A Hellhound in Manhattan: Part 1

Chapter 14

Back atop Castle Wyvern all had returned, except one.

"Hey, where's Brooklyn?" asked Broadway.

"I don't know," said Lexington. "Did he say anything about going off somewhere?"

"He said nothing to me, lads," remarked Hudson. "The sun's about to rise. For now we should trust that he's safe. We shall look for him at dusk."

They took their places for the dawn.

Goliath stood alone, fearing that he ignored the warning signs as the sun made its way across the horizon.

***

Brooklyn jolted awake from a vague dream of falling. He and Loona had dozed off leaning on each other for warmth.

He smiled. Loona was nuzzled up beneath his chin and still sound asleep. Brooklyn looked around and his eyes widened.

The sky was lighting up in gold and pink clouds.This was normally when he would have reverted to stone.

"Loona! Wake up!" he whispered lightly shook her shoulder.

Loona moaned and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. "Wha...?"

"Look!" He pointed at the sky.

She squinted. "It's sunrise..."

"Exactly!"

Loona furrowed her brow in confusion, but then she felt him squeezing her shoulder in anticipation.

He held his breath in awe as the golden sun peeked its way above the horizon.

Sunrise. Such a magnificent and majestic sight to behold. The bold shadows it cast along large structures and the glimmer on the water.

Brooklyn slowly stood up. He had no words.

Loona pulled the coat over her shoulders and stood next to him. His eyes were shimmering with tears of joy.

She gave a small smile. She had no idea that such a seemingly normal thing could mean so much to him. She reached around his arm and took his hand. He responded with a thankful squeeze.

What a beautiful sight it truly was.

***

It took a while for Brooklyn to move past the initial shock of being able to walk in the sunlight, to take in its warmth while also to not get sunburn. They mostly just spent the morning exploring the city, literally seeing the sights in a different light.

Frankly, just walking among humans in the daylight meant a lot to him, and that was something Loona could agree on.

To top it off, despite the public's paranoia about the Gargoyle Menace or the Manhattan Hellhound, Thalia and Hugo were still playing at the arena.

Crowds were filing in at the ticket booths around dusk, and Loona wasn't going to let them miss this.

She rushed in line, but Brooklyn promptly yanked her out by the shoulder. She looked up at him and he just frowned and shook his head. She was not going to use that stolen money on concert tickets.

"Oh, come on!" Loona protested.

"No!" Brooklyn took her by the arm and escorted her away. Once they were out of earshot from any of the security staff, he slyly suggested, "I have a better idea..."

***

Just because he was human that didn't erase Brooklyn's penchant for sneaking into concerts.

They slipped around the building until they found the back entrance, where the roadies were still loading the band's props and equipment backstage.

"Hang on a minute, Saint Michael," Loona pointed out. "Isn't this technically stealing, too?"

"Maybe, but I told you I do this all the time with my brothers," Brooklyn reminded. "Besides, you're going to need that money for more important things."

Loona smirked. "Okay. If you say so."

Given their own manner of dress, it wasn't hard for them to pass for roadies themselves, grab a few cables and help bring them inside. Once they set them down with the amplifiers they scurried away into the auditorium, keeping low amongst the crowd.

Finally, the lights dimmed.

Thalia, with her long black hair and medieval garments, emerged from the smoke of the fog machine as she opened the song with her mezzo-soprano voice, looking like a ghostly queen come for her lost lover. Meanwhile her husband Hugo burst onto the stage with the first strum of his guitar, adorned in torn clothes and painted scars like Frankenstein's monster.

The rest of the band chimed in. The blend of Gothic opera with metal was all so chilling and mesmerizing. To Loona, it was like a peek into a world she wanted to live in forever.

Brooklyn had been to a few of their concerts before, but always from far off and high above. Never among the crowds. In spite of trying to keep a low profile, neither he nor Loona could contain how much they were loving this. The use of the pipe organ for one of their songs caused Loona to squeal with delight. High on their pure enjoyment he surprised her by lifting her up on his shoulders.

Then someone tapped his arm.

"Can I see your tickets, please, kids...?"

***

Brooklyn and Loona made no fuss as they were escorted out of the arena.

"You're just lucky we're not calling your parents for this," the security guard warned. He shut the doors behind them.

"Yeah? Well, good luck with that!" Loona fired back. "I don't have any!"

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down. He's just doing his job."

Loona blew one last raspberry at the door and he guided her away.

They walked along the avenue, the sky having grown dark in the early hours of dusk.

"Eh, it was worth a shot," said Brooklyn. "Sorry we couldn't stay for any encores."

"It's fine. That was a lot of fun anyway. Does Thalia have gorgeous pipes on her or what?"

Brooklyn smiled back. "I thought you'd like it." He glanced at the now lit street lamps. "I should probably start heading back. It's gonna be a long commute back home on foot."

"Oh, come on," Loona insisted. "You've got only a few hours left as a human. Besides, I know a place..."