"Rise and shine Citizen."

Booms into the room. violently shaking me out of a deep sleep, and nearly off the bed.

"You bade my presence?"

He continued.

Groggy, I stare at Manbug for a long few seconds. Briefly forgetting where I even am. The light from the hallway barely added a green tinge to his silhouette.

"Yes."

I begin to stand up before continuing.

"No need to get up Citizen. I'm needed elsewhere. So we'll keep this brief."

Manbug says. Raising his hand.

I'd intended to leave the room, so as to not disturb the child. Or reveal any of the details. Instead I sit on the bed. I'll give Manbug the gist of it. And go over the details in private after.

"I need your help with something."

I continue.

Manbug interrupts, saying.

"The warehouse? I already handled that. All the gadgets held within have been handed over to the police. For redistribution among the public."

"Oh."

I'm left speechless for a moment, picturing all those children now wandering the streets. With no where to go. Knowing The fat boy is a survivor, means that others within that group very well might be survivors too.

"What about all the kids in there?"

I finally manage to ask.

"I had to wallop a few, but they barely even slowed me down."

My stomach drops but I continue. Trying to remind myself most of them are MPs and may not even be able to feel pain.

"Glad to hear it. But I need your help with something else."

"Whatever it is, it will have to wait. Rough-Ian and No-Good-Nick have joined forces with Scofflaw. The three of them working together could spell doom for the entire city. I don't know yet what havoc they plan to wreak. But I must put a stop to it before the streets run red with chaos."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Well, can I at least ask you a few questions?"

"We haven't the time Citizen. But I have a question for you. Will you join me in foiling these goons plans? Together we can put them behind bars for good."

"I uh... I don't think I'll be any help."

I stammer. Not wanting to flat out say no. But already having spent too much time wrapped up in things other than my investigation.

"Very well Citizen. You decision saddens me. But I am glad to see you back alive. I'm sure you will search your heart. And decide to join me in my fight against the forces of malice."

He puts a hand on his chest. Over his heart and proclaims.

"Until then Citizen."

And within the blink of an eye, he's gone again.

Discouraged, and frustrated with the time I've wasted. I lay back down. Promising myself I'll get some ground work done in the morning. And make some progress in this so far dead end investigation.

As soon as I close my eyes. I hear a low whisper cross the room.

"He's stuck in a loop you know. You're wasting your time."

"That's what I was afraid of."

I said.

"They all are."

The boy continued.

"Tomorrow Botfly is gonna have some new job for the boys on the docks. and a few days after that Manbug is gonna come in and beat them all up again."

Relief washes over me upon hearing that.

"Aren't you worried the Raccoons are stuck in a loop?"

I ask.

"Not really. It seems like some of the infected have more freedom than others. I don't about the raccoons yet. Maybe they've been down here forever and the bugs had nothing to do with it. But even if they are in a loop. That's not a bad thing. Lets me know, no matter how scary things get. At the end of the day, it's all going to be okay. It has to return back to normal. So the loop can begin again."

"But where do you go if you need help? If the police are all stuck in a loop with the criminals. What if something happens and you need them. What do you do?"

I ask. Mostly fishing for information on what my next step should be. Burt hasn't been much help, he keeps disappearing on me. And I don't know where else to turn.

"I don't know, but that's what's nice about the loops. What's going to happen that I'd need their help with? If the cops and robbers are all in a loop together, it's a closed circle. I'm outside of the loop. So I don't need to worry about needing anyone's help. I've got the Raccoons now. And I know they solve their own problems. And it all goes back to normal."

The boy explains. I can tell he's thought a lot about this. I can't imagine how difficult surviving must have been for him. Not just the physical challenges. But mentally as well. He's matured well past his years. He's still just a kid. But he's doesn't think like any child I've met before.

I decide to ask him one more question before going to bed.

"But what if the threat comes from outside the loop?"

"How would that happen?"

He asks.

"What if another survivor couldn't handle all the changes? What if they lost their mind, somewhere in killing zombies and fighting other survivors. What if they never stopped?"

I must have scared the boy. Because he never replied.