Arthur wakes up surrounded by empty bottles of beer and with a mild hangover, he finds himself inside a bar with the sun slowly setting.

  Over at the countertop Lisa and Oscar are lining up pieces of equipment and their respective bags. They noticed Arthur rising and trade glances with Lisa in a victoriously smug pose.

  “See? I told you he’s gonna wake up on time” she says as she approaches Arthur “Hey there buddy! How are you feeling?” She adopts the tone of a proud mom.

  He tries to process her condescending attitude but the headache stopped any kind of complicated thoughts “You know, same as always. I just want to die” he answers.

  “Anyways, I’m going to crash now have fun with your hangover” said Lisa as she disappears in a dark corner behind the counter.

  “You sure you don’t need a partner? Keeping watch at night is a shit experience” Oscar says as he approaches.

  “It’s all good brother” said Arthur “You go and have a good rest”.

  Oscar nods and helps himself to his own shadowy corner “Good night Arthur” he says.

  Another boring night for Arthur to bask in, he wanted to go outside and watch the stars but doing so would put his companions at risk so he just sits behind a window and watches the lifeless streets.

  Outside he hears a familiar sound, a cricket chirping. He appreciated the noise it made since it added flavor to the silence he enjoys but he does contemplate on how much his hangover hampers his ability to appreciate the night.

  “Okay cricket, you’re my friend now and as your friend I will hereby name you Robert” he says, “We’re going to Florida, you wanna come with us?” He asks the cricket who responds by minding its business and chirping as usual.

  “I’ll take that as a yes”

  Hours after Arthur’s conversation with the cricket something moved in the darkness, he hears a set of more than four legs shuffling against the pavement zipping from street to street at inhuman speeds.

  “That’s no Morph” Arthur mumbled as he keeps his eyes and ears out for the creature outside.

  In the darkness it wanders with erratic bursts of speed, it’s hard to be sure where it’s going or where it is but one thing Arthur is sure of is it’s getting closer and closer until it stops nearby. Arthur could hear its ragged breath its chest pulsing hard, its breath suddenly stopped and the night returns to silence the only thing to be heard was the chirping of a cricket.

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  Small steps circled where the cricket chirps, the last thing Arthur heard was a burst of speed which slams a large body into a wall silencing the cricket.

  “Rest in peace Robert, you will be remembered” whispered Oscar.

  Suddenly the monster splatters itself into the window in front of Arthur casting its own shadow into the darkness of the bar, the monster revealed its strangely human physique its body is mostly skin and bone, its eyes had a faint viridescent glow, growing extra sets of limbs and those limb stretched further than any man could reach.

  The monster drags its face across the glass leaving behind bits of skin and flesh as it scouts the inside of the bar, Arthur avoids detection by posing as an intellectually handsome mannequin though there was no need as in the creature’s eyes he’s a shadow in the darkness even if he moved he will not be spotted. The monsters jumps to the other window and performs the same face dance moving on as soon as it confirms there’s only darkness on the other side, this time Arthur makes sure to avoid making comments in order to remain unnoticed.

  The rest of the night lacked any notable events and lacked the pressence of a cricket, Arthur spends it alone while being tormented by a hangover.

  The sun shines revealing unpleasant stains on the window which went unnoticed for a short while until Oscar decides to point it out, Lisa asks about the evening which Arthur explains.

  “It was fast, almost human, with long limbs, skinny body, green glowing eyes” described Arthur.

  Lisa shakes her head unable to come up with answers while Oscar rests his chin on his fingers seemingly in deep thought.

  “Okay? What exactly are we dealing with here?” asked Lisa.

  “It’s a type 2” Arthur adds a hint.

  “Type 2 what? Diabetes?” Lisa responds.

  “Type 2 means it’s a Fauna, if it’s fast then it's probably a creep” said Oscar, “Which doesn’t make sense, they’re supposed to be afraid of the dark” he adds.

  “Yeah that’s exactly why I didn’t kill it, that thing ran around like it owned the streets” said Arthur “Something’s probably up” he voices his thoughts.

  Lisa looks back and forth between the two with barely a clue what every word meant, the other two notice and try to help her understand.

  “A creep is just a really fast monster with a lot of limbs. Anyway it’s really weak, they usually don’t pose any danger” explained Oscar “unless you’re a child, or a small dog” he adds.

  “Or a cricket” Oscar joins in “I’m surprised you survived this long without knowing taxonomy” he points to Lisa.

  “It’s not exactly my area of expertise” said Lisa.

  Arthur makes his way to the counter and dives under the drawers looking for something of interest, “nobody’s perfect I guess” He says while clanking through glass.

  “You checked yesterday, there’s no gun there” said Lisa.

  “I did?” Arthur’s head pops out from under the counter.

  “If you’re looking for a gun just go to a gun store or police station or something” said Lisa.

  “That’s too obvious, every man and their grandmother probably thought and did just that” Said Arthur, “if you really want a gun with actual bullets inside, check under a counter, or a bedroom” he adds.

  “Arthur is right, but you should also take into account that we’re right in the middle of California you’re not gonna find a gun under a drawer” Said Oscar.

  “These days you can’t be too sure,” said Arthur. “Anyways, you guys ready for Arizona?” He asks.

  Lisa and Oscar first check the contents in their bags before giving a thumbs up, Arthur suggests moving but the other two press him on his lack of equipment but Arthur responds by saying he crossed the continent with just his hammer and thick clothes. Lisa throws an empty backpack and commands Arthur to fill it with necessary equipment to which he lazily complies.

  Rolls of rope, a raincoat, spare clothes, and some other bare necessities nothing more. Travelling light and living off the land is how Arthur prefers to travel, with melancholic eyes he stares into the contents of his bag and the pockets of empty space inside somewhat reminiscing a memory in the not so distant past. The other two were nervous checking their readiness and then checking again, Arthur walks near and eases the two before Asking if anyone has a spare knife.

  Lisa takes out a sheathed knife from one of her backpack’s pockets and hands it over to Arthur who says his thanks but hesitates to accept, everyone notices the imaginary wall between the blade and the young man who finally breaks through upon feeling the eyes of everyone else in the room.

  “Is there anything bothering you?” Asked Lisa “I’m here if you want to talk about it”, she only saw a slight hesitance in Arthur but felt there’s something more beneath.

  Arthur looks Lisa in the eyes and smiles “I’m good, thanks for asking” he answers, slowly he unsheathes the blade and feels an overwhelming familiarity as he grips onto the handle.

  Oscar stands near the door watching the entrance as he waits for the other two, Arthur approaches still trying to figure out how to strap the knife onto his belt which Lisa steps in to assist.

  After a final check they head out to the empty streets as ready as they could be.