Al and Joshua readied themselves for combat, strengthening the mana surrounding them into a protective aura. Flickering and wavering like an invisible flame, it enveloped their bodies with an unusual warmth, radiating a small pressure that made the air around them less dense. Normally, these necromantic spells worked one of two ways: either the caster issued a simple command or the mage directly controlled the zombies with his mind. Each had their own advantages and disadvantages, with different tactics for defeating them. This meant that Al and Joshua first needed to figure out which one of these it was before they could go on the offensive. Al tensed up his muscles in a defensive stance, while Joshua inserted his hands into his pockets. Al rolled his eyes and thought:

"Joshua could at least pretend to take this seriously…"

Joshua's cellphone started ringing. After a couple of seconds of hearing its tune, he brought it out, furrowing his brow when he inspected it. Joshua didn't recognize the number. The rottweiler then lunged at him, foaming at the mouth with hunger. Al kicked it aside and aimed Requiem at it, but a murder of crows quickly intervened, pulling his arm away before he could shoot. With Al distracted by the birds, three dogs attacked Joshua from behind. He turned his head at them and sent them flying backwards, not bothering to even lift an arm against them. Joshua then walked towards Al and smacked away the birds with just a glance.

Black feathers floated in the air as a panting Al looked up to his brother. Joshua really had it easy in these situations. Godhand, his unique spell, gave him four extra arms invisible to the naked eye. Mana appendages, with a range of around three meters. To a normal person, though, it would seem like he had telekinetic powers. Playing with this assumption was a key part of his battle strategy, since the fact that he couldn't manipulate more than four objects at the same time was a severe limitation to his technique. Still, it annoyed Al to no end that Joshua could just stand around during fights without doing anything physical.

Barking incessantly, six dogs ran at them while the fallen ones stood up. Joshua struck four of them down and Al shot out a beam of white light from Requiem, disintegrating the dog it hit. Unfortunately, the one they missed bit into Al's left arm, causing him to scream. He waved his arm up and down with the dog still holding on, flinging it around until it released its grip. The dog then crashed into a red sports car nearby, setting off its alarm. Meanwhile, Joshua dealt with a wave of pigeons and crows dive bombing into them. He punched each of the birds at a blistering speed with Godhand, disabling them in a matter of seconds. Since he was busy with the birds, Joshua couldn't defend himself when he was tackled to the ground by the rottweiler.

His cellphone fell on the floor, but before he could grab it with Godhand, a crow swooped down and flew away with it. The rottweiler then bit at his face three times, but missed because Joshua kept moving his head out of the way. Joshua grabbed the dog by its throat and pushed him away. Its loud barking drenched Joshua's eyes with saliva, making his vision go blurry. Al then punted the rottweiler away from Joshua's body and helped him stand up, while Joshua used Godhand to protect them from some dogs that rushed at them from behind.

Once they were up, Al and Joshua glanced at each other and ran at a car at the other side of the street for cover. The animals pursued them, both on the ground and in the air, but Al fired a couple of shots at the dogs while Joshua swept away the birds. Al's arm throbbed with pain. That dog's bite wounded him enough to bleed, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it. If it passed through his protective aura, this meant these animals enhanced with mana themselves. Not good. Crouching behind the car, Al then said:

"I think we can handle this." He disintegrated a flock of pigeons with a shot. "They're strong, but if we keep our distance, we shouldn't have a problem."

"Yeah, but whoever's controlling them could keep chipping away at us. Who knows how many he has in stock! We need to get to him quickly, but I have no idea where he is!"

"You think he's here? How do you even know he's controlling them? These could easily be following a simple command or something like that!"

"No, he's definitely nearby." Joshua flung away a dog that jumped over the car. "They're too coordinated. When you tried to shoot that rottweiler, the birds protected the dog. Then they kept waiting for the most opportune moment to attack us. That's not something a simple command could cover. Whatever this unique spell is, it's allowing the mage to manipulate them in real time."

"Okay, I'll try to sense where he is. Cover me!"

Before Joshua could speak, four dogs ran around the car on both sides. They lunged at them instantly, but Joshua handled them easily with his unique spell. Al then closed his eyes and emptied his mind of all thoughts. He needed to find the caster. They couldn't keep their mana suppressed while using their unique spell, so Al should be able to feel their aura if they're nearby. The fact that the animals had mana of their own made things somewhat harder, but after concentrating for a few seconds he managed to find a signature. It was above them. Three stories up, in a building to their right. Al opened his eyes and looked at the place. Scaffoldings and tarps surrounded it; it was probably going through some renovations.

"I found it!" said Al, standing up. "He's on the roof of that building!"

Some mutilated cats sprang out of the bottom of the car, clawing Al's ankles and biting his calves. Joshua squashed them with Godhand, but not before they drew blood from Al. Joshua then turned around and saw the rottweiler on the other side of the road. It approached his bag of food, grabbed it with his mouth, and sprinted in direction of the monorail station.

"That son of a-" said Joshua. "It grabbed our food!"

"What?" said Al.

"My bag! That dog just ran away with it! That costed me half of this week's budget!"

Joshua leapt over the car and dashed towards the rottweiler. Al just stood there with his eyes widened. He knew Joshua could sometimes get a bit wacky when it came to food. They didn't have much money, so any food they could get their hands on would be very precious to him. They had gone through hunger before. They even nearly starved to death once, when they were fourteen. Al couldn't even blame Joshua for having strange priorities, considering he wasn't really 'human'. But this? This was just ridiculous. Al couldn't confront the enemy mage now, alone. That would be stupid and dangerous. There were probably some traps placed inside the building, plus it's not like he would have the element of surprise. Al sighed and followed his brother. Al noticed that although their was speed enhanced by their mana, they still couldn't catch up to the dog. It was very quick on its feet, even as Joshua threw at it trash cans and other miscellaneous objects with his Godhand.

Shouting at the dog incoherent threats while running behind it, Joshua finally caught up to it when it went limp on the floor, right in front of the monorail station. Most likely, the animal ran outside the spell's range and stopped functioning. Al jogged to a stop, standing next to his brother. He shook his head with a frown before tensing up his shoulders and looking behind him. Why didn't the animals pursue them? Or at least try to attack them while they ran? Al figured this was a distraction on the mage's part, to keep them from entering the building… but it didn't make any sense. How did he know to grab that bag? More importantly, why did he lead them exactly to the station, where they could get away safely? Wasn't the whole point of the ambush to stop them from reaching the station? Something was wrong here. Something was very wrong here.

What if the animals weren't meant to kill them; just keep them busy. If they were fighting off the zombies, they couldn't respond to Joshua's earlier phone call. Specially if he didn't have his cellphone anymore. A cold sweat crawled over Al's skin when a horrible realization dawned on him. The animals were stalking them since the morgue and it wasn't just the two of them investigating this murder. If you wanted to interfere with the case, you wouldn't attack the strongest opponents, like Joshua and Al. You'd go for the weakest link. That means they weren't the target, just an obstacle in between. Al took a deep breath and said:

"Joshua…"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. But if that mage is trying to kill us, I'm sure we'll get another chance to find him. I wasn't about to sacrifice a week's worth of food, okay? Plus, the idiot gave us a clear escape route…" Joshua's face tightened into a serious look. "Al, are you alright? You don't look so well."

"The mage wasn't after us. He just wanted your cellphone."

"What? Why?"

"He needed to distract us so that we didn't interrupt his attack. He's probably banking on the fact that we're gonna get on the train and leave now. Since you don't have your phone now, we wouldn't realize that she's in danger." Al turned around and starting running back into the seventh district. "We have to go! Now!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Who's in danger?"

Without looking back at his brother, Al shouted:

"Elizabeth!"

[Ten Minutes Earlier]

Elizabeth strolled through the sidewalk in a daze. She had just split up from Joshua and Al, down the street from her apartment. She really couldn't verbalize how she felt. It was weird. In one day, she had found more information on the case than in this entire week. Normally, she would research her articles alone. Solitude had a lot of benefits for a person like her. She didn't work well with others, always having to follow someone's lead or forcing her ideas unto others, like pushing a boulder up a hill from the start. Working with Al and Joshua, on the other hand, felt like a different experience. Their cooperation wasn't forced, it came from the same thirst for truth she felt. Well, technically it was forced, since she had to blackmail them into helping her, but afterwards there was little resistance from them. They didn't feel offended when she disagreed with them and were willing to consider her arguments. Even Al, who was sort of a jerk, respected her enough to listen to her theories.

They worked well together and, although she didn't interact much with Joshua, she could tell that he'd be the same. Elizabeth giggled. It was actually fun, in a way. She wouldn't go as far as to call it friendship, but she definitely felt a sense of companionship she wasn't familiar with. Her first year of college was actually pretty lonely, and this one wasn't shaping up to be any better. She didn't have anyone she could call a friend in Xeistoria, only acquaintances from classes and the paper. Maybe she could change that with Joshua and Al. Finally having someone to hang out with would be nice. She could at least enjoy some company, even if it only lasted during this case.

Dozens of birds flocked together above her, fanning themselves out on the powerlines of the road. They cawed at an inconsistent rhythm with every step she took, joining some distant, canine howls in a disturbing song. Passing a few cement porches and streetlights, the noise got louder and chaotic, forcing Elizabeth to take note of it. She stopped and looked around, but only the birds were present in the street. What could be causing them to act this way? It was irritating, painful for her head. She clenched her ears to block it out, but it didn't seem to end. The birds then went quiet, all at the same time, when a disgusting figure walked out of an alley.

It was small, furry, and missing an eye. Its tail was cut in half, with the end plugged by a meaty lump. A mutilated cat. Elizabeth's arms roughened with tremors, feeling erections of flesh forming on her skin. It was just like that rottweiler she saw at the morgue. Trailing blood from its paws, the cat approached Elizabeth and tried to hiss, leaving a set of red footprints with every step it took. The sound it produced was just wrong. A wheezing that perturbed her deeply, like nails on a chalkboard scraping against her very soul.

Twelve other cats then limped into the sidewalk, each bringing with it a collection of flies and maggots. Elizabeth took a step back, holding her breath. The cats stood still, glaring at her. She took another step back. A crow let out an echoing caw. The cats arched their backs in preparation for a pounce, hissing out their corrupted cry again. Could it be magic? These animals didn't look healthy, they shouldn't even be able to stand. If this was the work of a mage, then she couldn't mess around here. She had to run away.

In a heartbeat, Elizabeth turned around and sprinted away, prompting the cats to follow suit. Shambling dogs then swarmed out across the street, barking at Elizabeth as they pursued her as well. Adrenaline coursed through her body, heat flashing through her limbs with a mixture of fear and determination. Birds swooped down and clawed her neck, but she didn't slow down. Help. She needed help. She started screaming off the top of her lungs, but no one seemed to be around. Al and Joshua. She needed to contact them.

The coupon. Elizabeth remembered it had a phone number on it. Awkwardly, she reached into her pocket it and dragged it out, typing the number into her cellphone with shaking hands. It rang. It rang again. It kept ringing until it reached a voice mail. Shit. This was her only hope. She needed to figure out a solution on her own.

She had to get away. Any thought that interfered with this was useless. Her breathing intensified the faster she ran, but no matter how much progress she made, it felt futile. The animals were catching up to her, breathing on her heels.

Every step felt heavier for Elizabeth. Some cats slashed her legs, tearing apart her thigh. The pain started registering for her. The adrenaline wasn't enough to keep it at bay anymore, but she still kept running.

The cats stubbled when they jumped for her legs, slowing them down somewhat. Still, the dogs were catching up quickly. Elizabeth knocked down a trash can behind her, hoping it would act like an obstacle for the animals. It didn't. The dogs just jumped over it and the cats ran around it.

The barking got louder as she heard the many footsteps get closer. A dog lunged at her, biting into her left shoulder. The weight made Elizabeth trip, crashing into the moist concrete face-first. She felt the fangs sink deeper into flesh, until hearing a loud tear. Her brain screamed louder than her voice, since she couldn't catch a breath to shout. She felt a piece of her shoulder missing. The pain was unbearable, burning with an intensity she never thought imaginable.

Elizabeth tried to crawl away, to no avail. Two other dogs bit into her ankles and dragged her back. This couldn't be happening. She was going to die. The cats catched up and tore up her back, while the birds peck away the back of her skull. A pigeon with a hole on its chest landed in front of her face. It jerked its head with a curious look, wobbling closer until reaching her eye. It pecked her cornea, then her iris. A pack of rats then skittered towards her, joining the pigeon as they consumed her eye.

The shock was too much for Elizabeth. She couldn't even cry for help. Her limbs got colder. Her vision went blurry. She didn't know where she was anymore. A hooded figure appeared in the distance, running towards her with blistering speed. It fought off the animals with a ray of light and crouched beside her. Still, it was too late. Elizabeth couldn't feel anything anymore. What little consciousness she had slowly dissolved until she could only see darkness.