That Creepy One with the Skin

"shit, you're scaring me now. There isn't a stick big enough." Drake said. At least it wasn't going to happen often because moving around so much.

"You can't beat everyone." Bobby laughed.

"Oh come on, Drake. Don't be one of those big brothers. You can protect her from monsters but you can't protect her from life. She's going to get a boyfriend at some point. And I think, if you help her and support her, she'll be able to tell the good kind of guy from the bad kind of guy," Nuala said.

"I'm going to try, but most guys are the bad kind." Drake said, as Bobby pulled up. They were at the motel to get their weapons.

Bobby just chuckled. "He's basically raised his sister, you'll have to forgive how protective he is. he can't help it."

"Oh that's okay," Nuala said. "Drake will learn. The more you push us, the more we want to rebel. That's how girls are," she said with a shrug. But then she hopped out of the car. No point in just sitting in it while they got ready. The thing wouldn't be coming out until night and they had hours until then.

Bobby and Drake both laughed. They couldn't help it. It didn't take them long to get their stuff together and make a basic plan.

They would go in at separate points and try to cut it off in the middle. They ate dinner, ordered in Chinese food, gave some to Hikari and then left to do so as it started to get dark.

The sewer cover was heavy and it took both of them to lift it and drag it to one side, before doing the other. "Nuala, stick with Drake. Okay?"

"You got it, Bobby," Nuala said. She looked down below. It smelled already. There were probably rats or other icky creatures in there. Plus the ditto. But she wasn't scared. She could totally handle this. "Ready when you are," she said.

"Oh I'm ready," Drake said and dropped down when he saw Bobby go over to the other sewer. Once they were inside he turned on the torch. "Need help?" He asked, he didn't think she would but you never knew.

Bobby was already searching. Slowly. He didn't want to get someone too fast before the kids.

Though they wouldn't find anything except a lair. A very, very empty lair. Because the ditto wasn't there. It had spotted Drake and Nuala earlier and followed them. He'd seen the way Hikari and Drake were together and he wanted to scare the guy off from chasing him.

He knocked on Hikari's motel door. "Did you forget something?" She asked as she opened the door, surprised it was only Drake.

"Just checking in." the ditto answered, his face and shape exactly that of her brothers.

Nuala didn't need any help. The girl could levitate and floated down into the sewer gracefully. She sent a little breeze through the sewer to be her guide. But the only thing moving in any direction were things too small to be the ditto. "I don't think it's here," she commented. And she felt that even more strongly after finding its empty lair.

"It's oddly quiet, yes." Drake said, maybe they'd come too late. He could hear Bobby moving around and he headed in that direction.

Bobby was looking over the lair. He'd figured out too late that the thing was no longer here. He was frustrated.

"Um, but you have..." Hikari looked around Drake to see that Bobby's car wasn't even there. Her immediate instinct was to slam the door against the man wearing her brothers face.

It didn't work though, he grabbed Hikari by the throat and pushed her inside. Hikari struggled and her hands tried to find the dagger she carried on her at all times as her head was slammed into the chest of drawers beside the door and the door itself let out a clang as it was shoved closed violently.

She scrambled away on her hands and knees, towards her bag, but the thing grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. He dragged her over to a chair and Hikari kicked at it as hard she could.

A sound of sheer physical exertion left her lips as it connected with its sternum, causing it to stumble backwards.

"You don't think it's out there targeting another girl already do you?" Nuala asked unhappily. "We got here right after the sunset..." And it usually had a few days to stalk the next target. Maybe it was just stalking. "How do we find it now?"

"We can wait, or come back in the morning when it sleeps." Drake suggested and looked at Bobby.

"That's probably the best bet." Bobby said sounding more than a little frustrated.

The sound of the fight had carried past the motel room, to the neighbours and to the owner. The police was called as the struggle continued.

Luckily for Hikari, she wasn't a normal girl. She definitely wasn't an easy target, far harder than previous ones.

Her blade was of silver, she was prepared. Though she wouldn't manage to over power someone four years older than her. It was just not physically possible. At least he hadn't picked Bobby's body to copy.

She slashed at him, trying to make him keep his distance. But the thing just sneered and smirked in a massively too happy way.

It enjoyed the fight.

"I suppose a surprise attack would work better," Nuala conceded. She was so disappointed. "I was so hoping I would be able to tell Beckie and Jake that it was over tonight so we could get Zack released." She sighed.

"Probably." Drake said with a sigh before heading back to the ladder to climb up.

Police came, but they saw what looked like Drake running from the scene. An ambulance was called but Hikari refused treatment. Instead she asked to be dropped off at jakes.

Nuala climbed up after Drake. She stood besides the sewer opening and looked around. "So...what happens now? Just return to our hotels and hope it's there in the morning?" She had way too much energy to sleep right away. She didn't know what she was going to do with herself. It just didn't seem enough to give up on the thing. It was out there. Somewhere.

"Pretty much, if you're restless is not like I can't help you with that." Drake said with a laugh.

Bobby wasn't surprised. "I have some things to do tonight so if you're going to do that, say now so I can drop you off first."

Nuala was not surprised either. "Hm, I could the company," she decided. And he could use the alibi. hey just didn't know it yet.

"To the hotel then." Bobby said and headed off in that direction. "Make sure you get some food, if you're not going to sleep much."

Drake laughed," Yes sir." He promised.

"The hotel actually has quite the room service selection," Nuala said. She didn't at all feel awkward. At least Bobby wasn't trying to tell them no.

"I believe it, probably the best food Drake will ever have eaten." Bobby said, with a nod. He'd be fed well.

"Best sex so far too. " Drake said, because he was just not shy. "I'm not really hungry for food either."

"God, you're such a teenage boy." Bobby cracked up.

Nuala was not shy either. She laughed at that. "So far? I feel sort of challenged now," she replied. She wouldn't at all feel bad about ruining him for other women. Not even a little.

"If you want to step up your game, I'm not going to stop you." Drake said with a grin, but then the car had stopped.

"That's enough of that. Get out of my car, you horny children." Bobby grinned.

Nuala laughed. "Thanks, Bobby," she said and got out of the car. She took Drake up to her hotel room and set out the room service menu. He could decide what he wanted and have it ordered at a certain time.

"I don't know what any of this says," Drake protested, because he literally didn't. Not any of it. It was all fancy. "Tell me what's good, other than you??"

Nuala laughed. "Fair enough. You like steak right? This is steak in a fancy wine sauce with equally fancy sides. But really potatoes and vegetables. I'll think you'll be fine with that." She'd order him a beer too. Something else for herself.

"That sounds awesome." Drake said, except the wine sauce sounded girly as fuck. But he'd not say that. That would make him uncool.