The smell was the harsh stink of waste left out in the sun for days, as if the streets were full of dead bodies. It was still bright out, and in front of the house was a halfway broken-down hotel that hadn't seen someone living in it for decades.
They were here in the outskirts, where just a few blocks of broken buildings stood. Closed-down gas stations and shops. Potholes big enough to get lost in. And streets easily flooded.
"Why are we here?" questioned Sarah, scanning around, only seeing starved dogs and the occasional cat. Cats running around, a raccoon in a dumpster, and not a dead body moving about.
"Well, unfortunately, when that stack issue happened last week, a lot of those undead escaped, and I've been tracking them down," said Dante.
"You really would make a good detective if you found them," said Kínitos.
"Aww, thanks, man. You're making me blush. But no, Vex and Violet have got me beat. But today we finna put you guys in a category," said Dante.
"What does that entail?" said Sarah.
"Well, as you kinda figured out, each one of us gets sent out to jobs based on our skill," said Dante.
"I could've figured," replied Kínitos.
"Don't be cheeky. You're my favorite," replied Dante sarcastically.
"I'm not," said Sarah, disheartened.
"You are. Don't let Kínitos and Monti know," Dante said, giving a wink. Kínitos rolled his eyes as he looked back at the building that seemed to be falling apart.
"Anyways, each person runs their own department. Axe does transportation through his Herberts Hotel, including the base commander. Violet and Vex both are investigations and detective work. They both insist on making it one thing. Jade, of course, is the leader, and Jes is the big guns," said Dante.
"And you are?" asked Kínitos.
"I'm the dog. Any dumbass who thinks they can outrun me gets caught," said Dante.
"How fast can you go?" questioned Kínitos.
"That's a secret, buddy. But back on the topic of the vampires and undead," said Dante.
"Yeah, that sounds dangerous. We should find a different route instead of the front door?" asked Sarah with confusion under her tone.
"Yes, well, not we — y'all will, and they're not in the building specifically, they're in this neighborhood. This is just the entrance," said Dante.
"Wait, what?!" shouted both of them at Dante, as they then both looked at each other.
"You didn't do half bad in the stack, and Sarah really is in need of some experience. You'll be there, Kínitos. It's okay," said Dante.
"Wait, but we can't do—" before Sarah could finish,
"You got until tonight tonight, but call if you're in trouble," said Dante.
"How dangerous is this assessment?" questioned Kínitos.
"It's a ghost town, so you're okay," said Dante.
"Where are you even going today?" asked a confused Sarah.
"A few dumb people who think they can outrun me," said Dante. Then — boom — wind picked up.
"We should probably do some digging," said Sarah.
"Yeah, but if there's vampires inside, we need to be careful. I fought the zombies, and they were a pain," said Kínitos.
Sarah looked at Kínitos. A small string was on top of his head, and it was blue and giving off a small ray of light. Looking at the abandoned building, she felt a chill running down her shoulders.
Half an hour goes by of mindless walking. Kínitos stopped walking and wiped sweat off his forehead. "Man, this place gives me the creeps." He looked at the broken windows like something might stare back. A stray dog growled from a dark alley then ran off whimpering.
"You hear that?" Sarah whispered.
"Just the wind," Kínitos said, but he didn't sound sure. He cracked his knuckles. Energy flickered weak around his fingertips then died. "Still can't get the coating right."
"Focus," Sarah said. "We're not here for that."
"Yeah, yeah." He took a breath. "Alright. Vampires. How bad could it be?"
Sarah didn't answer. She kept watching the shadows.
Going around the abandoned neighborhood a few blocks down, checking if any other signs of life were nearby. In the corner of her eye, a man looming in the shadows. A red string with black stripes was on it.
"Kínitos, something is watching us," said Sarah with concern.
As they scanned around their surroundings in each house, they saw red hollow eyes looking back at them from each window of the building. The sun beamed down on them with harshness, and that rotten smell peeked through once more.
"Yeah, this isn't a ghost town like they said it was," replied Kínitos.
A groan came from the distance. Both of them flung their head to the left as they saw the shadow of a creature walking, a big long shadow. And from the corner were several zombies, more than half a dozen, standing in front of them both.
"Kínitos, that's a lot of zombies," said Sarah, seeing gray strings laid down like they're rotting away.
"Yeah, I see that," said Kínitos.
Then the horde charged.