Chapter 2

Mary scowled in agony and stared into the pitch-black void in front of her. She was suffering from severe bleeding from the bite wound. She grew more determined as she faced the beast in front of her.

“I’m going to beat you until your bones break, you giant pain in the ass!”

The shadow monster’s body trembled with fear. Mary walked toward it slowly, looking for an opening that would let her attack the creature.

However, there were no openings. It just stood still like a statue. Then, gradually, it started to shift in shape. Furry hands transformed into clean, smooth hands, and the hideous face started to resemble a well-defined human face. As she drew forward to examine it, everything vanished. Mary opened her eyes to find herself lying on a bed. The room was brightly illuminated by white light. A doctor dressed all in white rushed toward her bedside. He carefully examined the bite wound on her leg before quickly turning to look at Mary.

“Mary! You’re safe!” exclaimed the young physician.

Mary sat up in surprise. She awoke from her nightmare, still damp with sweat, to the whispers of a few people in the room. This wasn’t the time to pout in bed about a strange dream, Mary reasoned. The more important thing was that she was alive. Her gaze shifted to see a man dressed in similar attire standing behind the doctor. She began asking if she was okay as everything seemed strange to her. The young physician immediately answered Mary’s question, “No, you are not.”

“What do you mean?” questioned Mary.

“I’m sorry,” apologized the young physician, “but I have some bad news.”

“Bad news? What kind of bad news...?” asked Mary, puzzled.

“It seems that you’ve lost a huge part of your memory.”

Her expression instantly turned into one of disbelief.

***

The solid smell of espresso filtered through the air as Mary emptied the hot water into the cup and chose the dining table to enjoy the espresso tea she’d blended for herself.

She didn’t know why she enjoyed blending tea so much lately. Maybe because it was something new, or maybe she simply liked it. Either way, this was delicious.

At the moment, Mary was making plans for dinner; however, she couldn’t make up her mind about what she wanted to eat. On the other side of the window, she could see the dark sky begin to lighten, and her decision was made for her.

“Pancakes sound good right now.”

Mary got up and headed for the kitchen. She took a quick shower before heading out of her apartment building. Once outside, she saw a familiar face waiting for her. Mary paused in her steps to stare at him.

“Haven’t seen you in a while. What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No, I am not sick,” answered the man, slightly annoyed. “I have been working very hard so far today. It is only noon, but I already feel quite tired.”

He paused and looked at Mary as he spoke again. “Just now, I received a report that a large group of armed men came to our door. They said they wanted to speak to me. That is all I know. I am a bit worried about this.”

Mary nodded. She couldn’t blame him for being concerned.

“Are you alright, though?” she asked, noticing how pale his face had become.

“Yes. I will be fine. It does concern me, however. If you come over, please allow us to have a discussion with them when they arrive. We may have no choice but to engage in a battle with those people.”

“Alright,” replied Mary. “I’ll meet you later, then.”

As she walked away, she noticed a fluttering sensation in her stomach. She didn’t pay it any attention, thinking it was simply a hunger pang from the espresso tea she drank earlier. She arrived at the building before anyone else, despite the fact that she lived several floors below everyone else. In front of the door, a small commotion was taking place.

A tall man with a black beard was arguing with someone who appeared to be a lawyer.

“Mr. Smith, we cannot let you leave here without signing the documents. Please sign right now.”

“I told you, I don’t want to leave. I refuse to be forced into anything,” responded the man stubbornly.

“All we need to do is take care of the matter in court. Don’t worry. It won’t cost you anything. Actually, there is one condition,” added the man in charge of keeping the peace. “If you agree to sign, you can stay in this house for three months.”

Mary approached the group to ask what was going on. She found out that Mr. Smith — whose full name happened to be Jackson Ripps — was a rather famous chef. His culinary skills earned him two Michelin stars. One could say he was a living legend among chefs. Rumor had it that he had fallen on hard times recently, which led to his eviction notice.

Mary understood that Mr. Smith would likely go to great lengths to avoid signing the documents. With the help of a few friends in the neighborhood, she decided to meet the man in person and discuss his situation with him. After a few minutes, Mr. Smith walked around the corner, smiling in relief.

“Thank you for coming, Miss Mary,” greeted Mr. Smith.

“No problem at all. I hope things get solved soon. What do you plan to do now?”

“I’ll be staying with some people who offered me their help after hearing about the eviction.”

“Oh, yeah, I heard that. Did something happen?”

“Well, I lost a lot of money during the last financial crisis.”

“You mean that you went bankrupt?” asked Mary, surprised.

Mr. Smith smiled sadly. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“But what did you do? How come you didn’t lose everything like most people?”

Mr. Smith shrugged his shoulders. “Well, the truth is that I’m actually an undercover agent for an organization called the Knights of the Word.”

Mary blinked her eyes a couple of times. “What?!” she blurted out.

“Huh?!”

Mr. Smith laughed. “Don’t worry. It has nothing to do with religion or politics. Our goal is to protect humanity and stop evil deeds. Some might call us vigilantes, but we do not kill people unless they give themselves to the Dark Lord or if they threaten our lives. I’m sorry for telling you such a secret. I don’t usually talk about my work with people. Especially people who I don’t even know.”

“Wow! Is this really true?” asked Mary.

“Yes, absolutely. I have been a member of the Knights of the Word for eight years,” declared Mr. Smith. “The main reason I fell on hard times is because of a certain individual whom I need to send to jail as soon as possible. Unfortunately, he is a very powerful man with many connections both locally and abroad. So, unfortunately, I cannot afford to appear weak.”

“So how do you think I can help you?” asked Mary.

“I’d like to ask you to come with me, Miss Mary, to the hotel where this man resides. If he sees you, he will either fear you or respect you. Either way, he will not be able to harm you. When the time comes, I will provide you with enough evidence to put him behind bars for a long time.”

Mary thought for a second before answering. “That sounds like a good idea, Mr. Smith. However, I have a job to finish first. My job requires me to attend to customers at the bar,” explained Mary.

“Of course. I understand completely. But you should rest up a little later. We will probably have to meet again sooner than you think. Please be safe, Miss Mary,” Mr. Smith urged.