Jae and Aguiar

They never liked working in pairs. People got in the way, disobeyed orders, died. And Maria was the perfect combination of the three (but they liked her company).

The three had shared many missions before. It ended with half the team dead, a church in flames, and Aguiar carrying a silent hatred he never bothered to hide. Since then, but the problem was that, on that mission, the Order gave him no choice.

An isolated village, unexplained disappearances, and an entity that attacked people alone. Agents sent ahead disappeared one by one after becoming separated. Some were deemed insane. Others… not even that.

The rule was simple: never be alone.

So now they had to live with Maria twenty-four hours a day. Sleep next to each other. Patrol together. Eat together. An idea that clearly irritated him all the time.

The cabin where they spent their first night was small, cold, and old enough to creak with every gust of wind. And, to make matters worse for him, it only had one bed.

They stared at the piece of furniture for a few seconds before letting out a dry, nasal laugh.

Aguiar - "Of course there's only one bed. Obviously."

He dropped his backpack on the ground, still armed, his dark coat damp from the light snow outside. Even though I was tired, I was too alert to truly relax.

"If you dare come near me while I'm sleeping, I'll throw you out." The light flickered. Once. Twice.

Then came the knocking at the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Heavy. Slow.

Aguiar immediately fell silent, his dark eyes fixed on the wooden door. There were no footprints in the snow. No shadow at the window. Nothing.

Just one more beat.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He drew his weapon slowly.

"Don't open that damn thing," Jae says .

And then a voice came from the other side of the door.

Maria's voice was sly and breathless, clearly not hers.

"Aguiar... open up for me."

Even with Maria still inside the cabin.