Scars of Time

Still alive. Very little sleep. Cold night. Every time a car went by, I bolted upright. One stopped. Hid behind the drug store. Once the car went, checked on my stuff. Bag rummaged through, stuff scattered everywhere. Took a half-hour to recover everything.

Called home from pay phone. No response. Might be out looking for me. My folks, I mean. Mom's probably worried sick. Dad'll be angry. Sister... who knows with her?

In midtown BSG Pilot Coffee store. (See what I did there?) Moving on. Buses running now. Catch one, take to university. Big campus, lots of places to hide. Will wait it out there. (And check Dad's office. He might be there.)

Train doesn't come until early morning.

Lateness of the Hour

Made it to a late-night coffee joint. Dunno how I managed it. Called home, but no response from my folks. They're still not home. Mom. Dad. Please be okay...

Dead tired. Gonna find somewhere safe to crash. To sleep.Thinking maybe the drugstore half a mile down the road. Busy road. Bus stop right out front. Can sleep on the bench, grab the first bus down to the U. To the train station.

I need sleep. Have to get sleep somehow.

The next Agent to get near me gets a baseball bat to the skull.

An Assassin Named... Alice Twilight

...My folks haven't come back from work yet, and it's pitch-black out there. Cold, too. Dad sent a message saying he was sneaking out before his bosses could grab him for another meeting. That was hours ago.

Trying to keep the mood up by playing music, keeping the lights on, cooking my favorite food. Little things like that. I haven't been home alone at night since...

No. No, they're okay. Mom's probably at yoga and Dad probably got kept late to work on some code. They'll come home soon. They've gotta come home soon. It'll be fine. Yeah. It'll be-

Hark! ('Hark"? Wow, I'm nerdy.) I hear the kitchen door being opened. That's probably Dad. I'll go yell at him for being this late. Be right back!

Libera Nos

Fuck, what time is it?

Last thing I remember was heading out to the pharmacy for antacids and chewing gum. (Never doubt the power of apple-flavored gum to soothe the nerves.) That was... shit, 6 hours ago. It's right around the fucking block, it normally takes 5 minutes max to get there. How'd I get back home and why'd it take so long?

And I don't even have my gum or antacids. Pardon the profanity, but... what the hell happened?

One Night of the Hunter

I saw It.

Yesterday, my folks were late getting home. I was alone. It got dark. I was outside tossing something into the garbage bin when the security lights snapped on next door. Thought it was my neighbor's daughter; she's been looking after the house since he passed away.

It wasn't her. It was too tall, too thin, dressed in black. ...I saw It standing barely in the light's range, staring at my house. Staring at me.

Ran inside, bolted all the doors, grabbed an old aluminum softball bat, turned on all the lights. My folks came home an hour later.

I'm pretty sure what I saw was It. The... you know. I can't be sure. It was dark and whatever It was wasn't standing fully in the light. But if I see It again... if I spot It... then I might as well kiss my rear goodbye.

Bloom

God damn it. Jay.

Jay.

You son of a bitch. Are you satisfied yet? All those people, all this misery. What do you want? Well? Answer if you can, whatever you are. Explain this!

Shouldn't be so angry. I know I shouldn't be asking these questions. That's just daring It to show up and terrify the crap out of me.

But It took Jay. It took him and It might take Zeke and Robert and Shaun and Damsel and...

I'm worried.