3.09

Anh was out for a midnight walk. He was struggling to sleep as the stresses of a failing business was heavy on his mind.

Athena City truly was a city that never slept. It was just as safe, or dangerous, to go for a walk at any time of day or night.

Anh’s brisk walk brought him to his favourite coffee shop, a small, unmarked nook down a back alley. Anh had been hooked on the chilli lattes for years and they even had a small range of pastries.

He placed his order and waited out on the street, a few steps away from the small crowd that always seemed to be present around this place.

“Have you ever been to Midnight Fields?” Anh heard someone ask another. They were talking way too loudly for a private conversation.

“No. I heard it’s a bit of a scary place. Besides, I thought they didn’t allow tourists in.”

“They’ve just opened up their borders. We’ve already got flights booked. I’ve wanted to go there for so long.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna go though. The pictures on the news are enough to give me the creeps. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I were really there.” Anh rolled his eyes.

The worker at the window handed him his order and Anh continued on his way.

His thoughts went back to his business. His thoughts spiralled and cascaded on each other. It was an effort for him to pluck an individual thread to try and work it out.

He had opened a comic shop less than six months ago. Something that seemed a little foolish to do in Athena City, as there were already so many, it was like adding a drop of water in the ocean.

Competing with the older businesses with their established customers was hard. He’d never dreamed of how cutthroat the business was. He just needed a way to stand out.

A scream broke through his thoughts and acting on instinct, Anh broke into a run, ditching his coffee and pastry.

Anh rounded one of the many cramped and layered alleyways and found a woman laying on the ground. Her arms were up, as if trying to ward something away.

“What’s wrong, what happened?” Anh rushed down to her side.

“Something in the shadows. Its horrible. I swear it tried to attack me.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No. But aren’t you going to go see what it is?” Anh stood up and approached the shadows where the lady was pointing.

A low, haunting growl crept out of the shadows. It sent a chill down Anh’s spine.

“He…hello? What do you want?” Anh could see something stirring in the shadows as the growl rose again.

“My brother is missing.” The thing stepped out of the shadows and Anh’s heart pounded in his throat, trying to get out.

Before him stood a gaunt being. Its flesh was grey, and bones pronounced. Its eyes were heavily sunken and glowed yellow. It had lush black and white hair. It wore ripped jeans and a long coat.

“A zombie,” Anh whispered to himself. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for my brother. He’s dangerous and he’s come to Athena City. I followed him all the way here to put a stop to him.” There was an empty quality to the voice.

“From Midnight Yards?” Anh asked. The zombie nodded.

“Help, somebody! There’s a zombie here and it attacked me.” The woman screamed.

“No I didn’t.” The woman got up and screamed out of the alleyway.

“Hold it.” Anh and the zombie spun and faced the entrance of the alleyway. Standing there was a figure in a bowler’s hat and a long red scarf. They had with them a walking cane and they hobbled as they walked down the alley.

As the figure came closer, Anh noticed the figure had a moustache that twirled into tips.

“I know who you are. You’re Mister Blade. Paranormal expert.” Excitement peppered Anh’s voice, like he was meeting a celebrity for the first time.

“Right you are chap.” Mister Blade didn’t even look at Anh as he spoke. He didn’t take his eyes off the zombie.

“What are you doing back here in Athena City, Sonoya?” there was an air of familiarity in Mister Blade’s voice. He knew who this zombie was.

“Daniel has come to Athena City. You know how dangerous he can be. I’ve come to stop him, but I don’t think I can do it by myself.”

“How did your brother get out? I thought he was locked away?”

“Do you think a mere prison can hold him?”

“This isn’t going to look good for Midnight Yards’ image. All right, I’ll help. I’m gonna call in for some backup. I think it’ll be good for them.”

Hunter and Jimena were both with Michael in his hideout. Jimena had taken a break from her studying and come down to relax.

Silas was still unsure of going back out on the field and Gauzelle was catching up on some videogames.

“Michael.” Michael’s giant screen lit up and Hunter recognised Mister Blade’s face.

“Evening Mister Blade. What can I do for you?”

“Athena City is in a light bit of trouble and I need some help. Is that Mite with you now?”

“Yeah, I can help, I’ve got Jimena, one of my teammates with me. What do you need help with?”

“I ran into Sonoya.”

“Oh that’s not good,” replied Michael.

“Her brother, Daniel, had made it to Athena City. She’s warned me that he’s up to no good and needs help stopping him. If he does too much, its going to ruin any relations Midnight Yards is trying to make.”

“That’s all I need to know. I’m sending these two over to you now. And don’t worry, they’re quite capable of looking after themselves.” Mister Blade ended the communication and Hunter and Jimena looked at Michael.

“What’s happening?” Hunter asked.

“Just a little trouble with a vampire. Nothing too dangerous.” Before Hunter or Jimena could protest, Michael teleported them to Mister Blade’s location.