The boy lived in one of the prettiest houses in the whole town. It could be found in the best neighborhood, had a garden filled with beautiful, aromatic flowers and even it's bricks were spotless. When Isadore got there he saw a blonde woman taking care of the lawn, undoubtedly Mrs Murphy, Pip's mother. A very good-looking woman, still very young, from whom Pip had inherited his big blue eyes. She didn't notice Isadore, and he soon walked out of her sight to light a cigarette and wait. And he had to wait for a good while to hear another voice say:

"Bye, mom!"

"Goodbye, Pip, dear! Be careful!"

"Sure!"

The cigarette was almost consumed; Isadore gave it a last drag before tossing it, exhaling the smoke and going to meet the little boy with the delicacy of a rugby player. Pip stopped abruptely but he recovered his good disposition almost immediately.

"Morning, Izzy! What's up? How's your grandma?"

"I wanted to have a word with you precisely about that." Isadore got closer, so awkwardly close that Pip drew back and his smile faded.

"I don't know what you want from her. Her money, accumulate good karma, admiration. Whatever. I don't care. But stay away from her. I am warning you, you'd better not make me say it again. I don't want to see you in my house or talking to my granny again. Ever."

And before someone saw them or Pip had the chance to say a thing, he dashed away. The little boy stood there very still, very rigid, looking into the direction Isadore had disappeared.

What was that about?


"Excuse me, miss...Do I know you?"

The waitress was an overweight woman with rosy cheeks and pretty brown hair and eyes. Her smile was as gorgeous as those, at least that was Joey's impression.

"Of course you do. You come here very often, Mr. Mayor." the woman replied softly.

Joey chuckled. "Oh, sure, silly me."

He grabbed his coffee and sat on the table near the window. That allowed him to break away.

He had heard very unsettling news–of course, from José; that man was somehow so fell informed!–about a shooting in the town. That was the last thing he had expected in Warner Falls, someone trying to kill another someone!

He felt responsible for that in a way, even if he couldn't answer for people's actions. He was supposed to keep that town a safe place, that's why they voted him.

But then...Joey forgot all about it suddenly when a person passed by the café. He had never seen him before but for some reason his heart skipped a beat. his legs shook, ready to stand up. And he did. Did he really think about tlaking to him? But what would he say? That person was leaving, Joey quickly followed.

"Hey! Excuse me! You, yes, you! Wait!"

Sheldon stopped.

"Sorry." Joey panted. "But I just saw you and...Haven't we met before?"

Sheldon studied that man. Where had he seen those cheeks like apples, that piggy nose, that formal, almost outdated attire? Yes, it was somehow familiar, but so vage that Sheldon replied:

"I...don't think so."

"Really? High school? College? A party maybe?"

Sheldon shook his head.

"Oh...I beg your pardon. I was completely sure I knew you."

Joey walked back to the café shaking his head. Well, now he was sure he was going crazy, knowing every single person he came across...He would have to follow José's advice and get some rest before his brain fried.

Sheldon, on the other hand, kept walking at a slow pace, turning his head towards the man. Yes, he was so familiar...But...Ah, sure! He was one of those politicians whose face is everywhere during election campaigns! What a weirdo.

Anyway, he had more important things to think about. That alien, for instance, and the attack on Ben and Kath. He was still shaking. Could those two events be related? Like, that creature possessed someone or...? He had no idea, and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Forget about it...He couldn't. How could he?

No, he couldn't pretend nothing happened, like Ben. He had to act. That situation, the fear, the uncertainty, had to stop. He would find the creature and..., well, he had no idea of what he would do next, but he would find it and put an end to that.


The steak Martin was eating—no, the actual word to describe it was 'devouring'— was so bloody and raw it made Treg sick just by looking at it.

"Why don't you just go to the field and bite a cow?" Treg finally said with a side smile, swinging his spoon in the air as if it was some kind of magic wand.

"At least it is tastier than that bird seed you are eating." Was Martin's response, not raising his eyes from his plate.

"Hm. Yeah, you're right." Treg nodded, looking at his bowl full of flakes, seeds and blueberries. Yes, it was pretty sad compared to his friend's dish.

He was still eating when Martin finished. He got up, walked to the fridge and took a yogurt from it. He was about to sit down when he changed his mind and added to his dessert a banana and a couple of cookies.

"Wow, man."

"What?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Just tell me when you're gonna explode, to get out of the way."

"I feel very hungry these days. I guess it's because of the timetable changes. You'll see, I'm going to end up like my uncle Harry."

"Good, 'cause I can see your ribs, dude. That can't be good."

"Well, I've always been that way. Don't you remember Miss Kettleburn, from school? Yes, the one with the big glasses. She was concerned that my parents didn't feed me properly."

"Ah! Yeah, I know who you're talking about. I guess so. See, if you put on weight, that's nice; just...control yourself, okay?"

Martin licked the spoon after he finished the yogurt.

"Thanks for your concern, Treggy, my dear."

"Gotta take care of my beloved husband."

They both snickered and finished their dinner.


Luc woke up and for a second thought it was time to get up, but the clock ont he night table showed it was just 3 A.M. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but it was useless, so he remained there, quiet and still.

By his side, Sylvia slept. Luc could see her face thanks to the dim light which filtered through the blinds. She was usually a pretty woman but now that expression of peace made her look really beautiful. His beautiful wife, the mother of his two children.

...Why did he look at her and felt nothing?

He had always loved Sylvia, since they were introduced in a get together of old students. She was the girlfriend of his friend Eustace by then. They talked, shared some experiences, had some drinks together; they continued to see each other after that meeting, then went out as friends...Oh, did Eustace hate Luc when Sylvia left him. However, Luc had to say in his defense that he had never intended to steal his girl: it just happened. She was a pretty, nice woman and he was a man full of life. Of course they married soon. As people said, they were just meant for each other. They moved to Sylvia's birthplace, Warner Falls, because the town needed a policeman and cities were not a proper place to start a family in their opinion; two years later Victor was born and then Annie followed three years later. And after the routine and the children, Sylvia was still the happy girl he had fallen in love with.

But now, now he felt absolutely nothing when he looked at her. No more butterflies in his stomach, no more spontaneous smiles. He was just looking at another human being. A bed partner. That was such an uneasy feeling that he considered getting up and leaving the room. He actually did it. He went to the garden and sat on the stairs to smoke a cigarette, even though he promised himself he would cut it out. He needed a bit of air.

What a silly feeling and what a silly man he was.

"Luc, oh, there you are."

He didn't know for how long he had spent sat in there, just looking at the moon and the stars. Sylvia opened the door, phone in hand.

"I looked for you everywhere. It's Warren on the phone."

Well, Warren was not the kind of man who called people at such hour. Luc took the phone, wondering what the matter was.

"Oui?"

"Luc. Sorry to call you at this hour but it can't wait. I need you to come to the station now. You have to see something."

"What is it?"

"You have to see it with your own eyes."

"Okay, okay, I'll be there in a moment."

Sylvia gave him a worried look as he hanged.

"Go back to sleep, don't worry." Luc kissed her and rushed to put some clothes on and drive to the police station.

Warren was waiting for him outside, his arms folded and an impatient, grave expression in his face. Warren had always been such a relaxed man it made Luc understand that the situation was very serious.

"Good night." Luc greeted them. He didn't even had time to ask what happened, because Warren immediately started moving:

"No, it ain't a good night. Absolutely. Billy escaped. And you know how he did it? Well, take a look."

Luc followed Warren inside with a little bit of difficulty because the sheriff was practically running. When he stopped in the cell room, Luc understood why he wanted him to see the scene personally: the walls, made of solid bricks, was all torn down, as if a hurricane had stormed into the room.