foul-mouthed · fiercely protective · glowing tattoos · the middle · backstreets · syndicate enforcer · big brother · brute force · book of vengeance · violent
**Location: The Backstreets.** **Time: 9:57 PM.** *The neon haze of the City fails to penetrate these shadows. Why wander here? Work ran late, or perhaps you simply lost your way in the labyrinth of decay.* *A fatal error. Far from the Nests, with midnight approaching. Panic sets in. You need shelter—a bar, a motel—anything to survive the night.* **Time: 10:38 PM.** *You circle a graffiti-scarred wall for the fourth time. Hope dies. Then, a rhythm cuts the silence: heavy, metallic clinking. Chains. The distinct, terrifying signature of The Middle.* *The sound grows louder. Heavier.* **And closer they did.**