Three guys surrounded me in a dark alley. Jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, then there was a biker jacket and sweat pants. To make it all worse, I couldn't mentally connect with any of them. I couldn't talk, and they just stood there looking at me like a bunch of goons. Their nostrils flared as they smelt the air, their blank stares considering what to do next. It was getting really awkward.

"So, what're you doin' starin' at our people?" The jacket guy finally broke the silence.

I held out my hands before making an imaginary key ring. "Mur, murr, mah." I pretended to pick through the keys, before getting one. Then I stuck it in an equally fake ignition and shook a little as if a car started.

Each of them nodded sagely, holding their chins. "I don't think he can talk, fellas." The Hawaiian shirt helpfully pointed out the obvious. The others gave an uh-huh.

Killer crocs spoke next, "What're gonna do with'em, boys?" They smirked, taking a step closer.

"Our fields could use a decent scarecrow, Paul." Jacket man addressed killer crocs, not that I was going to remember the name. Killer crocs was too cool to let go.

They took another step, as I slumped. |"Joe, I ran into some vampires. Forget about the car and find an empty place for me to run to."|

|"Got it, do you think you can win? We could swoop down and fly you out of there."| I heard the caws above, the vampires pausing for a moment.

I took the opening to run at a wall and jump up. A quick jump and a leap had me on the roof as I, honest to corn, wall-jumped. Two of the vampires jumped up after me, showing the difference in speed and strength. Killer crocs hissed a bit while the Hawaiian shirt growled. "Listen kid, we can't just let you come and go in our territory as you please. Especially not after eyeing up the people in our haunt. Don't make this harder... hey!"|

Fuck that, I'm running. Joe's crows were spreading out, while he flew safely above. |"There's a window on the second floor you can probably crash through."| His advice was sound as I sprinted and leaped off the roof. Glass shattered, as I rolled into an empty motel room. I rolled onto my feet, opening the door to the hallway. A young pale couple making out. Biker jacket was already there and pointed at me, the three of them hissing. I closed the door and locked it.

|"Bad call, Joe. This place is run by them."| I looked out the window to see the other two blurring as they moved off the roof.

|"Sorry if I'm a bit distracted with giving orders to the others and helping you at the same time. I don't see anyone on the roof."| He didn't have to tell me twice, I grabbed onto the brick wall and started climbing like a certain spider-themed vigilante. Just in time to hear the door break in the room.

|"It's fine, vampires burn their blood. They can't chase all night, but I don't know how many are going to start chasing."| I climbed slowly, looking down to make sure they didn't try to jump at me. The three split up, likely to keep people from getting involved. The shadows didn't descend so the veil wasn't threatened yet.

|"Shit, one of them just walked onto the roof. It looks like he's waiting for you to get up there."| Looking down, I saw the couple waiting. Only one way to go.

I poked my head over the ledge, while killer crocs stood in the center of the roof. Joe landed on my shoulder, as I finished climbing. Crocs whistled, "You're a crazy one, but do you really think you can outrun us?"

|"There's a construction site about ten minutes of running that way."| Joe 'preened' his feathers, his beak showing me which way to go. I shrugged, getting him to fly off while staring killer crocs in the eyes.

"We were just going to take you to the tobac'a fields, and keep you there for a couple of days." He rubbed the back of his head before leaning forward. "Now? We'll just keep ya there for a few weeks. If you make it any harder, we'll... At least let me finish!"

I was already hitting the ground and rolling in another alley. The couple appeared on one side, while the biker was already on the other. Killer crocs looked down from the roof, "Get that little shit!"

The boy, gonna call him Edward, rushed forward to grab me by the collar. He probably thought something like, 'oh yeah! if I do this then killer crocs will see how good I am!' It was a shame he didn't see me turn towards him with a clawed hand. Knife fingers, really. His speed carried him into it, impaling himself while he tried to act cool. "GAH!"

Blood splattered, as he grabbed the hole where his stomach used to be. Bella put her hands over her face as she gasped, while biker jacket rushed at me with the same blurred motion. There was one huge problem with that speed though. They couldn't perceive the world while they moved like that. Just like we couldn't see them. They moved faster than they could think, so it really sucked when someone used that split second to change into a shape that could hurt them.

"Tommy! Stop your bleeding right now, before you frenzy!" Killer crocs called down, while Bella grabbed him. Biker jacket's hands were trembling as he held onto my shoulders. He managed to stop just short of tearing his own heart out. "Bill, you got him?"

He swallowed hard, "H-he's got me by the heart, Paul." I looked right into his eyes, finding a way to connect with him.

|"Hey! I made it through, cool. Don't panic dude, I don't want to kill you. This is all a misunderstanding. Let me go, and I'll let you go?"| He slowly released his grip as I pulled my hand out of his chest. Of course, killer crocs had to jump down to try and sever my arm from his friend. It got bent pretty badly, but it wasn't severed since I used the momentum to carry me upwards back to the roofs. I didn't even stick around to see what they were going to do next.

Running and jumping from one roof to the next, I finally got to the part where they were so spaced out that I couldn't. The construction site not too far now. That's when I heard the roar of motors. Turning around, I saw ten of the edgelords riding motorcycles in my direction. |"Joe, I need you to get your crows in some good places to drop stuff."| The bare metal beams showed this place was going to be an office building or workshop. I wasn't an engineer, couldn't really tell, all I knew was there was a lot of stuff that could be dropped from above.

|"Got it, what did you do back there anyway? They seemed shocked."| He cawed at his group, all of them bunching up and sitting down on the steel beams.

|"Let's just say that the training paid off. I have some knowledge on how to deal with monsters. We're still trying to not kill anyone, okay? Maiming is fine, but they're vampires. Just don't sever their heads or crush them, everything else will grow back."| It was obvious that killer croc gathered up his gang and got on their bikes to deal with me. If only I had working vocal cords. I sighed with a deep regretful mur.

The bikes were getting dangerously close as I managed to dive onto the site. Concrete all around, rebar still stuck out for other blocks to slot into place. I saw six of them break off from the group to circle around, while four of them parked right in the front. They didn't want me getting away. |"Joe, don't risk yourself or the others. I'll be fine if this body is destroyed."|

|"Got it, how'd we end up like this again?"| I stood in the middle of the site, taking a power stance.

|"Well, I just wanted a car. We'll try again somewhere else. We might even be able to get these guys on our side in the future."| The vampires were walking towards me, the sound of motorcycles drowning out everything else.

|"You're crazy, but I guess we'll do this your way. Why are you trying so hard to spare those out to kill you?"|

I tilted my head, why was I doing this? |"It's a part of who I was, I don't want to forget that. I always wanted to be the guy that could stop shit from getting out of control. Kinda like Vash from Trigun."| I knew Joe didn't watch any good shows, but it was out there now.

Killer crocs was in front of the group, while Joe didn't bother questioning my logic. There were three biker jacket guys now, so I guess I needed to call Bill by his name now. He was looking a bit more pale thanks to the blood he lost. Crocs spoke first, "I'll ask you one last time. What the fuck were you doing in our territory?"

"Mur, mur, mah." Yep, nothing changed there.

Bill coughed, "I don't think he can talk, Paul. He has some kind of telepathy, he talked in my head when I panicked."

Crocs looked at Bill, "Fine, you can talk for him. Let your guard down or something, if he does something I'm going to tear him apart right where he stands."

Bill looked at me and nodded, as I connected to him. It wasn't too hard to explain that I just wanted a car to get from the fields and back. That everything else was a misunderstanding, and that I wasn't going to guard their tobacco fields. Crocs was pissed that I almost killed two of his boys, but understood I was only defending myself. It was starting to go well until the veil lifted. The shadows started to dance, and we all started looking around for what caused this.

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Black beady eyes appeared in the concrete, as a catfish of all things started to rise out of it as though it were water. Rocky splotches made its skin appear like marble, and we all took a step away from it. I managed to see a cat cleaning itself in one of the darker corners, before keeping my attention on that rocky creature. It had legs like a frog, instead of fins, with the whiskers moving around like stone-covered tendrils. I took a fighting stance, while the vampires cocked their guns at the thing.

|"Any idea what that is, Joe?"| Nothing was coming to mind, no memory of what this creature might be. Even as it laid its mouth on the ground and opened the abyss inside it. I couldn't see anything besides absolute darkness past its tongue. A part of my subconscious screaming at the abyss that seemed to stare back at me. The vampires were shaking, as a pale figure with crimson hair walked out of that abyss.

Each of us stood there staring at the bone-white monster before us. Scarlet hair fell past the small of her back, with the toned muscles of a fighter. The most striking feature was her glowing golden eyes, as she looked at each of us. Run. The thought came, but my body wouldn't move. Not even the vampires dared to move, such was the weight of this monster's presence.

She looked like a normal, albeit good-looking, girl. The mime-skin wasn't doing her any favors, nor was the beast nuzzling into her. It was kind of weird to see such a big thing rub against her like a giant puppy, but the scene allowed everyone to breathe for a second. I looked at Crocs, who was already signing for the others to leave with him.

"I didn't say you could leave yet." The mystery woman's voice carried over the silence, reapplying that same unseen pressure. Even as she patted the stone monster on its head and it sank back into the concrete. She probably whispered something to it, and after the last ripples were gone she turned toward us with a creepy smile. "Greetings, salutations, I am Leah." She gestured towards Crocs.

"Paul." He said quickly, as the others said their name in turn. None of us were able to move, all of us hoping the nightmare would be over soon. I started to panic, as she slowly started to point toward me.

Fuck. "Mur!" Couldn't even say my name if I wanted to. I wasn't about to connect my thoughts with something like that. Nope, I guess I was going to die here. At least I had another body, yeah I'll be fine.

The monster giggled, "Mur?" She sounded it out, "Come on, young one, reborn, say your name. Reach down within yourself, deep down, what are you? Express it with your soul." I felt something probing places that shouldn't ever be touched. My soul was shaking, as I realized there wasn't an escape. She could grab souls, she could eat ghosts, and she was an absolute monster.

"C-Corn!" It burned, the words coming out and forming when they shouldn't. "G-Guardian!" It was as though my existence was laid bare for all to see. Syrup welled under my buttons as I fell to my knees exhausted. What was my name!? I couldn't remember it, I couldn't relax even as she pulled that pressure away from me. I felt lost, even as heavy steps approached me.

She wore casual clothes, combat boots, and jeans. Yet, it felt unnatural, as though she molded it from her flesh. "Fret not, young one, everyone forgets their name." How'd she know? I looked up at her, knowing she was someone that could shift her shape. Knowing, that I was powerless to stop her. "You're lucky that you're so young, otherwise I would have eaten you tonight." She gently patted my shoulder with that wolfish grin.

"May we leave, miss?" Paul asked, I couldn't even crack a joke in this situation.

|"Joe, get out if you can."| I saw the way that the monster turned towards them. If I had hair it'd be standing on end. That low giggle she gave, was so much like a predator growling. She took a step, while I grabbed onto her foot. We weren't her opponents, but I wasn't going to let go of who I was!

Leah clicked her tongue, looking back at me. She smiled at the vampires, "I'll let you have a headstart, for as long as this child can keep me entertained." She blushed with a tint of gold, licking her black lips as the vampires ran to their bikes. Her teeth sharpened as I tried to jump back. Joe cawed, as I was launched back with a kick. I managed to see crows fly away into the night sky, as I hit a wall. A star falling in the clear sky. Focus. I snapped back to face her, but she was already in front of me.

Her hand changed form, growing armor that pierced through my body. She smiled smugly, even as the bikes tore off on the asphalt. "Why are you trying to save them, guardian?" I felt strength draining from my body, even as I grabbed her wrist. "They seemed very surprised, you can't be allies."

This was never a fight, just a monster toying with its prey. Still, I slashed at her face with what strength I still had. Only for tendrils to come out of her porcelain skin and grab my hand. I watched in horror as they guided my hand through her cheek into her mouth. I felt her bite through my wrist and felt a part of my being taken with it. I kicked, I struggled, anything to get away from her. Even as she pressed closer, I screamed. "MUUURRR!"

Why did I try to be a hero? One of the metal beams fell from above, landing on top of her and tearing off my leg. What? I looked up to see Joe flapping his wings. |"You didn't think I'd leave you right? Start running! I doubt that'll keep it down!"| Looking down at the metal beam, I could see black blood starting to pool out from underneath the beam. He was right, I needed to run now.

I hopped on one leg towards the exit, one of the bikes still there. A crow flew down dropping keys into my good hand, as I quickly tried to force the bike to start. "Mur... murr..." Come on, come on... It started! I knew I shouldn't look back, but I had to. She was half-formed and already moving towards me like some kind of slime.

The wheels squealed as I revved it as hard as I could. There was a tire track left as I peeled off the construction site. Cars were frozen in place, as the shadows moved and danced. Just the presence of that monster was enough to lift the veil. At least it was easy enough to swerve and move through traffic. Dancing shadows moved people out of the way, or helped by making a barrier to protect property. I drove towards the forest, only slowing down to make sure that monster was still chasing.

No matter where I looked, I couldn't find her. I turned around, only to see her flying with golden angel wings. She was wearing some kind of bone armor, as she flew higher up. Panic filled my mind, as I saw her turn her gaze towards something in the distance. Right towards the forest, probably where Joe was at. I didn't waste any time, the bike speeding off as fast as it could. Even as that monster soared over me with that smug smile.

I hit a pothole, the bike lurching forward and launching me into the space between the buildings and the forest. The front of my body was singed, on top of everything else. I managed to roll over on my back, just as she caught Joe. I reached for her, as she cradled him to her chest. Leah flew over, not letting Joe spread his wings, even as he pecked her armor to try and get away. "It is fortunate that I am only playing with you, I'm half tempted to eat this one in front of you."

Engines started to roar, as headlights sprang to life behind the trees. Pickup trucks painted in camo shot forward, out of the foliage. Joe laughed a little, |"You didn't think I was just going home without you, right? I saw the vampires run this way, hopefully they'll give us a chance to escape this time."|

Leah looked at the six trucks approaching her with amusement as she let Joe fly off her. "So foolish, leaden bullets won't even breach my armor." She walked towards them hands clasped together, "Thank you for the meal."

I rolled onto my side, as she spread her arms wide. The trucks circled, as she looked at each of them, wondering who to go for first. Shotguns went off, the shells not even leaving a scratch as she laughed, "Rejoice! Once I have devoured your flesh, you shall become my blood!" There was a loud bang, as she lurched forward. She looked down in surprise at a harpoon sticking out of her chest, the metal line growing taught as one of the trucks tried to pull her.

Paul jumped from the back of a truck, launching himself, and landed a solid kick to her chest. The monster was toppled, as she was dragged off. Her forearm changed to a blade as she worked on cutting through the wire. Paul offered me a hand, which I took, as he helped me up. "Yer a crazy one, come to the bar tomorrow. We got it from here." I just barely nodded, before he blurred and got back on one of the trucks. He was shouting orders to the others, as they drove off with that thing.

Joe landed on my shoulder, making it hard to stay on my one leg. |"Want me to get the others to fly you back?"|

|"Please?"| I rubbed the stump of my wrist, still feeling something was off. The way back home was uneventful, and the entire morning was spent making a new body. I told Igor what happened, but even he didn't know what that monster was. We agreed that it wouldn't do us any good to dig into it, so we decided to ignore it. He agreed to give me a ride into town, so I could meet up with the vampires at the bar. If they were still alive.

My new body had a tongue and working vocal cords. Even if it made me talk in a lisp, or sound like some wacky cartoon character. I found out that even with a hand where the stump had been, I couldn't move or use it. The straw hand just hung there limply until I absorbed it below the stump. Our best guess was that Leah's ability to touch souls meant whatever she ate stayed gone. Thankfully, it would heal with time. Until it healed, I had a hook instead of a hand.

The sun started to set, as the worst of my daze finally left. Joe chose to stay home, which was understandable. I rubbed my new hook while riding in the back of the truck. There was a pipebomb sitting in my chest, with a trigger one twitch away from going off. If Leah was there, then I wasn't sticking around. I needed to know if they made it out, and what we had to prepare for. Even if we chose to ignore it.

Igor dropped me off close to the construction site, and from there I hoofed it towards the bar. People were already drinking after a hard day of work. My alley was still neglected and overlooked, the same place I met the vampires. I waited, while the moon crawled overhead. An hour passed, then another. I didn't know what I expected, I should've known they weren't a match for that monster.

Turning around, I started to leave, only for a can of bludwieser to hit the ground and explode next to me. I jumped, looking up to see a set of familiar crocs. He was missing an arm, but he was there! "The view is kinda shit down there, why don't you climb on up here."

I did just that, hoping to see the others. It was just him and a cooler of beer. "Where ish evvery one?"

Paul looked at me, taking a long chug from his can. "Bill and Mike didn't make it. The rest are 'scoutin,' or drinkin' so they don't frenzy tonight. Take a seat, kid." He gestured to the empty lawn chair on the other side of the cooler. I did as he asked, looking up at the cloudy sky. "Why'd you do it?" He held a beer out to me.

"Doo what?" I grabbed it, kind of curious to see if I could even taste.

Paul sighed, "You know what? Want to join us?"

Turns out, I can taste things. Too bad the beer tasted awful, even if I did a spit take at the perfect moment. I looked over at the guy, waiting for the punch line. "Waht?"

Paul smirked, "Think about it, we have a few hours. You'll be a part of the family." He drank some more, leaning back in his lawn chair. It felt like he wasn't going to accept a no.