After reaching a bus stop, the two continued moving through the most common places where a girl might be. Therefore, Jonathan and Doug went straight to the private school called Oxford. According to the information obtained through intelligence, the girl had run in that direction.
At this private school, online news said that all the girls in one dormitory had suddenly fallen into a prolonged coma for no apparent reason.
From Jonathan's point of view, this was probably caused by an unknown entity.
A coma is a state of prolonged loss of consciousness that can be caused by different problems: traumatic head injury, stroke, brain tumor, drug or alcohol intoxication. However, the students' medical examinations stated that none of these symptoms or diseases had been detected, so the cause was unknown.
But according to the information gathered so far, some of the girls had entered a state of chronic brain dysfunction in which they showed no signs of consciousness.
All of this was obtained through the brief investigation of the new team Jonathan had formed after his recent jobs proved to be much more effective.
When he arrived at the school gate, Jonathan looked up at the enormous plaque at the top.
"Oxford Private School."
The plaque was very imposing. According to Doug's words, this was a private school that only opened on Saturdays and Sundays. The students here came from outstanding families, and it was only open to a small number of students.
"It wasn't a good idea to travel by train," Jonathan said with a frustrated expression.
"The support team is on the way, they won't take long," Doug said while drinking some water. "I'll check the surroundings, she might be nearby."
"Alright…" Jonathan looked calmly at the beautiful yellow trees in the distance and slowly walked through the main gate.
Not long after leaving the private school, Jonathan saw a girl running quickly in his direction.
It was none other than the one he had seen on the train.
When Jonathan saw her, the girl saw Jonathan as well.
"Hello!"
The girl hurried over and asked anxiously, "Did you see a piece of paper with a drawing? Maybe your friend found it, it's very important."
Jonathan nodded when he heard these words.
This girl really gave so much importance to that piece of paper. This made Jonathan even more curious.
What did the content of that paper mean to her?
Was it really just a drawing?
Why was she so anxious now? No, maybe it was some kind of mysterious ability.
Jonathan obviously would not refuse to return it to her. He handed the folded paper to the girl after taking it out of his pocket.
The girl opened it and immediately let out a sigh of relief.
This paper was the one she had dropped earlier.
The girl bowed to Jonathan with great gratitude and thanked him repeatedly.
Just as the girl was about to leave, an indescribable anxiety covered Jonathan's body.
After feeling that sensation, Jonathan firmly grabbed the girl's hand and looked at her left arm.
"This mark…"
In the stories of different religions, there were a series of signs that represented a legend of terror or bad omens. They were mainly based on ancient religions and beliefs that, even now, remained very famous.
Jonathan did not expect that something like this would be related to a dark entity. In fact, he did not believe that such a mark could be so deeply engraved on human skin.
If someone plays with something cursed and it is related to a dark entity, they may become victims and end up in serious trouble.
It was no wonder that some students from this school had fallen into a coma so suddenly.
They were the ones courting death by playing with something cursed.
After releasing the girl's hand, Jonathan watched as she covered her arm again with discomfort.
Just as the girl was about to leave, Jonathan suddenly asked, "It must be hard to live your days as a victim of that monster…"
The girl's movement stopped abruptly. She turned her head and looked at Jonathan in surprise.
While stammering, she asked, "What…? What do you mean…?"
"What I'm really asking is, do you want to keep living?"
The girl was stunned by this question.
After a few seconds, she dropped to her knees on the ground and wailed through her tears.
Although the school was private and only opened on Saturdays and Sundays, there were still some passersby around.
Seeing Jonathan with a crying girl, they looked at him strangely, and some even called the police.
In the distance, Doug was running with several law enforcement officers behind him, all heading in their direction.
"Jonathan has already taken care of it, he definitely discovered something," Doug thought with admiration.
"Ahem, ahem!" Jonathan coughed and helped the girl up from the ground.
"Stop crying. Just tell me, do you want to live?"
"Yes!" The girl nodded frantically. Her eyes were full of the desire to live. She grabbed Jonathan's right hand and asked pleadingly, "Can you really help me get through this?"
"Of course," Jonathan smiled as he looked at the people behind him.
Doug and the officers arrived. "Everything is fine, it seems to be a dark entity related to a cursed object. Notify the church and prepare."
"Yes, sir."
Jonathan waved his hand at the girl and said, "Don't stay on the ground, let's find a quiet place first."
Jonathan walked ahead while the girl followed closely behind him, and soon they entered a quiet café.
"Tell me what happened in detail." After sitting down, Jonathan smiled kindly. At this moment, his personality as a kind priest came into play.
The girl nervously looked at the people in black suits watching her vigilantly from around the café, and for a moment she did not know exactly what was happening.
Noticing this, Doug moved his hand and the agents left the café. "We're good people, don't worry, we're here to help you."
After Doug said that, the girl looked back at Jonathan and nodded when she saw him.
Perhaps because Jonathan's smile was very gentle, the girl's mood stabilized a little.
"My name is Elizabeth…"
"I'm Jonathan, and this is my partner Doug. We work on these kinds of problems and take care of helping people who are in the same situation as you," Jonathan said in a reassuring voice.
Elizabeth nodded silently. When she finally managed to calm down, she spoke in a low voice, as if she were afraid someone else might hear her.
"A few weeks ago, a friend's younger brother started behaving strangely. He said he dreamed of an impossible place, a tower rising in the middle of nowhere. He drew a man, over and over again, always with the same structure… His parents thought it was just behavioral problems and took him to a clinic to treat him."
Jonathan frowned slightly.
"And then?"
Elizabeth swallowed and said, "After they admitted him… he disappeared. Not just him. When they tried to go see him, the clinic said he was no longer there. The next day, his house was empty. His parents, his siblings… the whole family had vanished without a trace."
The silence grew heavy.
"Did you find anything?" Jonathan asked, his calm tone contrasting with the tension in the air.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied and said, "In his room, the drawings were left behind. Dozens of sheets covered with monsters, symbols, and a black tower in the background. Since then… those of us who saw them started dreaming of the same thing. The tower, the endless stairs, a voice calling us from the darkness."
Jonathan raised his gaze and met Doug's eyes. There was no need to say anything.
Doug stood up immediately and left the café. Outside, he activated the communicator and spoke firmly, "I want you to investigate any reference to 'the tower.' Track down the boy's family and everything related to that clinic. Don't rule anything out."
"Yes, sir!"
Doug closed the channel. He didn't know why, but he felt it deep inside: this was not a common anomaly. Something ancient had awakened… and the Dark Tower was calling.