After dropping Carn off at the Theater Mall, Han drove north, entering a highway and heading to his office.
Suddenly, the quiet hum of the road was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Glancing at the screen, he saw the caller's na flash up.
It was his co-worker, Sam. He was a field operator and an explorer who specialized in scouting and cartography. He was also in charge of mapping the geography of the lands in other dinsions.
Han put on his Bluetooth earphones and pressed on his phone, answering the call.
"What up?"
"Han, did you visit the Theater Mall a few minutes ago? I saw it on the GPS."
The Theater Mall was the only three-story shopping mall in the state while most malls were limited to one or two floors. It had opened just a few months prior after a year of rapid construction.
Due to rising land taxes, increased dinsional rift activity, and the sudden availability of construction materials from other dinsions, constructing a single-story mall on expansive land had beco more expensive than erecting a multi-story structure.
"Yeah, Why do you ask?"
"We've received reports that there's been so weird activities in that area. Local cops have logged multiple complaints about a suspicious-looking man dragging a slly suitcase into a theater and then literally pissing at people."
Han chuckled, "Sounds like typical Florida Man headlines. Isn't that normal around here?"
"Yeah, no. Listen, none of the CCTV caras or phones could capture the guy's face. Not a single fra. Can you head back and check it out? I'm afraid so kind of Voodoo is at play."
Han's smirk vanished. He furrowed his brow, falling into a deep thought.
Caras couldn't capture the man's appearance? That wasn't normal.
Doppelgangers from another dinsion…?
That thought echoed in his mind. Doppelgangers were notorious for distorting reality and slipping through the cracks of a rift undetected. But this felt too close to ho.
'I just dropped Carn off over there... Could he be in danger?'
Sam's voice cut through his thoughts. "Georgia's units are losing it. They're pushing for full mobilization. They want every area with odd activity quarantined. They think this guy's linked to the mass slaughter at Valdosta."
Han's stomach twisted at the ntion. Valdosta was a massacre site, infamous among cops for its connection to a rogue explorer or a mysterious doppelganger. The thought of Carn being anywhere near that kind of trouble set his nerves on edge.
"I need you on this, Han. Can you help?"
Concern gripped him. Carn could be in serious danger.
'Please don't let Carn run into this guy… or whatever the hell is causing this.' Han prayed.
Unable to push down the rising worry, he slamd the siren button and gunned the engine, swerving through traffic as he made a sharp U-turn at the nearest intersection.
"I'm on my way back. Get backup and my gear, ASAP."
"Copy that," Sam confird.
Han floored it, racing against the clock and the unknown threat lurking in the shadows.
…
Because of the traffic, it took Han 30 minutes to get back. Upon arriving at the parking lot, a chaotic scene caught his attention.
A crowd of shoppers had gathered, murmuring and watching the police at work in front of the shopping mall. Three police cars were already at the scene.
At first glance, it seed like the typical chaos at a big mall, especially when soone suddenly caused a public disturbance. But this ti, sothing else stood out to Han.
Several cars near the entrance had their windshields shattered, and people who had escaped the area were cursing or throwing their phones away. Upon a closer look, their phones were all busted.
Sensing that sothing was wrong, Han honked and stepped out of his vehicle. He rushed to the entrance, but the crowd blocked his path.
"FBI! Make way!" Han shouted.
The crowd parted, letting him through. Han rushed into the mall but quickly ca to a stop as he took in the scene.
There was barely any light inside. Only the sunlight streaming through the front entrance and rooftop provided so illumination. The balconies and center area were dimly visible, while the stores remained in darkness.
Inside, police officers had gathered in the plaza area. Their flashlights focused on the ground, observing sothing. Nearby, a young man sat with handcuffs on his wrists, and an officer stood in front of him, questioning him while shining a shoulder flashlight at his face.
Even from a distance, Han recognized the youth. It was the person that he had been worried about.
Without hesitation, Han approached the group of officers, ready to get his son out of trouble. He pulled out his badge.
As soon as Han got close, one of the officers stepped forward and warned him, "This is a cri scene. Please step back."
Han sighed and flashed his badge. "Special Agent, FBI."
"Oh," the officer glanced at the badge before stepping aside to let Han through.
Han stared at Carn, who returned the gaze and waved.
"Hi, Dad."
Han resisted the urge to facepalm in public. He rolled his eyes and sighed, "What have you gotten yourself into this ti?"
Carn shrugged. "Take a look for yourself. Actually, I need an explanation too. Is that a doppelganger?"
"Hmm?"
Han raised an eyebrow and shifted his attention to what the officers were inspecting on the ground.
There lay the withered corpse of a giant hand-like monster. Judging by its sheer size, it must have stood at least 7 feet tall. Whatever it was, it resembled the doppelgangers that Han and his colleagues had encountered inside a rift.
"Carn," Han asked without turning around. "Did you do this?"
Carn snickered. "Take a guess."
"I'm not playing gas."
"Fine. I was just looking for a place to eat, and then everything in the mall went black. That crazy skinwalk… I an… that monster jumped ."
"What?!"
Han was stunned. Every doppelganger he'd faced so far had been overwhelmingly tough, impervious to regular bullets. Usually, it took heavy machine guns, .50 caliber rifles, or even tanks to bring one down. Yet here was Carn, claiming he'd survived its attack.
To confirm, Han kicked the corpse, which was sothing a cri scene investigator shouldn't do. The flabby skin of the skinwalker jiggled and flopped like rubber.
Han's suspicions were confird. All dead doppelgangers left behind jelly-like corpses, and this body had the sa trait.
Since Carn subdued a doppelganger, his status beca questionable once more. However, this ti, Han trusted his son.
Whatever his son's secrets were, Han decided to respect them. After all, he had proved that he was not on the doppelganger's side.
"Officers, could you release the young man?" Han sighed, rubbing his temples.
The cops exchanged glances before one of them voiced his disagreent, "The suspect had a knife when we arrived. We've also received multiple reports about a crazy man in the mall carrying a suitcase. We've collected the suitcase, and it matches the description. He was also the only one at the scene."
Han pointed to the monster's corpse. "Well, you can co to that conclusion if you're blind. Look at this. It's a rift monster. You've caught the person who probably fought it off and protected the civilians."
"But he doesn't have an explorer's license..."
"That's for to question, not you, officer. I'll take him from here."
"..."
Reluctantly, the officers unlocked Carn's restraints, exchanging unhappy glances. Two of them left the area to prevent other civilians from entering the mall.
Carn let out a long sigh of relief. He thought he would be taken to the police station. Then, he would face his mother's wrath again.
"Thanks, Dad."
Han rolled his eyes. "Don't thank . Be ready for what's coming."
"Huh?"
Han sighed again, giving up on explanations. He cut the conversation short to ease his growing headache.
"Get ready to explain yourself. I'm not going to bail you out tomorrow. Also, pack your bags when you get ho. I'll tell you what to bring."
"What's wrong, Dad?"
"You're going straight to a juvenile prison. If you cooperate, you can leave early."
"...What? But I'm innocent!" Carn was confused. He had no idea why he would be sent to jail.
Han bitterly smiled and patted his son's head. "Don't worry. You'll understand once you're there."
"???"
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