Garofița awkwardly glanced between Walker and Mr Eduard, the latter looking around her room. The house fell silent, save for Walker's whining. She was starting to feel worried for herself instead. It was her house, her sleeping area, he shouldn't be there. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Mr Marius was scary too, but he was an old and relatively short man. Mr Eduard was fucking massive, his bald head almost brushing the ceiling. The forced perspective from being seated didn't help.

Mr Eduard didn't seem to notice Garo's trepidation. He was taking in her small collection of trinkets and the window DIY with a look of endearment.

"I, uh,... I have to go... now... into town..." She said.

"Did you set this up by yourself?" Eduard asked with a smile.

She nodded.

"Good job!" He said. "It looks like a real house."

"T-Thank you!"

"Have you thought of what you'll do for winter?"

"Uhm, if it's really cold I'll sleep at the shelter in town. But only at night." She reached a hand to pet Buddy. "During the day I'll stay with them."

"Good thinking." He nodded and looked at the windows.

"I, uh, I'm working on that too." She said. "I'll put glass in all of them or maybe a cloth."

"Or some sort of tarpaulin." He suggested. "Nail it to the walls, so the draft doesn't come in so harshly."

"Yeah!"

"You got this!"

"Thank you, Sir!"

Silence again. Garo fidgeted with her hands.

"What are up to today?" He asked.

"I want to go to Roxi, and, uh, to Amante. I-I think I saw the undead girl yesterday."

"Really?"

"Y-Yeah, around here."

"Alright, I'll walk you to Amante. I'm going there too."

"Did you see her too, Sir?"

"No, but Roxi made a post about it on the facebook. If anybody sees the undead girl around town, come to Amante and make a statement. A bunch of people replied they will."

"Oh."

"You've got good synchronisation!" He laughed.

Garofița took some money, cursed herself for letting Mr Eduard see where she hid it, then gave a small peck on Walker's head. "I'll make you tea." She said. He hissed weakly in response.

She kissed Buddy too. "I'll be back soon."

Buddy went over to Walker and crawled next to his ailing stomach, lying atop of him like a hot water bottle. Garofița gasped. They do like each-other!

She closed the door and passed through the broken fence into the street. The metal tugged on Mr Eduard's large frame, pulling at his coat. They both waved at Mrs Delia as they passed her shop. Mr Eduard walked with a contented ease in his step, leisurely looking over the old buildings of the periphery. Garo watched him with the corner of her eye. She felt like a crocodile was swimming by her boat, stiff as a log but never falling behind.

"Your house reminds me of where Marius used to stay when he was your age." He said. "He used to be homeless too."

"I know, he told me." She said.

"Yours is far tidier."

She smiled, flattered despite herself. "Have you known Mr Marius for a long time?"

"Oh, yes! He was one of my only friends. Him, Robert and Simonica."

"And, now, you both work for Mirabela...?"

"It was Marius who suggested it. We were teens and poor as dirt. He thought 'hey, let's try this, we'll ditch her after we save some money.' Yet we still work for her to this day!" He laughed heartily. Garo didn't like it. There was a weird forceful push behind it, as if to make sure it's on queue and loud enough. Did he wait for the chance to say that line?

"F-From what I've seen, Mr Marius doesn't like Mirabela. Heh..." She said, hoping he'd say more.

"He never did. He's not fond of the supernatural in general. Not in a bigoted way- ahhh, well, maybe a little bit. It's not the main reason he resents Mirabela, but it's in there."

"A lot of people resent Mirabela..." She watched him.

"I know." He said, then sighed. "In a way I understand Marius. I'm sure it wears him down, being the person nobody wants to see because of who his boss is. Be it troublemakers, or regular people scared of the vamps and wolfies, they all look at us the same way." He smiled a little at the end.

"Even when he's nice to me, he feels intimidating."

"Oh, he mellowed out so much compared to his youth. You should have seen him back then!" He laughed softly. "Absolutely terrorized the streets of Ferești."

"...what about you, Sir?"

"I was right by his side!" He said with a day-dreaming look to his eyes. "Sticking by Marius has always gone well for me."

"Were you, hah, were you a terrorist too?" Garo nervously laughed.

"Not really." He tilted his head a little to the side while raising his eyebrows. Although barely visible, they were very expressive. "Terrorist by proxy, I suppose? I was more for show, while Marius and Robert did the actual work. I know I look scary. As long as you don't know I never threw a punch in my life, I am very effective in standing in the back like Lurch."

She laughed genuinely.

"Marius and Robert are the... attack dogs, so to speak, while I deal with more... 'private matters'." He continued. "Administrative work."

"Like Simona?"

"Ehhh, yes and no."

"She, uhm, works for Mirabela too, right?"

"Yes, of course. She is one of Mirabela's spies. All of us are, to some degree. You too, when you tell us about odd things you've noticed around town."

"A-Alright..."

"You can't escape her, huh?"

"What?"

"Mirabela. This town is all hers. She's everywhere you look. Whether you are aware of it or not, you depend on her or something she set up. She depends on you too, don't worry." He smiled. "Vampires don't stay where it's not good for them."

Garofița swallowed dryly. "... do you like her? I mean, do you feel the same way as Mr Marius?"

"Meh." He shrugged, eyelids low and eyebrows high. "She lets me be, so I usually like her."

Amante was coming into view.

"If it gets really cold," Eduard said, "you can arrange to stay with Roxi and the boys. But with climate change and everything, you might be fine."

"I, heh, I was kind of counting on that."

"Oh, well. We'll probably never see snow again." He pouted and opened the door for her.

There was Gabriel with his laptop at the bar, eyebags growing darker and darker; Mihai cleaning the bar, still wearing short sleeves in cold weather; Mr Marius sitting down, drinking coffee; and Denisa, together with a girl around their age with headphones.

"Hi!" Denisa greeted them first.

"Welcome!" Mihai said, petting Garo's hair as he walked past her.

"Hiii!" Roxi said from the kitchen.

"Hi! Hello! You saw the undead girl too?" Garofița asked.

"I did." The other girl said, pointing at herself.

"Patricia is my classmate!" Deni smiled.

"My mom told me to stay away from Amante, so I told her I'm going to the library with Denisa."

"Go get somethin' to eat." Marius told Garofița. "I'll talk with Patricia here first."

Roxi was stirring a pot of stew, white steam coming out that matched her nails, the colour of eggshells. The broth was a pale yellow like grains and the highlights in her hair.

"Hi!" She said again.

"Hi!" Garofița smiled.

"Deni no?"

"She's, uh, with her friend."

"I like Patricia! She's funny!" She tapped the wooden spoon against the lip of the pot. "Did you see the famed undead girl?"

"I did, unfortunately." Garo frowned. "She walked right past me."

Roxi sighed. "Never a dull moment!"

Mihai came into the kitchen for a moment, put dishes in the sink, and left again.

"Did Mr Eduard arrive too?" Roxi asked. "I made rădăuțeană, his favourite."

"Yes, we came together." Garofița sat on a chair to the side of the cookers, out of Roxi's way.

She furrowed her brows. "Together?"

"We, uh, we met along the way."

"Ah, got it."

"He is nice." She said, watching for Roxi's reaction.

"He is!"

"He works for Mirabela too."

"Yup! One of the OG's."

"We talked on the way here and he told me a bit about his job."

Roxi's head spun towards her. "He did what?"

"Yeah, he said he does administrative work."

Roxi's eyes drifted away from Garo, stared for a second into space with her lips half-way pouted, then she pouted them fully, blinked once and turned back to the soup. "That's one way to put it."

"What?"

"Nothing!"

There was a pause for a moment, with only the sound of the bubbling broth and the kitchen hood loudly whirring. Garofița thought not to say anything until Roxi spoke first.

"Mr Eduard is... an odd guy." Roxi continued.

"Should I avoid him?" Garofița asked.

"No, no, nothing like that! It's just, how do I put this... He's been through some really bad stuff and it messed him up. So he may say things that are really weird, or ominous,... or concerning,... but he's not a bad guy, you know?"

"W-What bad stuff?"

Roxi sighed deeply. She took the spoon and put it over the pot to keep it from rising over the edge, then moved closer to Garofița in order to whisper. "Mr Eduard's mom died when was little. He and Mr Marius say his dad killed her and dumped her in the forest."

"Oh God, really?"

"It gets worse!" She whispered quieter, coming out scratchier. "Everyone thought Mr Eduard's mom went missing, but then he found her. But a skin-walker found her body first and it took her skin!"

Garofița's expression was horrified. She drew back and looked at Roxi as if to check if she was really telling the truth.

"Gosh, I can't even imagine..." Roxi whispered, glancing cautiously at the door. "After that, Mr Eduard stopped caring about anything. That's how Mr Marius described it. I think that's how he copes. He just... doesn't give a fuck. No matter what befalls him, he's chill."

"I... kind of understand..." Garofița whispered back. "The, uh, not caring anymore part."

"Yeah, girl, but you can't live devoid of feelings!"

She wished it was possible. Garofița shook her head before it could fall into darker thoughts.

Roxi returned to her station. "If you don't care about anything, you'll do anything." She continued. "Mirabela says to do it, he does it... 'Eddy, hit the second tower.' 'On it, Boss!' "

"Bye-bye!" Denisa popped her head in the kitchen door.

"Bye!" Garofița waved. After she left, she turned back to Roxi. "What happened to Mr Eduard's father? Did he go to jail?"

"Oh, girl!" Roxi came close to whisper again. "It's so crazy, it has its own wikipedia page!"

"Shut up!" She whispered with wide eyes.

"It's, like, one paragraph, but still! Vanished without a trace! Unsolved to this day!"

"Did Mirabela-?"

"Mirabela wasn't in their lives yet!"

"Wait, 'their'?"

"Eduard and Marius!"

"They did something together?"

"Girl, they're like this!" She crossed her pointer and middle fingers.

"Mr Robert and Miss Simona don't know?"

"No, no, he was looking after Simo at the time, taking her to kindergarten and stuff. They probably told him afterwards. They're all besties."

"Who are we gossiping about?" Mihai whispered, his chin almost on Roxi's shoulder.

Both girls shrieked, Garofița jumping off her chair.

"You'll give me a heart attack one of these days!" Roxi smacked him over the head, which he didn't dodge.

"Garo, another dude came for a statement, Mr Marius will take you afterwards if you don't mind." He said.

"It's okay. Uhh, could we make some chamomile tea I can take home?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Matei Ardelean, was it?" Marius asked, sitting across from the other dude. Gabi typed on his laptop as a background ambiance and Eduard got himself a second cup of coffee.

"Yes, that's me." Mr Ardelean said. "I live on Marie Curie Street number 15, apartment 4. It is about a 5 minute walk away from the cafe, if you know - I mean, of course you know, you live here too! I don't go to the cafe too often, even though it's so close and they have pretty decent prices. Everything's gotten so expensive lately, goodness, just the other day I spent so much on my groceries-"

"So you saw the undead girl?" Marius gently interrupted.

"Yes, yes, it was around 1 in the morning. Work has been intense for the past few days. I work as a notary and everybody is trying to get their matters in order before winter and Christmas season. In a way I appreciate it, that they don't leave everything until the last moment, as us Romanians usually do, hahah. A few days ago I had this young man-"

"So you saw the undead girl at 1 am?" Marius said, stifling a grimace.

"Yes, that's right. I, well, it would be more accurate to say I heard her rather than saw her. Like I said, work has been intense and I started to go to sleep earlier than I usually do, around 10 or even 9 pm. Most nights I stay up until midnight, or even 2 am, especially if I find something on youtube-"

"So you heard the girl?" He interrupted again.

"Yes, I was fast asleep when I kept hearing something, and you know when you are asleep and you listen to something in your dream, only to realise it's not a dream but a sound you are hearing in real life? Well, that's what happened, and I was woken up by the sound of a girl singing outside my window. I was only half-awake, I don't think I even opened my eyes properly, but I was still rather spooked. I was never an adept of the supernatural. No offence. When I little I think I met a ghost-"

"So the undead girl was outside your house, singin'." Marius' eye twitched.

"Yes, but I don't think on purpose, like she was singing to me specifically. I think she was just passing by and I happened to hear her voice. I am a very light sleeper in general. One time I was woken up by a beetle falling on my windowsill. You know those green potato beetles-"

"So, Mr Ardelean," Marius took a deep breath, "the undead girl passed at 1 am outside your house, while singin'. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's correct!"

"Do you remember which direction she was goin'?"

"Oh, goodness, I admit I fell back asleep almost immediately. But it sounded more like she was going from the left of my window to the right, so that would be in the direction of Panait Istrati street. Although, from that direction, she could have also gone towards Eminescu street. That's the route I usually take when I need to buy something from the Kaufland-"

"Alright, thank you, Mr Ardelean. You can go." Marius said.

"Oh, uh, do you need anything else?"

"Nope. That's all. Go."

"Oh, before I forget! I tried to take a video of the girl singing, but when I woke up in the morning I saw it was just a photo. I was too hazy to see what I was tapping on."

"Don't look at my other photos, please."

"...Sure. Thank you, Mr Ardelean."

"Have a nice day!" Eduard smiled.

"Apologies, Garofița." Marius groaned and stretched his arm to steal Eduard's remaining coffee, downing it in one gulp.

"It's alright, Sir." She sat down, holding a water bottle filled with golden hot tea. She tried not to look at Mr Eduard too much, as to not give away that she found out information about him. He was smiling as usual.

"What did you see, dear?"

"I was going home from the encampment yesterday, around, uhm, 4pm. Before the sun went down. I was walking past the thrift store, towards Mrs Delia and the street I live on, when a girl came from the opposite direction, like, from the direction of the forest. I didn't see her face because I was looking down, but her legs were bare. Her feet were bare too. When I looked back, she was wearing a jacket and her hair was light brown. She turned the corner towards the other end of the intersection, and was gone. I went straight home, I-I didn't wanna mess with her."

"There." Marius said. "Short and sweet. What's so fuckin' hard?"

"What does she want...?" Gabi mumbled hoarsely from behind his laptop screen. "She toured the whole town by the sound of it."

"Is she looking for someone?" Garo suggested.

"Maybe she was just going on a walk." Eduard said.

"Then do it somewhere else." Marius scoffed. "Not my town."

Garofița headed home, the tea warming her hands. She half-expected to see the girl again, but she didn't.

She found Walker as she left him, lying down half-asleep. Buddy lay like a loaf against his back, between him and the wall, and Bezea was purring like a little engine against his stomach.

"You're cute." Garofița smiled. She filled a bowl with tea and put it by Walker's head. He opened his eyes when he heard it. "Drink this, please. It will make you feel better." She said.

Walker closed his eyes back.

"Hey!" She poked his head.

He opened his eyes.

"Drink this."

He closed them again.

"God damn you." She picked up the bowl and scooted closer. "Even more than you're already damned!"

She lifted Walker's head, ignoring his protest and how his loose skin slipped around her fingers, and pressed the bowl to his mouth. He tentatively lapped from it, considered the taste, then tilted his head to drink. It reminded Garofița of a cute video she saw of a sheep drinking water from a trough, its lips puckering like a person's as it sipped.

"You're my medically expensive pet." She said. "I still love you, though. I love you all."

The bowl was empty and Garofița pushed him in a seated position. "We'll go for a walk next." She tapped his back, but no burp came out.

She wanted to go to the clearing they found that one time, beyond the blueberry bushes. There were still a few hours of light and the clouds were sparse.

Garofița placed Bezea over her shoulder and supported Walker by his arm. Buddy led the way, snatching any grass still green he could find. He ate some fallen leaves, but spat them out when they were too crunchy or caked in mud. Garo also dodged rotting leaf piles and the naked branches of bushes, somehow sharper without their foliage.

"It only snowed for a couple of days last winter." She told her pets. "Maybe it will be the same this year too. If only there was no wind. Wind seeps all the way to my bones and makes my head hurt. I love nature, why can't nature love me back?"

There was a purr and Garo laid her head over Bezea as a hug. The kitty only then started purring. "Huh?"

She looked at her and then at Walker. She put her hand to his throat and felt the purring come from inside. "Oh! You can copy that too!"

A bird flew above their heads and they all looked.

"Can you say Buddy?" Garofița asked.

"Buddy" Walker said in her voice.

Buddy's head turned to look at him.

"Can you say 'Hi, hello''?"

"Hi Hello"

"You don't talk a lot unless I ask you, huh? I guess there's no point if you're not hunting."

"Huh" He copied her intonation.

"Huhhh." She made a sound like a Minecraft villager. "Can you say huuuhhh?"

"Huhhh"

Garo giggled.

As they walked on their little promenade, she thought over what else Walker should know how to say. What would scare someone away?

"Walker, can you say 'Who is there'? 'Who is there?' "

"Who is there"

"Can you say... 'Who goes there!' "

"Who is there"

"No, 'who goes there?!' "

"Who goes there"

"Perfect! Can you say..." She burst out laughing. "Say 'you smell nice'. Like that, all gross and weird."

Walker didn't say anything.

"You smell niiice...!~"

Some twigs snapped and Garofița spun around, face red. The shepherd dog was crossing the path behind them, staring at them with his drooping eyes.

"I-I can explain!"

He kept walking, uninterested.

"You smell nice" Walker said.

"Good job." She nodded while closing her eyes.

They reached the clearing, a darker and browner sight than before. The ground was thankfully dry and they could rest. Buddy lay his head over Garo's lap and Bezea climbed up Walker's shirt.

Garofița looked up at the sky through the empty branches, overlapping on several storeys. It was as though above her head was a huge wicker basket and she was peeking through the gaps. "We're bugs under a picnic basket." She thought out loud while petting Buddy. "I wanna be a stag beetle. You guys are weevils."

"Hello, Mură!"

Garofița's face fell and she felt cold all over. She looked around and saw the fairy a few steps away, between the trees. Smaranda looked the same as when she last saw her outside her house. Still she looked like a traditional peasant girl, around her age and height, still misshapen, still smiling like a fool.

"Hello..." Garofița decided to say.

Smaranda came closer, a theatrical gladness in her step. Pollyanna-looking ass. Garo still wasn't sure if her smile was fake or if that was the only expression she was capable of. She didn't like either option. Smaranda's feet were bare but clean, and her iie was plainer than last time, with fewer embroidery. Garofița wasn't sure if it was because of the way her skirt swayed, but for a moment she thought she saw something... move in the area of Smaranda's belly.

She was startled when she felt Walker press against her back, his head next to her temple. He growled low and cautionary, reverberating in her chest.

"How are you?" Smaranda asked, abruptly stopping at a safe distance from them. Walker didn't move an inch, but still rumbled. Wait, was he using her as a shield?

"I-I'm good, thank you..." Garofița said, then cleared her throat. "How are you? Are you alright?"

"I am good, thank you!" She said and rocked from heel to heel. Like a willow in the wind, Garo thought.

"Are you, uhm... is your neck okay?"

"My neck?" Smaranda blinked her small eyes, then remembered. "Oh! Yes, yes, I am not hurt."

"Good." Garo nodded. "You, uh, you can't even see where you were bitten, heh."

"Thank you!"

Being polite was the best idea until they could get away.

"What, uhhh, what are you doing here?"

"I was walking and I heard your voice. I have not passed your part of the forest in a long time."

"My part..." Garofița smiled a little. "Why didn't you pass by? I haven't seen you or any fairy in months, now that I think about it."

"I thought to avoid the parts of the forest where the shepherd roams."

"You're still scared of him?"

"No." She said, smile dropping.

Garofița sucked her own lips to hide a grin.

"But I did wonder how you were faring." Smaranda continued.

"Me too about you, to be honest. After, you know... I suppose fair folk heal better than humans."

"We do?"

"Yeah, a bite like that would have killed me instantly."

"Ah, that is 'scary' to think about. Humans either die very fast, or surprisingly do not."

"True!"

"I met a girl that died, yet rose back up and carried on. I asked her if she was alright, but she did not answer me. She was very rude."

Garofița felt like a metal pipe dropped inside her head. "Wait, what?"

"What?"

"Wh-Hold on! W-When did you meet this girl?"

"A few days ago."

"What did this girl look like?"

"A human girl, hair like chestnuts and eyes blue like the sky. She had a spot on her cheek and hairs on her forehead, like you."

"I see..." She looked down. "Y-You saw her die?"

"It was the strangest thing. She was walking through the forest, then she was suddenly on the ground. As if she fell asleep in the middle of her step. After some hours, just as suddenly she stood up and left. Blood was coming out of her nose."

"Have you seen her again since then?"

"Yes. She rests in an old storm drain. Not far from where you live, actually."

Garofița made a face akin to gagging. She felt chills all over and let out a tiny strangled squeak of fright. "Okay... Okay, thank you..." She said breathlessly, fighting for her life not to panic.

"For what?"

"For, uh, telling me. I-I didn't know about that..." Garofița blinked rapidly. "Stay away from her, o-okay? We are not sure what she is and I-I don't want you to be hurt again."

"I will be safe." Smaranda said, something like gloating in her tone. "I am married!"

"Huh?" She looked up, bumping into Walker. "For real?"

"Yes, it is real."

"I-I mean, really? Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" Smaranda smiled brightly, every tooth like a molar.

"When, ermh, when did you get married?"

"Ohhh..." She tilted her head to the left. "A few days after we talked that night. My mother arranged for me to marry so that I would not wander so much."

"O-Oh..."

"My husband is of birch and aspen, and he is very tall. I like him more than I thought I would!"

"That's, uh, good, right...?"

"Yes! During the summer we climbed to the top of trees and dozed off under the Sun until our hair bleached blonde!" She said, a pink blush spreading on her cheeks. It made Garo think of blooming flowers. "We raced rabbits and deer, stole cooked meat and potatoes from campers...! I even made him a necklace out of my hair!"

"Well, I'm glad you're happy!" She smiled.

"I am!" She giggled, her hands with long fingers hugging her own torso, where something writhed to meet her.

Garofița choked back the horror and bid Smaranda a quick goodbye. She really really really hoped fairies only looked young. That's what they say, right? They all look like young women. Maybe she's actually 30! Garo still felt sick. She almost dragged Walker after her and made Buddy run. Her hand pressed Bezea on her chest like a pancake.

Back in town and by her house, she took everybody inside without looking at the street, without looking down at the concrete. Smaranda's nonsense wore off and the main problem of the day returned to the front of her mind like an unwatched pot boiling over. She couldn't recall there being storm drains, she never noticed or thought to keep track, and she did not want to know where they were now. For all she knew there was one right next to her house, and that horrible undead girl had been right next to her that whole time, hiding in the ground beneath her house!!!

Garofița sobbed and tried to stilt her panicked breathing. Buddy pressed close to her and tried to crawl in her arms, letting out a whine of concern.

What did she want? Why did the cult make her? What on Earth did they summon? Why would she hide in a freaking storm drain or all places? Pennywise demon knock-off headass! How did she even fit in there? Could she mould her body, bend it and squeeze it to fit?!

"Why here?!" Garofița cried out. "Why next to my house?!"

Buddy pressed his snout against her cheek.

Garo hiccuped and exhaled shakily. She had to go tell Roxi, Mr Marius, Vitalis, anyone. What if the girl was outside? She didn't even want to turn around to look out the window, what if she was right there?

Walker reached his claw towards her, in the same motion she made when she pet his shoulder. Garofița moved away before he could make contact. She picked up her broom made out of sticks and stress-dusted the entire house.

"Why does everything happen to me?!" She ranted to her pets, Buddy following her around, while Walker stayed out of the way. Bezea took a nap in her books. "It's not fair, I just want to live in peace! Why can't peace last? I never did anything wrong to be divinely punished or some shit! What the hell! So what if I was a little mean to Adrian! Fuck him! I'll do it again!"

She stabbed a can of pineapple slices until it opened.

"I don't wanna work for Mirabela, but these stupid fucking things are gonna make me do it! What other choice do I have?! The whole universe is against me! You want to live a quiet little life in the woods? Tough luck, bitch! Your neighbours are a fae and a demon! Get mafia protection!"

Walker sniffed the pineapple and wrinkled his nose.

"I'm already having a bad time, please don't do this to me right now!" She said, voice shaky.

Walker quietly ate the fruit, avoiding eye-contact.

"You know what I heard today? Mr Eduard's mom died because of a skin-walker! Yeah, from Roxi. Why did she even tell me all that?! Everyone in this town is a nutcase!"

She shook Walker's blanket, then fixed her own bed.

"Toad probably isn't that skin-walker. You guys don't live that long, right? Out in the wild. Or in captivity you live longer, like other animals?" She fixed her improvised pillow. "We're all animals, after all."

"erhh all" Walker copied.

"Did I say it a lot? Anyway, it's freaky. Keeping a guy- I mean, an animal that killed your mom. Like some weird revenge? I already found Mr Eduard creepy, now it's worse..."

Buddy tried to yawn and Bezea stuck her paw in his mouth.

"I have a skin-walker too, but I'm not creepy about it!" Garofița declared. "Yeah, you're my friend and I look after you. I do it... for practical reasons! Yeah!"

"Yeah" Walker repeated.

"God, I feel like I'm the only sane person left."

They settled for sleep, but Garofița's mind was still racing. Every nerve was alight and the tranquil silence of the forest was mocking her. She was wide awake as if she drank coffee, almost unable to keep her eyes shut. Hadn't felt so scared of what may lurk outside since she first ran away. She pulled Buddy to lay his head over neck, so his noggin' blocked her from seeing out the window facing the street.

Walker let out a small whine. She was about to look up at him to see if he was okay, when a loud fart rang out in the room.

"Oh my fucking God, dude." She said.

Aurora had not seen the black-haired girl leaving the house that day. It was probably when she wasn't around to see it, but she still wanted to check if she was alright.

Little light from the town reached all the way to the periphery, and the forest looked dark blue, the old buildings like crumbling fortresses.

She carefully walked closer. She couldn't see from the street into the black windows, so she slipped through the broken fence, sneaking right up to the front wall.

"Caw! Caw!"

"Shush, you!" She glared at the crow.

From what was visible, the room was sparsely furnished. In the middle was the young girl, sleeping on a nest of blankets, black hair mixing into the darkness. Next to her was a... cryptid? Or a hairless dog? A cryptid was more likely.

Above her head, against the wall opposite the window, was a corpse. A man with canvas-white skin and long messy hair over his face, and a blanket draped over his torso. His mouth was agape and his eyes were open, pointed up at the window.

He lay there completely still, his chest not rising and falling like the girl's. But his eyes were too shiny to be dead. Aurora felt chills down her spine when she noticed it.

The man's jaw moved against the floor, the dark hole of his mouth extending and yellowed teeth peeking through. The voice that came out was of a girl, sweet and mousy, so viscerally wrong to emerge out of that thing.

"Who is there" it said in a pleasant, neutral tone. "Hello Who is there"

Aurora took a step back.

"God damn you" it hissed under its breath in frustration.

She ran away, rattling the fence in her hurry.

Garofița, whose brain managed to knock itself out with great difficulty, raised her head with her eyes still closed. "Huh? Whuh?"

Walker purred like Bezea. Garo listened for a couple seconds, then fell back asleep.

"About Man and Beast"

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