บท 13: Chapter 10
"Nick, you gotta see this."
They all turned to Monroe as he stood up from kneeling beside the trunk luggage. A small brown cloth in his hands as he walks to the table, showing Nick what looks like an old piece of metal with designs Menace hasn't seen ever before.
She watches Nick's expression. His eyes bulged upon seeing the object in Monroe's hand.
"Oh, my god, another key?" Rosalee exclaimed, rushing to her husband's side as he handed Nick the key.
Monroe then put down the cloth on the table, revealing two more keys.
"Three of them," Nick muttered upon seeing the keys.
Everyone's eyes widened and shocked expressions painted their face, leaving Menace the only one wondering what the keys were for, and why it felt like it was very important.
"Go get the other two keys from upstairs," Nick told Rosalee, and she complied, running to the stairs toward the first floor of the shop.
Monroe pulled out a map once Rosalee got back down, carrying two more keys resembling the ones Trubel was holding. Trubel then started pressing the intricate designs covering the keys into ink, before pressing it down on a piece of paper, revealing what turned out to be small parts of a map.
"Doesn't all fit together," Menace mumbled, looking down on the few mismatching lines the keys made on the paper.
"Yeah, we're still missing two keys," Nick replied, pointing to the lines as Monroe tried to find the similar lines on the paper to the big map he brought out.
"But maybe we have enough to figure out where it is," Rosalee added as they huddled around the table, all the books and weapons secure back on the trunk luggage.
"Okay, wait a minute, before you all proceed. Can someone please tell me what the keys are for?" Menace chimed in, standing across the table so they could see her.
The others glance at Nick, waiting for him to respond. After all, he's the one at the utmost center of everything regarding the keys.
"Aunt Marie, your mother, gave one of the keys to me. Told me to protect it and never let it fall into the wrong hands. Turns out, there are a total of seven keys, that lead to a treasure of great power that our Grimm ancestors buried. Whatever the treasure is, a lot of Wesens had tried to kill me to get it, and they are still trying.." Nick explained, looking back at the map Monroe was using to track the similarities of it to the ones they got from the keys. He let out a sigh upon remembering all the Wesens he had to kill and died because of the keys, yet there they were, still trying to figure out whatever the buried treasure was.
"Wait a minute. Look at this." Monroe muttered, pointing at something particular on the map in front of him. All heads turn to look at it. "These three hills here, with two rivers on either side, connecting to the bigger river here, that is an exact match for what the keys are saying," he added, pointing between the map and the map they made on the piece of paper using the keys. "And it's in the Schwarzwald." he continued a smile of accomplishment on his face.
"The Black Forest?" Hank asked, forehead creasing.
"Yeah. I mean, I know these maps aren't as accurate as modern-day topographical maps, but this terrain is a pretty good match for this terrain, which is outside of Wolfach, which is right here." Monroe elaborated, this time comparing three maps. The one he brought out, the one the keys made, and the one on Nick's tablet. Making sure everything is right as he tells everyone.
"So, we can figure out where they buried whatever it is they buried," Nick stated, a hand on his lips, as he looked down at the map Monroe was pointing at.
"Exactly." Wu started, agreeing at first, before adding a comment. "Well, not exactly, unless you had the classic X marks the spot." he continued, bobbing his head.
"But, dude, we got it," Monroe muttered, another satisfied smile on his face as he removed his glasses. "And it's right here in the Black Forest."
"We're going to the Black Forest." Nick declared, mind already made up.
∆
Bullets cut through the air like a sharp scythe of death that guarantees the end of your life once it hits you. Gunfire echoes throughout the whole forest as cries of pain and agony ripple through the surroundings.
Menace pulled out the empty magazine from her gun, grabbing a spare one from the belt wrapped around her waist in exchange for the first one.
She presses her back closer to the tree near where she's standing. Taking cover from the bullets heading in their direction. She can feel them ripping through the thick trunk of the tree as it scatters small chunks of its branches.
Once the gunshot lessens, she peaks her head out and returns the fire. She heard a scream of pain as she pulled back, smiling upon shouts of 'retreat'. When she started hearing the sounds of dry leaves crunching under heavy boots, she jumped out of her cover and started firing in the direction of the sound.
Screams of panic erupted as they returned fire in a haze. Missing every shot as Menace started running towards them. Gun on her hands as she keeps firing.
She stops on her track when a bullet misses her nose by an inch, hitting the three on her right. She turns to her right and crouches, ready to return the fire, but Meisner beats her to it, as the man, wearing a skull mask, drops on the ground like a heavy log.
"Are you a maniac?" Meisner shouted, taking cover on the nearest tree as Menace did the same. He then heard a scrunch on his right, but before he could turn his gun to the direction of the sound, Menace fired a shot.
The bullet ripped through the air, cutting a small wound on Meisner's cheek before hitting another man right between his eyes. If Meisner hadn't turned his head to the left, the bullet would've gone through the flesh of both his cheeks.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" he bellowed, glaring in Menace's direction, gun in his hand as he point it at her.
Menace wasn't fazed at all. She only gives him a smirk before rushing towards the enemies left standing. Her smirk widened at the sight of another enemy crawling through the ground. Blood seeping through an exit wound on his chest, and she thought that it might've been the guy who screamed after she hit him.
She pointed a gun at his head, but before she could fire, a heavy blow from the back knocked her off of her feet, falling on the ground with a loud thud, and a ringing in her ears. She felt something wet when she raised her hand to touch the back of her head, cursing upon realizing it was blood.
With heavy-lidded eyes and whirling surroundings, she looks ahead, letting out a weak laugh upon seeing a gun pointed at her face.
"You fucking bitch!" the man shouted, his long thick beard almost resembling Santa Claus' if it was white.
Menace subtly pat the ground beside her, searching for her gun. The moment she felt the cold metal against her palm, another smirk rose on her lips. Putting all her strength, she raises her foot, slamming it with all force towards the man's knee.
A sickening crack can be heard, followed by the man's scream, before he fires his gun on instinct. His shot missed Menace's head as she leaned to her left. Raising the gun in her hand, she then pointed it at the man's forehead, firing for the last time as gunshots ceased throughout the forest.
"You should've shot me the moment you had the chance," she muttered, letting out a sigh as she slumped on the ground.
She turns to the guy with the wounded chest and shakes her head when she notices that he already stopped crawling. He might've taken his last breath when one of his allies hit her with the back of a gun.
"Are you trying to die? What's the purpose of all your training if you'll just charge towards blazing bullets like a maniac bull?" Meisner questioned, looking down at Menace with a glare in his eyes. His jaw was tight, and Menace felt like his teeth would shatter as she looked at him.
The sun is starting to set, but he can still clearly see the blood on Menace's hand, as the latter slumps tiredly on a tree. Using it as a support, whenever she feels like she'll lose consciousness.
Menace gave him a weak smile, using all her remaining strength to raise her right middle finger at him. The gun was completely forgotten beside her.
"Then you should've let me come with Nick and Monroe when they left to search for the-" Menace wasn't able to finish what she was saying.
Her eyes were too heavy and she was too tired to stop them from closing, so she gave in. Her hand falls to her side as she finally loses consciousness. Her body started leaning forward, but before it completely fell on the ground, Meisner's arms slipped through her back and under her legs.
"We're going back," Meisner said through the earpiece on his left ear.
He glances down at the unconscious Menace and shakes his head, turning his back towards the road where they left their car, ready to come back to the headquarters. The team tasked to clean the mess is already on its way.
He made sure that Menace was secure on the shotgun seat, seatbelt in tuck, before driving off. Glancing at the peaceful sleeping woman beside him, as if she wasn't like a crazy woman with guns earlier.
He remembers how Menace got pissed off after he prevented her from going with Nick and Monroe in search of the treasure, and instead sent her on a mission to Los Angeles. There was a report of a Black Claw member that might be in a high position lodging in the city, and since he already sent Trubel on a mission to Santiago, while Eve took care of the other two Black Claw in Portland, Menace was the only one free.
He decided to stay since the headquarters can never be without supervision. But a few hours after Menace landed, he got a report from their personnel tasked to follow the Black Claw member, that Menace almost blew up a hotel building after storming inside in search of the man.
He quickly left Portland the moment he received the report. Thankful that Eve finished her mission fast, even though they were not able to prevent the assassination of a strong candidate running for Mayor of Portland.
The events leading to the shootout in the forest were all blurry, and Meisner just shakes his head thinking about how easily he got swept by Menace into a mess he initially wanted to avoid. After all, being undetected is one of the musts of HW. They might be approved by the Government, but only by those who know the existence of the other side of the storybooks.
∆
"You awake?"
Menace winces at the abrupt throbbing pain on the back of her head after she sits up from lying down. Her eyes blurred for a moment as she turned to where the voice came from. Vision cleared as her eyes met Meisner's.
His masculine body leaned on the doorway with his folded arms crossed against his chest. A stern look on his face as he watches her every move intently.
"If you're gonna scold me, go ahead." she weakly muttered, raising her hand to touch the back of her head, and stopping upon feeling the smooth bandage wrapped around it.
"What was the purpose of your training if you're gonna run into a crossfire-" Meisner started, but then decided to stop himself, after all, he already said the same words back in the forest. It won't do anything.
He lets out a sigh, before marching towards Menace's bed. Letting down his hands on his sides. His brooding aura emits calmness even though his face looks stern.
"Next time you act like that, I'll be the one putting a bullet in your head." he declared, looking down into Menace's eyes as the latter gave him a smirk.
"Only if I don't do it first," she replied, pushing off the blanket covering her body, before swinging her legs onto the side of the bed.
Meisner hands her her phone as she puts on her boots. She checks if she gets any messages or calls from Nick, but there are none. It's almost three days since they left. She knows they can handle themselves, but she can't stop herself from worrying.
"How long was I out?" she asked, stepping out of the room with Meisner walking beside her.
"Six hours. You were having quite a nice sleep," he answered sarcastically, glancing once at her before walking ahead.
Menace shakes her head, grinning while thinking how childish his action was, even though it was not the case at all.
She sits down on an empty chair after arriving in the control room. Eve was there, analyzing a few more pieces of information regarding the assassination at the Mayor's candidacy campaign.
Menace ignores the glare Meisner is giving her as she raises her foot on top of the table in front of her. Her hands were on top of each other at the back of her head, making sure not to press too much on the bandaged wound on it. She can feel the bandage against her skin, pissing her off upon remembering how truly stupid her actions were back in the forest. She acted like a spoiled brat and she hates it. Now, she's still doing so.
"Any words from Nick and Monroe?" Eve started, not even looking away from the screen of the laptop in front of her.
Menace looks at her phone again, sighing when she sees the same empty screen she saw earlier. No notifications. No messages or calls. Nothing.
"They'll be fine," she muttered, more to assure herself than to answer Eve.
"Trubel will be back in a few days. For now, you go rest-"
Meisner's words were cut off when Menace's phone started ringing. The moment she saw Nick's name on the screen, she sprang up from her seat and answered the call.
"Nick? Where are you guys?!" she asked, an urgency in her voice.
"I need you in the shop. Now." Nick answered a smile on his face upon hearing Menace's voice.
After all, Menace wasn't the only one worrying.
"I'll be there," Menace replied, ending the call. "They're back," she stated, turning to Meisner with a smile on her face.
"Go, and be careful," he muttered, watching as she walked past him and out of the control room.
It didn't take that long for her to arrive at the shop. The sign, close, hanging from the other side of the door. Once she was inside, she went straight down to the ground floor, where everyone was already waiting. All surrounding a table with Nick sitting in the middle far end.
An old small wooden treasure box was in front of them.
"Nick!" she called out, earning everyone's attention.
She rushes to him as he stands up from his seat, enveloping each other in a hug. Nick's eyes then widen upon seeing the bandage wrapped around her head.
"What happened?" he asked worriedly, checking her for any more wounds.
"It was just a small accident," she answered with a small laugh lying underneath.
Nick didn't believe her. The doubt on his face is as clear as the dark sky.
"You guys sure took a while." she joked, trying to ease the tension. Also, to divert Nick's attention from her.
"It's worth it," Nick replied, glancing at the treasure box, before sitting back on the chair in front of it.
Everyone then pulls out the keys. Nick, Monroe, Rosalee, Hank, and Wu. Aside from Menace who stands behind Nick, watching as everyone starts putting the keys to their designated keyholes.
There are a total of seven keyholes, two of which Menace thinks Nick pick-locked judging from the two long, thin metal pieces with curved ends, lying in front of him on the table
Then they pulled out the keys once they heard consecutive clicking sounds. They all look at Nick anxiously as he stands up from his seat, hands on each side of the small treasure chest, ready to open up the lid.
He tried, but it didn't budge. He tried to add a bit of force, but it did nothing.
"It's not opening." he blurted out, a confused look on his face.
"What do you mean it's not opening? The keys all clicked." Monroe stated, more angry than disappointed.
Menace turns to him. Frowning upon noticing how pale he looked. Beads of sweat on his forehead as he sat down.
"It's got to make more than the keys," Rosalee responded, dropping her hands on the side of her thighs.
"Why? Why does it have to take more than keys? They're just locks. If they lock, they should open. That's what locks do." Monroe argues angrier than he should be.
"There's some stuff between the lid and the box." Hank chimed in, looking intently at the box.
They all lean down to see what he is talking about, and just like he said, there really is something on it.
"Looks like some kind of sealant," Wu stated, eyes glued to the thing tightly stuffed between the lid and the box.
"What kind of sealant holds for 800 years?" Rosalee muttered.
"Well, they were all Grimms," Nick replied, pulling the box closer to him.
"Wait..." Menace started, walking closer to Nick. "Let me see that," she added, taking the box as Nick handed it to her.
She squints her eyes as she looks closer, tilting the box, which was surprisingly a bit heavy, from side to side. Eyeing the sealant that keeps the lid tightly pressed against the box.
"Older Wesens are very traditional. If this was a work of Grimms 800 years ago, they would be the same too. Traditionalist and even religionist..." she trailed off, carefully putting down the box on the table, and quickly grabbing the knife on the table behind her. She then made a cut on her finger, ignoring the stares the others were giving her.
Putting down the knife, she then started spreading her blood all over the sealant between the lid and the box. From the back to the sides, and to the front. Once she is sure that every part has her blood, she pulls away and waits for something to happen.
"Uncle once told me that being a Grimm isn't just all about seeing what's lying underneath. It also has something to do with our blood." Menace stated as everyone eyes the box.
Then the box hissed. Letting out a heap of smoke, as if the sealant was burned off. The others even pull away for a moment. Hank and Monroe coughed out a bit before they started laughing.
"Oh, my god," Nick muttered, a wide smile on his face as he glanced between Menace and the box. Standing from his seat once again, and grabbing the box.
He grabbed the lid and pulled it off once again. This time, the lid popped off easily, and everyone smiled excitedly. Nick then hands Hank the lid, and they all lean closer to see what's inside the box.
Inside was a very old tattered piece of cloth that Nick carefully and slowly took out. There were a couple of tears on it along with a few holes, as he started rolling it open to see whatever it was wrapped around on.
It was wrapped around a stick... A stick that looks like it was ripped off of a larger stick.
All their expectant faces turn into confused and disappointed looks upon seeing it. Monroe looks like he's angrier than he was earlier, and Menace thinks that he might woge out any moment now.
"It's a stick?" Monroe questioned.
"Looks like a stick," Hank muttered, looking at Monroe.
"A really old stick." Wu chimed in, hands on hips.
"It can't be just a stick." Rosalee blurted, looking at each and every one.
"Well, that's what it looks like," Nick added, sitting back down in defeat as he holds the stick not even long enough to reach his elbows. It reach a few inches past his wrist, but that was it.
It looks like a normal stick you see in the parks when you jog or walk your dog.
"For now, let's get you to a doctor and get your arm looked at before it falls off," Rosalee said to Monroe, looking worriedly at her husband before walking away towards another table near the foot of the staircase.
That's when Menace noticed the blood on Monroe's bandaged arm. He might have been wounded when they were in search of the treasure.
"Oh, whoah, hold, hold, hold," Wu remarked, pressing his hands on the cloth on the table and looking at it while tilting his head as if looking for something. "There's some writing on this cloth."
And there surely is.
Menace squints her eyes to see what Wu was talking about, and there really are writings on it. Almost unnoticeable if you weren't really paying close attention to it.
It was a writing that neither Menace nor any of them has ever seen.
"I have no idea what language is this. Do you?" Nick asked, turning to Monroe.
But Monroe didn't answer. Instead, he stares at the cloth. His eyes blink, as his body slowly sways while sitting. His pale face is even paler than earlier, and this time, the beads of sweat from his forehead are trickling down the side of his cheeks.
"Monroe, what's wrong?" Rosalee asked, tone filled with worry as she holds his coat in her hands.
"I, uh... I don't, uh..." then he stands up, wobbling on his feet.
"Whoah, whoah, whoah, hey!"
Hank and Nick rush to each of his sides, grabbing his arms to prevent him from falling on the floor.
"He's passing out. Come on. Get him down." They lead him to the stairs where they let him sit down. The moment he did, Monroe's head slump over the railing. Skin cold to the touch.
"Oh, I knew it. It's blood poisoning." Rosalee stated, taking off the bandage to see the wound.
A nasty bleeding wound is on Monroe's right arm. The wound resembles a bite of a wild canine, and it keeps bleeding. Blood getting darker and thicker.
"Quick, we need a tourniquet, somebody. Put it on his arm before any more infection gets to his heart."
"We can use my belt," Hank replied, taking off the belt from his waist and rushing to Monroe's side. Tying it around his arm to stop the infection from spreading.
"Call 911," Rosalee told Wu, which the latter immediately comply with. Pulling out his phone and dialing the number.
"I think he's going into shock," Menace stated, seeing Monroe grasp for air as if he was drowning.
"We can't wait for an ambulance. We need to get him to the hospital." Rosalee declared, on the verge of tears.
"Get him up. Get him up. Come on!" Nick shouted, pulling Monroe up with the stick still in his hand.
"Wait, wait!" Menace stepped in, noticing something.
"Menace, we can't wait!" Rosalee replied, not noticing what she was seeing because of the panic.
"Look at his arm!" she replied, pointing to everyone what she was seeing.
Nick and Hank hold Monroe up while looking at what Menace was showing them.
"What's happening?" Rosalee asked as they all watched Monroe's wound start closing.
Blood goes back inside the wound, as the wound closes. The multiple holes in the flesh, sealing back up like it was nothing.
"I don't know," Nick said, glancing at Menace before looking back at Monroe's wound.
"It's getting better," Hank remarked, a confused look etched on his face.
"What?" Wu asked, having a hard time believing what they were saying even though he can see it.
It was all gone. All healed up as if nothing happened to it at all. There's not even a single trace, and the blood on Monroe's sleeve is the only proof that he was ever wounded on the arm.
Then Monroe's eyes shot open, letting out an exhale as if he was holding his breath. The blood went back onto his face, and he was no longer cold to the touch.
"What did you do?" he asked tiredly, looking amused at his wife with a small smile on his face, even though he was still wobbly. "What happened?" he asked once again, looking at his arm, and seeing a clean surface of the skin.
"This," Nick replied, showing everyone the stick he was holding in his hand.
The same stick pressed on Monroe's wound when he helped him up.
It wasn't just a stick, after all.
∆
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