ‘detective’?”

“Perhaps you should talk to the spirits, master,” Nami muttered, her voice barely reaching their ears.

“That’s not such a bad idea,” the jinn smiled. “Your little slave girl appears to be smarter than you give her credit for.”

“She’s not my slave,” Andrzej grunted. ”I’m paying her a fair wage. Taxes and everything.”

“You can talk to spirits?” Said Michael, confused by their whole ordeal.

“Unfortunately. ”The necromancer rolled his eyes. “The nicotine is the only thing that dulls out their voices, though even without it, it’s been awfully quiet around here. Seems like even the ghosts are creeped out by this place.”

“And for a good reason,” said the jinn. Its eyes glistened with crimson fire as it breathed in the cold air. It raised its hand with a slight tremor, veins bulging as if an unknown force pulled them. “I sense evil approaching.”

Andrzej looked away with a half smile as if he was amused that those words were coming from none other than a jinn.  At the same moment, a loud shriek came from outside, followed by a crash and then a barrage of curse words so vile, they would make a sailor blush. From the open door, they saw blood splattering.

“Stay dead, be jebom te!” A female voice yelled, beaming with fury.

Walking hesitantly outside, they saw a small woman, covered in dirt and entestants, fending off a group of walking corpses (or at least what little was left of them). One was reduced to a pair of bony legs with a spine sticking out like a strange appendage. Another was just an arm, attached to a little remnant of a body, crawling to the angry woman, who promptly smashed it to bits with her heavy boot. She threw a glance at the group before decapitating another one of her unfortunate attackers.

“Damn zombies,” she sighed, exhausted from the fight. “This was my favorite Adidas!”

The necromancer, seemingly unsurprised by that horrific sight, stepped up and, with his arms crossed and his most exasperated tone, mustered:

“Would you look at that. The jinn’s premonition came true after all.”

“The fuck are you doing here, pervert?” The woman glared at him. “Got tired from beating up women and decided to become a hunter instead?” Her eye caught Nami’s expression and the way she clung close to her master. The stitches on her arms and chest gave a hint that she might be an undead, which made the woman snicker. “I see you’ve decided to add ‘necrophilia’ to your list of fetishes.”

“She’s my assistant, you dimwit. As if I needed to use my magic to find a girlfriend.”

“Knowing you, you’d need a damn miracle to make someone stick around. What’s that poor thing’s name?” She moved her head to take a peek at the exorcist, who was silently witnessing their banter, unsure of what to say. “And more importantly, who’s that handsome fella with you?” The edges of her lips twisted into a smile.

“My name is Michael, ma’am.”

“I’m Daniella, Dani for short.” She extended a bloody arm to shake his hand, which he reluctantly accepted. “What business does a good-looking man like you have with that debil?”

“We are currently conducting an investigation over…”

“An investigation? You’re a cop?” Dani quickly retreated before she landed her mad gaze on the necromancer. “You brought a cop here! You son of a bitch! I would hit you if I didn’t know you were into that shit!”

“I’m not working for the police, ma’am. We’re here, perhaps for the same reason as you. My partner and I are exorcists, trying to find out the reason so many people have risen from the dead in this town.”

Dani looked at the man up and down as if she were trying to deduce whether or not he was telling the truth.

“Y’all don’t need to worry about it. I’ve got it under control,” she shrugged before cleaning the edges of her machete in her sleeve. The blade was engraved with red runes, the hallmark of a hunter. “I’ve killed like a dozen so far. They’ll eventually get tired and just stay dead, right?”

“Impeccable logic.” Andrzej exhaled, putting a palm to his face to underline that it was the stupidest thing he had heard all day.

“What? Do you have better ideas, dechko?” Said the huntress.

“Not everything in life can be solved by beating the stuffing out of someone. Do you ever use that empty head of yours for anything, or do you outsource all of the thinking to your fists?”

“I get paid to kill monsters, not solve mysteries. Do I look like Scooby-Do?”

“Of course not. The dog is way smarter than you.”

The two of them continued to insult each other in their respective languages as the others stood by and watched, unsure if they should interfere. Michael became embarrassed on their behalf, searching his head for ways to end their banter. Nami traced the knife under her skirt in preparation to attack in case the huntress decided to get physical with her master, her growing dislike towards the woman becoming more prominent on her face by the minute. The jinn’s initial amusement quickly turned into agitation, its patience running thin until it exploded into a deep, sinister growl that shook the very earth.

“SILENCE!”

At that moment, all of the leaves fell from the nearby trees, along with a few sparrows that suffered from a heart attack. The rest of the birds flew for their lives far, far away. The frozen puddles cracked, and so did all the windows and mirrors in the barber shop.

Dani held her weapon in a position to strike.

“What the hell is that?” She shouted.

“It’s a jinn,” said Andrzej.

“Never killed one of these things before.”

“I don’t advise you to pick a fight with it. They are way above your pay grade. Besides, it’s working for us. ”

“A jinn and an exorcist working with you,” Dani lifted an eyebrow. “This sounds like a weird joke. You have some explaining to do.”

“As if. I’m afraid our unfortunate encounter ends here. Good luck with whatever you’re doing,” the necromancer walked past her dismissively, signaling for the rest to do the same. His servant and the jinn servant followed, leaving Michael behind, who was growing curious about the strange woman. In his long experience, there were very few things that left him puzzled.

“How do you two know each other?” He asked.

“It’s a long story,” said Andrzej.

“It’s fine, I’ll tell him,” said Dani confidently, ignoring the cue to leave them alone. “It all started with a bottle of Johnnie.”