Up on the surface, a rainstorm had swept in and blanketed several Districts in a grey deluge. The thick water swept in from the side, and denied the people caught in it anyway of protecting themselves, even the sturdiest and largest of umbrellas were rendered obsolete.

  These types of rainstorms were a common occurrence, making the many drains that lined the roads a fundamental necessity for urban life. This time though, a new and strange occurrence was happening around many areas within District 4. Witnesses had come forth from all over, emergency services were inundated with calls, online message boards were riled up, and even many live-streamers were attempting to get a glimpse of the oddity.

  A peculiar noise was being heard escaping from the drains, with the noise only lasting for mere seconds before it dissipated, and then appeared from another drain. An odd series of sounds would usually be nothing to warrant any attention, but this one was a persons voice screaming, trying to tell the world that they were alive.

  The ethereal howls made people instinctually think of a banshee from folklore and mythology. These howls were enough to make ones spine tingle and scalp go numb with fear, not to mention sapping the will to live.

  Crouched down at the side of the road, a young man no older than twenty was braving the adverse weather for his passion. Dressed in bright yellow waterproof attire, the waxy coating of his jacket forced the innumerable droplets of water to run off, and join the impromptu waterways that were forming. His matching wellington boots added ample protection for his feet, and a wide brimmed yellow rain hat covered his short hair. His brown skin proved to be a great contrast for his bright clothing, but that only added to the appeal.

  With a handheld camera and a microphone clipped to his jacket, he was fully focused on the drain and talking into the camera, leaving his rear to be protected from cars by his friend. Stood behind him wielding a large umbrella that provided no practical use, he was of a similar age and wearing matching clothes, apart from them being pink. Each car that drove past gave them a look of bewilderment, whereas the youth in pink only scowled in an attempt to provide his best 'hard man' impression.

  "Yooooo is ya boy Little Quacks, am out ere in ma natural habitat, yo!...You already to capture this quaktastic ghost my guys!?......The spirit was awakened and it's venting its anger, letting us all know yo, that it's aliveeeeeee!"

  Moving the camera in and out on his face while he said his last word, he was happy the mood was set, and just in time as well. The faint noise began to make its way out of the drain, as it reverberated around the sewers. A loud shrieking came out loud and clear, accompanied with a series of exclamations.

  "ARGHHHHHH!.....I'M ALIVE, WOOOOO, I'M ALIVEEEE!"

  The spectres high pitch voice vanished as fast as it appeared, bringing with it a cold gust of air from the netherworld, according to Little Quacks at least. A face full of ecstasy could be seen on his visage as he stared at the camera, seemingly happy that he captured undeniable evidence of a ghost residing in the sewers.

  "You hear that!? See, see, I told ya! Little Quacks got this ghost shizz on lock yo!"

  Driving down the road, a luxurious white limousine easily cut through the water logged roads. Its black tinted windows removed the ability of outsiders to even guess at who the occupants were.

  Seated inside, a young girl around the age of 12 was dressed in a black, Gothic Lolita style dress, and looking out of the window with a bored expression. This boredom she felt was the after effects of a rage that lasted for several hours, after being denied something by her father.

  The girls honest request was not for a novelty or consumable, but for a person. She had recently found out she has a sister, but her father vehemently refused to tell her anything about her, or even confirm her existence.

  Seated across from her and facing the direction of travel, a man in his mid twenties was dressed as a stereotypical butler. His handsome face supported a cold demeanour, but that was just a fa?ade at that moment, as internally he was racking his brains as to how to cheer up his Mistress.

  Outside of the limousine, a sight greeted his eyes that made his professional persona crack, but thankfully it went unnoticed by the young girl. Further up the road, a girl dressed in bright pink waterproof clothing had seemingly lost her glasses, and was having to squint to be able to see. This action made her face look incredibly ugly, so much so that the butler thought she was a man for a moment.

  The thing that shocked him the most though, was the other girl who was dressed in yellow and currently squatting down next to the drain and relieving herself. This was his assumption, as to what other reason would a girl squat next to a drain. He scoffed internally at the audacity of doing such a thing in public, and then it angered him that if his mistress was to accidentally see them, it may lead to her being corrupted by their degeneracy.

  Just before the limousine passed the two girls, the butler quickly opened his car door as they drove past, shocking his mistress, and shocking the two girls even more. The next moment, the car door slammed into the girl in pink and flung her into the girl who was urinating, ultimately sending them both face first into the water. The girl in yellow, who was actually the male streamer known as Little Quacks, was holding a camera, something the butler only noticed as he witnessed it leave their hands and be washed down the drain.

  The young girl looked at her butler in surprise, seeing him randomly open the limousine door mid-transit and then close it for no apparent reason. The butler only smiled at the girl and gave a short answer to the unasked question.

  "The door was not closed properly Mistress. My apologies"

  Ignoring the soft thud and the strangeness of her butlers actions, the young lady only continued to gaze out of the window and lament her situation.

  Deep within the sewers, the surging water had turned the tunnels into fully functioning waterways, with them culminating at the large basin. All around the basin were smaller drains that siphoned the water off to unknown places, safely preserving Bob and Marlo's home.

  Sat on the edge of the basin, with his legs dangling just above the water, Bob waited patiently with Mr Squeeks perched upon his shoulder. Soon enough, the noise of a demented stick insect could be heard hollering through the tunnel. A minute later and the undead crocodile, Mr Crocks, swam into the basin, an ancient wellington boot rammed into the stab wound on its side, sealing him as water-tight. Seated atop the crocodile was Marlo, having the most exhilarating time of his life, after travelling through the myriad of tunnels at high speed.

  Climbing out of the water, Marlo leaned in close to Mr Crocks body so that he did not fall off. Now on dry land, Marlo could not hide the smile that was plastered across his face.

  "Whooo that was fun! I felt alive Bob, I felt ALIVE!"

  Bob chuckled inwardly at the energy that the old man was exhibiting, displaying means clearly past his age and condition.

  "Yeah, yeah I get it. You're alive, I'm alive, we're all alive....Ahh, sorry"

  As Bob spoke those words, his gaze fell on the rat and crocodile he killed, that were staring back at him. A trace of mockery flashed across their shrunken eyes, though that could just of been from Bob's shred of guilt that resided within his mind.

  Straightening out his thoughts, Bob proceeded to mount Mr Crocks and try out this entertainment for himself. Turning to Marlo, Bob gave a poor imitation of a salute and then spoke.

  "I won't be too long Marlo, now don't drown on me, and don't eat Mr Squeeks!...See-ya!"

  Bob had been trying to suppress his excitement, but his final words failed in that endeavour. With a plop they both dropped into the water and took off down a tunnel. In the background, Bob was certain he heard a long list of expletives coming from Marlo's withered lips.

  Going against the current, the duo managed it quite effortlessly, with Mr Crocks undead body never getting tired, and being able to exert a lot more force than when he was living and breathing.

  The wind and water spray was lashing Bob's face, the coldness leaving him feeling refreshed, even if the spray consisted of polluted rainwater and sewage waste. Those things did not concern Bob, only the novelty of the experience being present within his mind.

  Looking behind him, Bob realised his own tail was easily able to reach the water as well, and even being able to create more power, with his length and girth being incomparable to others. Dipping the tip in, he felt the wet sensation and a wave of excitement rushed through his body, before he knew it he had inserted in the entire length of his tail, and joined in with his undead mounts swaying motion.

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  Now the power of two tails sped them up to a ridiculous degree, right up to the point that the front of the crocodile reared up in the air, as they glided through the water. It was not long though until rider and mount separated, but for some reason Mr Crock's had no clue. Be it his lack of brains, his own excitement at the time, or Bob's failure to communicate, anyone one, or all of them created the situation.

  Bob splashed into the water and stood up, the water level only managing to reach his waist. Looking up the tunnel where his undead minion had gone, Bob was about to mentally call him back when he noticed something. The object bobbed in the water and floated a mere arms length away from him.

  The camera was still on, with the LCD screen facing Bob and the lens facing away from him. A small red battery symbol was flashing violently on the screen, with the image becoming obviously dimmer. Reaching out for the camera, it floated to face him, the lens looking directly at his approaching hand, before its power fully depleted.

  Just as his hand touched the camera, a fear embedded deep within his psyche was activated. His brain felt numb, a sensation akin to freezing water felt like it was being poured down his brain stem, making his whole body involuntarily shake. His pupils constricted and his breathing became hoarse, his mind strained to understand what was happening, but his thoughts were jammed, his neurons refusing to obey their master.

  The light in the tunnel was from above ground, reflecting off the rushing water and filling the dark passage with cascading lights, that danced somewhere between dark and light. Yet at the end of the tunnel, the light behaved as if multiple, electrically powered bulbs provided light for the tunnel. With a flickering the first light went off, the end of the tunnel became pitch black and even Bob could not see through it. The phenomena continued, as the lights turned off one after the other, coming ever closer.

  With a strange flicker, Bob saw an image in the darkness, seemingly skipping along the water. The fear that gripped Bob slowly released its control, allowing him to gaze at the person unimpeded. The person he saw only filled him with a deep confusion, as their words echoed down the tunnel.

  "Oh My.....Oh My.....Oh My....."

  Dancing across the waters surface, the persons footsteps made no ripples on the waters surface, even the waters current seemed to of stopped. At that moment, the water was as till as a frozen lake, with the gushing water from the drains having no effect, seemingly entering a void. Each time his foot touched the water, the liquid failed to recognise his existence, it was not even aware that it had been stepped on, with the persons existence being denied by reality itself.

  Now the person was close enough, Bob could clearly see them. A giant of a man, or woman, the ambiguousness failed to keep his attention. Towering at nearly two metres in height, the bells on their hat skimmed across the roof of the tunnel, a soft jingle coming with every movement, sounding like a cool summer breeze.

  Bob had seen the clothes the person wore before in the memories of the Human he ate, he had gone to a circus and watched a show as he looked for prey. Even so his attention was mostly on the slender young girl in front of him, his eyes caught enough glimpses of the harlequin dancing on the stage.

  Dressed in white and red, with a mask that bore a frowning face, before the next step changed it into a smile, the alterations occurring with every graceful movement. The harlequin skipped along the water and finally stopped in front of Bob. Bending over, an elongated finger extended from its hand, a digit that was far from Human. Lifting his chin gently, Bob was forced to look into the eyes behind the mask.

  "Hello there child of Essence, how rare to lay eyes upon your kin, especially without the shackles of fate. Would you like to make a purchase, of course you would, as it is a question that does not require an answer.....Now then, as for payment, tell me, what does every child possess that could be considered as payment?"

  The words that Bob heard felt like they were transmitted directly into his mind, giving the impression the speaker was peering into his soul, and knew every dark and dirty secret he bore. Unsure of whether he was supposed to answer or not, Bob's fear made him blurt out an answer. His pitiful voice was evidently laced with terror, as he stuttered the string of letters.

  "I...I...I don't...Know"

  Tilting his head to the side, the harlequins simple gesture carried an incomprehensible weight, the kind that could determine the fate of an entire race if he so wished it. At that moment, Bob felt like he had gained something, yet he had no clue as to what that was, and he was petrified to think, or even ask.

  "Po-ten-tial! In front of every child is a myriad of paths, some are filled with the long night of terrors, where as some are adorned with the intricacies of pleasure, and some even come to an abrupt end, throwing said person out of the cycle and into the bleakness of eternity....But you my child, you can pay with your potential, I shall see you again in a time that fate determines, and upon such a time, your means will be my sustenance....Do not fret young one, I am not a harbinger, nor am I gluttonous, I am a....Well, time shall tell........Oh My....Oh My......Oh My.......Oh My........Oh My"

  The truth of those words was not something that a creature of sanity could understand, in fact the speaker of said words could barely comprehend the meaning. Yet, within Bob's beleaguered heart, he knew those utterances held more truth than one would ever dare to believe.

  As the last word left the harlequins lips, or mind, the finger that was perched under Bob's chin, had seemingly turned into a tongue. The writhing appendage was a cross between a tentacle and a tongue, and with it, it tasted the flesh of Bob's face. Before the feeling of revulsion could accumulate within Bob's mind, the sensation had gone and the harlequin had vanished.

  Bob's consciousness fully returned, the sickly feeling had vanished, and the frozen depths of his brain had thawed. The tunnel was eerily silent, the gushing water had ceased, and a feint light filled the tunnel from the many drains that lined it.

  The water level had dropped, now only a few inches remained, and seemingly had done for some time. Bob looked down and saw the camera from before, unfortunately it lay under the weight of his foot, now completely shattered.

  A sudden thought appeared within Bob's mind.

  "Huh, what was I doing? Wasn't I just on Mr Crocks? Eh!?!"

  The more Bob tried to remember what happened, the more the images floated away from him before nothing remained, only a void that left him with palpations. Shaking his head, he decided to just go home and not think about it.

  "Oh my, what a day. Tsch"

  It did not take Bob long to reach the basin, in less than twenty minutes he was there. The concrete basin was now dry, only a feint water stain remained. Mr crocks was stood against the wall, his face buried in the corner. When he turned his head towards Bob upon noticing his presence, a tearful expression was exhibited. This alone confused Bob, but what did even more was the words that the angry blind man said next.

  "You damn ugly bastard! Where the hell ya been!? Damn three hours you been gone, three hours! Ya stupid crocodile was crying, and this damn rat stopped moving!"

  Marlo had rolled up his sleeve and was tapping at his wrist, the feint outline of a watch he doodled on was still evident. Although his means of telling the time was suspect, his words still contained truth. For nearly thee hours Bob had been gone, with Mr Crocks and Mr Squeeks displaying bizarre behaviour in his absence.

  The undead crocodile had wanted to return for its master, but found itself unable to. The connection between them had been severed, forcing the crocodile to gently follow the flow of water and end up back at the basin, with an un-beating heart full of confusion and sadness.

  Bob stood at the centre of the basin, a pained expression on his face while he tried to think about the time difference. The simple act of remembering sent a piercing pain through his head, before it vanished and he saw nothing wrong with the situation.

  Marlo was stood constantly picking the undead rat up and dropping it, to show that the thing had stopped working. After the fifth drop, it seemed to of restarted, as Mr Squeeks bolted and dove at Bob, leaving Marlo to grasp at thin air.

  "Your watch is broke, in fact, start with getting one first......Anyway, you hungry?"

  Marlo finally stopped grasping at thin air and patted his protruding ribs.

  "Don't try and change the subject, but yeah, of course I'm hungry!......Ah, that reminds me! Get yo ugly ass up here, we gotta talk about somethin!"

  A short while later and both Marlo and Bob were sat inside their ramshackle home, with a blue light being cast inside from the plastic sheet that acted as a door. Sat cross legged, Bob made sure to sit with his back to the door, his long tail safely resting outside. Mr Crocks had come back to his senses and had his head lay on top of Bob's tail.

  Marlo was speaking in a hushed tone as he leaned close to Bob.

  "So, what ya think of ma plan? Ya sick of eating rats too aren't ya? Big guy like you needs some steak!"

  Wiping the saliva from his mouth, Bob seriously considered the plan that the skinny blind man had proposed.

  "Use both of our powers to make money, this sounds a bit....."

  Reaching out a tender hand, Marlo clamped it on Bob's shoulder and could feel the scales underneath. Instantly the image of Bob's acid burned skin came to mind, and forced him to quietly remove his hand.

  "Bob, listen Bob.....It's this plan, or you go up top and beg! I obviously ain't"

  A crystal clear image came to Bob's mind, that of him crawling out of the sewers and asking random passer-bys for money. The screams of the people sounded so realistic, it actually made him feel slightly melancholic.

  "Okay I get it.....Is this legal though Marlo?"

  Shaking his head as if he was asked the dumbest question imaginable, Marlo replied.

  "Legal, yeah it's legal, if we don't get caught that is.....Now listen, I won't say this again, my throats too dry.....We use my ability and find a rich person who's gonna die, then we find him on that day, and use your power to control him...You follow?....Then ya make the dead guy go and draw out as much money as possible, perfect!.....It's not illegal if he's dead, in fact it's a public service......If we don't get caught"

  Scratching his chin, Bob played each step of the plan through within his mind, and the more times he did it, the more he actually envisioned it working. Regarding the legality and ethics of it, he could clearly remember the Humans memories he ate, and knew he did something similar. Although, he would usually kill them and then have them go to the bank and withdraw their life's savings. He even remembered the man saying that it was not illegal if he did not get caught.

  That settled it, he now had a new outlook on life. It's only illegal if you get caught......Plus, he was already a murderer, so any crime after that would be negligible.

  "Okay, lets do this Marlo! One question, why are we discussing this in here and whispering?"

  Making a big show of looking left to right, Marlo leaned in even closer and whispered again.

  "Because we're planning something ill....Sneaky....So ya plan sneaky, LEGAL things like this"

  "Ah, oh, I get it".