I obviously didn't sleep much the rest of the night, even after we(To be honest, I) were done. Gusoyn, content with herself, eventually fell asleep on top, like a heated blanket that tossed and turned a lot. This was fine, because, maybe in response to the heat of the moment, a cold snap hit that night. It was one of those fronts where you can suddenly smell the pine trees and it never got warm until March.

I really don't want to talk about how it went. I'll be honest, it's more than a little embarrassing, but I also feel like that it's something a lot of more confident authors can write about. I didn't do anything cool, like smoke a cigarette and reminisce. I'm sure Gusoyn would like to brag about it some. Maybe one day I'll get the balls to talk about it.

He said "Woah" a lot.

That's it? Fine, then.

Again, I didn't sleep much. I think I did briefly, but woke up again early in the morning with hair shoved in my nose and mouth. Gusoyn had managed to get herself entirely backwards and one of her legs was over my face, while her right arm and head were hanging off the edge of the couch. I managed to slowly ease myself out of the couch without waking her, or at least she didn't show she'd awoken. It was 7 AM. Early, but not ridiculously so to start quietly moving around.

There were some things I needed to do:

One: Take inventory of the RV and see what the mechanics had removed and hopefully added.

Two: Introspect.

Three: Stop nervously putting it off and call home. They were an hour ahead in the time zone anyway.

First things first, a quick inspection of the cabinets and minifridge found them empty, save for a few half-full bottles of water. It seems the crew also had the time to replace the rear windscreen with a piece of plexiglass, but didn't bother with the bullet holes. I spotted a few tools lying around, suggesting they were getting ready to remove the furniture. They were some basic hardware, except for this halligan bar lying next to the cabinet. That was pretty unusual, but would probably come in handy in the future. As expected, the shotgun and hunting rifle were nowhere to be found.

In short, we were empty on food and had no weapons, but I was thankful that we had our mobile home in the first place. That was a ridiculous amount of luck. Speaking of getting lucky…

I felt different. There was the feeling of success; A sort of, "Congrats, idiot. Wasn't a point there where you took the wheel, but I guess you can check that off the bucket list." The only thing I regretted was thinking up the line, "Mmmmm. Crispy." In situations like that, stuff tends to leak out of my head. She laughed, so it's okay.

No, I felt this weird sense of calm. Everything was going to be fine. Nothing else mattered. It's all good. Internally, I felt there was a change, but it seemed to be a good one. Externally, I thought my skin had a different texture to it. Maybe it was just the dry weather. There were no rashes and It didn't look wrong.

Finally, I walked out some ways from the RV, so I could make a call. First, I called home, but then realized that didn't work. Then, I called my dad's work phone.

It rang and it rang. Then, it rang some more. As I was about to expect a machine, I heard a clicking noise. A very familiar voice answered, "Hello?"

I was so relieved. "Hey Dad, it's me."

"Son! It's so good to hear from you! I was worried when you wouldn't pick up a few days ago. I'll be honest, we were too afraid to call again."

"Yeah, runs in the family."

I heard some other voices on the line. "So Richard, how've you been?"

I sat down on the grass. "I've been fine, real fine. Dodged a few bullets, but I'm pretty safe now."

He made a sign of relief. "That's great to hear. Your mother and I had to evacuate out of our house because of these… things. Still haven't seen one, but they burned down uncle Edward's house. Right now, we're in temporary housing closer to the center of town. You know, those apartments next to the high school. Other than that, we're fine as well, but worried sick about you."

"Yeah dad. I'm with a group heading back to the east coast. Family sticks together, right?"

"Right. I know you took that job to clear your head, but with all of this going on, I'm happy you decided to come back. I'm also happy you made some friends as well."

"Yeah, me too."

"You seen any of those monsters? Your mother thinks they're aliens."

I turned and looked back toward the RV. "Yeah, quite a few. There's different kinds and they always come out of the wilderness. Not very organized. They're scared of guns, though, so that's working for us."

"All right. You be safe now. Speaking of, I know you said they weren't very organized, but we've been hearing rumors of a big wave of them in Iowa. Razed a town. You're ahead of that, right?"

"Oh yeah, far ahead. If everything goes well, it won't be long before we're there in Virginia."

I heard someone calling to him. "That makes me so relieved. Look, I've gotta go, son. I'll tell your mother I talked to you. I know we'll both sleep better knowing you're safe."

"See ya, dad."

Click.

Happy that I had finally done what I was putting off for so long, I returned to the RV. Autriel was awake and seemed to be waiting for me. "So, you finally talked to them?"

I tripped over a stump. "Yeah. They're doing fine."

Autriel gave off a ponderous look and asked, "Then I would like to know: Why continue east?"

Good question. "I don't know. I guess to get back with the family."

She gave a shrug, then replied, "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they are very kind and open-minded," She then gestured toward herself. "But do you think they will accept this?"

I groaned. "You're not wrong. I guess at best they'll think I'm some kind of Stockholm Syndrome victim."

She was confused. "What's that?"

"In short, you're traumatized by being abused while kidnapped, so you justify it in your brain and you suddenly have some twisted affection for your captor. I think that's it."

Autriel smirked, "Doesn't sound far off."

I pointed toward her. "Hey, I think I've done fine staying sane so far."

"One isn't a very reliable judge of oneself's sanity. I just want to know why you can't present us. I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just curious."

I had to think for a second because I didn't really know. "I… don't know."

"Is there something wrong about us? About me? Mamano don't have the reputation they do here."

I shook my hands. "No, there's nothing wrong about you. If you were human, I'd-"

She raised her head like she'd found what she'd been looking for. "Ah, If I were human…"

I immediately corrected, "No! You're great as you are! Be proud of yourself! It's just weird. There's something blocking me from comfortably presenting you. I mean, you guys and these situations are something that comes out of somebody's head in the middle of the night and publishes anonymously on fanfiction forums. I've no problem discussing it there or even to strangers I meet. I'm proud I'm the friend of all of you, but at the same time, I'm worried to take you out into public because I'm afraid my family will find out."

She seemed somewhat wounded. Either that, or she was taking it in stride and trying to learn about human behavior. My paranoid self was sure it was the former. "It's strange. You'll speak of us to strangers like it was nothing, yet cannot even mention it to family. Do they not love you for who you are? Do you have some kind of image to maintain with them? Would you tell them for the rest of your life that you had a human wife, despite it being awkward when you are unable to present her? I'm afraid that would be a lie you could not maintain."

I was fairly agitated at this point. "I'm trying to figure it out, okay? I want to be with all of you, yet I also don't want to cut myself off from my entire family! I just can't explain why these feel mutually exclusive! Maybe it's because they wouldn't understand. I'll make it work! Somehow…"

"All of us in your life, huh? Just one has been more than many could handle. Though in this case, you survived just one, so that's a start."

"Oh, not like that. Wait, how did you-"

She rested her cheek on her fist. "Richard, you passionate, yet insecure man, you are going to have to get much better before you can successfully lie to me. If I was to make a suggestion, it would be to sit down and really think about how much you're limiting yourself based on the perception of others. What you think about yourself matters more than what others think of you."

I stared off into the grassland. "Yeah. You're right. I feel like I've heard that before."

But she wasn't done, "So this still begs the question, why are we still headed east?"

This time, I really thought about it. "I went out because I was running away to collect myself. Thinking about it, maybe it wasn't the physical distance I needed, but another kind. But, I think I'm headed east because it's home. Maybe I can't go to my home, but whether I've healed or not, familiar territory is what I need right now. Maybe it's symbolic of a forced new chapter in my life or something."

She gave off this proud smile. It genuinely warmed my heart. "That's a good answer to me. You sound like you're making progress."

Being told by someone else, "You're all right" is one of the best feelings ever. That, and whatever happened last night.

"I have another question: What is this 'fuck' word you keep saying? It confuses me slightly."

Great. Almost a week into this mess and I'm already teaching the new arrivals how to curse. "Okay. The word doesn't have any meaning by itself. It's just a word that's used in a sentence to add strength to it. You can put it just about anywhere and replace some verbs with it. Really is a weird little word. At least that's how I think it goes."

"Sounds interesting."

I went back inside and played a little with Aurelio. Gusoyn wasn't normally one to watch, but she kept staring at us for some reason. Thinking about the little guy, I had a small panic attack and asked Ruth where the father was and if we just stole his family.

Ruth said the father was unknown to her. The woman had been raising the child herself. Ruth could've been lying to make me feel better, but I didn't probe further.

Since supplies were gone, I drove about ten minutes east, until we encountered another (thankfully unfortified) town. I stopped the RV outside a tractor supply store across from a graveyard and told everyone else to wait. This time, I'd go by myself to avoid trouble. They convinced me to bring the halligan bar.

I walked a little to the east, found an intersection, and took a left toward the sounds of people. As I was walking, I suddenly noticed someone walking next to me, about a few feet away.

She clearly wasn't human, and also wasn't walking. It was disorienting to look at her. Thoughts just seemed to slide off her. It's like there was some sort of force constantly dissipating focus on her and shifting her into the background. Her flesh looked like it was made of continuously shifting tar, yet also glistened in the morning sun. Her silhouette shifted as well. She moved, yet didn't walk. She glided across the asphalt in a black and white dress, except I couldn't tell where the clothes ended and she began. All over her were constant twinkling eyes, winking in and out randomly. There were just so many eyes. Eyes for days. They seemed to peer everywhere and then some. She noticed I was having trouble trying to focus on her and walk at the same time. She curtsied(somehow) and spoke. Her voice sounded soothing and competent, yet weird. It felt like something very ancient was just using one of its numerous ways to communicate "A good sunrise to you."

I was incredulous. "Hi. Good morning, as normal people would say."

She waved, and I swear I saw three hands instead of one for the briefest moment. "Judging by Sol, I would say we're closer to the winter solstice, if this reality is the one I believe we're in. It's very good that the temperature has dropped. I hope the droplets will turn to flakes soon. I like white."

I didn't feel threatened by her. She just seemed to be in the background; a being that was simultaneously here and not, keeping everything tidy. "White does seem to be your color. What do you mean the 'reality you're in?'" I jokingly added, "Get the wrong address?"

She didn't get the joke. "Oh, no. There's way too many to give a number or name. The vast majority are very similar anyway. Just take your best guess. Are you on your way to the market?"

"Yeah. We're out of just about everything. I have some money in my wallet, but I'm running low."

"Not very professional, letting all of your things run out. But, the curse of being material is the reliance on other material. All constantly burns away, but I am a young one and haven't witnessed that yet to a great extent. Nevertheless, the first rule of the servant is to never be without. That would be very embarrassing."

"Are you a servant?"

She practically shook with excitement. Actually, she just blurred a little. Maybe it was just my eyes. "Proudly, yes! I've recently found a new master south of here. He was very accepting of my service. It's in my nature, and I'm very happy to have found someone so quickly."

I guess I was happy she was happy. I hope the guy was, too. "Very lucky."

"Luck is a construct created by those who do not know. I'd like to believe in it. Hopefully I can comprehend the lines one day, but that might end the magic. In the end, it's wise to balance it all. Serve and love to satisfy the immediate. Gaze to satisfy your future. For now, we're just spirits in the material world."

I chuckled, "If you were human, everyone would put you in a hospital for being a grade-A nut."

She looked at me with mischievous yellow eyes, "What is madness, really, though? Simply a lack of understanding of how one thinks. Sanity is simply self-restraint so one can conveniently communicate. Or, maybe you're the mad one."

"I think there's more to it than that."

"Oh, it's all based on what others think. Convince someone else to think like you, and then when you change, suddenly you're in the insane one. Have you done anything mad recently?"

I pretended to think. "No, not really. You've been arguing it's all perspective, though."

"Sir, you walk like you've been around many monsters, and you should at least know you can't lie to us. Would you like me to probe until you confess, or, since your time is linear and I don't want to waste it, you can just tell me now?"

I scoffed. "Why is everyone trying to jab holes in my personality, like I've got some buried insecurities that I don't even know about? Just let me be for a bit."

Her aura suddenly changed. She went from a servant to a terrifyingly intelligent eldritch being in the blink of an eye without changing her physical appearance at all… maybe. She spoke, in a slightly off tone. "You may not be my master, but perhaps you'd like a push?"

The pressure changed a bit and everything felt a little weird. After less than a second, it went back to normal. Then it hit. Oh boy, did it hit. It was suddenly one of those bursts of regret that run emotionally out of control(usually in the shower). I kept walking, but much slower and distracted. It was all a blur. Everything last night was a blur. I did nothing, but get swept away by the tide. I didn't prepare. I didn't plan. I didn't even wind up. It was just there and gone. I hadn't responded properly and just left her hanging with… what? I didn't even take responsibility for the possible future.

Eventually my thoughts became so overwhelming I started halfway speaking them out loud. "All this time… All I wanted was meaning. I broke it; broke my rule and didn't think. It's just superficial. One and done. I'm a… premari… It was half a joke, but it was also a cry of longing. Hypocritical. Shallow."

The shoggoth gave off a patronizing smile and asked, "What now?"

I suddenly started yelling, "There's time! Hardware store! Shiny rock!" I bolted down the road with wild abandon and screamed back at her, "Thank you spooky lady!"

She spoke, barely audibly, "I live to serve."

I looted a nearby hardware store and found what I needed: A small pipe fastener, a rubber band, some superglue, and a piece of citrine I spotted. I went to the settlement in the center, but I don't really remember what happened there, I was so distracted. I got everything I needed into a duffel bag and another carrying bag. I think the guy there ripped me off.

Back at the RV, I found Gusoyn lying on the floor contentedly. I placed the bags on the floor and said, "Hey. Gusoyn. Get up a second."

She sat cross-legged. "Hey. What's up?"

I sighed and said, "I have to apologize for something. What happened last night, don't mistake, there was definitely a connection, but I feel I did you wrong. I did both of us wrong."

I continued, "Stuff like that, I feel is a lot more fulfilling when there's something behind it; a weight, an anticipation, a context. It's not just instinctual. It's a combination of that and love, with some fun mixed in."

I choked back some tears. "I… didn't respond to you; Not in a way I feel happy with, and if I'm not happy with it, I don't want to give it to you." I shuffled through my pocket, pretty sure the glue had dried by now. "And so, I wanted to give you this. I don't know how much you know about human culture, but it's a symbol for us. I'll be honest, it looks like a ring made with a pipe fastener with a thick rubber band glued to the inside, and a cheap stone on top. That's because it is. It's not exactly a room of a thousand fountains, but there's a lot more thought and care put into it than I felt I gave you last night. I promise I'll get something more valuable when I get back on my feet."

Now I could see she was a little in tears herself. I caught the whiff of rotten eggs. "So, uh, my first time wasn't something I'll be proud about, but it's something I'll learn from. Give me some time, and I promise next time it won't be so one-sided."

We both sniffled, and she suddenly pounced up on me in a big, fuzzy, embrace. She went for a kiss, but she ended up licking my lips, which was kinda weird. Not that I'd ever received either from a non-family member. Whatever, just lick back I guess.

Meanwhile, at a worryingly close distance to our merry band, another group of hellhounds were standing inside a cargo container. In the middle of the space was a wooden chair with a man tied to it, illuminated only by a single portable fluorescent light. He was in a doctor's uniform and was sweating profusely in it, despite the chilly weather.

While most of the hellhounds were simply standing around for effect, all of them wearing do-rags of different colors. One previously hidden in the darkness walked out of it and toward the doctor. Unlike the rest of them, she wore a texas ten-gallon hat with holes cut in the top for her ears. The doctor had, in an attempt to look tough, made a comment on breaking the pirate theme. The bruising on his ribs were a reminder to never mention how she'd been unable to find a tricorner, or even a bicorner, hat. The bruising on his other side also reminded him when he told her there was no such thing as a unicorner hat, and being unable to stop himself from laughing.

The antique Chinese cavalry sword was real, though. It was also real close to shaving off his eyebrows. His interrogator felt the tension had gone on long enough and began.

"What be ye?"

At first, he muttered, "Okay, looks like the pirate thing is still going." He cleared his throat. "I'm a general-practitioner doctor."

She had a suspicious look on her face. "Be that what th' 'umans be callin' apothecaries these days? Addin' more words to yer title doesn't make ye look smarter. Bet ye get off to sawin' off people's limbs, ye quack."

"I-"

She flicked her wrist and a part of his right eyebrow fell down his face. "But, if a doctor be ye, then that means ye were there at the tents? Th' white ones wi' th' big red cross on 'em."

He replied with a squeaking voice, his head as far back as the chair would allow. "Yes, I treated some patients there. Patients who are now not getting treatment because (I'm going to assume) you razed it!"

"Aye, good. I wouldna worry about those folks. I'm sure they be fine. I would be more careful about yourself. Belial, picture, please."

The hellhound in a green do-rag said, "Aye", and handed the boss a medical record printout.

"Do ye know this man?"

At first he didn't, but then he recognized the face of someone who caused the disruption on the day the town's defenses broke. The doctor believed the man had intentionally brought the monsters with him to infiltrate the town and create a weak point. He must have served as a trojan horse vanguard. He told his captors this with spite.

The hellhound was actually surprised. "Oh, no. He's not one of us. Well, not yet. See, we be looking for him. Don't suppose ye… saw where he went, or with who, or in what?"

"I don't know… I was looking after myself during the attack… I don't remem-"

The blade slowly moved to the right, removing more of his eyebrow and a little skin with it. Blood started soaking in the hair and running down the side of his face, "Hold on! Hold on! They came in from the west, saying they were passing through! I do think I saw a glimpse of him during the confusion! He was heading toward where we kept impounded vehicles, so it could be that he's still heading east and he's probably going to go after his vehicle! There were so many people I really don't know for sure!"

The hellhound pulled the sword away and said, "There. That wasn't so bad, was it? Anything else?"

Before he could say anything, the doors to the container flew open and a man holding a binder yelled, "Ma'am!"

The first mate was irate. "Damn it, (I want to say… Wilford?) I can't do any proper interrogatin' if ye keep openin' th' doors like that! It ruins th' atmosphere!"

The man hid his face behind the folder. "I'm sorry ma'am. Won't do it again."

She rolled her eyes, tipped the doctor on his chair over backwards with her foot, waited for it to slam onto the floor, then turned to the folder man. "I be done, anyway. Now, what be it ye want?"

"Oh, well, recon reports that the main horde has stopped for now inside the town. We're safely outside their territory."

The hellhound surmised, "Aye, good. The locals'll keep 'em occupied for a few days. That'll give us a head start. Accordin' to him, man we're after be heading east. So be we. Get everyone to start packing up."

The man asked, "What about the doctor?"

She glanced back at the moaning man, still tipped over, and waved her hand. "Just get a group of ye to dump him nearby th' town, and th' monsters'll do th' rest." The doctor switched from moaning to screaming, until one of the crew stuffed a literal sock in his mouth.

The folder man looked shocked. "Why not one of you? If they get us, too…"

The hellhound was unfazed. "Then you'll be gettin' some for th' first time in ye life and then I'll find a replacement for ye. It's a win-win either way. I don't see how you think it be so bad. Speaking of, what be our lineup of captives now? I'm thinkin' of keepin' somebody for th' road"

"Uhhhh, we have two brothers we found hiding in a barn…"

She was suddenly annoyed. "No, I be sick and tired of farm boy. They smell of nothing, but sweat, mud, and corn."

The man flipped through some pages in his folder. "We've also got an accountant we snagged trying to get into town during the attack."

She walked out of the cargo container, going toward one of the several semi-trucks in her convoy. "No, white-collar workers be just as bad. Th' most aggressive thing ye get out of 'em be 'Oh, gee willikers' every minute, if they even last that. While yer gettin' ready, I'll head into town and see if I can find me a lawman or guard or somethin'. Ye best be ready when I get back."

"Yes, ma'am."

The hellhound bounded off toward the town, muttering to herself. "Are they stupid, or do I need to work on my menace more? ...Eh, I'll just go with stupid."

Meanwhile, I finished my second supply run after I realized I had forgotten some important things and also learned that both Gusoyn and Autriel were lactose-intolerant. Go figure. Ruth wasn't because she was "human", but that was up for debate. I also got baby food for Aurelio, because I remembered he existed. Unfortunately, no guns. All of the other members of our road trip had obnoxious strength, speed, and (probably) various powers. I'd been extremely lucky in melee so far, but I'd like my maximum engagement distance to be longer than arm's reach.

With late fall came short days, and the sun had set by the time we finished putting everything where it was supposed to go. Autriel, usually fifty-fifty on sleeping outdoors or in, decided inside tonight. When asked why, she tilted her head, looked up, and said, "I don't know. I felt like it."

Whatever. I said I'd sleep on the chair, so she could have the couch. I nearly fell asleep, completing a very satisfying day, when all of a sudden, somebody knocked on the RV door.

Reactions were mixed. Ruth brought her head up with a confused look on her face. Autriel did the same with a little more worry in her expression. Gusoyn's was immediately negative. She sprung to her feet, her hair standing up. She just stared at the door, eyes bugged out, and began repeating, "Don't like it. Don't like it." I was just greatly annoyed at somebody knocking at my door at this time. It was too dark to see out the window. Sack time was precious and should never be interrupted. I went for the door, but she stopped me with blinding speed. "Don't open it."

I was confused. "Why not? Somebody's at the door."

She said with a shaky voice, "No there's not. Nobody walked up. I'd hear them. Nobody's there." She continued muttering similar lines.

The thumping continued, more aggressive this time on the door. Now my hair's standing on end. I looked back to everyone else. Ruth had previously been sitting down and she still was, but wasn't reclining anymore. Autriel was standing up and had a defensive posture. She was visibly shivering, however. Looking at her reminded me that she was the reason why the door didn't lock.

With speed that would put competitive fencers to shame, I rushed for the door and immediately clamped both hands on the handle. It felt cold and so did I. I resisted the urge to look out the window. I was glad I did, because I could feel something trying to turn it. It wasn't forceful, just light, steady, tug. Fighting nausea, I turned to Autriel and spoke as calmly as I could. "Hey Autriel."

She had one of her hands in a complex gesture and it looked like I saw her finishing casting something. "Yes?"

I tried to speak as casually as I could. "Whatcha doin'?"

Whatever she did, it didn't make her any calmer. In fact, she started rambling at high speed. "Well, I just wanted to see the invisible, but it looks like nothing's still there. Obviously not true since it's unusually cold in here. At first, I was thinking ghost, but I would've been able to see her by now. That, and it's disturbing the ambient energy in a really weird way and I've never seen it before."

Now was not the time to break. At first, I said, "Hey."

"I mean, of course you probably wouldn't know much different. Creatures who use magic all the time are just more sensitive to it, you know? But if I don't know it, that means it's on your end, but if even you don't know it, then I'm just-"

More forcefully, I said, "Hey!"

She stopped and stared at me. Now that I had her attention, I said, "I've got the door, and I can't let go, so you're going to have to drive. Listen very carefully. In the slot under the radio are the keys. Take the blue one and put it into the ignition. You've seen me do it before."

She hastily found them, and fumbled a little inserting the key. A light on the dashboard came on.

"Great. Now turn it clockwise a little bit."

She turned it and more lights came on. The RV's previously unnoticeable beeps were now jarring. I continued agonizingly slowly, "Doing good. Now, turn it a little bit more and you'll feel some resistance. That will start the engine. Once you feel it run on it's own, let go."

She did so, and then the force on the door handle increased. It began jerking more. My composure was paper-thin. The engine started with a little complaint, but it did start.

"You've seen me do this and it's real easy. Pull the lever on the right side of the wheel, and put your foot on the right pedal below you."

As the RV moved forward, the force against the handle stopped and the previously unnoticed pressure in the room lifted. I carefully let go, shuffled over to the passenger seat, and then slumped over into it.

Autriel seemed content with driving in silence, so I didn't contest. She didn't floor it, but I didn't care if she broke the speed limit. In about ten minutes, I told her to take a left and found ourselves in an uninhabited hamlet. No longer harassed by the paranormal, we stopped on the side of the road(staying clear of the local cemetery) and tried to get some shut-eye.

Nobody got any except Aurelio, who slept through the whole thing. Nobody came knocking on our door again.

Next morning, we discovered that all of the humans had left. There were no cars anywhere. I declared it to be a day of rest and we were to spend it like true survivors: Looting the houses and lounging around.

I found some basic tools, some canned goods, and a post office box being reused as a piggy bank. I found it inside the master bedroom and not the sons', but that didn't make me feel much better taking it. It seemed odd that the owners' didn't bring this with them, but that just made me worry that they may have had a worse fate. A few swings from the sledgehammer on it and I was up two hundred bucks. I also discovered a radio that looked like it was from the 90's.

Gusoyn's main goal was to find some weapons, but failed, so she just ran around and broke things. She was greatly more energetic than usual; Jumping onto roofs, smashing through fences with glee, and lowering everyone's property value. I swore I smelled smoke at one point, but didn't check.

Ruth found more food, a jacket for herself, and burnable items for the fire.

Autriel at first attempted to detect any magic. Finding no threats, she spent her time breaking into jewelry boxes and sorting items.

The wind was strong, and the overcast meant it was pretty chilly. Nevertheless, we dragged a metal fire pit into the front yard of a house and set up camp around it. I chucked papers into the bottom, Ruth felled a dead tree with her sword and chopped it into wood, Gusoyn prodded Aurelio, the baby chewed on her claw, and Autriel made stoking the fire significantly easier.

The scene was a combination of surreal and normal. Everyone seemed relaxed and for the first time, I didn't feel on edge. If it makes any sense, they weren't people, but I comfortably felt like I knew them as people. The future was uncertain, but for now, I was calm where I was. The radio was playing a talk show in the background. The sun came out and warmed those who didn't already generate their own heat. It almost looked like some kind of neighborhood cocktail party, except there were no neighbors, an above-average amount of claws and teeth, and I wasn't sure if the world would soon implode into anarchy. I took the social initiative and commended Autriel. "You learned to drive pretty quick."

She waved her hand. "Oh, it's not that difficult. I'm a fast learner anyway."

I used this to segue into something I'd been meaning to talk about. I leaned forward in my rusty pilfered lawn chair. "Speaking of learning things and now that we have some time, I'd like to ask you about something."

She leaned back on the grass. "Ask."

"I've seen you do some unexplainable things, and the only thing I can think of is magic. So please, explain it to me."

"Let me think."

She thought for some time. She twirled her hair and tapped on the scales on her leg. Then, the magic dragon said, "Okay. I've been alluding to this for a while, but I think it's time for some exposition."

She outstretched her arms. "Imagine, if you will, that all life has energy. I don't mean nutrition. When you eat something, you take its energy, but that's not what I'm talking about. The kind I mean is what we call 'Spiritual Energy.' The only way it can be exchanged is by interacting with one another."

"However, not all life is equal. Plants have extremely little energy, and those sensitive only see them as background radiation. Higher, more intelligent, animals have a hint of spiritual energy, almost like the flickering of a candle. But, humanity and other sapients is where it really shines."

"Humans have and produce spiritual energy, and cannot be happy without sharing with others." She pointed to me. "You have spiritual energy. I can see it. In fact, I can determine some things about you by looking at your energy."

She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands, like some kind of psychiatrist who's taken interest in her patient. "Your energy is energetic(as redundant as that sounds) and wants to flow freely. Unfortunately, like a stagnant pond, it's been unable to for some reason, and has been forced to stay in place for some time. This hasn't been very good for it, and being able to only hear your own echo does not a healthy person make. That is simply a fact of life. Some people resonate with each other and share energy. Others do not. No one is to blame for this."

Chuckling, she looked over to the others. "So you don't feel like I'm psychoanalysing you all the time, we could move to the hellhound and child over there. Gusoyn's energy is tense, incendiary, and isn't easily shared with others. It does not naturally flow truly free, which should explain her spellcasting skills." Gusoyn turned and gave a "Bitch really?" look. Autriel continued, "Aurelio's energy has no structure because he hasn't developed a personality yet. It will come in time."

"Ruth's energy is unique. She contains the energy of the human body she inhabits, and the spirit energy of her true body, the blade. She will never be able to cast magic, only the abilities given to her as a blade."

"And last, but certainly not least, me. While it may be true I nitpick, I'm not an exception. My energy is calm, concerted, and methodical. It flows free, but not swiftly, and has difficulty committing. I'm most adept in divination and abjuration. More aggressive casting doesn't come naturally to me. It's not impossible, but takes more focus and is more draining. That's just how it is." She shrugged.

"Now, there are two 'flavors' of energy. The spiritual energy I just mentioned is just half of it. You see, you produce spirit energy. In fact, everything except monsters do. Actually, now that we're here, the proper term is 'mamano'. That's how we're referred to. Mamano produce what is called, 'demonic energy.' I know, it sounds really negative, but we didn't really have a word for it, and the church back home thought we were all demons, so it kind of stuck." She stared off into the sky briefly. "To be fair, I can't blame them."

"Anyway, the difference is significant. Simply put, demonic energy has great difficulty existing by itself. We don't recover it in great quantities, and even worse, we're not very efficient with it. It may be a somewhat embarrassing way to put it, but we tend to 'leak' it everywhere around us, transforming local life into a habitat for us. Obviously, that requires life to be there in the first place. That being said, we are excellent at converting spiritual energy near us into demonic, can store great quantities of it, and it's got the advantage of being more potent than spirit. Some of us can even sustain ourselves off it alone, though I've never tried it myself."

I interrupted the lecture. "You can replenish your energy by just being near spiritual energy?"

She winced, "Ehhhh, only if the source is very radiant. It's somewhat like sunbathing. However, it barely breaks even."

"Oh, so how do you replenish your energy?"

She leaned forward, clasped her hands, and stared at me. "Take what I told you about mamano behavior and make a guess."

I paused, raised my eyebrows, then said, "...Oh."

"Like I said, 'sunbathing' barely breaks even. In fact, it may be an extreme test of willpower to constantly be around a great source of energy and be only able to passively take a portion of the table scraps. It's teasing in the extreme."

I couldn't keep my gaze. "I see."

She continued, still staring. "In fact, this 'sunbathing' only works if the two individuals resonate greatly, which amplifies what I said previously about the teasing. It's like being next to an oasis, but being only able to suck the water out of the nearby mud. However, if the person has recently lower on energy than usual, it's simply just sand."

I said, "I understand."

She asked with a hint of bitterness, "Do you?"

Silence, then Autriel broke it by continuing. "Life energy is the stuff that allows a person to defy reality. Magic is done by the user wielding a portion of their raw energy(demonic or spiritual), infusing their will into it, then briefly shaping the world. The greater the caster understands the nature of their own energy, the more efficient of a caster they will be. Mamano are generally comfortable with themselves, so those who cast can do so much easier than humans. The drawback is that we can't restore ourselves, like the humans can."

She grinned and said, "And there you have it! Welcome to the wild world of magic, where it only works if you believe it does. I've never taught anyone before, so this'll be fun."

"Looking forward to it.", I said.

She got up and made for the house. "With that, I'm tired and I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when there's food or you've found something shiny."

Silence took over the group. There were words unspoken that should have been, but weren't. Not now. Soon, but not now. Now that nobody was speaking, the sounds of the wind and the radio became more noticable."

The station went from advertisements to two men talking.

"-and according to reports, a great organized mass of monsters is collecting south of Des Moines. Recon imaging has shown that they were moving east, but have stopped for now and spread out around the area. If you're hunkered down in or near the capital, keep your eyes peeled in that direction."

"They could pack up and move again though, Gus."

"Right you are, Keith. In fact, the state of Iowa has issued mandatory evacuations of Clarke, Warren, Lucas, Marion, Monroe, and Mahaska counties. Police and national guard will enforce this for one day, then they will leave and the army will attempt to encircle the horde."

"One other thing I heard on the grapevine is that we might have a collaborator. Rumor has it, just before the raid, somebody showed up in a van and had been talking to the monsters beforehand."

"Really? They talk?"

"I guess so, but there's more! See, people think he was some kind of spy, somebody they brainwashed and then put inside the town to gather intel."

"That's pretty far-fetched."

"Maybe. Who knows? These monsters' haven't been attacking big towns, until this. They've been hanging around the outskirts of places, dodging militia, and not making any bold moves. What I do know, is that nobody's seen that guy since and there's a few groups of militia who'd like to meet him. Probably not to throw him a party, since they seemed pretty mad. I heard they posted a reward for any information on him, or maybe just his head. We might have a good ol' fashioned bounty hunt on our hands."

"Gus, do you… do you think this is the end times? I mean, armageddon and all. I just think it's funny that there's always been 'the end is nigh' folks and we've always made fun of 'em on the show. But now…"

"I don't know what to tell ya. Maybe it's aliens, maybe it's demons, maybe it's mutants. Who knows? Not like anybody's interviewed one. Rumor has it they can talk. What I can tell you is that I swear I saw a picture of one in a pirate hat. Never seen anything like it. Don't know if I want to again."

"Ha! What? Are you worried it's listening to the radio? Think it's gonna come over here and plunder your booty?"

Meanwhile, a hellhound in a pirate hat was poking at a radio with a sword. One of her men had found it for her and had explained how to use it. She grinned and said, "Don't tempt me."