When my view clears of the blue flames, I see a nostalgic sight. Asphalt roads lined with cement sidewalks stretch in every direction, winding around massive buildings of glass and steel. A large city, just like where I grew up. My heart fills with a strange feeling – one of familiarity, but not explicitly pleasant.

Looking closer at the buildings, I realize that things have changed. The metal beams are rusted, the glass shattered. Roads and sidewalks alike are splintered by cracks, lifted up in places by the growing plant life. Signs of decay are everywhere, the city losing the battle against nature.

“This place is… unique,” Maddi says softly. I just nod, I can’t work up the energy to explain that it's usually not like this. From the looks of things, this is the new usual.

The soldiers mentioned magic appearing on Earth, but that doesn’t explain why everything is so… abandoned. Like an entire city full of people just up and left. Unless… they didn’t leave?

“Hey! Ladies!” a gruff voice yells from behind us. Maddi and I whip around, facing the newcomer. Flames erupt in Maddi’s hands as she prepares for a fight.

“Woah, blue lady, chill out!” the unassuming man yells in fright. He’s wearing a sweater and shorts. His hair is short and scruffy, just like his stubble. “I’m not a threat.”

Maddi doesn’t heed his words, keeping her flames at the ready.

“What do you want?” I ask firmly.

“Me?” the man asks, annoyed. “I don’t want anything! I was trying to tell you to get outta here. The Feds will arrive any second.”

I continue to glare at the man, not willing to trust him. But then a small movement behind him attracts my gaze. Focusing on the space behind his legs, I see a small child in a black hoodie topped with cat ears, looking at me and Maddi nervously.

“Maddi, put the flames away,” I order. She raises her one working brow at me, but follows my instructions without hesitation. As the fire vanishes I see the tension leave the kid’s shoulders.

Looking up at the man’s face, I’m surprised to see him looking me over suspiciously. “What?” I ask.

“Why’d you suddenly believe me?” he says, eying the two of us over.

I just point at the child.

“Oh, but he’s been here the whole…” He trails off, listening to something the kid is muttering. Even with my oversized ears, I somehow can’t make out what he’s saying. “Ah, okay,” the man says haltingly.

Before I can ask the man his name, I’m deafened by the sudden roar of a large machine. The ground vibrates as I turn to face the source of the noise, and feel my blood run cold. Coming around the corner of a nearby building is… a mech? When the hell did mechs get invented?

I jump to the side as something huge and fast impacts the pavement, giving off the strong smell of ozone and hot tar. Rolling to my feet, I see that the mech is holding a massive rifle, which is sizzling with electrical discharge.

“No fire!” I send to Maddi mentally. She grimaces, but obeys, running to my side instead. We can’t have the military realizing we’re the cause of the pillar of flame from earlier, they’ll never leave us alone then.

“This way!” I hear a high pitched voice say, cutting through all the noise easily. I glance to the side, seeing the man and his kid in an alley. The kid is waving me over with a pudgy hand.

I start sprinting toward the duo, Maddi close behind. Halfway to the alley I jump into the air instinctively, moments before a massive metal fist crushes the spot where I just was. Landing on the metallic limb, I propel myself with a kick. I tuck and roll into the alley, springing up onto my feet in seconds.

Maddi rushes past me, following the father-son pair. Her strong grip wraps around my arm, pulling me along with her. As we run, the alley behind us fills with the sound of crushing metal and breaking glass. Without slowing down, we turn down an adjacent alley.

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And everything goes silent. The sound of buzzing motors and cracking cement gone, replaced with a stunning quiet. Maddi and I skid to a halt, almost ramming into the strange man and his child.

“We’re safe,” the kid says in a melodic voice.

I raise an eyebrow.

“He says we’re safe, then we’re safe,” the man says confidently.

“Alright, then, what’s your name?” I ask the man, offering him a handshake.

He scowls at my offered greeting before gripping it.

“I’m Darren.”

────────────

After climbing enough stairs that I lost count ages ago, the strange man leads us through a random door. Stepping through, I’m shocked by the absolute mundanity of the apartment I’ve just entered.

It’s like someone blended a bunch of sitcom apartments and just poured it out. All the decorations are bland, the furniture simple. The only things that stand out are the massive computer in the living room, and the myriad of children’s toys scattered around.

“It’s not much, but you’re welcome to stay here for the night,” Darren says offhandedly. The child scampers past him, running further into the dwelling.

My eyes narrow in suspicion. “You’re going to just let…” I motion to Maddi and I, “us stay here?”

He snorts. “Kids says you’re cool, so I’m not worried.” With that, the man follows the child and walks towards the living room.

I glance at Maddi, who just shrugs at me. This smells like a trap… but it’s not like they can hurt me permanently, I’m more worried about Maddi.

“At the first sign of trouble, run,” I whisper to the blue woman. She scowls, but doesn’t argue.

With that taken care of, I walk through the messy kitchen and into the rest of the apartment.

As I move, I make sure not to step on any of the brightly colored toys. The living room is simple, with a sofa and an armchair being the only seating. I sit on the lumpy chair, and Maddi remains standing next to me.

Darren ignores us and turns on a large monitor that hangs on the far wall. It blinks to life, displaying… sports. I feel my heart drop. First television I get to watch in years, and it’s sports.

I hear Darren chuckle. I turn my attention to the scruffy man, staring at him questioningly.

He smirks. “Don’t like sports?” he asks, holding back a grin.

I scowl. “How do you know that?” I ask suspiciously.

He taps the tips of his ears. “Your ears gave you away, lady.”

“Th-They did not!”

He chuckles again. “Sure did, drooped as soon as you saw the game.” He chuckles some more, clearly greatly amused by my ears.

“Whatever,” I mutter, looking away to hide my blush. As I do, I see the small boy from earlier standing in the hallway, staring at me. When we make eye contact, he scampers into the room and jumps next to Darren before hiding behind the man. Shielded by the guy, the child peeks out from the other side of him to continue staring.

I desperately try to keep my face straight as my heart melts at his cuteness. The little guy is so shy. Eventually I lose, and grin slightly.

“What’s your name?” I ask the kid gently.

He shakes his head. “I don’t have one…” His voice is sad.

I go to glare at Darren, and our eyes meet. The man sighs. “He’s not my kid, I can’t name him.” With that said, he turns his focus back to the game.

My heart pangs with sadness for the kid. “Where are you parents?” I ask the little one.

He grabs Darren’s arm. “This is my dad!” he says, grinning proudly.

Darren sighs. “I’m not your dad,” he mutters, almost reflexively.

…Well, these two are clearly a mess.

“Bunny lady, what are you?” the kid asks, tilting his head like a curious puppy.

“I’m a dungeon, what are you?” I ask jokingly.

“I don’t know!” he says excitedly. …For sure a mess. “I hatched from an egg, though! Do dungeons hatch from an egg too?”

I’m startled out of answering by a sudden loud noise. Maddi starts laughing hysterically at the little boy’s question. I scowl at the woman, not amused by her teasing.

“Yeah, for sure, kid!” she says between her explosive laughs. “Took her forever to hatch, too!” Another round of laughter cuts off any more jokes she could make.

“Oh!” the kid says, clearly confused. “We’re similar, then!” I just nod, defeated.

Darren then interjects. “Where are you two from? I haven’t heard of any humanoid monsters before.” He glances at the kid, who nods in agreement.

“We’re from another world,” I say flatly.

The grungy man nods. “Ah, that makes sense… But for real.”

I just shrug. “We are.”

Darren glances at the child, who nods in agreement. How the hell would the kid know? His eyes widening, he turns back to me.

“Why’re you in New York, then?” he asks.

I stiffen. “We’re in… New York? As in the city?” I ask, my heart beating faster.

He nods. “Yep, but how do you know about New York?”

I take a deep breath before answering. “I… grew up not far from here…”

“But you just said—” the man starts, but I cut him off.

“I was from here originally, but then I moved.” I give him a sheepish grin.

He glares at me for a long couple of seconds before sighing. “Sure, whatever, otherworldly monsters who grew up in New York. Why not!” With a shrug, he turns back to the TV.

The kid jumps off the couch, standing up urgently. He rushes over and grabs my hands, making Maddi tense up.

“It’s safe to go back now, if you want to,” the child says solemnly.

I nod. It’s probably a good idea for us to go home, I wouldn’t want things to fall apart while we’re here.

Darren and I stand at the same time. He shoots me a small grin.

“Make sure to visit next time you’re in town.”