Potential content warning; If you have schizophrenia, have experienced psychosis, or have a history of hallucinations, you may find this work triggering. Please see the synopsis for other potential content warnings.

  She had expected a sandbag. A gas leak. A fire in the theatre. Maybe nothing happens until she leaves, maybe she goes home and they all get in the same car and a drunk driver hits them and that's it, they're dead. It made her feel cruel. All she wanted was to watch a movie.But... none of that happened. They all went their separate ways, and he left like she thought he would. The next day she came into work, she almost had a heart attack the second she saw Kiera. An unwarranted desperate hug and a pat on the back ter, and... things were normal. Things weren't falling apart because of him.

  She went to Horror Club again that week. They met in the library, where Heidi had booked a private room with a DVD pyer, but they were told they couldn't eat snacks in there. Nobody died again, so she went again, and then again, and then she agreed to host it at her pce.

  Oh god, they were at her pce.Faith pulled up with Eliza and Heidi in the car, and Alicia froze dead in her tracks."Wait." She said, the panic rising in her voice, "Where's Kiera? She wasn't at work today either. Is she okay? Is she alive?"Faith's sharp and elegant features enraptured Alicia as she chuckled, "She's fine, Alicia, we think she just kind of just has like, intense periods. For the three months we've been doing this she skips the same time every month.""I feel like that's a little too much information, but alright, cool. Thanks for uh, letting me know. Well, the den's through here."He stood in the archway entrance to the den, directly in Alicia's way as the others walked past him, unaware."Move out of the way." She muttered. Faith perked up from the couch."What's that, Alicia?""Uh, I said so how was your day."The bastard grinned, moving from side to side as she paced back and forth trying to get past him."It was alright. Had another guy at work try to- are you alright? Come sit down."I'm trying, she thought, then, "Sorry, I'm just thinking."Finally, she put a hand to his chest and pushed him out of the way, and he followed her as she sat down."Well..." Eliza said, "What are we watching tonight?"Alicia smmed her palm into her forehead, careful not to touch him as he leaned over her, smiling creepily."Sorry, I uh, I was so busy with work I completely forgot to pick one. I was hoping Kiera would have her CD binder."Heidi grinned, "Ooh, you know what that means!"Eliza nodded, and Faith sighed."Fine. Fine. I'll get the grimoire."

  Faith always dressed semi-formally, it seemed like her dress shirts always caught the light at the perfect angle whenever you looked at her, and her slender hands were always poised so delicately. Yet, now here she was, struggling to breathe, her eyes bulging with every step as she heaved an enormous book pinned to her chest, dragging it slowly from the car to the den."Do you need a hand?" Alicia asked, and Faith shook her head."No!" She called out between breaths, "I'm... fine... I've got this..."Eventually, she pnted the book firm on the table, and even he was enraptured by its appearance. This strange, intricately carved leather book, covered in symbols, scrapes and scratches. It looked old, yet... uncomfortably new. The symbol on the front was a triangle facing down, its edges lined in a cool pink. In the center of it, there was a metallic circle with three spokes extending out toward the points of the triangle. Set into them were strange metal pieces that seemed to run through them like a track, and Faith fiddled with them until a strap on the side of the book popped off."So..." Alicia said, "What... is this thing?""It's the grimoire," Heidi said, "Faith's parents gave it to her.""They're not my parents!" Faith snapped, "But yes, this is... well, it's essentially a book about monsters. Do you believe in monsters, Alicia?"Alicia grimaced, trying not to let him catch her eye, "A little..."Heidi ughed, "Aww, guess I'm still the only one who doesn't!"Faith raised a finger, and pulled a small knife from her pocket, "I know this looks weird, I swear this isn't a cult thing.""Whaaaaaahh hm..." Alicia began, as Faith pricked her finger and dripped blood onto the bnk page she had it open to, pcing the knife on the table beside it. After a moment, the blood was soaked into the book, and words began to appear on the page."It's magic." Eliza said, "Crazy magic.""It's science, clearly." Heidi retorted, "I just- I mean, if I had my uh, my brother's b equipment, I could figure out how it works for sure, it can't be that complicated, it's just a hidden message.""A grimmark..." Faith said, reading the text at the top of the page.

  Grimmark. Other names; The Stalker, The Bmeless Hunter.

  In my travels, I met a veteran by the name of Elijah. He told me that during the war, he killed a great many men, but the one that haunted him the most was the death of not an enemy soldier, but one of his friends; Marco. The two had found themselves captured by the enemy, and rather than allow them both to live, they pyed mind games with the pair. They tortured them. They starved them for days. Then they fed them waste. Finally, someone had the idea to make them fight to the death. The other would gain freedom.

  Elijah was not proud of telling me what he did. He made many excuses as he expined how he stuck a bde through his friend's throat the moment Marco threw down his own. The enemy soldiers cheered. And then they stripped him naked and sent him out into the woods. Elijah miraculously survived that day, and of course lived to see the end of the war. But when he returned, Marco had followed him back. He only caught a gnce here or there at first, a stranger's face that stuck with him a little too much, or the sight of his old friend turning the corner, but then was gone when he checked. If that was all he'd have to deal with, it would have been fine, but Marco had become a grimmark, a vengeful spirit that binds themselves to their killer, then kills everyone they know and love. It is only in a moment that the deceased perceives as the ultimate betrayal, with a killer who is not only capable of feeling remorse but is bound to those they love, when a grimmark can be created to take all of that from them.

  Elijah lost his wife. His sons. His parents. His remaining friends. Tragic accidents, all of them had been belled, but... Elijah believed this was not true. He only spoke to me because of my existing ties to the occult, because he knew that I could defend myself from such a creature. Otherwise, he would have refused my interview. There are scarcely recorded cases of grimmarks, as often there is nobody left to listen to the stories when the mark passes on. Still... this creature fascinates me. I will have to study it further.

  The longer that Faith had read the passage, the more anxious Alicia became, until she'd pushed her out of the way and started reading it herself."...when the mark passes on. What- what the fuck is this?"She smmed the book shut."Who the hell are you?" She screamed, pointing at Faith, "Get out of my house.""Whoa-" Eliza started, and Alicia reeled back in disgust."Get out. Now. All of you. Take this- take this book with you. Get away from me! All of you! You too!"Alicia screamed at him, and then froze, as the rest of them looked at the empty space she was pointing to."Alicia?" Heidi asked, "There's... there's nothing there..."He grinned. For the first time since she saw him, a sound escaped his lips; a ugh. A slow chuckle, at first, which evolved into a cackle. Alicia covered her ears and he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her, pressing it against the table... where the knife was."You're going to grab this knife," He threatened, "And you're going to kill all of them.""No no no no no!" Alicia screamed, as the knife was forced into her grasp, cutting her a little. He made her raise her arm aloft."STOP!" She screamed, as the girls looked on in horror. Eliza tried to tackle Alicia, but he wouldn't let go of her arm, and in mid-air her arm broke, causing her to cry out in agony. Blood sprayed over Heidi and Faith, and as they opened their mouths to scream, a thundering crash echoed through the house.

  The window of the den burst open, and an enormous beast covered in fur cmbered into the room, biting him and tearing him to shreds in the entrance to the hallway, before bounding out of the house once more.