Reincarnated in Banshee Town

Seeing the grieving gaze of the hooded man behind the fence, Siobhan and Ethan stood motionless in the wind.
— What the hell? —murmured Ethan, puzzled by the scene.
When Ethan came to, Siobhan had already reacted by taking out his service taser. The hooded man, visibly angry, took a knife out of his pocket and tried to jump over the fence, roaring:
— Go away! I will kill that bitch, she said she loved me.
—Lower the knife. I told you to put down the knife or I'll shoot! don't be stupid —Siobhan screamed, warning as he pointed the hooded man at the Taser.
— Shoot! Shoot me! —The man stopped climbing the fence and walked towards Siobhan, furious.
The smell of alcohol emanating from him was unmistakable from several meters. Ignoring Siobhan's warning, he squeezed the knife harder in his hand. Seeing this, Siobhan pulled the Taser trigger without hesitation.
Instantly, two darts flew forward with copper wires, hitting the hooded chest. The current was quickly released through the cables and the man was shaken by electricity. However, instead of falling, he roared, ripped the wires from his chest, and ran to Siobhan.
Terrified, Siobhan backed away quickly, dropped the Taser, and tried to pull out his pistol. However, the man approached too quickly, and in his panic, Siobhan failed to unsheathe the weapon.
With his face distorted by fury, the hooded man approached Siobhan dangerously when, suddenly, a figure passed quickly. Ethan appeared just in time.
With a tackle, Ethan threw the man against the fence, breaking some wooden boards. The two men in a nearby pool screamed and rushed out of the water. Ethan jumped up, but the hooded man also stood up, using both his hands and his feet.
With a quick movement, Ethan pressed hard on the hooded man's back, who let out a cry of pain. He held her neck with one hand as he pressed the Glock 17 against the man's head and murmured coldly:
—If you try to move again, I guarantee that you will not have the opportunity to do it again, so I recommend that you stay still.
— Don't shoot, sorry, don't shoot! —the hooded man pleaded, feeling the cold barrel of the gun to his temple, dropping the knife to the ground.
Siobhan hastened to approach and, with Ethan's help, handcuffed the man. Ethan put his gun in the holster and whispered to Siobhan:
—Believe me, if you can avoid it, don't use the Taser, cursed stomata under the influence of alcohol and narcotics won't feel the slightest pain.
Siobhan nodded, understanding the advice. The scope of the Taser is short and, in cases of drug abuse or extreme force, it is not always effective. After taking the man to the police station, they both continued their patrol.
Ethan sat relaxed in the passenger seat, reviewing the photos Blake had sent him. In one of them, Blake and Jonathan's family were having a barbecue in front of the house. Wendy was behind the camera, holding a white mouse in an attempt to scare Blake. Ethan's fingers flew while exchanging messages with Blake, until she mentioned that he was going to run. So, he saved his phone.
— What's up? —Ethan asked, noticing Siobhan's gaze.
—I have some envy of you, you know, I have no one and instead I can only watch television alone after work —Siobhan replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
—Please it's not that important, I'm also alone most of the time —Ethan said, shrugging.
— Really? Because gossip in town flies over you, they see you enter Mrs. Kendall's house too often lately — Siobhan replied with a malicious smile.
Ethan coughed violently.
— Where did you get that from?
—It is a small town, and gossip flies among the locals —Siobhan rolled his eyes — All the ladies say you are a playboy. Everyone knows that you also sleep with Dalia from the Miles restaurant, right?
— Damn gossips! Maybe they have nothing to do but talk about me —exclaimed Ethan, upset —
Before Siobhan could respond, Ethan quickly changed the subject.
—I haven't seen you at Davis Bar lately. Don't you like the atmosphere? 
—No, I also hate drinking alone. What man would like to drink with a police officer? I guess you feel intimidated or something. — Siobhan replied, patting himself on the uniform.
—I don't know, maybe there is someone who has some fetish with women in uniform, you never know. — Ethan joked.
Siobhan did not respond and raised a middle finger with a smile.
At night, so Ethan decided to go to the Davis Bar alone. Parking the car, she saw Kate Moody, coming down the stairs to the nearby barn, grooming her black skirt. Although Kate was not exactly pretty, she had an impressive figure, something Ethan couldn't help but notice.
As Kate came down, she looked at Hood at the top of the place that she rented from Sugar over the barn, with a cigarette in her mouth and just wearing jeans, she came out behind her. He seemed to be enjoying the view.
Ethan closed the car door with a thud, catching their attention. Kate left indifferently, while Hood, giving the cigarette one last drag, went back into the building.
Inside the bar, Ethan greeted Job, drank the drink Sugar offered him, and sat next to him.
—You have that look, or you've had a good time or you just saw something very good —Job joked, colliding his glass with Ethan's.
—A little of both. I invite the next round. —Ethan replied before drinking his whiskey in one gulp.
After ordering more drinks, Job asked:
— What have you been busy with?
—As always, working at the station. I guess after all we've been through lately normality is kind of boring. — Ethan replied as he lit a cigarette.
—I'm glad you feel that way now, I can have a job for you. I have a friend with some problems lately in her business. He asked me for help and I want you to join us, the pay will not disappoint you, I promise. —Job said, after hesitating for a moment.
— Where?
—In San Diego California, near the border with Mexico. My friend had some friction with a local Mexican gang and wants revenge, but she doesn't have enough manpower to deal with them, so I thought you might be interested in doing this job. 
Ethan nodded slowly. I knew it was an opportunity to earn money and I trusted Job it would not be a waste of time to do this job.
—Don't worry. If things don't go well, we can leave at any time. Also, I will help you get a new identity so you can move more freely and you don't have to use your name. I'll let you know when it's ready —Job said, raising his glass to toast.
The next morning, while Ethan was having breakfast, his phone rang with a message from Blake. I was just saying a word:
— Help!
When he saw the message, Ethan was stunned.
He quickly called Blake's number again, but no one answered.
At that moment, the system that had been silent for a long time rang.
Ethan called the system and added a task to the panel in the form of a semi-translucent light screen.
  —Mission: Rescue Blake Gaines from danger.  

 —Success Reward: (New Skill) 
He closed the light screen immediately and checked the ammunition for the weapons he had stored in his space. After sending another message to Hood asking him for the day off, he got on his Dodge Challenger and drove to Blake's uncle's house.
He still didn't know what had happened, but Blake had been unable to contact him, so it was essential to find his uncle Jonathan as soon as possible. This mission had to be completed successfully, even if there was no reward, because the consequences of failure were evident, he did not want to lose Blake.
Thinking of Blake, who was playing with him on the lake two days ago, now in danger, Ethan didn't mind accelerating. The Dodge Challenger roared down the road at high speed.
After an hour of fast driving, he arrived at Blake's uncle's house.
After stopping the car, Ethan did not notice anything out of the ordinary in the house. Through the window he could see Jonathan's wife busy in the kitchen. Didn't they know something had happened to Blake? She was not joking about this kind of thing, and besides, the task of the system had also appeared, which could not be a lie.
Ethan quickly got out of the car and ran to the door, hitting her hard.
— Who is it? - Jonathan's wife Karen opened the door. Seeing Ethan, his eyes lit up.
—You are Ethan, right? Blake still hasn't gotten up.
Ethan was confused for a moment. Had the system been wrong? He had to find out, and whoever the threat was, he would finish it.
Karen shouted Blake's name to the second floor. After a while, it was Jonathan who went downstairs.
—He went out early in the morning to run, what do you need from her?
Jonathan saw Ethan and greeted. —Hey, good morning, Ethan. Why are you here?
Ethan didn't explain, he pulled out his phone, clicked on the message Blake had sent him, and showed it to Jonathan. Jonathan picked up the phone, puzzled, but after reading the message, his expression changed.
—And after that I was unable to contact her. —Ethan replied seriously.
Jonathan also took out his cell phone and called Blake. Hearing the busy tone, his face tightened.
 —If that information is true, we should call the police.
 —I'm a police officer, I'll take over for now. —Ethan replied, patting the uniform under his jacket, since he had not had time to change — Do you remember which direction Blake came out this morning?
 Jonathan pointed to the address where Ethan came from, who was about to leave when Jonathan stopped him.
 —Wait, I'll go with you. I am more familiar with this place.
 Ethan nodded.
 —No problem, come on.
 Jonathan grabbed his jacket and quickly dated Ethan, but not before asking Karen to call the police.
Karen, watching both of them leave, clenched her fists and ran back to the living room. Her daughter Wendy went downstairs in her pajamas, holding a doll.
—Mommy, where did Dad go?
Karen forced a smile.
—He went out to buy some groceries. Why don't you go brush your teeth like you.
After talking to Wendy, Karen looked out the window and saw that Ethan's car had already disappeared at the end of the road. He grabbed his phone with a worried expression.
After advancing for more than ten minutes in the direction Jonathan had pointed out, they passed through an abandoned factory. There were farms on both sides of the road and few houses in sight.
— What time did you go out this morning? —Ethan asked, looking at his watch.
—Around 8, he always gets up early. —Jonathan replied, and Ethan stopped abruptly, turning the wheel.
—Depending on the time you mentioned and the time I received the distress message, Blake couldn't have run that far.
—Yes, in fact not today many people around these places. —Jonathan admitted.
Ethan asked quickly.
— Do you have an early neighbor? Can we ask if they have seen?
—I have no neighbors around here. There is only one meat processing plant nearby, the one we passed a moment ago but it has been closed for many years for a few years. — Jonathan continued after a pause — But I remember that there is someone living behind the plant, you just have to deviate a few meters from the main road.
—Anyway, let's go ask.
Ethan accelerated and returned to the factory they had just passed. The red brick outer wall was covered in vines, and the broken glass gave it a gloomy air. Ethan looked at Jonathan.
—I remember this. The last time I stopped by with Blake, she mentioned seeing a little boy inside.
—Maybe it was some children. They like to go in and play in places like this —Jonathan replied, shrugging.
 Ethan turned the wheel and the Dodge Challenger veered off onto a remote path.
 A few meters further on, a dilapidated wooden house appeared, connected to the abandoned meat plant. In front of the house was a strange scarecrow, covered with a black cloth and a white bone cow's head.
 Ethan stopped the car and looked at Jonathan.
 —The meat processing factory closed after the owner died. — explained Jonathan — Now the son of the former owner, Gram, lives here. He is approximately my age. He is a little illiterate and, when the factory closed, he was left here alone, after the death of his father, I have not seen him for a time.
 Ethan turned off the engine.
 —In that case, it sounds like a weirdo. Maybe we should have some caution with him.
 —You could say it is. —Jonathan confirmed with a shrug —. What do you mean?
 —I have a bad feeling. Let's be careful.
 Ethan opened the car door. In front of them, the house was sloppy, with weeds and vines covering the factory building. An old car was parked next door, so rusty that it looked like it would be disarmed with a kick, but the marks on the ground indicated that it was still in use.
 Ethan looked at Jonathan checking the surroundings, before banging on the cabin door hard.
After Ethan knocked on the door several times, Jonathan yelled:
—Gram, are you home?
After waiting a while, the silence continued.
— Could it be that no one is home? How about we go somewhere else to take a look? —Jonathan said, taking a step away.
Ethan had no choice but to follow him. Just as they were both walking towards the ramshackle car, a muffled voice rang out from inside the house.
— Who is calling me?
Jonathan stopped immediately and took a few steps back.
—It's me, Jonathan Gaines, I live not far from here. —replied.
— What's wrong?
Ethan walked alongside Jonathan. At that moment, the inner door opened, revealing a hunched man behind the mosquito net door. The room was in the dark, making it difficult to distinguish her face, although her long, messy hair could be noticed.
Jonathan, undeterred, said:
—I am looking for my niece. He disappeared after going for a run this morning. I've been looking for her everywhere.
He stepped further toward the door.
— Have you seen her? - Ethan asked showing a photo of her on his mobile phone.
—No, I have not seen anyone —replied the man in the shadows, his voice muffled and impatient.
Remembering what Blake had mentioned to him, Ethan looked around and asked:
— Have you seen any children around here?
Ethan looked directly at him, without hesitation.
— What the hell are you interested in? If they don't leave my property right now I'm going to shoot them- I exclaim exasperated
—Sir, I am a Banshee Police Department. I'm here to investigate that girl's whereabouts. — Ethan replied automatically, his voice controlled, although inside he was on high alert.
The man let out a dry, almost sarcastic laugh.
—I've never heard of the Banshee Police Department —the man growled, clenching the door, ready to close it —. Get away from me. I don't like the uniform you're wearing.
Sensing that something was wrong, Jonathan, who had been with Ethan, stepped forward, his voice charged with urgency:
—Hey, can we come in and sit down for a while?
The man hesitated for a moment, his hand frozen in the door frame. His gaze shifted between Jonathan and Ethan, before responding firmly:
—I am very busy and I do not have time for visits, it will be better to leave —he replied, each word more tense than the last.
But before the man could slam the door shut, Ethan stepped forward, blocking his way out.
—I don't think he's busy enough not to get a quick visit —Ethan said in a low and dangerous voice, his gaze fixed on the old — Especially when there is a life in danger.
The man stared at him, his eyes flashing a mixture of fear and stubbornness.
—I don't know what you're talking about —replied the old man, with his lips tight — No one has come here. I have no time to lose with you.
Ethan noticed the slight tremor in the man's hands, the sweat that was beginning to accumulate on his forehead. There was something he was trying to hide, and Ethan knew it.
Jonathan glanced at Ethan, feeling the tension grow. 
—It will only be a moment. I haven't seen you in a long time. How about we talk a little, like neighbors?
There was a silence before the man's hoarse voice answered:
—Wait a minute.
After this, the man disappeared inside, his steps resonating into the darkness of the house. Jonathan exhaled with relief and winked at Ethan.
After a few minutes of increasing tension, the man returned, his body trembling visibly, with a tube in his hand that glowed disturbingly. Ethan's senses shot up instantly, and his trained reflexes were activated with lethal precision. With a quick movement, he reached out and caught the fabric of Jonathan's shirt, pulling him back with unrelenting force.
Jonathan screamed and fell backwards, in the next instant, the air was ripped with a raucous shot. An explosion of flames and smoke erupted from the mosquito net door, sending fragments and sparks in all directions. Ethan instinctively bent down, pushing Jonathan out of the line of fire, as the flashes of the blast illuminated the chaotic scene. The adrenaline ran through his veins as his mind calculated the next move, the threat still present and palpable in the air.
Ethan, with unrelenting precision, unsheathed his Glock 17 and pointed toward the door, firing quickly.
— Bang, bang, bang! —the shots followed one another in rapid succession, echoing in midair with deafening force.
Each bullet pierced the wood of the door with dry impacts, leaving splinters and fragments flying through the air. A choked, pain-filled moan emanated from inside the house, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps drifting away, crawling urgently. The tension in the environment was palpable, and Ethan wasted not a second. 
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ethan dragged Jonathan behind the Dodge Challenger. Jonathan, covering his arm, had an expression of pain as blood flowed from the wound. The muscles in his arm had been reached by pellets by the shotgun.
If Ethan hadn't reacted in time, that shot would have left a hole in his chest.
— Damn That bastard is crazy. He shot us to burn clothes. —Jonathan yelled, banging his head against the car body to try to ease the pain.
—Your arm will be fine, it was just a couple of buckshot. — Ethan said sarcastically, as he bent down and put his gun aside.
Quickly, he pulled a tourniquet out of his service belt and tied it to Jonathan's injured arm.
—I have to enter. Blake must be inside. Otherwise, that son of a bitch wouldn't act that way.
Jonathan, however, seemed lost in pain and confusion. Desperate, Ethan slapped him hard.
— Do you hear me well now ?! —yelled at him.
Jonathan, sweating profusely, nodded repeatedly.
—Stay here and ask for help. Don't worry, your wounds are not fatal. I must go in and save Blake. Your life could be in danger now.
Ethan opened the car door and pulled a dagger out of the storage compartment, the weapon he had taken from drunkards he met when Nola was being disturbed. He placed the sharp dagger in Jonathan's hand before getting up and running towards the house.
Looking through the hole in the screen door, he saw no movement. Ethan opened the door and entered the house quickly.
The interior was dark and smelly. Simple furniture occupied the room, and the curtains completely blocked the exterior light. A strong smell of rot floated in midair.
Ethan turned on his Glock's tactical flashlight and searched around, but Gram was not in sight. He went to the kitchen, where he found dirty dishes in the sink.
—It seems that he lives alone ... —murmured, seeing the few belongings.
With the Glock in hand, Ethan left the kitchen and continued exploring the house. But there was no trace of Blake or gram in the rooms. Everything was silent.
Then, a few drops of fresh blood on the floor caught his attention. Apparently he had wounded Gram during the shooting. Ethan followed the sporadic bloodstains until they reached a corner where they stopped. At the edge of the wooden floor was a hatch.
—It has hidden in the basement ... —he said to himself, adjusting his position and aiming with the Glock.
He pulled the hatch hard, and a roar echoed around the house. The basement door slammed open, raising a cloud of dust.
A chill ran through Ethan as he felt the putrid smell emerging from below. The wooden stairs were wrapped in a flickering gloom.
Ethan turned off the tactical flashlight and, after exhaling slowly, began to descend cautiously, step by step.