Ben tucked his hands away in the hoodie’s pockets as he crossed the street. A nervous glance shot up and down the street and sidewalk more than once. Going up the stairs to the front door, he winced slightly as the first one creaked. It probably didn’t matter though; he hadn’t seen any activity in the house in the time he watched. At the door, he checked that no one was around once more before peeking in the spy hole.

It was dark and oddly distorted like the foyer inside stretched for hundreds of feet. The important thing was there wasn’t any movement, no one immediately inside. Very carefully and quietly, he tried the doorknob, but found it locked. This was remedied by slipping some strange tool into the keyhole as it acted just like a key itself without needing to be wiggled or jimmied.

He slipped inside as quietly as he could muster and shut the door behind him. He took his time to make as little sound as possible and it was obvious this was not his first time in such a situation. With careful steps, rolling heel to toe, he sneaked further into the house. It wasn’t long before he paused, sniffed, and soon found the bowl of strange burnt ingredients still smoking very slightly.

Ben didn’t know much at all about magic, but he could sure enough tell when it was used. The little magic left in the smoke made his fingers tingle, but there was not enough to produce its intended effect. He merely shook it off, literally shaking his hand to get rid of the strange feeling. An engraved gold ring on his thumb glinted in the moonlight which gently lit more than the small window shaped patch on the floor.

The handgun was quietly drawn from its holster and held ready towards the floor with both hands. It would likely be useless dealing with someone experienced in magic, but it was reassuring to have out anyway. He resumed creeping through the town house quietly, venturing off around the first floor before heading back to the foyer to head upstairs.

Just as he took the first step, he froze. Staring straight ahead, through the space under each step, he noticed something.

A face.