We'll start off in a shady alleyway, just off the street with neon signs and closed shops. Deeper into the backstreet is an entrance to an old cemetery, the city's abandoned burial site, two men in heavy plated vests looked into. The guy with the frosted tips (garbage haircut btw, abysmal of a fuckin- who tf made that popular back then anyways? geez I'm killing this character so goddamn fast) took a hit from the vape through a straw threaded through his sleeves. Inhale with his artificial lungs, HIT, cough, then blow. Fwooosh~~ Look down the damp, null tiles reflecting the otherwise vibrant hues cast by neon cyber lights behind him. Other guy, huge guy, dark skin, wide shoulders towering over the frosted tips guy. Green glowing eyes like Kumala Savesta, luminous cybernetic circuitry embedded in his hardened skin like Jack from the Tekken series.

"Sure he's in there?"

Ugly hair guy looks at him with a pointy stare.

"He'll be there. Gf's deathmonthsary. No way he'd miss that." HIT, HIT, Eherm, blow. Fwooosh~~

"Right. Let's make this quick and report back. Don't want no Five-O snoopin 'round our business. I's already hell with that old ass scientist tryna uncover our sh*t." Crew cut black guy steps into the nightlight.

Frosted tips guy pushed black guy's chest to hide him back in shade. HIT, blow fwoosh~~.
"Chill Bart, don't worry about it. All is in control, mine."
Bart leans his heavy ahh into the building side. Gloves into his jacket pockets, crack his neck GRIK-GRIK "Your word, Juan. Sh*t goes wrong, it's on you."
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From the urban shops to the alleyway, a guy in a trench coat strolls toward the two waiting figures. He looks like Green Day guy back in the day when cool white boys still made it big making rock/emo music, Billie Joe Armstrong. So yeah, black guyliner, lips, hair with emo accessories, all that good stuff. Slim build, his coat's the reason his figure is somewhat reaching and a metal glove for his prosthetic arm. Reaches inside his coat, a rare scarce cigarette and a vintage lighter. Stick to the lip, lighter up, SHTICK! SHTICK! Stop walking, SHTICK! SHTICK! Bwoof-shhhhhh. There we go.
"Damien! You ready? This yo initiation. Impress Juan and you in." Raise fist, emo guy bumps it
"Ye, Ye, Ye" Ugly hair guy nods and raises rock, emo guy fists him too.
"Let's just get this over with."
The trio steps into the nightlight with focused faces. There was moonlight, but the city's beacon tower called the Luxanna tower overshines that of her goddess Luna. Dark clouds doom gloom the city of Lumina Prime in the background. Neon lights, traffic lights, cop lights, flash lights, spotlights, strobe lights, street lights muffle through the thick atmosphere, all of the lights, all of the lights.
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We arrive at District 17, Kalye 38, Hunderson Graveyard. Forgotten, abandoned. Gray footing, dark steel tombs. Last of the remaining cemeteries without commercials and RGB lights on epitaphs. Most of the corpses have been moved, or left behind. That's why the small place is full of dug up holes and untendered caskets. A visibly aged man along with a teenager (No it's not Rick and Morty) squeezes themselves in-between two buildings and under a crashed car just to enter the site. The two made sure not make any noise despite there being crunchy cockroaches, Shishy plastics and aluminum cans. Scan the area, look at the rooftops, continue walking. Eventually, the middle-age man leads the boy to a grave.

"Maverick, your mother." Points to a grave with the name, Nada Sheridan.
"No? Mom's at home, caged, where you left her."

Old man gave the boy a condemning judgement look. Maverick broke eye contact, head down.

"I shall get my revenge, no matter what. What they've done to you, to me." Brows point, nose crunch.

Maverick's unusually square pupils caught something in the dark. In his poor night vision, he noticed figures sneaking up to them both. The boy tugged the sweater of his father. Pointed at the three for his father to see.

"Damn, aight." Juan nods in disapproval and amazement at the same time. He leads his buddies into the light the Luxanna tower shines from afar, casting their own shadows up front. The three enter the main gate.

"Professor Sheridan." Juan called out with a grin.

Sheridan refuses to look back. Just eye on the grave. Hands sheathed in his smart pants. Maverick holds on to his dad. Damien sees the fear in the boy's eyes.

"You knew it would come to this, heh. Just didn't exp-"
"Didn't expect the response to be sooner, yes I didn't." Sheridan combs his freckled slicked back hair with his wrinkly fingers.

Finally, the scientist turns. Eye to eye, one serious, one mischievous, but both dangerous. Sheridan kept his chin up, Juan went low.

"You see, curiosity is a gift. You've achieved a lot, professor. But do know that too much of something is bad!" Juan mocked the old man as he walk side to side.
"Kidnapping innocent people and animals, experimenting on unwilling subjects, smuggling equipment, steali-"
"YOU DO NOT HAVE THE GROUND TO LECTURE ME ABOUT MORALITY!" Sheridan snapped at Juan.
"Woah..." Eyes wide and head shake, Juan looked back at his buddies and chuckled.
"You've dugged too deep, old wrinkly-ass bitch. Just like the cat, we'll kill yo ahh too." Bartholomew replied with stone cold eyes.

"Everything I've done, all for humanity!" Sheridan shouts as he removes his son's hand.
"How could you not be grateful? I've given us an edge to Primitia's residents AND the demons, and you side yourselves to THEM?!" Saliva spitting, hands twitching, this guy tweakin fr.

As Sheridan monologues, Damien steps back from Juan and Bart who's walking towards the scientist. Emo guy slowly moves away from his buddies' cone of visions to approach the troubled teenager. Sheridan steps up a grave to look at the sky. Reached his hand out and pumped his chest out!
"Lumina Prime was MY canvas, MY experiment! But these demons, Ooohh! These insidious impostors, crept into my masterpiece. I played God, yes, but only to elevate us beyond this mundane existence. The demons – parasites, wretched deceivers!" His beard is now like a wet noodle

Damien and Maverick meets. They're just about the same height lol.
"Get out of here, now." Damien holds the teen's arm.
"Why? I want to see that monster die!"
"Your feelings are all over the place. You don't know how to feel, but trust me, you don't want to see someone die." Damien looked at the teen with sunken eyes. Maverick matched his stare. Damien's heart sunk.

 

"I've seen worse." Maverick tries to remove Damien's hand.
"No. He's still your father. It will still leave you scarred, now come on." Damien starts pulling Maverick away.
"I don't trust you! Get away from me! I want to see!" The teen bites the metal hand, cracking a tooth. He ouches. Damien looked at the kid for a second before continuing.

Sheridan jumps down and meets Juan and Bart head on. The two were stopped on their tracks as his words became frenzied crescendo. "I tore into flesh, spliced genes, seeking strength for our people. Night vision, super strength – gifts to face the looming darkness. Yet, darkness now surrounds me. My sins laid bare, but comprehend, I did it for you, for us!"
"I've had enough of this n-" Bart grunts and tries to grab Sheridan's neck, but his hand is repelled by the electric shock.

"What the fuck?!" Bart shakes his hand. Juan whipped out his piece and shot Sheridan. The bullet breaks the invisible thin shield. A shockwave sends the three flying away from each other. Maverick pushes Damien away. Bartholomew helped Juan up. Sheridan stands unfazed. With a twisted grin, he glares into the abyss. "I may be a monster in your eyes, but in the war of demons versus humanity, I choose us! My experiments, tainted as they are, were my futile attempt to protect Lumina Prime. My demise, a tragic curtain fall!"
Bartholomew charges and powers up his arms. SHWOOOOOOOO-VUP! Bart clenched his teeth and fists then BAM! Sheridan breaks through a tombstone. Coughing, clenching, crying like a baby. Oh but he was not done. He ecstatically got up and SCREAMED AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS, ARMS SHAKING, LEGS TREMBLING

"HUMANITY PREVAIL! DEFEND THE LIIIIGGGHTT!!!"

Bartholomew was taken aback. Juan elbows him to the side and shoots Sheridan.

One.

Last.

Time.

Damien SLAMS Maverick to a wall. Forcing his hands on the teen's head.
"LOOK AT ME!"
But alas, Maverick didn't. He kicked Damien's balls and ran back to the cemetery. TOG TOG TOG TOG TOG. The silencer silenced the scientist. Emptied six rounds into Sheridan's chest. The boy froze. Sheridan steps back. Hands on his chest. Blood running down his arms and legs. He starts to fall on his back. But before he bites the dust, he turns his body the opposite way.

The Luxanna tower. A beacon of hope and progress. In times of darkness, she stands to pierce through. His teary eyes can barely see.

 

"Unity... In Humanity..." 

 

Juan blocks the view with a gun pointed.

"Pussy..."

TOG.

 

Juan sheathes his gun. HIT, HIT, Eherm, blow. Fwooosh~~
"Finally. All this yappin, sick of his ass." Bartholomew remarked beside Juan, both looking down at the dead man. Damien appears behind Maverick. He rested his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Tough situation. A confusing one too. I... I don't know how you feel right now, nor do I know
how to fix anything, but I know what's best for now. For you. Come, Maverick."

Maverick faces Damien. Eye to eye, one teary, one dreary, but both in melancholy. The teen breathes in hard to slurp back the snot and hold back tears. Lips shivering, Damien pulled the boy into his arms. Slowly but surely his façade starts to crack, whimpers slipping out as he stares into nothing. Maverick's unusually pointed ears caught the sound of leaves rustling. Bartholomew kicks Sheridan's corpse into a crater, bust open the casket and shove his body inside along with a skeleton. Juan swaggered to Maverick and Damien, spinning the gun in his hand.

"The FUCK are YOU doing?"

Damien pulled Maverick behind him.

"All this time? You worried about that stupid kid? Mane, you not cut out for this shit!" Juan declared as he aims the gun at both of them. Damien parted his trench coat like curtains, unveiling a concealed pistol. Juan chuckled.

"Mane, get the fuck out the way. We should kill the kid too. Don't want no loose ends,
revenge type shit."

"We're only here for the old man. Let the kid go."

"We popped this kid dad in front of his revengeful dad, and you expect him not to do the same his dad did? Come on mane, move."

As Bartholomew follows Juan, he hears leaves rustling. Stopped him in his tracks, "Ain't no trees nor leaves in the city, let 'lone a gotdamn cemetery." Bart whispered to himself, as he look around him. He then hears droplets. Eyes vigilant, he searched for the source of liquid dropping.

From building roofs, down to the walls, there are red stains and tracks. Steaming, sizzling. His gaze followed the trail into a window. A leaf cape slithers inside, ending the trail.

"Hol on, what..." Bart covered his mouth with his hand. He moved around to see the building better at a slow and cautious pace. His eyes stuck on the shattered windows.
Green strokes glowed in the shadows, defining a woman's body.

"Who tf..."

Finally, she steps into the night light. Snake nose-like hood, red scaled suit, and stretchy smooth white for her torso and articulations. Bartholomew couldn't warn his buddies, he froze like I was when I first saw a snake on the dirt road. He could feel his arms, legs, stiffen up. The fem figure raises a sling shot designed like a snake's fork tongue. Aim. Ssssssstretch.

"Get the fuck out of the way, Damien, or I'm gonna have to kill you too!" Juan threatened with his gun.

Damien whipped out his Deagle and entered a stand-off with Juan.

 

"You pu-" SHHHHEEEOO-BWUUUSH!! A METAL BALL PIERCES THROUGH JUAN'S UGLY HEAD, CRUSHING HIS SKULL. His brain matter splattered all over the gray dirt. Blood splashed over Damien and Maverick's faces. The boy stumbles over a tomb and pukes all over his face.

"FUCK!" Bartholomew called out with his hands at the back of his head.

Juan's body swayed, but he kept standing. With his remaining eye, he saw the figurine jump out the window and shoot another ball to dismember his hand. His gun dropped. Damien picks Maverick up.

"I have to get you out of here" Damien said with a shaky and speedy voice. He hurriedly carried the teen, draping his arm around both shoulder and neck, guiding them both to safety with a determined stride.

"ARGUGHUGH!!! SCURLEURNT SERPENT!!!" Juan's mouth gurgled the blood running down his lumpy face. His skin's torn open, muscles sizzling and brain boiling. Horns pierces through his head, skin turning red and muscles bulking like Tank from Left 4 Dead.

Bartholomew, still couldn't move, had an internal dialogue that goes "RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! FUCK THAT SHIT, I'M OUT, FUCK THAT FUCK THAT RUN!"

The Scarlet Serpent parkours over a rusty car and sling shoot Juan's legs off. After immobilizing him, she then rushes in. SHING! Fang Daggers out, leap, SHIK! DEEP INTO JUAN'S EYES, backflips by pushing off his muscular demon body, Fang Daggers turn green, emitting green poison and smoke, throw it like a dart, SHUK! INTO JUAN'S CHEST! He steps back to the building, she slides below his balls, braces her legs against the wall and leverages her back to push him to the ground head first. (Or technically, daggers first) Scarlet Serpent drops to the ground, flips herself over and picks herself up. Jumps on a garbage can and SLAM JUAN'S ASS DOWN LIKE A FUCKING WWE MOVE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Dagger dug deep, piercing his heart. She rolls over to Juan's side and pushes his massive body just a bit (she couldn't lift him that much) just to get her daggers back.

"Fwoo! Good shit". Scarlet Serpent remarked as she catches her breathe. She turns around to see Bartholomew still watching. He RAN AWAY AS FAST AS HE CAN, HE'S LIKE "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! PLEASE BRO PLEASE BRO PLEASE DAMN BRO PLEASE!"

Bro just ran to the best he can, eyes squinted, arms swinging, and lungs aching. Now he's on a lonely road, with residential buildings, away from the cemetery. Then there are homeless people on the way asking
"Can I get some mon-"
"MOVE YOU MOTHER BITCH MAN!"

Bart looks up and sees her jumping from one rooftop to another like the black stick figures we imagined as kids when we were on the window seats.

"Come on, big boy." She whispered in between her exhales.
The Scarlet Serpent jumped off the building and glided with her leafy wings like Batman did in his Arkham games. She was supposed to land at Bart but he turned quickly into a nightclub.
"CROWD! YES! SLIP IN! I'M OUT!" Bartholomew yelled out loud as he pushed the bouncer aside and hurried inside.

The Scarlet Serpent hits a traffic light and falls down on a car. Windows shatter and car hood bents. She ouches and holds her back.

"Oh my god! My car!" the driver complained.

The driver tried to get out of the car, but the scent of the leaf cape knocked her out. The Scarlet Serpent laid back, hung her head down. From this vantage point, with an upside down view, she witnessed Bartholomew hastily rush into the nightclub.

"Ah Shit..." She whispered in a disappointing tone, palm on her forehead.
…
…
…

Damien stands outside a bar named "Dig Bick Randy" under the pouring rain. He's looking up the neon sign like he's the guy (me) in Bladerunner (literally me fr) looking at the "you look lonely" girl (me btw).

A young lad from inside the bar exits, removing his apron and pulling out his cigar. His name tag is, you guessed it, the man himself buddy "Randy".

"Smoke bra-"

Randy looks at Damien for a second before putting his cigar back in his bag and pulling out a waterproof vape. He joined him in the rain. Lean on a pole and vaped besides our boy.

"Know the meme? I know it's old, but it's still funny to me" chuckles through the nose

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, haha." HIT Blow Pwooof~

.

.

"I like your style. You always stand out in the crowd when you come around every once and a while. Do you vape?"

"No. Cig is enough."

"Word, bruh. Oh, I learned this new mix, they said it'll hit you like a drunk dad after coming home. Wanna try?"

Damien cracks a smile. Randy showed the door.

"You got me. You're really good at luring in customers."

"What? Nah, you don't even need to pay. Just drink and chill, it's on me for tonight."

The two entered the bar. An immediate chill enveloped them as their wet clothes clung to their skin. Randy exchanged greetings with the guard, guiding Damien to a drying section where a gust of hot wind swept from head to toe.

"Oh, just to uhh. Yeah, a warning, next time you come, It won't be free. Gotta get that paper for my umm... something. And trust me, you will come back. Drinks here are high quality, performed by highly skilled employees."

Randy seats Damien and vaults over the counter, adorned with high-tech glasses and wrist support. Holograms materialize, and robotic hands emerge, reaching for the array of spirits behind him. The bar counter bathes in a sudden baby blue glow as the glass pane ascends, prompting Damien to withdraw his hands.

"Crazy, right? Just sit tight." Randy begins entering instructions and amounts into the system. Damien observes as the robotic hands expertly pour various drinks behind Randy.

"Randy, babes. Need me a few thousands to order refills, thankies over."

Randy retrieves his wallet, swiping his card on the counter's connected reader.

"Got it, babes," he responds, then turns to Damien. "That was Leon, my gal. Counter 3, second floor. You should meet him; he's quite the character."

Finally, the cocktail is ready, effortlessly sliding over to Damien. He expresses gratitude to Randy before savoring his drink, sip tap-tap-tap-sip sip. Meanwhile, a hologram of another young lady materializes beside Randy.

"Hey Randy. How much ice again for Toni's Ballad?" she inquires, leaning on the counter.

"Hey Sandy. Not much, add a hint of Louise' right after dunking the ice balls," Randy replies.

Sandy thanks him and vanishes. Randy leans on the counter. "Sandy, Counter 2. A beginner, but promising. Hardworking for a student, might give her my
recommendations this year," Randy remarks.

Damien just nods, taking another sip as Randy prepares himself a drink.

.

.

"So... Do you want to talk about it? Like, why were you outside, in the rain?"

.
Damien sighs and takes off his glasses. Randy pulls his chair and sits down to listen.
.
.
.
"It's all me. It's... always been my fault..."
Music slowly muffling...

.

.

.
"I just can't... Do anything right, you know?"
Vision purposely blurring...

.

.

.
"I just... Make everything worse... For everyone..."
Randy slips in a message, "Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure you've done a lot of good, you just don't notice. I mean, you inspire me, in a way."
Damien thanks him briefly and nods.
"Now this..."

.

.

Hand to his forehead, massage, massage...

.

.

.
What have I gotten myself into..."

.

.

.
Slide down to cover his nose and mouth...
Randy sips his own drink, "Do you mind sharing?"
…
"Are you clean?"
"I've heard worse stories. I have knowledge from patrons who will get them into jail, I just don't for uhh... Cha-Ching."

Damien looks around the bar. Everyone seems to be minding their own business.

He leans close, "You've heard of the news just hours ago? About the demons at the cemetery?"
Randy puts down his drink. He leans over and listens attentively.

"I saw the whole thing go off, right in front of me. The gruesome death of that demon. To be deceived, finding out that a friend is not really what he seems to be. I don't even know if my other friend is alive. All that matters now is m-... Me."

"Woah, you know those guys? What's it about? Is it a gang war? Infamous Prof Sheridan was there..."

"I do. It's more of a... Cult thing, rather than usual gang violence. Which always means they have some sort of secret hideout. Satanic bullshit, rituals, a glimpse into their thing. I wasn't allowed inside, they said I had to pass an initiation thing."

A message flickered on Randy's glasses, from a contact named "Vee." Damien attempted to peek, but his vision blurred. After putting his glasses back on, Randy had already moved away.

"There's someone fighting on the second floor, I'll be back for your story, I promise!"
Randy dashed from the counter, ascending the stairs. Damien sighed, resuming his sips, occasionally removing his glasses to gaze at the lights above. He can hear the robotic arms doing something in the back. Bottle popping, glass clicking, pen writing.
.
.
.
Abruptly, a cold glass grazes his arm. Replacing his previous, he discovers a drink
accompanied by a note. Damien gets the fuck outta there, exiting the bar as fast as he can. Why? well, let's see what's on the note...
…
…
…

"Have a drink, on me", Scarlet Serpent.