Music Masters: CD One

SAD TOMORROW: PART FOUR

Of all the hazards that Kim Ramone expected to run into in Astroland, bloodthirsty vagrants were certainly not among them.

And yet here she was, pinned by the weight of something that seemed to to lack the majority of its humanity.

Sand particles began to embed into Kim's shoulders the more she pushed to keep her attacker from ripping out her jugular. Dirt-caked fingernails swiped through the air, aching to cut into something like a butcher's cleaver into fresh meat.

But despite her strength, she could only hold it back for so long, and Kim winced as her attacker finally hit home.

Fresh blood began to drip from a long scratch on her shoulder, but Kim took the opportunity to throw a well-timed punch right as the thing dove down for a hungry bite.

It appeared that whatever was within the darkness of its hood was still quite physical, as evidenced when Kim's attacker violently reeled back from her punch.

"That taste good enough for you, asshole!?" Kim declared with confidence, grasping the advantage not a moment later.

With the shift in weight, Kim didn't waste a second as she launched forward and pushed her own mass upon her downed opponent.

Claws scratched at the air as it attempted to get at her, but in response, Kim methodically delivered four hard blows to its presumed jaw.

The flailing stopped at the third, giving Kim a moment's reprieve as her opponent finally seemed down for the count.

It took a few seconds for Kim to fully take in the situation.

Kim's chest heaved slightly as her adrenaline was exhausted once her body realized its true state of fatigue.

With the situation now stabilized, her eyes scanned the downed man, or whatever it was, that had assaulted her with such savagery.

She couldn't really pinpoint exactly what it was wearing, only that it looked like a purposeful cross between a straitjacket and a hoodie.

Clad in torn, dark gray jeans and shoes littered with rips and holes, Kim could only wonder exactly what this killer vagrant really was.

Kim wiped away some stray sweat from her forehead, and as she stood up, she debated removing the hood that seemed to conveniently obscure her opponent's face.

But before she could even reach her hand out, her mind reminded her of the previous mistake.

Kim knew better than to underestimate her opponent a second time. So instead, she quickly turned around, out of habit as she focused on her music player.

It took a few seconds, but soon she was settled on Walking Disaster, turning back to face her former opponent as various violet arms slithered around her in search of something to grab at.

To their disappointment, the violent scavenger was gone.

Kim took a few cautious steps as she looked around, wondering if it was brazen enough to ambush her despite her active song effect.

Whatever it was, clearly it could move with little to no noise and with uncanny speed.

Fortunately, it quickly became apparent that Kim was safe for the time being. She leaned down, picking up a torn, beaten up shoe that remained as the only trace of its previous presence.

Kim scoffed under breath.

"Coward."

There was nothing to be gleaned from an old shoe, and Kim threw it aside into the sand as she recalled her reason for being here in the first place.