Sal walks down the street, on his way to the downtown shelter. They were about to serve breakfast and a decent amount of work points could be earned by helping with the preparation and serving the needy.

Suddenly, he sees something flying toward him and instinctively, he reaches out a hand to catch it. Sal raises an eyebrow. A card? He thinks as he flips the card right side up. Voodoo Squad? Undead organization!? Sal reads with wide eyes. Undead organizations are a thing!? Damn! I have to get in on this! He exclaims to himself.

Sal quickly takes out his phone and calls the number.

“Yeah? Who’s this?” A female voice answers.

“Ugh, yeah, hi. My name is Sal. Is this the Voodoo Squad? The undead organization from the card?!” Sal asks somewhat nervously. He takes his fedora off with his other hand and begins to wave it at his face. Damn, I’m sweating. He thinks.

“Yes, this is the Voodoo Squad. What do you want?” The voice says.

Sal gulps down his saliva. “Ah, uhm, well, I’m an undead from Nouveau-Ville. I was just wondering if you guys were accepting applications? I’m a very hard working undead. I’m willing to start from the bottom if I have to!” He says, expressing his willingness.

“Do you have a recommendation? Who gave you this card? Was his name Leo? From Nouveau-Ville, right?” The voice says with some suspicion.

Sal’s eyes widen. Leo? Leo from Nouveau-Ville? He thinks with some excitement. “Ugh, yes! Leo from Nouveau-Ville! He’s a very good friend of mine!” He says with some hope.

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“That asshole! Who does he think he is? Just handing out our card like it’s garbage. What a dick.” The voice grumbles. “Anyways, Leo hasn’t joined our organization yet. If he joined his recommendation might mean something, but for now, it isn’t worth shit. Goodbye.” The voice says before ending the call.

Sal continues to stare blankly as he processes what just happened. Damn, I gotta find Leo! He thinks before remembering where he worked and beginning to walk there. Suddenly Sal pauses and turns back around. Crap, can’t forget about work. He thinks before heading to the homeless shelter.

…

…

Leo gets off the elevator. It was lunch and he was craving those hotdogs from the stall down the street. Suddenly, Leo pauses his steps. “Sal? What are you doing here?” He asks as he looks at Sal who seemed to be waiting for him.

Sal continues to smile suspiciously. “Leo, my buddy, my pal. Come on. Today, lunch is on me.” He says as he leads the way out of the building.

“Ugh, okay.” Leo says before following.

…

…

“What!? You want me to join the Voodoo Squad!? Fuck that, man. I’m telling you, Sal. Those guys are bad news. Who wants to succeed as an undead? That’s fucking dumb. As long as we get enough work points there’s nothing wrong with just lounging around for the rest of our unnatural lives.” Leo says dismissively before ignoring the matter and taking a bite out of his hotdog.

“Leo! How can you say that, man? I’ve been wandering around this city as an undead for twenty years now! It’s boring as fuck, Leo! I need an out! Something to work towards! And I’m sure these guys know how to do it. I’m just sure of it!” Sal says, pleading.

Leo continues to eat without a care. “I’m sorry, Sal. I just can’t do it. The risk is too high. I’m pretty sure these guys use the world as a chess board, moving pawns according to every whim and fancy. It just seems heartless to me. I very much want no part in it.” He says with a full mouth before finishing off his hot dog and moving on to the next one.

“Leo, c’mon! You said yourself that their vision statement didn’t sound too bad, right? And what about those other guys they mentioned? I mean, they’re probably better than those other guys, right? Also, when are we going to get another chance at this, Leo!? If we don’t get in while we can, who knows how long we’ll have to aimlessly wander the earth!?” Sal says anxiously.

Leo takes another bite before raising an eyebrow and giving Sal a weird look. “Can you relax? What’s wrong with just chillaxing for a few lifetimes? Beats whatever dumb games those guys are playing.” Leo says before taking a sip from his soda.

Sal lets out a sigh. “Can you just promise me, you’ll call them? Just talk to them, okay? Figure out if they’re worth joining?” He says with some hope.

Leo lets out a groan. “Fine. Stop being a baby. I’ll call them.” He agrees reluctantly.