Nick didn’t slip out the front door. Instead, he sat down on the couch, checking his phone. It was past eleven at night. What was Walt even doing still up?

Right. The holiday. Walt had the rest of the week off.

The bathroom door opened, and Evelyn walked out, rubbing something onto her face. “Oh, hi Nick. What are you doing still up?”

Nick said nothing. He hadn’t gotten in his pajamas yet, and Walt was certainly taking his sweet time searching his room. Evelyn glanced down the hall to his room, then back at Nick.

“Nick, are you…” she trailed off, and Nick glanced up to meet her eye, knowing the glare was still there.

“Just go to bed, Evelyn.” Nick sounded exhausted. He was exhausted. There was a half an hour left of the day, and Grizzizzik was waiting outside for him. Evelyn probably had a lot of texts from Derek about Grizzizzik being gone, and Nick wasn’t sure how to respond to any of them.

Evelyn hesitated, then walked into her room. Nick rested his head in his hands. He heard Walt rustling around in his room. He waited for Evelyn to march right back out with her phone to ask about Grizzizzik, but she remained in her room.

“I am fascinated by your father.”

Nick jumped, then turned to see a figure sitting on the couch next to him. It was a random man, covered in clothes. Multiple layers of shirts, pants, hats, gloves, scarves and boots. He was taking off the gloves from his hands, but it looked like there were at least two dozen gloves.

“That man is obsessed with Order and Justice, and yet he does so in such a chaotic manner. I feel inclined to hang out with Justice to see if she agrees. Chaotic Justice. I don’t know any other way to explain Walt. Your father fascinates me.” He dropped another glove. “Still too much in my sister’s clutches, though, don’t you think?”

Nick continued to stare. Glove after glove dropped to the ground. Once it hit the ground, it disappeared. Nick didn’t dare look at the man’s eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Nick asked.

“You didn’t listen to my prompt. Honestly? I respect the chaotic nature of it all, but I need to talk to you. Also, the holographic image of Grizzizzik will only last so long before Hraktar figures it out.”

Nick watched more gloves drop to the ground and disappear. “I don’t choose what form I end up appearing in this realm,” Chaos said, as though reading Nick’s thoughts. “Everything is randomized. I find it more fun.” Chaos stood, shaking off a few gloves. “Come, Nick. We need to get Grizzizzik. And from what I’ve observed, I’ll need my hands for this.”

Chaos started walking toward the door, but Nick remained on the couch, feeling nauseous. When Chaos turned, he was smirking. “Ah, there she is.” The being took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Uncertainty. Such a powerful child when she wants to be. So young, so unpredictable. I love her for it.”

“I’m not going because I did nothing. This is a conversation for you and Grizzizzik. Not for me.”

“If it makes you feel better, we won’t talk to you at all. But I know you’re curious,” Chaos said.

Nick said nothing. Curious didn’t feel like the right emotion. He didn’t feel curious. He felt dread.

“That’s what I thought,” Chaos said before snapping his fingers.

Nick fell on his back at the park. He scrambled to his feet, looking around. Grizzizzik was there too, though he remained on his feet.

“Am I also back at my house?” Nick asked.

Chaos said nothing as he kept shedding the gloves off his hands.

“Is there a holographic version of me back at the house?” Nick asked again, stepping forward. If he had disappeared completely, if Walt finished his search and walked into the living room…

Chaos smirked as Grizzizzik watched. Nick’s heart pounded, wondering if he could sprint back home before anyone noticed he was gone. He was about ready to when one of Chaos’ gloves slipped off and turned into a banana peel, landing right at Nick’s feet. Nick glared at Chaos, who smiled at him. Nick found himself looking into Chaos’ eyes again and forced himself to turn away.

“He didn’t steal from Isaac Morgan,” Chaos said, pulling off another glove.

“Our group has us separated.” Grizzizzik sounded nervous. “I had about five minutes of alone time to tell him what he needed to do and convince him to do it.”

“Mmm.” Chaos grabbed three gloves at a time and peeled them off.

“Please,” Nick said. “I can’t steal from Mr. Morgan. He’s my future.”

“One future, yes,” Chaos said. “Little too ordered for my taste, but he grants you some security. It’s why I figured he would be a great guy to create a little chaos.”

“Not stealing.” Nick shook his head. “Stealing is wrong.”

“Right, wrong, good, evil. You do like your rules, don’t you, Nick Larsen,” Chaos said.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“They are what protects us,” Nick said.

Chaos’ gaze shot up at him. “You reek of Order.”

Nick felt his body shudder as he stared at those chaotic eyes again. He forced himself to look away, his knees weak. “I need this future. It’s the only thing that keeps me going.”

“Hope, yes.” Chaos turned his focus back on taking off his gloves. “That child of mine enjoys dabbling with Order to give someone positive feelings toward Uncertainty. I will have to chat with them about this.”

“I can’t steal from him. Let me do something good,” Nick said.

“I’ve already told you, Nick. Good and evil are reactions by mortals, not something that applies to me.”

Nick curled his fists. “Stealing, Chaos. How is this such a hard concept for you to grasp? It’s wrong.”

Chaos waved a hand at Nick. “You’ve clearly never been so desperate to steal to feed your family. But it doesn’t matter. All I care about is you haven’t done what I asked, therefore didn’t follow the contract.” Chaos turned his attention to Grizzizzik, pulling off glove after glove as he smiled. “So, what shall we do? Do all these points go toward your rogue class? Or your warlock one?”

Grizzizzik had his arms folded, turning his glare toward Nick. This glare was a lot easier to handle than Chaos’s gaze. The silence stretched between them, and Nick was terrified of how long he’d been missing at home.

“I… need that sword,” Grizzizzik said.

Chaos nodded. “You earned a lot of points this week. Honestly, if you keep going like this, by next week you will have your sword. That is, if you let me create chaos for you this week.”

Grizzizzik glared again at Nick. Nick’s knees had grown weak. Grizzizzik’s gaze bounced around as he thought, then he closed his eyes. “Fine. Do it.”

Nick’s stomach churned as he glanced in Chaos’s direction. The being was smiling. “Perfect.” A d4 appeared, and Chaos grabbed it with his gloved hand. “I love the chaos dice bring.” He shook it, and Nick watched as it fell on an invisible plate. “Two.” A silver coin appeared in front of Chaos, and he took it, showing Grizzizzik. “Now it’s time to see if it’s in your favor or not. Heads or tails?”

Grizzizzik swallowed. “Heads?”

Chaos flipped the coin in the air. Nick watched with a sickened stomach as the coin caught the moonlight, flipping in the air before Chaos grabbed it and slapped it on the back of his hand. He smiled. “Heads.”

Chaos grabbed the last glove, peeling it off before wiggling his fingers. “Congratulations, Grizzizzik. You earn all those experience points.” Black energy filled Chaos’ palm before he slammed it down on the earth. Nick gasped, bracing himself for anything. The ripple pushed past them, and Grizzizzik and Nick glanced around.

Chaos stood up, brushing himself off. “A pleasure as always. Have fun this week.” Chaos started to leave, but Nick took a few steps forward.

“What did you do?” Nick demanded.

Chaos smiled. “Part of the fun is discovering it for yourself.”

Nick glanced around, waiting to see if zombies were going to start climbing out of the ground. Chaos had the gall to start chuckling.

“Nick Larsen, I’m hoping by the end of this you understand that I’m simply bored. I have been here since the creation of everything, and I enjoy a little excitement. Like connecting universes occasionally, because it’s so beautifully chaotic. What you’ve given me is another opportunity to be chaotic. Not unhinged. Go steal something from Mr. Morgan this week, and you may be done with our little deal.”

Nick still waited for something. Some sirens for war or a nuclear bomb to go off. Grizzizzik kept his arms folded, but his gaze, too was jumping around.

“I’m not stealing from Mr. Morgan this week. I won’t do it.”

Chaos smiled, then lifted his hand, a d4 between his middle and pointer finger. “I’d be willing to change the assignment. For a price.”

Nick furrowed his brow, staring at the d4. “You think I’ll make a deal with you?”

“What have you to lose? Your future?” Chaos asked.

Nick glared, but didn’t dare point it toward Chaos’s face. Another strong desire came to punch Chaos’ face.

“Instead of stealing something from Mr. Morgan, you can take your sister’s car for a joy ride. Long enough for your father to find out. All it costs is a roll of the dice.”

“And what makes you think I’d do this? There’s no zombie apocalypse, no aliens taking over our world. What could you possibly hold over my head to get me to do this?”

“Simply that if you don’t, I shall do the same consequence next week as I did this week. And if you want to switch, that will also take the same consequence of a roll of the dice.” Chaos was still smiling, even though Nick didn’t want to see it. “Isn’t that what you want? Haven’t you lived in uncertainty enough? Don’t you want a full understanding of what’s at stake? A peek into next week’s consequence?”

“Getting out of this situation is what I want,” Nick said. “Not knowing what chaos you’re unleashing.”

Chaos kept smiling. Kept holding the dice. Nick pursed his lips, glaring. Time had ticked on, and the world was moving on as it usually did. There was no panic in the streets. No screams.

“How much do you want Mr. Morgan’s respect, Nick?”

Nick curled his fingers. To be honest, he would do anything. And the moment he thought that, Chaos smirked. Nick’s face fell. Chaos read his mind, and took that as permission enough.

“Wait. Chaos, wait…”

Chaos’s fingers curled around the d4 before he gave it a good shake. It clattered to a stop on four. A coin appeared, and Chaos took it between two fingers, showing Nick.

“In your favor, or against?” Chaos whispered, staring right at Nick. “Heads? Or tails?”

Nick stared at those chaotic eyes, a terror filling his soul before he looked away. He hated this. He glared at Grizzizzik instead. Glared at his character that he created when he was a child. When he related so much to a rogue. Grizzizzik stared back, doing everything in his power to look bored.

“Tails,” Nick said.

Chaos flipped the coin, and Nick watched it tumble. Chaos caught it in the air before slapping it on the back of his palm. A slow smile crept across his face. “Heads.”

Silence stretched between the two of them. “So what does that mean?” Nick asked.

“It means… the same consequence Grizzizzik got. Except not in your favor.”

Nick didn’t have time to fully comprehend what Chaos meant when he pulled off his last glove. Dark energy filled both his hands. “And if you don’t do what I ask, this will happen again next week. The dice has already been rolled, and it’s already not in your favor. You can stop it by taking your sister’s car for a joyride.” Chaos slammed his hands against the earth. Nick watched the energy ripple across the ground at a fast speed.

“What did you do!” Nick shouted.

Chaos smirked. “Though both would have been chaotic, not in your favor will be so much fun. Take your sister’s car, Nick, or this will happen again.”

Nick moved forward, but Grizzizzik held him back. Nick tried to break out of his character’s grip. “Chaos! What did you do!”

The being stood, smiling. “I shall see you next week, Nick Larsen.”

“Go to hell!” Nick shouted.

“Mmm.” Chaos started to walk away. “That’s a fascinating place my sister’s deities came up with.”

With that, Chaos disappeared. Nick glared at Grizzizzik with all the rage he felt. “I need to get back.”

“Nick-”

“I’m not interested in talking to you, Grizzizzik. Get back now. I can’t let anyone know I left the house, and I don’t want to see you there.”

His house wasn’t far, and he needed to get home. Maybe, just maybe, Walt hadn’t noticed he left yet.

With that, Nick forcing his trembling knees to work as he sprinted back home.