Jason and Mark

The sun beat down on Jason's face as he stepped out of the shimmering portal, its ethereal glow fading behind him. He found Mark in the midst of his shift, his human form dissolving, leaving only a sleek, black tail swishing restlessly behind him. They were standing behind a dilapidated toilet block. The air hung heavy with the scent of decay and urine, a stark contrast to the otherworldly freshness Jason had just left behind.

"Hey," Jason greeted Mark, his voice echoing in the confined space.

Mark's head snapped up, his golden eyes widening in surprise. "Hey, Jay. You ready for the meat run?"

Jason nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crumbling red brick walls and the rusted lids of the lockers buried behind the structure. "Yeah, let's get this over with." A thought struck him. "Hey, have you heard anything about Horse going missing?"

Mark's tail twitched nervously. "Yeah, he finally left the Firefly Club, chasing after Josephine's friend, and no one's seen him since."

"Pony?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mark let out a raucous laugh that echoed through the deserted park. "Yeah, the horse and pony show," he managed to say between gasps for air. The two shared a moment of mirth, the absurdity of the situation cutting through the grim reality of their task.

As they changed into the sterile anonymity of hospital scrubs, Jason couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for Horse. "You know that's just a nickname, right? Her real name is Penelope."

Mark shrugged, pulling the drawstring of his pants tight. "Yeah, I know. But no one's heard from either of them since Friday night."

"What about Josephine? Has anyone seen her?" Jason asked, his voice betraying a hint of worry.

Mark shook his head. "No clue. You'd know better than me."

Jason's cheeks flushed at the mention of her name. "What? Why me?"

Mark grinned knowingly. "Come on, mate. We all know."

"Know what?" Jason retorted, though he knew exactly what Mark was implying.

"About you and Josephine," Mark said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

Jason's blush deepened. "Alright, fine. But no, I haven't seen her since Friday. She's in Melbourne, helping her dad with something. Maybe they're together... Horse and Penelope, I mean."

The two young men emerged from the alleyway, the harsh sunlight momentarily blinding them. They began their walk towards Reachville South Community General Hospital, the imposing structure looming in the distance. The 'meat run', as they called it, was a grim necessity, a way to keep the supernatural world hidden from human eyes.

"So, who's going to be there tonight?" Jason asked, his voice barely audible above the din of the city traffic.

"Probably Horse's crew," Mark replied. "They'll do the right thing. They love living in the human world too much to risk exposure."

As they approached the hospital, its sterile facade a stark contrast to the vibrant life teeming within its walls, Jason couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. The disappearance of Horse and Penelope, coupled with Josephine's absence, cast a shadow over their usual routine. He hoped that tonight's meat run would proceed without further complications.