Monster Mash

"So why am I partnered with you?" asked Zue, with his yellow hair sticking to the top of the sky as he pulled up his old scratched-up blazer jacket.

Michael leaned forward over the railing, "it's not my fault. Mr. Bijou assigned me to be with you."

"For the stakeout, really. Sheesh... Fine, but don't get in my way kid."

Michael leaned up against the railing, his camera pointed out.

Snap!

He took a picture of the alleyways from up above. It's creepy black-framed look.

"Hey, don't take pictures."

"Why not."

"Uhhgg..."

Michael turned to Zue, he took a quick picture of his face.

"Hey I have a question?" he asked.

"What is it, kid?"

"What are the powers of the other Atlus members."

"Really? Did the Boss not tell you?"

"No, he didn't tell me anything. He just told me what I am and invited me into Atlus."

"Fine, I'll give you the quick rundown.

When I was a kid I was struck by lightning and gained the power to control lighting.

Yin, the one with curly hair, has the power to teleport.

The fat guy, Nicholas, is basically invulnerable to any attack.

The skinny one, Lotto, can see five minutes into the future.

And the boss, Bijou Anastasia, he's... He's strong. That's all I guess."

"Cool."

---

Ten minutes later Michael looked closer at the scene, "so what are we waiting for?"

Zue pulled out his phone, "we're waiting for an ogre. They look like humans but they hide in the shadows of society, like mobsters. The one we're waiting for is the head of a gang so we can't go in willy nilly."

The two bored-faced men stood on an elevated platform looking down at a multipath alleyway system. In one alleyway sat a red-lined door with a soft dangling light that swayed with the movements of drunk civilians.

"Is that a bar?"

"Yeah, Lotto said it's a drug trafficking place. That's where the ogre is."

"And we're waiting out here?"

"Yeah, why? You wanna go in?" questioned Zue with a sleek smirk.

"Nah, no, no way. I'm underage anyway."

Michael couldn't hide his intrigue as Zue slapped him on the back smiling.

"Yeahhh... You totally want to go in."

"No, I do not!"

"Yeah, you can't hide that look on your face."

He grabbed Michael by the arm and pulled him over the railing.

[Electric Walk]

He electrified his feet and bounced across the open air until he safely landed on the dirty cover ground.

Michael fell forward, his legs feeling queazy.

"We could have just walked down the stairs," he cried out.

"Shut up and take some risks, kid."

He walked up to the bouncer, showing his ID.

"The kids with me too."

The bouncer took a close look at Zue, then at Michael, he looked back at the ID.

"We can't let in minors."

"I work with Atlus."

The bouncer's eyes lit up in fear.

"Actually? Do you actually?" he asked afraid of just the presence of the name.

"Yeah, really really. Now let us in."

"Are you going after the boss?"

"Yup, so I'd run away if I were you."

The bouncer took off down the street as Zue entered through the red-lined doorway. Michael nervously followed, his hands in his trenchcoat pockets, his shoulders pushed forward, like an embarrassed hunchback.

"Hey, Michael, don't be afraid. These places are usually calm-"

Smash! Slam! Smack!

They stopped at the carpet that led down a small set of stairs. Inside the bar, tables knocked over, people hit across the floor.

A big tough guy stood on the bar counter, his fists bloody as he fought a shorter, brown-haired, scruffy-looking man, in a loose brown leather jacket.

Zue immediately smacked his hand against his forehead.

"You know him?" asked Michael pointing at the scruffy-looking man.

"Yeah, meet Ulder, the sixth member of Atlus."

"Was he also assigned to this?"

Zue pulled out his phone and started texting someone.

"Yeah... The idiot. Can't keep himself in one place. He was supposed to be going after a demon or something. I'll deal with this. You stay back."

Zue walked up on the fight. Ulder punched the bigger man, knocking him off the counter. He turned to Zue. He stared at him for a quick second before realizing who he was looking at.

"Oh shit. Zue, when you get here?"

"Shut up man. And get down from there."

Ulder jumped down, his pants and jacket covered in squirts of blood. Three more bodyguards entered the scene.

"What are you doing here?" asked Zue.

"I came to fix up my debt."

"And this is how you do it? You fight? You know we're after the boss, you could have just waited."

Ulder laughed out loud, "hahaha! Your funny, real funny. Why don't we take them out together."

"Uhhggg... Fine."

---

Meanwhile, as Ulder and Zue fought against the countless strong guards. Michael turned to a woman sitting alone at a booth near the backside of the bar. He looked at her reading a book. Her red eyes covered by thick-rimmed glasses. She was beutiful.

Michael walked up to her.

"Hey," he waved.

She looked up, her long white hair running down her shoulders. She waved back.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am with him," he pointed to Zue as he beat down on a tall muscular man.

"Ooooh. Funny."

"Funny?"

Michael sat down in the seat across from her. He leaned up against the wall as she placed her book down.

"It's funny. This city. The people. The fighting. Don't you agree?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just moved here recently so I don't know this place well, but I would say it's..."

She leaned forward, her eyes entranced on Michael's eyes. His glowing silver eyes.

She then asked, "hey, do you know what type of bar this is?"

"What type of bar?"

The fighting continued in the background as Michael pondered the question. He turned to Ulder as he tackled a man over a table. As he beat down on him. Stabbing him. Blood gushing everywhere. He watched as Zue cast his electric powers on a group of them. The lighting spreading like wildfire.

"Is this a fighting bar?"

"Hahaha, no silly. It's a bar for monsters."

"For monsters?!"