Their hands had met resistance whenever they tried to cross the threshold, and officers who circled the building had found no alternative way inside.
Then, without warning, the fog had begun to thin. The invisible barrier disappeared, allowing emergency personnel to enter and search for injured civilians.
What they found had been anything but an ordinary industrial accident.
That incident had occurred weeks earlier, and it wasn’t the only one. Over the preceding ninety days, a growing number of global reports had described localized distortions, unexplained disappearances, sudden environmental changes, and brief periods during which ordinary spaces seemed to operate according to different rules.
Most of the cases remained unresolved. Some had been dismissed as hoaxes or mass hysteria, while others had been quietly transferred to departments that did not ordinarily handle police investigations.
Darius had read enough to recognize a pattern, even if he couldn’t explain what connected the incidents.
He turned back to Theo.
"Secure the area. Keep the witnesses separated and make sure nobody enters the damaged sections without authorization. I want photographs of the scene before anything is moved. Have the medical team assess everyone reporting an injury, and get a preliminary head count from the restaurant staff."
"Yes, sir."
Darius stepped inside.
The dining area was almost disappointingly ordinary. Patrons sat or stood among overturned chairs, some crying, others arguing with officers attempting to calm them. A waiter near the host stand was recounting the incident for what seemed to be the third time, gesturing wildly toward the rear corridor.
Darius listened without interrupting.
According to the waiter, a young woman had entered the restaurant shortly before the fog appeared. She had ignored the staff, gone straight into the kitchen, and returned carrying knives. Moments later, the fog had rolled into the dining area, the plants had begun to change, and the front doors had opened onto something several witnesses insisted wasn’t the street.
Then he saw the flash of a creature along the rear corridor.
At that point, the waiter began speaking faster, his hands trembling as he described the sound of something smashing through the walls.
"A creature?" Darius repeated.
"Yes, Captain! A monster. I know how that sounds, but that’s what it was. It had no eyes, and its mouth..." The waiter swallowed hard. "It wasn’t an animal I’ve ever seen before."
Darius studied him.
"Did you see it yourself?"
"I saw it come out of the corridor. I didn’t get a good look at it afterward. I was trying to get everyone out."
"Who else saw it?"
"I think some customers saw it because they suddenly started screaming at some point and running around, injuring themselves in the fog. But the woman who went into the kitchen definitely did."
Darius’s attention sharpened.
"The woman who entered the kitchen?"
The waiter nodded emphatically.
"She had a broken arm. A cast, I mean. I saw it when she came in. She took two knives from the kitchen and went back there. Then there was screaming and crashing, and by the time I could see properly again, it was over."
"Did you see her leave?"
"No, sir. Not directly. I was helping the others."
Darius glanced toward the rear corridor.
The damage began several steps beyond the dining area. The walls near the restroom had been battered and cracked, with sections of trim scattered across the floor. Farther in, the destruction became more severe. One section of the wall had been smashed inward, and the stainless-steel kitchen doors hung crookedly on their hinges.
The fog was almost gone, but the smell remained.
Darius crouched beside a deep gouge in the tiled floor. Its irregular edges suggested something more substantial than an ordinary piece of kitchen equipment had caused it. Nearby, dark stains had dried in uneven streaks across the tiles, and a broken brass hook lay beside scattered metal fragments.
He examined the marks without touching them.
Whatever had caused this damage had been heavy, powerful, and moving with considerable force.
He rose and followed the trail of destruction into the kitchen.
An industrial soup cauldron lay on its side near the prep counter, its contents spilled across the floor and mixed with blackened residue and something disturbingly similar to blood. The stainless-steel counter bore a deep dent, while several copper pots had fallen from an overhead rack.
Then he noticed the cleaver.
It lay a short distance from the counter, its heavy blade stained dark.
Darius crouched to inspect it, his gaze moving between the weapon and the deep cuts in the surrounding surfaces. The evidence pointed toward a violent struggle, not an ordinary accident.
"Captain?"
Detective Lena Voss appeared in the kitchen doorway, a small notebook in one hand. Her sharp eyes swept over the wreckage before settling on him.
"The preliminary statements are a mess," she said. "Some witnesses claim the fog swallowed the entire building. Others say it was confined to the rear corridor. Several insist a man disappeared through the front entrance, but nobody can agree on what happened afterward."
"Has the missing person been identified?"
"Not yet. We’re collecting names and checking the restaurant’s reservation records. So far, nobody has reported seeing him outside."
Darius straightened.
"What about the creature?"
Lena’s expression tightened. "Multiple witnesses describe something monstrous, but their accounts differ. Some say it was red. Others insist it was black. One man claims it had no eyes, while another says he couldn’t see its face clearly enough to tell."
"Were they all in the same area?"
"Most were in the dining room. The people who claim to have seen the creature were closer to the rear corridor."
Darius glanced toward the damaged walls.
"Separate the witnesses. Don’t let them discuss their statements with one another. I want to know what each person actually saw, not what they’ve convinced themselves they saw after listening to everyone else."
Lena nodded and made a note.
"What about the woman who went into the kitchen?" he asked.
"That’s what I’m trying to establish. The staff confirms that a young woman entered shortly before the incident, but nobody seems to know why."
Darius’s gaze returned to the cleaver.
"Find out who she was."
Before Lena could answer, footsteps sounded behind them.
A young man with long, wavy blond hair entered the kitchen, looking as though he’d wandered into the wrong building on his way to lunch. His expensive suit was slightly rumpled, his collar open, and his hands tucked casually into his pockets.
He glanced at the overturned cauldron, the damaged counter, and the black stains on the floor.
Then he sighed.
"Wonderful. Another one."
Darius turned toward him.
"Mercer."
"Captain Cole." Julian Mercer offered him a lazy smile. "I see you’ve already started without me."
"You’re late."
"And yet, the building survived long enough for me to arrive." Julian stepped around a fallen pot, taking care not to dirty his polished shoes. "Though I suspect the same can’t be said for the kitchen."
His tone was light, almost flippant, but his eyes moved constantly. He examined the damaged walls, scattered debris, and stains on the floor with a quiet attentiveness that contradicted his careless manner.
Julian crouched near the overturned cauldron.
"Has anyone touched this?"
"Not since we arrived," Darius replied.
Julian leaned closer without making contact, studying the black residue.
"Do we know what caused the damage?"
"Not yet."
"And the fog?"
"Mostly gone before the first response team arrived."
Julian hummed thoughtfully.
"Convenient."
Darius gave him a flat look. "What is?"
"I think the timing is interesting." Julian stood and brushed a speck of dust from his trousers. "A strange fog appears inside a restaurant. Witnesses report a disappearance. The building sustains damage consistent with a violent encounter, and by the time the authorities arrive, the fog has nearly vanished."
He tilted his head toward the corridor.
"And now we have what appears to be an entire kitchen demolished by something nobody can identify."
"Several witnesses claim a creature attacked them," Lena added.
Julian turned to her.
"Excellent. A creature, too. This incident is becoming remarkably generous with its mysteries."
"Do you have something useful to contribute?" Darius asked.
"I’m getting there."
Julian’s smile remained, but his attention shifted toward the rear corridor. He studied the damaged walls and the uneven trail of destruction, his expression growing more thoughtful.
Then he straightened.
"I want the witness statements from the people closest to the corridor. Especially anyone who saw the woman with the knives."
Lena nodded. "I’ll arrange it."
"And I want the restaurant’s surveillance footage, if it has any. Entrance cameras, kitchen access, corridors, everything. Don’t wait for the official report."
"I’ll have someone contact the management."
Julian glanced at Darius.
"One more thing. Was there any sign that the fog affected the entire building?"
"Not from what we’ve seen. The dining area sustained comparatively little damage. Most of the destruction is concentrated around the restroom corridor and the kitchen."
"Then that’s where we start."
He walked toward the corridor. Darius exchanged a brief look with Lena before following him.