Zora felt a burning sensation in her chest — hot, sharp, and spreading fast through her limbs.
Please bear with it, came the concerned voice of the older man-star. Your body's not quite suited to her yet.
Zora staggered, bracing herself against the wall. Her eyes locked on the shambling undead now spilling into the alley.
"Please tell me this isn't going to kill me?" she hissed, clenching her teeth.
"Not if you stay in control. That's the key," another voice said, calm and almost amused.
One of the corpses tripped forward, groaning.
Back up, dear, the older woman-star chimed in sweetly. You'll want a little space for this part.
Zora took several steps back, the burning starting to simmer into something more bearable. "Okay. Now what?"
Burn those fuckers alive! the woman cackled.
Heat exploded from within her like a furnace cranking to max. "Great idea! And how exactly do I do that!?"
Oh, it's simple, she said cheerfully. You just go fwoosh and whoosh—
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Zora shouted. "THAT'S the explanation?!"
She threw her hands in the air — and a jet of flame erupted from both palms.
Her eyes widened. "Oh shit."
See? Fwoosh and whoosh. They're getting closer, by the way. The female voice said smugly.
Zora whirled toward the crowd now bottlenecked in the alley. She extended her arm, and this time, with a deliberate flick of will —
WHOOM — a sea of flame engulfed the undead in front of her, reducing them to ash.
Zora's mouth hung open. The smell of scorched meat hit her, and she gagged, coughing hard.
"What the hell are you things?" she spat.
One of the stars zipped out of her chest, blinking rapidly. "We are NOT things, we are—"
"Enough!" a younger male voice cut in. "The fight's not over."
Zora narrowed her eyes, peering into the fading flames.
There—something moved.
A hunched, warped silhouette limped through the smoke.
And then, as if someone flipped a switch, the flames vanished.
"Now that's rude," the woman-star muttered.
On the other side of the burning heap stood a man, draped in a tattered hood. He raised his head just enough for Zora to see his twisted, nearly toothless smile.
"Now, now... look what you've done to my precious toys," he said softly. "How ever will you repay me?"
He tilted his head.
"Ah... I know."
His grin widened. "You can join them."
He snapped his fingers.
All around the alley, the corpses began to swell.
"The last explosion was a gentle one," he cooed. "This one? Not so much."
Zora backed into the dead end, her heart pounding. Bones jutted from the corpses, trembling like spring-loaded traps.
"Stars, please, if you've got something—now would be a good time!"
One of the stars drifted lazily down in front of her face.
"Slow your roll, missy," the older man's voice grumbled. "Calm down. You're too loud." he said, lazily floating into her chest.
Zora stared, slack-jawed. "Loud?! I'm about to be turned into red mist!"
Now hold out your hand.
She did. A black cane materialized in midair.
"What—?"
Slam it into the ground. Hard.
Zora didn't hesitate. She gripped the cane and drove it into the alley floor—
BOOM!
Explosions erupted in every direction. Bones blasted past her, punching holes into the brick walls. The air shook. The world screamed.
Zora clenched her teeth. "COME ON, DAMN IT—BE DONE ALREADY!"
Silence.
Ash rained gently around her.
That was less elegant than I'd hoped from a woman of your stature, the old man said with a sniff. We'll work on that.
Zora looked up.
The corpse-puppeteer was still there, his expression twisted with rage.
"We have the upper hand now," said the star. "Let's return the favor. Point the cane at him. Focus."
Zora raised the cane, locking eyes with the man. Her brows furrowed—
And then...
"Tariq has always been just a friend to me, Mom."
Her voice. Her words. Said exactly the way she'd once said them.
Zora froze.
She slowly turned her head toward the roof of the building behind her.
There it was.
The Stalker.
Its body was long and gray, crouched impossibly still — almost insect-like. Its head tilted at an angle bones shouldn't bend.
And stretched across its blank, eyeless face...
Was a smile.
"You piece of sh—"
She was interrupted by the old man's voice. FOCUS!
Zora snapped her head back toward the enemy. The hooded man was flicking his hands in erratic patterns.
"Let's see you survive this one," he growled.
Suddenly, the bones and remains of the corpses surged toward him — floating, clumping, twisting — until they stopped a few feet in front of him and began melding together.
Wet and Loud.
Schlkkk-sssschlck.
Zora gagged. "Jesus, what is that?"
We need to fire — NOW! the old man barked.
Zora focused the cane toward him, and instantly felt it — a rush so euphoric it made her knees buckle.
God... this feels good.
Keep control, the old man warned sharply. Don't lose yourself.
Suddenly, the air around her grew heavy. It was hard to breathe. Thick, like syrup.
The hooded man froze. His head snapped to the left, and as his hood fell back, Zora saw his pale, hollow face — wide eyes filled with fear.
From above, the Stalker scuttled across the roof and vanished into the shadows.
Her stars blinked in confusion. Even they seemed on edge, darting in slow, uncertain loops above her.
The man turned back toward Zora, voice trembling.
"Th-that can't be... You're lucky this is happening right now," he spat.
Then he turned and bolted, the malformed bone-mass following him like a loyal pet.
The pressure vanished. Silence fell.
Zora collapsed to the ground, breathing hard.
"What was that?" she gasped, looking up at her stars.
"We have no idea..." the old man's voice muttered, drifting from her chest.
"But whatever it was — it isn't friendly."
Zora collapsed in the alleyway.
"God, I'm exhausted," she muttered, dropping into a sitting position. Her stars lazily circled above her head, their glow dimming slightly.
She sat there for a long moment, catching her breath.
Then finally, "You wouldn't happen to know what direction that came from, would you?"
The younger man's voice responded without hesitation.
"East. It definitely came from the east."
Zora let out a slow breath, some tension leaving her shoulders.
"East... okay. That's... not near home. Mom and Dad are in the northwest part of town."
She nodded to herself.
Then she froze.
Eyes wide, breath catching in her throat.
"East...?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Tariq's school is towards the east."