Steph landed hard on her head against the curb. The helmet saved her life, she had no doubt! Her ears rang from the strike. She attempted to stand but a spell of dizziness pulled her back to the pavement.

Landon appeared by her side in the mist. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

Steph gazed up at Landon as her vision continued to spin. “I think so,” she said, though her back ached from the fall.

Landon grinned nervously at her as he extended out a hand. Steph accepted, interlocking her fingers with his. His hands were rough but warm, and way bigger than her own. He pulled her up effortlessly.

Steph found herself an inch away from Landon’s chest, staring up into his eyes. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she blushed. The thought of blushing made her blush even harder.

Landon’s pupils widened as he observed Steph’s emotion. His own cheeks became flush a moment later.

He’s blushing too!

His reciprocation fueled Steph’s confidence. She raised an eyebrow, reveling in their mutual attraction. An unexpected find amongst the insanity of the situation. The adrenaline coursing through Steph’s veins made everything feel electric. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt as alive as she did right now.

A not-too-distant cry that sounded like a young child stole their attention in the next moment.

“That’s a ghast,” warned Landon. “Quick, help me move Channie.”

Steph searched the dense fog for the girl. It took her a moment to spot her. Channie was unconscious on the ground, only about fifteen feet away, but already Steph could barely see her in the dense mist. She stumbled after Landon as he went to Channie’s side, her equilibrium still a bit wobbly. Despite Steph’s balance issues, she moved under Channie’s left arm as Landon hefted her upright.

“This way,” said Landon, dragging Channie off to the side of the road. The tips of Channie’s sneakers dragged against the concrete between them as they moved.

A growl from down the street made Steph’s stomach drop. Landon matched Steph’s accelerated pace. She was struggling; she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep carrying Channie for long.

“There, the dumpster,” said Landon. “It’ll mask our scent.”

Steph frowned at the idea, but Landon didn’t give her a chance to object. He threw open the plastic lid and then hefted Channie up into his arms with a grunt. He slid her over the lip of the dumpster, where she fell onto a pile of black trash bags. He jumped in right behind her and then turned around to assist Steph in her climb.

The smell of garbage hit her in the face like a wet sock.

“Just get in!” pleaded Landon with an airy hiss.

A chuckle that sounded almost like a turkey gobble hastened Steph’s resolve. She dove headfirst into the dumpster.

The stench enveloped her as her weight released the rotten air from the bags beneath. Landon didn’t hesitate as he quietly dropped the lid in place over their heads. A tiny crack where the lid of the dumpster wasn’t quite flush with the rim let in only the tiniest amount of light.

Something wet leaked onto Steph’s ankle. The bags crinkled as she moved slightly. Landon’s hand reached out and grabbed her sharply. Steph couldn’t see him in the dark, but his message was clear: Shut up.

Steph held her breath as she heard a chittering from nearby—something was in the alleyway. She leaned slightly, trying to see out the crack, but her range of vision was only the space directly in front of the dumpster.

Channie moaned quietly beside her, still unconscious.

Steph could feel Landon’s tension.

“Come here,” called a voice that sounded eerily like her own. “Hey, come quick! Come here! Come help me!”

Landon’s fingers dug into Steph’s arm painfully.

After a hauntingly long moment of silence, something on all fours scampered past their hiding spot. Most notably, it was not a ghast. It was the size of a large wolf, but hairless with smooth eel-like skin, black as tar, which glistened slightly in the dewy condensation of the mist. The creature moved without making any sound. As it went by, Steph noticed that it had hands like a human, with long, black, slender fingers and sharp nails. Its feet looked the same as its hands—long toes that gripped at the pavement as it ran by.

It stopped suddenly, barely in Steph’s range of vision.

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A maw of spiny teeth appeared as its jaw unhinged.

“Help me!” it cried, mimicking Steph’s voice.

It swiveled back and forth—ear holes on the sides of its head listening intently for any response.

Steph held her breath.

Channie began to moan again, her unconscious body becoming aware of her pain. Landon shifted beside the girl, stifling the sound with his arm.

Steph’s eyes remained locked on the monster.

It turned its head, looking straight back at her. “Over here guys!” it yelled. “Come quick!”

Steph’s pulse pounded in her ears as her blood pressure spiked. She had to force herself to take a breath, but she was too frightened to make any noise. Her inhale came as a series of small quick gasps—she was hyperventilating.

The garbage bags rustled slightly beneath Channie. She was starting to regain consciousness at the worst possible time.

The monster pranced silently over to the wall of the building across the alley. Its hands gripped like a monkey’s against the brick as it climbed with ease straight up the wall and out of sight.

After a minute of silence, Channie groaned again and attempted to sit up.

Landon shushed her as he held her down with his arm. “Don’t move and be quiet,” he whispered. “That wasn’t a ghast.”

“It sounded like me,” said Steph, eyes staying glued on the crack. All remained motionless outside of the dumpster.

“It sure did,” said Landon. “I have no idea what that was.”

“It went straight up the wall….” A shiver ran up Steph’s spine. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the lack of light. She could see Channie glancing around with a confused expression on her face.

“What’s that smell?” Channie asked.

“I think we should make a run for it,” said Landon, ignoring the question.

“It might still be up there,” said Steph. She didn’t like the idea of leaving their hiding place.

“We’re really close to where time is frozen,” said Landon. “We just need to move quick and stay quiet. There are lots of things hunting for us, but the journal told me to follow my instincts, and they are telling me that we need to get out of here and push forward.”

Channie remained silent, still gathering her bearings.

The garbage bags rustled some more beneath Landon as he opened his backpack and began digging through it. “Here, put these around your necks,” he said as he handed each of the girls what appeared to be an acorn attached to a piece of twine. “This will stop you from freezing when we get near the basilisks.”

Steph blinked twice, processing the strangeness presented to her. She barely had time to string the cord over her head before Landon lifted the lid. Steph looked up, straining her eyes to see through the fog. She scanned the roofline of the building across the way. There was no sign of the unknown monster.

Steph cringed at the clamor that arose as Landon climbed out of the dumpster. He hopped to the ground and unsheathed his samurai sword. It looked decorative, like a part of a Halloween costume. Steph wondered if it was even sharp. Landon held it up like a child posing while play-fighting as he searched his surroundings for threats.

Steph helped Channie climb out of the dumpster. Channie kept her maimed hand stiff at her side as she struggled to roll over the lip.

“Move out,” said Landon in a hushed voice as soon as the girls were on their feet. His confidence did little to lower Steph’s anxiety. She’d seen what was lurking. Landon stayed in the lead while Steph and Channie trailed behind. Channie was limping badly—her left leg had taken the brunt of her fall from the moped.

They continued on between the buildings and out into a small parking lot attached to the alleyway. Landon was moving a little too fast for Channie to keep up. Neither one of the girls were willing to call out to him as he rushed headlong into the dense clouds. They lost sight of Landon entirely as he entered a particularly dense plume.

Steph and Channie had to slow down even further as visibility dropped to nothing. Channie squeezed Steph’s hand tight as they continued forward with careful steps. They could barely see the sidewalk beneath their own feet. Suddenly there was a change in the atmosphere. The gusting mist fell still.

Steph couldn’t quite put her finger on what was different—the atmospheric shift was subtle. The stillness was obvious, though, and clearly unnatural. It felt repressive, requiring slightly more effort to breathe in the damp air.

As they walked deeper into the odd zone, the mist thinned slightly. They could see about fifteen yards ahead now. At first, there was no sign of Landon, but then a silhouette wandered across their path at the edge of obscurity. Relief turned to dread when Steph realized it wasn’t Landon. The figure stopped mid-stride and turned towards the girls.

“Over here, help me!” the figure said. It sounded exactly like Steph.

Steph stopped, pulling back on Channie’s arm as fear gripped her body.

The figure moved towards them quickly.

Steph fell backwards onto the ground helplessly. There would be no outrunning the creature.

Rather than the eel-skinned monster, Steph found herself face-to-face with her doppelgänger once again.

“It’s okay,” said Landon, appearing by their side. “It’s just Clark.”

Steph felt like she’d been kicked in the chest. Her heart hurt as she thought about her deceased father—also named Clark. The shapeshifter’s fascination with her and her family was confusing and upsetting to Steph.

“Where are the others?” asked Landon.

“We must hurry,” said Clark. The shapeshifter’s skin rippled as it locked its eyes on Steph. The creature’s body settled, slightly changed. It looked even more like her now, if that was even possible.

“Rebecca needs help,” said Clark.

Landon held his sword behind him, to his side. “Lead the way,” he said.

Clark nodded.

They all followed the shapeshifter deeper into the mist despite Steph’s reservations. The day was feeling more and more like a bad dream as she watched her own ponytail bouncing along in front of her. A not-too-distant screech, possibly from a ghast, hardened the knot in her stomach. She wished she could be anywhere else in the world right about now.

There’s nothing quite like the stench of garbage lingering in ones’ hair at the end of a long day of trauma. Not a pleasant experience by any means, but certainly a badge of resilience. The stinky cherry on top. Steph took all of this very well, all things considered. She may feel unsettled by Clark’s mimicry, but it really is quite the compliment. What’s that human phrase? Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Clark has some telepathic abilities that help him in his shapeshifting craft. His mental receptors are tuned in on Steph. She’ll learn to appreciate the sentiment of the gesture one day.

Keep vigilant,

-Mr. Gray