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When you get a job that’s related to the supernatural, you start to really hate the woods. Creatures use them as a hunting ground fairly often because of how easy it is to pass human deaths off as an accident. People get lost all the time. Simple as that. It’s also much easier for a ten-foot-tall monster with six limbs to hide inside a dense forest instead of in the middle of the city. Most of the jobs I picked up involved the woods in some way.

I stayed on the road and never lingered in one spot for too long. To earn a living, I investigated rumors of creature sightings to pass along to a Corporation that dealt with that sort of thing. A great deal of the stories turned out to be false, but the true ones often became difficult to handle. I should always leave after I confirm a supernatural cause, but in some cases I simply couldn’t do that.

A job came up to just look around a popular campsite because a handful of hikers had gone missing in the past few weeks. The fact no bodies been found, or any traces of the person was enough of a reason for me to start talking with people. I didn’t come right out the gate asking about supernatural sightings. I doubted that would get me very far. I instead started out with a professional and logical reason to be interviewing people, then went with the flow of the conversation. Hopefully it drifted to what I needed to know.

For this job I put on my dress shirt and good pants to make myself look somewhat official. It was too hot for a jacket so I kept it in the car. I carried a clip board and printed off some fake info dense reports at the local library. I then went to each camping site requesting if I could speak with them about if they’d seen any strange wildlife lately. Someone related to one of the missing campers said they heard some strange voices off in the woods before their friend disappeared. I asked the campers about the voices, claiming it to be some pet parrots, and other exotic birds that were released by a neglectful owner. I lied claiming to be a part of some sort of government funded environmental group researching the effects of invasive species along with released pets. Everyone I spoke to accepted this lie mostly because I’ve had so much practice making is sound believable.

Gathering information became easier when people could claim the voices, they heard were some sort of parrot and not some creature they didn’t think was real. And some people out right claimed to have seen pale creatures that stalked lost hikers without caring how it made them sound.

I collected all the information I could. The sun starting to get low and I only needed to check on one last camp site. So far everyone acted friendly and willing to help with my false parrot job. With it getting so late, I got worried that the last few campers didn’t want me to bother them.

I walked up to the last site and spotted about six people sitting around the fire. They were roasting hotdogs and my stomach growled from not eating that day. Travelling like this was rough and some days I needed to save my wallet. At least after this survey job got done, I would have cash for a decent meal.

The group stopped talking and looked over at me confused on who I was. They assumed I might be a ranger of some sort wanting to tell them they broke some sort of camping rule.

“I hate to bother you at dinner time but may I ask you a few short questions related to an invasive species study?” I asked in the politest voice I could.

I’ve been gifted with a softer voice and a kind face that got people to relaxe around me. Even though they were eating they agreed to listen to my questions.

“Kinda late in the day to be doing this sort of thing.” One of the older men pointed out after I wrote down the first set of their answers.

“You are the last site. I didn’t want to head all the way back to town and then need to come back tomorrow. As far as I’m aware, no new campers are set to arrive and a few are leaving. I wanted to get this finished in a day.” I explained and it was an honest answer.

He nodded and took a sip of his beer. A boy no older than ten came over and asked the man to help him open a package of chocolate for smores. As could tell this was a close family camping for the weekend. I felt bad invading their space and swore to leave as quickly as possible.

“Have you heard any strange sounds at all? We suspect there was a parrot released in the woods and would like to confirm where it may be.” I explained and the older man gave me a look.

“A parrot? I suppose we haven’t really heard anything strange. But would they really send someone all the way out here asking about a single parrot?” He questioned, his dark eyes narrowing,

He seemed nice enough but also the kind the dislike the government for whatever reason. The boy near his chair spoke up unaware of the implication in the man’s question.

“We heard something last night. There must be more than one parrot. We kept hearing someone in the trees saying help.” He mentioned but didn’t look scared over what he just said.

The man’s eyes widened, not knowing this happened. The rest of the adults stopped to listen. I let them talk thinking I might have stumbled onto something.

“I didn’t know any of that. When time did this happen?” The man asked, setting his beer down.

“I dunno. Late. You were snoring so we asked auntie Ruth to go out and look. She was out in the woods for a few minutes. Then came back acting weird. She said she just got sick. ” The boy explained.

“How come you didn’t tell us any of this until now?” Another adult questioned.

“It’s not a big deal. Auntie said it was nothing and to go back to sleep. I didn’t hear it again so I thought I was dreaming. She’s not been feeling well all day so I didn’t bring it up.” He said and went back to his chocolate unaware of the eyes on him.

This was strange and weird enough to call in an agent to look things over with me. I wanted to ask about checking in with the aunt but with my cover story I couldn’t. I’ve heard stories about people going into the woods alone and coming back different. I didn’t have proof that happened last night or the aunt just really wasn’t feeling well. I couldn’t hang around to check, but also didn’t want to leave in fear these people were in danger. I noticed the group started to look at the stranger still standing around and knew they wanted to ask me to leave. I opened my mouth to thank them for the help and trying to figure out a way to stall things. Then, the world started to shake.

The small group cried out in shock because we were in an area that never got earthquakes. The shaking stopped quickly enough and only knocked over a handful of things. No one was harmed but fear ripped through my stomach. I knew what just happened and didn’t have a clue on how to warn them to leave without sounding insane.

They all appeared shaken up beyond experiencing an earthquake for the first time in their lives. Deep down, they knew what happened wasn’t normal but didn’t want to admit it to themselves. I wasn’t able to tell them the ground shaking caused from the space between two worlds crashing together. It was rare, but did happen on occasion. Sometimes two worlds overlapped, and other times a rip would break between them letting all sorts of creatures to flood through before the dimensions repaired itself. I didn’t know if the crash created a break or not, but needed to get them all to leave just to be safe. Just when I thought of some sort of excuse, a perfectly good reason for them to leave ripped through a tent.

Two of the campers screamed seeing their family member break free of the fabric, her body changing into an unnatural shape. My heart sank knowing auntie Ruth had been eaten and replaced the night before. The clash of the worlds and sudden burst of magic scattering through the area caused her to drop the human disguise to attack. Normally these creatures were a bit stealthier, but she’d gotten so riled up with the air being stirred in such a chaotic way. My eyes saw magic flow better than other people simply from being around it more often. I couldn’t see how it really looked and acted, but from what I could see, the forest’s natural flow got totally out of whack.

The monster screeched causing the rest of her family to freeze. The mouth taking up half the face and skin losing all color. Her hair started to fall out and hands turning into claws. I moved before anyone else. The monster charged forwards aiming for the weakest target first. I circled my body around the poor stunned boy protecting him from the sharp claws and teeth that came down.

I dealt with the supernatural but I wasn’t a fighter. I knew things others didn’t and it normally didn’t help in the slightest. My job was to report and not to kill the monster I came across. I didn’t have any magic weapons of super strength. I feared this one creature may slaughter all of us. The claws cutting into my shoulder spraying blood across the campsite.

The man I spoke with earlier snapped into action. He found the axe they used for firewood and in one swing, he brought it down on the creature’s neck. His family shocked into silence for a few minutes. I double checked to make sure the boy was fine besides getting mentally traumatized for the rest of his life.

“Auntie Ruth...” He whimpered.

He tried to look at the body but I shielded his sight until his mother came over to collect him. I doubted he would ever stop blaming himself for asking his aunt to check he strange noises that night. I stood up, shoulder on fire but the wound really looked worst that it was.

“You... We need answers.” The man said, face wild from stress.

He put two and two together. I wasn’t asking questions because of a rogue parrot. I knew about the monsters in the woods and that was what the questions had been about. He'd been forced to kill someone he cared about, or at least something that looked like that person. The axe still in his hand, the sight of it threatening me to give him the answers he wanted.

“I... I needed to confirm if there are creatures in this area or not. I’m sorry... There just wasn’t enough proof to send in professionals to search the woods.” I explained truly feeling terrible a woman died.

He wanted to blame someone besides himself. In a rage, he grabbed my collar ready to attack but a voice made him stop. He saw the mother holding her son begging him not to hurt me in any way. He backed off and I really didn’t blame him for the outburst. I would have taken the hit if it made him feel better in the slightest. My attention was drawn towards the woods when I felt a pull deep from inside my chest. It was hard to explain the feeling but I knew more of those creatures were nearby.

When it comes to supernatural creatures, they can be completely invisible to humans if they wanted. But that tended to only apply to ones with some sort of sense that knew being hidden was ideal. The creatures in those woods were feral. They didn’t know how to keep themselves from being seen or sensed by others.

The man noticed my gaze and tightened the grip on the handle of the axe.

“Is there more?” He asked with a hint of fear.

“My cellphone isn’t working.” One of the others said, voice shaking,

“That earthquake was... not natural. It messed with electronics. Cellphones won’t work, but your cars should unless they’re electric. You all need to leave. I’ll go to the other sites and warn everyone else, if they haven't left yet.” I told them.

“Thank God we can’t afford a Tesla.” One of them joked.

From what they all saw; a poorly timed joke was what they needed. A few of them started to grab for their things but I told them to just take anything they could use as a weapon and their car keys. Gathering their gear just a reflex. I took the time to cover the creature’s body with a blanket I pulled from the tent. The boy openly sobbing into his mother’s arms and I desperately wanted to get him to believe none of this was his fault. He might be young enough to recover from such a terrible event.

Just as we were about to go different directions, the man handed me the axe. They had two and I thanked him for the weapon. My left arm hurt far too much to use it and I was lucky enough the monster went for my weaker side.

“Is there a trick to killing these things?” He asked hoping for the best.

“Sadly, no. They as strong as a human, but it can get bad if you get out numbered because of their claws and teeth. Just fight as hard as you’re able and get the hell out of here as fast as you can.”

I hated that was the best advice I could give them. Based on the appearance of the creature they were something that really didn’t have a name. But I knew the monsters wasn’t overly strong so this group should be able to handle it.

“I know the people camping nearest to the parking lot. I’ll warn them so skip that site.” The man said and noticed his family calling him over.

The sun started to set and they needed to get moving. I thanked him again to let him leave with the rest praying he would be alright. I started down the other path hoping everyone at the next site was fine. By some miracle none of the other creatures got there before me. I placed the axe behind a tree just before I got into their site wondering how the hell to explain all of this.

My bloody shoulder did the trick. I told the group of three a crazy guy was going to sites with an axe. I got lucky to get away and just warned the last site. They offered to bring me with them, but I lied saying I had someone just off the trial I was going to meet up with. They grabbed their bags and left not wanting to risk the danger of staying. With their cellphones not working there wasn’t a chance of one of them calling the police to disprove my lie.

I mentally thought back to how many more camp sites I needed to check when that pulling feeling came back. A creature was close. I grabbed the axe and ran in the other direction the campers went, trying to lure the creature away from them. I felt the thing in the dark racing towards me which I got some mixed feelings about.

The thing leapt from the woods and I got a very lucky hit on it. The blade of the axe cracking into the creature’s skull with a sound that nearly made me sick. I doubted I would be able to fight off too many of these things. I really wasn’t strong enough to take two at once.

I tried my cellphone to call backup. The Corporation gave me the phone so it dealt with magic outbursts better. I connected a call for half a second and then the phone died. I might not have gotten a clear message through but they would know something was up and my location for the job. They would send someone with such an odd call from my phone. Now I needed to focus on making sure no one stayed in these woods.

I kept to the trail trying to see my way in the dark. By some luck I found another camp site. They left behind their tents but the rest of the gear was taken away. That meant whoever had been here already dipped.

“Don’t move!”

A flashlight beam blinded my sight. I heard the gun moving before I saw it aimed in my direction. When my sight recovered, I looked at very nervous ranger staring me down trying to decided what to do. They dealt with lost hikers and bears, not axe welding mad men. And I looked the part. I cursed under my breath trying to think of a way out of this.

“Listen, I’m-” I said, one hand raised trying to look harmless.

“I said don’t move!” The man said, scared to death.

Great. This would be a pain in the ass to deal with. A slight rumbling under my feet reminded me of how dangerous this forest was. I still didn't know the extent of the damage the crashed caused or if monsters were pouring into our world as we stood there. I didn’t have time to stand around talking my way out of this.

I avoided getting shot in the same way I was able to get the first set of campers to leave. A pale creature came from the trees next to the ranger. The thing screamed causing him to jump back in fear. The twisted features of the monster making the ranger freeze up in the same way most people did. My body moved on its own again. I arched back my arm and tossed the axe at the creature as hard as I could knowing I wouldn’t reach them in time.

The blade did not hit the monster but it knocked it off course and slowed it down enough for the ranger to put a few bullets into the skinny body. I ran over to grab my weapon feeling another creature coming in fast. I normally couldn’t sense monsters this clearly. I guessed it was because of the odd effects of tie dimensions crashing together. I could bring the axe down on the monster's skull so quickly because I knew where it would be. The ranger letting out a string of curses at the sight.

“What the actual fuck?!” He demanded.

“I can’t explain. Can you start checking out sites to make sure everyone has left? You have a gun and a second person helping would be faster.” I asked him.

I started to feel dizzy from the wound on my shoulder and moving around so quickly. He simply nodded, not understanding what was going on but knew he wouldn’t get any real answers.

“I just cleared out one to the east of us. Most of the sites are north so I’ll start there.” The ranger said and couldn’t keep his eyes off the dead pale creatures.

North? I focused on trying to sense the monsters in the woods. I couldn’t tell how many there were, or how far away they stood either. But they weren’t heading north. That didn’t make any sense. They should be going towards the bigger source of food. In fact, it almost felt as if they started heading this direction. My stomach dropped realizing how wrong I acted going towards camp sites with other people inside them.

Monsters liked to eat humans, but they were attracted to magic more. If given the choice, they would eat a weaker supernatural creature to gain the power inside their body over a human. I didn’t hold more magic than other humans but I smelled like I did.

“I need to draw them away. I think they’re attracted by the smell of my blood. I’ll go the way I came and deeper into the woods. Please keep clearing out the camp sites for me.” I told the ranger.

I didn’t give him the chance to reply. I ran past him, shoulder flaring up in hot pain. I only stropped long enough to steal a flashlight that was left behind. The ranger protesting over me going deeper into the woods alone. He shouted I was going to die and that was fine. Unlike everyone else, death didn’t matter to me.

I pushed my body as hard as I could. My theory confirmed when I sensed all the creatures heading in my direction and away from the camp sites. Again, feeling some mixed emotions about that.

A pale hand came from behind a tree and caught my shirt. We struggled and I got a bite taken out of my good arm before I killed the monster with a few clumsy blows. My senses weren’t perfect, far from it. My fear dulled them and I could only tell they were following and not how close they were. For all I knew, hundreds of those things swarmed the woods looking for a tasty snack. I just needed to hold out long enough for the rest of the people in the woods to get far away from here. Easier said than done.

I’m weak. I’ve always known that about myself. Most people would be able to beat me in an arm-wrestling match, and my body got worn out easily. I didn’t know how much time passed as I ran through the woods getting lost. I survived four attacks from the pale human shaped creatures, winning the fights by sheer luck. My body covered in cuts and some deeper wounds. I knew I was going to bleed out unless someone found me soon.

My good luck ran out when I literally walked into the worst part of the woods. The blood loss and fear over riding all my senses. I didn’t even know about the biggest monster in the forest until I was nearly directly next to it. The thing stood in a clearing it made by uprooting trees with massive hands.

A smaller pale creature chased me into the clearing, causing me to fall over the exposed tree roots. The human sized threat was picked up by the bigger one finally directing my attention towards it. I dropped my flashlight a few fights ago but saw the creature just fine in the bright moonlight. The thing massive and made up of body parts of other pale monsters. It wasted no time ripping apart the one it plucked off from the ground, eating the pieces so frantically. The hands made up of other hands, and the huge body being supported by more of the same twisted arms along the side. Even the head was made of so many other faces melted together. I heard about amalgamations like this before but never wanted to ever come across one.

Fear over took my body. I sat on the ground trembling and teeth chattering. My only weapon a small axe against a ten-foot monster made up of other bodies that were just as strong as myself. I accepted my death but not the pain and fear that came with it. The creature lifted a gruesome head to let out a screech that ripped through the trees. The thing called to the other pale shapes in the woods to come to it and to be added to the hideous body.

The thing finally noticed a new meal. The hand coming down to grab a hold of my beaten and bloody body. Just before it reached me, a gunshot went off, a bullet tearing through flesh. I snapped out of my shock for a moment to look over my shoulder to spot my savior on the other side of the clearing.

“340!” I called out to the agent thankful he arrived but also dreaded the fact he came to save me.

The man only brought a second person with him. I knew his strength and doubted these two could take out the beast behind me. At best they did some damage they the monster ate all of us to repair the flesh it lost in the fight. I got up to run over to the two agents, my legs shaking and I rarely got this afraid. I wasn’t scared for myself, but rather the pair ready to charge into an impossible battle.

I haven’t met the other agent before but knew at a glance he was 340’s brother. A younger one at that. His fresh face and small frame not suited for battling monsters. The hand of arms came down on him and he shot his gun trying to stay free of the strong grip. 340 busy firing off shots from a stronger gun in order to keep the rest of the arms back.

I put all my strength into one last swing of the axe. The blade digging into the flesh of the creature casing some damage but also getting stuck inside a hard arm bone. The hand moving away from the younger agent to grab me instead. It hurt like hell, some of my ribs breaking right away from the fingers tightly wrapping around my chest. The agent’s face fell into regret for being unable to do anything to save me.

He reached out a hand trying to stick a piece of paper on the mountain of twisted flesh. Through the pain I recognized the paper to be a magic charm, that that most likely exploded after it was activated. From the angle I was being lifted away, I could reach down and steal the charm from his hand. He protested but I already took the paper from him and got brought towards the horrible mouth of the beast.

This was fine. I had a weapon and knew how to use it. My mind swam in pain and in fear of what I needed to do. This wasn’t going to be pleasant. I nearly froze up when the hand dangled my body over the open mouth of the monster. The smell of rotting flesh making my eyes water and stomach roll. I faltered for a second when another hand grabbed a hold of my leg, ready to pull.

“Adelaide!”

The sound of my name came ripping through all my pain and fear. I didn’t need to look behind me to know 340 started to madly fire at the creature trying to save me. It was too late; we both knew it. I already was at deaths door before coming across this beast. At least little weak me could do something to help.

The large hand pulled at my leg, ripping the entire thing off. I knew it was coming but the shock still nearly knocked me out. The monster made the mistake of holding my body between two fingers letting me bend over and place the charm on my thigh moments before it was torn off. The shock of the blood loss taking over very quickly afterwards making me black out. The ripped off leg with the charm dropped inside the monster's mouth, and a few seconds later the entire thing exploded from the inside.

One of the things I’ve learned when it came to monster is that no matter how tough the outside is, the insides are always weaker. Getting an exploding charm in their guts a sure way to kill something stronger than yourself.

I expected to be dead pretty soon after having my leg ripped off. My eyes opened a crack, feeling so damn cold. I wished I felt the pain instead of the ice my veins became. I faintly smelled rain and wondered when it started to fall. I couldn’t even feel if I was sitting up or on my back. Suddenly a warmth came to my cheek that spread down my neck for a brief second.

“Addy...”

I’ve always liked hearing that nickname. 340 rarely used it. My face weakly twitched into a smile I hoped he saw and I fell into the darkness of death that I dreaded.

It was a bad death. Sometimes I just drifted into a pitch-black sea unable to feel anything until the dawn came and my eyes opened. Other times I fell into a darkness so cold I didn’t understand how I didn’t go insane from it. Even being unable to feel my body, everything hurt. That sheer coldness invading every part of me. Then, the noises came. Distorted faint screaming I drifted closer and closer towards. The freezing in my very core increasing as I got closer to those tormented voices. I didn’t think this was the real afterlife. I couldn’t bring myself to believe anyone else suffered through such a thing. Not a single person deserved the torment of that unknowable place.

A crack of light came, dimmer than normal. My eyes opened and lungs flooded with air. That death was bad, very bad. So bad I puked up bile right away and started to cry and shake on my side.

I couldn't move for a very long time. Rain came down in the dim morning light and the damp cold soaked into everything. I let myself curl up and silently sob from the experience not caring if anyone saw or not. Once that got out of my system I sat up, still shaking.

I looked around seeing an umbrella stuck into the ground in an attempt to keep the upper half of my body dry through the night. A suit jacket placed over my chest and I tightened a grip on it, trying to keep the chill out. My legs soaked but my body still trembled for a different reason.

The clearing been cleaning up of the body parts but I still saw blood stains in the grass. I was shocked to see a deep hole the explosion created. If that younger agent used the charm on the hand to try and save me, would I even have any part of a body to come back the next morning? I shook my head just thankful those two agents were alive.

I got to my feet, taking the umbrella with me. I didn’t feel like I slept at all and my body still bore phantom pains from the night. I found trail through the woods and quickly caught up with an agent that guided me down the path and to the small tent they set up over a picnic table. From there they got me a hot cup of coffee and a towel to dry my hair. I didn’t feel much like talking and let an agent I never met before tell me the results of the night.

Aside from auntie Ruth, and well, myself, no humans were killed that night. The rip in the worlds hadn’t fully closed yet but it was now too small for any monsters to come through. They assumed the connection between the worlds have been weak in this area for a long time and that’s why some of those pale monsters were already inside the forest before the crash happened. They still had agents out in the woods ensuring no more of the creatures were roaming about and others worked on a cover up story. I nodded along feeling drained. At least everyone got out safe. I didn’t care too much about the finer details.

“Is that your car left in the parking lot? You’re free to head home whenever you feel ready.”

The agent that gave me the debrief nodded towards the only car in the parking lot. I felt too dazed to drive just yet. I wanted to sit for a little while longer and drink the coffee they gave me. I wasn’t even aware enough of my surroundings notice how bad the coffee tasted.

“I’ll take him.”

I raised my head to see 340 duck into the small tent. His suit jacket missing and I finally clued into who let me borrow theirs. No wonder it was so big on me. He was soaked from the rain but didn’t appear to care. He fought the smaller creatures all night but only had a few small cuts and a bruise that took up half his face. All of that would heal in a few hours. He already took my car keys out of my pockets while I slept leaving no room for argument. I still shook my head not wanting to pull him away from work.

“It’s fine. I can drive myself in a few minutes.” I very weakly protested.

“Where are you staying? I’ll put the address into my phone.” The agent acted as if I didn’t even speak.

I stood up, uneven on my weak legs. It wasn’t this often I felt so bad after a death. My leg screaming in pain after getting up even though my body fully healed from what killed me the night before. I wavered and a large hand on my back steadied me. I needed to tell 340 what motel I rented a room at knowing I wouldn’t be able to make it there any time soon. The fact he kept a hand on my back and I still wore his jacket around my shoulders wasn’t missed by the other agent. I’ve never met him before and he wasn’t one of 340’s brothers. With them all wearing suits, the agents tended to blend in with each other. I caught his eyes darting between me and 340 with his head still. His mind slowly trying to process what possible relationship we had.

The two things I learned about the agents was they weren’t as intimating as they looked at first glance, and they loved gossip. I wondered if I just caused 340 some embarrassment for not returning his jacket or stepping away from him. My body felt so damn cold I refused to give up a layer, rumors be damned. We stepped out and into the light rain. I risked a glance back at the other agent and he gave me a flash of a thumbs up approving of whatever fantasy his mind just made up. I was unable to return the gesture without 340 noticing. I just gave him a quick nod and let myself be guided into the passenger seat of my car.

I fell asleep right away listening to the sounds of the rain against the windshield. The jerk of a sudden parking job jolted me awake. 340 hadn’t yet mastered a smooth parking job yet. He was always so clumsy no matter how hard he tried to cover up that fact. I got out looking at the small motel and thankfully still had my key to my room. It was one of the half square motels with the rooms looking out into the courtyard. The room cheap so I took it. I regretfully took off the borrowed jacket to hand back to 340. He accepted it and exchanged it for my car keys. Then we awkwardly stood in the walkway with rain drops pattering away at the leaking roof. My body feeling too damn cold and I needed to wrap my arms around myself to keep from shaking.

“How long do you have your room for?” 340 asked.

His phone rang for a few seconds. He dismissed the call and focused back on my answer.

“Until tomorrow at noon. But I can extend the stay to one more night if I need too. It’s cheap, so I can afford it right now.” I said with a shrug I hoped came off as causal.

“Do that. You need to rest. I can tell last night was hard on you. You slept all day. Wait, here...”

He reached into his back pocket ready to take out his wallet to give me money. He always tried to do something like this. I shook my head not wanting to accept the cash regardless if I needed it or not. I felt a bit shocked I slept for so long. With the sky being grey I couldn’t tell what time I woke up at. I rarely slept beyond dawn on the days I died. That death was harder on me than I thought, but I didn’t want to upset the agent by admitting it.

“It’s fine. I got paid for this job so I don’t need money right now.” I said feeling worn down to the bone.

“Just take it so you can go longer between jobs.” He almost ordered.

I stared at his face seeing the bruise already healed a little during the drive over. His sunglasses missing letting me see his steel grey eyes that looked like they should belong to the dead. His stern expression and rough voice making me smile. 340 so damn cute it was dangerous for him.

“Not all jobs are like this. I just got unlucky last night. Most of the time it’s just interviewing harmless drunks about what they thought they saw on a bender only to find it out a harmless creature behind the sightings. It’s fine.” I said and placed my hand over the one trying to offer up some bills.

“None of this is fine.” He said, the statement clearly slipping past his defenses.

The main reason why I refused to accept money from him was I didn’t want to rely on someone. It could turn into a habit and I simply could not gain any habits or routines. He knew this. He's known this since we met. His hand closed over my smaller one, and I didn’t realize how cold my body became until I felt his warm fingers over the back of my hand. Unable to help himself, he bent down to press a warm forehead against mine. His phone going off again making him let out an annoyed click of his tongue. I let go of his hand and he needed to answer the call. The fact he got enough time to drive me back to the motel was a miracle. I couldn't ask for much more. I left him to the call and went into my rented room.

My body getting the shakes the moment I no longer heard his voice. I needed to see if I could adjust the temperature. There should be no reason why some rain made the air this chilly. I didn’t even bring along any heavy sweaters due to the season. Just as my teeth started to rattle, a knock at the door drew my attention. I opened it and for some reason got surprised seeing the agent standing on the other side. I just assumed he would have needed to leave after getting called into work.

“I asked for the night off work.” 340 said, his normal rough voice with a hint of embarrassment.

A night off for him meant five to six hours. But that was enough. I let him inside to finally be able to get some warmth back.

We shared a room like this twice. Both times he needed to go back in for a case and got dressed a few hours before the sun rose. I expected to wake up in the morning with an empty room and a text message saying an emergency came up. I heard his phone ping in the middle of the night. I didn’t bother getting up and stayed curled up inside the blankets trying to keep a hold of some body heat. I must have looked so pathetic that 340 felt sorry for me. He stayed until dawn which made me wonder what kind of favors he pulled to actually have a real night away from work.

I sat up when the sun started to creep though the cheap curtains. The agent fully dressed besides his jacket and tie. He found his jacket and I got out of bed to track down his tie. He didn’t want me to get up but I was awake anyway. I stopped in front of him, tie in hand and started to fix it for him. His hands catching my arms stopping my progress. Our eyes met in the gloom of the early morning. His hair a mess and pale scar down his face nearly glowing in the dim light. In that moment I thought he was the most handsome person on the planet. That idea making the fact he needed to leave all that much more bitter.

“Adelaide, you don’t have to live like this. You never should have gone through what you did. You have no real powers, and no supernatural blood in you. You can have a normal life.” 340 said, voice in a low whisper.

He might look human, but he wasn’t. Him and his brothers had no chance of living a normal life. All of them born to be weapons or pawns for the monster they called a parent. I hated the fact he needed to put his life on the line every day fighting other creatures. And I hated I added to his stress because he watched my leg get torn off. I never wanted to force someone who cared about me to witness such a gruesome death like that. 340 cared. He cared a lot and that was our main issue. I shook my head and started to finish fixing his tie.

“I had a normal life. I settled down and all that. Got into a nice routine, figured my life out and ready to have nothing happen to me.” I paused speaking, tie in hand and hovering on fully pulling up the knot around his neck. The rough fabric seeing better days after going through so many battles. “And one day death came. It took everyone. I woke up, but they didn’t. I have no answers why I come back, and I honestly don’t think knowing changes anything. My family died. That all there is too it.”

He lowered his head, knowing something like that happened but never asking for the details. He knew how much it hurt to hear let alone say.

“Then we...” His voice so soft I almost didn’t hear him.

He wanted to offer for us to just run away to forget about monsters and risking our lives for others. To be selfish for once in order to be happy. I wanted that but I wasn’t the person who could stay with him.

“I can’t. If I stay in one spot, or get comfortable death comes again. It just doesn’t come for me but for everyone around me... I don’t care if I die over and over again, but I can’t risk losing someone else.” I said, finally telling him the real reason why I moved around as often as I did.

I let the answer sink in. I ran my hand over his tie to keep it flat and then adjusted his jacket. His head lowered and was a tempting target. I pressed my forehead against his own, chest aching that this was all we could be to each other. Even this much might be pushing it. A few pings coming from his pocket kept reminding us that it wasn’t just my lifestyle getting in the way. He straightened up to grab his phone to check the messages. I also reached a hand in his pocket feeling something I wanted.

“I don’t like you smoking.” He commented with his hand over the receiver so the person he just called didn’t hear his complaint.

“I don’t like you fighting monsters. We’re even.” I said, know him fighting deadly creatures everyday was much worse than me smoking.

340 always said that and yet always kept a pack of cigarettes in his pocket even though he didn’t smoke. I stole them away wishing motels still had smoking rooms. His call ended quickly but 340 stalled leaving. He kept asking if I wanted to hang out with one of his brothers or if I knew someone to just be around for the day. He didn’t trust my color yet, or just my overall expression. I assured him I felt fine. I loved his stupid younger brothers but wasn’t in the mood to deal with one of them all day.

We both went outside and I watched him get picked up by a car that pulled into the parking lot just long enough to get the agent. The rain started to come down again making the day a dull grey. My chest still hurt, and now even more from out short talk. I sat outside my room, watching the rain and smoking halfway through the pack. Nothing I thought of made the empty feeling go away. I couldn’t call 340 back fearing just how many nights together counted as a routine. No, I needed to stay alone for his safety.

I did the only thing I could. I took a hot shower and got as good meal from the diner across the street. Then, I got into my car ready to move on and try to put the memories of a certain pain behind me. The road ahead would bring more hardships but also on occasion, a warm bed to keep the hollow feeling away for a few hours.