The young man stared in shock and horror at the entourage that followed his attacker, feeling their smiling stares peer into his very soul. His mind was barely able to register his attacker’s strange words, as it screamed at him to run…

However, his body did not seem to respond to him, as his legs merely trembled and a scream formed on his lips…

Jack: “Who are you guys?! What do you want?! Why are you trying to kill me?! Did I do something to one of you, and what the f*ck did I do to make you want to kill me this badly?!?!”

The masked figures merely stood in silence as his cries seemed to blow over them without reaching their ears. Moments passed as blood passed through the young man’s fingers, staining the cold pavement that now felt as if it was frigid…

The stranger at the head of the group then began to speak…

???: “Jack, jack, jack...You misunderstand us, and our intentions...Indeed, you will feel some discomfort, but I assure you...this encounter is mutually beneficial for all involved...though it favors us considerably more.~”

The stranger spoke in a playful tone, swapping his attention between the young man, bleeding on the ground and the knife that he was making dance in his palm. The group behind him stayed silent, but they all kept their chilling gazes firmly locked on him.

Having been denied a real answer, and feeling deeply disturbed, the young man finally felt ready to run for his life. However, he kept his eyes pinned to the sinister group, waiting for his chance to escape...when suddenly, he heard an audible click.

He scanned the group, thinking that it was merely more strange individuals joining their number, but his eyes locked onto a strange shifting in the back of their ranks, a few of them moving aside for a figure he couldn’t see clearly, but before he could make out who it was…

[Bang!]

A loud bang erupted from the crowd, along with a brief spark! The ringing forced the young man to cover his ears in pain, while everyone in the opposing group seemed to be completely unfazed, standing completely still while their eyes grinned at their prey…

The young man, guided by the moonlight, turned his attention to a minuscule fracture in the pavement that lay under a crushed piece of metal. He was utterly horrified at the sight that had occurred in front of him, mere feet away...someone had shot at him!

He now looked into the group, again, directing his gaze from memory towards where the spark had flashed in his vision to find a girl, with her index finger on the trigger of a handgun. She wore a pair of black track pants, a sky-blue t-shirt that revealed a small portion of her lower abdomen, and a pair of black gloves in addition to her crescent mask.

At this point, an annoying voice chimed in…

???: “Dammit, Liv! When you said that you could get your dad’s gun, I thought that meant that you had used it before, but you missed him!’”

The gruff, accent-ridden voice came from another slightly shorter girl and...slightly rounder than the would-be ‘sniper’ she was shouting at.

‘Liv’: “The goddess told me that it didn’t matter if I miss once or twice so…!”

Suddenly, a taller figure pried the gun from the girl’s hand, shoving her out of the way before seemingly acquainting himself with the firearm, running his fingers across its short barrel.

???: “Becca, none of us care if she misses once, just look at how scared the tard over there is! He almost looks like he’ll piss his pants at any moment, so why not let me have a try?”

‘Becca’: “She didn’t ask you to shoot for her, you dumbass!”

‘Liv’: “Give me back the gun, I have to…!”

While the crowd’s attention was focused on the argument that had broken out between the three teens, the young man, although extremely frightened at the appearance of a gun, had begun his escape, wrapping his wound in a piece of fabric torn from his shirt before bolting towards the open end of the alleyway!

However, his knife-wielding nemesis, seemingly having had enough of having his prey taken from him, charged after him, raising his arm above his head as he ran after the young man!

???: “Hahaha!!! Yes, that’s right, she said that the one who delivered the finishing blow would be granted even greater power, so I’ll be the person who finishes you off, Jack!!!”

The young man ran with all his might, adrenaline coursing through his veins! The person chasing him quickly began to catch up, reaching a distance where he could nearly snag the blue hood hanging from the young man’s vest, however, he still couldn’t catch him!

A disorganized march soon sounded from behind the two, prompting the knife-wielder to turn his gaze to view that his ‘comrades’ were now giving chase as well, seemingly having been incited by his earlier words!

???: “Alfie, you little sh*t! I’m not letting you take all the rewards for yourself!!!”

A member of the crowd yelled at the knife-wielder, before charging out of the crowd and knocking him back with a punch! The young man, however, did not see any of this unfolding, only caring about preserving his own life as he turned the corner, finally escaping the alleyway as his pursuers continued their chase!

Suddenly, though, he was knocked off the sidewalk into the street, crashing onto the pavement!

Jack: “Son of a b*tch!!!”

Looking up, the young man saw another person wearing a crescent mask, wearing a black hoodie with a space invaders sprite on it and a medical mask that covered his nose and mouth, walking towards him while cracking his knuckles, seemingly to intimidate him...

[Bang!]

A gunshot sounded from behind, creating a small flash of sparks between the young man and his assailant! A bearded man with short blonde hair appeared behind the young man, holding a small gun that was pointed at the hooded figure...

???: “What the f*ck are you doing?! I have him, he’s mine!”

???: “You should shut up, I’m not ending up with the least blessings, and I’m sure as hell not going to let you kill him before I do!”

However, while the two were bickering, the man carrying the gun was hit in the face with a stone, stunning him and forcing him to the ground! The hooded boy looked towards where the young man had been, only to see that he was standing farther away, with his injured hand outstretched.

The two stared at each other for a short while, but were interrupted by the small crowd beginning to emerge from the alley! The young man quickly continued sprinting away as his pursuers chased after him in earnest!

[Bang!] [Bang!] [Bang!]

The calm moonlit night and empty town were now filled with angry shouts and gunfire as the otherworld continued to encroach on their sky...
...