Politics, Pickup Lines, and Paranormal Nightmares

"So... you're telling me you're running for governor?" I asked, staring at Sam. 

Sam nodded. "Yup! Fresh new candidate for the Governor of Tokya. People love me. But..." His face darkened. "There's an evil lurking out there, trying to make me regret my decision to run." 

I smirked. "Let me guess—bald guy with a scar, deep voice, and a monocle?" 

Sam laughed. "No, worse. He wears socks with sandals." 

Actual Zag and I gasped. 

Tiny Zag, sitting on my shoulder, shook his head. "What a monster." 

"Right?" Sam sighed. "Anyway, I figured, since you guys have nowhere to go and, well, no one, my family can be yours." 

I blinked. "Wait, you mean... we're like... family now?" 

His wife patted my shoulder. "That's right, dear. Call me sis!" 

I scratched my head. "Sis, huh?" 

His kids, a boy and a girl, rushed over. 

"Hey! Can you do a backflip?" the boy asked. 

"Are you a superhero?" the girl added. 

"Uh, well, technically—" I struck a heroic pose. "Yes, and yes." 

The kids cheered. I felt a weird warmth in my chest. "Bro, you're too nice. I—" I cleared my throat. "I might cry." 

Zag whispered, "Do it, and I'll never let you live it down." 

I held back the tears. 

"Hey, what about that truck driver?" I asked. 

Sam nodded. "Right, let's check on him." 

We walked back to the accident site, and Actual Zag was busy flirting with a small crowd of girls. 

I facepalmed. "Zag!" 

He turned and signed *WTF* at me. 

I pointed at him. "Look at this guy. Chatting up the ladies while we're dealing with a crime scene!" 

Sam smirked. "Eh, you know he's a flirty nerd." 

Zag winked at one of the girls. "Ladies, beauty like yours deserves my undivided attention." 

I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him—along with Sam—into the shadows. 

"Alright, explain yourself!" I demanded, glaring at Sam. 

"Huh? Explain what?" he asked. 

Zag muttered, "Uh, why am I here?" 

We both glared at him. He looked down. "Wow, the floor is so... dark." 

Ignoring him, I turned back to Sam. "Why's everyone blushing at me?" 

Sam scratched his head. "You really don't know?" 

Before he could explain, my vision blurred. 

I found myself in a moonlit park surrounded by cherry blossom trees. A girl in a pink yukata stood ahead, her face hidden beneath a red umbrella. 

She was familiar. But before I could move closer... 

Darkness. 

A grotesque demon with glowing red eyes whispered my name. 

Pressure built in my head. "No... not again..." 

I stumbled backward. 

"Hey! Are you okay?" Sam's voice sounded distant. 

Everything went black. 

--- 

I woke up with Tiny Zag poking my forehead. 

"Wake up, princess. We've got drama to deal with." 

I groaned. "Ugh... what happened?" 

"You freaked out and passed out," Sam said. "I covered for you by pretending you were meditating." 

I sat up. "Meditating? Seriously?" 

"Hey, it worked," he shrugged. "People think you're a wise, mysterious warrior now." 

Actual Zag grinned. "Yeah, people were throwing around words like 'cool' and 'hot.'" 

I sighed. "Fantastic." 

Sam looked serious. "Hey... about what happened back there. You okay?" 

I hesitated. Should I tell them about the vision? 

Zag cracked a joke. "Don't tell me you're having memory loss too. We already have enough clichés." 

I chuckled. "Maybe it's just stress." 

But I knew it wasn't. The void, the demon—it was real. 

Sam clapped his hands. "Alright! Enough drama. Let's eat and figure out how to deal with my 'evil nemesis' wearing sandals and socks." 

I forced a smile. "Yeah... sounds like a plan." 

As we walked into the bustling streets, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something big was coming. 

And I wasn't ready for it.