As they cuddled and watched T. the lights off, holding each other, Shane asked himself how he had become so lucky. However, the looming threat of being caught kept him on high alert. He was just waiting for Marnie to not respect his boundaries by peering into his room without permission or seeing the subtle kisses Mars would sneak in when he thought no one was looking. The fear had him on edge and picky about when and where Mars could display his affection. At first, Shane had not wanted to be 'that couple,' no different than a pair of flowers whose roots had become so entangled and enmeshed that they were close to the same. But that wasn't the case. Shane was scared and ruled by his internal homophobia even if it was towards himself. It was okay for them to hold and hug each other when he knew no one was looking, when he could almost hide it from himself, but as soon as he thought he might have heard a footstep or the twang of his bedroom door creak, he immediately unwrapped his grip around Mars, pushed himself away and pretended he hadn't just been kissing down his boyfriend's neck seconds prior.

Some nights they would go to the dock to put Shane's anxiety to rest. The cover of night cast everything in shadows. It casted doubt, turned trees into beasts, and sounds of the unknown into growls of a monster that lurked within the darkness. But to Shane it was just mind games. He knew the foliage and most of the things that whispered spooky and scary within the void. They laid on the dock holding each other, cuddling and caressing, enjoying the relaxing hums of the wind in branches or the occasional owl.

"So what are you more scared of?" Mars joked, "The monster or me?"

"What do you mean?" Shane asked as he swayed Mars' in his arms, rocking back and forth, taking in the slight hint of whiskey cologne that always seemed to rest where he put his head. "I told you I don't believe in that bullshit."

Mars took a moment to soak in the kisses Shane was giving him down his neck, feeling how entangled their limbs were, and how hot his lover's skin could get. Then the mood struck him as he looked over Shane's shoulder.

"Is...that Leah over there-" Before Mars could finish speaking, Shane had his arms and legs to himself, and a gap between the two of them.

"So I guess it is me."

"No it's not like that…" Shane said.

"I know you're scared of people knowing, but at some point you're going to have to deal with your anxieties."

Shane stayed silent, thinking back to how he felt when Justin wouldn't want anyone to know or how Lewis treated Marnie. Hadn't he had promised to never be like them? How could he treat Mars like a dirty little secret? Shame found him.

"Just give me some time okay?" Shane said, reworking his arms around Mars. Their faces were now close enough for him to smell the beer lingering Shane's breath.

"I get it. It's only been a month but if you want this to continue, I don't want you hiding me," Mars said as he nuzzled close, running his fingers down Shane's back.

"I don't want to hide you."

"Then don't," Mars retorted. "I'm not saying you have to come out to everyone. But I am your boyfriend right?"

"Yeah," Shane said. "You're right and I know I'm saying one thing and doing another but believe me I'm trying."

The rain dripped down the windows and roof while Shane waited in the kitchen, taking his mind off the sourness of his stomach while he waited for Marnie. He tried to keep his hands moving, tapping on the table as time processed slower than usual. Where was she?

Damn it, Lewis.

The front door swung open and his aunt appeared, wiping her shoes and putting away an umbrella. She smiled at him, waiting for the sound of the beep of the microwave to go off and for Shane to disappear into his room, not to be seen again until the next morning. But there was no alarm or popping of frozen food, just Shane waiting in the kitchen with something on his mind. He didn't dare look her in the eyes as she entered the room. If she waited for him to speak, Marnie would be there forever.

"So I just got back from Lewis'," Marine said, pulling a bottle of wine from the fridge. "Have you seen that old homeless man at all, Linus? He lives up in the mountains near Robin and Demetrius's house in a tent, Lewis says no one has seen him for a couple of weeks."

Shane helped himself to the wine as he grabbed an extra glass. Marnie was not complaining. He confirmed that he hadn't seen Linus stalking the dumpsters of the JojaMart, or heard mention of him going through the saloons trash for leftover entrees.

"I hope he's alright. I would hate for anything to have happened to him," Marnie said before taking a sip of the cheap cherry wine. Shane was sticking around for far too long to not have anything to say to her. He wasn't the biggest fan of wine, but booze was booze when his nerves acted up. He downed the deep red contents.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, um Aunt Marnie…" he began to say but couldn't continue, instead pouring another glass of wine and slipping out of the kitchen to his room.

"Thanks for the wine."

Why couldn't he tell her? Back in bed, Shane buried himself into his pillows as he tossed and turned. He was there, all he had to say was…

Aunt Marnie, Mars and I are dating, he's my boyfriend.

He couldn't sleep. The guilt of his inabilities were digging their way out of the grave he thought he buried them down into never to be seen again. He needed to get out of his room.

Howling winds could soothe a soul - one that had too much weighing on it. Shane thought about the mosquitoes which awakened from their sleepy grass homes by his wet sneakers, and how they festered within the confines of long grass and other foliage untouched by man. He could hear crickets but hadn't seen one all summer. Had their chirping been an illusion? Could he not hear a summer without their love songs within the air? Was his brain making up for it by pretending them into existence? Darkness felt like an embrace. The trees were welcoming even in their shadowy shapes. They never judged him on why he was here or when he would be leaving. They just sat and let Shane be. A pang of itchiness around his ankles hit him, and he wondered if he would be able to keep count tomorrow morning on how many mosquitoes had managed to bite him, to try and drain him of his blood like little vampires.

He thought about the bugs trying to suck him dry. How everyone hated them, dreaded their existence, how no one would miss them if they disappeared like one of Marnie's cows, never to return again. He thought about how he and them were so similar, how many people would be better off without him walking the earth.

No, don't think like that, don't let it in.

Everyone would talk about it at first, how no one had seen the insects or Shane for days, or weeks in Linus' case. People might begin to worry, or maybe they wouldn't. Maybe they would let the good thing be, and let nature remove the undesirables. No one thinks about how much they too can be like a pest - insufferable, demanding without the consciousness of their soul sucking needs. But Shane was cursed with knowing his. He was a fly wandering into the spider's web, ready to commit to his own death, knowing how much of an insignificant hindrance to the beings around him he could be.

The thought came and went much like the breeze of the wind, and Shane brought himself back to reality, back to the blackness and nature surrounding him. City darkness and rural darkness were two completely different, and he enjoyed the latter. He was finally free from his mind for a moment, the suicidal ideations and self depreciation like a blister, his thoughts moments earlier the pin prick to drain the pus. However, he had come to the realization of the situation he was in, out in the middle of the woods at night whilst it was raining. He could hear Marnie's worries of him catching a cold. It was time to turn back.

Then he saw a light in the distance like the sun underwater. Shane thought about the directions he had taken. He was closer home than he thought, but he was still too far north. The light he was seeing was Mars' home, but why was he up at such a late hour? Why was Shane up? As he went to turn around Shane felt his shoe squish into… something. It was hard to make out but once he had focused his eyes on what he saw…

What the fuck?

Entrails, sluggish white were sprawled out like they were dragged out from a body, along with blood splatters that seemed to have a hard cut off. He couldn't control his thoughts,

Oh god that thing is back, its around here!

Fuck...fuck… fuck!

Turning on his heels to run, Shane was abruptly stopped By the presence of a tall, shadowy, human figure.

"What are you doing out here? Don't you know it's not wise for your kind to be out in these woods this late at night?" Rasmodius scolded Shane as he approached him. "What is this?"

Shane didn't answer him, letting the man of magic figure it out for his own damn self. The wizard bent down and ran his fingers across the blood smear, staring at the staining gore.

"This is fresh, it would be wise of you to leave…" Rasmodius spoke plainly, staring up at the house over yonder. Where did this quack get off telling Shane what to do?

"Yeah I could've told you that it's fresh, and I was just about to-" He tried to say but was cut off.

"The man over in that house, I sense you have a... great connection to him."

What was this hack trying to get at? Shane wasn't about to let him use some sort of mind trick on him.

"Yeah we're friends…"

"I sense something greater than friendship."

"We're just friends," Shane repeated himself, trying to lock eyes onto Rasmodius as he kept peering over towards Mars' humble abode. The wizard cut the tension, putting his hand to his face.

"No...no, if it were him you would be dead by now," the wizard spoke to himself.

"What are you talking about?" Shane spat back. "What do you mean 'him?'"

The Mage stepped forward, trying to find more clues, more blood.

"If you haven't already heard, my friend Linus is missing. I fear the worst has already happened."

Shane could feel himself turning white at the idea.

"No, these are the remains of an animal, my dear mundane," The Wizard said, stopping Shane's turning stomach. "This monster, as I still don't feel comfortable giving away its identity just yet, likes to feed off of negative energy, or wild animals if it can't get what it actually devours…" He looked Shane up and down. "Which would be your kind."

"What's that have to do with my friend?" Shane asked. "If this monster thing is real, which it isn't, wouldn't you know what a monster is from a person?"

Rasmodius paused in thought, like he was wondering how much information he was willing to give. Shane was used to that look thanks to Mars.

"Answer me!"

"Not all things keep the same shape, mundane. I feel it would be best of you to leave." Rasmodius said as Shane decided this was the only statement worth listening to.

With his mind and body finally exhausted enough to allow him to rest, Shane didn't roll in bed like he did before his walk. However, as he waited for sleep to find him he couldn't help but ponder the Wizard's words about not all things keeping the same shape. He felt like he was a monster, being a lover to Mars, but only being his friend whenever anyone was looking. Survival is an understandable need. But then again, if this thing could change shape to look like people and would eat them, desecrating their bodies and leaving their organs out for scavengers…and these things didn't start happening until...

No. No, if it were him you would be dead by now…