Riot stood in the corner just like Mr told him to. His legs were shaking. His throat was dry. "Mr… can I please sit down?" Mr smiled in that playful, twisted way. "Sure, Riot. Sit wherever you like." Riot sat, glancing at Mr and for a moment, the light from the fire twisted Mr's shadow into something huge… horned… monstrous. He blinked. The shadow returned to normal."Can I have some water?" Riot asked quietly. "Of course," Mr said sweetly. "Have whatever you like." Riot walked to the big trash can full of water. and dipped his hands in, drinking fast. He leaned closer then turn to see where Mr was at and Mr was still sitting there eating a pice of meat Riot tuns and drinks more water then Mr grabbed his head and shoved it into the trash can that was full of rain water that they dranked. Riot tried to scream, but only bubbles escaped. His legs kicked. His hands clawed at the trash can.
He was a child Mr was a grown man. Mr yanked his head up. "Breathe," he said in a deep, cold voice. Riot gasped Mr slammed his head back into the water. Riot thrashed, but it didn't matter. His lungs burned. His vision blurred. Stars danced in the darkness. Maybe death is better, he thought.
Maybe I should stop fighting. He stopped struggling. Closed his eyes. Waited for the darkness to swallow him.Then Mr ripped his head out of the water. Riot collapsed, limp, coughing weakly. Mr froze. He heard something. Hooves. He tossed Riot aside and rushed to the opening, peering out. Riot lay there, barely conscious, listening. Hooves. Getting closer. Voices. Riot whispered, barely audible "Ice…"
The horses moved in a steady cruise, hooves thudding softly against the cracked road. Toa scanned the ruins ahead."If your friend was alone," Toa said, "he'd take shelter around here. Mostly abandoned buildings. Old bunkers. But if we search every one, we'll run into more demons."
Search for any place where a human will take shelter" Ice nodded. "Riot's sneaky. If he's alive, he'd pick something small. Maybe underground." Toa pointed ahead. "Then we turn here." They veered right. Burnt‑out cars lined the street, homes half‑collapsed and blackened by fire. A demon rat darted across the road. The horses reared, hooves slamming the ground, snorting and bucking. Ice and Toa fought for control, shouting commands, gripping reins tight. Underground, Riot lay on his side, barely breathing. The sound of hooves grew louder, echoing through the broken concrete. Mr stood at the entrance, gun in hand, not even looking at Riot. Riot's lungs burned. His ribs screamed. But when he heard the horses, something inside him sparked. He screamed with everything he had left."Ice!!" Mr snapped his head toward Riot, raising the gun. Above, Ice froze. "That's Riot!." Toa pointed toward a narrow opening in the ground. "Someone's down there." Ice didn't hesitate.They jumped off there horses and sprinted to the opening. Ice kicked a metal panel beside the entrance sparks flew. "Give me Riot!" he shouted, stomping the panel until it shattered.
Ice's protective instinct kicks in Toa slid inside first. Ice followed.Mr stood in the dim light, gun pressed to Riot's skull. Riot looked half‑dead starving, shaking, barely conscious. Ice's voice dropped into a growl. "You'll pay for your crimes. Give me Riot!" Mr wagged a finger, childlike. "Uh‑uh. You can have a dead boy if you like."Then his voice shifted deep, monstrous.
"It'll hurt you more if he dies." Ice looked at Riot weak, sad, but not afraid. Something inside Ice snapped."How about this," Ice said. "One on one. No weapons. Winner takes Riot."Mr scoffed. "Not a chance."Then the deep voice returned. "Maybe I'll just kill all three trespassers. Law of the land." He fired.Ice dove, rolling behind broken concrete. Bullets sparked off stone. Mr swung the gun toward Toa but in the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Ice was already charging. Blade drawn. Full speed.
No hesitation. Mr tried to turn the gun, but Ice's blade sliced clean through his arm. The gun clattered to the floor. Mr screamed and threw Riot aside. Riot hit the ground hard but managed a faint grin Ice was here. Mr reached for the gun with his remaining hand Ice cut that one off too. "Please don't," Mr begged. "I have a family "Ice stepped forward, eyes cold. "You have a family of demons inside you." One clean strike. Straight through the heart. Mr dropped to his knees. Ice finished it with a single motion, splitting his skull in half. Silence. Riot lay on the floor, chest rising weakly. He watched Ice through blurry eyes… and smiled. A small, broken smile this was the happiest Riot has ever been. He was safe. Ice came for him. It turned out Riot was never alone.