Disclaimer: Starman and related characters are owned, copyright, trademark and exclusive of DC comics. I'm just borrowing the characters for entertainment. Please don't sue me.

Note: This story takes place before the events of "Starman Annual #2".

    The dark man walked around the Opal City cemetery, followed by three more men. They passed grave after grave, looking at the names written in stone. "Jason Davis", "Jonathan Woo". They passed the big mausoleums with names like "Knight" and "Burnley Ellsworth" written on them. Then, suddenly, the dark man stopped. "This one" he said, pointing to one grave with a stone cross. And the three men started digging.

---------------------------------------------------

    Jack Knight sat on the sofa of his apartment. Last night had been a long one for Starman. Somebody had kidnapped a rich family and was threatening to kill them. Opal had need for her champion and Starman did not let her down. He blasted the gun from the man's hand with his cosmic rod and that was the beginning of the end for the kidnapper. Now Jack just wanted to relax. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and black pants that he had bought from an old man who lived on Burnley Boulevard.

    "Do you want some coffee?" Sadie Falk asked from the kitchen that looked like a 50's diner. She and Jack had been dating for a while and they were truly in love.

    "Yeah, why not." Jack answered back "Hey check this out; that guy Frank Slate is entering the courthouse"

    The TV reporter talked straight to the camera: " This is Juan Perez for Channel 5 News reporting live from the Court House, where the accused mobster Frank Slate is arriving to testify at his supposedly Mob boss's trial"

    Sadie walked in with a cup of coffee. "How come you're watching this? I think "Chinatown" is on TBS right now"

    "Yeah, well I kind of want to see this to the end. After all, it was me that captured this guy, and after The Shade paid him a visit on his jail cell, Clarence says that he'll confess anything. Hell, he even confessed that he's gay"

    "A gay gangster? That's something I had not heard before"

    " Well, maybe he likes Italian"

    "Haha; talk about having stereotypes, eh?"

    "Well, you have..."

    Jack did not finish his sentence. His attention was drawn back to the TV set. He could see a mob of reporters screaming and running. The cameras then caught a glimpse of the problem: A man was walking towards Frank Slate with a gun in hand. A shot was heard. The man had shot Slate in the head.

    "Oh God!"

    Jack and Sadie then watched as an army of red-haired people jumped on the man with the gun and pinned him to the ground.

    "The O'Dares have him, but did he kill Slate? If Slate's dead the whole case fall apart"

    The TV reporter then started talking excitedly: "Apparently somebody has shot Frank Slate from point-blank. We do not know the condition of Mr. Slate, but we will inform you as soon as we hear something. Please stay tuned to Channel 5 for the latest of this breaking news"

    Frank Slate had died instantly.

-----------------------------------------------

    Jack walked in to Clarence O'Dare's office. Clarence was an Opal City Cop, just like his father and every O'Dare that lived in the Opal had been. He was also the oldest of the family. His brothers Matt, Barry, Mason and sister Hope all were cops too.

    "Hi Jack, how you doing?"

    "OK. Well, this better be good, I had an appointment with a customer that I'm missing"

    "Well, I'm sure you know about Frank Slate's murder"

    "No, I have been on the moon for the past two days. Geez, it's been on every channel and radio station"

    "We have interviewed the guy that shot him and he had nothing to say, literally"

    Clarence pushed "PLAY" on a VCR and they both watched the TV. The man that had shot Slate was sitting on a chair while policemen shot question after question without a response. The man looked about 45 years old, and just sat there with a blank expression on his face.

    "He looks like he's on a trance or something"

    "Yes, he does. He did not say a word and just sat there looking like that"

    "Maybe he is on some kind of drug"

    "We thought that too, until we identified who he is. His name is John Davis"

    "And?"

    "And he died five weeks ago"

    "What?"

    "Yes. We thought it was a mistake until we intercepted some phone calls between some mobsters and they were talking about a group called "the Guede apostles" that was offering their services in "making problems disappear". Well, we did some checking in the Library and found that Guede is the name of the Death-spirits in the Voodoo cult"

    "Voodoo? Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

    "The voodoo are rumored to have the magic to bring back people from the dead as zombies"

    "Whoa! Okay, even if it were true, why would voodoo priests or whatever want to kill Slate?"

    " They may just have been paid by someone to kill him. Maybe that's the "service" they provide."

    "Killing zombies controlled by a murder-for-hire operation run by Voodoo priests...and you call me?

    "Well, you have fought demons and such."

    " So you figured if I have been to hell and back I wouldn't be scared of zombies."

    "Keep in mind that this is a wild theory. Hope is investigating other more realistic possibilities, like the possibility that John Davis never really died."

    "Okay, I'll see what I can find. I think I'll ask The Shade if he knows anything about Voodoo cults"

    "Thanks. We'll be in contact."

-------------------

    Margaret Hammond was one of the city's richest wives. When the clerks at the store saw her come in, they tasted the big commissions they would get thanks to her. She walked the aisles always followed by her two bodyguards. Then, a man came out from nowhere and jumped on her. They fell to the ground, and the man took out a huge knife and started to stab the woman in the chest. Quickly the bodyguards reacted, pulled the crazed man away from Mrs. Hammond. The man then tried to stab the bodyguards, but they took out their guns and started shooting the man. The bodyguards kept shooting the guy but he kept trying to walk towards them with the knife in hand. Finally, with his shirt all red and the bodyguard's guns almost empty, the man collapsed to the floor and did not move anymore.

-------------------

    The Shade appeared in the former John Davis's prison cell in Cray Prison.

    "Well, Mr. Davis, a friend of mine told me you just might to be what they call a zombie. I said I would investigate, so here I am. So why don't you tell me the truth and we can avoid all the dark, bloody things that I can make happen to you?"

    The Shade is an immortal. He is also without conscience. He wields a strange power. He creates things from shadows. Terrors and monsters are his specialty. He can also disappear into the shadows of the night. Fortunately for Opal City and Starman, he calls Opal his home and he is a "model citizen" in it. At least that's how he sees it.

    "Have you nothing to say?"

    The prisoner was lying down in the torn mattress with a dead expression in his face. He did not say a word or even moved to acknowledge the presence of the shadowy man in his cell.

"I sense something," said the Shade "You lack something that I have neglected for a long time. You have no soul. My, you may truly be a zombie after all, though the term sounds so funny to me."

    Then, the prisoner tried to speak, "K...K...KK..Kill me..."

    "Oh, a mercy killing. It's been a long time since I've done that one. Well, you truly are a corpse, a dead man in the conventional meaning of the word." He gave it some thought for a second. "Yes, I think that would be the proper course of action after all"

    The Shade raised his cane and from his hands came out a shadow void that filled the room. Silently, the darkness crept towards John Davis and then it seemed to swallow the body that lay on the prison bed. Then, The Shade slipped back into the shadows of the prison corridors.

    Jack Knight found himself flying above the streets of the Opal. The Cosmic Rod, his father's invention, enabled him to fly above the streamlined buildings. He loved this city, his city; the Victorian feel of the Olde Town, the art deco motives of the newer buildings. As a former artist and an avid collector of all things past, he felt Opal was a part of himself. He headed towards Charity's apartment but his mind was somewhere else. Tonight he was not looking at Opal's art, his mind was filled with zombies and the occult. He had been Starman for some time, but still sometimes he still wondered what he was doing. He always figured that his brother David was going to be the next Starman after their father retired. And he was, for a short time, anyway. Jack thought of how curious life is, with its many turns and dead-ends. If somebody had told him three years ago that he would be flying around Opal with a staff that absorbs cosmic energy from the stars and dressed in a leather jacket with a sheriff's star he would have told them to go jump off a building. But here he was, dealing with the latest threat to Opal, him being the city's champion, Starman.

------------------

    Charity opened the door of her apartment and found Jack standing there.

    "Jack, how are you? What are you doing standing there?" Charity had met Jack on her first week in the Opal. She was a fortune-teller and a talented storyteller.

    " I was going to knock but got lost in thought"

    " You seemed troubled"

    "Yes. Can I come in?"

    "Yes. I was going to buy some wine at the corner store, but that can wait"

    "I'm sorry to bother you at home, but..."

    Jack walked in and saw Mason O'Dare sitting on the living room floor. He knew Mason and Charity were romantically involved to some degree.

    "Oh, I'm really sorry to bother you..."

    "Oh, we were just talking. Come in." answered Mason

    "Well, Charity, I wanted to talk with you about this case I'm in."

    "The zombie case?"

    Jack looked surprised "You saw that in your cards?"

    "No, Mason told me."

    "Oh"

    "Jack, Clarence told me they found another possible zombie killer" said Mason

    "When?"

    "This afternoon. A man tried to kill Margaret Hammond. Her bodyguards shot him ten times. When they ran cross references with the attacker's face, they found that the guy had been killed and buried four weeks ago in the Opal City cemetery."

    "This sounds more and more like a spin-off of "Night of the Living Dead"."

    " I sense you have come to know more about this cult" said Charity

    "Yes. What do you know about voodoo and zombies? I talked with Shade but he did not know much. He said he would investigate a little."

    " It is said that a voodoo black magician can animate a corpse using his evil will and make it work for him." Charity started looking at her deck of cards that were arranged in rows in her dining room table.

    " I see that a cult has come to Opal. They are killing people for money. I cannot see what they intend to do with this money. They are led by a powerful magician. He uses voodoo and santeria for evil purposes. You will fight him, but it will not be him"

    "Anything more?" asked Jack

    "That's all I see"

    "Thanks. I have to go. I hope you enjoy your evening"

    "We will" answered Charity still looking at the cards. She then looked at Mason and winked at him "We will." Mason laughed, nervously.

    "Ahem, see you later"

    Jack walked to Charity's balcony, put on his goggles, touched his cosmic rod and flew off into the foggy night air.

-----------------------

    Oswald Hammond walked into the old abandoned factory. Four men were sitting in a circle on the floor. A dark man got up when he saw Mr. Hammond.

    "Mr. Hammond, you are not welcome now. We are doing a ceremony for Shangó."

    "Shut up, Yoruba, or whatever the hell your name is. You and your "Guede apostles" failed me! My wife survived the attack, and now she is really impossible to live with! I want my money back. I will deal with her myself."

    "We are confident that next time she will die, so just..."

    "There will be no next time! You're lucky I don't have you all killed! Word has it that Starman is now investigating the murder attempt. He may be a young fool, but he has powerful friends. So just give me my damn money!"

    "I'm sorry if that's the way you feel. You'll have your money in your account tomorrow."

    "It better be in my account, because if it isn't, you'll have to pray to your stupid gods for protection against me!"

    Mr. Hammond left the room screaming insults and threats. When he was gone, Yoruba sat down again in the circle.

    "I have been shown this Starman by the loas and Mr. Hammond underestimates him. We will need to deal with his intrusion. As for Mr. Hammond, we shall deal with him now."

    One of the men stood up and left the room. He came back with a live rooster in his hands.

    "Farewell, Hammond"

    Yoruba took a machete and chopped off the rooster's head. The bloody head and feathers fell on the old factory floor.

-------------------

    Oswald Hammond was driving alone in his car. He was passing the Rougeableu bridge when he felt a sharp pressure in his chest.

    "My heart!" he thought "If I can just make it to Meskin Medical"

    But then everything vanished, and he found himself in a dark place. Suddenly, a giant snake sprung from the darkness, coiled itself on him and Mr. Hammond saw in horror as the snake bit into his neck and took out bloody chunks of flesh. He could not scream, and watched as his blood dripped from the creature's fangs. Then, furiously, it attacked his face...

    Mr. Hammond's car swung violently from lane to lane, until it hit the bridge cables, careened off the bridge and fell into the dark waters of Seven Colors River.

--------------

    Starman found himself in a dark forest clearance. The moon was being blinded by gray clouds. It was so dark that he could not see past a few feet. The moonlight pierced through for a few seconds and he saw a shadow of a man hiding behind a tree. He could not see his face nor did he know his intentions. However, they became apparent when the man started to walk towards Starman with arms extended much like "The Mummy". Starman ran through the dense night air, hearing heavy footsteps chasing him. Suddenly, Starman stopped. He waited for the thing to get to him. When it was close to him, Starman punched it hard in the head. The shadow of the trees still hid the thing's face under a veil of darkness. Starman then threw a wild kick that landed on the thing's chest. It fell down, and stayed immobile on the forest floor. Starman moved closer. The moonlight started to come out of the clouds and slowly revealed the thing's face. Starman looked at it; it was Jack Knight!

------------------

    Jack woke up from his nightmare with a jolt. He put his head in his hands and sighed. For some reason, he peeked between his fingers to his side. Somebody was standing there! He jumped from the bed one second before a shot was heard and feathers flew in the air. The shot had narrowly missed him and hit his pillow instead. He looked up to see the silhouette of a big man holding a gun and looking for him from the other side of the bed. Jack used the darkness to slip away towards the door of his bedroom. Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind. The thing put its arms around Jack's neck and lifted him six inches from the floor. Jack delivered an elbow to the thing's stomach and it let go. A punch to the head, a side kick to the groin, but the thing just stood there. Then it grabbed Jack and threw him in the air. Jack hit a wall and landed hard on the floor face first. He managed to raise his head to see two feet heading towards him. The next thing he saw was a foot hitting him in the jaw. Blood was dripping from Jack's mouth. Then, he looked around the apartment.

    "I better end this before this thing breaks one of my antiques" was all he could manage to think.

    The thing knelt beside him and extended its arms toward Jack's neck. Jack sat up and hit the thing with a head butt. The thing looked stunned for a second, enough time for Jack to stand up and run towards his cosmic rod. He took the gold staff and activated it, pointing towards the thing. Opal's night-lights were shyly piercing through the windows, and Jack paused long enough to look at his attacker. It was a tall man about 6' 7", with clothes that were too small and a blank stare in his eyes. The man was now holding the gun and pointing it towards Jack.

    "We don't have to end it like this, you know. Why are you fighting me, anyway?"

    The tall man could hear a voice in his head. "Kill him!" it said again and again.

    "He's using you. He is controlling your body and mind. But you can fight him!"

    "W...Who...Am...I...?" asked the tall man in hard, painful words.

    "You...You are dead." ("that was brutally direct" thought Jack) "A black magician has reanimated your body and is using you."

    The tall man stood silent.

    "But I can help you" ("I hope") "You have to believe me. I'm telling you the truth"

    The tall man covered his ears, as if he was trying not to hear what somebody was saying and then he let out a loud, brutal scream. "AAAARGGHH!"

    Before Jack could react, the man pointed the gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. The blood spurt landed on a kimono that Jack had bought from a Japanese immigrant.

     It was early morning, and Juan Perez was getting ready to go to the station. He had finished up his latest exposé the night before. He was a short, bald man, but with a big ego. Some in his field would justify it, though. After all, he had done numerous undercover investigations, reporting on anything from drug rings to government corruption. That line of work, however, made him an enemy of a lot of bad people. Juan Perez was preparing some coffee, when suddenly he felt an intense pain in his stomach. He covered his mouth with his hands and let out a muffled scream. His whole body started to shake uncontrollably, and blood oozed from his mouth. Seconds later, Juan Perez dropped to the floor and never got up again.

-----------------

    Ted Knight looked through the books in his desk. He paused, and looked at the green and red Starman costume that decorated his observatory. Ted had been Opal City's protector for decades. When he was young, Ted had discovered a form of cosmic energy from the stars. With the help of a science professor, he created a device to harness this energy, the gravity rod. It gave him the power to fly and produce energy blasts, among other things. Later he improved the rod, the result being the cosmic rod that his son uses today.

    Two years ago, it was finally time for Ted to hang up his costume. Ted had two sons; David, the oldest, and Jack. When it was time to choose one to pass on the Starman mantle, it seemed like a no-brainer. Jack showed no interest in anything Starman, and preferred to work at his store, buying and selling collectibles, antiques and anything that was old. David, on the other hand, was eager to step into the superhero spotlight. However, a murderer's bullet stopped short his career as Starman, and Jack was the only one left to carry on the family tradition. However, deep down Ted had always known that Jack was better suited for the job.

    Jack opened the door to his father's observatory and found Ted inside.

    "Hey, Dad."

    "Hi, Jack." Ted looked at his son. He was wearing his Starman jacket and goggles. When he had agreed to be Starman, he clearly refused to wear his Dad's old green and red costume.

    "I got your call and came as soon as I could."

    "How are you feeling? I heard about last night's attack..."

    "I'm fine, but a little shaken. It's not every day that you are attacked by the undead. What really sucks is that I had to cancel tonight's date with Sadie."

    "So, have you found anything?"

    "Not yet. But I figured that in the movies every time there is a new gang in town, they set up shop at an abandoned building or factory, so that's where I'm planning to check first."

    "Well, I did a little checking of my own about the voodoo and santeria cults. You already know about their reanimation of dead bodies."

    "Yeah, I'd say so."

    "Their ceremonies are also characterized sometimes by the possession of the worshippers by the gods or "loas" of their cult. The "possessed" person behaves like the entity that is inside him. They also are said to be able to insert visions in other person's minds that seem real to the victim. This book talks all about that and other practices."

    "This will make great bedtime reading material." Jack smiled

    "What really got me thinking is this other book. It talks about a holiday that is celebrated in some Latin American countries called El Dia de los Muertos".

    "Err..I don't know if you remember, Dad, but I flunked Spanish in High School."

    "As a matter of fact, I do remember. Well, it means "Day of the Dead"."

    "Oh, Great!" said Jack ironically, "And that's today?"

    "Yes. According to this the belief is that the spirits of the dead start coming back to earth the night of October 31, and leave again after November 2, today. In some countries, on November 2 people prepare altars for their "visiting" dead relatives and celebrate their coming with food and gatherings. In other places, the rituals are much more morbid or mournful."

    "The first zombie that appeared, he killed Frank Slate on October 31. And yesterday there were two more zombies, plus Hammond's strange death. So that means we should expect more deaths and zombies today."

    "Exactly, and maybe more than the last two days combined."

    "Well, if today is the Day of the Dead, then there's one place that comes to mind where these Guede Apostles might be."

    "I'm with you. I'll tell Clarence where to meet you."

    "Thanks, Dad. I gotta go."

    "Good luck, son." Said Ted, and he observed proudly as Jack flew away into the afternoon sky.

--------------------------

    The big woman stood with difficulty from the extra weight she had attached to her body. She was standing outside the house of the district attorney, waiting, with a blank stare in her eyes. Inside the house, the maid had seen the suspicious woman and called the Opal City Police. The police car got there just as the district attorney's car appeared around the block. Suddenly the woman started walking towards the house.

    "Lady, are you all right?" asked the cop. His partner Barry O' Dare waited by the police car.

    The woman did not respond. She just stood watching the approaching red car.

    "Lady, I would like to talk to you over here." Then, the cop noticed the bulge under the woman's blouse. The red car stopped in front of the house, and the D.A. got out. The woman started to walk towards him.

    "Stop it right there, lady! Show me what you have under your blouse!"

    The cop took out his gun and pointed at the woman.

    Barry O'Dare started to run towards the woman. Then, when she was a few meters from the D.A., she opened her blouse. Barry could not see what she had taped to her stomach, but he heard his partner.

    "Get back, she has a bomb!"

    The next thing Barry heard was a loud explosion and he saw a huge ball of fire. The aftershock threw him to the ground. When he got up, he could see fire and three dead bodies on the street.

---------------------

    Yoruba walked around the Opal City Cemetery wearing a necklace of colored beads with a large crystal ball in the middle. The place smelled like dead animals and incense. Rows of burning candles covered much of the ground. Three men were sitting around a tombstone while Yoruba paced and talked.

    "Tonight is the big night. One more hired job and we will have the money we need for our plans. But first, we need to tie up some loose ends and finish paying our dues to our benefactor by doing his bidding." Yoruba started chanting and dancing around a dozen empty crystal jars that lay on the ground.

    Starman was flying above the Cemetery, and saw a suspicious group of people. He glided closer to the four men.

    "Hey!" he shouted. The three men looked up and saw Starman standing high above them.

    "It's Starman!"

    The three men stood up with guns in hand. Before the first one could fire, Starman shot a cosmic blast that landed on the man's chest. The man dropped to the ground, stunned.

    "One down" thought Jack.

    Then a bullet passed a few inches from him, and then another one. Starman descended feet first and landed a flying kick on the second man's head. The third man shot again and the bullet grazed Starman's arm. He returned the favor by hitting him square in the jaw with the cosmic rod. Teeth went flying, and Starman smiled a little smile, that was interrupted by the second man's punch. Starman replied by punching the man's stomach, and then a sweeping kick that knocked him to the ground. The third man, with a few teeth missing, charged towards Starman, but he stopped him with a punch to the face. The three men were down on the grass. Jack looked at the still surprised Yoruba.     

    "You must be the leader, since you're the only one that wasn't fighting."

    Yoruba looked at him with a deep stare. "I am Yoruba, and you must be a fool if you think you can stop me. There are already four people dead today, and the night is still so young. I think that soon you will be number five."

    Then Jack heard the police sirens.

    "Well, it seems like my friends are on the way, so don't do anything stupid."

    "I have some friends too. Oh, and are they dying to meet you..."

    A second later, Jack started seeing the dead emerging from their graves. They clawed their way out of the ground, or pushed away the stone covers of their tombs. From almost every grave they came out; blank stares and ragged clothes. Some of them had half of their faces decomposed, and white bones showing through bloody tissue. Another one had a worm crawling out of his mouth. Starman tried using his rod, but it was not working. The walking dead were closer now. Jack could feel his heart pumping faster, his whole body shivering in fear. Then a thought passed through his mind.

    "You're...not...real..." he said, as a zombie put its hands in Jack's shoulder.

    "You're not real!"

    And then Starman found himself alone. Yoruba and the three men had gone. He heard shouts and saw Matt and Hope O'Dare running towards him with guns drawn.

    "Stars, are you okay?" asked Hope.

    "Yeah, but the creeps got away."

    "We captured three men that were trying to escape, but the leader apparently disappeared. We have half a dozen men looking for him around here." said Matt.

    Jack looked around and saw things on the floor that the Guede Apostles had left behind. There were some chicken carcasses, blood markings on the ground, human skulls on top of tombstones. Then he saw what looked like a photograph. He picked it up. It was a photo of him.

    Starman stood in silence. He could not help wondering if any second he would drop dead by some kind of black magic sorcery. With the cult leader free, and no clues to his whereabouts, he was more than concerned. He was ready to take flight and look for Yoruba, when an old man appeared suddenly in front of Jack.

    "Mr. Starman, I think we need to talk."

    Matt O'Dare started to pull out his gun, but Jack stopped him. For some reason, he felt the old man was not a threat.

    "Talk about what?"

    "I have information on the man you just faced tonight. Can we go somewhere private? My apartment is just a few blocks away."

    "Who are you? And what were you doing in the Cemetery?"

    "Today is the Day of the Dead; I was paying my respects to my wife. I saw you fighting those men, and I recognized their leader. As to my identity, I am a concerned practitioner of the Santeria religion; a Santero. Now, please, put this on."

    The old man had a necklace of beads on; he took it and put it on Jack's neck.

    "Follow me, We don't have much time."

    Jack walked in to the old man's apartment. He expected a weird place with dead animals hanging from the ceiling. What he saw, however, was an old mid-size apartment with a sofa, a dining table and a TV. The apartment was full of old things. Jack found himself wondering if the old man would consider selling him some of the stuff. He also noticed two statues of Catholic Saints in the far corner of the living room. There were newspapers and clothes covering most of the floor.

    "You have to excuse the mess, ever since my wife died last year, this apartment's been like this."

    They sat on the sofa and Jack put his rod on the floor. He could not help feeling nervous.

    "Don't be afraid Mr. Starman. I mean you no harm at all."

    "Please, call me Jack."

    "Okay, Jack. What do you know about the Afro-Caribbean Religions?"

    "Well, I guess what most people know: zombies, dead animals, weird rituals, possessed people,..."

    "Hmm, that's enough misinformation, Jack. I get the idea. Well, we are not so simple. And most of us are not bad either, as you people like to think. We don't have much time, so I'll have to skip the details. I'll be blunt, Jack. You are in mortal danger."

    "I think I figured that much."

    "This man that you are facing wants you dead."

    "Who is he?"

    "He...is a disgrace to us Santeros, and to Voodoo believers. He has corrupted all that is Santeria and Voodoo and transformed it into pure evil. He does not understand what we are really about. He named himself Yoruba, the African tribe where our religion comes from, and has stained the name with blood and death. He..."

    "Err...I thought you said we don't have much time."

    "Yes, thank you Jack. You just need to know that he is a man up to no good, and you must face him again."

    "What does he want?"

    "I'm not sure. I knew him at the island. He was a quick learner, but there was always something strange about him, and he was always more interested in doing harm to others. I later learned from a friend that he wanted to start his own religion, taking elements from the Afro-Caribbean religions. He could be trying to start a cult here in Opal City. All I know is that he is not really a priest of Shango or any of the other orishas; he is a priest of something purely evil."

    "The cult thing could make sense. If he wanted to start a cult, he would need money to get started, and would need to make a name for himself to recruit followers. That might explain the paid killings and the zombies." Jack paused. "So you're going to help me defeat him?"

    "I'm afraid I'm too old for that, Jack. Besides, this is your fight. But I can help you in another way."

    "I'm listening..."

    The old man stood up and went to one of the rooms. He came back with a glass of a dark liquid.

    "Drink this." He handed the glass to Jack.

    "Whoa, are you crazy? You expect me to drink this? What is this, anyway, blood? For all I know you may be trying to kill me too!"

    "Jack, earlier, you knew I was no threat. Now look inside yourself, in your soul, and listen to it."

    Jack looked at the old man. He took the glass and drank the liquid. "AGHH! This tastes awful!"

    The old man laughed. "It does, but it will keep you safe."

    "How?"

    "Now, Yoruba will not be able to exercise any black magic on you."

    "So he can't kill me now with magic?"

    "Exactly. Now you can give me my necklace back. Without his magic influence over you, you should be able to defeat him. I don't know what he is planning, but tonight being the Day of the Dead makes me think that it's something very bad."

    Jack heard his cell phone ringing. "Yeah?"

    "Starman, this is Dudley, your eyes on the street."

    "I'm kind of busy. What is it?"

    "I just heard that some strange men were seen entering an old abandoned building last night."

-----------------

    Jack walked into the old building. It was a dark, empty place. He walked in the dark, guided by the light of his rod. He could hardly see anything, though it seemed like the walls were covered with some kind of liquid, and there was a bad stench in the air. In front of him stood what looked like some sort of altar, with candles around it, and strange amulets on top of it. To the left he saw what looked like dozens of big jars neatly placed on the floor. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest that grew stronger and stronger until he could not resist it.

    "AAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!"

    Starman dropped to the floor, screaming. His rod fell from his hands. He felt like his chest was on fire; it was an excruciating pain. Then, a dark figure emerged from the corner of the room.

    "I've been waiting for you." The figure approached Starman, and he felt the pain ease up. It then kicked the rod away from Starman's reach.

    "Do you see this, Starman?" The figure had a piece of raw meat in its hand. "This is a pig's heart. And this?" It put its other hand palm up and suddenly it went up in flames "this is fire. put them together..." the thing touched the raw meat with its flaming hand, and Starman once again felt the excruciating pain inside. "and you have a soon to be corpse" then the fire in the thing's hand disappeared. Jack then forced himself to speak.

    "Who ...are you?...What...do you want?" "I have many names. My followers call me a deity of war and fire; but I guess you would call me a demon"

    Starman looked at the figure above him.

    "I saw you at the Cemetery, you're Yoruba."

    "No. Yoruba is my best disciple. He called on me and I have possessed his body. This altar room has been bathed in goat's blood and covered in black magic. In it I can invoke some of my demon powers, even though I am inhabiting a mortal's body. That is bad news for you, I'm afraid. You see, you came prepared to battle a black magician, but you did not come prepared to confront a demon, did you?" He laughed. "I have neutralized the old fool's potion. It is now worthless."

    Starman tried to concentrate on his rod, and work it mentally, like his father had taught him, but he could not get the rod to respond.

    "Don't waste your time trying to control your rod mentally, I am nullifying your mental instructions."

    "What do you want in Opal? Is it that new cult thing?"

    "Ah, you really are this city's protector. Very well, I will satisfy your curiosity. The cult thing, as you call it, was Yoruba's idea. As a human, he is interested in material things: being a leader, having followers, having money. I, on the other hand, am interested in more important things. Us demons do not do anything for free, so I have been guiding Yoruba in his quest, and in return he has been doing work for me. You see, these past three days, the restless souls of the dead have come to the earth. Today, the Day of the Dead, the doors between planes are flexible, and things can pass through easier; the sky is filled with good spirits and demon spirits, like me; and with hundreds of souls that lost their way in the mid-planes. That is what I'm interested in; lost souls. Souls are the currency of Heaven and Hell, and let's just say that I'm a greedy demon. Yoruba has been capturing those souls in these jars, and tonight, I will take them all to hell with me."

    "Souls in a jar? You get that at the Supermarket?"

    "You have a most interesting sense of humor. I have to tell you, you are very calm for a person that's about to die." The hand that was holding the pig heart caught fire, and Starman once again writhed in pain. Starman started to bleed through the nose. The demon took some of Jack's blood and drank it.

    "Your blood is sweet, it should be a delight to drink it after you are dead" Jack could not scream, and was almost about to pass out from the pain. The demon took a bottle full of liquid from the floor.

    "After I kill you, I shall make you my zombie and use you to carry on my wishes."

    "Not if I can do something about that"

    The voice had come suddenly. The demon looked around but could not see anything. Then it saw two rows of teeth coming towards him. A black shadow creature with red, glowing eyes sprang up from the shadows and knocked the heart from the demon's hand. Starman saw as The Shade walked towards the demon, and then he passed out.

    "Ah, The Shade, I know you"

    "Good, names and introductions are of so little consequence." The Shade then produced a four-headed black creature that attacked the demon, biting it viciously, but it was driven back by balls of fire that sprang from the demon's hands.

    "My dear Shade, I am afraid you are out of your league"

    Then a circle of fire engulfed The Shade, trapping him inside.

    "You see, I know everything about you. You use the shadows to create things. But fire...being engulfed in fire is your weakness, and I have lots of it." The demon's hands lighted up in flames again.

    "What else do you know about me, if I may inquire?" The Shade asked, trying to buy some time while he figured out an escape from the flames.

    "Everything. I had another disciple once. Do you remember Benjamin Ludlow?"

    "Yes"

    "He was a Ludlow, and as such it was his family duty to fight you and try to destroy you." "And they tried for generations since 1865 and failed every time."

    "Well, Benjamin was my disciple, and he gave me his soul to learn Caribbean black magic that he could use to defeat your shadow magic. From him I learned all about you"

    "Well, he did not know everything"

    "I know enough that I have you trapped, have I not?"

    The Shade sighed in discontent at his present state. Surrounded by flames, his powers were useless.

    "Unfortunately, Benjamin was killed by your friend, Brian Savage, before he could confront and destroy you, but that can be amended"

    "Hey, moron!" The demon turned to look, and was struck head on by the blast from Starman's rod.

    "You talk too much!" said Starman, as he kept on firing his rod at the demon. It regained its composure and shot fire from its hands. Starman created an energy shield that deflected the flames. By this time, the fire around The Shade had vanished and soon The Shade started to participate in the action. He raised his cane and created a huge black creature that looked like a black panther with shark teeth and horns. The demon attacked it with fire, but the creature managed to avoid it, jumped and landed on top of the fired up demon.

    "Shoot him now!" yelled The Shade to Starman. Jack set his rod to maximum and blasted away at the pinned demon. The energy glowed around Yoruba's possessed body and it let out a prehistoric growl:

    "NNNNoooooo!!!"

    Then a chilly wind ran through the room, and Starman shivered. Yoruba was left screaming: "Don't leave me!" Then he looked at Starman with eyes of death.

    "You bastard! You shall die for this!" And with those words Yoruba took the pig heart that had been lying on the floor, and stabbed it with a knife.

    "No!" Said The Shade. He sent a dozen shadow creatures to attack Yoruba, while he ran towards the pig's heart and took out the knife. Then he saw Jack lying on the floor.

    "Jack!!!" Starman's body lay still, his open eyes a blank stare.

    "No, it cannot be.."

    Then Jack's eyes moved, and he saw The Shade.

    "Are you okay, Jack?"

    "Okay? I'm alive, yes. Okay, hardly."

    "I thought we lost you"

    "No, I'm planning to stick around some more." He paused. "What about Yoruba?"

    The Shade looked to his left, and saw as the shadow creatures ripped Yoruba's body in two.

    "He's been taken care of."

    "How did you find me, anyway?"

    "You have your sources, I have mine." The Shade smiled and put on his black top hat "What do you say if we go out and enjoy a fine glass of absinthe?"

---------------------------------------

    Jack and Sadie lay inside the silk sheets of the bed.

    "What happened after he stabbed the pig heart?" asked Sadie

    "Well, I'm not sure. I fell to the floor, and then everything became very bright, I dunno."

    "Did you see a light?"

    "No, it was just very bright; and quiet. And then I felt myself like being sucked back into a vacuum and the next thing I saw was The Shade's face. I do not remember anything else."

    "My God..."

    Jack was suddenly quiet, so Sadie decided to change the subject.

    "What happened to all the souls trapped in the jars?"

    "We brought in the old Santero. He did something and said he had set them free."

    "So with Yoruba dead, this is all over, right?"

    "Not quite. The O'Dares are questioning the three remaining Guede apostles to find out who ordered the killings and the murder attempt on Mrs. Hammond."

    "And what happened to that zombie guy, John Davis?"

    "They found him dead in his prison cell. Err...he was already dead, so I don't know what do you call it when a dead man dies."

    "A weird day?"

    "That's for sure. Now, I just want to forget about it for a while." He kissed Sadie and suddenly he was lost in her beautiful eyes.

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    The empty man walked along the dark streets of Opal City without knowing where he was going. His memory was almost blank. All he could remember was his master; how he did things for the master, and how the master had taught him to kill. "Tonight I will call on you", the master had said, but he had not heard from him yet. He walked aimlessly among the nocturnal people, waiting for instructions that would not come. He did not know who he was or where he was going, but that did not matter to him. All that mattered was what his master wanted. And so he waited, and he walked.

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    It was midnight, and the Opal City Cemetery was completely empty of living people except for the Caretaker. After the events of last year, the City decided it would be good to have a Caretaker in the Cemetery 24 hours a day. It had been a busy day today, as all November 2nds usually are for most of Opal's Hispanic community. The Caretaker walked with a flashlight guiding his way through a jungle of stone and flowers. He came upon the southeast corner of the Cemetery. It was here that the unwanted, or the ones who had no one to mourn their departure, rested. He passed by a small grave with no tombstone, where what remained of Yoruba was buried. Suddenly, he felt a chilly wind, and he shivered.

    "Damn, I should have brought my jacket." he thought, as he continued walking among the dead.