Near a crater that had once been a fountain, a figure stood scanning the surroundings. Her head jerked from side to side like a bird of prey seeking movement, her body tense as drawn wire. She gripped a spear—an actual goddamn spear—its wooden shaft nearly matching her height, its leaf-shaped metal head catching what little light filtered through the haze. Brass bands wrapped the junction where spearhead met wood. Even from my position, I could see how her knuckles had gone white around the weapon.

  Overwatch activated feeding me information. Humanoid appearing female — gender unconfirmed. Estimated age between 20 to 25 years. Weapons reach approximately 1.8m. Unknown threat level. Appears to be in acute distress.

  "Down," I hissed, ushering Elena behind the warped carcass of a car. "Don't make a sound unless I say so."

  Elena’s eyes widened, the mischief of our attempted library looting spree evaporating instantly. She nodded, clutching her backpack’s straps, and crouched into a ball of rainbow-colored anxiety.

  I took a breath, briefly switching out my Guardian self for the Manager self to stabilize my heart rate. The adrenaline from the paper golem encounter was still simmering in my veins, making my hands twitch toward my blades. I needed to get my shit together. The last thing this situation needed was me charging in amped up. I really didn’t want to find out if I was capable of killing another human today.

  Did I just think that? Fuck me. I thought. A quick calming breath guided by my inner manager helped to steady my racing thoughts. I switched the Guardian back in and started to approach the other person.

  I stepped out from behind the car, crouching low enough that my knees protested, though not nearly as much as they would have even a day ago. I moved in a half-crouch, placing each foot deliberately like I was crossing a frozen pond, distributing my weight to avoid the telltale crunch of debris. My muscles coiled with each silent step, sweat beading at my temples despite the cool air. I moved over to the side a bit before starting to approach more directly. No need to give her the exact location of Elena.

  Veiled Movement increased to 14.

  I closed the distance carefully, then stepped into view with my hands visible at my sides—close enough to my blades to get them quickly but not so close as to come across as outright threatening. "Hey!" I called out, loud enough to be heard but measured enough not to startle.

  Their spear snapped up toward me, its arc precise and practiced — not the clumsy movement of someone who'd just found a weapon yesterday. Dark half-moons shadowed under their eyes, and when they locked onto me, I recognized the hollow vigilance of prolonged sleeplessness. I activated [Identify] and was surprised at the rather brief response I got.

  Nadia Nassar

  Level 4 Homo Fabulis

  I took a moment to better assess them, my enhanced senses, guided by Overwatch, cataloged their features with clinical precision. Medium-olive skin stretched over high cheekbones and an oval face that betrayed nothing. Their dark eyes told a different story — exhaustion lurking beneath determination. The way they balanced on the balls of their feet, the lean muscle visible beneath practical layers of clothing, the tight black braids that would give no enemy purchase in a fight — they had some form of training. They held that spear like an extension of themselves, not some desperate find. Only the gold ring dangling from a chain around their neck seemed out of place in an otherwise tactical presentation.

  Their spear tip twitched toward my throat, a half-inch adjustment that made my pulse skip. The whites of her eyes flashed as her pupils dilated, and muscles tensed. Fight or flight response. Despite it being clear that they knew how to use that weapon, everything about their body language told me that they weren’t trained to use it on another living person. Martial arts training of some type then?

  "Easy," I said, palms out, fingers spread. My right foot slid back imperceptibly, weight shifting to the balls of my feet. "I' m not looking for a fight."

  "Stay back!" they shouted, their voice cracking. The spear trembled minutely, its point making tiny circles in the air between us. "I'm armed!"

  "I can see that," I said, pitching my voice low and calm — my 'therapist voice' trained from years of working on crisis lines and psych wards. The voice I reserved for clients standing on the ledge, either literal or metaphorically. Also the same voice that got me in no end of trouble when I used it on my wife. "I'm not going to hurt you.”

  Their gaze dropped to my waist, arching their eyebrows at the blades fastened there. Their knuckles whitened around the spear shaft as they tilted their head, a silent accusation.

  I met their eyes and deliberately glanced at their weapon, one eyebrow raised. A muscle in their jaw twitched. Their spear lowered a fraction of an inch as they seemed to finally realize that I might not be trying to attack them.

  "Then why did you sneak up on me?" they said, a slight tone of accusation apparent.

  "Because you're holding a spear and look like you haven't slept in three days. And, I’ll point out that I could have gotten a lot closer if I’d wanted to." I kept my tone even as the distance between us hummed with tension. "I'm Cain. I just escaped the library. Trust me, you don't want to go in there."

  They hesitated, their spear tip wavering slightly. "I'm looking for my sister. A little girl. She ran off... she's..." They trailed off, their breathing hitching. The panicked glaze in their eyes was familiar; I’d been fighting to keep the same expression off my face for over the last 24 hours now.

  "I haven't seen anyone else," I said gently, taking a slow step forward. "But if she's out here—"

  "NADIA! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

  The shout came from above. I looked up to see a blur of motion drop from the second-story ledge of a partially collapsed store. A girl, older than Elena but still definitely a kid, landed in a roll that was equal parts gymnastic talent and equal parts reckless abandon that only a child can muster. She popped up, hair in messy braids, pointing an accusing finger at me as she quickly approached.

  "He’s probably a pervert!" she screamed, placing herself between me and the spear-wielding woman. "Look at him! He's got a beard and his hair is wild. No one has that unless they’re into some weird stuff."

  Nadia blinked, their fierce warrior facade cracking under the sheer absurdity of the accusation. "Mei? What are you—"

  "He could be a Per - Vert, Nadia!" she reinforced as she made the universal gesture for I’m watching you. Two small fingers pointing at her eyes and then at me, all the while radiating fierce, protective energy.

  I opened my mouth to defend my honor — or at least my grooming choices — but then a small voice piped up from behind us.

  "HEY! HE IS NOT A PERVERT!"

  Elena marched out, hands on her hips, her rainbow dress shimmering with indignation. She stormed right past me and glared up at the older girl. "He's my Dad. AND my mom said his beard makes him look handsome! Plus he looks really weird without it!"

  Mei stared at Elena, then at me, then back at Elena. The tension in the air, previously thick enough to cut with a knife, suddenly felt ridiculous.

  "Wait," Elena added, her anger shifting instantly to genuine curiosity as she turned to look up at me. "Dad, what's a pervert?"

  The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by a snort of barely disguised laughter.

  Nadia lowered her spear, as another very undignified snort escaped her before she slapped a hand over her mouth. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks, a blush that had nothing to do with combat exertion. I let my own snort escape, tension beginning to leave my body.

  Before I could stop myself, more laughter escaped, and Nadia shortly joined me in it. Elena and Mei looked at both of us like we had clearly lost our minds.

  Mei crossed her arms, though a grin was fighting a losing battle on her face. "Okay, maybe he's not a pervert. But he still looks suspicious."

  "I have Resting Dad Face," I countered. "It’s a condition. Permanent, but thankfully not fatal."

  She rolled her eyes in a way that only a pre-teen can. Nadia stepped forward and pulled Mei into a hug that looked painful in its intensity. "You idiot," she murmured into the girl's hair. "You ran off. I told you to stay put."

  "I saw a squirrel with wrenches and a power drill." Mei mumbled into her sister's shirt. "It was important."

  Nadia looked at me over Mei's head, her expression weary but relieved. "I'm Nadia. This menace is Mei."

  "Cain," I repeated. "And the one asking the difficult questions is Elena."

  "Hi!" Elena waved, seemingly having forgotten her question. "I like your braids. Are you a ninja?"

  Mei pulled away from her sister, striking a pose. "Basically yeah." A statement that earned an eye roll from Nadia.

  “Cooool.” Elena said with a look of wonder on her face. “Wait, Dad, you never answered my question. What’s a pervert?”

  Nadia burst out laughing, a raw, jagged sound that seemed to surprise her as much as us. I closed my eyes and sighed. "We are moving on. Right now. Different topic. Literally any other topic."

  We put the library and its surrounding area behind us, picking a path through a subdivision where the laws of physics had apparently decided to take a holiday. The asphalt here had rippled like a kicked rug, forming jagged hills of blacktop that we had to scramble over. Random debris just floated in the air, as if gravity’s hold on them was just a little less than the rest of us.

  Nadia walked beside me, her spear now resting on her shoulder, though her eyes never stopped scanning the perimeter. She moved with a kind of exhausted efficiency, the way people do when they've been running on cortisol and adrenaline for too long.

  "You two from around here?" I asked, trying to sound casual despite the apocalyptic scenery.

  Nadia tightened her backpack strap with a quick, efficient tug. "Third year engineering student. At the university."

  The silence stretched between us like taffy. I waited for her to volunteer more information, but her attention remained fixed on scanning our surroundings. Great, I thought. Of all the apocalypse survivors I could've met, I get the one with fewer small talk skills than me.

  She offered a weak smile. "Mei was visiting for the weekend. We were in our apartment when the Integration hit. My roommate, Andy, was with us, but we got separated last night. He’s got this whole knight in shining armour thing going for him now. Well, I guess he always had it, but now he literally wears shining armour. It's blinding."

  "Useful, though?"

  "Very.” She kicked at a piece of debris. "He’s a good guy, Andy. Like a brother to me and Mei. He just thinks he needs to save everyone." Her hand swept across the devastated landscape. "Now the universe gave him the power to try."

  She paused, eyes distant. "We found Gabriel after that. Grizzled type. Military background, then police work from what he said. Without him..." She swallowed. "Let's just say we wouldn't be having this conversation."

  "And then you lost them?" I asked gently.

  Nadia winced. "We got separated by a horde of those… rock-bugs? The ones that roll like a certain blue hedgehog?"

  "Haven't had the pleasure," I said. "We've mostly dealt with murder-bunnies and wet eldritch nightmares." She gave a quick, humorless laugh, completely accepting the absurdity of my statement as fact.

  Ahead of us, Mei and Elena were hopping between chunks of floating sidewalk. I could hear snippets of their conversation drifting back.

  "It's not just glitter," Elena was saying, her voice serious. "It's tactical sparkles that explode."

  "Cool," Mei replied, kicking a rock that exploded into purple dust. "I can summon a ferret. He bites everything. His name is Sir Chomps-a-Lot."

  "Can I pet him?"

  "If you don't mind bleeding a little."

  I watched them, a pang of fierce, terrifying love tightening my chest. "She seems... resilient," I said to Nadia.

  "She's terrifying," Nadia corrected, though her eyes softened as she watched her sister. "She thinks this is a game. Or an anime. I'm just waiting for the moment it becomes real for her."

  "Same." I said, with a mix of resignation and dread in my voice. “Trying to keep the apocalypse light hasn’t exactly been easy. That said,” I gestured towards Elena, “she seems to have taken to it much better than I have."

  Nadia glanced at me, assessing. "And you? What were you before all of this?”

  "I was a therapist," I said with a shrug. "I specialized in listening to people's problems until they figured them out themselves. These days my resume just lists 'expert at fleeing' and 'purveyor of jokes that make my daughter groan.'"

  "Vital survival tools," Nadia agreed dryly.

  "Hey!" Mei shouted, pointing down the street. "Is that Andy?"

  We both looked up. Two figures were sprinting toward us down the ruined avenue. One was glowing with a faint golden aura — literally glowing — and waving his arms frantically. The other was an older male who was running and firing with a rifle back the way they had come from.

  "That's them," Nadia said, relief flooding her voice. Then her eyes narrowed. "Why are they running? And what is Gabriel shooting at?"

  My Overwatch self pinged a warning a split second before I felt the tremor in the ground. There was a low vibration, like metal being dragged concrete.

  "Run!" the glowing man — Andy, presumably — screamed, his voice cracking with panic. How the hell is he running that fast in plate armour? I couldn’t help but think before snapping back to the present.

  I let out an exaggerated sight as I drew my blades. "Looks like they brought a plus one.”

  Nadia just shot me an amused look — at least I assumed it was amused because that joke was awesome. Before I could offer a follow up the corner of a building exploded as an unholy abomination from the depths of hell collided with a building.

  A deafening "HONK!" echoed between buildings. and my stomach dropped. I'd heard that sound before. Every Canadian had. It was the sound that made grown men drop their Tim Hortons and their blood run colder than a prairie’s winter. The battle cry of the most vindictive creature mother nature had ever mistakenly created. The Canadian goose, the national animal that no one had wanted, but very much the one we deserved.

  The creature slithered from the rubble, and I swear it was smirking. Its head was pure Canada goose — beady eyes like obsidian rage filled marbles and that distinctive black-and-white pattern all Canadians associated with a ruined picnic. Where there should have been wings and a body, instead sleek scales rippled down a bus-length body made of nightmares and muscle. It’s head was crowned with a flaring hood. The unholy abomination reared back in that classic S-curve that evolution perfected to say, "Your last thought will be 'oh shit.'"

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “HONKISSSSSSS!”

  The sound was a psychic drill directly into my eardrums, vibrating my teeth as I activated [Identify].

  —

  Cobra Chicken

  Species: Anserophis maledicta

  Level 25 (F Grade)

  Born from a combination of rage, cold and intense collective belief in a colloquialism, the Cobra Chicken is a semi-aquatic predator infamous for its erratic temperament and unholy blend of speed, cunning, and spite. This charming creature combines the murderous temperament of Canada's most beloved bird with the slithering menace of a cobra. Because why not?

  It’s beak houses a barbed tongue that delivers just enough venom to ensure you're fully conscious while it methodically ruins your day. When agitated (which is pretty much always), it fans its tail feathers in what ornithologists technically classify as "the universal sign that you've made a terrible life choice."

  We strongly suggest you run.

  —

  “Nope. No. Just nope.” I stammered out as I backpedaled three steps before turning to sprint toward Elena, who stood frozen, her eyes tracking the monstrosity's approach.

  “Fuck a duck” I heard her whisper, and given the circumstances, I think I was going to let her language slide. Our household policy had always been that there were no bad words, it was how you used them that mattered. And right now, she was pretty bang on with her word choice.

  “Actually I think that’s a goose.” Mei interjected, her eyes filled with a mix of wonder and horror. “I want one.”

  Andy, who the closer he got looked more and more like Captain America's stunt double, only with black hair, skidded to a halt between us and the monster. He slammed his boot into the asphalt. "I’ll hold it here! Get to safety!"

  "For God's sake, Andy!" Nadia exclaimed, her voice thick with exasperation. I couldn’t make out the rest of what she was saying as she ran towards him, but I was pretty sure I heard the phrase "suicidal golden retriever energy" cutting through the chaos before the rest was swallowed by the monster's approaching hiss.

  The Cobra Chicken shot forward like a hydraulic piston. Its beak slammed into the asphalt where Andy had been a second before, shattering the road like brittle glass. Bits of asphalt pinged off nearby cars. Andy rolled, and a golden shield appeared across his arm as a massive, scaled tail whipped around to crush him. The tail hit his shield with the force of a wrecking ball and a clang that sounded like someone dropping an anvil on a church bell.

  Andy was lifted off the ground and sent hurtling backwards like a projectile, skidding across the asphalt. The pavement beneath him bursted into a shower of sparks as his armour scraped against it. He skidded past us in a blur, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

  "Andy!" Mei screamed.

  The monster reared back, its hood expanding with a bone-dry rattle that vibrated through my skull like a jackhammer. My vision didn't just swim—it drowned. The world fractured into kaleidoscopic fragments, each shard tilting at impossible angles. Bile surged up my throat as my inner ear screamed in protest. My legs gave out completely, knees smashing against asphalt as the ground seemed to heave and buckle beneath me like the deck of a ship in a hurricane.

  The psychic assault receded just enough for me to claw back consciousness. My Guardian self screamed at me and I forced my eyes open. Through tunneling vision, I spotted Elena and noted her body convulsing slightly, eyes rolled back showing whites. I lunged for her, my fingers digging into her shoulder.

  "ELENA!" I screamed, my voice sounding distant even to myself. I shook her violently, panic overriding my usual gentleness. Her head lolled before her pupils suddenly contracted, fighting to focus on my face. My Guardian self assured me she was not at imminent risk, and as much as I hated to do it, I switched it out for the Tactician. I needed options and I needed them now. I felt a shift as the cold calculating part of me got to work.

  Gabriel dropped to one knee with military precision, his face a mask of cold fury as the psychic assault rolled off him like water off stone. In one fluid motion, he shouldered his rifle and fired – the shots echoing like thunder between buildings. Sparks erupted as bullets ricocheted off the creature's armored neck, leaving nothing but microscopic scratches on its scales.

  He worked the bolt with savage efficiency — CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! — each shot punctuating the chaos. Two rounds glanced off the bony ridge on its head, but the third found purchase in the soft tissue beneath its eye, punching through with a wet THWACK. Black ichor sprayed in an arc as the monster's head snapped back, its body convulsing in rage. The "HONKISSSSS!" that followed hit like a physical wave, shattering nearby windows and sending cracks spiderwebbing across the pavement beneath our feet.

  Nadia exploded into action. One heartbeat she was frozen, the next she was a human missile hurling herself between the creature and her sister. The Cobra Chicken's head shot forward in a bone-shattering strike that would have skewered Mei through the chest if not for Nadia's spear intercepting it in a blur of silver. She didn't block the strike, so much as she hijacked it, catching the monster's beak with her weapon's shaft and wrenching it downward with a primal scream.

  The creature's head slammed into the asphalt with a deafening boom, the pavement cratering beneath it. The impact sent Nadia flying like she'd been hit by a truck, her body rag dolling through the air before crashing down near Andy.

  My eyes locked with Gabriel’s and I could tell we’d come to the same conclusion. We were ants trying to fight a lawnmower and we were screwed if we kept a head on assault up. Even a hit to its eye only managed to piss it off. My Tactician self was running the numbers and coming up with zero percent survival probability in a straight fight.

  Thankfully I was a therapist and if there’s one thing we’re good at, it was finding indirect ways to approach the problem at hand. “We need to run!"

  "Run where?" Gabriel shouted, firing a slug that took a chunk out of the creature's nostril.

  "The Library!" I yelled, pointing in its general direction. “Once we get there, everyone to the sides.”

  "I thought you said we didn’t want to go in there?!?" Nadia screamed as she started to rise alongside Andy.

  "We’re not" I shouted back, already moving. "But that feathered abomination needs to check out the emotional regulation section."

  Power erupted through my veins as I cast Haste, the spell's electric current jolting through every nerve ending. "BRACE YOURSELVES!" I roared before hurling the same magic at Nadia, Andy, and Gabriel. The spell tore through my reserves, leaving me light-headed and tasting copper. My vision flickered at the edges— Elena and Mei would have to be carried, or we'd all die here.

  "Move!" Gabriel roared, grabbing Mei under the arms and picking her up as he sprinted past us.

  I grabbed Elena, throwing her over my shoulder as I charged back the way we had come. It spoke volumes as to her emotional state that she didn’t even question it and just wrapped her arms around my neck and held on for dear life.

  "Elena! Ribbons! Now!" I whispered into her ear.

  She didn't hesitate. She threw her hands out to either side of my head and brilliant, shimmering ribbons of light crisscrossed the street between us and the monster. The Cobra Chicken surged forward, snapping the first three ribbons. They exploded in bursts of blinding glitter and discordant trumpet blasts. The creature shrieked, shaking its head, momentarily dazed by the sensory overload.

  My lips brushed Elena's ear. "Distract it. And maybe some... musical motivation?"

  She thrust both hands forward, fingers splayed. Twin orbs of compressed light rocketed toward the Cobra Chicken, trailing rainbow-colored particles. The creature's silhouette vanished in a supernova of glitter and a cacophony like a thousand wind chimes shattering. A heartbeat later, concrete cracked and dust billowed as something massive slammed into brick and steel.

  The opening guitar riff of "Eye of the Tiger" suddenly punched through the chaos. Andy's foot caught mid-stride, his arms pinwheeling as he fought for balance. The music surged through my veins like liquid adrenaline—each drumbeat matching my footfalls, each note sharpening my vision until the world crystallized into perfect focus. The emptiness in my mana reserves began to fill, like a parched riverbed during the first rains of spring.

  Our feet pounded the asphalt as we tore back toward the Library, Elena's arms locked around my neck, her heartbeat hammering against my shoulder blade. Behind us, brick dust billowed as the Cobra Chicken wrenched itself from the building's facade with a sound like tearing metal. We rounded the corner and the monster vanished from view, but its hissing breath seemed to chase us, hot on our heels.

  The Library's stone facade loomed ahead across an open square. I skidded to a stop, lowering Elena until her feet touched pavement. Her face was ghost-white, pupils still dilated from shock.

  "Move!" I hissed, pointing to the buildings flanking the square. "Hide yourselves and don't make a sound." I said, my voice leaving no room for argument.

  Elena's arms shot around my neck, squeezing tight enough to choke me. Then she was gone, darting after Mei and Nadia toward a nearby storefront.

  Andy and Gabriel stopped to look at me, before I gave them a stern look as well. “Both of you go. I have a plan but I need it to focus on me, and can’t risk either of you drawing its attention.”

  Andy made to argue, but Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder. “Go back Nadia up — keep those girls safe. I’ll head to a higher vantage point in case your plan doesn’t go…well, according to plan.” he said. I could see Andy didn’t like it, but he didn’t argue and ran to catch up with the other three. Gabriel was gone almost instantly.

  My mana reserves had refilled enough for me to cast [Haste] on myself as I felt the previous spell's effects beginning to fade. I gritted my teeth, tasting blood where I'd bitten the inside of my cheek. Not much left in the tank, but it would have to be enough. "Eye of the Tiger" still pounded in my ears as I planted my feet shoulder-width apart on the pavement, staring down the empty street like a gunslinger at high noon. My enhanced senses picked up the first whisper of scales dragging across concrete—the monster was coming, and I was the only thing standing between it and everyone I cared about.

  The ground trembled beneath my feet as the Cobra Chicken careened around the corner, its massive body scraping brick from the building's edge. For one heartbeat, it froze—yellow eyes widening as they locked onto mine, pupils contracting to reptilian slits.

  "Hey! Over here!" My voice cracked as I hurled a [Chrono Shard]. Blue-white energy crackled across my fingertips as the spell left my hand. The crystal struck the creature's neck mid-lunge with a sound like shattering glass, freezing a dinner-plate-sized patch of iridescent scales in a crystalline web of stopped time. The monster's head jerked sideways, its serpentine neck twisting unnaturally.

  The Cobra Chicken hissed, its tail coiling beneath it like a massive spring. I saw the muscles bunching, the intent radiating off it in waves of heat. It was going to launch itself like a bloody missile right at me. I activated [Flicker Strike] just as it started to leave the air, and it triggered seconds later as the creature crashed into me.

  The world stretched in a way that was becoming increasingly familiar. I could see space bend and warp before me. There was something profound about it. Something that called to me, if only I could find it. FOCUS! my inner selves all yelled at me, drawing my mind back to the present. Right, giant monster trying to murder us. Epic last stand and all that.

  I appeared out of the flicker strike directly above its head. Instead of attacking with [Dimensional Edge] I threw my hand out and launched [Abyssal Embers] right into its eyes. It shrieked as the eerily black sparks landed upon it and began to burn its feathers and eyes. For once it seemed like we’d actually managed to hurt it, but I knew I didn’t have enough in the tank to actually kill the thing. It would take a dozen or more strikes like that to even get it close to defeat, and I could maybe manage one more if I was lucky.

  As I began to fall towards it, I activated [Flicker] and teleported towards the Library’s doors, landing in a less than grateful roll as I came out of it. I stumbled and tripped and for a moment I thought I was dead. Its shadow loomed above me, it had already recovered and was ready for the next strike. Before it could act, a dark figure launched itself at the Cobra Chicken’s face.

  A mass of writhing shadows erupted between me and death. Eight spider- like limbs lashed out from its core, each ending in obsidian talons that gleamed like wet ink. Beneath a cascade of midnight hair, a face I knew all too well snarled — ghostly pale, robbed of its usual innocence, and crisscrossed with jagged scars that pulsed with each movement. Black Rose. Elena's most terrifying "sister" had clawed her way into reality, bringing all her rage with her.

  Black Rose shrieked—a sound like metal tearing—as she launched herself at the Cobra Chicken' s face. Her bladed limbs became a hurricane of slashing darkness, ripping into scales and flesh with savage precision. Blood fountained into the air as she tore into the monster's face. The Cobra Chicken thrashed wildly, giving me precious seconds to scramble toward the Library doors. Just as my fingers touched the handle, I heard a sickening CRUNCH. I spun to see Black Rose' s body crushed between massive jaws, her form dissolving into inky ribbons as the monster spat her aside. The Cobra Chicken's head swiveled toward me, what was left of its eyes burned with renewed hatred.

  The monster froze, eyes narrowing with something like calculation. My blood ran cold. Could it sense the power pulsing behind the Library doors?

  Before I could finish the thought, it coiled, muscles bunching like steel cables and launched. Time crystallized as I activated [S.T.O.P.], the world slowing to a crawl around me. My heart hammered against my ribs as I cast [Haste], not on myself, but on the Cobra Chicken.

  As time began accelerating again, I cast [Flicker], space warping around me as I hurled myself sideways. The Cobra Chicken rocketed through my afterimage, unable to change course even if it wanted too thanks to the increased speed with which it moved. It slammed into the Library entrance with a thunderous impact that shook the ground beneath my feet. Stone exploded, wood splintered, and the majority of the beast disappeared into darkness, dragging half the entry way with it in a shower of debris.

  For a heartbeat, there was silence.

  Then, from the darkness of the library, came a sound.

  *SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*

  It started as a whisper, then grew to a roar — the sound of a million pages turning at once. The Cobra Chicken let out a confused honk that abruptly turned into a gurgling screech. A blizzard of paper could be seen through the Library windows and I could make out glimpses of white shapes — dozens of them — swarming the massive reptile. The Cobra Chicken’s tail, which was still outside, started to thrash around wildly.

  After only a few seconds, there was a final, strangled honk that was cut short with a wet thud. The Cobra Chicken’s tail went still and a thick heavy silence descended.

  I lay there on the pavement, panting, staring at the now ruined entry way of the library. A single figure stepped out. A Librarian. It adjusted its wire-rimmed glasses with a hand made of shredded encyclopedias. It looked at the massive, bleeding carcass of the Cobra Chicken partially protruding from the doorway.

  It raised a hand and a vortex of paper swirled out from the lobby, wrapping around the monster's body like a cocoon. The flesh seemed to dissolve, absorbed into the pages, staining the white paper red. In seconds, the corpse was gone. Guess we won’t be looting that.

  The Librarian looked at me. It raised a single finger to where its lips should be in the universal gesture for silence. Then it turned and walked back into the dark. The entryway rapidly repairing itself behind it.

  For a long moment, I didn’t move. I lay there, giving my [Equilibrium] skill a work out as I tried to keep the contents of my stomach on the inside for once. It didn’t take long before I heard the sound of feet running towards me.

  I managed to get to my feet, leaning heavily on my knees. Elena trotted over, looking remarkably unruffled, though she quickly threw her arms around me and squeezed so tight I almost couldn’t breath for a moment.

  "That was awesome!" she whispered and I couldn’t help but have a warm feeling spread throughout me.

  Andrew approached and I couldn’t help notice again how obscenely handsome he was. Handsome in a way that suggested he had a dedicated lighting crew following him around. He walked over to me, extending a hand that felt like gripping a warm brick.

  "Andrew Callahan," he announced, the capital letters practically audible. His grip was firm, earnest. Then he shook his head and let out a breath. "Andy. Sorry. I get formal when I’m in life threatening situations.”

  “That happen often?” I asked with a smirk.

  “Prior to all this? Not so much. It’s a new discovery about myself.” he said with a laugh. “Thank you. I don't think we could have taken that thing without your help. That was quick thinking."

  Gabriel slowly approached, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. He checked his rifle's chamber before slinging it over his shoulder. He walked over to me, his eyes dark and appraising. He extended a hand—calloused, steady, with a grip like a vice.

  "It was lucky," Gabriel corrected, stepping up beside him. He looked at me with dark, tired eyes that had seen too much, even before the world ended. "Name's Gabriel. Nice move with the teleport. You military?"

  "Therapist," I said.

  Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Seen a few of those in my time. Not sure any of them could pull that off"

  “I’m good at what I do,” I said with a shrug. “I’m Cain. Thanks for the covering fire."

  He gave me a nod, and then returned to surveilling our surroundings.

  Nadia was checking Mei for injuries, turning the girl side to side despite her protests. "I'm fine, Nad, seriously," the girl pushed her sister’s hands away, though she didn't move away from her. She stared at me and narrowed her eyes, bringing two fingers to her own eyes and then pointing them at me in a jagged, dramatic motion.

  "You did good, but I'm watching you" she intoned gravely. “Like a hawk. One false move..." She made a slicing motion across her throat, then immediately ruined the effect by tripping over her own feet.

  I snorted. "Loud and clear, Mei. Loud and clear."

  The adrenaline was finally fading, leaving behind the heavy, comfortable ache of survival. We were alive. We had found people — decent people, by the looks of it.

  Then Elena tugged on my hand.

  "Dad?"

  "Yes, love?"

  "You still haven't told me what a pervert is. Was the snake goose thing a pervert?"

  I froze. Five pairs of eyes turned to me. Nadia bit her lip to stop a grin. Gabriel choked on his own spit, turning it into a coughing fit. Andy looked confused. Mei looked vindicated.

  "I..." I stared at my daughter, whose expression was completely innocent. "No, Elena. It was just an animal. A very cranky and hungry one."

  "Oh," she said, accepting this logic instantly. "Good. Because I glittered it right in the face. That's what you do with perverts, right?"

  “I mean that depends…” I said, trying to figure out how to answer this question. Phrases like consent, personal safety, boundaries and also ‘we don’t yuck someone else’s yum’ all came to mind. How do you explain kinks to a 6 year old? I mean we haven’t even had ‘the talk’ yet… My mind started to figure out all the paths the conversation could take, before Elena interrupted my thought process.

  “Depends on what Dad?” she said sweetly. Crap. You’re baiting me. Trying to lure me in with a seemingly innocent question. Then there would be another question, and another. Soon I’d be down a rabbit hole you laid out before me. Not today love.

  "Look at the time!" I declared, tapping my bare wrist. "We should really find somewhere safe to camp. Lots to do. Chopping wood. Inventory. Notifications." Elena groaned, but I was not to be deterred. I grabbed my pack and started marching resolutely away from the conversation. "Come on, everyone! Adventure awaits! Or at least, lunch!"

  Behind me, I heard Nadia laugh — a real, unburdened sound. Gabriel joined in shortly after, along with Andy. It was the best thing I'd heard all day.