Tito left Iam alone, and the darkness closed in around him. He’d been camping a few times but wasn’t an outdoors type. Now that he was by himself, Iam appreciated just how far away from the main group of workers he was. The road was straight, and he could see them, but it had to be at least two miles. The light from Bertha was a pinprick, and if Iam squinted, he could see the guys moving around. The rumble of a large engine got Iam’s attention, and he looked up to see bright headlights moving toward him.

“Hey, uh, Jenna, right?” he said into the radio.

“Yeah, what do you want?” she answered in a surly tone.

Iam bit back a retort. “I got headlights coming my way. Am I letting anyone through yet?”

“You saw my sign said stop when you came through, yeah?”

“Yes,” Iam said.

“And I haven’t radioed in saying it’d changed…yeah?”

Iam dropped his head, shaking it side to side. “No.”

“Then, yeah, I’d say you’re letting cars through.”

Iam was about to respond with something smart-assed but changed his mind. He was trying to turn over a new leaf so he’d make an effort.

“Thanks,” he said. “You know, since I’m new at this, you mind helping me out—show me the ropes and keep me from screwing up too bad.”

Jenna didn’t answer back, and Iam turned to face the truck. It was close enough now that the deep, pulsating thump of the diesel engine drowned out the sounds of the night. Iam waved at the driver to go through, but the truck stopped. The high pitch blast of air from the brakes releasing stabbed at Iam’s ears. He dropped his sign and covered them, but the sound only lasted half a second, making the motion pointless. With a snarl, Iam snatched the sign up and glared at the truck.

“It says slow, not stop,” he yelled.

The driver leaned out of his window and looked down at Iam. “Sorry, guy. Where do you want me?”

Iam had no idea what the man was talking about. He wanted him anywhere but stopped right here. But then, he had a light bulb moment. This might be the truck Tito was waiting on. He looked past the cab and saw a large open-topped trailer attached to the rig. He didn’t know jack about construction vehicles, but it looked like something that belonged on a site. The driver looked down at Iam impatiently, so he took a chance.

“Just head straight down that way,” he said, pointing toward Bertha. The driver nodded, and Iam keyed the radio. “Hey, Tito, I think the truck’s here. I sent it your way.”

“Right on, man,” Tito responded. But, unlike Jenna’s clear response, his sounded hollow and distant. “Dude’s supposed to be coming from the other way, but we’ll make it work. Thanks, brother.”

Iam nodded as the truck left. His first customer, he thought, and he didn’t screw it up. His hand dropped to his left pocket and withdrew the flask. Iam paused, looking at it. He hadn’t planned to do that, but he gave the flask an experimental shake, still full.

“Ah well, one won’t hurt,” he muttered. “I’ve earned it.”

Whatever he’d added earlier hadn’t mixed well, and he coughed at the taste. For a split second, he considered dumping the rest out right then. Instead, he took another long drink. Better to acclimate himself, he thought, than waste it. A few minutes later, he heard a horrible grinding sound. It was far off but distinct and grating. In an instant, he revised his plan to join a crew. There was no way he’d be able to tolerate that noise.

“Hey, dipshit,” his radio squawked. “I’m letting a few through. Change your sign.”

Iam decided right then that Jenna was not going to be a friendly companion. “You got it, bitch.”

“You want me to come over there and beat you senseless?” Jenna screamed into the radio.

“Sure thing,” Iam said. “It’ll be easy to find me. I’ll be the adult holding a sign.”

“Come on, guys,” Tito said, laughing, “where’s the love?”

Iam heard more laughter through the radio, but Jenna didn’t add anything else. He slugged back another gulp, then put the flask away. He was probably already pushing that point-oh-six limit and did not want Jackson pissed at him too. A minute or two later, a short line of cars drove by. Finally, the procession cleared the construction zone, but Jenna remained quiet, so Iam kept his sign set to stop. If she wanted it changed, she’d tell him. There was no way he was going to ask.

Hours passed with Jenna occasionally prodding him with salty words, but they managed a working rhythm, letting the few cars that showed up through in a timely manner. The breathalyzer went off a few times, but Iam hadn’t gone over the limit. By now, Bertha had made it halfway to him, and the noise vibrated in his bones. Between Jenna, the sporadic traffic, and Bertha, Iam really hadn’t had time to get bored or lonely. It was only when he noticed this that he realized how much he’d been afraid of it.

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He looked up at the night sky. Light pollution was minimal this far away from any big cities, and the stars shone brightly. Behind their pinpricks of light, the haze of the Milky Way glowed, forming a wide line of misty white. A few dark clouds blew through the air, sometimes obscuring a particularly bright patch of sky. The vast expanse of space, viewed from so far away, suddenly made Iam feel very small. For a brief moment, the world was still. Bertha and her cacophony might well have not existed as Iam stared at that beautiful sky, luxuriating in the knowledge that he, and by extension his problems, were insignificant.

“Hey, dumbass!” Jenna called. “You fall asleep over there?”

Iam’s body jerked, and he looked down at the radio. He cleared his throat. “Uh, no, what’s up?”

“I’ve been callin’ you for five minutes,” Jenna said.

“Everything okay, amigo?” Tito asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Iam stammered. “Got lost in my own head.”

“Come on, you can tell me,” Tito shot back. He sounded like a letch digging for salacious details from a night out. “Did you fall asleep?”

“No,” Iam said, though his tone was pensive rather than defensive. That kind of introspection was new to him, and he was afraid of how completely he’d lost himself in it. “It won’t happen again.”

“What won’t happen again?” Tito cooed.

“Tito shut your trap,” Jenna said. “I’m sending four your way, dumbass. Last one’s a white SUV.”

“Got it,” Iam said.

“Hey, Jenna,” Tito called, “if I fall asleep, will you scold me too?”

“I didn’t fall asleep,” Iam bellowed.

At his outburst, something in the darkness moved. Iam only caught it out of the corner of his eye, but something had definitely shifted. He turned his full attention in its direction and saw two small orange orbs. They were the size of marbles and close together and moved from side to side as though they were attached to something. Iam squinted, trying to force his eyes to pierce the darkness. He felt like there should be a halo of dimmer light around the spheres, but their edges were distinct. It was as if whatever light touched them became imprisoned. Iam stared into them, his consciousness sucked away bit by bit.

“Hey dumbass!” Jenna called. “You fall asleep again?”

“Seriously, amigo,” Tito said a minute later, “you okay?”

Iam let their nonsensical words fade into the wind as he watched those two mesmerizing orbs. There was a truth hidden in there, and he wanted to find it. The orbs moved closer, slowly at first, then faster. Then, from the darkness, a shape began to take form. It was a dog. No, not a dog, but definitely canine. It was way too big for one thing, and the colorless fur was mangy and matted. Its ribcage showed starkly against its skin, and drool dribbled from its mouth. It sat back on its haunches and cocked its head to the side. Iam leaned in closer. It growled, breaking the spell.

“Holy shit,” Iam said with a start. He finally noticed the radio chatter and keyed the mic. “Hey guys, I think I got a problem.”

“No shit,” Jenna barked. “Can’t keep your damn eyes open.”

“What going on?” Tito asked, all traces of his former humor gone.

“There’s some kind of dog growling at me. It’s huge.”

“Coyote?” Tito asked.

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Iam said. He tried to take a step back, but the dog growled louder. “Whatever it is, it’s pissed. What do I do?”

The radio went quiet. After a few seconds, Tito came back, his voice quiet and too deliberately calm.

“What color are its eyes?”

“Orange,” Iam whispered, not daring to make any more noise than needed.

“Oh crap,” Tito said. “Guys, we got a Yee. Iam, whatever you do, don’t run. That thing’ll chase you down in a heartbeat.”

Iam gulped. “What if it attacks?”

“Fight back,” Tito said.

Iam could hear the mental shrug in Tito’s tone, which did not fill him with confidence. Tito had told him earlier that they’d handle wild animals, and he trusted they would, but there was something sinister in the way he’d called the dog a Yee. Still, Iam was more than happy to maintain the detente he had going with the beast until help arrived. It could snarl all it wanted so long as it did it from over there. Slowly, he reached for his flask. His nerves were shot, and he needed a belt, like right now. With that movement, the peace ended.

The Yee lunged at Iam with a howl. The flask dropped to the ground, followed a moment later by the sign as Iam ran. He fled into the night, paying no attention to where he was going. Scrub brush slapped at his shins as he tore through the patchy vegetation. The Yee’s footfalls and growls followed Iam until his foot fell into a slight depression, and he sprawled to the ground. Just as he fell, the Yee leaped. It flew past him, missing by inches. Gigantic claws extending from cartoonishly large paws filled his vision, eliciting an unmanly scream. Iam heard the Yee land and skitter a few feet away.

He rolled to his stomach and tried to push himself up just as the Yee rounded on him. Scrambling on all fours, he tried to get away, but the Yee pounced on his back, biting deep into his shoulder. Iam screamed again. He rolled to his side, the Yee rolling with him. Sharp teeth rent Iam’s flesh, but the sudden change of direction dislodged the beast’s fangs. Iam’s hand landed on something hard, and he grasped at it. As the beast’s monstrous head darted in at him again, Iam swung whatever it was he held. The impact jolted Iam’s arm, but the Yee let out a yip of pain and jumped to the side.

The object fell from his grasp, and he scurried away, but the Yee was having none of it and pounced again. Iam felt another sharp pain, this time at his throat. He tried to scream again, but the air his lungs supplied spilled from his neck instead of his mouth. Blood splattered all over the Yee’s fur, and Iam noted dimly that it finally had some color. Horrid sucking sounds came from his throat, mixed with a wet slapping noise. Finally, the Yee let go of Iam, and he dropped to his back.

He watched as the now calm dog gently licked at the blood geysering from his mangled throat. His neck throbbed, and the pain nearly overwhelmed him, but Iam kept his eyes locked onto the Yee—and his own blood. Despite the pain of the wound and the fear, Iam noticed, bleeding to death wasn’t painful. Instead, his chest only felt a little heavy, like breathing underwater, and his heart raced, doing its best to get oxygen to starved tissue without realizing it was speeding its owner’s demise. Iam’s vision narrowed by degrees, the Yee getting smaller and smaller. Then, darkness. He wasn’t dead yet; he knew that much. His eyes had simply stopped working. Even the pain of his wounds was gone now.

All in all, Iam thought, it was peaceful. But, before awareness left him for good, Iam had one last wry thought. Live by the booze, die by the booze. Then, pain shot through his head from nowhere, and agonizing, bright white light became his world. Three words hung in the center of the gleaming void.

YOU HAVE DIED.