Let the Moonlight In

An Unwelcomed Guest

!! trigger warning: contains violence, a gun and knife, and some blood !!

As Layla glided quietly through London, scanning for any signs of movement, she spotted an unusual vehicle: a long, white limousine parked in an alleyway. She perched on a nearby rooftop, keeping a close but safe distance so that she could assess the scene. Two figures were standing next to the car, arguing: a ten foot tall creature with a bird skull for a head, holding a sceptor with a crescent moon on top, and Marc, except it wasn't Marc.

He was wearing a suit splattered with blood and a newsboy cap. But it wasn't just that. This wasn't her sweet Steven or concerned Marc. This was someone else entirely. When Layla caught a glimpse of his face, she realized with horror that she'd seen him before, in the Battle of Cairo. He had went on a killing spree, and when Marc took over the body, he claimed that he didn't know what happened. Layla had been too focused on defending herself in that moment to comprehend who that person was, and now she was looking straight at him. But this time, she wasn't going to run away.

She swiftly landed behind a corner, and as she peered around the side, she read the license plate: S P K T R. Spector. Where the hell did Marc get a limousine from? How long has he had it for? More questions that she wouldn't be surprised if she never found the answers to, she decided.

Suddenly, Khonshu slowly turned his head in her direction, as did Marc (but not Marc). If looks could kill, she would have already been dead. "You shouldn't be here, little bug" Khonshu warned. With that, Marc (or whoever this person was) fished a gun out of their pocket, took that as their signal, and charged.

Of all the ways that Layla wanted to spend her evening, beating the shit out of a man that looked like her husband before he killed her was not one of them. At least with Marc, his fighting style was deliberate. He planned his attacks so that he could save his energy.

This guy, however, just straight up didn't care. His movements were erratic, his bullets slicing through the air as if it were paper, not caring what they shot. Layla did her best to dodge him while resisting the urge to fight back. Even though she didn't know this man, she knew that Marc and Steven were still inside him. If she could just find a way to connect with them...

Just then, the gun ran out of ammunition, and a knife came flying in her direction. Instinctively, she raised her wing to cover herself, and the knife bounced off of the bronze and towards Marc. It sliced past his shoulder, leaving a bloody cut, and then clattered to the ground. She watched with horror as her husband grabbed his shoulder in pain and backed into the wall.

"¡Mierda!", he cried.

Layla was thrown off guard for a second. "Marc, since when did you speak Spanish?", she asked. Marc ignored her and turned his gaze to Khonshu, who had been standing there this entire time. "Listen here, bird brain, i don't know who the hell you think you are, but let him go. NOW. "As much as I would LOVE to, I'm afraid I can't. Unless Jake informs me otherwise", said Khonshu with fake sympathy.

"Who's Ja-" Layla was quickly cut off by a pair of hands wrapping around her throat. She tried to use her hands to get him off of her, but it was no use. He slammed her against the side of the white car, bringing his arm back to deliver a punch. Layla gasped for air, her legs kicking against the car, her hands on top of his, trying to weaken his grasp.

Just as her vision went blurry, she watched Jake's focus shift from her to the scarab bandage on her finger. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and instantly, he took his hands off of Layla as she collapsed to the ground in a coughing fit.