As Maude and I emerged from the alley, she turned to me with a resolute look. We should head to my den, she said. I’ve got some leads that might help us figure out our next move.

I nodded, intrigued by the hint of urgency in her voice. Lead the way. I’m curious to see what you’ve got.

As we continued, our path was interrupted by a troublesome sight: a skyscraper had collapsed onto the street. The damage was massive—an entire section of the skyscraper had given way, spilling onto the street like a tumbling wall of debris. The floors of the skyscraper that were still hanging by a thread above us, leaked water from their pipes, creating waterfalls that made their way down the landscape of rubble. A haze of dust hung in the air, reflecting the light in a way that made it seem like a faint mist was swirling around us, carrying tiny particles that sparkled faintly.

I turned to Maude. Looks like a dead end, I muttered, eyeing the barrier ahead. It was like a fortress wall had been dropped in our path.

Maude was already scanning the surroundings, her eyes darting from one broken angle to another, a scowl forming on her face. Yeah, it’s a mess, she agreed. We can’t climb over that without risking a landslide… but my den is just on the other side. Maude sighed, looking down. We'll have to go through the park.

Having another route, a good thing in my eyes, for some reason was our next problem, according to Maude's tone. I followed her gaze to the park in the distance, its entrance marked by a pair of rusted iron gates. The trees beyond the gates were thin, but overgrown, their branches forming a nearly impenetrable canopy.

We made our way toward the park. The trees seemed odd somehow, unnatural. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the faint crackle of static electricity.

Maude turned to me with a serious expression. I came across some data about this park while researching, she said. It’s been abandoned for years. According to the info, nobody dared come here in a long time. They were saying it's dangerous, but nothing concrete. No matter how deep I searched I couldn’t figure out why.

We pressed on into the park, and it wasn’t long before I felt a strange sensation—a tingling, electric pulse that seemed to permeate the air. The feeling intensified with each step, and soon, my vision began to waver.