He is halfway to Rayford. Somehow he had dodged any serious trouble for the fight at the gym. But it is making for a torturous drive. All the cornfields make it seem like he is not making any progress, or maybe that was the second day of straight driving talking. Fox notices himself dozing off and pulls into a gas station. He needs to grab himself something to drink and a short walk to keep himself awake. The last thing he needs right now is to fall asleep behind the wheel and crash the truck. Unfortunately a nap isn’t an option at this point. He has to make it to Rayford tonight if he is going to keep to the schedule. He gets out of the car, hitting the door release for the gas tank. Since he’s here he might as well fill up. If he tops off here he might even be able to make it to Rayford without having to stop again. Leaving him some time to nap at his motel there before going out for surveillance. His muscles creak and groan as he climbs out of the old truck.

Glancing at the pumps Fox notices they’re old. Really old. He isn’t planning on using a credit card at the pump but these pumps don’t give him the option anyway. Some of the pumps still have the old glass cylinders where he can see the amount of gas sitting in them. He’s surprised that they are still allowed to use these things at a gas station. At least he’s guessing they are allowed to use them since there is gas sitting in the pumps. He approaches the door to the gas station, looking around for any signs of people. Once he reaches the door he realizes all the lights are off. He tries the door anyway. Locked. Normally he would guess that it isn’t a functioning gas station with such old pumps but he can see the gas. No big deal - he can make it to Rayford with the gas he has left. He isn’t too far away from a small town, maybe the town will have a small grocery store. He really needs his caffeine fix.

Strolling back to the car, he hears a high-pitched scream. As Fox tries to figure out where it is coming from, he hears other voices joining in yelling. It is coming from behind the gas station. Fox knows he should leave it alone. If he gets in another fight the elders won’t hesitate to sideline him, but curiosity gets the best of him. He slides around the side of the building trying to stay out of sight. A group of large men have a small girl surrounded. Fox ignores the growing fog as he shuffles around trying to see in the center of the circle. The blonde hair and purple eyes are undeniable. Somehow his sister is here and is being attacked by a bunch of dirty humans. He charges into the group, knocking them out of the way. Wynne just stands at the center, not moving, blood running down her arm. He feels his anger rising as he stares at the word ‘witch’ carved into her arm. And are those burn marks? Not again, he won’t let it all happen again. Fox lunges at the nearest person of the group.

                                                                ~~~~~~

 Fox falls to the ground panting. As he stumbles back to his feet he looks around at the damage. Not one of the men is moving, but what happened to Wynne? He looks around trying to locate his little sister. Before he can call out for her reality sets in. There is no way that girl could be Wynne. The humans killed her over ten years ago. So who did he really see? Panic sets in as he shuffles away in the fog. He’s already on thin ice with the elders. If he is caught fighting with the humans in public, putting the whole plan at risk, he will be pulled off the assignment. And right now he could barely remember anything about the fight. His rage had been in complete control. Again.

An outline of a small child appears through the fog. The real victim from this whole thing. Fox runs through the fog, almost crashing into the wall. It still looks like his sister but this time he recognizes the transparent nature of the creature. After all these years he still walks right into one of their traps. His face turns red as he storms up to the creature masquerading as his sister.

“What do you want? Do you want to make me look like an idiot?”

The creature just stands there silently. Fox glares right back, refusing to let this thing win. He isn’t some toy for them to play with, even if it did cause suffering to the humans. The creature points at the wall before vanishing. He grumbles and looks toward the side of the gas station wall. The creature had written in blood, the humans’ blood, ‘It’s waiting in Rayford’. He shivers backing away.

Fox spins around and runs towards his old truck. He doesn’t want to think about what is waiting in Rayford and what kind of trouble it will bring. As he sprints across the parking lot the fog lifts, revealing a totally different scene from his arrival. Gas no longer sits in the old pumps. He wills his hands to stop shaking as he tries to unlock the truck door. Whatever Tyr is stirring up isn’t some weak creature from the first level. This kind of power is only something from the lower levels of the Abyss. And he isn’t sure he wants to meet it. For a moment he wonders if he shouldn’t have taken one of the jobs further from the front lines. No one truly knows what happens when the seals break and he wants to be around long enough to see the creatures take over.

The truck shudders as Fox slams the door shut, trying to catch his breath. He needs to pull it together. This is no way for someone like him to act. He ignores the blood on his clothes as he tries to start the old truck. Suddenly he wants to put as much distance as possible between him and this abandoned gas station. He checks his review mirror as he peels away. A red hand waves goodbye.