Atticus laughed under his breath, one hand ruffling Luke’s fur as the retriever leaned happily against his leg. The question pulled a sideways glance toward Vince, amusement flickering across his face.
“I’m pretty sure Luke’s just our baby,” he said, giving the dog an affectionate pat on the chest. “But Astrid might have more to say about that, seeing as he actually lives in her crib.” Luke’s tail thumped at the sound of his name, tongue lolling, perfectly unaware that he’d just been promoted to baby status.
As Vince agreed to his plan, Atti nodded once, the casual grin settling back onto his face. “Perfect. I’ll get the money to you once my guy flips the truck. Could we exchange contact info? Makes it easier to meet up when it’s ready. Cash, clean, no questions asked.” His tone was smooth but practical; he’d done this kind of exchange a dozen times before, and his easy confidence said as much.
Atticus turned his head, eyes narrowing just enough to show alertness without surrendering calm. The figure (Todd) that emerged looked like he’d crawled straight out of a nightmare wearing someone else’s idea of couture. The blades, the grin, the scent of rust and ozone... definitely not someone you’d mistake for a partygoer.
Still, Atti just smirked, half-turning toward him with one hand tucked lazily in his pocket. “My hair’s just fine, but I appreciate the offer,” he said evenly, gaze never leaving the barber’s eerie red eyes. “Let me have a treat.”
“I’m pretty sure Luke’s just our baby,” he said, giving the dog an affectionate pat on the chest. “But Astrid might have more to say about that, seeing as he actually lives in her crib.” Luke’s tail thumped at the sound of his name, tongue lolling, perfectly unaware that he’d just been promoted to baby status.
As Vince agreed to his plan, Atti nodded once, the casual grin settling back onto his face. “Perfect. I’ll get the money to you once my guy flips the truck. Could we exchange contact info? Makes it easier to meet up when it’s ready. Cash, clean, no questions asked.” His tone was smooth but practical; he’d done this kind of exchange a dozen times before, and his easy confidence said as much.
Atticus turned his head, eyes narrowing just enough to show alertness without surrendering calm. The figure (Todd) that emerged looked like he’d crawled straight out of a nightmare wearing someone else’s idea of couture. The blades, the grin, the scent of rust and ozone... definitely not someone you’d mistake for a partygoer.
Still, Atti just smirked, half-turning toward him with one hand tucked lazily in his pocket. “My hair’s just fine, but I appreciate the offer,” he said evenly, gaze never leaving the barber’s eerie red eyes. “Let me have a treat.”
Astrid scoffed a little. "Oh I should thank you? Really? Hmph." Eyes rolled dramatically, but it might be obvious it was mock annoyance as she came closer to her boyfriend while he scratched behind Luke's ears. "I'll thank you when we get back to my place." A bit of sarcasm hinted in her voice. Was it a tease? A hint? Maybe she was playing? Who knew? Only one way to find out and he knew it! With the introductions, she nodded quietly with a slight wave. Being with Atticus meant learning to be a bit more social. Yeah right. She still had a ways to go on that... To Vincent's query about Luke, her lips curved slightly on one side. "Yeah, he's acclimated to more than werewolves." What that meant was left up to the imagination as she didn't get really specific. Just enough of an answer to pass.
A cursory glance was given to the boxes. They looked jostled but still held up. The wrappers all over the ground was noted, as was the red painted text on the truck. Stolen goods? Yeah, she knew full well what was going on as Atti and Vince spoke to each other. She didn't really converse much, but instead, listened. When Vince handled one of the candy bars like some kind of gunslinger, it made her muscles twitch subtly as if she were ready to grab something or possibly disarm. It was an involuntary reflex, of course. When he tossed the bar, one hand easily caught it. Slowly, wearily she turned the piece over between fingers to examine the wrapper. There weren't any signs of tampering, so she slid it silently into the pocket of her sweater. "Thank you." Was all she'd said along with a slight nod of acknowledgement.
This was her first Halloween not being... Well, now wasn't the time to reflect on it. For the moment, she tried to enjoy at least this. Although it was weird. It felt weird! Her eyes widened as the internal voicing of her mind went on another one of it's little tangents. Some habits just couldn't lay low. While the two men talked, Astrid's focus was pulled by Luke who nudged her with his wet nose. While his tail went whenever someone mentioned his name, she scratched along his flanks to ruffle up his shaggy fur. The topic of an orphanage came up and for a moment, she listened more intently. While her own upbringing hadn't been a pleasant one, she pondered if such places were any better. Of course, another scent seemed to curl around her senses before she heard the approach of someone else.
The moment Astrid saw the figure—she straightened up slowly and honestly stared for a good moment in completely silence. Long blue hair. Red eyes. Were those...hands? Scissors? What? She blinked once. Then twice then just... Yeah, maybe she stared a bit too long for a second. She'd never seen someone like Todd before in her life! Her mouth opened slightly, only to close. But then it opened a bit, just to close all over again. What did a person say when they had no clue what they were looking at? He? She? Looked like a male with long hair. "Uh..." Her own hair was long, but it was only ever trimmed as she never let it get short. The orange glow of her eyes faded slowly back to a light brown, hazel. She looked along the fingers. Were they fingers? "Uhm... No. Thanks." Awkwardly, she looked from each person there, her boyfriend included!
While Luke was busy being the happy-go-lucky furball, Astrid decided it was time they vacated the space in general. "This...um...yeah. Fun." Yeah, she struggled a little before finally, "I'm dropping one of the boxes off. Meet you there?" She looked at her boyfriend, eyes wide for a split second before she quickly walked over, picked up a box and couldn't help that an awkward grin was plastered there on her face like some kind of idiot that didn't know what else to do in this situation that didn't involve sniping someone from the vantage point of a rooftop. "Happy Halloween!" Voice hitched slightly as she took the leash and coaxed Luke to follow. The golden retriever was reluctant but inevitably went along with her. She didn't have anything against anyone. But it was time to head out as she went into the direction of the closest orphanage.
.
A cursory glance was given to the boxes. They looked jostled but still held up. The wrappers all over the ground was noted, as was the red painted text on the truck. Stolen goods? Yeah, she knew full well what was going on as Atti and Vince spoke to each other. She didn't really converse much, but instead, listened. When Vince handled one of the candy bars like some kind of gunslinger, it made her muscles twitch subtly as if she were ready to grab something or possibly disarm. It was an involuntary reflex, of course. When he tossed the bar, one hand easily caught it. Slowly, wearily she turned the piece over between fingers to examine the wrapper. There weren't any signs of tampering, so she slid it silently into the pocket of her sweater. "Thank you." Was all she'd said along with a slight nod of acknowledgement.
This was her first Halloween not being... Well, now wasn't the time to reflect on it. For the moment, she tried to enjoy at least this. Although it was weird. It felt weird! Her eyes widened as the internal voicing of her mind went on another one of it's little tangents. Some habits just couldn't lay low. While the two men talked, Astrid's focus was pulled by Luke who nudged her with his wet nose. While his tail went whenever someone mentioned his name, she scratched along his flanks to ruffle up his shaggy fur. The topic of an orphanage came up and for a moment, she listened more intently. While her own upbringing hadn't been a pleasant one, she pondered if such places were any better. Of course, another scent seemed to curl around her senses before she heard the approach of someone else.
The moment Astrid saw the figure—she straightened up slowly and honestly stared for a good moment in completely silence. Long blue hair. Red eyes. Were those...hands? Scissors? What? She blinked once. Then twice then just... Yeah, maybe she stared a bit too long for a second. She'd never seen someone like Todd before in her life! Her mouth opened slightly, only to close. But then it opened a bit, just to close all over again. What did a person say when they had no clue what they were looking at? He? She? Looked like a male with long hair. "Uh..." Her own hair was long, but it was only ever trimmed as she never let it get short. The orange glow of her eyes faded slowly back to a light brown, hazel. She looked along the fingers. Were they fingers? "Uhm... No. Thanks." Awkwardly, she looked from each person there, her boyfriend included!
While Luke was busy being the happy-go-lucky furball, Astrid decided it was time they vacated the space in general. "This...um...yeah. Fun." Yeah, she struggled a little before finally, "I'm dropping one of the boxes off. Meet you there?" She looked at her boyfriend, eyes wide for a split second before she quickly walked over, picked up a box and couldn't help that an awkward grin was plastered there on her face like some kind of idiot that didn't know what else to do in this situation that didn't involve sniping someone from the vantage point of a rooftop. "Happy Halloween!" Voice hitched slightly as she took the leash and coaxed Luke to follow. The golden retriever was reluctant but inevitably went along with her. She didn't have anything against anyone. But it was time to head out as she went into the direction of the closest orphanage.
.
[Exit. Thanks for hosting! Happy Halloween!]
Atticus chuckled low under his breath as Astrid’s sarcasm landed, that easy grin tugging at his mouth like muscle memory. “Yeah, yeah. Guess I’ll take that as a maybe-thank-you,” he said, leaning down to give Luke one more scratch before straightening.
If Vince were to agree, Atti slipped his own phone back into his hoodie pocket, gave a short nod. “I’ll be in touch once the truck’s flipped. Promise I’ll make the drop clean.” He bent, grabbed one of the boxes from the pile and looked back at the small crowd with a grin that cut through the lingering weirdness of the night. “Happy Halloween, yeah? Try not to get into more trouble than me.”
The streetlight caught the edge of his smirk before he turned away, stepping into stride after Astrid and Luke. The noise behind them faded—metallic clinks, wrappers rustling underfoot, [Todd’s] eerie laugh echoing somewhere in the dark. By the time Atti caught up, the sound was gone, replaced by the rhythm of their footsteps and the soft jingle of Luke’s collar.
“So,” he started, glancing sideways at her, “did I make your Halloween better, or just weird as hell?” His tone teased, but there was warmth behind it. He shifted the box under one arm, bumping her shoulder lightly with his free hand. “At least the kids at the orphanage’ll get something good out of it. You can babysit them with the staff, help hand this stuff out to the neighborhood. I’ll even be on candy patrol. Quality assurance, you know?”
A playful spark lit his eyes as they walked beneath another flickering streetlight, the night air cooling against his skin. “Come on, babe. Let’s make someone’s night before this sugar high wears off.”
A few days later, the Halloween chaos had settled into memory. The streets no longer smelled of sugar and smoke; just rain, concrete, and city static.
Atticus leaned against the hood of his truck, one hand tucked into his hoodie pocket, the other flipping a small envelope between his fingers. When Vince arrived, Atti pushed off the truck and met him halfway. “You clean up nice for a guy who hijacked a candy truck,” he said with a faint grin, holding the envelope out. It was thick, filled with cash, clean bills, and no questions. “Here you go. The buyer came through.”
He gave a small shrug, explaining as casually as someone might discuss the weather. “Had a friend run it through a car broker down in Echo Park. They fixed the frame, scrubbed the serials, resprayed the body. Sold it to some guy who collects commercial trucks for a nostalgia café. Apparently, candy brands are his thing.” A short chuckle followed. “Weird hobby, but hey, his money’s green.”
Atti’s gaze flicked up, studying Vince for a beat. “Figured I’d keep my cut out of it. You earned the haul, man. And I got my good deed quota filled for the month.” He tipped his head toward the city skyline where neon light bled into cloud cover, soft and distant. “Those kids at the orphanage... Yeah, they went nuts. Sugar everywhere. You’d have thought Christmas came early.” A brief pause, then his grin softened into something quieter. “You pulled something good outta that mess, Vince. Not bad for a freelancer.” He gave a small two-finger salute, the kind that doubled as a goodbye and a see-you-around. “If you ever need a hand again, I’m just a call away.”
Then he turned toward his truck, Luke’s faint bark echoing from the passenger seat, and climbed in, headlights washing over the wet asphalt before fading into the pulse of the city night.
If Vince were to agree, Atti slipped his own phone back into his hoodie pocket, gave a short nod. “I’ll be in touch once the truck’s flipped. Promise I’ll make the drop clean.” He bent, grabbed one of the boxes from the pile and looked back at the small crowd with a grin that cut through the lingering weirdness of the night. “Happy Halloween, yeah? Try not to get into more trouble than me.”
The streetlight caught the edge of his smirk before he turned away, stepping into stride after Astrid and Luke. The noise behind them faded—metallic clinks, wrappers rustling underfoot, [Todd’s] eerie laugh echoing somewhere in the dark. By the time Atti caught up, the sound was gone, replaced by the rhythm of their footsteps and the soft jingle of Luke’s collar.
“So,” he started, glancing sideways at her, “did I make your Halloween better, or just weird as hell?” His tone teased, but there was warmth behind it. He shifted the box under one arm, bumping her shoulder lightly with his free hand. “At least the kids at the orphanage’ll get something good out of it. You can babysit them with the staff, help hand this stuff out to the neighborhood. I’ll even be on candy patrol. Quality assurance, you know?”
A playful spark lit his eyes as they walked beneath another flickering streetlight, the night air cooling against his skin. “Come on, babe. Let’s make someone’s night before this sugar high wears off.”
Atticus exits here. Thank you for having him and Happy Halloween!
PROLOGUE.
PROLOGUE.
A few days later, the Halloween chaos had settled into memory. The streets no longer smelled of sugar and smoke; just rain, concrete, and city static.
Atticus leaned against the hood of his truck, one hand tucked into his hoodie pocket, the other flipping a small envelope between his fingers. When Vince arrived, Atti pushed off the truck and met him halfway. “You clean up nice for a guy who hijacked a candy truck,” he said with a faint grin, holding the envelope out. It was thick, filled with cash, clean bills, and no questions. “Here you go. The buyer came through.”
He gave a small shrug, explaining as casually as someone might discuss the weather. “Had a friend run it through a car broker down in Echo Park. They fixed the frame, scrubbed the serials, resprayed the body. Sold it to some guy who collects commercial trucks for a nostalgia café. Apparently, candy brands are his thing.” A short chuckle followed. “Weird hobby, but hey, his money’s green.”
Atti’s gaze flicked up, studying Vince for a beat. “Figured I’d keep my cut out of it. You earned the haul, man. And I got my good deed quota filled for the month.” He tipped his head toward the city skyline where neon light bled into cloud cover, soft and distant. “Those kids at the orphanage... Yeah, they went nuts. Sugar everywhere. You’d have thought Christmas came early.” A brief pause, then his grin softened into something quieter. “You pulled something good outta that mess, Vince. Not bad for a freelancer.” He gave a small two-finger salute, the kind that doubled as a goodbye and a see-you-around. “If you ever need a hand again, I’m just a call away.”
Then he turned toward his truck, Luke’s faint bark echoing from the passenger seat, and climbed in, headlights washing over the wet asphalt before fading into the pulse of the city night.
It is a real good prologue, but I feel compelled to give this post a send-off.
Vince paid his dues.
Atticus was provided with his burner number. He also added the number of his favorite bar, the Hive. His own phone number was good for about three month tops, by then it usually had been crushed by Vince being careless his werewolf-transformation.
He also was really, really bad when it came to forgetting his phones in public transport.
Astrid got his gratitude and the boxes. Typically Vince, giving the parts that actually meant work away.
Both got his offer to help out, if they ever had one of those rare problems that wouldn't made worse by adding a werewolf to the mix. It was an easy offer to make, seeing how rare those situations were.
Todd was provided with as many candy as his chrome-hull could eat.
Luke got as many pats as he could eat.
Ash at least got a good story to tell, and maybe a renewed belief in good things.
Mercy got an ear worm. she would need some time to shake. It would get even worse if she'd ever to meet Vince while he was actually holding his instrument!
Vince got something out of it. The feeling of playing Robin Hood for one night, the illusion of being one of the good ones. Also, the ire of a local crime boss, a lot of candy and almost enough money for his next rent.
The night slowly passed. Vince practiced some more gunslinging moves with a snickers that mainly proved that it was a good thing he never really got himself a weapon.
Slowly, the boxes behind him vanished, some ended up in the hands of strange visitors and most went to the orphanage. Good karma, for everyone involved at least for one year.
Hopefully, Vince would have forgotten possible plans of making it a tradition by then.
The dawn reared it's ugly head, the son shining on a street sans truck. Halloween was over. The one night when this world's borders were thin and wobbly had passed, banishing most strange creatures back in their own realities. No more strange sharks, cybernetic monstrosities or aliens.
Something remained. Something always remained: Kindness, good feelings, sugar shocks.
Yeah, werewolves and vampires remained as well. This world had always been their hunting ground.
Vince had vanished by the morning light as well. He was neither there when the cops showed up with notepads, cameras and a look of confusion about their latest case, nor was Vince there by the time the grim looking people with actual guns showed up, asking pretty much the same questions.
Vince's personal vendetta with the old man was another story for another night.
So, the next night you hear wolves howl at the moon, remember the moral of the story: try to write legible notes and check if you still have your phone on you when exiting a train or bus.
Vince paid his dues.
Atticus was provided with his burner number. He also added the number of his favorite bar, the Hive. His own phone number was good for about three month tops, by then it usually had been crushed by Vince being careless his werewolf-transformation.
He also was really, really bad when it came to forgetting his phones in public transport.
Astrid got his gratitude and the boxes. Typically Vince, giving the parts that actually meant work away.
Both got his offer to help out, if they ever had one of those rare problems that wouldn't made worse by adding a werewolf to the mix. It was an easy offer to make, seeing how rare those situations were.
Todd was provided with as many candy as his chrome-hull could eat.
Luke got as many pats as he could eat.
Ash at least got a good story to tell, and maybe a renewed belief in good things.
Mercy got an ear worm. she would need some time to shake. It would get even worse if she'd ever to meet Vince while he was actually holding his instrument!
Vince got something out of it. The feeling of playing Robin Hood for one night, the illusion of being one of the good ones. Also, the ire of a local crime boss, a lot of candy and almost enough money for his next rent.
The night slowly passed. Vince practiced some more gunslinging moves with a snickers that mainly proved that it was a good thing he never really got himself a weapon.
Slowly, the boxes behind him vanished, some ended up in the hands of strange visitors and most went to the orphanage. Good karma, for everyone involved at least for one year.
Hopefully, Vince would have forgotten possible plans of making it a tradition by then.
The dawn reared it's ugly head, the son shining on a street sans truck. Halloween was over. The one night when this world's borders were thin and wobbly had passed, banishing most strange creatures back in their own realities. No more strange sharks, cybernetic monstrosities or aliens.
Something remained. Something always remained: Kindness, good feelings, sugar shocks.
Yeah, werewolves and vampires remained as well. This world had always been their hunting ground.
Vince had vanished by the morning light as well. He was neither there when the cops showed up with notepads, cameras and a look of confusion about their latest case, nor was Vince there by the time the grim looking people with actual guns showed up, asking pretty much the same questions.
Vince's personal vendetta with the old man was another story for another night.
So, the next night you hear wolves howl at the moon, remember the moral of the story: try to write legible notes and check if you still have your phone on you when exiting a train or bus.
Thanks for attending, everyone, it had been a blast!
Fin
Fin
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