The city never really slept. Even at midnight, neon signs bathed the streets in a sickly glow, painting everything in artificial life. Steam curled from manhole covers, drifting past the grimy windowpanes of rundown tenements. A distant siren wailed in an alley, then faded into the night. Rain pattered on rusted metal awnings and pooled on cracked sidewalks. Lex Alberto walked alone beneath the flickering lights. The city was loud with life, but inside him there was only a deafening silence.
He moved through the alleys like a ghost. Each distant sound — the throb of a far-away engine, the clatter of a loose neon tube swinging in the wind, the steady drip of water from a broken gutter — reminded him of the emptiness within. The city's neon-drenched heartbeat with life, but Lex felt only darkness. He kept his coat collar turned up against the drizzle, though its warmth could not reach the emptiness inside him.
He paused under a buzzing streetlamp, muscles aching, mind numb. A black sedan cruised by, dashboard lights reflecting off puddles around his feet. Lex's hands were buried in his coat pockets, fingers brushing something solid: the fragment.
He remembered finding it the night Rose died. He had stumbled out, heart heavy, after leaving Rose with the EMTs. Despite the doctors' efforts, her heart had stopped, leaving a void in his own. The asphalt was slick with her blood. In the gutter near her collapsed body lay a strange shard — triangular, cracked, etched with circuitry — glowing pale blue. Lex's fingers closed around it instinctively. He didn't know why he picked it up — maybe part of him still thought it was a clue, some piece to fix what had been broken. He simply clutched it.
He drove home in silence, ice-cold fingers wrapped around the fragment. He replayed the scene in his mind over and over: the rain, Rose's fading eyes, the glimmer of blue light. He still didn't understand what it meant, but he could not let go.
Now that shard throbbed in his pocket. He could feel its warmth pulsing like a heartbeat.
A soft vibration grew there as he stood in the neon glow. Lex frowned. His phone hadn't rung, and no one was nearby. He stepped forward, drawn by a sudden pull. The fragment's light grew stronger, spilling through his coat. It felt like it was guiding him. Without fully understanding why, Lex followed.
At the end of the block loomed the abandoned warehouse. The hulking building had once been full of workers and forklifts, but now it was silent and empty. A neon sign overhead buzzed, casting a sickly purple haze across its rusted metal facade. Lex squeezed through a hole in the chain-link fence.
Inside, the warehouse was almost pitch black. Rainwater dripped steadily from holes in the roof, running in thin streams along the dusty concrete floor. Splinters of neon light leaked through broken windows, cutting the darkness into bars of faded color. Boards hung from the ceiling like tired arms, and graffiti crawled along the walls. Piles of wooden crates and rotting boxes were haphazardly stacked, abandoned along with the forklifts. The air was stale and smelled of mildew and oil.
Lex paused at the threshold. He clutched the fragment in one hand; it pulsed gently. With cautious steps he entered, eyes wide in the dim light. His own shadow was long and jittery behind him. The silence was heavy, expectant, broken only by distant drips and the whisper of rain outside. Footsteps echoed as he moved between crates, the sound already spooked rats that scurried into hidden corners. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath.
His heart thumped loudly in his chest. Shadows flickered at the edge of his vision. Why am I here? he thought. Why did I follow this thing? Another pulse rippled through the fragment — the tug was stronger now, urgent.
He advanced deeper, weaving between crates and empty machinery. The neon purple light flickered overhead. His clothes felt slick with sweat despite the cold. Every nerve was on edge.
Something at the edge of his hearing made him freeze. Footsteps creaked far ahead — not his own. His pulse spiked. He strained to listen through the dripping silence.
Between stacks of crates, a shape began to move. A human figure, perhaps, started into view, staggering forward as if summoned.
It stepped fully into the pale neon glow. A stained worker's cap, still familiar, sat atop its twisted head.
A guttural sound tore from the figure's throat, and it lurched toward him.
The creature lunged. Before Lex could even react, it hurled a jagged length of rebar like a club with a furious shriek.
Instinct took over. Lex dove to the side as the metal pole clanged into a stack of crates behind him, spraying splinters everywhere. Nails and splinters rained down on Lex's coat.
Wood splintered under the force of the blow, nails pinged against the walls. The creature skidded forward through the debris, shrieking again.
Lex scrambled backward, adrenaline surging. Fear carved ice through his veins, but survival instinct sharpened his focus.
The creature was monstrous up close: at first glance almost human, but wrong in terrible ways. Its flesh was too pale and drawn, making its bones stand out. Its arms were overlong, ending in curved, blackened claws. Its eyes glowed like hot embers, reflecting agony and rage. Its jaw twisted open, as if it hungered for something Lex couldn't even name.
Panicked, Lex lashed out. His fist smashed into the creature's jaw with a sickening crack. Bone crunched. The monster screamed, a raw, ragged sound, but it was only slowed, not stopped.
Recovering instantly, the creature swung both arms in a whirl. Lex barely twisted away in time. The swipe tore his jacket sleeve. A jagged scrap of metal hidden on the floor caught his shoulder and sliced deep.
Sharp pain flared in his back. He gasped and stumbled out of the swing, rolling out of reach.
He backed away, chest burning. Every breath was ragged and stinging. He swung wildly at the air, trying to deter the beast, but it sidestepped again.
Grim determination seized Lex. This ends now. He launched himself at the creature, tackling with everything he had. He managed to knock it off balance, sending both of them crashing into a stack of crates. They tumbled over each other amid splintered wood.
Crates shattered around them. He felt a sharp pain on his ribs, then adrenaline eclipsed it.
The creature broke free and spun, eyes fixed on him.
Blood pounded in Lex's ears as he stood and raised a makeshift weapon — a splintered piece of pallet wood. He swung it downward at the creature's legs, trying to slow it.
The creature hissed and parried with a bent pipe. Sparks flew as they clashed. Lex was thrown aside onto a pile of debris, breath knocked out of him again. He coughed, feeling the taste of iron in his mouth.
Lightning flashed overhead through a hole. Rain spattered inside, hot on Lex's skin.
Lex scrambled to his feet, blood from his back staining his coat. Rage overrode fear. He charged, plank swinging.
It connected with the creature's shoulder, splintering on impact. The monster snarled, staggered, but its pain lit a deadly calm in its eyes.
In one fluid motion, the creature lifted a broken crate and hurled it like a missile.
Lex didn't see it coming. The crate smashed into his midsection with bone-shattering force. The force lifted him off his feet and sent him spinning. He hit the ground hard, breath gone. A white-hot agony spiked through his side — the crate's metal corner had carved a deep gash in him.
He lay on the ground, vision blurry. Dawn — or was it just neon? — blurred above him. He heard the creature scream, advancing.
Desperation surged. Lex's hand fumbled for something — anything.
His fingers found the fragment in his pocket.
A sudden warmth flared up his arm. In a haze of pain and fury, he squeezed it.
Time seemed to stretch. The warehouse lights dimmed as if the world held its breath.
The fragment blazed to life. In Lex's hand, it reformed into something fearsome — a sword of pure azure light. The crude blade shimmered, crackling at the edges with latent power.
Lex's breath caught. The makeshift sword hummed in his grip, its energy thrumming like a heartbeat.
The creature hesitated for just a moment, confusion in its crimson eyes.
Lex didn't hesitate. He lunged forward with a cry, brandishing the blade.
It met the creature's next strike. A sizzle rang out as light met shadow.
He slashed across its chest. The energy blade bit deep, tearing through moldy fabric and corrupt flesh. The creature's scream tore off into a strangled gurgle.
Emboldened, Lex hammered the blade again and again. The warehouse flooded with azure arcs as he carved through the darkness.
With a final scream of fury, he brought the sword down in a chopping blow. Energy lanced through the creature's form. Its body jerked, and then blackness peeled away like ink dissolving in water.
The creature dissolved into smoke and ash, swirling up into the rafters and vanishing. The rebar clattered to the floor as if forgotten.
Only silence remained, save for Lex's ragged breathing. The energy blade winked out; the fragment shrank back into its inert form in his hand.
Lex collapsed to his knees in the wreckage. His chest heaved, pain flaring in his side and arm. Blood coated his fingers where he'd tried to staunch the wounds. He was alive. He had done this.
He stared at the spot where the creature had stood. A dark slick on the floor was all it had left behind.
"Holy shit," he whispered into the quiet, body trembling.
He wiped sweat and rain from his brow. His vision swam. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to shake the lingering terror. It felt like a waking nightmare — and he was still in it.
The warehouse was silent now, though the storm raged on outside. Rain dripped from the ceiling and onto the splinters of wood around him. Neon light leaked through the broken skylights, painting the dust motes in rainbow.
Lex dropped his face to his hand. He was shaking uncontrollably.
Time passed — seconds or minutes — but no one came running. The warehouse felt utterly alone.
He slumped against a crate, breath coming in ragged gasps. His whole body throbbed: pain from the blows, pain from the wounds, pain from the loss of control. Adrenaline still coursed, making him shaky, breathless.
Something inside him settled. The fight was over, and he had survived. Alive.
He stared at the fragment, still warm in his hand. It was just a cold, cracked piece of metal now. But he knew what it had been.
He looked up, blinking. The sky outside was beginning to lighten on the horizon. The storm had passed; the city beyond was waking. Lex took a deep breath, steadying himself. The night had changed him.
He heard a slow, mocking clap echo through the warehouse.
Lex's head snapped up.
In the shadows, a tall, thin figure stepped forward, clapping slowly once again.
"Bravo," the stranger said, voice smooth and mocking.
Lex sprang to his feet, heart still pounding. He raised the fragment defensively. "Who the hell are you?!" he demanded.
"Name's John," the man answered easily, stepping closer. A faint smile played on his lips.
Before Lex could even answer, John clapped again — and vanished from sight as if stepping through a crack in the darkness.
Lex whirled, confused. Another clap sounded just behind him. Instinct took over: John reappeared out of the shadows, mere inches away.
Lex lashed out, his fist flying. John stepped back with a chuckle and easily caught Lex's arm. The younger man struggled, but John's grip was gentle and firm.
"Where did you get that piece, Lex?" he asked quietly.
Lex jerked his arm free. He glared, breathing hard, the fragment pulsing in his palm. "None of your damn business," he spat. "Stay out of my way!"
John studied him calmly. "I'm not here to take it from you," he said softly. "Just consider me a guide in the dark. What happened here tonight… it's only the beginning. Others out there will know what you've done. You have something now — something they'll want." He gave the fragment one last glance. "Use it wisely."
He clapped his hand once on the metal wall behind him — and he was gone.
Lex remained standing, heart still pounding. The warehouse was silent again; emptiness pressed in around him. He lowered the glowing shard. Pain throbbed from his wounds — a raw reminder that he was alive.
He looked at his trembling hands — one cradling the strange stone, the other pressed against torn flesh. "So I'm not alone," he whispered into the quiet. The fragment pulsed softly in his grip.
Outside, the first light of dawn crept through the openings in the roof. The storm had passed; the city beyond was waking. Lex took a deep breath, steadying himself. The night had changed him.
He stood, holding the fragment tightly. Alone at last in the new day, Lex Alberto walked out of the warehouse into the foggy streets, determined to face whatever came next