Mamoru dropped to one knee in front of the girl. He was confused, yes, but Usagi could see his eyes soften as he looked into the girl’s terrified face. He took her hand.

  “It’s okay. Who’s coming? Who’s after you?”

  His voice was steady, but Usagi could hear the tension just beneath the surface. Before the girl could respond, Usagi interrupted. Her own alarm was rising.

  “Never mind who’s coming. Where did you come from? How did you just… fall from the sky like that?”

  Her voice was sharper than she intended. She took a deep breath. Something about this whole situation made her heart race. The surrounding air crackled with a strange, familiar energy. It sent a shiver down her spine.

  She wished Rei were there. Rei could help Usagi make sense of this sensation. She swallowed hard and tried to suppress the sense of dread.

  “Mamoru, something’s very wrong. This…this energy…”

  The little girl let out a soft, broken sob. She threw herself at Mamoru and embraced him like a shipwrecked person clinging to a life preserver.

  Mamoru shot Usagi a glance of reprimand, then turned his attention back to the girl. His voice dropped to a whisper as he tried once more to understand what was going on.

  “Don’t be scared. Can you tell us your name?”

  The girl sniffled and wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. She opened her mouth to speak when a sudden screech pierced the air. A chill ran through Usagi.

  “They’re here.”

  The girl’s voice was little more than a whisper. Usagi and Mamoru looked up in unison. Usagi’s blood ran cold.

  In the middle of the street, silhouetted against the fading daylight, stood a figure clad in black. It was humanoid, but it wasn’t human. It was bald and had pale, almost white skin. A pair of black large, black eyes dominated its expressionless face. Its forehead bore an upside-down, black crescent moon. It had no mouth.

  From somewhere deep in its throat, another blood-curdling screech erupted. Long, bony fingers pointed directly at them.

  Usagi recoiled.

  “What…what is that? Is it a youma?”

  Mamoru moved to shield the girl.

  “That’s no youma. The Dark Kingdom is gone. This is something different.”

  The creature advanced, its movements quick and jerky. It moved so surreal, so alien, that Usagi had to blink several times to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks.

  She clenched her fists, her body preparing for a fight…except, she could no longer transform into Sailor Moon.

  “I don’t have my powers, Mamoru. How are we supposed to fight it?”

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  Mamoru’s jaw clenched.

  “We’ll have to figure something out. We have to protect her.”

  The creature let out another screech. The sound made all the hair on Usagi’s arms stand up. It was one of the most terrifying sounds she had ever heard.

  The little girl gripped Mamoru’s jacket. Fear filled her tear-streaked face.

  “Please don’t let it take me!”

  Usagi’s breath quickened. She was helpless. She looked at Mamoru. His face was determined.

  “We won’t.”

  Mamoru took two big steps toward Usagi, and suddenly his arms encircled her. He pulled her against him in a brief but fierce embrace. His lips brushed against hers, warm and soft.

  “I love you, Usagi, no matter what happens next.”

  Before she could respond, he stepped back and lowered the visor of his helmet.

  “Grab the girl and run.”

  Usagi froze. The world around her slowed. Fear gripped her heart.

  “Mamoru?”

  Her voice sounded so small, so vulnerable.

  Time snapped back into place. The creature let out another horrific screech and Mamoru charged forward. Usagi watched in stunned disbelief as her husband rushed headlong into a fight he couldn’t possibly win.

  Mamoru’s fist connected with the creature’s face. The sound of the impact was low and dull, as if he had punched a wall. He followed up with another punch, then dodged the creature’s arm as it lunged at him. Mamoru ducked under another of the creature’s attacks, then hammered two blows into its side where a human’s kidneys would be. The creature didn’t even flinch.

  Usagi couldn’t watch any longer. She scooped the girl into her arms. She couldn’t help Mamoru, but she had to do something. So, she ran. The sound of Mamoru’s grunts and the creatures’ screeches echoed behind her.

  Then she heard a scream of pain. It was Mamoru’s voice.

  She stopped and spun around. Her heart dropped into her stomach. She saw Mamoru in the air, flung like a rag doll. His body twisted around before crashing into the asphalt with a thud. He didn’t move.

  The creature’s large, black eyes locked onto her and it let out a screech so deafening it felt as if her eardrums were about to burst. Usagi did the only thing she could; she turned and ran once more.

  Her legs trembled. Sill, she forced herself to keep running. The girl clung to her. Usagi’s shirt bore the stains of the girl’s tears.

  I’m so useless.

  The thought echoed in her head over and over, repeating with each step she took. Her breath now came in short, ragged bursts. Her lungs burned in her chest. She changed direction and slipped through the glass doors of a clothing store.

  Dim light filled the store. Mannequins posed in front of fashion displays, oblivious to the chaos unfolding outside. A security guard stepped forward and raised his hand to stop her.

  “Sorry, miss, we’re closing…”

  Usagi shoved past him.

  “Someone is trying to kill this girl! We need help!”

  The guard looked startled. On instinct, his hand went for the gun at his side. Before he could react further, the door behind them shattered. Glass exploded inward as the creature forced its way into the store.

  It moved with inhuman speed. Its hand grew to grotesque proportions and wrapped itself around the security guard. The man had just enough time to scream before the hand engulfed his body. He suffocated in agony as the creature watched.

  Usagi recoiled in horror, then ran. She crouched low behind a counter in the back of the store and cradled the terrified girl in her lap. She could feel the kid’s body shaking in her arms. Small whimpers of fear escaped her throat.

  “Shhhh.”

  Usagi heard more screams and covered the girl’s ears. No doubt, the creature was making its way through the remaining employees. Fear and helplessness crashed over her like a tidal wave.

  Her hand trembled as she pulled a phone from her pocket. It was the same phone she’d used to communicate with her Guardians in the past. Why did she still carry it with her at all times? Nostalgia? Longing for her friends?

  She flipped it open like she had done so often in the past to gather her troops, to fight a monster.

  Please, someone answer.

  She pressed the call button, knowing deep down that it was futile. Even if they answered, they had no powers now. They were all normal women, living normal lives. What could they do? Still, the thought of facing this nightmare without them was unbearable to Usagi.

  The creature let out another shriek and Usagi’s heart skipped a beat. She peeked over the counter and watched it ransack the store. It knocked over racks of clothes and tore apart mannequins as it searched for them. Each step brought it closer to their hiding place.

  Please…please, someone pick up.