As they approached the road running along the creek, Joe saw a neighborhood ahead. It was a standard tight-packed two-story community with nonsensical curvy streets and price tags way beyond their actual value. But, it did have some drainage ponds and access to the creek nearby. More importantly, it looked half empty as Diana picked a house closest to the ponds and the creek. It was a basic bitch suburb house with fake black shutters and white siding. More importantly, it looked to be unoccupied.

The front door was unlocked, and Diana entered before giving him the all-clear. True to her word, she went upstairs, and Joe heard doors opening and shutting as she looked around. He stayed downstairs and was happy to spot an overstuffed couch in the living room right off the kitchen. He sat his stuff down in a corner and inspected the place. It had a basement that sounded empty. He scrounged out a light stick from his pack and was relieved to find that statement true. It was a standard giant concrete cube with only one exit. Great for storage and not much else. Joe pocketed his glow stick and continued his inspection.

The garage had been converted to a pretty spare home gym, with a cheap bench press bar resting in the corner with a couple of small dumbells. In the back, a small shed with peeling red paint held a push lawnmower but no fuel cans in sight. Joe went back in and frowned. He was worried about the sliding glass doors on the back deck and copious first-floor windows. He didn't think glass would deter those monsters for a second if they came around. There weren't any tools here, but Joe had a whole neighborhood to look through. His concerns about looting were long gone after facing the genuine threat of being eaten alive. It was amazing what a pair of apex predators would do for someone's priorities.

Diana was still upstairs, but Joe didn't feel like resting yet. He crept to one of the neighboring houses and peered into the windows. It was empty with no furniture on the ground level. Joe found the shed unlocked and scored a set of long-handled garden shears. Joe moved over to the house, a near twin to the one he'd just occupied. A dead planter sat on the porch, and Joe retrieved a key from underneath. He shook his head and wondered if people would ever manage to change.

The inside was underwhelming. It had the same layout, and there wasn't much left other than knickknacks on the main level. The upstairs was similarly empty, with only a disposable razor under the sink worth taking. Lord knows the ugly red curtains on all the windows were better left there. Joe was tempted to grab the 'It's Wine O'Clock' painted sign from the kitchen to cover up a small window, but he decided that death might be preferable.

Joe went down into the basement and hit the jackpot. It was empty until he looked under the stairs. Tucked into the very corner at the base was a small toolbox. Joe didn't know why it was there, but it was almost impossible to spot in the flickering light of his glowstick. He took it upstairs and was pleased to see a small prybar, hammer, pair of screwdrivers, and a utility knife. Joe said a thank you to whoever left this and dropped it off at his new digs. As he came in, he noticed Diana sitting near the bottom of the stairs. He hid the toolbox behind the couch before turning to face her.

"It's about time we head towards the rift." Joe pointed towards the fading afternoon light coming through the west-facing windows. Diana's face visible paled at the thought.

"It's going to be night soon. You want to go in then? Those things are still roaming around out there."

Joe gave her a moment to finish and a moment after as he took a drink of water. He made a mental note to work on a long-term solution for their water supply. There was still plenty at the moment, but it wouldn't last forever.

"There is nothing to be gained by putting it off. We'll come in straight from the East, but if they decide to attack, I don't think the time of day will matter." Joe paused, clearing his throat. He wasn't used to putting this many words together in a day, much less a conversation. "The Council is less active at night. There's a better chance to get in and out without having to hurt people."

Diana's expression stayed grave, but she nodded her head in acceptance. She stood up and brushed herself free of some imaginary dirt, her nerves evident.

"What do I need to bring?"

"Whatever weapon you are best with and a backup if you have it. I would recommend something with some reach unless you have some armor hidden away. Injuries still hurt, even if the berries help with the healing."

Joe took his own advice and went to his pack. He took out his bat and his knife. It didn't take long, but fortunately, neither did she. Diana came down the stairs with her staff and a knife on her hip. Joe was pleased to see that she had remembered to bring the berry pouch. He took his coin pouch and didn't leave any behind this time. The property wasn't secure, and he might need to bribe the guards again. Who knew how much that was going to cost after his little episode today.

They went straight north, Diana leading the way. An abandoned elementary school sat across from a large graveyard on their way. Before too long, they came to a familiar cross street heading west, and the mental map in Joe's head snapped into focus. He knew exactly where they were and moved ahead to take the lead. Joe slowed to a walk before they reached their old neighborhood.

"The sun isn't down yet. Is there somewhere that we can watch what's going on without being seen?"

Diana nodded and led Joe around the neighborhoods until they stood in a fenced backyard directly behind her former condo. Her face tightened when she saw it, but she didn't say a word. Joe noted the wood pile would make clearing the fence pretty easy and filed this spot away for future use. There was a big enough gap in the fence to see the rift. Five people were milling around the awning near the rift. Joe didn't spot any obvious changes to their setup from earlier in the day.

Joe watched, and after five minutes, he went from high alert to bored out of his mind. The members didn't do anything until almost sundown when the portal wiggled, and four people ran out of it. The first man was screaming for help, and his left arm hung limp beside him. The three that followed looked worse, though they contained their emotions behind grim countenances. The yeller was bandaged up quickly and clearly showed more care than the other three. Joe watched the trio each eat a berry before the guards said something, and they handed over the small bags at their sides with tense anger written large on their faces.

Mr. Panic, as Joe now called what was obviously a council official, had finally composed himself, and with a few harsh words, the group was on their way back to the heart of town. Joe noted that they took the way he had come. It was a slightly slower route. The other way left you exposed to the west. So they were taking the problem seriously now. That was good. Almost like clockwork, a new group of men approached from the same direction. There were four instead of two, and they all held makeshift spears.

Joe eyed the spears longingly. They were crude enough to be laughed out of any respectable renaissance fair before things went to shit. Now though, they were a weapon with some reach, and after getting clawed, bitten, and bludgeoned, he knew their value. Joe was going to get one of those and anything else that was good for beating and stabbing. He waited for them to settle in and the day shift to go off their merry way before moving away from the fence. Joe motioned Diana closer so he didn't have to talk loudly.

"It's time to go. Let's head in from the North. I don't want to give this spot away if we can help it. I'll try to be nice, but we're getting in the rift tonight. You ready?"

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Diana nodded, and Joe wondered what was going through her head. She didn't say much, but neither did he. He put it out of his head and got his game face on as they jogged a loop and came out on the road. A minute of walking later put them right at the rift as the sunset. The twilight was a balm to the eyes after the blinding rays at the end of sunset. The birds called their good nights to the world, and the frogs started their nightly vigil. It would have been peaceful and relaxing if Joe had closed his eyes. He didn't, though. There wasn't time for that.

The men had noticed them coming and lined up tense with spears pointed in their direction. Joe would have felt much more confident if they still held knives and clubs. He had a lovely oval rock in his pocket, but even with a good shot, that still left three to deal with. He knew it would be unwise to count on Diana for now. Until she'd gotten used to fighting, she would be as likely to freeze as help. That was human nature in a land as comfortable as America, and it took some time to work past it.

"Evening gentlemen." Joe saw the tightening on one face and realized that at least one lady was present. He was a little embarrassed since it was apparent if he had looked at their faces instead of their weapons. Joe pushed ahead, faking a bravado he didn't feel in the slightest. "I'd like to go in the rift please. What's it going to take to make that happen."

"The rift is for council members only." The woman spoke up with a firm tense voice.

Joe grounded his bat and put both hands on it like a cane. He'd try the gentle approach one more time. Time was wasting, and despite his display of confidence, he didn't like his back exposed to the west anymore than Diana.

"I'm not here to debate property rights in this brave new world." Joe plastered on a smile that he hoped was friendly. It came off as a little manic, but it didn't hurt his performance. "I need to go in that rift tonight and I'm certainly willing to make it worth your time."

Joe's hand bounced the pouch on his hip, and the clink of coins ensured that everyone present knew what he was talking about. The woman was about to speak again when the two night guards motioned the others back with fierce whispers. They debated for a moment before coming back towards Joe. One of the men he'd been bribing stepped forward as the spokesman. Was it Carl? Joe had been too stressed lately to bother remembering.

"Diana. Are you OK? If you're not, go on home. We won't tell anyone we saw you." The guard's face was uncharacteristically stern, with none of the greed and laziness that Joe had become used to seeing as he bribed them in the middle of the night. His opinion of the man rose. The other three guards nodded, and Joe's opinion rose higher still. He wouldn't hurt these people unless he had no other choice.

"I'm fine Carl. He saved my life twice today. I'm going with him." Joe started to frown at the statement but stopped himself. Scowling at the people holding weapons was not going to make this easier. Still, he wondered what the second time was that she'd mentioned.

"The coins aren't any use yet. I'm sure they will be, but something kicked the hornet's nest in Columbus. Everyone is hunkering down, and the Council took control of everything." Joe was worried that the polite bribery approach had failed before Carl continued. "We want some of those berries. Frank tried to keep them quiet but some of the people that went in have let it slip."

Joe's frown wasn't for show then, and the fourth guard took a step back. Joe recognized him from early in the day. Fortunately, he wasn't one of the people he'd beaten, so there might not be many hard feelings. The price was steeper than he'd wanted to pay, but he couldn't build a group up by beating down everyone in his path. He'd have to make do with fewer berries.

"That's a pretty hard bargain. I don't have a ton, but I'll give you one each on entrance and exit. It's the best I'm going to do and it's damn sure better than this Frank person is doing for you right now."

It only took a moment for all four people to nod and move out of their way. Joe gestured for Diana to put the berries on the ground, and they walked to the rift. Joe never took his eyes off the guards. He'd been making some waves lately, and there was no reason to tempt someone into a bad decision. Fortunately, no one was feeling unreasonably brave or loyal tonight, and they moved to take their prizes before continuing to look to the west.

"Grab my shoulder before we go in. I've only ever gone in alone, I don't know the rules, and I don't want to get separated. If something happens, run back out the rift."

"OK." Joe felt her hand on his shoulder, and they stepped through the rift together.

The vertigo of spatial displacement was still unpleasant but manageable. It got a little easier to handle for Joe every time. He looked over at Diana, and she was pale and had a few beads of sweat on her brow. She composed herself quickly and then looked around at their surroundings.

"It's just like the callibration. Are there doors on the path?"

That stopped Joe in his tracks. He'd always assumed everyone had the same calibration. The doors might have been constant, but the environment depended on the rift. It wasn't important unless they needed to get someone calibrated, and Joe didn't know at what age kids would have to go through that. He hadn't seen kids since this whole shitshow started. A chill ran down his spine, and he hoped that children hadn't been forced into the rifts like everyone else.

Joe shook his head to clear it. Right now, he needed to get his head in the game. He could clear the first four rooms without problems, but he had a trainee. He needed her trained fast so that they could handle the two big nasty problems roaming around outside of town.

"Let's get going. I'm going to show you how to clear each room. We'll go through the first two and then come back here until they reset. Then we'll do the same with the next two. If you have questions, by all means ask them, but wait until we aren't fighting. Distractions get people killed."

Her face was grim, and she nodded her assent. Joe didn't know if she was naturally quiet or if it was just the end of the world thing. Only time would tell. They moved forward, and Joe showed her how to bait and corral the brownies before finishing them. He explained that if you can't get a decisive hit in, it's better to injure a limb and reset out of range. He collected the coins, and she picked up the berries before moving on.

The following clearing was just as easy, thanks to Joe's enhanced attributes and experience. They collected the loot and moved back to the entrance. Once they were near the rift again, Diana spoke up.

"So the monsters come back after a set amount of time?"

"Yeah, but only one time on every run, at least so far. I almost found that out the hard way. It makes for more loot once you figure it out, but it makes speedrunning more dangerous."

Diana nodded and thought for a moment over the new information. Joe took a moment to ponder the rift as well. She'd paid attention, but watching her out of the corner of his eye, he'd seen the flinch as he crushed the monster's skulls with his bat. Diana would have to toughen up fast if she wanted to survive inside these things. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in his head, and he kicked himself mentally.

"What's your class and skill? Is it combat oriented?"

"I'm a Novice Hedge Mystic and I have the Sense Mana skill. They're both at level 1 but I'm sure you guessed that."

Joe didn't show his disappointment on his face. Magic-users would probably be powerhouses someday, but he remembered being offered the option. They started really weak if you got a common class. There wasn't any help for it. You worked with what you had. He wasn't surprised at her next question, though he'd been dreading it. Joe's class and skill had saved his life more than once, but he knew it wasn't exactly a pretty skill.

"What's your class and skill? You move quicker than everyone else and killed the monsters with one hit. Did you take brawler?"

"No, I'm not a brawler. My class is Feral and the skill is Bite."

Joe watched her out of the corner of his eye and didn't miss the flinch at the class and skill. He didn't blame her. They sounded terrifying, and he wasn't looking forward to needing to use the skill in front of anyone. Joe rushed ahead with an explanation.

"I tried an extra combat challenge when we were being tested in the rifts. It didn't go well. I was already beaten up, and I was barely holding off the last monster as it tried to climb up and eat my face. I was losing strength so I bit it and crushed it's throat. It was awful and apparently unlocked this class. I didn't want to take it, but it was uncommon and the stats are a lot better."

"How much better?"

"+1 to Strength Alacrity and Vigor with two free Attributes to level. I've dumped most of them into Vigor, trying to fight off that poison. It almost worked."

Diana stared at him for a moment without speaking. Her mouth opened twice and shut quietly before she found her words. When they came out, Joe was surprised.

"You get almost double my Attributes? Yeah I'd be biting stuff too."

Joe appreciated her open-mindedness, but it was one thing to hear about the skill and another to see it in action. That was a problem for later. He stood up and dusted himself off. The night wasn't getting younger, and they weren't going to get fresher. The Vigor helped him with tiredness, but he somehow doubted hers was near his level.

"Let's get going. You're up."