"You can't just walk in here, dude—AGH!"

I kicked the man with the balding head in the face. "Shut up for a minute," I said.

My eyes scanned the place. The stench of rotting food and something similar to urine filled the air, alongside a gagging amount of cigarette smoke. Perhaps a rat or two had died here; blood was dripping on the ground.

It was quite clear that Anna's parents were violent with each other, judging by the many wounds on them, but their skin was a clearer indicator of something worse: drugs.

Seriously, how was that girl living here? How was she able to be cheerful while surviving in such an environment? It made no sense to me. Anyone in her position would break completely.

"Y-you... leave that thing." The woman in the room, probably Anna's mother, pointed at the paper in my hand and whimpered. Her eyes were completely out of it.

Both of them were still on some kind of hard drugs, probably methamphetamine. Instead of saying anything, I reached down and grabbed the man by his collar.

I didn't even want to call him Anna's father. This scum didn't deserve a word like that. Pulling my hand back, I punched him in the gut.

"Kwah." The man spat, his body twisted like a pulled-back bow. He dropped to the ground as I turned around.

There was no point in staying here. As I walked out of the house, I grabbed my burner phone and made a call.

The line rang twice, and soon a voice came from the other side.

[Yoohoo, isn't it my favorite little customer?]

"It's urgent," I flipped open the crumpled document in my hand. "Astro Financing, what do you know about this company?"

[Hey, hey, is something wrong?]

The woman tried to follow me out, reaching for the paper in my hand. I moved it away from her grasp, and she tripped over nothing, falling flat on her face.

Unreal.

[Astro Financing, I remember. That is the front these small-time money lenders use to trick people. John and James Mason, I believe. Brothers. What did they do?]

I noticed the name on the document. It was John Mason.

"Is James the smarter one?" I asked.

[That's right. Ah, I checked my documents. I remember they have started kidnapping young adults and teens these days. They trap them with money, then force them with a strange contract saying they'll forgive the loans in return for work.]

"And what is that work?"

[Servicing high-profile clients, naturally. I am guessing you want their location? I'll send it to your personal number, free of charge, of course.]

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Thanks," I said. "Why free?"

[They are worthless. Say, my little customer, why the sudden interest in such small bastards? You usually ask about scary people, you know?]

I sat on my bike and revved it to a start. My eyes turned to the house once again. Slowly, the woman was still crawling out.

"My... daughter..." she said. "Give me Anna back..."

Her eyes were trained on the papers in my hands.

"They just did something to piss me off."

The call cut.

***

James Mason made his way to the building serving as the office of his company. His brother had called him urgently, saying they had managed a big score.

The desolate building in the middle of nowhere was a complex that had been abandoned for redevelopment a few years ago, but no progress had begun. A perfect place for their activities. Seeing his employees standing guard on the ground, James nodded at them and climbed the stairs.

The lights of the passageway flickered. The scent of smoke and takeout burgers wafted through the space.

"Yeah, hey, that's a flush."

"Oh! Damn, good one."

"Someone light the damned joint."

"It's still rolling, bitch."

Some of his staff were playing poker on one floor, and on the next, some were rolling their weed. He could hear the whimper of the captured 'products' on the third floor and also the sound of their 'keepers' banging on the doors wildly.

Finally at the top floor, James walked straight to the only room on the floor that they had turned into their office. A team of about 20 people, with him and his brother in the lead. Every time James walked through here he smiled; it wouldn't be long before he could be one of the big players around these parts of town.

He could already see the day when he would be influencing local elections and making more money, a life of power.

Lighting a cigarette, he entered the office premises.

"John, I am here. What did you want to show me?"

James stopped at the entrance. His brother was sitting at a desk, while on the couch, with her hands tied down, was the blue-haired girl they had been eyeing for a while.

John looked at his brother with a wide smile and tapped the papers on the desk.

"Her parents handed her over. I forgave the loan, not like they would be able to pay anyway." He stood up and stepped to his brother. "That's not all, James. I just received word that Nick's gang has disappeared. We can take their neighborhood now—"

"Wait, what happened to that boy who was with her?" James asked, his smile vanishing.

"The boy? Oi, girl, was he your boyfriend or something?" John asked and broke into a snicker as he saw Anna sniffle. "Hah. Some kid, it doesn't matter."

"No, I stopped you because I thought I had seen that kid. He was definitely snooping around Nick's business one day."

"Huh?" John was bewildered by his brother's reaction. "What, maybe he was scum, peddling weed? Of course, such bastards would be around sluts like her."

"No, you dimwit!"

John couldn't understand his brother's reaction.

"Nick's gang is gone! Haven't you heard the stories?!" James screamed at his brother. He ignored Anna on the couch and moved to the window. He could feel it; something was wrong, something was amiss.

"What stories? It was one person." John slammed the desk, unsure why his brother couldn't just celebrate with him. Each 'item' was good news for them, and this new one was quite valuable. "Ok, maybe you are worried, but our people are on watch right downstairs, nothing will happen—"

"They're gone," James said, his palms on the window, peering out. His voice was cracking.

"What...? Who is gone?"

"The watch... they are gone."

John rushed to the window and looked down as well. Where his people should have been standing guard, now nobody stood. The only thing left there was a small splash of blood on the ground.

Something... was coming.