Chapter 258 The Devil's Witness

Chapter 258 The Devil's Witness
Back at the Watchers of the Veil's private compound on the outskirts of Hartford, Connecticut, Marcus Reed had spent four days confined in a soundproofed basement cell.

“AAAHHHHH!”

His body arched violently against the restraints securing him to the metal bed. His eyes flew open, wild with terror, before squeezing shut again as the visions returned.

Blood.

Bodies torn apart.

Ravial's burning gaze locking onto his soul.

A strangled scream ripped from his throat.

Outside, a heavy security door slid open.

Dr. James Harlan and Dr. Miranda Harlan had arrived only minutes earlier after an emergency flight from Germany. Exhaustion lined their faces, but neither showed hesitation as they strode down the sterile corridor with two armed guards at their sides.

James stopped outside the reinforced door.

“How long?”

The guard shifted uneasily.

“Since he was left at the front gate four days ago, sir. He barely sleeps. The screaming only stops when he collapses from exhaustion. We sedated him twice so the medical team could examine him.”

Miranda's expression remained unreadable.

“Open it.”

The lock disengaged with a metallic click.

The moment the door swung inward, Marcus's screams burst into the hallway.

He was a wreck.

Sweat soaked his clothes. Bruises darkened his face, dried blood stained the torn fabric clinging to his body.

But it was his eyes that drew attention.

They weren't the eyes of a man recovering from a beating.

They were the eyes of a man who had seen something he could never unsee.

The instant he spotted James and Miranda, panic exploded across his face.

“No!” he shrieked, fighting the restraints. “Stay away! Stay away from him!”

The leather straps strained as he twisted desperately.

“We're all going to die!” His voice cracked. “I saw what he did to them. I saw everything!”

James stepped forward carefully.

“Marcus. Look at me.”

Marcus's breathing hitched.

“Tell me what happened in Vanuatu.”

For a moment, Marcus simply stared.

Then a hollow laugh escaped him.

“Tell you?” Tears streamed down his bruised face. “You think words can explain it?”

His body shook.

“He could've killed me. He should've killed me.”

His gaze unfocused.

“But he wanted a witness.”

The room fell deathly silent.

Marcus swallowed hard.

“He touched my forehead.”

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“And suddenly I was inside it. Every scream. Every mangled flesh, every second of their agonizing deaths.”

His eyes widened with remembered horror.

“I couldn't look away.”

James felt his stomach tighten.

“What message?”

Marcus laughed again, the sound brittle and broken.

“He said if we ever reach for his star again, he'll come for all of us.”

Miranda's eyes sharpened.

“His star?”

Marcus nodded frantically.

“His wife.”

The words rushed out.

“He said she belongs to him. Said we're insects trying to grasp the stars.” His gaze darted around the room as if expecting something to emerge from the shadows. “You don't understand what he truly is. None of you do.”

His voice dropped lower.

“He isn't afraid of us.”

The realization seemed to break him all over again.

“We should be afraid of him.”

Silence settled over the room.

James finally exhaled.

“The Devil shattered his mind.”

Miranda studied Marcus for several seconds.

When she spoke, her voice was calm enough to be unsettling.

“Then his fear serves a purpose.”

James looked at her.

“The others need to see this,” she continued. “They need to understand exactly what stands against us.”

She stepped to the bedside and looked down at Marcus.

“Marcus Reed, you were chosen to witness the Beast.”

Marcus flinched.

“Your suffering will not be wasted.”

Her gaze hardened.

“We will save the Vessel. We will destroy the Antichrist before it draws breath. And we will bring the Devil to his knees in the name of God.”

A broken sob escaped Marcus.

His head sank into the pillow.

“You still don't understand,” he whispered.

The despair in his voice chilled the room more than any scream.

“He's already won.”

Miranda Harlan stared down at the Marcus with clinical detachment.

“Untie him,” she ordered the guards. “Bring him to the hall.”

The guards hesitated for half a second before obeying. They loosened the restraints and hauled Marcus to his feet. He could barely stand, legs shaking, and he tried to pull away, but they dragged him forward roughly.

“No… no, please…” Marcus whimpered, voice hoarse from days of screaming.

James and Miranda walked ahead, leading the way down the long corridor toward the main assembly hall. The sound of Marcus’s bare feet dragging behind them echoed like a death march.

When the heavy doors to the large hall opened, over two hundred followers turned at once. Gasps and horrified murmurs rippled through the crowd as they saw Marcus, his eyes wild with madness.

James raised his hands for silence. The room fell silent except for Marcus’s ragged breathing.

“Brothers and sisters,” James began, voice booming with righteous fire, “behold what the Beast has done to one of our own!”

He gestured dramatically toward Marcus, who was shoved forward into the center of the room.

Marcus collapsed to his knees, sobbing.

“Don't listen to them…” Marcus rasped, voice cracking. “RUN, RUN, RUNNNN”

The crowd stirred, some clutching crosses, others whispering prayers.

Miranda stepped forward, eyes blazing with fanatical zeal.

“Do you see?” she cried. “This is what awaits us if we falter! The Devil walks among us, wearing the face of Ravial Ashbourne. He has corrupted an innocent woman and planted his demonic seed inside her womb. But we will not be defeated!”

Marcus screamed, clawing at his own face.

“He’s coming for all of us! We’re already dead! He showed me, he showed me what he’ll do!”

James placed a hand on Miranda’s shoulder, his expression solemn yet triumphant.

“Marcus Reed was once a proud agent of justice. Now look at him, broken by the Enemy. But his suffering will not be in vain.”

He turned to the crowd, voice rising with holy fury.

“We will save the Vessel! We will rip the Antichrist from her womb before it can draw breath! And we will drag the Devil himself into the light of God’s judgment!”

The crowd erupted in fervent shouts and prayers.

Marcus lifted his head, eyes wide with terror.

“You’re all going to die…” he whispered, then screamed at the top of his lungs. “HE’S COMING! THE DEVIL IS COMING FOR YOU ALL!”

James looked down at him with cold pity.

“May God have mercy on your soul, Brother Marcus.”

In one smooth motion, James pulled a handgun from inside his jacket.

BANG.

The gunshot echoed through the hall like thunder.

Marcus’s head snapped back. A spray of blood exploded across the floor as the bullet tore through his skull. His body crumpled sideways, twitching once before going still.

The entire room gasped in shock. Some screamed while thers covered their mouths, eyes wide with horror.

Miranda stepped forward without flinching, voice calm and authoritative.

“It had to be done,” she said clearly, looking out over the stunned crowd. “The Devil had already poisoned his mind. There was no saving him but his death will not be in vain. We will meet our brother Marcus again in the New Earth, the purified world that will rise after we destroy the Beast and his spawn.”

She raised her hands, eyes shining with manic conviction.

“His blood is the seed of our victory! Who stands with us?”

After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd slowly began to chant, first hesitant, then louder and louder:

“Save the Vessel! End the Beast! Save the Vessel! End the Beast!”

James holstered the gun, blood still spattered across his shirt, and placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder.

The war had truly begun.