J. C. Diem - Tricks and Treats

Chapter One

C LOUDS COVERED THE thin sliver of the moon, casting deep pools of gloom between the streetlamps that were powered by magic. It was summer and the air was warm and still. The weather in Nox was unpredictable, but I had a feeling it was going to rain soon. After what felt like an eternity living in the City of Night, Id become attuned to its moods.

I was currently on patrol in the Miscellaneous Beings District to the south of the city. Id heard uneasy murmurs that the walking dead were growing restless. I was checking the cemeteries to make sure they were secure. Every now and then, the undead would break free from their prisons. Whenever that happened, havoc reigned until I could either kill them, or herd them back to their prisons.

The area near the cemeteries was almost devoid of the living. The ghosts were out and about, annoying people and haunting buildings. They would return to their graveyards before daybreak. Zombies, ghouls and armed skeletons shuffled, lurched and shambled around behind the high stone walls of the graveyards. They were moaning hungrily as they ceaselessly searched for a way out.

Bones creaked and weapons that were clutched in skeletal hands scraped against the wall as I walked towards the entrance to the biggest boneyard in the city. Hearing a metallic snapping noise in the distance, I muttered a curse and broke into a sprint. The undead were stupid, but ghouls sometimes dredged up the intelligence to figure out that the wrought iron gates were the weakest point. It was just as well their memories were wiped clean each night, or they would break free far more often.

By the time I reached the gate to the graveyard, the inhabitants were pouring out. Rotting zombies wearing tattered clothing were the slowest. They lurched along with their arms raised, pining for brains. Ghouls were faster and shambled more quickly with their milky eyes darting around in search of prey. Their clothing was as tattered as the zombies. Skeletons were fleshless, unclothed and surprisingly fast at times. They were armed with a variety of weapons.

Shouts of alarm sounded from a couple of Night Cursed witches who were out for a stroll. One of them used her wand to send a burst of red light high into the air. Any law enforcement officers who were within sight of the distress signal would come running to aid me in my fight.

Both witches wore the black dresses and pointy black hats that were typical of their kind. They used their wands to create a magical barrier to protect themselves from the horde of shambling undead.

Wraths holy glow was constant whenever we were near monsters that didnt have a pulse. He reacted to demons the same way. His light grew brighter as I closed in on the group of twenty or so zombies, ghouls and skeletons that had the witches surrounded. Close the gate to the cemetery! I shouted to a skeletal gardener who was trimming a tree nearby. It was armed with shears rather than a real weapon, so it wasnt dangerous.