The next day, I was still sick. I usually don't like taking medicine, but in this situation, the less inconveniences I had the better. When people are ill, their sense of humor tends to get stupider and they'll laugh at the weirdest things. I was the same. We were having a conversation if my cold would move over to Aurelio and I got sidetracked.

"It's all about perspective. I mean, it's like a baby we've got here, right? *snort* From the perspective of a loving mother, you'd think he's great and all, but that's biased *cough* because you made it. You've spent so much time on it, *sniff* that you don't realize you've actually made a piece of shit baby. Can't tell anymore."

"It's not until you take it outside that you notice people are crossing the street just to avoid you. That is, *wheeze* until you find someone who just doesn't give a damn about courtesy. 'Here's this little guy.' 'Agh! Your baby's a piece of shit!'" *Athsmatic laughter*

My plagiaristic ramblings aside, being forced to sit down for a bit probably did some good. It was a bit of time without having to react to anything outside. Mostly. During this time, I got the chance to observe my surroundings and the people in it.

I firmly believe people give off a passive "I am here" signal that can be increased or decreased in many ways. Through posture, facial expressions, and a bunch of other stuff, anybody can give others a hint at their personality. It's probably how experienced guards and investigators can spot a guilty person by just watching them walk. Apply that to yourself, and as long as you look like you know what you're doing, most people won't stop you. That, and just carry a stepladder wherever you go.

I already mentioned how Autriel flew, but her posture reflected this, too. She had long strides and rarely looked at the ground. Unlike how she was in flight, she was also pretty stiff. Walking was probably just a means of going from point A to B. Hell, she was so flatfooted that I could hear her stomping around outside the RV. If anything, I think she wanted everyone to know where she was.

Gusoyn was different. She was light on her feet and more flexible. Autriel could fly, but Gusoyn could climb a tree just as fast as the dragon could take off. Nobody here could hold a candle to her agility. That being said, her walk reflected her cynical, but not paranoid, personality. The only time I can hear her move without paying attention is when her claws make noise on the hard steps into the RV. Maybe she wasn't expecting an ambush, but was always prepared for it.

Ruth was also different. She had a stiffness to her that wasn't like Autriel's. It was the awkwardness of somebody who hasn't quite gotten the hang of their body just yet. It wasn't as bad as Aurelio's flailing about with his chubby fists, but it wasn't perfect. The chitin(I guess. I don't know what kind of material it is. It's like obsidian.) had covered her forearm and she was starting to handle her lopsided center of mass. I could tell because one leg was slightly bigger than the other. My problem with her "signal" wasn't that it was big or small. It was loud, but it also gave off the message: "Avoid at all costs". She gave me the same vibe as a cultist with creative practices. She didn't twitch, or mutter, or anything like that. The fact that I couldn't nail down exactly what it was that was setting off alarm bells in my head made me really uncomfortable. All I did know was that her eyes hid an intelligence that had a pretty flexible morality and didn't much care about social norms.

I guess I should mention Aurelio, since he was also a passenger. He didn't do much, other than sleep, giggle, and shit himself. Ruth said she would change him, if I did everything else. I agreed. The non-humans viewed him somewhere between something to be dismissed and an inconvenience. He usually didn't get in the way of anyone and was easily stepped over. We managed to snag some essential supplies from the hotel's snack shop, like fresh water, Slim Jims(Gusoyn's new favorite), diapers, and a bundle of movies for the DVD player. I took a very refreshing shower, surprised the power was on.

Two things had to be settled. First, was what to do with Gusoyn's haul. Autriel calmly said she'd take care of it. I asked how, but she only gave vague replies about "Leaving the rest for everyone else.", and "Flaunt our wealth to the masses before it spoils". I said we didn't need to draw any attention, but she affirmed that the only thing we would be creating is respect for us. If anything, they would stay farther away. As long as we didn't get into trouble, I didn't care.

Second, we needed more of a road plan. Creation of one was pretty simple. Everyone was interested, so I gave a basic geography lesson while I was looking at the map I nabbed under the clerk's desk. Aurelio's only goal was to eat it. Cheyenne didn't have a beltline, so we would use some three-digit highways to get around. Traffic was getting bad with people coming in from rural areas. After that, we would speed across Nebraska, taking detours where needed. The state's all agriculture anyway.

Night was falling by this time, and I was crashing. We moved the RV to the back parking lot, so Autriel could sleep undisturbed by traffic and not be seen. When it got dark, she walked outside. A sound louder than anything I'd ever heard before destroyed the peacefulness of the evening. It was this inhuman roar at the volume of a train and sounded like it should've come from Jurassic Park. I threw open the door only to see Autriel looking at the sky and Gusoyn's bag in one hand. Even the cricket's shut up. While I calmed the startled Aurelio down, Gusoyn muttered on the couch, "No sense of subtlety." Ruth was undisturbed.

That night, I had another dream. Two, actually, but only the first one was like the previous one I had. Again, I was sitting down in the blackness, but this time I wasn't moving. A familiar voice rattled around in my head.

"Hey. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you. Why do you sound like you're talking inside a closet?"

"That's because I am, but that's not important. Not important. Listen, you've been doing a lot of running away."

"You talking about recently, or my whole life?"

"Uh… both. Both. I sacrificed a lot to get you this. I wasn't expecting any appreciation, but the least you can do is take advantage."

"You're not making any sense. Come to think of it, I've done a lot of self-defense lately. Aren't you happy?"

"No-no-no-no. You've just received something nobody else has right now. I made you special! Come on! Use it! You're the only one with the playing field leveled! You're the only one who can make them respect!"

"Am I just some puppet you're using to prove your moral point?"

"No! Well, yes. You are. But, I'm having trouble explaining it. Tell you what. I'll call in some favors and get a friend of mine to send you something. She's real creative."

There was a brief period of silence, and then I was suddenly sitting in the middle of a deserted street in a city. I got up and looked around. City blocks stretched on for as far as I could see, yet I could see no people. It reminded me of some pictures of Renaissance London, except not dirty. Actually, the place was immaculate. The stone brick roads shone in the ambient light. Most apartment windows were lit and open, and every one gave off the sounds of cheery laughter. I walked down the road and couldn't spot a piece of litter. Shops off in the distance gave off the mixture of fragrances. The smells of flowers, baked goods, and grilled food came from down the street. Off in the distance, I could see some kind of capital building. I wasn't sure if it shone in the afternoon light, or it just glowed.

Things started to go downhill when I heard a voice coming from one of the apartment windows. My voice. Listening to yourself speak from a recording was always awkward, but this voice had a bitter and corrosive tone to it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I spoke back to the window, "Very. Wish we had cities like this back home."

The voice changed to another window across the street. It continued to switch to random windows whenever it paused. "It was far from perfect."

I shrugged, "Everywhere's got its issues. What was wrong with this one?"

"Their world was rocked and instability followed. Troubled times fell upon everywhere. The economy suffered. The people wanted protection, but they sacrificed their freedom for it. In looking for strong leadership, they gave power to the church. Faith alone, they believed, would be enough. The tithes would be worth it."

"Well? Was it?"

"The tighter you hold sand, the more slips through your fingers. Yes, they produced the most devoted heroes, raised from birth. Yes, they had one of the largest armies in the world. Yes, they knew their role as the keystone in the plan to fend off the invaders. And yet…"

"And?"

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The selfishness of the nobles became obvious. No one will listen to the moral dictations of someone they mistrust. They lost the hearts of the people, and eventually they lost their paladins. A zealot is useless without belief."

"What happened?"

"Eventually, a group of disillusioned youths were seduced by the very forces they had sworn to fight. Ironically, the people backed this knowingly or not, and exchanged one extreme for another."

"So this is what it's like now? Glad to hear reformations are interplanetary."

"Oh, this is what they want you to see. You forgot to ask who the invaders were."

I felt a blow on my forehead that left me reeling for a second. Then, the whole city subtly changed. Street oil lamps became rusty and unused. They were replaced as the previous background glow muffled and became a yellow ambient light. The paint was dirty and peeled in the few buildings that had it. Other structures had simply collapsed into rubble, with no one to rebuild, repair, or even take away the remains. The road was pockmarked with potholes and littered with debris. A few piles of shed skin lay in a corner, because while the trash cans were mostly empty, no one thought to use them. Running water could be heard in the sewer grates, but getting near them was a test of constitution. The cheery laughter in windows slowly morphed into cries of glee and moans. That, or just simply screaming. Visibility was reduced to a few hundred yards due to this mysterious miasma. It wasn't quite fog, but I certainly felt it in the lungs and it tasted somewhat sweet. The entire place was like someone had been handed a city, but had no knowledge or interest in running it.

I was dumbfounded, "Where is this? Who let this happen?"

The voice continued to come from windows. "The 'who' and 'where' aren't important. It's the 'how' that you must understand. You may have decided to fend for yourself, but this matter is much bigger than you are."

"Is this really what it's like now?"

The voice sounded like it was reading a particularly depressing section out of a history textbook. "The royalty was undermined, and the rest of the nobles were subsequently turned. With no moral leadership, the rest of the city fell swiftly. A once proud nation became the greatest trophy of the invaders, and they proceeded to make it their own in no time at all. Without the military support, other nations lost the breathing room to do anything other than protect themselves. The church took it the hardest. Their bastion of righteousness had fallen in one night. Being the only group capable of creating fighters strong-willed enough to take on the enemy became a much more difficult job once they lost confidence in the people. An attempt to retake it was made, but it only served to put salt in the wound."

I was getting flustered, "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because now they are here, and humanity is more vulnerable than ever. The only thing keeping the moral well-being of the people in your era is the law of the land! This is made even more difficult that they aren't coming from one place. Humanity only does well against a clear and present danger, and the invaders know this. Your nation, possibly your world itself, may implode on its fragile self and be thrown back into a new dark age. Do you understand the urgency of this?"

"Are you telling me this is my future?"

"Oh no. This is a possibility, should this delicate balance be broken. Let it serve as a warning to you. And before you give some optimistic viewpoint, let me give you a taste of what you face."

It began raining, but instead of water, it was these glowing magenta pellets raining from the sky. They disappeared in a small flash of light when they impacted anything. The air quickly filled with a sweet-smelling miasma. As the "rain" fell on me, I began feeling this warm sensation all over. I had no problems breathing, but I kept trying to gasp for as much air as possible.

Suddenly, the capital building seemed closer than before. Against my will, I started shuffling for it. I wanted to cry out, but I was too busy wheezing. My legs slowly moved step by step down the road. I could see silhouettes of various humanoid shapes outside the building. They all turned and outstretched their arms toward me.(Some more than two) There were dozens of them.

The voice was back, but in greater volume. "Now do you get it? Now do you understand? This isn't something you can run from and hope someone else does the hero work! If nothing is done, the world as you know it can be replaced by a debilitating bliss that will never be shaken off. If you care in the slightest about it, you will do something. You could try to fend them off, but the conflict will be eternal. The church failed then, and if you choose to create another, it's failure will be inevitable here. Your only other option is something in between, or another angle."

I still couldn't speak. I wanted to ask why it had to be me. In my head, I screamed in frustration as I ambled toward the beckoning figures.

"Here, only a handful of individuals in a single night sealed the fate of an entire world. Just one person, at the right place, at the right time, doing a precise thing, can trigger events that will resonate for centuries. One action can send echoes throughout culture. Doing this intentionally requires a trained eye and decades of experience, but it has been graciously made much easier for you. However, what you will do and if you will succeed, is still in the future."

It was all abruptly cut back to total blackness, except there was this normal-looking woman dressed in business casual and glasses standing over me. She winked and said, "Alright. Message sent. See ya later, buttercup!"

I woke up yelling at the top of my lungs and drenched in sweat. Gusoyn was awake and looked at me like I was about to bolt out the door in nothing but my boxers. I sheepishly looked away and said, "Sorry. Bad dream." I walked outside to go to the bathroom, but wasn't expecting the grass to be black. I openly exclaimed, "What the hell is this?"

I heard a deep inhale from above me and Autriel said, "Ah, a demon realm." I answered my own question, "So it is hell." Still breathing heavily like she was enjoying some mountain air, Autriel said, "I believe we've been over this."

I don't know what she was enjoying, the air seemed stagnant and heavy. It smelled… sweet. I knew this scent. I just had a nightmare about it. I panicked and said, "Where are we?" Autriel remained in her reclining position. "Oh, same place as always. Give it some time for the energy to dissipate, then it'll be back to how you like it. In the meantime, I'm going to take in the nostalgia."

I was confused. "What energy.?" Autriel gave me an equally confusing look. "Well, magic energy, of course. Specifically, demonic energy."

Oh yeah. Of course it's magic. She said it so matter-of-factly. "Say what now?" She, and I kid you not, tutted and said, "Ever wondered how I speak your language?"

Come to think of it, no. I hadn't.

She continued, "Language is simply the organization and packaging of thoughts into something communicable. Our species obviously requires humanity, therefore must have some way to understand them, yes?" I nodded. "Through instinct, we are all able to turn our thoughts into the sounds you need, regardless if we know how. Words may change, but the ideas never do. You unconsciously fill in the rest. Don't worry, this is my true voice, and you haven't been embarrassingly talking to yourself for all this time. "

I immediately tried to fight my own head, but didn't know where to even start. She stopped me after I started making a weird face. "I wouldn't think about it too hard. Magic has rather loose definitions and I'm surprised it even works here. It's been a desert of mana ever since I got here, except for… well don't worry about it. I'm not surprised you didn't know about it."

I refrained from telling her about the magic circles I drew in middle school and left in restrooms. My friends and I did it to freak out the staff and make them think there was some kind of cult in the school. I was the only one who put actual effort into learning the arcane grammar because, in the back of my mind, I hoped one would actually activate. I usually went mage in RPG's.

I changed the subject. "So, uh, what about this weird atmosphere? Is the sun dimmer?"

Autriel looked up. "A little, but not for long. Another fact: All life, especially sentient life, carries magical energy within them."

I feel like I've heard this before.

"It slowly radiates out from every being. Our species' energy is a different… flavor that changes the terrain when there's enough of it around. It may seem oppressive to you, but it's home to us."

I looked out onto the landscape. I could see normal earth a few hundred yards out. In a circle around me, the grass was a navy blue and weeds a phosphorescent purple. The bark on trees darkened. I thought it was actually kind of touching. They didn't have to worry about home because they brought it with them. Too bad they were changing mine, but the idea was still moving. I coughed and summarized, "Welp, they got what they wanted and we need to get moving. This fog is making my thoughts... foggy." Autriel muttered up top, "It tends to do that."

Traffic was a bitch coming into and going around the city, but going out was just fine. I noted that once the monsters and the drivers themselves realized how vulnerable still cars were, traffic rules would go out the window. In about half an hour, we reached the western border of Nebraska.

Okay, take (what feels like) twenty-five of my first bit in this stupid thing. Richard convinced me to participate, but I don't see the point of "my words being permanent" and why everybody has to know about us. I already go to those PTA meetings like he asked me to, and all I do is sit in the corner. His only real supporter is Autriel, and even the most patient people will get tired of her smug, philosophical monologues and rants about Peter Gabriel. Doubt she reads any parts other than her own. Bet I could say something really embarrassing here and she wouldn't know. [Editor's note: Long pause] I can't think of anything. Whatever.

I'm not some cheesy romantic, but I have to admit she and Richard fit well together. They're both equally weird. I fit because I drag them both back to reality. Richard calls me a cynic, but I'm just always prepared. Nothing prepared me for sitting in a chair and spilling my life story to a machine, or sending the kids off to that prison called "School".

Seriously, take a moment to consider the similarities between the school building and a dungeon. Everybody's confined in one stone building. You're stuck there most of the day. (That's just begging for disease to spread.) You're forced to pay attention by the state. You can't see your family until you get out. There's even a bell! Ding! Time to eat. Ding! Time to sleep. Who knows what kind of disturbing knowledge they're cramming inside the little ones right now? Talking about it makes me want to charge over there and get them out as fast as I can. The only people who went to school back in my world were snobby politicians' sons, and insane wizards. I guess they're going to come out of it smart or something.

Speaking of magic, how come the machine knows what I'm saying? Magic sends the meaning across, but it's not alive. I'll have to ask Autriel. She knows more about this stuff.

I'm probably supposed to spill out "my feelings" or whatever was going through my head at the time on here. I think Richard and I both knew the flimsiness of our relationship then. First we beat each other to pieces, then suddenly I'm tagging along. He probably thought I was planning to stab him in the back later, but then I decided to have an emotional breakdown that one night. I don't blame him for being on edge. I didn't even know what was going on myself. Whatever.

Other than that, we stuck together for reasons I don't really know. Maybe we were all lost. Maybe we were all in a strange and new world, so we stuck together because we knew each other. No, that can't be it, because we didn't know anything.

It was like being dealt a hand of blank cards, except nobody knew how to play, who the dealer was, or who went first. Yeah, I think we all stuck together as players. As much as I hate to admit it, I think Autriel's right. No matter where or when you are, the idea of the soul never changes. Guess we all huddled in that cramped vehicle, avoiding any outside influence, and under a shaky peace because we were scared of the unknown. I am so sappy, this is embarrassing. So, at the point where he's putting this in his story, we were heading out from Cheyenne and across Nebraska. We crossed the state in about seven hours with no major events and a few detours. We stopped for the day just over the border of Iowa. Unfortunately, this tranquility didn't last. It was Richard's fault, but then again, Autriel never got into some important details about spiritual energy, so I can't really blame him. I do blame him for being so apprehensive, though.

Yeah, that's pretty much it in summary. We spent the night outside Nebraska City, but I was planning on going south through Missouri. I had a lot of pent-up anxiety I needed to get out. When (I assumed) everyone was asleep, I snuck outside and went off to go do some guy stuff. When Gusoyn woke up the next morning, she sniffed the air and looked at me. "Seriously, we're all here and you decided to… Forget it. Hope the tree was everything you hoped it to be."

Shit. She knows.

Later on a private, but very important, conversation between the monsters happened.

Autriel began. "So, it seems what little stealth we had is now gone."

"I think you blasted it away with that food-sharing stunt.", Gusoyn scoffed.

However, Autriel was defensive, "That was a demonstration of power. It did attract, but it also asserted our territory. They shouldn't have followed."

Ruth interjected, "And now?"

Autriel sighed, "And now, he might as well have lit a signal fire. My senses aren't as acute as Gusoyn's, and, oddly enough, I don't know how sensitive Ruth is, but he's the only one with significant spiritual energy I've found so far."

The hellhound agreed, "I still feel some, but I figure one of two things: They haven't used magic in so long, they lost the ability, or energy hasn't come in here as quickly as we have. Maybe he's some kind of prodigy, or he's been blessed."

Ruth concluded, "But, I don't think any 'demonstrations of power' are going to keep them back any longer."

Autriel replied, "Quite right. To be honest, I do not think the gods may have followed us either. There are no arbiters to end violence. We may be physically superior, but I feel we may not be mentally prepared for the inevitable conflict."

Gusoyn shuddered, "Yeah. I panicked a little when he didn't go down as quick as most other humans. Yeah, humans are a lot more deadlier than they used to be."

Ruth nodded, "It was almost embarrassing. I lost a host in a few seconds. However, if we don't keep moving. We'll have our own to deal with." She looked toward Autriel.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You're the person who at least seems to be in control of the situation."

"Well, the metal box on wheels is very fast, almost flight speed. He only needs to recharge it once a day, so as long as we keep moving, we're fine. I only have a very loose idea of where exactly we're going and how far away that is, but we are inevitably going to stop. Wherever that is will be very...uh... dramatic."

Gusoyn snorted and took on a pessimistic tone, "Being ripped apart by our own kind like parched animals in front of a watering hole. Oh, and here there's no deity to swoop in and save us! Wow, for the first time, I might be missing the stupid kumbaya 'Let's all get along' attitude of home."

Ruth suddenly became inquisitive, "You don't have to keep up the act of pretending you don't care what happens to Richard."

Gusoyn arched her eyebrow, and in turn her eyefire. "Pardon?"

"Come on. I've got nearly one hundred percent control over this body. I notice everything and forget nothing else. Your posture, your pulse, your eyes, your breathing. You care. I'd like to keep our conversations as open as possible to keep things smooth. You know, girl talk. (As much as you're capable of it.)"

Gusoyn sneered, "Look at that! I thought Autriel was the schemer. Hey, you wanna go back to being just a sword again?"

"I'd ask you to not. I'm already putting thought towards our inevitable conflict and it'll be much more convenient with a body." She moved toward Gusoyn and poked the end of her sword on Gusoyn's lower stomach. Her recently-turned red eye gleamed in the morning sun. "But don't lie to me. It doesn't do anyone any help, especially yourself. You think you've lost something. From what I can tell, you've gained something: Control. Whether or not you're thankful is irrelevant, but from a group standpoint, you're going to have to do some soul-searching, because our survival depends on you being your best."

Autriel spoke, "What are you? Some twisted form of cupid?"

Ruth turned toward her, "You're in the same boat. And a ship that goes nowhere isn't very useful, is it? What I'm saying is: Richard is a wildcard. We don't know what he can do. Neither does he. But he subdued the three of us with relative ease. Perhaps he can do the same on a larger scale. He just needs some… motivation; Something he cares about; something that forces him to stand his ground; something delicate."

Autriel was forced to acknowledge that, while coming from a survivalist standpoint, Ruth was right. She got the insinuation, and it was on the money.

Ruth began walking away. "Anyway. I need some food and I believe the both of you have a lot to think about. The clock is ticking, and what I'm thinking of takes a lot of time."

The hellhound and dragon stood there, daydreaming. In a short period of time, they had gone from one end of a spectrum to another, and they might go back again. What was wrong with going with their gut, even if theirs was a little… wild? If he tries to run, just drag him back. It's good for him and builds character.