"What?"
Andre took one more step backward.
And vanished.
Followed by a scream.
"AAAAAAAAAA—"
The scream grew distant.
Very distant.
---
Kai ran forward.
An open manhole sat in the middle of the street.
Andre was gone.
Completely gone.
Kai looked inside.
Darkness.
Then a faint voice echoed upward.
---
"WHY ARE THERE ALLIGATORS DOWN HERE?!"
---
A pause.
Then—
---
"WAIT WHY ARE THEY WOMEN?!"
---
Silence.
Complete silence.
Alice quickly stepped around the manhole.
"Anyway."
Kai stared at her.
"You did that on purpose."
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
Raj sighed.
"She's mean."
Kai was concerned about Andre.
But Alice looked entirely unapologetic.
Then handed two filthy cloaks to Kai and Raj.
"Wear these."
Kai looked disgusted.
"What is this?"
"Fashion."
"It's dirty."
"Slum fashion."
"That's not better."
But after a few minutes, both reluctantly put them on.
Alice nodded approvingly.
"Perfect."
The group continued deeper into the city.
Toward a district where the lights became dimmer.
The roads became rougher.
And the buildings became older.
The slums.
And somewhere ahead—
The Queen of Asphyxia awaited them.
Or so Kai believed.
While down in the sewers... is Andre