Darkness consumes me. I choke on the overwhelmingness of everything. My throat tingles before suffocating. Still, Mable’s grasp maintains on me. I know I’m still present in the world, and that’s my proof. I can’t see her, but her cold touch is what grounds me.

Eventually, the soft bumps knock into me: The pillows pushing through me. I feel the cold beat into me as I grasp for the light. My vision brightens as the world’s colors return. I see somewhat clearly.

Mable’s still holding onto my wrist as she raises her other arm, clenched hand. She throws her fist at me. Crack. Something breaks, and it’s not me. 

“Shit! Wake the fuck up. I broke my knuckles for you, asshole!” 

My eyes widen as I exclaim hushly, “Stop!”

I fall onto the ground as she hears me. I land on the dirt, staining my back.

Something’s missing.

The tall woman turns around. “Pick yourself up. It hurts me, too, but at least learn to avoid falling apart whenever it happens.” 

Where is it?

I lay on the ground, arms spread and lacking the energy for anything more.  “Where’s the letter? What happened?”

A “tch” leaves her mouth.

She speaks. “Stop worrying about that fucking paper — anyways, I don’t know what happened.” She takes several steps forward. “I heard screaming from over at where the Mothman and Bigfoot were.”

I rise from the ground, hunched over with my arms hanging down.

I gasp for air as I exclaim, “Arc! Milly!” 

Mable stops and turns to her profile, opening her mouth. She doesn’t say anything. The tall woman goes toward the smoke. 

I follow, running past her. 

I get there at the scene: A bloody mess. Tents toppled over. Red trailing everywhere. Books ripped apart. A giant row of grass is now missing. Rows of trees are cut cleanly.

And the two… Milly’s upper body curls around Arc’s entire body. They’re covered in their own blood from top to bottom. Wire markings spread across the giant’s body. I see bits of bones protruding from poor Milly’s fur. The giant is cold with no signs of breathing. 

Only Arc’s wings are visible from this mess, although they’re crumpled and lashed. My fingers twitch as I get closer. I need the hope that he still has a chance. I open the giant’s grasp slightly before seeing Arc’s lifeless, crushed state.

I let go, stepping back before falling onto the ground. Inhale. Exhale. Fog seeps through me. I wipe the blood across the grass. My eyes linger on the tragedy.

Mable whistles as she arrives. She walks in front of me. “What do we have here? Hmmm… They got compressed by some wiring.” 

She kicks Milly’s body, failing to push him further. “Heavy bastard... Hey, Star, go fucking open this up for me.” 

I get up, “They’re both dead, I saw…”

Mable turns to me. “Huh, that’s convenient. Now go open this up for me so we can use the ‘proof’.” 

I look at the mess around us before exhaling. 

I walk over to the giant’s body. “It doesn’t feel right. Let’s bury their bodies.” 

Mable responds with an annoyed tone, “You fucking serious? Okay, let’s go extort the human. I’ll help.” 

I flinch.

I mumble, “We can take Arc.” 

Mable’s voice pitches, “That’s much better.” 

We handle the rest. Well, I handle the rest. I bury Milly’s body; it’s the least I can do with him. Mable barks orders at me while I carry poor Arc’s body. Those lost souls….

I wonder what futures they could have. The lives that could have been. I’ve only got to meet them and taste the stew. That stew had life, a smell that was like the ship’s cafeteria. It’s gone. As well as the progress on the many writings. It feels wrong not to bury Arc. At least Milly is properly in the soil.

As I carry Arc’s body, I find it — the letter. It’s barely readable with everything that’s done to it. What would she even think if I handed this to her?

Mable walks by me. 

I ask, “Mable, why did you carry it?”

She stops.

She tugs on her collar. “There’s no fucking meaning to it.”

I press. “No meaning…? I—There’s always meaning. That paper means a lot to Maya.”

Mable forces a chuckle. “You’re fucking pathetic. If it mattered to her, then why is it in your hands in that shit state?”

I pocket it.

She clenches her collar tightly.

We take the body to Sally Don’s place. I gently place the body onto the counter as the human inspects it. He compliments the “handywork.” I keep my mouth shut as Mable makes up some fairytale. It pains me. I didn’t directly hurt them, but I benefited from this innocent soul’s demise.

Then we get what we came for: The moment of truth. 

Sally clears his throat. “Well, you two, as I told you. I say it’s fair that I’ll show you where Dr. West is. I still have my connections with him, so I called him up last night while you two were hunting that Mothman.” 

He pulls down the address on paper.

We both look at it. 

Mable’s eyes widen. “Ashford? The ghost town?” 

The human kicks up his feet. “Yerp. I asked the same question. He says it is for ‘good reasons.”

Mable pushes past my shoulders. 

I let her do it. She’s in her right mind to hate me. It’s natural.

We both exit the building. She holds the paper in her hand. She turns from me as I glance over at her. I’m tempted to ask her about the poem, but I can’t.

The bright orange floods over the streets. I can’t help but look in her direction, or else I have to face the sun. Instead, I face my own dark reflection.

I can still smell the stew. I can still remember their faces. Arc’s bright white eyes. Milly’s gentle voice. And the many books littering the place. I’m sorry. I’m sorry it all happened.

What’s here is the lemon scent. The cold distance. The unease I feel. The shattered work. The nonexistent proof. The darkness.

Here we both stand, sharing this morning after a sleepless night. 

With each moment with her, my shame grows. The more I press on, the more blood is shed. How many needs to be sacrificed before I see her… I’m but a monster.

The silence breaks as Mable speaks up, “Ashford. That should be about a 5-hour drive.” 

Her back still faces me. 

The tall woman raises her hand. “I can look for a mechanic to fix the car and get it fueled.” 

Mable grasps at the air.

She ends her speech, “It’ll be over soon. I know it. I’m going to be…” 

My former guide clenches the paper tightly. “Whole.”