JC couldn�t stop screaming.
Sparrow grinned horribly.
"Why�JC�You�are�afraid�of�me�"
Her claws dug into his wrist. She had no intention of letting him escape.
JC twisted and squirmed.
Sparrow enjoyed his terror.
Vaguely, she remembered once, 300 years before, when she�d felt emotions like love, care, and selflessness. Now, she was immune to every emotion except fear. She�d grown to actually love watching people suffer.
JC stomped on her foot.
Sparrow shrieked. To JC�s happiness, the grip on his wrist ceased.
Ignoring the pain, JC ran down the street. His sneakers slapped against the pavement. Twice, he slipped or bumped into a store window thanks to the fog.
Sparrow was never far behind, snarling and howling.
JC kept running.
Sparrow caught up with him.
"You�can�t�run�can�t�hide�"
JC pushed himself harder.
His legs were tired. His muscles cramped.
No! I can�t succumb to weakness!
Sparrow licked her teeth. "Sure�you�can�"
JC�s mouth fell open.
These things can read minds too?
"That�s�right�JC�"
JC turned the corner. All shops were closed up. His eyes darted from one side of the street to the other, desperate to find some place where he could seek safety.
After about five minutes, he noticed Sparrow was nowhere in sight.
He halted in the middle of the street.
"Where-where�d she go?" he gasped.
He trudged to the corner by the stop sign.
A single store appeared to withhold life. A fabric store. The lights were on, and the door was wide open.
JC was elated. He gladly entered the shop.
One woman was behind the counter, bagging purchases for four customers. Nobody seemed to notice his arrival.
JC cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me, but you�ve gotta help me! There�s a Lost Soul out there!"
The older man paying for the packages smirked.
"What�s the matter?"
JC heard the shop door slam behind him.
The saleswoman cackled. "Where�s your sense of adventure?"
JC tugged at the door handle. The door didn�t budge.
Something sharp tapped him.
Sparrow�s eyes flashed with malevolent animal hunger.
"Going�so�soon�"
JC screamed and ran to the cloth shelf, bumping into a dressmaker�s dummy.
"Everybody! Stay away from her! She�s�"
"A�Lost�Soul�" They giggled.
JC�s knees buckled in terror.
The saleswoman and her customers had all mutated into inhuman creatures.
The 6 Lost Souls encircled JC.
They came closer.
JC whimpered pitifully.
They came closer.
Their hot breath sent chills up and down his spine.
They came closer.
"Get�him�Get�him�"
No way out.
No escape.
They came closer.
JC didn�t see Sparrow lurching behind him, poised with a small metal pipe.
He did feel the heavy blow to his skull.
The room spun wildly. Brightly colored dots exploded like fireworks in front of his eyes. Darkness masked the light.
The last thing JC remembered before slumping to the ground was:
"Time�to�bring�him�to�the�master�"