The device chirped as the two agents dashed down the empty streets, their boots striking the pavement as they cut through sharp corners. It chirped again.

  “Alpha-2, the demons left behind strong V? traces.”

  Alpha-2 let out a breath of relief. “So we can find them, her kids. Hopefully they’re not too far ahead, otherwise backup might not reach us in time.”

  Alpha-1 glanced briefly at the full moon behind them. “They’ll find us. Have faith in Alpha-3. She’ll track us the same way we’re tracking these monsters,” he said before lowering his voice. “I hope. Either way, we need to find those kids now. I just pray we aren’t too late.”

  Alpha-1 then paused, sliding to a stop on the concrete as his partner followed suit. They had stopped in the middle of a random street.

  Alpha-1 glanced down at the device in confusion. The traces end here?

  They were surrounded by empty buildings and closed shops. They could be anywhere, dammit.

  Just then, Alpha-2 stepped forward, his gaze fixed on a small sewer drain surrounded by shimmering puddles of rainwater. He knelt and placed his right hand against the wet ground. Only then did it occur to him. This feeling. It has been here.

  Alpha-1 turned to face him. “Talk to me, Alpha-2.”

  He didn’t respond.

  Alpha-1 knelt beside his partner. “There’s something nearby, isn’t there? Talk to me, Two.”

  Alpha-2 spun around, revealing beads of sweat rolling down his face. His eyes were red, as though he hadn’t blinked for hours.

  “We cannot go down there. No.” Alpha-2 paused for a second, his voice trembling as he stared at Alpha-1. “Do you hear me? We cannot go down there. Call HQ and tell them we need backup.”

  Alpha-1 glared at him in confusion. Backup? They’re already on their way. Besides, this isn’t like him.

  He stood and glanced toward the sewer drain that had driven so much fear into Alpha-2.

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  “No matter the danger that lurks inside this sewer, you must not forget that the lives of children are at stake here.”

  Alpha-2 slowly raised his head.

  “We are Blood Wardens, Alpha-2. Or have you forgotten your vows? Our duty is to protect humanity. Your duty is to protect humanity. This is the will of our founders, Alpha-2, so if we must walk into the heart of death to do our duty, then so be it.”

  “Is what I would tell a D-ranked agent.”

  Alpha-1 reached for the drain cover and slid it open. “Truth be told, Kenji, I’d rather you stayed here. At least one of us will make it out alive.”

  With those last words, he dropped into the darkness of the sewers, landing in the thin river of water below. The surrounding darkness swallowed him whole, the only source of light coming from the tracking device Alpha-1 grasped firmly. I can barely see my hands.

  Suddenly, the sound of metal screeching across concrete echoed from above, followed by a brief whistle of air as a figure dropped down behind Alpha-1.

  “You’re going to get us killed, brother. But like you said, I have a duty to perform.”

  Alpha-1 stood still, then placed his hands on his head, sliding his fingers through damp strands of hair. “I was hoping you’d listen to me for once, Kenji. Haha… who was I kidding?” He lowered his hands. “Come. Let’s find them before it’s too late.”

  Kenji gave a soft smirk as the pair dashed through the sewers.

  A few minutes later

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Alpha-1 slowed, then stopped completely. He pulled the tracking device from his pocket. The signal seemed to spike, then dip without warning, the indicator needle snapping from one direction to another before freezing entirely.

  “…That’s strange,” he muttered.

  The device chirped again, each time faster than the last, before dropping silent once more. Kenji, now standing beside Alpha-1, stretched to see the reading on the device. “What’s wrong with it?”

  Alpha-1 tapped the screen a few times until the signal returned. Only this time, it came back as overlapping tones stacking on top of one another as the display flickered.

  “By the way,” Alpha-1 asked quietly, keeping his eyes on the device, “which model is this?”

  Kenji scratched the back of his head, trying to remember how he had even come into possession of the tracker in the first place. “Uhm… I couldn’t tell you,” he admitted. “It belonged to a fallen D-rank captain.”

  Alpha-1 exhaled through his nose. “I see. So it isn’t one of the prototypes.”

  Kenji frowned. “Prototypes? How would a prototype help us here?”

  Instead of answering, Alpha-1 slowly lowered himself until one knee dipped into the thin layer of running water beneath them. “Give me your flashlight,” he whispered. “Quickly.”

  Without hesitation, Kenji reached for his torch and handed it over. Alpha-1 placed it on the ground between them, angling it upward toward the ceiling. “Prepare yourself, Kenji.”

  He flipped the switch. The sudden burst of light flooded the corridor, revealing the dirty water flowing beneath their boots, the damp stone walls pressing in around them, and the ceiling above, where hordes of bloodthirsty demons clung upside down, as still as stone. Their eyes glowed in the torch’s harsh light, fangs slowly revealing themselves as the truth finally settled in.

  “We’re trapped.”