The Pit hadn't changed much in the time I was gone. The city was still filled with criminals and insane homeless people that made it nearly impossible to walk the streets in peace. And the putrid smell certainly never went away. Maybe it got worse, somehow. The whole city reeked like an enormous mass of human waste decomposing in the open air.

I hid my hands in the pockets of my jacket, keeping a careful grip on my switchblade. I examined my surroundings carefully as I walked. I couldn't afford to be caught off guard. Crazed eyes followed me down the street from inside dark doorways and from the corners of crumbling buildings.

I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a grimy shop window. The Pit hadn't changed much, but I'd changed a lot. I wasn't a teenager anymore. I wasn't skinny and weak anymore. I was a man now, a man rippling with muscle. My face was covered with dark stubble. My black hair was cropped short, and my blue eyes had a hard edge to them. I was tough and ready for anything.

It had been three years since I was forced out of the Animal Brotherhood. The sharp pain in my limbs and the burning sensation in my chest had dulled with time. My memory of the event had become less vivid, more like something I'd dreamed up than something I'd lived through. The shock of it had worn off. All that was left now was hate. My stomach churned with hatred. The longer I walked in this filthy place, the more my skin crawled. Hate consumed me. It gnawed at my insides like a swarming colony of maggots.

I quickened my pace. I was getting sick just from breathing the air here. I wanted to run, to get off the street as fast as possible.

Continue walking. Watch your step. Watch everything around you. Don't let them get the drop on you.

The sun was setting, and the shadows of the buildings cast long, dark lines across the road. My palms were slick with sweat, and it took all my concentration to keep my hands from shaking. I finally arrived. I rushed up the steps to my new home. Once inside, I slammed the door shut and immediately locked it. I fell against the door, breathing hard. My backpack dropped to the floor with a thud.

I was safe. I was home.

There were still a lot of boxes left for me to unpack in my new apartment; otherwise, it was in fine condition. After taking a shower to clean off the blood and grime and changing into some fresh clothes, I felt a lot better.

I spent a few hours unpacking a few of the boxes I had left. I needed to buy more locks. The doors and windows weren't secure enough. I planned to get them all braced with metal bars sooner or later.

The apartment was small, but I didn't need a lot of space. I didn't have much furniture to begin with, or very many possessions at all, for that matter. A few boxes of clothes. A laptop. Some cooking equipment, a couch, a TV, four chairs, and a bed. There was no need for much else. Even though I intended to make a few changes here and there, my new apartment already felt like the safest and most comfortable place in the world.

"Hello? You home?" called a female voice from outside.
A gentle knock followed.

I set down the box of canned food I was holding and went to the front door to greet my guest.

Karen. My friend and former coworker, Karen, stood on the other side of my apartment door. I hadn't seen her in a long time. She was wearing a leopard print dress with a black skirt and leggings. Her long brown hair hung past her tanned shoulders. She had a large purse slung over her shoulder and held a pink gift box wrapped in white ribbon in her arms.

Using Soul Vision on Karen revealed a skinny mole-like demon with giant hands. I was happy to see it as lively as always, shaking and rubbing its clawed fingers. What a charming and lovable friend.

"Hey Karen, it's good to see you," I said, opening the door.
"You too, Rex!" she squealed, hugging me. "Welcome back to the big city!"

Karen took off her heels, handed them to me, and stepped inside. She looked around my new home with approving eyes, turning in a slow circle to examine the space.

"Nice place! And you have a balcony!" she said, poking her head around the corner. "Did you meet your neighbors yet? What's the building like?"
"The building is old, but it's in good shape. Haven't talked to any of the neighbors yet."

"I saw a cute girl next door taking out the trash when I got here. Maybe you can introduce yourself," she said with a wink, placing her pink box on the kitchen counter. "Here, this is from everyone at the gift shop. You should open it!"

I lifted the pink box, which was heavy for its size. Something hard shifted around inside it. I carefully tore the tape and lifted away a flap of thick wrapping paper, revealing a decorative bowl made of black crystal.

"This is beautiful," I said, running my fingers over the smooth, glossy surface. "I love it. I'll come by the shop soon to thank everyone."

"You should. Everyone wanted to buy you a gift, but I organized the contribution. TJ and Donnie really missed you after you left... Cookie too. Sheesh. We're all just glad you came back. I thought you hated it here," she said, twisting a curly strand of brown hair around her finger. "Why'd you move back?"
"I feel like this is where I belong. Even after a few years away from everything, I still thought about this place every day. I don't want to be anywhere else. You don't know how good it is to see you."

"Same here. I was really surprised to hear from you! I was worried you got into trouble or something."
"Nothing like that. If something did happen to me, you'd be the first to know... Can you stay for a bit? I want to make up for lost time."

It felt good catching up with Karen. I didn't realize how much I'd missed her. She stayed for a few drinks, and by the time she left, it was almost midnight. I walked her out, then brought the decorative bowl back to my bedroom. It sparkled like a diamond on my nightstand.

All that was left was to write in my journal, feed my pretty little pets, and go to bed.

I opened my well-worn black book to the first page. Written there were the names of the Brothers I swore a blood oath to.

Steel Cage, Twin Vision, Overdrive, Leech, Jackal, Worm, Crossbreed, Mud Crawler, Corpse Cricket, Chain Beast, Ash Vulture, Snake Fiend, Wild Tiger, Pale Octopus, Dream Dweller, Clay Pest, White Lamb, Devil Sparrow, Nesting Calamity, Laughing Flame, Split Favor, Dark Impulse, Guilty Shadow, Cursed Needle, Whispering Grudge, Dead End, Mindsway, Flesh Rake, Bloodspray, Snowfall, Dustwave, Souleater, Lowlife, Hellbent, Happy, Recluse, Replica, Psynoid, Turmoil...

Trapjaw, Stardust, Soulmask, Doom Dragon, Ghost Wolf, Nightmare...

Death Smoke.

I limply ran my fingers over the list of names. It was difficult to concentrate on the words. I could feel my emotions flaring up. My head started to pound.

I would kill every last one of them.