Entry 13: 

Dad chirped in my ear for another minute while I began filing more of my notes together. When I finished compiling everything, I had to pull the plug on the rambles. 

“So then, your mom goes-

“-Hey Dad, sorry to interrupt. Is Leasey around? I need to ask her something.” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, actually. Hold on.” There was a muffled shuffle on the other end as my father went to fetch my cousin. The sound of chopping air let me know he was outside, probably leaving our mobile home to run across the lot to my uncles. The sound of a door popping open and arguing lasted for a few minutes before a woman picked up the phone. 

“Chrissy? Look who's still kicking. What's the fuss about having ya father bust down the door?” she said in her Bostonian accent. 

“Sorry, Leasey. Ya know how he is. And I needed some info on this thing I met today. Can you open that database thing? Ya'll in a spot with wifi?” 

“Of Course. Since ya moms became the Hand, we’ve been staying in registered campsites like normal people. Just a minute,” she said. I waited. Before I left, Mom got promoted to Hand, second only to the chief. She was basically his bodyguard and advisor. It also helped that I sent her half of my boxing career winnings. Leasey came back after a few minutes and asked for a rundown on what happened. After I told her, she logged into the Beast Database she started with her friends about ten years back. It was pretty cool. An online archive of monsters in the US. It covered places to avoid and how to survive as a Runner. It operated like a giant forum with other groups posting every day, trying to keep each other safe. They had a whole section for firstborns and how their pilgrimages were going. It wasn’t updated very often. Leasey started reading to me whatever she had on Justine. 

“Archinary. Located in the northern regions of North America. Body of a hairy leech, with the appendages of a spider. They hide in hills, living in secluded areas where they can maintain easy control,” she said. “Hunting at night by catching their prey off guard and lunging at em from behind. Didn't ya say it came for ya in broad daylight?” she asked. 

“Ya, but she wasn’t trying to eat me, remember?” I replied

“Hmm. No wonder ya busted her face. Anyway, they feed like spiders or leeches. So, think big teeth, stabbing, sucking the whole deal. Then comes poison, stiffness, then..eww melting from the inside…”

“-That's enough, Leasey, thanks,” I said, shuddering. 

“Oh, this is wicked,”  she said

“What?” I asked

“So it says they take the essence from whoever they absorb, right? But it also says their intelligence can grow with it, too. Like if they start really feasting, they can become smart enough to be considered super sentient, like people.”

“The Guardian watching me said that too. I mean, so what, scary if they can talk-”

“-No, it's more than that. They can set traps, manipulate you, and establish full communities. It’s like if termites were given the choice to learn math and science. They just don’t get smarter, that's the issue- it's that they can get way smarter than you. Not that that's saying much. No offense.” 

“It's taken, but crap that does sound pretty bad.” 

“Yeah, like entire cities have gone under cuz these things ate good for a few summers. This looks bad, Chrisy. They're like trolls but shadier,” she said. I added the last of my notes until my hand suddenly stopped.

“Wait. Did you say troll-” My body jolted upwards at the sound of booming THUD from outside. 

“What was that?” she asked on the other end. 

“Ahh, crap. Hey, Leasey, tell Dad I’ll call him back later. Something came up. Thanks again,” I said. I tossed my phone on my table and reached into my hoodie collar, pulling out my Talon. Made of two hundred silver beads that stretched a foot long on a string made of dragon hair. In the middle was a piece of silver carved in the shape of a tiny claw. I slid it off my neck and wrapped it around my left hand. It was made from raw silver, a material known to disrupt the flow of mana. Creatures that relied on Mana for everything found the metal pretty unpleasant to be around. It was perfect for any monster or elf that got too close for comfort. All Runners on a pilgrimage had a Talon. It's what ya brought out when things got tough.  I let out a tiny breath. Each bead flickered a bright flash of light before I headed downstairs. When I opened my front door to the street, I was greeted by my bi-weekly dilemma. Its toothy grin always caused me to clench.