FUNCTION DISORDER :: VOLUME ONE

8

Rain hopped out of the station into a harsh grid of cold, narrow streets in a run-down district full of blocky buildings of dirty concrete.

"So.... Halley lives here?", Kaleva asked, eyebrows raised, while they navigated the dim streets.

"Kinda, he doesn't really live anywhere yet, but he's around here at the moment" Rain replied, pointy ears standing alert. "Wasn't doing so well, wanted to go do his own thing. Not many humans come here, they don't usually wanna live so close to the airport."

Kaleva gave a nod of acknowledgement, then peered down a forgotten alleyway strewn with litter and rotting leaves. "I hope he's okay now..."

Rain suddenly halted.

"Is this where we're going?", Kaleva enquired after an awkward moment.

"Hang on, I think I smell something."

Kaleva glanced around himself, a shiver creeping across his back.

Rain turned around as well, until the unease in his eyes gave way to panic. "Damnit, run‼". He then suddenly broke into a sprint, bolting down the street on sleek, springy legs.

"Aaah, what??", yelled Kaleva in confusion, before running after Rain to the best of his ability, pushing himself forward, burning whatever power was within him, still uncertain why he was running but not wanting to get left behind.

After a mere twenty or thirty seconds, he already felt his strength beginning to wane. No! I need to keep going! Sure, he walked a lot back home, but he never cared that much about being an athlete. In front of him was Rain pulling further ahead while looking over his shoulder.

Then, something tackled Kaleva and slammed him onto the frosty ground. He let out a shriek, then struggled to free himself, cold cement scraping his arms. Something thrashed about on top of him, hissing and gibbering like no man. Rough claws slashed through his jumper and scratched the skin of his back apart. Then again.

"Kota‼ No!", Rain yelled, running back towards him.

A few moments later, Kaleva felt it release him, and he immediately dragged himself to his feet, winded, dirty and bleeding, powered by endorphins. He dashed over to Rain, who had just fired several needles into it from his strange tube-gun, still pointing at it.

As soon as Kaleva was beside him, Rain cast a grid of soft white beams in front of the two of them, forming a barrier against the thing.

It was a humanoid, entirely bare and hairless, madly writhing on the ground, now scratching at itself in effort to remove the needles from its clammy grey skin. Fearsome black claws for fingers. And no face, as one would normally think of it. Just a big blank hole with numerous teeth haphazardly jutting out. "Midnightkind...", he breathed. A broad family, all of them foul mockeries of people. "How??"

"Yeah that's right, it's just a common zombie so could've been worse, but like, holy shit, are you okay?? I wasn't expecting this", Rain said, gently grabbing Kota.

"i-I think? I'm all scratched up and my clothes are fucked but I think I'm okay other than that...", Kaleva stuttered, wounds on his back stinging.

Rain put his needlegun away and ran his paws comfortingly over Kota's tattered hoodie. "You don't look too bad, we can get you fixed up when we get inside... That should be enough magic poison needles to fuck it up, for a while at least, let's get out of here!"

Kaleva nodded, the shrieks and hisses of the Midnightkind fading away behind him, although Kaleva still looked over his shoulder to make sure it wasn't following, heart pulsing intensely. "I shouldn't be this weak! That would've killed me if I were alone. I need some way to defend myself out here, like, magic of my own, or something antimagic, or perhaps fire, or maybe one of those that you have? If I can't handle one normal zombie, how can I survive on my own?? I need to get my shit together!"