"Nino, pass the bowl?" asked Alya from the other side of the couch.

"No prob," he replied easily, handing her the bowl of candy. I watched them with a small smile on my face; they really did go well together.

"Want some, Adrien?" She proffered the candy to me.

"Sure." As I ate a chocolate square, a knock came from Alya's door. I shot up, gesturing for Alya to stay seated.

"I'll get it." She smiled in thanks and turned to Nino, who handed her a Hershey's Kiss.

Chuckling, I opened the door.

"Adrien! How sue to yice knee- Uh, I mean-" My eyebrows creased in mild amusement at Marinette's actions.

"She means, How nice to see you," corrected Kagami from Marinette's left.

"I'm glad you made it here safe, Marinette, Kagami," I said, looking from one to the other. Marinette's face was red as she shoved a box toward me.

"This is for you- Uh, not just you, for everyone, but-" she stopped floundering when Kagami elbowed her. She smiled in thanks and Kagami returned one that was less sheepish than Marinette's.

"Thanks, I'm sure everyone will love… whatever it is."

"Oh, it's a cake from my family's shop. It's got bats on it, see?"

"C'mon girl," called Alya. "Get in here, guys."

"No, Romeo, don't!" cried Juliet. Tears streamed down her face.

"I must go. To protect you," Romeo whispered. He ventured out into the rain.

"No, you idiot," cried Marinette, "Now the zombies will get you!"

"Marinette, calm down," admonished Alya. "It's just a movie."

"Sorry."

The zombies creep toward Romeo. He stumbles back, batting wildly with a branch. A scream. A man shouts. A woman shrieks. Children yelling.

Wait-

"Does anyone else hear that screaming?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, Adrien. It's a horror movie, man." Nino shook his head.

"No, it's coming from-"

"Outside!" Marinette beat me to it. Alya pressed pause, and we could hear it more clearly: People outside were well and truly scared of something.

"An Akuma?" wondered Kagami. I hoped not. Marinette and Alya shared a glance.

"Uh… I think we should stay inside." Alya started. "Turn off the lights. You know, so they don't see us. It's safer." She nudged Marinette, who jumped in.

"Yeah, good idea, Alya." She went to the light switch and Alya shut the tv off. The room was cast into darkness. I looked around. I couldn't see any of my friends. And as they say, "If you can't see them, they can't see you!"

I tiptoed away. I had to find somewhere to transform.

"What do you think it is?" Nino was asking. "Maybe it's a zombie!" I heard a creaking like someone was moving around. I used the sound to cover up the fact that I was opening a door to a bedroom. I snuck to the window and edged it open. Just before I slipped out, I heard Kagami whisper "There, look," and I was climbing to the roof.

"Marinette?!" I couldn't help blurting in surprise, for the girl was climbing onto the roof as well. She looked just as surprised as I did. "What are you doing?"

"Oh! Uh… I was thinking whatever the Akuma is, maybe it's attracted to large groups! Um… So I split off from everyone else…" She paused. "What are you doing? It's not safe!"

"I… wanted to see if I could see whatever it is," I said hastily. I pointed to the side. "I'm gonna… hide over there."

"Yeah!" Marinette agreed. "I'll hide here." I moved out of sight of her, hiding on the far side of the roof behind a chimney.

"Plagg, claws out," I muttered, willing the flashing light of my transformation to be unobtrusive. I can't risk cluing Marinette in. That'd be a disaster.

I jumped from roof to roof. My eyes roved the city, looking for the cause of Paris' terror.

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug swung into view in all her black-and-red glory.

"Milady! How blessed I am to see you this spooky night." I bowed. "Do you know what's turning Paris into a horror movie?"

"I'm betting it's those," she said, pointing toward the street below. A multitude of pedestrians was fleeing from a flock of bats. "Let's go, kitty," she called; we sprang into action.

Milady's yo-yo swooped in and wound around a group of children who were being accosted by a particularly nasty group of bats. I spun my staff in a vortex. The bats were repelled momentarily, long enough for the people to get further away.

"Hey, Milady, what's the best way to hold a bat?" I swung my staff like I was playing baseball at a swath of critters. "By the handle!"

"Is now really the time for jokes?" She chided. I grinned at her, all sunshine.

The bats were retreating.

"C'mon, kitty, let's follow them," Ladybug said, throwing her yo-yo in their direction.

"You're the boss, bugaboo." She was too focused to berate me for the nickname.

"Maybe they'll lead us to Hawk Moth's latest victim."

"Smart as always, I see."