Chapter 3: Cold Bodies, Colder Motives
"...I think we should reconsider our indefinite protocol."
A conversation between Undyne, Asgore, and Alphys stopped for a moment as Sergio stepped into the throne room. Sergio had gotten a call from Undyne summoning him to the location, saying that what they needed to discuss was "urgent." There were few things scarier than an impatient talking fish, so the human reached the location as quickly as he could.
"So, what happened?" Sergio asked, getting straight to the point. He approached the table in the center of the throne room.
"Some PUNK escaped the underground!" Undyne growled, slamming her fist on the table.
"Just like...I tried ta do?" The human tiptoed with his words, uncertainty in his tone.
Asgore sighed. "We kept the soldiers at the cave not only to keep humans from coming in, but also monsters from going out. Undyne has reported an incident where a monster got past our defenses and most likely traveled to the surface. With this in mind, we have reason to believe that our security may be compromised."
"Why you think that?" Sergio questioned.
"If some human punks got a hold of them and interrogated them on where we lived, the monster might crack under pressure and give away our location," Undyne answered.
Sergio nodded, stroking his chin. "You said it was only one monsta? How they was able ta get past all a' the guard?"
"My commands for Undyne were to subdue anyone who tried to go to the surface without clearance," Asgore explained. "I didn't want anyone to die in case something like this happened."
"Did the monsta fight back?"
"There were no casualties in the ranks," Undyne replied. "But we couldn't touch the fugitive, either. Someone who was really skilled in magic is currently on the surface doing who-knows-what."
"Do we know who they are?"
"I have no clue," Undyne shook her head. "They had a cloak on that covered their face and body."
Gulp. Just from that detail alone, Sergio could infer exactly who it was and the monster's purpose. Asriel was fixated on finding this Tobias kid, so much so that he surpassed the Royal Guard to get to the surface. His emotion remained neutral so as not to raise suspicion in the monsters in front of him.
As for security being compromised, Sergio wanted to assure Asgore that the monster who escaped wouldn't have done anything so stupid, but not even the human could have trusted Asriel. The prince said he was looking for Tobias, but Sergio still wasn't completely sure if the prince was honest.
"So, what's the plan now?" said Sergio.
"That's part of the issue; New York, as we've seen, is a big city. It'd take weeks to find someone who escaped. I don't want to sacrifice appearances or personnel by having any of our soldiers wandering around the city trying to find the fugitive," Asgore claimed.
"I could try ta find 'em," Sergio suggested. "I mean, I'm kinda famous now, but I can still blend in to an extent 'cause I'm a human. I think if I went in my street clothes, it wouldn't bring as much attention ta me."
"If you did that, you'd be put in the same boat as anyone else here looking for someone. Besides, if we did find the fugitive, I don't know what we'd do with them. They don't seem like the type of person to come quietly, and killing them before they can talk will sully our campaign," said Asgore.
"Exposure won't be a problem. I know this city betta than anybody, and I know how ta get ta places while keepin' a low profile. I know you ain't tryna get no monstas killed, but lemme find out who it is, at least."
Asgore sighed, then nodded. "I will allow it. Find out who they are, but don't take any pictures. We don't want to risk getting the siutation leaked. Now, the rest of the underground is unaware of this incident. I intend to keep it that way so that the underground doesn't lose faith in its protection." Asgore's gaze passed over the three other people in the room, settling towards the royal scientist. "Alphys, you've been quiet. What is this I hear of the underground cable system?"
Her hands fidgeting near the edge of the table, Alphys disclosed, "Th-th-the cable system is p-p-picking up human channels. I adjusted the s-s-settings so that everyone c-c-could access them on their TVs."
"So it's true, then? The same could be said about online sources?" Asgore pressed.
"Yeah, I was able ta access YouTube on my phone and...make a call ta someone on the surface." Sergio omitted the fact that he prank-called a pizza restaurant with Sans and Papyrus. "Anythang you could call from the surface you can call here."
"Wait...If, from here, we can access everything on the surface...can the surface access everything down here?!" Undyne suspected, her eye wide with caution.
"Valid point, Undyne. Our security may be at risk on two different fronts. I don't care about humans seeing Mettaton as much as I do the humans accessing our surveillance. Alphys, I want an additional firewall - no, two more firewalls added to the main underground's security network. Evaluate the surveillance tapes from the last 24 hours and find out where the fugitive has been recently. Delete the tapes that show his or her escape."
"Y-y-yes, Asgore," Alphys nodded.
"Now, our next move in the political realm is to continue garnering support for our cause. Sergio, have you seen anything on the internet about it?"
"Yeah, we trendin' on Twitta. There's already a hashtag called 'Free the Monstas.' It ain't too much yet, but I can tell that it's growin'. We even got people all the way in California rootin' for us. So what you said ta the press put in work."
A proud grin stretched across Asgore's face. "Just as I had planned it. There'll be a certain point to where Mr. DeMarco will have to give us a proper listen. At what point do you think he'll give us audience again?"
"Ta be honest, he might not wanna talk to us again. Oldboy's kinda notorious for that. But, election season's comin' up soon, and DeMarco's runnin' for reelection. If ya cain't get a hold a' him, ya might try his opponent. If DeMarco's competition promises ta help you, that might get some mo' votas fa him and guaranteed support for us."
"And if DeMarco gets reelected, he'll feel more pressure to help us. So all we'll need to do right now is more public relations to expand our support group," Asgore concluded. "We've already shown up to City Hall. What other strategies do you think would work best?"
"I dunno, we could do TV intaviews, radio talk shows..." Sergio snapped his fingers in realization. "Kids."
"Kids?"
"Humans love kids, and politicians been usin' 'em since foreva in the surface. We put out a video wit monsta kids in it on the intanet and it goes viral, it'll reach more people than you can imagine. What we saw from the newscasts is jest the beginnin'."
Asgore nodded slowly, taking in the information. "I like that strategy. Could you and Undyne head to one of the underground schools and get some footage of the children there, maybe ask a few questions and get some footage of them?"
"Yeah, about that...I don't think I should be involved wit that. Afta seein' what happened at Snowdin one time, where kids was throwin' snowballs at me 'cause I shot up Mettaton, I think it's clear that a lotta kids don't want nothin' ta do wit me."
The monsters mumbled in agreement.
"All right, Undyne will go to the school along with a cameramonster to gain footage. Meanwhile, I will study Mr. DeMarco's political history and formulate a plan of attack when he and I meet again."
"Aight, good deal. So, we gon' head ta the surface as soon as we all done wit our assignments?"
"That is the plan, yes. I'll notify everyone here once the next phase of our campaign is ready. Are there any questions?" Asgore asked. After nobody said anything, the king continued, "Then this meeting is adjourned."
. . .
yalocalhoodrat: ay sans you there?
punslinger: yeah im here
punslinger: whats up?
yalocalhoodrat: our mutual "friend" escaped the underground
punslinger: really? whoda thunk it
yalocalhoodrat: im guessin he aint tell you?
punslinger: nope
punslinger: i had no idea he was gonna do it
yalocalhoodrat: i know you been hittin it off wit toriel lately
punslinger: eh its not that serious
punslinger: we're just friends at this point
yalocalhoodrat: right right
yalocalhoodrat: you tell her bout our mutual friend?
punslinger: she still doesnt know
yalocalhoodrat: k
yalocalhoodrat: you talk to him at all after we all met?
punslinger: nope. saw him go into the ruins last night, though. probably needed a place to sleep
yalocalhoodrat: sounds kinda sus
punslinger: well where else would he sleep?
yalocalhoodrat: you prolly got a point
yalocalhoodrat: im lookin for him rn on the surface
punslinger: royal business?
yalocalhoodrat: somethin like that
punslinger: just remember what i told you last night
punslinger: give him a chance when you find him
Sergio was texting Sans about the recent developments as he walked toward Alphys's lab. It had been right after the meeting was adjourned. The scientist told him to meet her there for something that would give Sergio an edge for finding "the fugitive." When he stepped onto the bright tile floor, he deleted his and Sans's conversation from his phone. He had a hunch that he needed to.
Alphys stepped beside him. "I'll, uh, need your phone."
The human's prediction was correct. He handed her the device and watched her proceed further into the laboratory. He didn't dare follow her as he heard a chainsaw buzzing, a cat screeching, and machine gun fire from inside - what was HAPPENING in that room? Similarly cacophonous noises sounded the first time Alphys upgraded his phone, and he felt no braver then than he did now.
This time, the phone looked no different, which raised a question in Sergio's mind. Alphys answered, as if reading his mind, "Open the app labeled 'MonsterFinder.'" Sergio entered his security PIN and followed her instruction. As the app opened, the phone's screen read, "Initializing..." He saw a GPS-like interface, with a circle in the middle and a compass arrow. Two red dots appeared inside and in front of the circle, followed by series of red dots near the edges of his screen.
"I engineered this app to find anybody with a significant amount of magic in their systems within a five-mile radius," said Alphys. This explained how there was a red dot in the middle of everything that followed Sergio.
"'Significant amount?' Are there thangs that don't got too much magic in 'em, but still got some?"
"Humans," the scientist said simply. After she saw Sergio's bewildered look, she went on, "Humans and monsters are made of different things. We're mostly made of magic, with a little bit of determination inside us. You guys are the inverse."
"Wait...so humans got a little bit a' magic in 'em? All of 'em?"
"I didn't think so at first, either, but I know how the barriers were created, and I saw what you could do after the 'Big Sleep.' I concluded that with this evidence, it wasn't too ridiculous to believe that other humans have some magic in them as well."
"So, if otha suckas got the juice, why ain't more people usin' magic?"
"Well, seven human magicians created the barrier that kept us all in here. Maybe you're related to one of them?"
"I dunno. I guess if I find a human instead of a monsta, I'll know ta look elsewhere." Sergio pocketed his phone. "There anythang else I need to know?"
"Y-yeah! The app doesn't just track monsters; it can detect traces of magic that have been used recently. So if you don't necessarily catch the fugitive, you'll find where they've used magic."
"Heh, betta not let the humans get a hold a' this." Sergio went over to a wooden table and knocked on it. "Ya outdone ya self, Alphys."
The monster produced her signature geeky smile. "I try sometimes."
. . .
Meanwhile...
Mounds of dirt littered a grassy area near the northern edge of the woods, dead flowers carelessly thrown around them. A gaping hole in the ground appeared, about three feet in depth, six feet across. It certainly looked as though something - or someone - fought its way out.
It was Tobias's former burial site. The site was Asriel's first - and currently only - lead to Tobias's escape. The prince was certain the vision he received after the "Big Sleep" was an inexplicable, yet indispensable tool.
What he saw now reinforced his conviction that Tobias was here. The human's hand was dirty when it shot from the ground, and there was a trail of dirt clumps that proceeded from the site. Asriel pictured Tobias's entire body covered with old dirt, walking slowly like a zombie that had lost its proper gait.
The trail extended past the woods. Though the woods' canopy was dense, Asriel could detect that the day was sunny. A cold breeze ran through the trees from behind him, almost telling him to move forward. A clue such as the dirt trail seemed simple enough, but Tobias was too smart to have left an indication as to where he went.
Unless...he wanted to be followed. Asriel gulped, securing the hood on his head.
Tobias's footsteps led to a section between residential and business districts in the city, which complicated the prince's endeavor for anonymity. More and more humans were taking notice of him, a strange-looking who-knew-what that was too suspicious to show a face. Asriel quickened his gait before anybody could get an adequate look at him. Fortunately, the dirty footsteps turned toward the city's alleyways, out of sight from the normal onlooker.
As brick walls surrounded the prince, he could feel a familiar dark energy within the atmosphere. He didn't have any tangible evidence of it, but he still knew that Tobias had been here. As he went on, the energy became more apparent.
The energy would have led him to a right turn, but he stopped before turning the corner. He smelled a pungent, coppery scent that could have only been linked to one thing. He held his breath and listened intently for anything on the other side. There was nothing save for the distant noise pollution of traffic. Asriel closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and snapped away from the corner.
He saw the bodies of four human young men, lying in large pools of their own blood. After taking a moment to regain his composure, he looked for wounds and a potential homicide weapon. He quickly scanned the cadavers. The first thing he noticed was that the humans suffered stab wounds of some sort before death. A strange, chilling sensation passed through him, and he got the feeling that they were coming from the bodies. But...these bodies are still warm...which means that they were recently killed...
He gingerly felt the wounds on one human's chest. While the rest of the body still retained its warmth, the wounds themselves were ice cold. It made some sense; the homicide weapon may have been a knife, and the metallic nature of the blade would have been colder on the surface. However, no knife in the world was as cold as an evening snow during a winter solstice.
All of the other bodies were the same way. After further investigation, Asriel noticed that three of the four humans were wearing hooded sweatshirts, while the fourth one merely wore a T-shirt. Perhaps the human was more tolerant of cooler weather. However, three of the four humans were wearing shoes, the fourth one only wearing socks. Now, Asriel himself didn't wear any shoes, but it was common for monsters to go in bare feet. In contrast, every human Asriel had seen had footwear of some sort.
One deviance was an anomaly. Two indicated a pattern.
The scent of human blood had distracted him from another distinct smell. While the bodies had cold wounds, something else smelled as if it had been burned. Asriel turned around and realized that he'd passed a small pile of ashes. There were no tobacco products nor signs of a fire-making place of any sort.
Wait. Ashes...jacket...shoes. Asriel had been following Tobias's footsteps. As far as he could remember, Tobias was still wearing shoes when he was buried. Tobias was a cunning human, and he would have realized that his footsteps were visible at some point. In order to better cover his tracks, he would have changed his clothes; logical, since it would have been suspicious to see someone covered in dirt going into an alleyway.
A siren wailed in the distance. Asriel immediately absconded from the scene, aware of the police's eventual arrival. The last thing he needed was to get arrested right after humans discovered the monsters' existence. Not only would it severely inconvenience his father's campaign, but it would place him in a pickle as well.
As he fled the homicide scene, he couldn't get the details out of his head. Tobias was a thoughtful youth back when Asriel first met him. The human seemed too precise, too meticulous in whatever he planned to make a mistake as simple as the muddy tracks. The more Asriel considered it, the more plausible the conclusion seemed that Tobias wanted to be followed, as if he knew Asriel would pursue him.
If that was the case, then it appeared that Tobias wanted to show him the homicide scene. Was this supposed to impress Asriel? There were eight separate instances where Tobias's part of Flowey did not shun murder. No, it had to be something deeper.
The strange nature of the bodies' wounds was also unsettling. The muddy tracks showed that Tobias went straight to this place. What Tobias thought he would find, Asriel couldn't guess. It wasn't a longshot to think that Tobias had something to do with the humans' deaths. However, the weapons used still remained a mystery.
Asriel had an inkling as to how Tobias may have killed those humans, but the more he thought about it, the more he hoped he was wrong.
. . .
Meanwhile...
New York City was around 305 square miles. That was a random trivia fact that floated around in Sergio's head for some reason. But to think that he'd already gotten a hit on his app as soon as he exited the underground was about as lucky as winning the lottery.
Instead of a dot, a red splotch on the screen appeared a quarter mile northeast from the underground exit. Your local hood rat was attired in a grey jacket he found in Asgore's house, one that had belonged to Asriel at one point. He walked toward the splotch, quickly enough to move with purpose, yet slowly enough to not attract attention. Through the woods, he entered Midtown Manhattan, the skyscrapers and busy streets sending a rush of familiarity to him.
He cut through back alleys in order to avoid the public eye, always choosing the best turns for maximum efficiency. Sergio was about to turn the corner of a four-story apartment until he saw a piece of police tape flapping beyond an edge of a building ahead. Sergio cut back behind his corner and stopped to investigate the scene further.
He couldn't see much, but he did witness a small stream of blood flowing from beyond the far corner. He could see red and white lights flash on the windows close to the crime scene. Somebody jest got iced, Sergio concluded.
The hood rat then heard footsteps coming his way. He reached instinctively for the back of his waistband, only then realizing that his gun wasn't there.
However, it was a false alarm. Sergio discerned a teenager a bit older and taller than him. The teenager had caramel-colored skin, hazel eyes, and thick, black hair, with a little bit of a mustache growing. He wore blue jeans and a black sweatshirt that looked bulky; Sergio knew that that feature was attributed to the teenager's bulletproof vest underneath.
The teenager gave Sergio an appraising grin. "Ser-hyoh. I had hoped your absence wouldn't have caused you to forget who your friends are." He spoke with a tempered Mexican accent.
Sergio relaxed as he looked at the teenager. "Ay, Manny." He stepped forward and initiated a dap greeting between them, which Manny reciprocated.
"I've seen you en la tele earlier today. Quite a find you had." Manny's tone was both commending, yet scrutinizing. He slowly walked to Sergio's left, keeping a close eye on the hood rat. Sergio lowkey felt like a shark's next meal, knowing how dangerous Manny could be if anyone was on his bad side.
However, he wouldn't let that unsettled emotion show. He clandestinely pocketed his phone. "Guess you could say that." Sergio wanted to steer clear of the subject of monsters. "You had anythang ta do wit the bloodbath down the alley?"
"No, but whoever did ought to be congratulated. Esos degenerados have been causing me problems for weeks now."
"I ain't know you was makin' moves midtown."
"I'm trying to expand, Ser-hyoh. I can't stay in Harlem if I want my business to grow."
"Yeah, I hear ya," Sergio agreed.
"Are you preocupado at the moment?" Manny's voice remained calm, but the question still concerned Sergio. If he told the truth, Manny would have had more questions as to what he was doing. Sergio knew how Manny got if he suspected someone was withholding information from him.
If Sergio lied to Manny and went with him to whatever crime-ridden locale, the hood rat would most likely lose his trail to Asriel, and all the progress he'd made just then would have been lost. Not only that, but if Sergio was seen committing crimes when the monsters were at the brink of freedom, it would blindside the monsters' cause like a left hook.
However, the only hit Sergio got on his phone was a crime scene, and Sergio had no idea where to go from there. Perhaps where Manny wanted to go would provide another lead for Asriel's whereabouts.
Sergio clenched his teeth. "Nah. Whatcha got in mind?"
"Collecting new stock in the best way I know how," Manny answered, passion in his eyes. Sergio knew exactly what Manny meant, and given his new objective, he didn't like it at all.
But he had to play it cool. "So, what's this got ta do wit me?"
"Ven conmigo. It's been a while since we last hung out." Sure, that was what Manny said, but Sergio could tell there was a truer purpose underlying Manny's words.
"Aight."
"Fenomenal. We'll take my car."
Manny led Sergio to a beat-up, green sedan that was older than either of them in a nearby lot. Despite its rough exterior, the vehicle still ran smoothly, as far as Sergio knew. The hood rat slid into the passenger seat as Manny started the car.
"So, who you targetin' this time?" Sergio asked as Manny pulled out of the lot.
"The West Side High Rollers are currently feuding with the Cold Blooded Slingers in Harlem. I figure that they need an extra push to take action."
"'West Side High Rollas.' What they think this is, Vegas?"
"Don't ask me. I only sell the hardware, not ask where they're going. Now, about these monsters."
Sergio gulped. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. "What about 'em?" he asked, watchful of his words.
"Why are you helping them?" The question came out of nowhere, and Sergio felt vastly unprepared to answer it. "Did they pay you?"
"Nah," Sergio answered, maintaining his composure. "They jest needed ta find City Hall. I simply decided ta help 'em."
"That lie would have worked had you not been well-dressed earlier today. What was with the get-up?"
Manny was getting a bit too curious, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. Of course, with the whole world aware of the monsters' existence, who knew what was supposed to be normal anymore?
"Well, you know what happened wit the Sixth Street Clique, right? I cain't be sportin' my normal colors afta the fact. If suckas saw me wearin' purple, they gon' associate me wit 'em. I figured the one thang that wouldn't be associated wit no gangbangas would be a vest...the dressy kinda vest."
"Who cares about that? As far as I know, you're the only one in the Clique who's alive and out of jail. It would seem like a badge of pride if you still wore the purple jacket."
"Yeah, rep a second-rate gang that's all but deep-sixed. I ain't join up fa pride's sake. I was jest in it fa the green."
"At any rate, it still seems as if you're turning over a new leaf. I hope your absence hasn't changed you drastically."
"Ay, I'm ridin' wichu, ain't I?"
Manny nodded. "Verdad."
On their way to a suitable parking space, Sergio found the neighborhood in which he grew up. Though the windows were up, he could almost hear the shouts of kids playing basketball, their sneakers scraping against the black pavement. He could also picture the sound of Mexican music blasting from a neighbor's house. Though most of Harlem was chaotic, this area was rather peaceful, a safe haven from the frenetic lifestyle outside the immediate neighborhood.
Of course, that all changed when his father died. Manny pointed out Sergio's own home, a one-story brick house that stuck out from the others around it. It looked like all the other surrounding houses in terms of style and structure, but none of the other houses (as far as Sergio knew) held as much trauma and darkness within their brick walls.
Sergio tensed up as he saw his house, Manny taking notice. "Is there something wrong?" he asked the hood rat. Sergio'd never told anyone about the abuse he suffered at home, not even Manny. At first, he was afraid of what would have happened if he truthfully explained all the scars he had on his torso or why he'd randomly come to school with a black eye. Would they have taken his mother away, making him a ward of the state? Would she have been released for "lack of evidence" or some other nonsense? Would she break out of jail and beat him twice as much? The possibilities seemed endless when Sergio was younger.
In the present, it wasn't so much about fear as it was about self-imposed cynicism. So, he was abused as a child. How did that make him more special than other kids who suffered the same fate?
He didn't have a father? Big whoop; most guys he knew from his neighborhood had never seen their fathers. He should have felt glad to know what his father looked and sounded like.
All in all, telling other people about his present plights seemed worthless. Getting sympathy now wouldn't erase the pain he would always feel from his youth. He felt that disclosing this information would only make him look vulnerable.
And I ain't gon' be the victim again, he thought, determined.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Sergio assured, loosening up as Manny exited his neighborhood.
Manny focused on the road again, some concern in his expression.
A couple blocks away, they were parked at an alley close to a housing project. There was an abandoned house with shattered windows and a broken door lock not too far from them. Most definitely a crack house. They cut through back roads to avoid detection from onlookers.
"So, how we gon' make eitha side 'take action?'" Sergio asked.
"By tagging," Manny answered, taking two canisters of spray paint from the back seat, handing one to Sergio. "We frame both gangs for tagging their homes, they take to the streets, and I have new stock before la policia arrives."
Sergio would have protested this rash course of action had Manny never succeeded in this before. He reached into the glove box and took out two ski masks, handing one to Manny. They put on their masks before exiting the car.
"Whose house we at now?" Sergio said, the can rattling as he shook it. He followed Manny to a house more structurally sound than the aforementioned crack house.
"High Rollers. Now, we want to make this simple, but effective. You still know how to tag, don't you?"
"Heh-heh, trust."
They approached the front of the marked house, wary of any gang members looking through the windows. From what they could hear, there were no imminent threats outside. Now was their chance.
"What design should we use?" Sergio asked, bearing in mind the "simple and effective" strategy.
"We could use the universal mark," Manny suggested. There was one symbol that was known throughout Harlem to be a signal of turf advancement, challenging other gangs into a war for territory. Sergio agreed that it would work.
After a few minutes, there was a black target symbol on the front side of the house, with two pistols pointing at the target. Sergio then remembered to add the Cold Blooded Slingers' signature, with the obligatory dollar sign in place of the S.
"And for good measure..." Manny picked up a brick lying on the ground. He threw it at one of the windows, shattering it. The two shared an urgent look before absconding from the neighborhood. Sergio heard exclaimed obscenities, signifying the members' impending investigation.
They weaved through the neighborhood to facilitate their escape. When it was obvious that they were long gone, they quickly returned to Manny's car. Sergio took off his mask in the passenger seat, breathing heavily from the sense of danger he just experienced.
"I almost miss the kinda rush you get from this," Sergio commented, chuckling.
"You realize again why I carry out business like this," Manny asserted, a mischievous grin on his face as he started the car. "There's no harm in mixing business with pleasure."
"No harm till ya get shot."
"Have you forgotten?" Manny bumped his chest with his fist as he pulled out of the alley. "I've got the vest."
"Vests don't protect ya dome."
Manny scoffed. "Head shots mostly happen in movies and in executions. I've never been in either."
As the two headed north, Sergio remembered with a pang of guilt the real reason why he was up here. He was supposed to be looking for Asriel, not starting shenanigans with Harlem gangs. He was supposed to be checking his phone every so often to see if the prince was close. However, with how inquisitive Manny was earlier, Sergio certainly didn't need him asking why he was looking at his phone every five minutes. At this point, he really regretted not saying no. He would be more firm next time.
The two repeated the beginning of the procedure: masks on, cans shaken, and feet quiet as they approached the Cold Blooded Slingers' residence. They snaked through more back streets in order to retain their clandestine approach.
They went to the front once more and started spraying the wall and door. They had only sprayed for three seconds when the door swung open. A man wearing a bandanna was shocked to see two masked teenagers tagging his home.
Then the shock turned to anger as the man reached for his waistband. Instantly Sergio sprayed the man's eyes with the paint. With an oath, he staggered backward, clutching his blinded eyes. Sergio and Manny then fled from the porch.
"Get them fools!" Sergio heard the man say, as well as people cocking their weapons. They went left from the from door, jumping over the porch's small fence, then cut right. They had just passed the back of the house when the back door flew open, a man aiming a pistol at the teenagers.
"Get down!" Sergio shouted, tackling Manny to the ground. The man fired his gun during their descent. The hood rat felt acute pain in his side and across his back before he landed on the ground.
Before the assailant could fire a third time, Sergio instinctively made a sweeping motion with his arm. A short wall of fire emerged from his hand and flew toward the assailant. The man's eyes widened as his clothes, as well as the entire back porch, were set aflame. He shouted as he tried to smother the flames on his body, but the blaze only seemed to enlarge.
Two more bogeys approached from both sides of the house. Streams of fire from the porch set them ablaze, the bogeys reacting similarly to Sergio's first victim.
While Sergio was slightly surprised at all of this occurring, Manny was in complete awe. The hood rat resented using magic in front of Manny, but it was the only way he could have defended himself and Manny given the situation.
Sergio then realized that more gangsters were on their way. He got up from the ground and urged Manny to run. Fortunately, he responded, rising from the ground and jumping over the short chain-linked fence with the hood rat.
Seconds later, things were relatively quiet. There were no more gunshots, no more shouting. Them suckas must be dead, then, Sergio thought darkly. Whoever was still alive at that house, as well as the neighbors, must have been appalled at whatever was left. If potential witnesses didn't see how the fire got started, they would likely be left with a lot of questions.
The two safely made it to Manny's car, both teens out of breath. As Sergio's sense of danger dissipated, he finally felt the full agony from getting shot. He had taken a bullet in the side, and another bullet had grazed his back. Maroon blood seeped into the grey jacket. Though he literally had a piece of metal stuck into his right side, getting shot hadn't felt anything like he expected it to. Perhaps the presence of magic was protecting him in some way.
"All right, Ser-hyoh, what just happened?" Manny questioned as he slid into the driver's seat.
"We got outta there wit our lives, that's what happened." Sergio hissed in pain as he sat down, clutching his wounds.
"There is definitely more to it than-" Manny stopped when he saw Sergio's blood-covered hand. "You were shot!" Without another word, he then started the car and immediately pulled out of the neighborhood.
The speedometer hardly dipped below forty as Manny drove to an unknown destination. "I hope you ain't takin' me to a hospital," Sergio said, half-joking.
"Nonsense. I'm taking you to my home. I'll patch you up myself."
Gulp. Sergio wasn't anxious about Manny's medical skills for things like this; the guy treated his own bullet wounds before he had enough money to acquire a vest. No, it was the fact that almost all of his abuse scars were on his torso. Sergio internally panicked at the thought of Manny asking where he got them from. He saw flashes from his childhood, recounting how he got every single individual scar.
But avoiding another question was definitely smarter than dying.
"Aight," Sergio reluctantly agreed. He silently prayed to whoever was listening that Manny would keep his mouth shut during the treatment.
"Hey, maybe next time you'll bring a vest, no?" Manny jested.
Sergio gave a short laugh. Afta what jest happened, there won't be a next time, fam.
Did I just turn UnderTale into a hood film in the second half of this chapter? I think so. Trust me, all scenes depicted here are relevant to the whole scheme of things.
Also, you get to see some insight as to what makes Sergio tick. I thought some characterization here would fit in with the rest of the narration.
Writer's block had a firm grasp on me, but I eventually overcame it. I guess I have the UnderTale musical videos by Man on the Internet to thank. Once I see one of those videos, I just get this drive to continue with this story.
Thank you to all of you who've made it this far, as well as those who follow the story.
Sergio's reckless behavior is investigated by onlookers as they witness a strange fire. The events that transpired that night raise questions just as the monsters make themselves known. Alphys sees things in the security footage that totally shift the perspective of the fugitive investigation. What does Asgore have that will further convince DeMarco to provide the monsters surface clearance? Finally, where does Asriel's search lead him in the big city?
Stay tuned for the next chapter of New York State of Mind!