Chapter 4: Aaliyah

The woman called herself Lilith. Aaliyah had never seen her before, but the name—it stirred something deep in her memory. It was familiar, though she couldn’t place why. Lilith had been watching them, checking in every hour like clockwork, scribbling on her clipboard, always observing. Despite the nightmare of their situation, they were getting better. The pain was subsiding, reduced to a faint whisper compared to what it had been when they first woke up. But still, they were prisoners, and the gags in their mouths kept them from talking. All they could do was look at each other, exchanging glances filled with fear, anger, and frustration.

Aaliyah watched Lilith leave for what felt like the hundredth time. She had no idea how long they had been here. Days? Weeks? There was no sense of time in this cold, sterile room. The only constant was Lilith, with her unsettling calm and those endless tests.

Aaliyah’s eyes flicked to her friends, bound like her, naked and vulnerable. Omarion was struggling again, his large frame tensing as he fought the restraints. Normally, he was the calm one, always level-headed. But now, Aaliyah could see the frustration building in him. He hated feeling powerless. Next to him, Nasir sat unusually quiet, his usual humor gone. She could tell by the way his eyes darted around that he was trying to figure out how to break the tension, how to lighten the mood. But even Nas couldn’t joke his way out of this.

Shawn, as always, was silent, calculating. His dark eyes were fixed on Lilith every time she entered the room, watching her every move, looking for an opening. And Jasmine—Aaliyah’s gaze lingered on their leader. Jasmine was composed, but Aaliyah knew her well enough to see the storm brewing beneath the surface. She could feel the weight of leadership on Jasmine’s shoulders, and the unspoken question hung in the air: Was this her fault?

Aaliyah couldn’t help but wonder the same thing. They had all trusted Jasmine’s decision two nights ago, but now, with everything that had happened, doubt gnawed at her. They were in this together, but it was hard to shake the feeling that maybe—just maybe—they shouldn’t have followed her into that alley.

The Alley – Two Days Ago

It had started like any other night. They’d just finished dinner at The Bullet, a cozy diner in Washington, D.C., and were walking back to their hotel. That’s when they heard it—the faint, desperate cry for help from a dark alley. Jasmine had immediately led the charge, her heart always in the right place, always wanting to help. Aaliyah had followed, though a knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach.

She remembered hesitating at the entrance to the alley. Something about it felt wrong, but Jasmine was already moving ahead. Aaliyah had trusted her friend’s instincts, even when her gut told her to be cautious. They found an old man, crumpled on the ground, pleading for help.

And then the shadows had moved.

The hooded figures stepped out of the darkness, their skin pale, almost glowing, with yellow eyes and curling horns above their heads. Demons. Aaliyah’s blood ran cold. They had tried to pray, but the words hadn’t worked. The demons kept coming, slowly closing in.

For a moment, Aaliyah had been paralyzed, her mind racing but her body unable to move. Then one of the demons lunged at her. She braced for the impact, but instead, there was a flash of blue.

Omarion had appeared in front of her, his normally gentle face fierce with determination. A glowing bo staff had appeared in his hands, and a blue halo shimmered above his head. He struck the demon with the staff, sending it reeling. The demon let out a horrible scream as its claws were severed, and its body crumbled to ash.

Chaos erupted.

Jasmine was moving next, yellow daggers glowing in her hands, her body moving with a speed and precision that Aaliyah had never seen before. Her yellow halo cast an eerie light over the alley as she cut through a demon with a swift, deadly strike. It screamed and dissolved into nothingness.

Nasir charged in, his usual playful energy replaced with fierce determination. A massive green axe appeared in his hands, his green halo glowing above him. He swung the axe with all his might, cutting down a demon in a single, brutal blow. It disintegrated into ash before it hit the ground.

Shawn, ever the silent protector, moved with calculated grace, a red sword in his hand and a halo glowing softly above his head. He struck down two demons with precise, clean blows, his expression as calm as ever. He fought like he had been trained for this his whole life.

And then it was Aaliyah’s turn.

She hadn’t meant to react, but when two demons lunged for the old man they had tried to save, her body moved on instinct. A pink halo appeared above her, and a bow of light materialized in her hands. Without thinking, she let loose two arrows, each one finding its mark in the demons’ chests. They crumbled to ash, just like the others.

Present Day

Aaliyah shook her head, forcing herself back to the present. That night felt like a lifetime ago, even though it had only been two days. After the battle, they had barely had time to catch their breath before Lilith appeared. She had stepped out of the shadows like she had been waiting for them, and with a simple wave of her hand, she had immobilized them. Aaliyah had tried to fight, but there was nothing she could do. Darkness had swallowed her whole.

And now they were here, in this lab, with no explanation and no way out.

The door opened, and Lilith entered again, her presence as unsettling as ever. Aaliyah’s pulse quickened. Every time Lilith came in, Aaliyah’s skin crawled. There was something deeply wrong about her, something Aaliyah couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Lilith approached, clipboard in hand, studying Aaliyah with cold detachment. “I know you’re scared,” she said, her voice smooth, almost comforting, but with a sharp edge. “But I had to take precautions. You’ve all been through a lot, and I needed to make sure none of you were… infected.” She glanced at the group, her eyes lingering on each of them. “You’ll be free soon. Just a little longer.”

With that, she turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Aaliyah’s mind raced. Lilith. Where had she heard that name before? Then it clicked. In one of her religion classes, she had learned about Lilith—Adam’s first wife, according to Jewish mythology, who was cast out for refusing to submit. In some myths, she became a demon, a seductress, a dangerous figure. If this Lilith was the same being, then they were in far more danger than they had realized.

Aaliyah glanced at Jasmine, trying to read her thoughts. As always, Jasmine’s face was a mask of calm, but Aaliyah could see the determination in her eyes. They were going to get out of this. They had to.