With all the lights in the house out, Lydia could only make out a silhouette at the door by the faint moonlight.
The figure was about six feet tall, with a perfect hourglass shape that even Lydia, as a woman, had to admit was stunning.
But right now, Lydia couldn't speak. The figure radiated intense malice, making her highly sensitive senses scream in discomfort.
Lori, on the other hand, was oblivious, scratching his head. "Weird, I'm sure I locked the door when we came in."
Lydia was exasperated. Is this really the time to think about that?
"Run!"
She grabbed Lori and bolted. American homes usually have a back door, often by the kitchen for easy trash disposal. That was her escape plan.
Lori, still clueless, nearly tripped as Lydia yanked him along. "Holy crap, Lydia, what's going on?"
Before he could finish, a massive suction force erupted from the doorway. They hadn't gotten far before it pulled them back.
Lydia clung to a corner wall, while Lori grabbed her arm.
Only then did Lori realize something was seriously wrong. "What the hell? Am I dreaming?"
"This is not the time for that! Climb over here, I can't hold you much longer!"
Lori struggled toward Lydia. If they could get past the corner, they'd be out of the suction's reach.
But a flying vase ruined their plan, smashing into Lori's head. He let go and was sucked toward the door.
"Lori!"
"Heh, got one!" a voice sneered.
Lydia recognized it instantly—it was the succubus who'd opened the apartment door that afternoon.
That thing was still alive!
The suction vanished, and Lydia hit the floor hard, pain shooting through her body.
Adela grabbed Lori, her golden eyes locking onto him. With one glance, his bones seemed to melt. "Go, grab that woman."
"Yes, my queen!" Lori's attitude flipped as he advanced on Lydia.
Lydia knew he was under the succubus's control. She scrambled up and ran for the back door.
But when she reached it, Adela was already there, blocking her path.
With the succubus ahead and Lori's footsteps behind, Lydia's hope dwindled.
Clearly, Adela was toying with her, like a cat with a mouse. She could've easily caught Lydia but chose to drag it out.
Cats don't always hunt to eat—sometimes they just play with their prey.
Trapped, Lydia gave up resisting as Lori grabbed her.
She was no fighter; she couldn't even take Lori alone.
"You're the one who tipped off the FEA about me this afternoon, aren't you?" Adela said.
"Look, ma'am, this is all a misunderstanding! Please let me go—I've got a daughter to raise! I swear I'll mind my own business from now on!" Lydia pleaded incoherently.
Adela wasn't moved. "Regretting it now? Too late. Bring her to me!"
"Yes, my queen!" Lori dragged Lydia toward Adela, her panic spiking.
Lydia knew that reaching the succubus meant either being enthralled or, more likely, drained of life.
She had no idea why this succubus had faked her death or was controlling two beauties like Marianne and Gretchen, but Lydia held no hope of surviving.
Then, in the hallway mirror, she saw a man she both knew and dreaded.
(Netherworld Sorcerer, played by Michael Keaton)
His face was uniquely ugly—pale skin, dark eye circles, like he was cosplaying some prehistoric beast from Tōhoku University.
The worst part? His green, moss-like hair, covering his cheeks and neck, looking like he'd sprouted lichen.
He was mouthing something to Lydia in the mirror: Call my name!
Lydia recoiled. This green-haired freak was largely why she'd become the weird woman she was today.
As a teenager, she'd just been a shy, goth-loving girl until she met this green-haired nightmare.
That period was the worst of her life. Even twenty years later, he still haunted her dreams.
"No! I'll never call your name! I'd rather die!"
Her outburst caught Adela's attention, who frowned. "Who are you talking to?"
Lydia kept arguing with the mirror. "What? My daughter? Fine, you win!"
"Who the hell are you talking to?!" Adela snapped, storming to the mirror.
But she saw nothing except her own reflection.
Then Lydia shouted three strange words: "Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!"
Weird music blared, startling Adela into stepping back. She scanned the room for the source.
A green-haired freak in a black-and-white dance outfit appeared, striking a dramatic stage pose.
"Oh, dear Lydia, you finally called my name?"
"Damn it! I didn't want to—I was forced! If it wasn't for my daughter…" Lydia glared, her hatred for him surpassing even her fear of Adela.
"Dear Lydia, don't say that. You'll see my charm eventually!" Beetlejuice flashed a greasy smile, making Lydia's stomach churn.
"Never! Not in a million years!"
Their banter irritated Adela. "Are you two ignoring me?"
She conjured a whip and lashed it at Beetlejuice's neck.
He didn't react in time, getting caught. "Oh, come on! You can't do this to me! I'm not a Native American or some alphabet enthusiast!"
"Hmph! You think I want to play alphabet games with an ugly freak like you?" Adela sneered.
Sure, succubi weren't picky about partners, but Adela had standards, and Beetlejuice was not it.
He grinned oddly and snapped his fingers. "I think you do. Why else would you send me flowers? You've got an iron crush on me!"
Adela felt something off with her whip. Looking down, she saw it had turned into a bouquet of roses. Beetlejuice's neck was unmarked.
"How is that possible?"
"You're definitely crushing on me! But sorry, my heart belongs to Lydia. Right, Lydia?"
He looked at her fondly, only to find Lori standing there, confused. Lydia was gone.
"Where's Lydia?!"
Adela realized she'd escaped too and was furious. "Useless! You couldn't even keep her!"
She turned her wrath on Beetlejuice. "Die!"
No longer holding back, Adela transformed into her towering demon form, ready to tear him apart.
A ripping sound followed, like tearing cloth.
But it wasn't right—no blood, no scent of it, which Adela loved.
Then she saw Beetlejuice split in two, becoming two separate entities.
"Hey, that hurt!" x2
She attacked again, and he split into four.
"You're still coming at me?" x4
In all her years as a succubus, Adela had never seen such a bizarre ability.
"What are you?!"
The four Beetlejuices started fighting each other. One took out the other three, stuffing them back into itself.
After, it tipped its hat to Adela. "Lady, you can call me the Netherworld Sorcerer!"
Meanwhile, Lydia, having escaped her house, ran until she collapsed from exhaustion.
Looking around, she realized she'd reached Burbank, LA's media hub, home to the headquarters of Hollywood's Big Seven (still seven at this point) and branches of major TV networks—the media capital of the world.
Lydia worked at ABC here, so it made sense she'd instinctively end up in Burbank.
Feeling safe, she pulled out her phone. "Saltana? It's me! You've got to help me!"
Hearing Lydia's panic, Saltana tried to calm her. "Lydia, what happened? Take it slow."
"The succubus from this afternoon—she's not dead!"
"What succubus?"
Saltana had been resting during the day and on duty that night, so she was clueless about the afternoon's events.
"It's…" Lydia was too frantic to explain clearly.
Saltana sighed. "Alright, I'll check with the bureau. Find somewhere safe to hide!"
"Safe? She's a succubus! Where's safe?"
"Sangiviji. Hide there. I'll find you after I get the details."
"Sangiviji?"
Lydia liked the idea. She knew the bar's owner, a count-level vampire—strong enough to match a mid-tier succubus.
With a plan, Lydia hailed a cab. Walking to Sangiviji would kill her.
Meanwhile, Saltana, overseeing operations at the mental hospital, called the FEA's LA branch.
The Shadow Hunters' base cleanup had pulled resources, halting work at the hospital. Once that was done, Saltana had brought agents back to resume.
If all went well, they'd wrap up tonight, but Lydia's call threw a wrench in things.
Lydia wasn't a friend, but she was a reliable informant, less trouble than others. Saltana would help if she could.
"Hey, patch me to the main desk. This is Senior Agent Saltana Rivera, badge number XXXXXX. Any cases involving a succubus this afternoon?"
"Sorry, Agent Rivera, those files are sealed by the director. Only authorized personnel can access them."
The operator didn't spill details but confirmed a succubus-related incident.
Getting the director's authorization was no big deal.
Saltana called Gerald. "Director Olin, was there a succubus incident this afternoon?"
"How'd you know? I sealed those files!"
Paxton's actions yesterday had broken protocol, so Gerald sealed the case to avoid trouble for the branch.
He'd sent a copy to HQ, hoping they'd rein Paxton in, though that was unlikely.
"My informant Lydia—she's the one who reported the succubus. She just called, saying it's not dead and is after her."
"What? Impossible! Roy and I saw the body ourselves!"
Saltana realized Roy was involved. "Wait, Roy was there? Did he take it out?"
"No, Paxton got there first with his clones. They were all wiped out."
"Just Paxton? No other agents?"
"None. Just him and the clones."
Gerald sensed something off. "That's not right."
"Director, something's fishy. I need to protect Lydia."
"Do it. I'll dig into this."
"Director, I'm requesting special funds. We might need Roy's help."
Gerald pinched his brow, sighing. "Approved."