Chapter 2: Contact

He didn’t wait around for Ed or Rio. Who would? After what happened in that alley, sticking around felt like tempting fate.

The door clicked shut behind him, and for a moment, everything was quiet. Safe. Just four walls, a roof, and the illusion that monsters didn’t exist.

 He tossed his bag aside, changed into a plain black t-shirt and sweats, and grabbed his phone. His thumb hovered over Lura’s contact.

A message formed in his head: “Hey, saw something crazy. Some freak thing in an alley. Might’ve killed someone.”

 But then he imagined her response—panicked, or worse, dismissive.

He frowned. “She’ll probably think I’m joking… and if she doesn’t, she’ll worry.”

The message stayed unsent. The phone dropped onto the couch beside him.

“Whatever,” he muttered, sinking into the cushions. “Guess I’ll just be careful next time.”

The TV flicked on with a lazy thumb press. A movie played—a bloody revenge flick with a killer mom, swords, a dead daughter, something like that. Spark didn’t really watch it. He just stared in the general direction of the screen while his mind drifted.

He thumbed his phone open again and sent a quick message to Ed: “Bro let’s eat at Diddy Burger tomorrow.”

Then, without meaning to, he fell asleep—face down, body spread across the couch. His weight pressed the remote and the channel switched to the news.

The volume was low, but the voice of the reporter slipped through:

 “Rumors have been spreading about a wild creature roaming free in Pepper Town. Citizens are advised to stay inside, and to report any suspicious activity—”

The rest faded into static noise.

—

The next day after school, Spark met up with Ed and Rio at the gate.

“Yo, why did you ditch us?” Rio asked, hands behind her head, squinting in the sun.

 “Some shit happened at home,” Spark answered, eyes still a little dull. 

Ed stepped in. “Anyway, I know a spot we can eat at. It’s like this hill where you can watch the sunset.”

“Corny ass,” Rio replied, snorting with a half-laugh.

“Shut the fuck up,” Ed shot back, flipping her off casually.

The three walked to the burger joint, only to find the lights out and the shutters down.

“Well,” Spark said, expression blank. “Shit.”

Ed turned to the others. “Wanna go to that place anyway?”

“I guess,” both Spark and Rio said at once.

They headed off. Pepper Town wasn’t exactly scenic, but it had its quiet corners—dead streets lined with rusted vending machines, telephone poles leaning like old men, and flowerbeds too stubborn to die.

As they passed a narrow crosswalk, shouting caught their attention.

Two officers sprinted down the sidewalk, shouting, “Stop right there!”

A man in all black barreled toward them. His coat whipped in the wind. His shoulder clipped Spark hard, sending him stumbling backward.

 One of the officers grabbed Spark by the collar. “Are you working with him?! Why’d you let him go?!”

Spark shoved the officer’s hand off. “I’m not supposed to do your job.”

The officer scowled and ran off after the fleeing man.

Ed gave a crooked smile. “Great job. Even making enemies out of the police.”

“Shut up,” Spark muttered.

A pair of eyes watched from behind a tree.

—

The hill was quiet.

The sun melted down into the horizon, washing the sky in orange and purple. The city looked distant from up here. Small. Like someone else’s problem.

 They sat for a while, not saying much. Just existing.

Then Spark’s eyes flickered red.

 Everything slowed.

Like the air thickened around him. The colors of the sunset dulled. Sound dropped out.

 And then—

A massive arm reached out of nowhere and wrapped around Ed like a rag doll, hurling him through the trees with inhuman force.

The impact sent branches cracking and birds screaming from the trees.

Spark looked up, heart pounding.

The thing before him wasn’t human.

It stood tall—easily seven feet. Its body was built like an armored tank, its shell dark and rough like obsidian. A massive horn crowned its head. Red lines pulsed under its carapace, casting an eerie glow. A Kabuto… no, something worse.

 A monster.

It lunged forward. Spark tried to move but—

WHAM.

The creature’s strike sent him and Rio flying.

Spark smashed against a tree with a sharp crack. Rio hit the ground hard and didn’t move.

Blood ran down his forehead.

He wiped it with the back of his hand, staggered to his feet, chest heaving.

The creature stood between him and Rio now. Its massive body cast a long shadow.

 Then it grinned.

“Come at me, bro,” it said with an excited twitch, lifting both arms and curling its fingers inward—index fingers pointing to itself in a taunting gesture.

Spark’s breath caught. His vision distorted. The red flicker returned.

Time didn’t stop.

He moved faster.

In a blur, he appeared behind the creature’s right shoulder.

The beast turned with surprising speed, throwing a heavy backhand.

Spark ducked under it, twisted his body, and drove his fist into its gut.

The impact landed—but barely moved it.

Spark’s eyes narrowed.

“What the fuck?” the creature growled. “That was so weak.”

It lunged, claws out. Spark sidestepped.

Another punch—dodged.

Another—Spark vanished behind him.

Then, he grabbed the monster from behind, locking his arms around its throat in a rear naked choke.

The creature thrashed, muscles bulging like steel cables. It grabbed Spark by the waist and hurled him over its shoulder.

Spark slammed into the dirt. His ribs screamed.

The monster raised one arm, ready to crush him.

Then— 

 BOOM.

A body fell from the sky like a missile, kicking the creature’s skull sideways with devastating force.

The monster’s head snapped.

Its body twisted midair, spine cracking in half as it crashed into the ground in a heap of smoke, red sparks, and splattered ichor.

Dust flew.

Spark blinked, still on the ground.

A girl stood over the creature’s ruined body. Golden hair cut to her neck. A blue crop top, black shorts, and a nonchalant scowl.

She cracked her neck.

 “Even on my days off,” she muttered, brushing blood off her arm, “I can’t catch a break.”

She turned to Spark.

“You don’t look so good… Spark.”

He stared at her, wide-eyed. He didn’t know how she knew his name.

But right now, with blood in his mouth, a monster crushed beside him, and Rio unconscious behind a tree— 

 He didn’t care.