Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Magic Rocks from Space (Dove and Glitch - Part 3)

Chapter 8

The Magic Rocks from Space (Dove and Glitch - Part 3)

Aiden didn’t sleep well at all that night.

The floor of the gaming arena was cracked in odd places, which poked him all over his aching body as he tumbled around, struggling to sleep. They could only get their hands on one blanket, which they had laid on the floor to serve as a makeshift mattress. It wasn’t thick enough to shield them from the unusually cold night anyway.

It must have been the coldest night Sol City’s ever experienced.

A light jerk prompted Aiden’s eyes open and he arched forward, supporting himself on his elbows. He spotted Lucy sitting beside him on the blanket, already up and awake. Her arms crossed around her legs.

Aiden noticed dark circles beneath her eyes while she stared at a distant wall absent-mindedly.

“Did you even sleep?” Aiden asked her.

“I couldn’t,” said Lucy. “Did you?”

“I don’t know,” said Aiden. “My eyes were closed, but it felt like I was awake the entire time.”

Aiden sat up with his back against the wall. The glowing rock from earlier fell out of his pocket.

“I told you to throw that away, didn’t I?” said Lucy.

“It looks important,” said Aiden.

“It looks like trouble.” Lucy massaged her head. “I don’t know though… it might be something valuable. I just… I don’t know.”

“What’s going on?” Aiden asked her as he hid the rock back in his pocket. Lucy wasn’t her usual, confident self.

“I just think we should be extra careful, you know? Be wary of strange things and strange people. Anything could be out to get us.”

“Isn’t that a little paranoid?”

“Look around you, Aiden. There are monstrous demons, everywhere! There might be one lurking in that dark corner over there!”

“If that were true, we’d be dead already. Relax!”

“I can’t!” She began panting. Her voice was shaking. “I can’t after... after everything that happened. My stupidity almost got us killed.”

Aiden was confused. He didn’t think she did anything stupid. “You did what you could. I’m honestly grateful that you were there—”

“It was luck,” Lucy declared, staring into blank space. Her body shivered. “It was nothing but pure luck. A second too late, and we would’ve been some sewer monster’s lunch.”

Aiden didn’t know what to say.

“I shouldn’t have led you down there,” Lucy breathed.

“It wasn’t your fault! Who would’ve known there’d be a giant demon snake lurking around an unused subway tunnel?”

“I should have known,” said Lucy, still not looking at Aiden. “I knew that place was haunted.”

“Lucy, that’s not why it was there.”

“Why?” Now Lucy looked at him, with horror on her face. “Because ghosts, spirits, and demons don’t exist? Can you honestly say that with confidence after everything we went through?”

“I…” Now Aiden was at a loss for words. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean… there must be a rational explanation… for everything. There must be!”

Lucy scoffed. “There is a rational explanation: The gates of the nether realm have finally opened, spewing all this ugliness out. And it’s coming to get us.” She clutched her dove-shaped pendent tighter. “If only grandma were here… she’d know what to do.”

“I’m glad that you are here!”

“I don’t know jack shit,” said Lucy. “I led us into an ambush. I don’t know what I’m doing. And I need to…” The following part was painful for her to get out “…stop pretending like I do.”

Aiden had never seen her like this. Her character traits were confidence and assertiveness. She’d always been the main character. And she avoided self-doubt like the plague.

Aiden fell silent. He looked around the room as he thought about what would be the right thing to say now, which was never his strong suit.

So many people had taken refuge within the arena building after the chaos at the east exit. Aiden thought the building should be virtually un-harmed since it was reasonably far from the city center. Fortunately, it was. Plus, they always had plenty of snacks and sodas stocked in cabinets and vending machines. They even had blankets and sleeping pods for those gamers who basically never leave.

The group at the wall opposite to them were in a heated discussion of their own.

“You don’t understand!” said the bearded man in a battered white t-shirt. “This confirms so many conspiracies! The government’s been hiding this for years!”

“I think pointing to conspiracy theories every time something happens is kind of cringe,” said the woman beside him, touching her round glasses.

“Why aren’t they letting us leave, then?” the man shot back. “We clearly know too much now.”

“It’s because they want to figure out what’s going on first,” said another woman. “What if we’re infected with some strange virus or something? They wouldn’t want that to spread.”

“Of course not,” said the man. “So listen to me when I say this: The most important thing we should focused on right now is figuring out how to leave. Because the easiest way to take care of an infection like this is to just… I don’t know. Nuke the city.”

“You’re crazy man,” said the first woman.

“This whole thing is crazy!” said the man.

“Just lay low,” said the second woman. “Once they figure out what’s up, they’ll come get us in no time.”

“You keep believing that,” said the man.

An older woman sat behind them in the dark, partially out of vision. Aiden only noticed the old crone when she cackled with a witch-like laugh. “All you idiots have no idea what’s going on. And you still want to babble like you do! Go on, babble away. Babble away as hell consumes us. We’re all sinners; that’s who we are. And we’re finally getting our due.”

The group fell silent; their faces awestruck as they looked to be seriously considering the possibility.

“Come on.” Lucy tugged at Aiden. “Let’s get out of here. Find something to eat.”

The snacks and soda reserves were already emptied. Which meant they must go out to look for food, assuming there was any left.

“Usually disaster management and rescue teams provide food and shelter in situations like these,” said Lucy. “But no one goes in, no one goes out.” She mocked the army general from before. “Gosh I wanted to punch his smug face so bad.”

“I thought that big sergeant just might,” said Aiden.

They were soon out on the streets. It must be around noon but there was no sun. The grey clouds from yesterday that had appeared out of nowhere, still hovered above Sol City. Although it was nowhere near as dark as it had been yesterday.

They soon found out that they couldn’t walk very fast; yesterday’s events had taken a huge toll on their bodies.

“This is the most hungry I’ve ever felt,” said Aiden. “In ever.”

“Hungriest,” Lucy corrected him.

“Shut up,” said Aiden.

The city looked so different now. There were several tents along the sidewalk indicating that many people couldn’t find shelter and had simply chosen to sleep on the streets. Aiden heard passersby say that the big corporations had teamed up and barricaded the financial sector with their own private security, to keep the “common people” out.

There were fires spread randomly everywhere Aiden looked. Some surely started by the people living on the streets to keep themselves warm at night. Others were from yesterday’s attack that still hadn’t gone out.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can’t pass through here,” said a mean-looking muscular man to a frail couple. He stood at the corner of the street that led to the supermarket like a bouncer at a club. “You gotta pay the toll.”

“What toll?” said the man, appalled. “You don’t have the authority—”

“Pay the toll or shut up,” said the large bouncer firmly.

“Please,” the man begged. “My wife hasn’t eaten in a while, and… well. We’ll have to go all the way around through Darby Terminal. And you know what’s out there. No one goes through there. The demons… they’re in the sewers!”

“Not my problem,” said the bouncer. “Pay the toll, or bounce.”

So there were gangs ruling the streets now?

Aiden looked around to see men like the bouncer on every corner and block, threatening and exploiting helpless people around them, robbing them off their valuables in the name of charging tolls, or rent for the makeshift tents.

Aiden clenched his jaw. These guys were nothing but scum.

He spotted several children crying on the streets, either lost, abandoned, or orphaned. The adults hesitated to console them, presumably because they feared they might attract unnecessary burden, in a situation where they themselves were hungry and lost.

In a mere twenty-four hours, the sprawling utopia that was Sol City had laid bare its dark underbelly.

Aiden smiled a little seeing that some thirty or so of the crying children had all gravitated toward each other and formed a group. If the adults were going to ignore them, they were going to take care of each other themselves.

He wished he could do something for them. But he wasn’t sure what. He must take care of his gurgling stomach first.

Once he finds some food, he’d come back and share it with them too.

“Excuse me, mister.” Aiden tapped on the shoulder of a man wearing an expensive-looking jacket. His back was toward the road as he scuffled inside a dumpster looking for something.

Lucy was a few paces ahead. She hadn’t yet noticed that Aiden had stopped to talk to a stranger.

The man got spooked and sprang out of the dumpster. His frizzy grey hair was as dirty as it could get, and his dead grey eyes looked empty.

Aiden somewhat regretted tapping on the old bum’s back. Lucy had told him to be careful, but this guy seemed relatively harmless.

Maybe an entire day of surviving literal demons had skewed his perceptions of harm and danger.

But now that he had his attention—

“Do you know where can we find some food?” Aiden asked him.

“Food? I can get you some food.” He sniffed the air hard, as though checking if Aiden were any trouble, but from a distance.

“The callous gods be blessed!” He shrieked with his hands in the air. “Food is everywhere. Food is free!”

Okay. Maybe a bum scraping the bottom of a dumpster wasn’t the best person to ask about where to find food.

“Aiden!” Lucy cried, angrily doubling back to him after she noticed. “I told you to be extra careful!”

“I’m sorry, I was just—”

“Come on!” She pulled him away.

“Wait. WAIT!” The old bum shrieked and ran ahead of them. “I know where to find food. The callous gods are kind today. Look!”

He pointed at a large queue down the street, leading to a spot hidden by a tall building.

“Yeah, we were just heading there,” said Lucy dismissively and tried to walk around him.

“No, no, wait!” The bum blocked their way once again. “The callous gods demand victory in combat, before they share their blessings. But Cecil knows. Cecil knows a different way. Offer them something shiny. Something valuable. Like that rock in your pocket.”

Aiden immediately put his hands inside his pocket and gripped the rock. Lucy stepped in front of him.

“No, no, no, no,” said the bum. “Cecil won’t steal. Cecil never steal. But Cecil knows what it is. He gave one to the master just yesterday. And the master showered him with so much blessings! Master told Cecil that he should find more of those rocks and deliver them to master. Master knows Cecil is a good rat!”

Lucy and Aiden shared a confused look.

“Go give it to master!” spat Cecil. “He will reward you with food. Go. Go!”

“Okay,” said Lucy. “We’ll give it to master. We promise.”

“Good, good!” The bum shrieked with joy. “Master happy, Cecil happy. Now go.”

Lucy and Aiden took their cue and jogged away.

“What a weirdo,” said Aiden.

“I told you to be extra careful. Extra, you understand?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t go talking to just about anybody!”

“I said I’m sorry.”

They walked a little farther and reached the queue that the weird guy had pointed at.

“I’d spotted this myself,” said Lucy. “I was going to get us here anyway. There was no need to talk to that weirdo.”

“Again, I’m s—”

“Alright, alright!”

They found that the queue went through a gap underneath the tall building, and led inside what looked like an abandoned parking lot. They walked to the front of the queue and found a makeshift signboard with the following words in bright red ink: FIGHT FOR FOOD!

“Fight for food?” Aiden knew what this was. “Can this be?”

“What?” Lucy looked puzzled.

Aiden climbed a pile of boxes to look over the crowd. “That’s him!” he said.

“What are you talking about, Aiden?”

“Fight For Food is a series by a loser YouTuber called CalebGOD69420,” said Aiden. “He’s as dumb as they come. What is he doing here?”

Lucy climbed up next to Aiden. “Running his own street show, apparently.”

There was a boxing ring in the center of the parking lot. A small crowd had gathered around it. The queue seemed to be for registrations.

“Beat this weak-ass pony,” came an announcement through a speaker next to them. They spotted a man dressed in a torn suit holding a microphone pointing to what looked like a robot pony. “And earn your bread! Beat the champion himself!” He pointed to a man seated next to the boxing ring on a chair—no—a throne, wearing a shiny silver cloak and bright red shorts. “And you’ll never go hungry again!”

“CalebGOD!” said Aiden, recognizing the man in the silver cloak and red shorts. “I remember now. He had a boxing event planned for this year’s Founding Day! All this must have been set up here at least a week ago.”

“What the hell?” breathed Lucy.

“I told you he was a loser,” said Aiden. “He’s done this in hunger and poverty-ridden places all over the world.”

“Even when hell’s broken loose, he hasn’t stopped chasing clout, huh?” said Lucy. “Impressive.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Obnoxious,” said Aiden. “Come on. Claiming food from his stupid little pony is easy. I’ve seen middle schoolers beat the crap out of it so many times.”

“Relax,” said Lucy. “You’re in no state to fight in a YouTuber’s fake boxing ring. Maybe we can trade.”

“The glowing rock? Hell no!”

“Aiden, be practical!” Lucy had the same horrified look on her face once again. “It’s probably some cursed demonic rock that we need to get rid of as soon as possible anyway. We might as well score a massive food crate out of it.”

Aiden was about to argue, but closed his mouth as soon as he’d opened it. His thoughts carried him to the hungry children from before.

“Okay,” said Aiden. “Let’s trade.”

Aiden and Lucy made their way through the thin crowd and approached the YouTuber seated on his “throne.” But they were suddenly stopped by someone who looked like his private security; more like a henchman.

The man was big and wore a black t-shirt, with an attitude not very different from the bouncer from before. However, this guy was a lot less muscle and a lot more fat.

“That’s far enough,” he said, blocking their way with his massive arm.

“We’re just here to talk,” said Aiden. “Don’t act like he’s some celebrity!”

“Aiden, shush,” said Lucy. “We’re here to propose a trade. Trust me, he’s going to be interested.”

The man smirked at Lucy. Aiden didn’t like how he eyed her. “Wait here,” he said and walked back to his boss. He gestured at his mate leaning against a wall to keep a watch on Lucy and Aiden.

Aiden hadn’t even noticed this guy until now. He had blended so well with his surroundings, he was undetectable. But that was sort of hard to believe once Aiden did notice him, because he was nothing if not a standout.

He wore a deep purple vest and jacket with a white shirt and black tie. He had a bowler hat on of the same color as his jacket, and a golden tooth. He repeatedly flipped a gold coin with one hand, presumably because he was so bored.

How had a man dressed so loud managed to remain so inconspicuous?

“You didn’t tell me we were headed to a gangster’s lair,” Lucy whispered to Aiden.

“He’s not a gangster!” said Aiden. “He may like to pretend that he is, but he’s just a poser. He has been called out by so many people online for his fake persona. He’s nothing but a joke!”

“If you say so,” said Lucy, unconvinced.

“Let’s just do the trade and get out of here,” said Aiden.

A few moments later, the big henchman-guard was back. “Come along,” he said in his deep voice which he might just be faking.

These guys were so pretentious.

They were soon escorted to the King’s little throne area which was close enough to the boxing ring, and raised enough on a small podium to provide him a good view of the fights.

And make him feel like he’s above everyone else.

“These two,” said the henchman-guard pointing at Lucy and Aiden as they approached the ‘throne.’

“Speak and ye shall receive,” said CalebGOD69420 in a grandiose voice.

Aiden tried his hardest not to cringe. The only thing missing from his Boxing King attire was a large golden crown to sit upon his pearl blond head. Which, Aiden was sure, was missing only due to logistical challenges. No way he wouldn’t wear one if his production team was able to source one.

Lucy opened her mouth to respond but was immediately interrupted by the Boxing King. Apparently, he wasn’t done speaking yet. “I also understand that you’ve refused to fight for food! Why is more food a bad thing?”

Aiden could feel Lucy’s eye twitch a little, which she made an effort not to show. “We’re just here for the food. We’re too weak and tired to fight anyone.”

“You deem yourself unworthy of combat?” Caleb got off his throne and began strolling on the podium upon which his throne rested, still in character. “No living creature is unworthy of combat!”

Aiden wanted to smack his head. What a clown show.

“Look dude…” Lucy began, but immediately changed her tone when she saw Caleb’s expression change. She didn’t want any trouble. “Your highness,” she continued, matching the Boxing King’s tone but with a hint of scorn that possibly only Aiden could detect, “All we want is to give you what you’ve been seeking all along and receive but a humble reward in return!”

“Are you mocking me?” said Caleb in his normal voice, breaking character and squatting down to glare at them. “I can have you beheaded!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there,” said Lucy. “I was trying to match your vibe. Isn’t that what you wanted? For your show?” Lucy pointed at the cameras.

Caleb eyed her suspiciously for a moment, then stood up, once again back in character. “What can you possibly offer that’s more valuable to me than the thrill of comba—?”

He suddenly stopped speaking, as if he’d interrupted himself. His eyes locked upon Aiden. More specifically, his right pocket.

The Boxing King was completely out of character now. “Why didn’t you tell me it was about this?!” he barked at the big henchman who had escorted Lucy and Aiden in.

“I didn’t know,” replied the henchman, his voice much squeakier than before.

“Turn the cameras off!” Caleb commanded his crew. “And you two,” he said pointing at Lucy and Aiden, “Answer my questions truthfully, you understand?”

“Sure,” said Lucy.

Caleb took a deep breath, but that only made him madder. “Where did you find that?”

Lucy opened her mouth to respond but was hushed quiet a second time with a commanding hand gesture. “Not you,” said the Boxing King. “You!” he said pointing at Aiden. “Where’d you find it?!”

“On the ground,” Aiden answered with a hint of sarcasm. Caleb’s eye twitched. “Near the east exit,” Aiden added.

“And how many did you find?” Caleb asked inquisitively. He looked at his henchmen on either side with intent, as though commanding them to move in with just his eyes.

Aiden gulped. He timidly said, “Just the o—”

“—one that we found yesterday,” Lucy interrupted Aiden. “And the others we found this morning. Basically, we’ve got plenty more where that came from.”

Caleb fell back into his throne and raised an eyebrow. “So what do you want?”

“Just food,” said Lucy. “And some meds if you got any. My brother is recovering from a knee injury. We don’t want any trouble.”

“Okay,” he said. “Bring me the rest, and I promise you a lifetime supply of as much food and medicine as you can possibly want!”

Lucy raised an eyebrow. “I’ll bring you one every week, for a week’s supply.”

“Are you casting doubt upon a King’s promise?” Caleb rose up from his throne again, deeply offended.

“I merely propose a bargain,” said Lucy. “Your highness.”

“Two a week,” declared the Boxing King. “Starting today.”

“Deal,” said Lucy. “Let us take your leave, for now. And we shall return with what you desire.”

CalebGOD69420 nodded and dismissed them with a gesture and a loud grunt.

They turned around and started walking briskly. “What are you doing?” Aiden whispered to Lucy, out of earshot of the others. “We don’t have any more of these!”

“Just walk away,” said Lucy.

They passed a small speaker perched atop a stand on the side, through which they heard CalebGOD’s whispered voice: “Follow them to their stash and take them out. And don’t create a scene.”

The moron had forgotten to turn his mic off before issuing the command.

The crowd was far enough away from the speakers that the murmured voice didn’t reach them. They were too occupied to care anyway.

But Lucy and Aiden, being so close to the speaker, heard it loud and clear.

Lucy looked at Aiden and said, “Time to run!”

***

“I told you this rock was trouble!” Lucy said panting as they sprinted out and away from the parking lot.

“I’m sorry!” Aiden cried. “I’ll throw it away right now—”

“No!” said Lucy. “At least we now know it’s valuable. So valuable that those guys are willing to kill for it.”

“Do you think we should go back and just give it to them?”

“No point,” said Lucy. “They clearly want to keep it a secret, so they’ll kill us anyway.”

“Why did you tell them we have more?!”

“I had to! Otherwise they’d take the one we have on us right then and there, and kill us anyway!”

“Arrggh!” Aiden blasted out in frustration. “Why is everything out to kill us? It’s like being isekai’d into some horror world without any powers! Can’t I just hit myself on the head somewhere and wake up back to my own reality?”

“Not a chance,” said Lucy. “This is real life, Aiden.”

They ran as fast as their body would allow it in this weak state. Lucy guided Aiden through sharp turns and shortcuts. She planned to lose them not through speed, but by breaking their line of sight.

After hopping over some garden rails and bolting through strange alleys, Aiden finally recognized where they were headed.

“Stop!” he yelled.

Lucy pulled him behind a dumpster. “What? Does your knee hurt?”

“No,” said Aiden, struggling to breathe. “My knees fine. It’s just that… phew… we’re going the wrong way.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re headed toward Darby Terminal, aren’t we? Didn’t you hear that couple from before?”

“What couple?”

“Those guys… stopped by that bouncer dude… They said there are demons in the sewer close to Darby Terminal!”

“Impossible!” Lucy gasped. “Both the spider and the snake were toasted. There’s no way they survived that!”

“I know,” said Aiden, still trying to catch his breath. “But there may be others.”

The realization slowly dawned upon Lucy. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?!”

“I thought you knew! I thought you heard that couple. My bad I guess.”

“What did they say, exactly? What sewer? What street?”

“I don’t know,” said Aiden. “Just sewer… around Darby Terminal.”

“We’re far from Darby Terminal still,” said Lucy. “But we’re on one of the streets leading to it. It’s all connected in the underground anyway.”

Aiden looked around. This street was much emptier than any other. Almost deserted.

There was no one here.

So everyone else already knew. They’d been avoiding this whole area like the plague.

Lucy seemed to have noticed the same thing. “Listen, we can’t go back. I don’t know whether they’re far enough away. I also don’t know how many of his goons are looking for us.” She looked around. “We go straight through that long alley, and turn north. I think that should be enough to lose them.”

“What if they never stop hunting us?”

“Can’t think about that right now, Aiden. Let’s go.”

They crossed the street and headed into the dark alleyway. The dark grey clouds above had only grown thicker.

They stopped as soon as they entered the alley.

“What the hell is he doing here?” blurted Lucy, perplexed. Aiden was equally confused.

Cecil—the bum from earlier, who had given them the idea to trade the rock for food—was on his knees in the middle of the length of the alleyway, facing a large green dumpster. He seemed to be chanting something.

Upon a closer look, Lucy and Aiden saw exactly what he was chanting at.

A glowing blue rock was nested on top of the dumpster, wrapped nicely in a red velvet shawl.

“I ready you for the master!” said Cecil. “I ready you for the master! Hear me! I READY YOU FOR THE MASTER!

Lucy and Aiden remained glued in place. Aiden was sure that Lucy had the same doubts that he was having:

Will he try to grab them if they try to run past him?

If he was indeed that loyal to his master, can they just overpower him and shove him aside?

If not, can they sneak past him?

“Let’s pass him quietly,” said Lucy. Aiden nodded.

The moment they took their first few steps toward him, a large figure appeared at the other end of the alleyway.

“Cecil!” The large man tried to sound deeper, but his voice was nothing but a squeak when shouting. “Get out of the way!” he said as he stood his ground on the main street, right outside the other end of the alley, aiming a black handgun.

The old bum shot both his hands up in the air. “Don’t shoot Cecil! Don’t shoot Cecil! Cecil did nothing wrong!”

“Get out of the way!” The large man repeated himself.

The bum named Cecil ran past him with both his hands still up in the air. “Take the rock to the master!” he told the man as he flew past him.

It was one of the Boxing King’s goons. The same one who had escorted Lucy and Aiden.

“Just walk out of the alley toward me,” he said pointing the gun at them both. “Slowly!”

Lucy and Aiden complied.

Aiden gulped.

This was it.

They were caught.

The rock at the top of the dumpster suddenly began to glow brighter, and the skies turned even darker. The part of Aiden’s thigh that touched against the rock in his pocket burned hot.

Was it some reaction caused by the two rocks coming together?

“What are you doing?” said the man holding the gun in a terrified voice. “Stop that!”

“I’m not doing anything!” Aiden cried. “We’ll stop walking if you tell us to!”

The man looked confused. His eyes bounced between the rock atop the dumpster and the one in Aiden’s pocket like following a sped-up tennis match. “Well,” he said in a quivering voice, “then STO—”

He couldn’t finish.

A large, crocodile-like demon burst out from the maintenance hole right behind the armed man. It opened its jaw wide and nabbed the man across his wide, round belly. Its jaw landed flat on the ground at the end of its leap, with the man’s fat body clasped firmly inside his bite. The demon then dragged the man back down the hole; the brute force with which he was pulled through the small opening snapped his spine in two.

“Shit!” Lucy gasped. “Holy shit! What the hell was that?!”

Aiden knew Lucy may freeze in fear again. He had to be the level-headed one this time around.

He took one quick look at the rock atop the dumpster, which was now an arm’s length away from Lucy, and it had stopped glowing.

“Lucy!” said Aiden. “Grab that rock and run!”

Lucy didn’t respond. Her eyes were stuck at the open maintenance hole.

Aiden grabbed her with both hands and tried to shake her awake. “Lucy, he’s gone. The monster’s gone. Now come on!”

“Right,” said Lucy, slowly coming back to her senses. She grabbed the rock on the dumpster and they ran right back the way they came.

“We’re never stepping foot on that street again,” said Lucy. “Or anywhere near Darby Terminal!”

“Where should we go now?” Aiden asked.

“Away from here!” said Lucy.

Aiden could tell that they were still headed north, but from an area that was close to the Boxing King’s ring, which means it was definitely being swept by his goons.

But he knew Lucy wasn’t worried about that anymore. They sprinted north will all their strength, and were soon safely past and away from the boxing ring.

They must have run without halting for a good twenty minutes now. Or was it thirty? Which means they must have fled from the parking lot over forty minutes ago, at least. Aiden could feel his legs giving up.

“Through here,” said Lucy, grabbing Aiden’s arm and turning left into another alleyway. This one was much shorter than the one before, and certainly looked far safer. However, it led straight into a thick red wall.

A dead end.

“Wait behind that pole,” said Lucy. “I’m going to peek out and check whether we were followed. Put that trashcan next to the wall and stand on top of it, ready to climb over the wall in case I come back running. Understand?”

Aiden nodded.

He was about to grab the trashcan, when suddenly—

A bullet struck it with a loud clank. Missing Aiden by an inch.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Almost immediately, he was shoved back behind the pole by Lucy. She took cover behind a dumpster across him.

Someone aimed down the short alleyway with a gun.

How? How were they always finding us?

“Well, um,” said the man. His slender silhouette plastered on the ground before him showed Aiden that he held his gun in one hand and removed a large coin from his pocket with the other. He then began tossing it.

Aiden immediately recognized him. It was that man in the purple jacket from before; one of the goons at the boxing ring parking lot.

“That was supposed to be a warning shot,” the man called out. “Sorry if it hit you.”

Aiden quickly checked Lucy. There was no sign of her being hit. He then checked himself, and he seemed fine too.

But he was absolutely terrified.

Lucy noticed the look on his face and took a deep breath. “Okay,” she called out to the assailant. “We got the rock. You can have it. Just let us live.”

“Come out with your hands over your head first,” said the gunman. “Slowly.”

Lucy shut her eyes and shook her head. “You stay right there!” she shouted, both at the gunman and at Aiden. She sounded shaken; tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I wouldn’t dare move,” said the gunman smugly.

Lucy slowly emerged from behind the dumpster with her hands raised. She didn’t take a single step toward the gunman and stood directly in front of Aiden.

She didn’t dare take her gaze off the gunman.

“Toss the rock to me now,” said the man, his gun pointed straight at Lucy’s chest.

“I’m going to reach into my pocket now,” said Lucy, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “And take the rock out, okay?” More tears tumbled down her cheeks.

“Any funny move and I shoot you,” said the gunman in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. “I can take the rock off your dead body. But I’m being generous, you see? You’re too beautiful to waste.”

Lucy gulped. “Promise me you’ll let us go.”

The gunman scoffed. “As if you’re in any position to make demands, darling! But sure, I promise you. Now hand it over.”

Lucy slowly reached inside her pocket. But she suddenly froze. Her face lost all color.

“What’s wrong?” asked the gunman.

“It’s with my brother,” said Lucy. “I’m gonna grab it from him, okay? And then I’ll toss it to you.”

“Are you playing games?” The gunman sounded suspicious, but his voice was still entirely calm. “I’d advise against it.”

“No games,” said Lucy. “Just let me take it from him.”

“Quickly,” said the gunman. He now held his long-barrel with both hands, as Aiden could tell from his silhouette.

“Aiden,” said Lucy, slowly turning her head to face him. She looked absolutely terrified. “Toss the rock to me, will you?”

Aiden nodded and reached into his pocket.

He was shocked. All blood drained from his head in an instant. His hands poked out of a hole burnt in his right pocket. The part of his thigh that the rock poked against had a circular burn, freshly branded.

Aiden’s heart pounded through his t-shirt. Somehow, the rock had burned a hole in his pocket and fallen through. This must have happened back at that alleyway where the crocodile-demon had nabbed that fat guy, and the other rock and glowed bright.

Aiden looked at Lucy in horror, and shook his head.

“Okay,” said Lucy turning her head slowly back at the gunman. “Look, we may have dropped it while running—”

“I told you.” The gunman cut her off. “No games.”

He steadied his aim and cocked his gun.

“Lucy, no!” Aiden shrieked and sprang forward, pushing Lucy out of the line of fire and back into cover behind the dumpster.

Aiden’s screech echoed off the walls of the narrow alley, which had momentarily distracted the gunman.

“Holy shit I thought you were coming at me from behind!” he said chuckling. “Anyway, I’m glad that it’s you and not her.”

He quickly aimed the long barrel of his silver revolver at Aiden and—

BANG!

The force made Aiden bend down and clutch his belly. He felt no pain. Not yet. Mostly because of the adrenaline, he figured.

His vision began to blur.

At least it would be quick, he thought. And painless.

And he’d saved Lucy.

Oh please, he prayed. Please save Lucy.

Aiden weakly raised his palms to his eyes. There was no blood. Which confused him. Had the bullet sprayed it all behind him?

He raised his head to look at the gunman, who was equally confused.

Aiden still felt no pain. He was able to lift his head back up, but not without enormous struggle.

The gunman touched the barrel of his gun and pulled his finger away in reflex. He then aimed it at Aiden once again and fired a second shot.

It should have hit his head.

Aiden had read about it in books, seen it multiple times in movies and anime and manga. A shot to the head is the quickest end. Everything instantly goes black.

Why, then?

Why was he still conscious?

Were they wrong? Does it not instantly go black?

Does it take a while?

He lifted his head further up. His vision was slowly returning. He saw his assailant’s hands tremble uncontrollably.

It was the gunman’s face that now looked terrified.

“Demon…” he murmured and shot at Aiden four more times in quick succession.

Aiden felt none of it.

The gunman was finally convinced. “Demon!” he screamed, absolutely horrified, his gaze fixed at something above Aiden’s head.

Had he turned into a spirit already?

Aiden slowly turned around, still clutching his belly. He spotted Lucy in the corner with both her hands clasped around her open mouth; her eyes red with tears. A drone hovered above her, that quickly flew away when Aiden noticed it.

So that’s how they’d been tracking us.

He slowly turned a little more and looked up.

A silhouette of a man crouched over the wall at the alley’s dead end. The watch on his wrist glowed blue against the backdrop of the dark grey skies. A small, mechanical head popped out of his backpack having a long, slender neck, and glowing blue eyes.