As I awoke, my head screamed in agony. Confusing, disjointed images swirled through my mind. My stomach contorted and I retched on the cold floor beside me. What the hell…

I snapped upright; my eyes darting about frantically. The sandman. Scarlett. Neither were around. I was lying on the concrete floor of the deserted warehouse, the faint patter of rain against the tin of the outside roof. There was a shipping container before me, utterly smashed to pieces. Twisted and broken pieces of metal sheet were scattered across the floor. The lights above flickered. There was a hole in the ceiling. Through it, I could faintly make out the dark of the night sky above.

I rubbed at my head. There was a strange lump just above my brow. I must have received a hefty concussion. I didn’t remember anything. No, that was wrong. I recalled flashes. The sandman’s red eyes. Gods, how they stared through you. I quivered at the recollection of its pale face.

I heard something. My head turned. I squinted into the dark space atop the stacked containers.

“Yahallo, finally up, huh?” a girlish voice came.

A figure stepped out of the dark, their white cloak reflecting the harsh light of the fluorescents. I blinked away the glare. As my vision focussed in on this person, I realised that I’d met them before.

“It’s you, from that time in the alley.”

The figure nodded. With a gracious leap they floated to the ground. As they stood upright, they faced me with the black hollows in their mask. Despite their intimidating presence, I realised they were shorter than me.

“Stefan took your friend,” they said.

“The sandman?”

“Is that what they’re calling him?”

Him. Confirmation at last.

“Yeah. You’re after him too?”

The masked figure nodded. “I’m in no hurry, however. He has nowhere to escape from me.”

What started as something simple had turned into a case far larger, it seemed. How was this person involved? They didn’t strike me as a resident of Babel. The masked person twirled a dagger around in their hand. They looked like a bored child.

“He stole something from my liege. I am merely returning her property to her.”

I scratched my head. “Where did he go?”

The figure shrugged. “You can track your friend, can you not?”

They were right, but how had they known? I shrugged and pulled the device Scarlett had given me from my pocket. It looked pretty scuffed up. What the hell had happened while I was unconscious? Either way, it appeared to still be in working order. I hadn’t had to use it yet, but it doubled as a tracker, just like the one the Lunar Knight had.

“Your friend is in serious danger. Stefan is a disturbed individual. I didn’t feel it was my position to take her life into my own hands, however.”

“Disturbed, huh? I thought all the Chaos were monsters like that.”

Though I couldn’t see the figure’s expression, somehow, I felt that they were scowling at me in that moment.

“It was your humanity that corrupted him to begin with. Had he not wasted away his time fraternizing on the surface, he wouldn’t be as he is now. There was a time he was well regarded, myself amongst those who thought so.”

They seemed human enough, but they were working for the Chaos? That was a new one.

“They’re not so different as you think.”

I looked around again. The warehouse really had been trashed. “Hmm, did you see what happened here?”

“I didn’t think you’d remember. You fought Stefan. Your friend arrived later.”

“I did?” I thought back. I remembered speaking to the guy but after that…

We stood in silence for a while.

“Are you going to pursue him?” they asked.

My fist clenched with resolved. I nodded.

“I’ll follow you, if you don’t mind. I have my own business with Stefan to attend to.”

“That suits me fine,” I replied. Looking once again at the device, I made for the door. I stopped suddenly just before I stepped out into the chill of the damp, night air. “What should I call you?”

“Renă.”

“All right. I’m Sander.”

***

Scarlett’s eyes flew open. Her head was swimming. She blinked, trying to comprehend her surroundings. There were lights, far below her. She could hear distant voices calling. She tried to move but found her hands and legs to be bound. A cold metal shaft was pressed against her back. As she tilted her head up she came face to face with a massive electronic billboard, displaying a colourful ad for some new soda.

“Enjoying the view?” came an unsettlingly, syrupy voice.

She couldn’t turn to face the source, but she knew already who this was. The Lunar Knight gritted her teeth.

“What do you want with me?” she said. This was strange. This wasn’t what he’d done with his other victims. They were high up. Atop one of the large buildings in the business district. A crowd was beginning to gather in the street. Why was the sandman making a public display?

“You see, I’ve come to realise, that nobody can replace my Jeanne. Quand on a pas ce que l’on aime, il faut aimer ce que l’on a; and what do I have, pray tell, ma chérie? My fangs alone. Why should I keep my joys to myself? Let the masses wriggle in anticipation. Sandman. I have heard the whispers. Let them grow from hushed voices in the dead of night to screams at all hours of the day!”

Think Scarlett. She tried to catch a glimpse of the monster. Insane. This thing was insane. She didn’t know if she could reason her way out. She thought it unlikely.

“Wouldn’t she want you to move on?”

She heard a choking sound.

“Ah, hahaha, hahahahahahahahaha.” The sandman was laughing hysterically. “Move on, you say? Qui n’avance pas, recule. This I know. Thus, have I continued to search for love and lush flowers amidst the grime of the city.”

Yeah no, this wasn’t going to work. Shit.

“What are you waiting for, huh? Kill me!” She tried to provoke the thing.

“Hmm, no, there’s lots of fun I want to have with you still before we get to that.” The sandman leaned in close to her ear as it spoke. She could feel the cold breath on her neck. “Besides, your friend is surely on his way. We wouldn’t want him to miss out, would we? Non, nous ne le ferions pas.”