Cryptotrappers!

Cryptotrappers- Cry of Death

Thursday 12. To say that I was glad to be out of that cave was an understatement. So glad, in fact, that I spent a few days at home nursing my injuries with Seth. But of course, if stress and injuries were my only concern, I would have been back at work a lot sooner. No, the card was still plaguing my mind. The idea that Eva was keeping something from all of us... well, it wasn't really that per se. Everything I'd learned about Eva's past had been from somebody else, or in a life-or-death situation. It was more the realisation that even after the Gallows, even after everything I'd seen there, everything I'd gone through in that place, there was always going to be more secrets with her. And that took me back to the question that had been running through my head the entire walk home, after Randy took me aside, certain that I was the only person he could tell. How much did I actually know Eva? And how much could I actually trust her?

Stepping into the Lab that morning, there was a sense of wrongness from the offset. Eva was absent from her usual position; in fact the only person in the room was Randy. Walking over towards him, the topic of the conversation was evident.
"Anything?"
"Nothing. Had a couple of days leave, same as you."
Standing there awkwardly, there was little else to discuss until Sid finally entered and stood beside us; neither of us meeting his eyes just in case the secret somehow shone in ours. Eva followed shortly behind, standing in front of Gambo's tank as she pulled something silvery from her pocket and held it to the light.
"This here, gentlemen, is a comb. It arrived today, from the home of an old acquaintance I had in Ireland. Her name was Shauna, and I knew her very well."
"Was?" Randy asked, picking up on the subtlety before I had as Eva gravely nodded, blinking a few times.
"She passed away on Monday. And she wasn't alone in her passing. The prior Thursday, her mother also lost her life. On the Saturday, it was her aunt. As it stands, Shauna is now survived only by her son, Lachlan."
"And you think a cryptid is involved?" I asked, my voice shaking a little.
"I do." Eva confirmed, holding the comb up with thinly-veiled anger. "This comb, the one found next to Shauna's body, I know where it came from. In the days before Shauna's... passing, as well as that of the rest of her family, there were also reports of crying, wailing, shrieking, late into the night."
Pocketing the comb once again, Eva turned and began to walk with purpose towards the storage room.
"I'm coming with you this time. I want to look the Banshee that did this to Shauna in the eyes when we encounter it, and I want to ask it why. Pack quickly everyone, we'll be leaving shortly."

The village that we had ended up once we'd properly packed was, well, it was nice to say the least. Rural, definitely. Probably no more than twenty people living there, little more than a local shop and a duck pond for fun. It was a well-kept village though, far more pleasant-feeling than the place we'd met Chris. I shot a hidden glance towards Randy, as he gave one back quickly before Sid could notice us. We both knew that with Eva here, we wouldn't be able to talk any further about the card. And worse, we'd have to keep up the facade that everything was alright for the entire mission. Soon enough, Eva began to approach the front door of one of the village's pleasant brick houses, giving it a firm knock as we waited. Eventually, the door opened slowly, as we were greeted by a boy of about my height, with curly, chestnut hair and large doe eyes.
"Eva?" the young man asked, recognition clear on his face.
"It's been quite some time, Lachlan." Eva replied, warmly. "May we come inside?"

Sitting on one of the comfortable sofas in Lachlan's living room, the whole house felt pleasant to be in. Natural light illuminated the lemon walls, bringing a vibrancy to the space, and besides the sounds of nature outside, all that existed to disturb the silence was the ticking of the ornate owl clock that adorned the far wall. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't stuffy either. All in all, it seemed the sort of place that I'd have loved to live in- preferably without the murderous Banshee attached if possible.
"How was the journey over?" Lachlan asked, returning from his kitchen with a tray of teacups that he distributed between the four of us.
"It was surprisingly brief." Eva replied, evasively as I blew rising steam from my cup. "You've grown so much since I saw you last!"
"You don't seem to have changed a bit, Eva." Lachlan replied, smiling earnestly.
"So..." I asked, looking between the pair. "How do you two actually know each other?"
"My mother, she was big into her mythology and fantastical creatures." Lachlan answered, after it became clear that Eva wasn't going to be the one to do so. "Back in her time, she'd spend hours talking to anyone who could tell her more about spirits and beasts. Sometimes she'd sit there, talking to three people at once! Soon as she found something she thought could be a lead, she'd call Eva who'd go check it out."
"That was when I was still working alone." Eva reminisced, nodding quietly as listened to Lachlan's account. "When Sid joined the team, I became able to dedicate the time to doing my own research."