Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTQYGXPC264Q86N880ZC3ZC

Detective Harlow Quinn's boots echoed through the abandoned Tube station, the sound ricocheting off the damp, tiled walls. The fluorescent lights flickered intermittently, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance just out of the corner of her eye. She adjusted the worn leather watch on her left wrist, its familiar weight a constant reminder of the years she had served on the force. The crime scene tape was a stark yellow against the drab, faded walls. Quinn paused at the edge, her sharp jaw set in determination. She bent down to retrieve a bone token from the ground, examining it closely before slipping it into her evidence bag. The token was the key to entering the Veil Market, a hidden supernatural black market that moved locations every full moon. She had seen these tokens before, and they always left a bad taste in her mouth. Eva Kowalski, her childhood friend and now an occult researcher, stood a few feet away, tucking a strand of curly red hair behind her left ear. Her round glasses perched on her nose, and a worn leather satchel stuffed with books hung over her shoulder. She looked up as Quinn approached, her green eyes meeting Quinn’s brown ones. "This place gives me the creeps," Eva muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t like it here, Harlow." Quinn nodded, her gaze sweeping the area. "I understand, Evie. But this is our best lead. Whoever did this knew how to get in here, and we need to find out how." The body lay on the platform, a stark contrast to the lifeless, sterile environment. It was a young man, mid-twenties, dressed in a dingy trench coat. His eyes were wide open, a look of terror frozen on his face. Quinn knelt beside him, carefully examining the area around the body. There were no obvious signs of struggle, no blood, no weapon. Just an unsettling stillness that seemed to permeate the entire scene. "Any ID on the victim yet?" Quinn asked, her voice professional and detached. Eva rifled through her satchel and pulled out a small, leather-bound notebook. "His name is Liam⊕ Cunningham. He’s been seen around the Veil Market a few times. People say he’s a regular customer, always looking for something specific." Quinn nodded, her fingers brushing against the cold metal of her badge. "What was he looking for?" Eva hesitated, flipping through the pages of her notebook. "That’s where it gets weird. Some say he was after a Veil Compass. A small brass compass that points toward the nearest supernatural rift or portal. It’s said to be crafted by a Shade artisan." Quinn’s brow furrowed. "A Veil Compass? That’s not something you find just lying around. It’s a rare and powerful tool." "Exactly," Eva agreed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear again. "Which is why I think someone might have killed him to get it." Quinn stood up, her eyes scanning the platform. "So, where’s the compass now?" Eva shrugged, her freckled complexion pale in the dim light. "That’s the mystery. It’s nowhere to be found. No one’s seen it since Liam was last here." Quinn’s gaze narrowed. She walked around the body, her eyes trained on the ground. The tiles were worn and cracked, but she noticed something peculiar—a small, almost invisible etching on one of the tiles. She crouched down, her fingers tracing the intricate pattern. "What’s that?" Eva asked, leaning in for a closer look. Quinn’s face hardened. "Looks like some kind of sigil. Probably used to open a portal or a rift. It’s recent, too. The lines are still sharp." Eva’s eyes widened. "So, someone opened a portal here, and then what? Disappeared with the compass?" "Or they could have used it to find what they were looking for," Quinn mused. "But why leave the body behind?" "It doesn’t make sense," Eva said, frustration creeping into her voice. "If they wanted the compass, why not just take it and leave? Why make it look like a murder?" Quinn stood up, her mind racing. "Because they wanted us to find the body. They wanted us to know something happened here, but they didn’t want us to figure out the whole story." Eva nodded, her expression grim. "So, it’s a message?" "Exactly," Quinn said, her voice firm. "And we need to decipher it." She turned to a uniformed officer standing a few feet away, motioning for him to approach. "Run a full forensic analysis on this area. I want to know every detail. And keep an eye out for any more of these sigils." The officer nodded and relayed the instructions to his team. Quinn turned back to Eva, her eyes piercing. "We need to find out who Liam was dealing with. Anyone who’s seen him around the Market recently." Eva nodded, already flipping through her notebook. "I’ve got a few names. One of them is a regular informant of mine. He might know more." Quinn’s phone buzzed, and she pulled it out, her expression hardening as she read the message. "It’s the brass. They want a preliminary report. We’ve got to move fast." Eva tucked her notebook back into her satchel. "Let’s start with my informant, then. The sooner we know what we’re dealing with, the better." Quinn nodded, her military precision evident in every movement. "Alright. Let’s go. We need to stay one step ahead of whoever did this." Together, they made their way out of the abandoned station, the flickering lights behind them slowly fading into darkness. The Veil Market held more secrets than they could imagine, and Quinn was determined to uncover every one of them.