Zen shoves the rake deep into the ground. How has he been reduced to yard work? Is this really the only thing he could do all morning? He needs to get out of this place before he goes crazy. There are still two more weeks, at least, before a Psyren is able to get here. His lack of social skills is killing his choice in jobs. He isn’t even allowed to talk to anyone down in Solace. Maybe working on his social skills wouldn’t be such a bad thing. He hates people but this is getting ridiculous. Zen should be out chasing down the person who attacked the seal, not becoming a maintenance man to an old abandoned outpost.

Somehow this is more mind numbing than his usual outpost setting. He wonders if it is the isolation. Instead of being able to go in to town he is stuck with two options: work on this old house or sit in the graveyard staring at the seal. And staring at the seal isn’t really an option since he’s most likely get noticed in such a small town. A couple times, late at night, he’s driven through Solace to check on the town without detection. Once the seal is repaired he plans on getting out of here. Immediately. At this point he doesn’t even care where he goes as long as it is hundreds of miles away from this mountain and Solace. No more late night trips to the graveyard and, more importantly, no more damn housework. This is not his type of work. After this, he is going to put more effort to work back up the ranks.

He no longer even cares if he gets to go after the Psyren who attacked the seal. Picking up the trail after a month has passed would be near impossible. The weird part is that Zen hasn’t heard of any other seals being attacked. There are whispers on the dark-net that it is an outsider. A debate is raging if it had been a fluke or a new group wanting to compete with Tyr. He hopes it’s someone inside Tyr. The idea of a second group trying to merge the two worlds is terrifying. Either way, it means that this attack isn’t random. Eventually other seals are going to be attacked. But who would want to open the gates but not agree with Tyr’s philosophy? Is it insanity or ignorance? Sure, the creatures from the first level are harmless but if a lower level creature escapes it would be disastrous. He remembers reading the reports from the Heinzer event. One gargoyle like creature from the third level wiped out an entire town in two hours. Knocking over any buildings that didn’t burn to the ground. He wishes he had copied some of the images into his book. The death toll from that one city has never been agreed upon.

Focus. It does no good speculating what could happen. Zen wanders to the front of the house staring out at the remains of the deck. A distraction is needed. His problem is what to do. There is always the daily drive by the cemetery to check on the seal. The skies are clear enough, he wouldn’t need to stay long. He’s already used up his bi-weekly trips to Anchor for supplies. Going into Solace isn’t really an option since his trying to avoid being noticed. The snow makes it hard to even go on a cruise of the mountain. He really needs to get another old beater to use. One that is better for this kind of weather.

It’s starting to snow, dusting the ground in white. Zen lets out a soft sigh. The roads shouldn’t be too bad yet. Not that he cares what the roads are like; he needs to get away from the house. He tosses his jacket on as he walks out the door. The sky is starting to turn dark. This is going to need to be a quick trip if he doesn’t want to walk back. The door on the corvette squeals open. It is about time to oil the old doors again. Zen slides behind the wheel and cranks up the heat. As the snow melts off the windows, he takes a minute to check the mirrors. Once the windows are clear he slams the corvette into reverse and peels out of the driveway. The car slides back and forth as the tires try to get traction. Zen lets off the gas a bit as he slides onto the main road. Maybe the roads are in worse shape than he thought.

As he approaches the cemetery he sees that the green glow has shifted. Something is happening. The seal seems to be reacting to something or someone. But what has changed? He stares at the dash trying to coax the corvette to speed up. Less than a half-mile to go. He glances up to see a blurred shape standing in the road. He slams on his breaks. Zen braces for impact as he loses control of the corvette. It slides sideways to a stop. A young girl is standing in the road staring at him. It looks just like her. He tumbles out of the car wanting answers.

He looks back up the road where the child had been -- she’s not there. What the hell? Zen stumbles back up the hill. There’s no footprints or sign of a person. He looks around trying to stay calm. Who is that girl with silver hair? It could not have been her; by now she’d be fifteen. There is no way it is her. He walks back to the car willing his hands to stop shaking. He needs to get out of here and check on the seal. Something strange is happening here and he needs to figure out what.

Zen starts to whistle as he checks out the corvette. Somehow it seems like there isn’t any damage from the crazy slide back down the hill. As he inspects the front of the car he notices the red handprints on his windshield. They all seem to shimmer. Has the seal broken? The green glow still shows over the hill. He jumps into the car trying to race up the hill.