I stared blankly at the girl for a few moments, trying to get my brain to start working. I hadn't even had my coffee that day yet. "Excuse me?"

"My brother, he came to you yesterday." The girl stifled a cry, wiping her eyes. "He's missing."

Alright, either someone was playing a very elaborate prank on me or there were children suddenly going missing in a small area at a rapid pace. "Alright, alright." I waved to the seat. "Sit down. Tell me what happened."

The girl sat, wiping her eyes once more before looking at me. I frowned, something in my brain kicking in but it didn't tell me what it was that rang a few bells. "I saw him last night. He said goodnight to me and told me everything would be fine today. Then, when I got up, he was just gone. He told me not to tell anyone he went here yesterday, so I thought maybe you would know what happened to him."

"He came here and I took him home. I haven't seen him since about one o'clock yesterday afternoon." I looked at the clock on one wall, seeing that it wasn't even seven in the morning yet. There was no reason to be worried about a child that wasn't even gone more than ten hours, if she had seen him around the time that she'd gone to bed. "Maybe he went looking into your friend's disappearance some more. What was your name again?"

"Maggie." The girl turned, looking at my clock as well. I noticed she had no pockets or wristwatch, so had nothing to tell her what time it was. "And he wouldn't leave without telling me or taking Mouse."

"Mouse?"

"Our dog," Maggie clarified. "He was taking him every time he went out. Mouse is really good at finding people. I was going to have him help me find Hank but mom and dad told me I shouldn't do anything dangerous on my own." She shifted in her seat a bit. "I actually brought him with me, that way I didn't come alone. He's outside."

What a sneaky way to get around her parents rule. I had to commend her for it. "Okay, so Harry went missing. Might as well go look for him, but I'm getting breakfast on the way there. You hungry?"

There was a strange look in her eyes but it disappeared soon after and her hand went to her stomach and her eyes down. It was quiet obvious she was hungry too and a few dozen donuts sounded great right now. I got up, my hand on her shoulder. Kids. They always hit my soft spot. "Come on. Can't leave your dog waiting, now can we?"

I wasn't looking forward to putting a dog in my car but then again, I had expected to see a dog. What was staring at me on the other side of my door looked more like a small mountain covered in fur. The little girl went over to the creature and hugged it, getting lost in its massive body. It looked at me with eyes that seemed far more knowledge than a dog's should be before it sneezed and nodded its head, as if accepting me.

The three of us went to my car and the dog insisted that Maggie sit in back with it as I got in the front seat. I drove to the nearest donut place and picked up a black coffee and told them to put a mix of whatever donuts they had in a box, stopping long enough for the girl to grab a few for herself. I didn't miss when she fed one to the dog.

We were back at her house in what felt like forever and I had to wonder how well she had been able to read the train schedules to have made it to my place as well as her brother had. Children were getting smarter and smarter these days.

"So." I stood in front of her overly tidy house once more, the girl and dog at my side. "Your brother went missing." I didn't know if I really believed her on that. "How about we go ask your siblings, see if any of them have seen him?"

Maggie shook her head. "No way, Hank will get in trouble. Will is supposed to be watching us while Daniel is hurt and he'll be so mad if he knew that we left the house."

"Then maybe the two of you shouldn't have left the house," I said, walking up to the door.

Before I could get there a growl behind me startled me enough that I had to stop. I turned back slowly, seeing the friendly looking mountain of a dog look like it was about to rip someone's head off, pulling on its leash and trying to head down the street, staying still only to avoid pulling Maggie off of her feet.

"What is it, Mouse?" Maggie took a few steps and the dog took one, his legs much longer than hers. I saw them both start off and had the choice between following after them or leaving the girl and dog to potentially get whisked away while I was asking whatever siblings were home if they knew where Harry was.

Of course I couldn't do that and started after the girl and the dog. "Hey, wait!"

I was really out of shape. I had to walk quickly to keep up and the girl had started to run off ahead, trying to keep up with the dog before the creature stopped and she simply rode on it's back while it bounded down the sidewalk.

There was no way I could keep up with it and I was panting and sweating as I rounded one of the corners they took, staring down the long stretch of cement where I could barely see the dog's gray butt.

"I don't get paid enough for this," I muttered quietly, following at a walk. If I lost the girl it was hardly my fault and going back for the car would take just as long.

I should have lost them. The dog was much faster than me and it took corner after corner, making it easy to miss. Somehow I always just barely noticed the blur of motion off to the side where it had gone though, and I tried to catch up in random spurts of energy.

The dog and Maggie were standing in front of what looked like a prairie. I even noticed a sign on the side, saying that it was a preserve of some kind and that we shouldn't be walking in it. Both were staring off into the weeds and brambles that were almost as tall as me. The area itself wasn't all that large, with suburban roads and houses corralling it in, but it still looked like it would take a good two hours to search if that's what they were planning.

"So," I spoke, slightly out of breath still and sitting down to rest. "What's gotten into Fido?"

"I don't know. He found something." Maggie was looking more at the grass in her face than into the field. "I wish dad was here."

"You're out of luck because it's just me and you and I'm not trespassing on private property."

Both Maggie and the dog's eyes turned to me, an expression that strangely made me feel ashamed of myself. I have no idea how they did it but anyone under the driving age typically could get to me with just a look. I stared back over the weeds before shrugging. "There's really nothing we can do."

Maggie got back on top of the dog and her and the gray mass barely were tall enough together to see over the foliage as they walked into it. "I'm going to find my brother, with or without your help."

Why was it always the kids? I waded in after her, trying and failing to not cut myself up on the branches hidden in the large grass. I could feel the burs attaching themselves to my clothes and scratching my arms and legs through the material. "Fine, jesh. Just wait up."

I was sure the other two were getting it just as bad as I was, the dog a lot more so, as we treaded into the center of the field where there seemed to be a mound of some kind. The dog walked around it and I followed.

It stopped and I stepped up beside it, barely seeing an opening between the weeds. The dog was growling again, low and quiet. I reached out and put a hand on top of its head.

"So, it smells something in there."

Maggie nodded. "Mouse is smart. He knows we're looking for Hank and Melissa. Maybe one of them is in there."

"Maybe." I stepped in front of them, having to bend a bit to peek my head inside the mound. I couldn't see much, it was very dark, but I did make out little stone handholds that lead downward, almost like a ladder. If I had taken a step in I would have fallen down the hole.

I backed up, forcing the dog to back up as well. "Looks like a mine of some kind or something. I've never seen anything like this. Fido's not fitting down there, that's for sure. I'm not even sure I can make it."

"I can." Maggie got down from her mount and the dog grabbed onto the back of her shirt with its teeth. I had thought it bit her for a second but she showed no sign of pain and struggled against the dog. "Come on Mouse, let me go. They're down there, right?"

The dog made some kind of weird sound in its throat again, holding onto the girl. That was one smart dog.

"I'll go down first. If you're friends are down there, I'll get them." I didn't think I'd fit well but there was no way I was going to let a little girl go down a dark hole. This is where I should have called the cops but another part of my brain told me that would be a really bad idea. I didn't like relying on gut instincts but they had a funny way of being right most of the time.

I ducked back inside, squeezing and some dirt falling down around me as I put my feet into the holes and did my best to walk down the makeshift ladder. My back was being scrapped up a bit but it didn't overly bother me as much of the thought that, if this thing collapsed, there would be no way that I would survive.

The tunnel downward got a lot bigger where the ladder ended. I could no longer feel the walls around me and, as my foot touched the ground, I had to reach into my pocket for my lighter. There was absolutely no light to see by down here.

I heard and then felt the shift of mud and rock above me, Maggie moving into my sight as she stepped down beside me, a smile on her face.

"You were supposed to stay up there."

"I know." She walked ahead of me, as if afraid of nothing. Kids really should learn that they're not invincible one of these days. It had a way of constantly getting them into trouble.

I followed her with my lighter, moving it around the walls. It was a large cavern area and I could see stone chairs and a table, along with the remnants that might have been a fireplace at one time before that area collapsed.

"What is this place?" I spoke quietly. The chairs and table were too small for someone like me, or someone even fifty pounds less than me to feel comfortable in.

"I don't know." Maggie walked beside one of the chairs and I noticed it looked perfect for someone her size. We kept going until we reached a hallway, several things that were likely doors, though made out of stone and hung on hinges crafted from wood and metal. I pushed opened the first I came to, no knob or latch on it.

Inside, tied by the wrist and ankles, was a young girl. Her hair was a strange orange color in the light of my flame and it looked like she'd had been rolling around in the mud, but it was definitely the girl from the photograph.

"Melissa!" Maggie cried, going over to her and untying her. The girl looked up at her, her clothes dirty and warped where it looked like she or someone else had been grabbing at them. She looked paler than Maggie in the light, though it was hard to tell, and her eyes were dull and near lifeless.

I bent down beside her, rubbing her arm and trying to get her to come to. "Hey there, are you okay? You're Melissa, right? How did you get down here?"

"Ah…" Her voice was whisper quiet and I gave her as much time as she needed to get herself together. She let out a few breaths that wanted to be words but weren't coherent enough to understand.

"We need to get her out of here," I spoke to Maggie. There was no way I could carry her up when I barely fit down the passage to begin with, but I'd find a way.

"What about Hank? We still need to find him."

Right. The boy was still missing too. "You stay with her. Try and see if she can stand up and climb out of the tunnel. I don't have another lighter so I'll come back for you when I find your brother. If she can't get up, I'll carry her."

Maggie nodded and I left the room, closing the door behind me with them still in the room. There was no way to pull it open from that side which explained why there wasn't a doorknob. It was clearly a room meant for prisoners of some kind.

Slowly I went through the other doors. The first was empty except for a hole in the ground and it smelled foul. I had a good guess of what that room was and quickly closed the door. The next room I came to was almost empty, except there was clearly nothing in it at all. I noticed some parts of the mud under my feet were darker and didn't want to think about what they were.

The forth room I got lucky. Harry was there, tied up like the girl, though there were bruises on his face and one of his eyes was blackening. He was awake and winced when he saw my lighter. I put it off to the side and looked the boy over, going to untie him. "Hey, Harry. What happened?"

"Mmm." Harry cleared his throat before he tried talking again. "I don't know. I heard someone knocking at my window but I didn't see anything. I heard it again and went outside to check what it was. Then… nothing."

"Alright. Lets get you out of here." I had to put the lighter out to untie him and relit it once I was done, looking around the barren room. "I found Melissa. Your sister is with her. We should all get out of here. If there are more kids, we'll leave it to the police."

Harry was rubbing his wrists and he shook his head. "No way. Whatever got me, I never saw it coming. There's no way the police can fight it."

"And me, you, and two girls can? We need to get out of here while we have the chance."

"I'm not going." Harry folded his arms in front of himself, beat up but as defiant as ever. "If there are others in trouble I doubt the kidnapper will leave them alive if the cops swarm down here."

That was a very good point but it wasn't as if I knew what I was up against either. I debated, Harry looking at me and making me feel just as ashamed as his sister did. This was why I worked with the parents and not the kids. It was so much easier to say no to an adult.

"Fine, we take a quick look around and then we go."

Harry nodded, getting to his feet and looking at his surroundings. I was pretty sure this was the first good look he was getting at his new abode of the last few hours. "We're underground."

"Yep." I stepped out the door before him, having him follow me. "Not for long though. Come on." It was going to be a quick look and then we'd be gone.

The next few rooms were empty, the same design as the others, and I left them quickly. I stopped when I came to one near the end of the hall, two sets of human bones in there, too small to have belonged to anyone older than a babe. "Jesus."

"Hey!" Harry scolded me. "Don't speak his name like that."

I brushed him off, not wanting to look in that room any more. I hoped that if there were anymore kids they were in better condition than those two.

I was glad when I reached the last door, pushing it open, then quickly regretted celebrating so early. The shadows shifted when my light lit the room and something black and emaciated lifted it's head, letting out some kind of deep-throated hiss as it stood up, no bigger than three feet tall, and quickly ran at us.

It wasn't human. That was all my brain told me as I felt back onto my butt, too surprised to react. Harry wasn't as motionless, reaching for something under his shirt and snapping off a bit of chain as he shoved the necklace in front of himself.

"Stay back!"

The creature stopped, looking at us. It seemed almost like it were made of shadows themselves, its skin black and its eyes a milky white as if it shouldn't be able to see. It had clothes though they were clearly not washed in some time and its hair was slicked back over its skull, revealing pointed ears. It's fangs flashed in what weak firelight my lighter could give and its gaze settled on the object in Harry's hand.

The reaction that it had gotten from the creature, I expected to see a gun or something, not a small, simple silver cross. Harry took a step forward with it and the creature took a step back, hissing once more and showing off more teeth.

"I said stay back."

There was a standoff. Harry clearly couldn't do anything to hurt the creature and the creature couldn't come near Harry. The boy turned to me, briefly, not daring to take his eyes off the thing for more than a second. "What are you doing? Go get the others and get out of here."

"And what about you? If I put the light out, you'll be blind."

Harry swallowed. "Yeah, but there's only one way out. If I stay here it can't get close enough to get around me."

"How about you give me the cross and I give you the lighter? You can get the others out then. Follow the hallway. They're behind the first door on the left. Keep going and you'll find a ladder."

Harry shook his head. "Are you religious?"

I laughed dryly for a moment. "No."

"It won't work then. He's protecting me right now. If I lower my guard though, the goblin can attack. If you don't believe in Him, the cross won't do you any good."

I had faint memories of a short explanation about something similar to that with a different Harry but not well enough to recall much.

"Okay then." I had to think. If Harry backed up there would be room to get around us. In the doorway we were safe from anything like that. If this thing was as fast as it seemed to be, there was no way we could fight against it. "Plan B. What do you know about goblins? I had a run down but it was so long ago. Something about light."

"Depends on the goblin," Harry spoke. "This one's underground, so I'm pretty sure it's sensitive to light, but I don't know if it keeps it away. Faith keeps away most things that are evil. Mmm, I'm not really sure I know much about goblins either."

"Too bad I don't have any lighter fluid. We could make a temporary boarder or something out of fire." I could always break the lighter but there'd be no way to light the fluid then, unless I only poured out some. That wasn't an easy thing to do though and it might not leave enough light to escape with. "Any ideas?"

Harry shook his head, standing his ground and taking a step forward every time the goblin tried to skirt its way towards us.

I bent down, trying to move my thumb as much as I could where it was holding the lever down. "You know how to use one of these, right?"

The boy looked from the goblin for a moment to stare at the lighter flame, blinking his eyes and looking away, some of his vision ruined. "Yeah, of course."

"Here then. Put your finger on the lever and take this. If it goes out relight it right away. Go and get your sister and her friend and get out of here. I'll take care of the goblin."

"Really?" Harry stared at me with some amazement, being careful to not look at the flame this time. "What can you do?"

"I can kick its ass. Now go. Don't run if you think the flame will go out. Light is our only weapon aside from your little necklace, and that's the only lighter I have."

Harry listened to me well enough, trying to focus the cross towards the creature while his hand glided over mine, his little fingers cold, taking the lighter from me. I stood, pushing him back slightly.

"Go on."

Harry turned and left, his holy power going with him. The light faded from the room and the goblin's lips drew back over what parts of its yellow, pointed teeth weren't already showing. It started to follow the boy and I stood before it, knowing this was one of the stupidest things I'd ever done. I had no idea how to fight a supernatural creature.

But the thing was three feet tall at most and, before the retreating light disappeared, I did the most foolish thing in years and jumped at the creature, holding it to the ground and wrestling with it.

Goblins, it seems, are a lot stronger and faster than their thin, short bodies led me to believe. The thing got its claws in my arm and ripped through my jacket and skin, drawing blood and a cry that I turned into a growl. I needed to keep him down long enough for the kids to get out, and a few seconds wasn't good enough. I drew one arm back, feeling it roll to the side and try to escape. It snapped my arm straight and I had to plant my feet but the thing didn't get away.

I punched where I thought it was, relying on feeling and sound. My ears weren't all that good but it was small and I was holding it, so I had a pretty hard to miss target. I felt my knuckles connect with flesh and bone, neither giving, and drew back to punch it a second and a third time.

The creature cried out and I felt teeth on my hand the next time, digging into the back of my fist and a few in my palm. With my hand stuck in its mouth there was nothing I could do to pry it out unless I wanted to let it go.

So I moved my shoulder a bit, shoving it deeper into its throat and punching it that way, the pointed teeth ripping the skin up to my wrist.

The goblin's head turned to the side, releasing me and apparently its lunch as I heard it gagging, the smell a second later resembling a dead animal.

I'd barely took a breath and drawn my arm back again while it was sick when something sharp and pointed shot at my chest. It buried itself in my skin, some of the point sliding past my ribs to enter further. I cried out and grabbed at the thing, realizing that it was its arm and not a weapon. With both its arms in my hold again it thrashed. I could feel the front of my shirt and coat growing cold where I was bleeding but it wasn't something I worried about.

I was not young anymore. This fact was shoved in my face practically every day, my walk slower, the pain as I woke resembling something close to arthritis in my joints, a cough or some minor illness keeping me out of work whenever it suck itself upon me. Fighting, by no means, was my strong suit, but I saw no way around it. I stayed there, holding myself back from its teeth and trying to keep it's legs pinned as they scrapped close to my thighs, no shoes on its feet to protect me from equally sharp toenails.

And, damn it, I wasn't about to die when my last meal was a donut and a coffee.

I had weight on my side, even if it was normally a weakness. This thing was still small and, with enough force, I was sure its bones could still break. I backed up, holding its arms down and feeling like an idiot with my ass in the air. I gave myself enough room to use my legs too though, and stomped on the thing with all the weight I could put into the attack.

Claws dug and cut at my skin, its toes ripping up my right pant leg as I smashed down on the creature. I could feel blood staining my clothes but I could also feel the thing weakening, slowing its attacks.

Then it was still, breathing hard and its body leaving little snapping sounds when I brought my leg down. I didn't give it a chance to recover, making sure I'd broken enough of its bones that it wouldn't be following me. I let go, standing up.

"Next time you think about stealing any children from this area, you're going to have me to deal with. Keep fucking around and you won't have the good luck of just a old man as your adversary." I stood, feeling tired and hurt, and turned. I wish I could have been dramatic about it but I had to feel around for the wall in the dark, using touch to get myself back to the hall, listening for the kids to make sure they weren't still around.

The ladder was a nightmare to climb but I did it, using the close confines to push my back against the wall and hold myself there while I took a breather. Crawling out into the sunlight when I reached the top, dripping with blood and sweat like I'd just run a triathlon, I sat down and took a rest.

A few blinks into the harsh light and I could see the kids not far from the opening. The girl, Melissa, looked like she was unconscious, thrown over the dog's back like a harness. The two siblings were staring at me, both worried expression on their faces but they were smiling. Harry came over to me first.

"Hey," he spoke, tugging a bit on my arm. "Did you kill it?"

I shook my head. "I'm good, but I'm only human. I'm sure it won't be bothering any of you for a long time though. If it does," I reached into my pocket, drawing out a business card I only handed out to clients, this one having my cell number instead of my office. "Give me a call."

"You look like hell," Harry said, but there was a bit of laugher to his voice and the worry was fading from his eyes. "Thank you for coming to save us. You're pretty hurt though. We should call an ambulance."

"Sure thing. I bet the hospitals just love getting calls about goblin attacks." I was hurt though, and probably did need a hospital to get a few stitches put in. There was no major damage done though. "How about this? There was some sort of gang war going on and we were caught in the middle of it. As for the girl, she was sleeping over at your house for the past few days. No need to get the cops looking for a fake kidnapper."

Harry nodded. "You're used to making up stories like this, aren't you?"

"I didn't used to be. It's been a while. Sometimes I know when it's best not to tell the truth though. Don't take that as any life lesson. You should always tell the truth."

Harry laughed and I heard Maggie join in. I got to my feet, getting away from the opening and the kids as well. "Come on. We'll drop you kids off first then the medics can have fun stitching me up."

The boy opened his wallet, taking out his fifty and ones. "Here. I never got to give this to you."

"I'm not in it for the money, kid. Keep it."

That seemed to confuse him and he tipped his head a bit, following me and slowly leading his sister and dog after him. "But I thought that was what you wanted when I came to see you."

"You got yourself kidnapped because I didn't figure it out. Not my fault and not your fault. Besides, I have medical insurance. My hospital bill won't cost me a thing and I didn't do much investigating. How about you use that money to buy your sister and her friend a nice big lunch? I bet you could all use it."

The boy's stomach growled and there was nothing more to say after that. I walked with them back to their house to make sure nothing further happened, getting on my cell and calling in a wagon to take me away.

Harry stayed with me, Maggie helping the girl come to and sitting, talking with her over near the front door. I had to wonder what the girl remembered about her three days down in the darkness. I'd let her and her parents sort that all out.

"Why are you being so nice?" Harry looked up at me, dull blue eyes honestly curious. "I thought all adults just wanted money and stuff. I did hire you and it did get you into trouble. I don't see why you wouldn't take it."

I put a hand on his head, making sure none of my blood was on it first. "Harry, we're not all like that and besides, I was like you once. Hard to believe, right? When I was six I was taken from my parents by my grandfather. For years I was trapped there in his house, where he believed I would be safe. It kept me out of school, from making friends, but away from my drug-dealing parents. The police found me when I was ten and had escaped out a window. I'm not sure if it was right or wrong of him, but I know what its like to be scared and alone. Some humans are monsters, but not all of them, and I'd like to think I'm not one of those demons. We're all safe and you couldn't afford me anyway."

"Hank," the boy spoke up again. "My name is Hank. Harry is my god father."

"Ah." That made sense now. There was another 'Harry' in the family. "Hank then. Go take care of those two and get yourself some new clothes before you go out to eat. You look like a pig."

Hank smiled, pushing me enough to make me feel it and gentle enough that I knew he was going easy on me. "Good luck, and get better soon. I'm sure something good will happen for you soon. You're a good person."

Good person. Eh, I knew a few people who were better than me and a lot who were worse. I wouldn't taint the kid's trust any more than I already had though. "Good luck to you too. Hope I never see you again."

"You will."

"Hm?"

"Mom and dad. They know all about the supernatural and I'm going to tell them everything when they get back." Hank shoved his hands in his pockets, likely getting them just as dirty. He pulled one out and tossed me my lighter back. I caught it. "That really helped."

"And I guess faith goes further than I thought. Too bad that still won't make me any more religious."

"You just met us. We're not going to go away that easy. We'll always be here, to return the favor and then some."

The dog turned to me and barked, as if agreeing, and I noticed the two girls turn and look at me, one with questions and a bit of fear in her gaze still, though Maggie's own eyes sparkled with something that was damned familiar once more.

Kids, I thought to myself. They always had that way of getting to me. Today it hadn't gotten me killed and that meant it was a good day. The kids were returned safely and I didn't get paid.

Well, overall it was a good day. Maybe tomorrow would be better.