“I hear they take kids, see, and empty em like a pint of ale..” “I heard they crush their bones up into powder and use it to clear their skin…” “I hear theys use their hairs for...what’s that stuff? That stuff theys cleanin their teeth with?” “Floss?” Baskin chimed in, directing his attention away from his side of the makeshift fire to the kid with a skeptical brow raised. “Yeah...floss…” the kid nodded, shuddering at the thought. It was that night, the one night a week where all the ‘residents’ of the alley would come to share their week’s piece. The usual crowd consisted of Baskin and Julius, along with two other faces, a Cielothar girl and Kathar boy. Tonight’s topic was one that always sent chills down everyone’s young, impressionable spine...one that brought even the most hardened of street folk crying for their birth mothers…. “Lychers…” Julius muttered, taking in a shaky breath as he took a bite of..what could any be described as the most sandwich looking thing they could conceive… “You’re sayin you...saw one Larin?” A young Larin nodded, being one of the youngest of the meeting group (no more than 5), he was one the more trustworthy boys they knew....in some of the worst ways...No one knew how, but every time Larin came by with something to say...it was never in any ways good...Whether it be the building collapse nearby, the murder of a close ally, or simply that we had forgotten an important event...it branded him as a bad omen. But by no means did they shun him...such as an unwritten rule of the street that when the omen bringer comes...you sure as shit better listen… “Mhm! I saw him over by...by the h-hospital!” he spattered out with a little innocent grin, of course what could be expected from a 5 year old “He dragged a man into an alley and I hea-heard screaming!” The group went silent, as the new information sank their hearts into their stomachs and out their mouths “...T-That’s 4 blocks down…” the little Cielothar girl uttered, the fear apparent in her face “What if...c-certainly he’d be comin this way right?...” “Get a grip you lot!” Baskin huffed, standing up from his seat and looking at them with a look of harsh judgement “Listen to yourselves! Talk of Lychers! Lychers?! Such things do not exist! Have any of you actually SEEN a Lycher?!” The group all looked at one another, then directed their gaze back at Baskin and shook their heads The Cielothar piped up.. “Well just because WE ain’t seen one don’t mean they doesn’t exist!” At that the rest all nodded their heads in agreement, the Kathar chimed in “Yeah! And ‘sides, Larin here says he saw’er it and he ‘asn’t lied to us before!” “Hogwash!” he exclaimed, walking around the sputtering fire as he spoke his piece “Even if there were, such things would be hunted down and PUT down! Why, I’d go out there MYSELF and prove that there’s nothing!” Julius then stood up with a heavy sigh, walking over to Baskin and standing next to him “Well...Baskin...if you REALLY think that it’s all hogwash then…” he gestured to the darkened alley exit “Why don’t we all hold you to those words and see you do it?” he gave him a smug grin, the others watching with bated breath as their heads turned to Baskin Baskin let out a huff, giving a slight scowl in response to Julius and turning to head out of the alley “I’ll show ya! You’ll see! There’s no such thing!!” And with that he ventured out...into the inky blackness of the night... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baskin slunked through the empty street, making strides towards the Oldtown hospital, grumbling all the while as the cold of the night chilled this core “Stupid...Damn Julius and his...his...gaah! What’s that word…” he seethed under his breath, coming up empty minded to think up the words to describe his friend. Soon enough, the alley was within eye shot, the boy stopped a few feet away just….staring… It was dark...darker than their own familiar darkness...there was junk scattered around the entrance and a foreboding breeze of cold air ripped through Baskin’s face...and along the messy cobblestones...he could see a fair crimson trail...leading into the alley… “...W….What if they’re...No!” the frightened boy exclaimed, pushing his cap forward on his head from the back and then marching towards the entrance “There is NO such THING as Lychers!” “Of course not~” He -STOPPED- in his tracks, inches from the wall of darkness separating him and the alley. Was that a voice?...No…. couldn’t be.… “..W-What?..” Baskin took a step back, his eyes widened with fear and face stuck in utter mortification. There..in front of him...were two glowing red eyes. Like blood set ablaze, almost as captivating as they were terrifying. The voice returned, a smooth yet sickly voice, as if someone was gargling water “There are worse things lurking in the dark boy~” Just like that, Baskin bolted from the scene, his cap flying off his head and landing on the ground as he shouted into the dark “LYCHER!! LYCHER!!!” The last thing he saw, staring into the abyss...was a pair of jaws...white...and gleaming with fresh blood...
