Trish slowed her bike to a halt, searching for somewhere inconspicuous, yet not too inaccessible to store it. The number of buildings had thinned as she'd ridden downtown, and the sound of her engine stood out like a sore thumb amongst the relative silence of the evening. An uneasy feeling came over her as she scanned the darkened streets. Even for what was mostly an industrial area, the lack of people was unsettling. Yes, it was starting to get late, but she would have expected at least a few workers to still be milling about at this time, either closing things up or socialising with their colleagues. Instead however, the whole area almost seemed like it had been abandoned.
She listened carefully as she rolled her bike into an alleyway next to what appeared to be a car repair centre of some sort. The passage was open at both ends and was one of the few not filled with bins or debris - an easy escape if needed. After steadying the bike, she made her way over to one of the windows of the building and peered through. From what she could see, the place looked like it had been used recently and was relatively clean. There was even a half-finished mug of coffee on the windowsill. She stepped back and made her way over to another of the buildings, which appeared to be an office. A quick scan of the interior revealed much the same - that contrary to its locked down appearance, the place was still in use. Trish leant against the wall outside and hummed thoughtfully. She hadn't heard of there being any issues in this part of town. That coupled with the fact that all of the buildings appeared to be intact despite the eerie silence was starting to make her wonder whether Nico might have been mistaken after all. She shook her head. No. There had to be something going on here; she just needed to find out what.
She made her way out onto the main road again. Other than the lack of people, nothing looked out of place. And it was past business hours… She sighed. Who was she kidding? Although seldom few realised it, humans had a knack for sensing when something wasn't quite right, and something had told everyone here to leave before dark. She'd been here a lot over the years for various reasons, and there were always people hanging around after hours - finishing up work on cars, finalising reports, even just sitting in the open doors of warehouses drinking beer together and complaining about their home lives. Not to mention that just a bit further down from here was… She straightened. Of course! That place was always open until at least midnight. If even they were closed then something must be going on. She gave her bike one last glance, then started to jog down town.
Nero was tired. Of walking, of thinking, of everything. He was tired of the tension that ran through every fibre of his body, keeping him awake in the dead of night. Tired of the feeling that something was missing inside him. He was tired of the strange looks Kyrie had been giving him ever since he got back. Tired of the absent father who hadn't even bothered to come and check on him after he'd been in literal Hell for a year. Tired of how easily his uncle seemed to be slipping back into everyday life as if nothing had happened. Tired of how everyone seemed to be handling all of this so calmly. Everyone but him.
He paused in a shop doorway, taking a moment to catch his breath. He'd lost count of how many restaurants, bars, shops, cafes, alleyways he'd stuck his head into, looking for something he knew he'd never find. His father wasn't exactly subtle. If Vergil had passed through somewhere, Nero was pretty sure he'd know about it. When it really came down to it, they could be anywhere right now. Sure, Nero and Dante knew that using the Yamato was probably a bad idea, but Vergil sure as heck didn't. And if they really were in any sort of trouble, then the first thing Vergil would have done is teleported them outta there. For all anyone knew, Vergil and Lady could be engrossed in a life and death battle with whatever those things were right now. All the more reason to find them then, his mind chastised him. Nero angrily pushed the thought away. What was with them, anyway? Vergil and Lady… It didn't sound right to him somehow. He thought back to last year when he'd been fighting alongside Lady in the apartment block. He'd asked her then, hadn't he? If something was going on between them… She'd laughed at him, eyes wide, as if the very thought was completely inconceivable to her.
Your father is a selfish, power hungry maniac. Do you really think I'd be interested in someone like him?
Could she… would she just lie to his face like that? It certainly didn't seem like the sort of thing Lady would do. But then why -
A shrill shriek split through the air, pulling Nero out of his turbulent thoughts. His hand instantly moved towards his gun, and his muscles tightened. His eyes darted around as he tried to find the source of the scream. All around him, people continued to walk past, smiling and talking with each other as though nothing had happened. How could this many people be so heartless?! Nero strained his ears, listening for anything further. It didn't take long for another cry to echo through the streets, this one quieter than the last, but followed by what sounded like others. Nero took off in the direction of the noise, concerned at the excitement and anticipation that was rippling through his body as he did so. He was desperate, he realised. Desperate to release some of this tension building inside him. If he could just fight something, distract himself for just a moment, then…
He rounded a corner and skidded to a halt as his target became obvious to him. His hands fell limply by his sides as he took in what he was seeing. Throngs of people swarmed over the large field in all directions. Some gave him strange looks as they passed, and turned to whisper to each other while looking him up and down. Another scream, but this one was followed by laughter and seemed to start up in the sky before descending towards the earth. Nero watched the lights of the rollercoaster in the distance with mild confusion as they blurred into a glowing trail of colours before disappearing from view. His arms started to shake a little as the adrenaline began to fade, and he ran an unsteady hand through his hair. A funfair in the middle of town was the last thing he'd expected to see.
He was about to turn away and leave, but something stopped him. Could this be it? After all of his pointless searching and wandering, was it possible that they were in there? He shook his head in disbelief. There was no way someone like Vergil would willingly walk into something like this, and he didn't think Lady seemed like the sort either. Assuming they were even still travelling together that is. But even so… He hesitated a little longer then started to walk towards the entrance. He couldn't deny that this would be the perfect place to blend in if you didn't want to be found. Even if they weren't here, it couldn't hurt to look, right? Besides, such busy locations were usually rife with demonic activity - with this many people present it was almost impossible to notice if one two went missing. He might as well kill two birds with one stone and continue his search while making sure nothing untowards was going on in the area. He nodded to himself. It seemed like a good plan. And just the sort of distraction he needed. Perhaps he might even be able to find something to kill.
"...I'm worried about Nero." Kyrie said the statement so quietly that Nico almost didn't hear her. They were sitting in one of the staff rooms at the orphanage, and Kyrie had been silently mulling things over with herself for a while as Nico attempted to do everything in her power to try and perk herself up again. Alcohol and soft drinks hadn't worked, so she'd moved on to coffee.
"Say again?" Nico responded, holding out her mug as Alisa shakily attempted to pour some freshly brewed dark liquid into it. They'd collected the children from Kyrie and Nero's place on the way over, and the young girl had refused to leave her adopted mother's side pretty much ever since. Kyrie let out a tut and grabbed the pot from Alisa before any coffee could spill over the edge.
"I do wish you would stop putting her at risk of hurting herself," Kyrie grumbled, filling Nico's mug instead.
"S'okay I can handle it," Alisa said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm just a bit nervous right now is all."
"For understandable reasons," Kyrie said, gently patting Alisa on the head. "Why don't you try to get some rest with the others? It's getting late." The boys were currently tucked up in some of the spare beds, heavily guarded along with the rest of the children, despite the sigils that covered pretty much every inch of the building.
Alisa shook her head furiously. "Something's gonna go down tonight, I can feel it," she said. She sat down on the sofa next to Nico and wrapped herself around Nico's free arm. "And I wanna be here for it."
Kyrie sighed. "Nico, can't you say something to her?" She looked away, almost in embarrassment. "I need to talk to you about something."
Nico downed her coffee in one quick gulp and slammed it down on the side table next to her. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, earning a giggle from Alisa. "Whatever you're about to say, she'll find out anyway," Nico said, nodding towards the small girl next to her. "She has a knack for that sorta thing." She turned to wink at Alisa, who grinned back.
"Nico, please…" Kyrie said defeatedly, sitting down on a sofa opposite them. "I just-"
"I'm worried about him too," Alisa interrupted, her expression suddenly turning serious.
Kyrie's eyes widened for a moment before she cleared her throat and attempted to appear more neutral again. Her eyes flickered over to Nico. "...So it's not just me?" she asked hopefully. Alisa nodded and looked away."There's something different about him, right?" Kyrie ventured, leaning forwards in her seat slightly. Her hands were tightly clasped together on her lap. Alisa remained silent, her brow furrowed as though she was trying to articulate what she wanted to say. When she said nothing further, Kyrie glanced at Nico again. "Have… Have you noticed anything?"
Nico chewed her lip thoughtfully and shrugged. "I'll be honest, we ain't spent that much time together since he got back," she said. "I was at that weapons convention thingy, and then when I got back I didn't want to get in the way of your reunion an' all, so…" She blew out a puff of air. "I mean, I guess he seemed kinda touchy at the restaurant? I dunno, I tend not to look into this kinda stuff too much. Usually don't end too well."
"What about you?" Kyrie said sharply, turning her attention towards Alisa again. "You said you were worried right? You wouldn't just say that for no reason-"
"You're getting too angry!" Alisa snapped suddenly. There were tears forming in her eyes and her cheeks had reddened. She looked up at Kyrie with a hurt expression. It was unusual to see the usually gentle Kyrie so tense, and even more unusual for her to have effectively scolded someone. "I'm sorry," Alisa mumbled. "I-I can't think properly when there's so much…" She buried her head in her hands and jumped down from the sofa. "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll come back when there's less… less…" Her eyes flickered between Nico and Kyrie before she let out a frustrated growl and yanked the door open.
"I am not angry," Kyrie stated as the door slammed shut. "I'm just-"
"It's okay," Nico said. "I get it." She picked up the pot of coffee in front of her and refilled her mug. "It's frustratin', right? Not knowing what's goin' on in someone's head…" She glanced at the door. "Well, for most of us anyway."
"Is she going to be alright?" Kyrie asked worriedly. "Nico, I'm so sorry, really. I don't know what came over me."
"Don't worry about it," Nico said, offering the pot of coffee towards Kyrie who shook her head. "It's good practice for her anyway. She's workin' on learnin' how to block out people's emotions now that she's gettin' a little older. She ends up gettin' completely overwhelmed otherwise, an' the last thing I want is her endin' up alone 'cause she's scared of people."
"It must be difficult," Kyrie said quietly. "For both of you."
Nico shrugged. "It is what it is." She sipped her coffee. "So… Now that we have a moment alone, what's the deal with Nero?"
Kyrie let out a defeated sigh and sat back on the sofa, closing her eyes. "I… Don't know how to explain it. Since he got back he's been a little distant, but I think that's normal, right? I know he's probably just overwhelmed after everything that happened, but…" Kyrie sat forward again. "I feel like there might be something else going on with him," Kyrie continued. "Something we should know about."
"Maybe," Nico admitted. "But if you ask me, I think it's just 'cause he hasn't really adjusted to bein' back yet." She fiddled with her mug. "Spendin' a year in Hell… It's not the sorta thing the average person can just bounce back from, y'know?"
Kyrie nodded. "Of course, I understand that. It's… It's still so hard to believe that he's actually back, and it's only been a few days at that. I suppose it's no surprise that he's not quite himself." She sighed again. "I just want to know what to do. He's dealt with so much trauma in his life already, to add this on top is-" Kyrie's voice broke and she looked down at her hands.
Nico snorted. "He's a big boy, he'll be fine," she insisted. She paused, wondering for a moment whether she actually believed her own words. Sure, Nico knew that Nero could take care of himself. After all, he'd managed to keep himself alive long enough to return from Hell, hadn't he? Still, something inside of her felt uneasy at the idea of him facing whatever lay ahead by himself. A small part of her felt guilty for not even realising that there was something off about her closest friend, but she knew it would do no good to blame herself. She made a mental note to take him aside when she next got the chance and ask him - really ask him - how he was doing. She looked back up at Kyrie, who was watching her closely. She gave her a weak smile. "Ya just gotta trust him," Nico told her. "He'll talk when he's ready."
A shrill noise filled the room before Kyrie could respond, and it took them both a moment to realise that it was the phone in the corner of the room ringing. Kyrie nodded to Nico, who somewhat unsteadily got to her feet and picked up the receiver. "Fortuna Orphanage-"
"Nico? Man, I'm so glad you were the one to pick up."
"It's Dante," Nico said over her shoulder to Kyrie. "So? What's the deal with the, uh… Crystals, was it?" she asked him. "Kyrie filled me in."
"I'll explain once everyone's together, has Nero called back yet?" Dante asked.
"'Fraid not," Nico replied. "No peep from Trish neither," she added. Dante let out what sounded like a muffled curse then continued.
"Okay, well I'm heading over to you guys anyway. Listen, I need you to do something for me."
"I'm listenin'..." Nico said hesitantly.
"First of all, how many of those Devil Breaker things do you reckon you could make in, say, a couple of hours?"
Nico grinned. "Depends which ones ya need."
The fair was loud, colourful, and overwhelming. The whole place was filled with people and smells and lights. Every stall seemed to be offering something different, and there were rides as far as the eye could see. Yet despite his initial apprehensions, Nero felt some of his tension fade away as his senses became bombarded with the scent of candy floss and popcorn. There was something strangely comforting and nostalgic about a place like this. He paused and took a moment to gather his bearings, making a note to try and find out at some point how long this thing was planning to stick around; if they managed to deal with everything as planned, he might suggest that Kyrie take some of the kids here during the day.
After a minute or two, he started to wander aimlessly through the crowd of bodies, unsure of where to start looking. One thing for certain was that he likely wasn't going to have much luck just walking around. The stalls and rides appeared to be set up randomly across the field, and he had yet to spot even a glimpse of Lady or Vergil amongst the sea of people. The sheer number of patrons coupled with the fact that Lady and Vergil were highly unlikely to be staying in one place meant that unless he could somehow see everywhere at once, this was going to be impossible. His shoulder blades twitched slightly and he quickly dismissed the idea of using his wings before he convinced himself it was a good plan. Sure, it would likely solve his problem, but he didn't even want to think about what other issues such an action would cause.
Eventually, after having passed countless different attractions (and somehow ending up in possession of a rather large stick of candyfloss), Nero found himself standing in front of the rollercoaster that had drawn him here in the first place. A plan started to form in his mind. He quickly finished the rest of his sticky snack and walked up to the ticket booth. He tapped on the window. "How much for one person?" Nero asked.
The man behind the glass gave him a funny look, but held up two fingers. Nero thanked him as he fumbled about in his pockets, trying to locate some change. The plan was simple. If searching from the ground was getting him nowhere, he would search from the sky. And he'd do it in a way that wasn't likely to get him arrested or worse. He doubted there were many people with such striking white hair walking around, so it would just be a case of reaching the highest point of the ride then scanning the crowds below. He glanced up at the rollercoaster as he continued to pat his pockets. It had at least three high points, so he should have plenty of opportunity to search. Finally, after rifling his way through a variety of devil breakers, spare bullets, grappling hooks, and even a handful of sweets for some reason, his fingers found what he was looking for. He tossed the change onto the tray at the front of the booth and the man grunted and nodded towards the rollercoaster.
Nero managed to slip inside the barrier just as the gate was about to close, earning an irritated tut from the ride operator. "In the back," they grumbled, then gestured to a young boy standing nearby. "Looks like we found you someone to ride with after all," they called out. Nero looked up in confusion as the kid sat down next to him in the rear coach. "Kids can't ride alone," the operator shrugged, lowering the safety bar.
"...Hey," Nero said, giving a hesitant wave to the boy next to him as the ride started to move.
"Don't talk to me," the kid said bluntly, tightly gripping onto the metal rod in front of them. "I'm just here for the ride. Been waiting ages."
"Uh, sure," Nero responded, looking around as the ride started to climb higher. It was only as they finally started to get a clearer view of the fair that Nero realised how practically impossible his plan was. The damned field was huge! And from this height, everyone down below looked like nothing more than smudged dots. Nero let out an annoyed growl and smacked his forehead with his hand. Idiot! Now all he was doing was just wasting even more time! He sighed and sat back in his seat.
"Ya scared?" the kid next to him asked teasingly.
"Huh? No!" Nero said defensively, looking down at him. "I just realised I made a mistake, that's all."
"That sounds like yer scared to me," the kid said, sticking out his tongue.
"I'm not-" Nero's words were cut off by a surprised scream erupting from his throat as the rollercoaster suddenly hit its highest point and started to plummet towards the ground. The boy next to him cackled maniacally.
"Ain't ya a bit too old to be screamin' like a girl?" the kid asked as the rollercoaster started to rise again. "Ya sound like my baby brother."
"Aren't you a bit too young to be wandering around a fairground this big alone?" Nero retorted.
"Wow, you're dumb as well as a scaredy cat, huh," the kid said, looking over the edge of the cart and waving. "That's my mum right there," he added, pointing to a crowd of people far below. Nero glanced down then did a double take.
"Where is that?" Nero asked urgently, leaning over the kid for a better look.
"Hey, get offa me old man!" the kid yelled, punching Nero in the side.
"Sorry but that's-" Another yell escaped him as the ride suddenly crested and shot down again. Beside him the kid let out a gasp.
"Is that a gun?! "
Nero looked down and realised that his coat had come loose and started to blow about in the wind. "Uh… I-It's a toy gun. I won it on one of the stalls-"
"Are you a spy?!" the kid asked, looking up at Nero with wide eyes.
"Uh…" Nero glanced over the edge of the cart again as they rose higher. There was no denying it now, he'd definitely seen them. Or at least one of them. "...Yes," Nero replied, attempting to sound as confident as possible. "I'm actually looking for someone, maybe you can tell me if you've seen them?"
The boy's eyes narrowed. "If yer lookin' for someone why are ya on a ride?"
"Because, I thought I might be able to find them from up here," Nero explained. "But once I got up here, I realised we were going way too fast and it was way too high."
"Yer not a very good spy, huh?" the kid mumbled, looking ahead again. "Boring."
"This is my first assignment in about a year," Nero snapped. Why was he getting so defensive around some snotty brat anyway? He braced himself as the ride prepared for its final descent.
"...It's the food court," the kid said, still staring ahead.
"Huh?"
"The place I pointed at."
Nero nodded. "Thank you–" Even despite preparing himself for it, he still couldn't help crying out when the rollercoaster shot forward again.
"I saw a guy with a sword too!" the kid yelled over the wind. "He made my brother cry. I wanted to get away while my mum shut him up!"
"He what? " Nero asked in horror as the ride finally slowed and came to a stop.
"Not on purpose I think," the kid said. "He just kinda… looked over and my brother started cryin'..." The kid looked Nero up and down. "Actually he kinda looked like you now that I think about it. Are ya both spies?"
"Can you show me where the food court is?" Nero asked desperately, pushing the safety bar away from them.
The kid shook his head furiously. "No way, old man. I don't wanna get involved. 'Sides my mum paid for two rides for me."
"You-" Nero let out an exasperated sigh. "Can you at least point me in the right direction?"
The kid shrugged. "Just follow the smell of burgers and the annoying crying."
"Thanks…" Nero mumbled. He turned to leave. "Good luck finding someone else to sit with you, ya brat," he said quietly.
"Huh?" the kid asked. Nero didn't respond.
In the end it didn't take all that long to find the area the kid had pointed at with the help of a few signs and some questions. But of course, by the time Nero got there, they were already gone.
"Romani fortune teller - the future is in your hands…" Lady screwed her nose up as she struggled to read the dirtied sign above the peeling wooden door. They had come across a small cabin hidden away in the shadows at the outskirts of the funfair, practically isolated from the rest of the festivities. A quick glance of the structure suggested that it was designed to be towed by a much larger vehicle, but appeared to have been detached at some point during set-up and left where it was. Whether done for dramatic effect or by accident was less obvious. A large pair of open palms holding a crystal ball was painted on the side, although those too were sunbleached and fading. Painted around it in what looked to be slightly fresher colours were phrases like "Palm Reading" , "Relationship advice" , and "Your future". Lady sniffed and looked up at Vergil, who appeared surprisingly tense as his eyes scanned the cabin. "Clever," she said, breaking the silence.
Vergil jolted at the short statement and his eyes flickered towards her. "Hm?" The sensation of being watched had faded slightly since leaving the food court, but he was still feeling unusually on edge. He was starting to feel like he'd had quite enough of this godforsaken place and was getting more than a little desperate to leave.
"The pun. I kinda like it." Lady tilted her head. "So, what do you think?"
"I think I would quite like to get back to somewhere a bit brighter," Vergil said flatly. He forced a smile when Lady raised an eyebrow at him. "...So that I might observe your beauty more easily, of course," he added, earning a light punch to the shoulder.
"I think we should try it," Lady said confidently, stepping forward. She was halted by a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Such things are a waste of time," Vergil said coldly, attempting to lead Lady away from the area. "They only tell you what you want to hear."
"Well maybe I could use something like that right now," Lady said, shrugging herself free. "C'mon what's the worst that could happen, we'll lose maybe a burger's worth of cash? It'll be fun!" Vergil hesitated, then stepped back even further.
"If you wish to fool yourself, then go ahead. I have no desire to be involved in such things."
"Why, afraid of what you might hear?" Lady asked teasingly.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Vergil said bluntly. "I have had some… unfavourable experiences with these sorts of things." He folded his arms. "I wish to determine my own future, not have it laid out bare in front of me by some… some…" He threw his hands up. "By some witch."
"Hey now, don't you think that's being a bit harsh?" Lady said, hoping that whoever was inside the cart couldn't hear them. "C'mon, either you believe in it or you don't, which is it?"
"I believe that it may be time for us to find a suitable location for those fireworks you mentioned previously," Vergil said, slowly edging away. "Or perhaps you might like to leave altogether, instead? I feel we may have seen all this wretched place has to offer."
Lady looked him up and down with a slight scowl, then turned suddenly and marched over to the cart. "Guess there's only one way to find out whether it works or not," she called over her shoulder.
Vergil went to stop her, then decided against it. Fine. Let her make a fool of herself. He couldn't control everything she did, despite how much he would like to sometimes when she was being particularly hot-headed. He sighed, and turned away. At the very least he might as well give her some privacy, even if he did find the whole thing ridiculous. Although perhaps a little cruel, a small part of him did hope that she would be disappointed by the cheap musings of whoever lay within and realise she should have listened to him in the first place. Providing they were just cheap musings that is... Vergil shivered. His eyes scanned the crowds in the distance as he waited. He felt like this night was never going to end.
Lady approached the small cabin and raised her fist. She hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. It took several moments before any answer came, but finally the old wood creaked open a few inches and an eye peeked through the gap at her. The sight made Lady freeze up, but then the woman spoke: "Can I help you?"
"I... uh... I'm here about the fortune telling stuff…" Lady stammered. The woman nodded and opened the door wider.
"Of course. Come in."
Lady entered cautiously and the woman closed the door behind her. "What can I do for you?" the woman asked bluntly.
"Well, um…" Lady trailed off. Now that she was actually inside, her confidence seemed to have faded. The whole place smelled of incense and was far too hot, making it difficult for her to think straight. She didn't know why she was so nervous; it wasn't like anything bad could actually come of asking for advice from a fortune teller, right? She should just try to enjoy it for the few minutes of fun it was. But the look the woman gave her was unnerving, and Lady suddenly felt a strong desire to leave.
The woman seemed to notice her hesitation, because she spoke again: "I can read one palm for 15, or both for 25. If you want me to consult the crystal ball as well, I'll do it all for 30." She stood between Lady and the door, hand on hip and a bored expression on her face. Any sense of awe Lady had been feeling instantly disappeared at the woman's transactional approach to the matter.
"...Fifteen pieces of silver?" Lady asked hopefully. The woman shook her head and rubbed her fingers together. Lady gulped and reached into her purse. Maybe this really was just a scam after all, but she'd come too far now, and she had a point to prove. Once payment had been exchanged, the pair made their way over to a small table in the centre of the room. They sat down opposite each other, and the woman took one of Lady's slightly shaking hands in her own. As the fortuneteller's mouth opened to speak however, her brow furrowed and her eyes darkened. She quickly dropped Lady's hand on the table with a thud, almost as if she'd been burned. She looked up at Lady with an expression of what could only be described as a mixture of pity and despair.
A few minutes later, Vergil felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find a very red-faced Lady staring up at him. He looked past her and was surprised to see all of the lights inside the cart turn off suddenly. The door opened and slammed shut quickly, and he realised that a 'closed' sign had been placed on the door knocker. "...It went well then?" he asked. Lady shook her head furiously and grabbed onto his hand, attempting to lead him as far away from the cabin as possible.
"I don't want to talk about it," Lady mumbled. In her free hand was a pile of crumpled notes, hastily returned to her by the fortune teller, with the somewhat forceful request that Lady never seek to have her future told again.
Outback Ollie's Aussie Golf!
The gaudy neon sign was almost blinding against the darkness of the sky. A stereotypical caricature of an overly cheerful Australian man grinned down at Trish, complete with animated cork hat. Trish cringed a little at the tackiness of the whole thing, but then turned her attention to the most important detail - the sign was on. And not only that, but there were cars in the parking lot. And quite a collection at that. She quickly scanned her surroundings. The mini-golf course was situated by itself on top of a slight incline at the end of town. Although slightly out of the way, it was a popular spot both for those who worked and lived nearby, and people slightly further afield who were looking for a cheap night out. Given its secluded location, it was one of few buildings which hadn't had to be constantly rebuilt as a result of some demon attack or other. And it was always open late.
Trish approached the large glass doors at the front of the building and peered inside. The lights inside were on too, and from what she could see, the place looked clean. There were even what looked like a few people sitting on the chairs in the foyer, presumably waiting for their turn to play. It was always busy here, likely encouraged by the fact that it had more than one bar inside in addition to its overly elaborate indoor and outdoor golf courses. She slowly moved her hand towards the door, then paused. From where she stood, she could only see the reception desk and waiting area on the left, and a small bar on the right. The rest of the building was hidden behind large sets of wooden doors at the back of the foyer. On the few occasions Trish had been here, it had almost reminded her of a hotel more than an entertainment venue, and the same was true tonight. There were a lot of rooms in this place. A lot of places where things could hide.
She stepped away from the building and decided to do a quick circle of its perimeter instead. For one reason or another, the people inside hadn't noticed her presence, and she was relieved about this fact. As she started to make her way through the car park, she looked into some of the many cars surrounding her. She hesitated as something caught her eye. A closer inspection of the inside of the vehicle confirmed her suspicions. Flies. And a lot of them. It didn't take long to locate the source of the unpleasant sight - a picnic bag of some sort which had been left on the back passenger seat. Although she couldn't see inside it, it was clear that whatever had been in there was now far past being edible. Her eyes flickered back to the building, standing silently under the cold lights of the outdoor parking lot. She moved onto a few more vehicles but found nothing. A few discarded cans, some empty coffee cups… Perhaps the car with the flies had been a red herring; maybe the owners had to leave in a hurry and hadn't had a chance to come back. She scoffed to herself. Yeah, right. She sighed and turned to face the main building again. Her hand hovered over the mobile device in her pocket. What was it Dante had said? Something about not trying to take them on alone? Still… She withdrew her hand and crossed her arms. She still didn't know for certain that this was the place… Perhaps a little more investigation wouldn't hurt. Besides, she was a demon, just like them. They had no reason to bear her any ill will, right? Her thoughts returned briefly to Lady and Vergil and she shook her head. They were out of her hands for now. Besides, she doubted Nero would be able to find them too easily. First and foremost, she needed to make things right again, and she'd start by ensuring that whatever was lurking inside the golf course didn't have a chance to ruin anything else.
She made her way over to the tall wire fence that surrounded the outdoor segment of the course. From her recollection, it had previously been pirate themed before the new owners took over around a year ago, and it showed. Even so, they had done a relatively competent job of repurposing some of the old sets into their new vision. Sure some of the sand looked vaguely like waves, and the alligator in the centre looked suspiciously like a green shark with a few extras tacked on, but they'd done their best. Trish's eyes scanned the area she could see. She was still a fair bit away from the centre of the golf course, and she could just about make out the tip of the alligator's 'snout' staring up at the sky over the various slopes from where she stood. Originally the design would have given the impression of rolling waves, with the ground gently moving up and down, and various holes and decorations being hidden until you got closer. The effect was almost the same now, but designed to look like the desert, which just didn't feel the same for some reason. More importantly, the only thing it was doing now was making Trish's job more difficult.
With this many vehicles outside and the people in the waiting room, she'd have expected the starting area of the golf course to be packed, even if most of the patrons were inside drinking at the various bars. Instead, it was completely empty. Trish sighed and scaled the fence, landing on the other side without making a sound. She walked a little further into the grounds. Now that she could see past the lights illuminating the outside, she realised that the majority of bright and colourful signs that usually lit up the course were turned off. Not good. Yet despite this, the alligator, their main attraction which sat nestled in a shallow crater in the centre of everything, seemed to be emitting a faint glow.
She closed her eyes and listened, trying to sense any movement, inside or out. It didn't take long for the hushed whisperings to reach her ears. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying yet, but she could tell that whatever was having the conversation was more than a little excited. Giggles and clicks seemed to be coming from all around her, but from what she could tell, they hadn't noticed her yet. She was almost certain now that this was the right place. If they all rushed it at once, then it should be easy enough to overwhelm whatever had taken up residence here. And yet… Her eyes scanned the darkness. She still hadn't worked out where they were coming from. She, Dante, and Nero had killed countless numbers of the bastards over the last couple of days, and yet it seemed that more and more were continuing to replace them. If she could just figure out their methods then perhaps a stop could be put to this once and for all. There would be no point attacking their base if the damned things could just summon reinforcements. She checked her watch. She still had some time. She glanced towards the large wooden terrace that led inside, then decided to take the safer route of investigating the darkened golf course first. It would be much easier to check inside the lit building if she found nothing out here, than attempt to search the building first and try to sneak outside afterwards.
The first thing she noticed as she started to make her way along the course was the flags - those that were still standing, that is. She realised with mild concern that a lot of the flagpoles were missing, or lay strewn on the floor broken into multiple pieces. Of those left however, something strange seemed to be happening. All of the flags seemed to be blowing in some unfelt breeze, and in different directions at that. The more she looked at them however - albeit with some difficulty in the low light - the more she realised that they seemed to be blowing towards something… No… They were being sucked towards something. She held a hand in the air and felt nothing. Whatever it was, it was very weak. Her gaze turned towards the alligator once more, sitting alone in his elaborately decorated crater. The flags were all pointed directly at it. She drummed her fingers on her hip for a moment, weighing up her options, then decided to carry on towards the centre. She might as well confirm her suspicions.
She had only made it a few more steps however, when her foot came into contact with something soft. She tried to kick it away, only to realise that it didn't seem to be budging. It was only as the smell hit her that she realised why that might be the case. She fought the urge to continue onwards and instead knelt down, trying to make out the details of the object on the ground using the limited light from the parking lot. It didn't take long for the shape of the man lying face down to become obvious. With some reluctance, she turned him onto his side to check for any signs of consciousness, although based on the flagpole sticking out of his spine (one of the few which had remained standing), she doubted she would find any. Although usually unfazed by such sights, it took even Trish some effort not to gag when she saw his face. The inside of man's head appeared to be completely hollow, almost as if his eyes, brain, tongue… everything had been sucked out. All that remained of his face was three holes and the remnants of what had once been a nose. Even his lips had been eaten. Trish got to her feet and took a deep breath. Alright, definitely the right place.
She wondered just how many of the other flagpoles she could see in the distance were being supported by similar means, then decided it was probably best she didn't think about it. Watching her step a little more closely, she made her way over to one of the slight inclines that overlooked the alligator and ducked down behind a statue of a rather ugly looking kangaroo that may have been a pirate at some point. From there she could finally see into the alligator's gaping mouth. Somewhere inside it was usually a hole of some sort, with the aim being to hit the ball in from above using a variety of clever slides and ramps. Now however… Her eyes strained to see in the near darkness. There was definitely a light of some sort coming from within, but it seemed to have been covered by something. She edged a little closer and held back a gasp as she realised what she was looking at.
Bodies. So many bodies. All haphazardly dragged on top of each other in a weak attempt to conceal whatever lay beneath. Some looked as though they had been there for days, while others looked concerningly fresh. A shiver ran down Trish's spine. Target located. It was only as she finally turned to leave that she noticed the whispering had stopped.
A/N - Chapter 14 is finally here!
I'm sorry it's taken so long, the last couple of months have been pretty much non-stop for me (what's with everyone getting married and booking their events so close together huh?!), and the next couple are looking a little packed too...
Thanks so much for sticking around though, I hope you enjoy this slightly longer chapter to make up for the wait! I'll try not to make you wait so long for the next one, but we'll have to see what happens I'm afraid! (Adult life is haaaard).