Carlos sat back, sighing as his students left his class as the bell chimed at 11. He took his glasses off, letting them fall onto his desk as he ran his fingers through his tangled hair. The university had scheduled all the classes with the least amount of students for the latest times, and unfortunately, it seemed that only 15 students were interested in biochemistry. Which completely contradicted what the Dean of NSUNV had told him, convincing him to teach here, even helping him get arranged with an apartment two blocks away. But now here he was, at 11:15 at night grading papers in a college he had never heard about before a few months ago, in a city he had trouble even believing really existed, as it was practically in the middle of the desert, mountains and sand dunes seeming to act as a barrier to the outside world.

The Dean had told him that the college of Night Vale (Carlos still thought that the name of the town was the weirdest he had ever heard) had a huge science wing, but no one to teach in said wing, and the students had been wanting some sort of science class in their curriculum. So, Carlos, who had already been searching for a new teaching position, gladly took the offer, agreeing to teach two different classes. He had been excited to have a huge lab to himself for the first time since he himself had gotten out of college. And he was pleased with the lab, the classroom was nice, and his apartment was a bit too spacious for someone living on their own, but it was all very nice. But the classes were killing him. His main class was in the early morning, for three days a week. And this class was late at night, and it was only two nights a week but with grading all the papers he did it seemed to be four. He became much more grateful that his apartment was in walking distance, so he wouldn't have to risk driving and falling asleep at the wheel. Though he seemed close to falling asleep right now as he sat there, barely able to concentrate on the papers in front of him.

"Stand... stand Carlos... stand or you'll sleep." He muttered to himself, sliding on is glasses before pushing off the floor so he and his chair hit the wall, his swivel chair taking the blunt of it as he forced himself to stand and walk, to do something. There, on the shelf. One of the other professors had given him a small radio as a gift, and he had just left it to sit on the shelf, not even bothering to plug it in. He made his way over to the shelf, plucking it off the shelf like a ripe fruit, and holding it the same as he examined it. Pulling the cord out, he plugged it in and pushed the power button, static slowly seeping through the speakers as he set the radio down on his already cluttered desk. He began pushing the tune button, trying to find a good music station to leave it on.

Though he seemed to be mostly finding static instead. After a few minutes, he considered just leaving it on static, since it was supposed to only be background noise anyways, when a clear voice broke through. "Now listeners, what do you think? Is the City Council deciding to wipe our memory whenever they want a good idea? Or are they just trying to show their dominance over the Secret Police? Either way, make sure to keep your doors and windows unlocked so their night-bugs have less trouble getting out after they have been teleported into your home."

Carlos couldn't believe what he was hearing. More accurately, the things coming through the radio were unbelievable. As the voice continued on, he moved a finger to the seek button, but he couldn't press it. Tapping the button lightly, he continued to listen to the strange voice.

And strange it was indeed. The voice was obviously male, and it sounded like... obsidian wrapped in silk, smooth yet jagged, with the outside appearance seeming to soothe and relax it. He knew it was illogical to try to explain this man's bass and pitch of voice by using a different sensory system all together, but it seemed to be the only way he could think of in that moment. And he couldn't stop listening him. He moved his hand back, and began to grade papers again, a small smile on his lips as the voice seemed to seep into him, like a gas, relaxing him and helping him concentrate. And he seemed to finish grading quickly, as his motivation for sleep was pushed out of the way by the motivation to fully listen to the man on the radio, who seemed to conjure the strangest tales Carlos had ever heard.

As soon as he locked all the papers in his desk, he unplugged the radio and walked out, radio and keys in hand as he locked the door to his classroom and rushed down the long hallway, making his way through the college until he got to the doors leading out, rushing down the walkway, probably full of more energy right then and there then he had had for a while. He practically ran home, fumbling with his keys for a second before he was able to unlock the door, quickly coming inside and shutting the door before he ran over to the wall. He yanked an electrical cord out of the socket and plugged the radio in instead. He began ramming the seek button until he heard the voice again, and once it hit the station he smiled and leaned against the wall, catching his breath as he listened to the man on the radio. But before anything could really register in his mind, he heard one thing and one thing only.

"Goodnight, Night Vale. Goodnight."

He couldn't believe it. His smile soon dissipated as music began to play. "You've got to be kidding me." He stated, his monotone voice seeming to hang heavy on the disappointment that was filling the room.

Sighing, he decided to leave the radio plugged in as he changed and got ready for bed. It wasn't a bad song, something about cinnamon on a bone? He couldn't really hear the lyrics but the melody was hauntingly beautiful. As he brushed his teeth, he remembered that he'd have to write down the station number so he wouldn't forget it, and as soon as he was done he grabbed a pen off the table nearby and wrote down the number. As soon as he finished everything he needed to, he unplugged the radio and set it aside as he made his way to bed. Turning off the light and laying down, the drowsiness from earlier hit him hard, and within minutes he was asleep, and he dreamed of a beautiful man to fit the beautiful voice still echoing through his head.