The door slammed, and opened. A watch hurried in. He hunched over the door frame as his breathing was heavy. There were a lack of weapons on him.


    “Leader — leader!” the watch said between breaths. “It’s an emergency, a real bloody emergency!” He screamed.


    “Calm down,” Sofia said. “Breath with me for a sec. Tell me what''s up.”


    “A monster’s out there, a demon!” The watch studied his breathing.


    Sofia shook the man, “Are you absolutely certain?”


    “I’ve seen the demon with my eyes, I swear it on my soul,” he nodded frantically.


    “Shit,” she muttered. “Where have you last seen the creature?”


    “I — I saw it near Hognose Streets. My buds and I were at the pub. We were out having a drink until one of my friends veered off towards the fenced off area.”


    “You were out drinking while on duty? No, that’s not important. What did you see?”


    “When we came to get our bud, I came to my senses,” the watch breathed in. “That’s when I saw IT — the demon. I backed away, we managed to escape. We warned everyone we could. I ran here as fast as I could.”


    Sofia rested her hand on the man’s shoulder, “I know that remembering is hard, but you have to tell me; this is important. What did you see when the demon looked at you?”


    “Emptiness, a void into the abyss… There was no humanity left in IT.


    “Okay, we have time, the demon is still docile. How many of our men set up a barricade?”


    “About half our men, the other half are here.”


    Sofia put on her coat, grabbed her machine gun, and stowed her pistol, “we’re leaving now,” she declared. “Wait, where are you going?” Sofia held out her arm.


    “I’m going with you, I have to.”


    “No, someone has to stay here and man the telegraph. Reach out to anyone who would listen.”


    I watched as Sofia journeyed for the cold. As for the argument I had earlier, that could wait. My feelings went secondary, before my duty as an operative.


    Various watchmen stormed out, their footsteps scraping the floor. I heard the rhythm of frantic beeping, and a press of a button as I left the house.


    The Neighborhood Watch made no conversation. Their mood was so somber despite their desperate steps.


    The watch was everywhere. They raised their guns at the horizon, ever vigilant for the demon to appear. They all waited with pale faces.


    Lyle was there.


    “I’m sucha asshole for drinkin’ on duty. I’m sorry for letting you all down,” a man said, leaning on the fence.


    Another watch patted his shoulders, “Get some rest, okay. You did your best.”


    “No, I almost got myself killed, almost got ya killed… I’m too drunk to fight.”


    I passed by the other watch, the conversation was just as bleak. Sofia closed in to the nearest watch member.


    “How are the locals?” she asked.


    “Not great,” the person said. “Everyone on Hognose Street dismissed our warning as the ravings of a drunkard.


    “Ignorant bastards!” The leader clenched her fist. “We’ll find a way — we always do.”


    AGGGGHHHHH


    The whole world froze over. A scream bore through my core, all the other watch had the same feeling, but they fared worse. A demon cry petrified The Neighborhood Watch. They trembled from the noise. Lyle and I moved freely.


    Sophia was the first to break free from the demon’s grasp, “fuck,” she whimpered. All the other watch gave out, it was as if the demon flipped some sort of off switch. “I can’t go on, Mekiko… I can barely stand,” she leaned on the fence.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Why wasn’t I or Lyle affected? Is it because of our anima that shielded us from the demon’s cry?


    We were fine, and that was what mattered. Sophia handled herself well, better than the rest. The Neighborhood Watch recovered.


    I observed what was beyond a little further. To fight the demon, that was my duty. Running away was what a coward would do. I couldn’t hide, I wasn’t that; a cute little cat. I had a duty as an operative, to put myself in front of people.


    I felt a weak grip in my arm.


    “Mekiko, you’re not thinkin’ of fighting that thing?” Sophia asked.


    I am alone in this matter, “yes I am. You are too weak. You should rest. I am going to get everything handled.”


    “That… monster is goin’ to get you killed.”


    “You think that I don’t know that?” I pointed at her. “Look at you. You''re a walking liability. I can''t let anyone get hurt — not here. You can’t even stop me if you tried,”


    “You should listen to the vigilante,” a hand crept on my hand.


    “What do you know, Lyle?” I jerked.


    Lyle showed me palms while backing away, “I know enough,” he said. “You’re going in there with little information, or a plan. You think yourself a hero, when you’re an operative? What are you doing? That’s not strength, that’s foolishness. To have everyone put weight on you until it crushes you. Is that how you want to be remembered? As a timid little kitten?”


    “Do I have to remind you that you are wearing that collar of yours?” I snapped. “You never stood for anything. All you do is sit back, and make judgments while acting passive. You never had to make a choice. All you are is a mad dog who they couldn''t put down.


    Lyle’s face darkened, he lowered his face, “A mad dog… Is that what everyone believes that I am?” He tugged his collar down while he chuckled. He paused, “I''m a mad dog who should have been put down alongside my parents… So tell me lionboy! You think today’s a good day to die? You think you are a beast? I too can bark alongside you!”


    Lyle''s previous lunacy died down after he laughed. He lowered his face, “I know who I am. What can you say?”


    “I’m no hero,” I said. “But I’m also no husk who stands behind a wall of cynicism. That’s why someone has to go out there, because no one else will.”


    The headache I had grew stronger. Thinking had that effect on me, from just determining what was going to happen. If I ran now, that would be betraying myself; as a human.


    Instead I trekked alone on my path. I went down to the demon.


    I wasn''t some cat. Even as claws attracted and my tail swayed. I refused for others to see me as unsightly.


    My ears twitched, “Lyle, what are you doing here?”


    “Agreeing or disagreeing with you had nothing to do with me being here,” he walked up. “I promised that I wouldn''t let you hit the bucket while under my watch, and I meant that. My mind isn''t going to change with that hare-brained plan of yours.


    I gave Lyle an obscene gesture with my middle finger, he saluted me back in kind.


    For that one moment, the migraine that built up waned, although slightly. Even with a person like Lyle, I wasn''t alone.


    The demon was up ahead, I couldn''t even call it a monster. Moss overthrew the structure until there wasn’t concrete. We were in a valley of trees.


    The branches danced. The leaves rustled in the wind as the trees prepared for the stress of winter. Each step resounded a crunch. A sea of orange in a field of grass. The leaves brushed on my face. For once, I felt the cold.


    That was when I saw it — the demon.


    It was once human. The monstrosity laid into the shade, body bloated and warped into a vestige. The demon waved its arm up and down in a rhythmic fashion.


    The eyes were closed.


    The thing was lost… but not in the way of thought. All I saw was an empty abyss.


    Slowly this time, we went forward. I gestured at Lyle to move back. I slipped out my knife while Lyle slinked out his revolver and sword.


    I considered moving away. That demon, it still in the tree except for its repeating arm. I thought about the places I’d rather be as I stared. The Iron Graveyard and the tunnels now felt like good places in comparison.


    However, I cannot leave the men in Snakewater behind, and not to have myself trample on my honor.


    All that there was is Me, Lyle, the chirping of birds; and a husk of a man.


    *Crunch*


    The demon jerked to life. The leg dragged the thing towards us. Birds flew off from the danger.


    My boots flattened themselves on the ground. I wasn’t taking any chances. I waved my knife around the demon and then back, a probing strike.


    The monstrosity was lost in the abyss.


    Lyle sunk his blade in flesh. The demon put up no resistance as it lay there. Metal on flesh, metallic on metallic. He flayed the skin with his shortsword with his constant attacks.


    The demon thrashed its arm. Lyle raised his sword in defense. The monstrosity struck past Lyle’s defences. Lyle launched into the air with the thing’s brute strength.


    He landed onto the ground a distance away. The trees surrounded me between me and the mutant. Lyle was somewhere in the shrubbery. I lost him in all the panic.


    Tears flowed down the demon’s face. Its smile was wide agape. A gurgling hiss escaped its mouth.


    I circled the mutant. The arm waved back into the same rhythm. My body leaped into the air. A huge gash rippled along the mutant’s back. The demon murmured. It barely acknowledged that it was in pain.


    Although the nerves must’ve warped along with the body.


    Every ounce of my body screamed at me to back away now! Even still, I obliged as I was too shaken to do anything else.


    The thing’s hand blurred. The arm brushed past my face. I slid on the ground, the crunchy leaves scattered all around. I breathed heavily while crouching on the grass. A breeze blew past me. The sounds of movement from the thing ceased.


    Do I dare look up? An obsession hit me. I had to. I must. A sensation was crawling up my spine and into my head.


    The demon’s eyes opened. I recognized those eyes when I saw them… They were the same.