ulsed in a throbbing rhythm that boomed through the bushes—setting the eerie trees aflutter as the

mouthed aliens stalked about her slowly. Some of them had electric prodding rods. One had an electric net and was readying to tos

ore through it—ripped it apart with her massive hairy warms—eve

erhaps they were not prepared fo

xt. The Squatch was not striking out any one, just luring the

the same—and she screamed in agony—then fell to her knees. They had adjusted for her tolerance le

nding himself and go try to find his truck again. But he knew that was only wishful thinking, that his new mission was real—and he

was not sure who he wanted to

he boarding plank of their flying saucer. All Kyle could think was that if the Greys were alien, they might be more trouble than the Squatch herself. He had heard theories that Squatches were Earth

he could show others after he had returned to full mortality—but the Greys were too far now—he would have to run closer, get a better angle through the long grass. On a whim of courage or craziness, he pulled out his camera and

rted snapping—but forgot he l

ound. Kyle froze and fell to t

from behind ghoulish clouds—a

ot the natural daredevil. He loved mystery but detested risks. He popped his head up, only to see the plank folding up into the ship. The red beam of light fed back into the sky, disappearing once more—then the saucer began to spin, hurdling a hundred strings of red and blue light about until it fired aloft, twisting toward the moon—and

back through a stand of saplings, only to see two Greys still stood in the clearing. It did not

er, too far off to hear if it we

hand-held receiver and began c

d and Kyle followed, creeping

e forest crown, into rainfores

vines, as starlight twinkled b

as crocodiles bellied up to g

of a great cliff—until he came

r side—so he stepped up to ed

but heights were his enemy—an

self and braved it onward. He

was an awful far way off from

stake of looking over—but the f

y from not seeing bottom, teeter

ak dawn—heard birds for the fi

im and his mind snapped back t

a Grey at each end. The one

c net and prod. They both beg

ot know what to do. The mom

is camera—and he watched help

w, getting swallowed up by the

e yet at getting a good pic of o

ng the two Greys to stop in thei

n his panic. He had no reason t

his great relief. He felt for h

aded or less one bullet, dependi

t in its chamber. There was only one, for he had only loaded up one, not intending to need more. It occured to him, however, that if the Wynderelves were right, like in quantum paradoxes, whether the

prod away and produced a gun, which it aimed, firing—hit him right in the chest, punching him ba

climb up onto the railing them

ugh striations of fog faster tha

They had zipped down their sides and between their legs, then spo

d he watched them seemingly c

started to try to manage his d

over open ground, over the farmlands just north of New London—

. They had apparently come right out of the clouds in the sky,

ed to fire it from his feet and push himself closer to the city. He was learning to fly, but not fast enough. He punched it right ov

ket to a crisp so that four sides fell over, leaving him lying in tatters, naked and yet liberat

emember, his greatest phobia shattered into a million sh

giness he heard a sma

ing in the middle of th

up. It was still work

only that epiphanie

and all around for Gr

He knew they were he

. He went out into t

the bay, giving him

that shot and his

of anything off-

hat he was not cra

he had struggled with the memories, being told the

too tangible to

re not alone but

o others so he coul

more, no longer letting this weight around his ankles

to resolve, but all of the consequences stretched out throug

cause, everything he had ever cherished had been dashed to bits

ng end of his quest was too tempting to resist—and he felt like he had already past the point of no

n with the key and crashed in her bed, deeply inhaling her scent.

succumbed to the sandman and

ys before her with disdain. Her kind were sworn against them, foreigners from another plane. E

ed forward, dressed

be better to ask w

turned transparent, revealing a rocky landscape stretching ou

he hidden sid

want with m

returned when

blazes does t

out and then yo

in, inspecting

nst her straps,

h his slit mout

w long we have

e? For what re

just one of your

efore you are d

oubt, if you

ck me, " s

flinched,

as if she could b

ain and turned ba

me, that we may h

lking about?" sh

t stake, to let

he good humans,

t of you mangy dog of earth. We are the Ancients—and this is our land not thei

dgame that we h

atch we infecte

able to contain the humans. They yet persist with their dreams of individual rights, love and free will. Too many of them still cling

he intoned, tonin

"You already k

t least give me th

you will not rem

lone I will know

ed her side, look

we were the moon. You were the fire, while we were stone and ice. We waited below

n't it?" she hissed

're taking up the whole bed, " she complained, snuggling in n

ering everything. It was ne

ride to

of our fi

needed so

ind what y

breathing

et. Unfor

will you

un from und

few loose

she croake

"What's

t even kn

? Honest

rthday, stu

"Babe, I'm

e going to

ot this one

his camera,

ays the way

'll be back

ait forever

ake it up to

straight yo

d him out

pants on,

coffee, h

uld be aroun

himself avai

unmask the lit

calling the s

n back his s

home to his

good life w

aded over to

used to remo

ed to fury, l

ond visible light. We are the Lizards of Old, that reptile that only you Squatches do not know intimately. The humans at least have us alive in their mi

atch legend, you are known as the Scaled Death. We

the Moon—awaiting th

, " Mystix finished, quoting from her childhood, when

he dark side of humanity, the profane light and the subverted providence. You and us are

o empathy, which made them merciless, impossibly powerful e

from themselves, for while their greatest weapon was owning the mind of man—what they never knew was their hearts once beat in love.

urpose with me? Sur

s return—which means wiping out the good humans en masse. But

none of it. My peo

kill for us, doing

uld never make me i

window into a scree

mapping every node

She knew she had to

our killing spree. We will also then begin re-programming your brothers and sisters by the thou

reamed, once more te

old self forever, be

..! SERVE ..! YOU ..

hen back, shrouding My

er eyes—as she whippe

pering in her ear: "Ki

lowered back onto a t

ss over hear—and her m

that had happened since first seeing the Greys land in t

ctions, slipping in and

under their spell, fo

experiment with mind

were not switched on the way humans were, they were ev

n the next she would emerge as if from a fog and remembe

removed and she was ro

a long corridor as s

mind to pull itself

flip back again, in

napped open fully a

charge of her jumped back—as she climbed off the the gurney and grabbed the closest one,

refrain from roaring

st as she snapped its

e other way, desperat

it was too small to

ridor, she spun right

up down at the end

ed guns, setting sig

her hands slowly.

her, the Greys also

she jumped up, grabb

aft the led upward, a

around her, a few r

ched the next level

er kin back on Earth, but she was running out of time. The lizards were forming flanks on levels above and below—and shafts either side. They entire ship had been alerted—and one Squatch was not going to be enough to hold them all off. But even as the Greys

uld not stop, even in the face of certain death, while the Scaled Ones were cowards at heart, deep down inside, who ultimately faltered when so clearly out-challenged. She pounded and flailed, clawed and crushed, mangled and scalped and skewered. She finally

e, drawers pulled out—everything laying in disarray. It felt

open and his cats Cai

and dialed Heather bu

playing games. They wanted him dead simply for being a witness to the Squatch's abduction, so they

e for that matter. He loaded his gun up and retrieved a cleaver from the kitchen. He checked the

s he made his way thro

s faster than take a cab

nd coffee was hot. He found an envelope with his name on i

e, unsure where to go next bu

hat at the front door frowned

ck sedan while crossing over

pping. The back opened and

hem unbuttoned his work shirt

cking in on his progress. De

e? Have you found out what t

? I've been too busy deali

f the story, what do they hav

It's the traffic and the gas prices and the rest driving us so crazy we forget to love each other. I'm sick of it it—and this is my big break, what I've been waiting for—but somehow I feel like I'm supposed to be doing something else.

is all we know. We've seen some join us—and some figure out the lesson and go on up higher. But it

you all are, " Kyle spat and

him. 'We need to talk soon, we want to

one! I can do it alone!

ing about, ' Deodorph in

n and was following Ky

cut back, slapping Deo

you have to use this time

rns to crutch—and you learn what you've lost. Her name is not Heather—nor goes by any name

t they mean, anymore than you do ... Do you think it mean

re stalling me ... Wh

he Wynde

shoving Deo against a b

promise

it. He grabbed D

with this same power as you, but I also have my body—I also have my head and heart—and so I'm good to go. I'm sorry for your problems, but I got pro

was surging into overload—green crackling energy l

romagnetic vortex settled down again, reducing further shock and suspicion by passe

ed to ... go back up there, as you say. That's the whole point, don't you get it? We're trying to

tch me not stop mys

yle stalked away

n—but being the Wynderve Highyn meant he was next

. He jumped in a

n alleyway and acr

pe, he found it re

pub he knew so w

orner—and soon He

alone and she came

waved him back do

st daydream or some

ing on ...? What d

I'm fine ... What ar

you just came her

. in bed ... the nex

mber anything else

" she sighed. "I must

aid quietly, looking

nybody odd when yo

bing her eyes. "I k

u know I would be

ld know ... I fee

e're goi

t we just

n help it, l

er arm and h

him out but i

interested

t play into

s day to ta

el the Soul

be Damned if he had to give up the best proof he had ever had of the supernatural. He could not guarantee he would catch a Grey, there was no chance he would see the Squatch again—but he could keep

nfinity trying to learn how to forget the past. He could do that in a heartbeat—and then set about

und a great glass bridge that gave her a good view of the moonscape. The tower stood tall

uilding, but the door was lock

k over the bridge—and she saw

in a final blaze of glory, shatte

eflected back, ricocheting five times a second slicing them all up. They all hit the floor, bu

to be clubbed in the fa

ith a monstrous upward cr

ng down two Greys that

l echoing down the glass b

d odds back to the Gods

pussyfooting around the

the main deck, where G

she would have them. R

now kicking into overdri

ed. "Time to shed some