Channie followed Mr. Gray back in time. The residual heat of the Beyond vanished in an instant, replaced by the chill of night on Earth in the Pacific Northwest. Tonight, the night Jerry was to be devoured, the sky was ablaze with an aurora borealis display unlike any Channie had ever seen before or since. The sky swirled similarly to the Beyond with surges of color flowing from the north sky. It was beautiful, but anxiety inducing: The unusual display was the result of the Agares and their agents. The charged particles were not coming from the sun, but through weak spots in the universe. She was literally witnessing the fires of heaven as the Agares sacked a Parcae stronghold within the Beyond with powerful energy weapons.

Here on Earth around this time, the Agares sent all sorts of terrible creatures from other realms to destroy Channie and her friends. Tonight, it was vampires. They weren’t the glittery sort, nor the caped kind. They were called ghasts—winged ghouls that drank blood and lured their victims in with sounds of crying children. Channie had hoped to never be near such terror again.

The ghasts weren’t evil—good and evil were human concepts—the creatures simply lived to feed, without moral qualms or empathy. It was their nature.

Steph placed her grocery bags down again. She flexed out her fingers and then squeezed them into a fist repeatedly to shake off the pinch left by the handles digging into her skin.

“You have thirty minutes until the goat gets eaten,” said Mr. Gray. “Go to the mess hall and put all that meat into a heavy-duty trash bag. You’ll have to make the switch with Jerry quickly to avoid being seen by your past selves.”

The portal disintegrated behind them with a crack like thunder. Channie helped Steph gather up the grocery bags. They needed to move quickly in case anyone came to investigate the sound. The bags were heavier than Channie expected, immediately pinching her fingers on both hands, even with only half the load. They hurried towards the mess hall. The strain in her hands made Channie appreciate how hard Steph was working to save Jerry.

They passed several young campers, out and about despite the late hour to watch the unusual northern lights. There were no city lights anywhere nearby to dull the display. No one paid them much mind, probably assuming they were camp counselors. They found the mess hall empty when they arrived.

“Go into the kitchen,” said Mr. Gray.

They followed him back around the counter. Mr. Gray pointed at the container of trash bags on the lower shelf as he passed by, continuing on towards a refrigerator that stood against the far wall. Steph placed her grocery bags down on the counter and pulled a trash bag off the roll. Channie placed her bags beside Steph’s and immediately got to work emptying out their contents. Butcher-wrapped cuts of goat, some bone in, all needed to be unwrapped and tossed into the trash bag.

A hissing sound startled Channie as she transferred the first cuts. Mr. Gray was spraying a canister of whipped cream into his mouth.

“Hurry,” said Steph. “We don’t have much time.”

Channie returned her attention to the work at hand. Some of the bundles were precut, plastic-wrapped packages, straight from the grocery store aisle. A container of diced up stew meat made Channie raise an eyebrow. Several minutes later, when they were finally done, Channie shined her cellphone’s flashlight into the trash bag.

It didn’t exactly look like a goat carcass….

The pieces were all perfectly butchered, and there wasn’t any hair or blood. Before Channie could say anything, Steph took off her fuzzy white hoodie and threw it into the bag. Mr. Gray held up a couple large bottles of ketchup. The girls each took one and started squeezing.

Pppppppbbbbbbbbbffffffffffhhh.

Steph and Channie both giggled at the gassy sound.

Mr. Gray laughed as well from across the kitchen where he was now both elbows deep into a giant apple crumble. The brown sugar and cinnamon smell was intoxicating, even over the smell of raw meat—time travel was metabolically exhausting. Channie felt the tug of intense cravings on her soul. Her mouth was salivating by the time she finished washing her hands of goat but Steph yanked her away from joining in on the apple crumble with Mr. Gray.

“Focus!” Steph pleaded.

“I know, I know,” said Channie. “Jerry is counting on us.”

Steph gave a curt nod. Channie helped her heft the garbage bag up over her shoulder.

“Take that broom with you,” said Mr. Gray.

Channie snatched up a push broom that was leaning up against the wall by the exit as she passed. “What’s this for?” she asked.

Mr. Gray merely smiled. “I’ll meet you in the woods once you have the goat.”

Channie pursed her lips as Mr. Gray opened a small portal and vanished into the aether. They kept moving, putting distance between themselves and the portal before it popped out of existence. Steph marched ahead, a woman on a mission, refusing to let the goat meat weigh her down.

Channie had forgotten how many campers were out watching the sky before the ghast’s impending attack. It was concerning. Danger beyond anything they could imagine was lurking in the woods.

As they passed a group of girls stretched out on a blanket, a not-too-distant scream sent a shiver down Channie’s spine. The young campers stopped their chatter at once, sitting up to look towards the treeline. The cry came from the direction Channie and Steph already needed to go.

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“Go back to your cabins,” ordered Channie. The fear that gripped her came across in her voice. The girls didn’t argue, gathering up their blanket without another word.

Channie couldn’t be sure, but the scream sounded slightly too high pitched to be human. Steph doubled her pace, forcing Channie to hustle to catch up. Goosebumps appeared on her arms as she scanned her eyes across the dark trees. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching her.

Jerry was leashed to a stake outside the last cabin in the line—the one young Steph and Channie had been assigned to. They heard the rattle of the bell that was dangling around Jerry’s neck before they saw the goat in the darkness. The inhuman scream had come from the forest beyond.

Too close.

Steph dropped the garbage bag and rushed to Jerry’s side. She gripped the goat tightly, as if he were a long-lost brother, burying her face into his neck. “Good boy, Jerry,” she said. “I’m here for you now.”

Jerry continued with his constant chewing motions, unperturbed as Steph began to unhook his collar. Channie dragged the bag of meat closer, keeping one eye on the sky. Time was short.

Once Steph finished removing Jerry’s bell and collar she helped Channie overturn the garbage bag. The pile of meat, ketchup, and Steph’s fuzzy hoodie plopped into a ridiculous pile. Channie used the broom to push the pile into a more solid looking lump, draping the hoodie around the outside and tucking the sleeves underneath. At a glance, it was a disturbing sight. She hoped it would fool their younger selves.

Without his leash, Jerry was proving difficult to lead. The goat ignored Steph’s urgings and it wasn’t until Channie shoved him hard with both hands that he even took a single step.

Mr. Gray had said to meet them in the woods, but that was also where the ghasts were hiding. Nevertheless, Channie and Steph continued to push and pull on Jerry, urging him closer to the treeline.

A blood-curdling scream pierced the night. It sounded like a child being ripped limb from limb, but Channie and Steph knew better. They craned their necks up just in time to see a dark shape dart by overhead. A ghast, about the size of a large dog, landed on top of the meat pile. Jerry’s bell jingled as the ghast slashed at the hoodie with razor sharp talons. It soon realized the deception, however. The creature emitted a series of low clicks that almost sounded like a growl.

“Meh-eh-eh!” bleated Jerry. He no longer required urging to move.

The ghast spun towards Jerry and the girls, crying out a breathy sob with the voice of a young child. Jerry ran ahead, leaving Steph and Channie to sprint after him. A swoosh sounded as the ghast spread its wings wide once more and took flight. Channie stumbled over her own feet as she struggled to chase after Jerry. She had to keep looking over her shoulder in order to stay aware of the ghast’s position at the same time. They managed to reach the treeline before the ghast could land an attack. It thudded back to the ground at the edge of the forest.

Jerry continued to dash ahead, leaving the girls behind as the ghast scurried up the nearest tree and began hopping between the upper foliage. It was stalking them. The ghast made no attempt to hide its position, mocking them with continued sobs that raised the hairs on the backs of their necks.

With a piercing screech, the ghast finally made its attack, lunging down at Channie. She steeled her grip on the broom handle, spinning in place to face the terrible creature. She swung the push broom like she was aiming at a piñata. The ghast hooked its claws into the bristles, tearing the head clean off the broom and sending the broken handle flying free of Channie’s grasp. She fell backwards into the dirt. The attack was deflected, but Channie was left defenseless.

The ghast tucked its wings against its sides as it turned to face her once more. It paused, opening up its snout of jagged teeth, but instead of growling or crying out again it merely laughed—a child’s giggle.

Channie felt around behind her for the broom handle, but found nothing but dirt and tree roots. The ghast continued to laugh as it rushed in on her with a multitude of short steps.

Steph jumped out from behind a tree, the broken broom handle held up above her head like a spear. The laughter caught in the ghasts throat as Steph staked the broom handle straight through its chest.

The ghast stared up at her with its jowls hanging open. It collapsed over on its side, chuckling one last time before succumbing to the fatal wound.

“Meh-eh-eh,” bleated Jerry, standing obediently by Steph’s side.

Steph rubbed the goat’s head absentmindedly as she looked upon Channie. “Close one,” she said.

Before Channie could even take another breath, another child-like chuckle rang out from above in the trees, followed by a third and a forth, until it sounded like an entire kindergarten class was chattering above their heads.

“Hurry!” cried the high-pitched voice of Mr. Gray.

Channie searched her surroundings until she found the lone Parcae off to her left beside the hazy patch of another portal.

Steph slapped Jerry’s haunch, sending the animal in the right direction. Channie scrambled to follow behind Steph as she dove for the portal. The child-like laughter shifted into an uproar of screams as the ghasts saw what was happening. Channie lunged into the portal without looking back.

She landed on her chest with a thud in the Beyond. The flat stone shards that made up the walkway she was on jangled against one another as she turned over to look behind her. Mr. Gray reached up and ripped the corners of the portal down with his hands, eyes wide with a genuine look of fear that Channie had never before seen on his tiny face.

“Circumstances have changed…” he said with surprise in his voice. “There usually aren’t so many of them there. Excuse me, I need to change my pants.”

Beside her, Steph and Jerry were both retching out the contents of their stomachs. Neither had exhaled before rushing through the portal. Channie hadn’t remembered to breathe out either, but her reflex had become to breathe out at a portal surface just as one automatically holds their breath as they jump into a pool.

Channie had never seen a goat projectile vomit before.

“You okay, Hun?” she asked Steph.

The resilient girl gave a thumbs up as she heaved once more into the pile in front of her.

Jerry finished barfing and immediately began eating it again. Channie gagged and turned away. She had her limits.

Mr. Gray opened a final portal for them to return home. “See you next time,” he said. Steph, looking more pale than usual, gave him one last hug before directing Jerry through the opening.

“I wouldn’t mind if you left me out of the next adventure,” said Channie.

Mr. Gray chuckled boisterously. “Now what would be the fun in that?”

Channie gave him a one finger salute as she prepared to step through what she knew would not be her final portal, despite her protests.

Mr. Gray blew her a kiss.

“You better not be the death of me,” she muttered as she left the Beyond once more.

When she emerged on the other side, Jerry was already in the process of barfing again.

“Thank you,” said Steph. “I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you. I can never thank you enough….”

“Don’t mention it,” said Channie.

“No, really,” Steph insisted. “Jerry was my dad’s last present to me before he passed away earlier that summer. This means the world to me.”

Channie’s eyes immediately welled up with tears.

“No, no, don’t cry,” said Steph. “That was a long time ago.”

Channie buried her face in Steph’s hair, grabbing her in a tight hug. After a moment, Steph clung back onto her just as desperately. Neither one pulled away until they were both sniffling.

“I want pie,” Steph pouted through her tears.

Channie could have cried again, this time with pure joy. “There’s a diner down the street,” she said. “I’ll buy.”

“Can we get one of every kind?” asked Steph.

“Of course!” laughed Channie.