Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMMEWHCGY0N34XBABP9YWS5

Detective Harlow Quinn ducked under the yellow tape, her worn leather watch catching the light as she entered the abandoned Tube station. The air was thick with the musty smell of abandonment, punctuated by the coppery tang of fresh blood. She surveyed the scene with a critical eye, her sharp jaw tightening as she took in the details. The body of a young man lay sprawled across the grimy platform, his pale face eerily illuminated by the flickering overhead lights. A swirl of dark crimson pooled beneath him, seeping into the cracks between the tiles. The murder weapon, a simple iron dagger, sat on the ground nearby, its blade cleaned of any incriminating evidence. "Eva Kowalski, what brings you here?" Harlow asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice as she spotted her former informant. Eva, a small, freckle-faced woman with curly red hair, tugged nervously at a strand behind her left ear. "I found something," Eva said, her green eyes wide behind her round glasses. She produced a small brass compass from her worn leather satchel, its face etched with unusual markings. "This is a Veil Compass, used to locate supernatural rifts or portals." Harlow frowned, taking the compass and examining it closely. The needle twitched erratically, pointing at the far end of the platform. "This is nonsense, Eva. You know I don't believe in that supernatural crap." "I know, Harlow, but look around," Eva pleaded, gesturing to the odd symbols scrawled on the walls in what appeared to be a mixture of blood and soot. "This isn't your typical murder scene." Harlow grudgingly acknowledged Eva's point, turning her attention back to the body. Something wasn't adding up, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She paced the length of the platform, scrutinizing the scuffs on the ground and the way the blood had spattered across the walls. It was almost as if the killer had been trying to create a specific pattern. "I think this might be connected to a case I've been working on," Eva admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Veil Market whispers about a group of humans dabbling in dangerous occult practices. They call themselves 'the Clique.'" "You've been spending too much time studying the occult, Eva," Harlow said, but her tone lacked conviction. She knew Eva's research had led to breakthroughs in several of her cases, despite her reluctance to admit it. Eva pointed to a symbol on the ground, a circular pattern with several intersecting lines. "This is a sigil, Harlow. It's meant to open a portal or draw something from the other side." "Fine," Harlow said, sighing heavily. "Let's say you're right. What do you think this Clique wanted with our victim?" "I don't know," Eva said, biting her lip. "But I think we need to find out more about the Veil Market. If there's a chance this murder is connected to the occult, we need to tread carefully." Harlow nodded, pocketing the Veil Compass. "Okay, Eva. You work your contacts, see if you can dig up any more information on the Veil Market or this damned Clique. I'll look into our victim, see if I can find any connections." As they parted ways, Harlow couldn't shake the feeling that Eva was right — that they were delving into a world far beyond their understanding. But if there was one thing she'd learned in her 18 years on the force, it was that sometimes, the truth was stranger than fiction. And something was telling her that this case was going to be her strangest one yet.