Yanlo

The night air kissed Taylor’s skin, bringing chills down his spine. He rubbed his hands together, nervous. He was almost home though. Not too much longer until he was back with the kids.

He heard some kind of scrape behind him. Metal on the gravel road, like someone was dragging a shovel. The sound grated on Taylor’s ears, but he minded his business. He didn’t have any sigiled items, and wasn’t going to take the risk. It was a risk enough that he was even out here with no protection, but that’s what happened when you didn’t have a backup plan when you’re broke.

He continued on the road, the busted green roof of his apartment building coming into view a couple blocks down.

The scraping got closer, and the footsteps behind him got faster. Taylor looked back to see a small feminine form running towards him. The bluish pixie cut framed her pink-looking skin under the streetlight she currently passed. And thankful for the streetlight Taylor was because she was dragging an oversized sword beside her.

“Shit!” Taylor busted into a run. The sigils weren’t the best at his place, but hopefully they’d be enough to get this god off his back, whoever she was. He’d never seen her or knew anything about any gods that looked like her, but that wasn’t a big surprise when you lived in the hood. You see a god you don’t recognize, you run. That was all there was to it.

And run he did. He jumped over a gulley, hoping the move would distance him further from the sworded pursuer. But to his dismay, her footsteps only seemed to land closer, and the scraping metal louder.

Suddenly, she was upon him. He’d barely even made it to the parking lot of the apartment. He felt he was going to die here. If he gave in, would he able to talk to her? Negotiate his life? Or was death inevitable?

She’d finally passed him, and stood in front of him. He knew then he couldn’t outrun her, so he stopped, and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the tip of cold steel to enter his guts. But when he stopped, she stopped. He dared to take a look. Now that she was closer, he saw just how much smaller she was to him. She looked frail, but he wouldn’t be fooled. She was not human.

She looked at him curiously. “You need a gift,” she said, starting first.

He furrowed his brow. “Gift?” he tried. He was very careful with his next words, making sure it was clear he wasn’t obviously accepting, nor denying it. “What kind of gift?”

She looked at him with earnest. “A gift that you have been needing right now. One Travilla thinks you deserve.”

He took a step back, more nervous than anything. He eyed that metal sword by her side. “I’m sorry, could you be more specific? How would you know what I need?”

She shook her head, “Travilla doesn’t know exactly. She just sees it in your face.” She glanced down at her large weapon. “But Lucy here will know.”

Taylor swallowed. “And what if I’d like to let Lucy keep her gift to herself?”

She frowned. “Travilla would be very sad.”

Frowning gods were usually not good. Taylor took a deep breath. She was at least waiting patiently for his response, so he chanced a glance back at his apartment. He had two kids and his mother back at the apartment. Maybe he should try negotiating with this god since she was up for talking. But would she keep her promise?

“If I accept this gift, would you promise to never come to this area again?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment. “If no one likes Travilla, then she will leave. Does no one like Travilla here?”

“People here don’t know you. Wouldn’t it be better to go to a place where people know you?”

She frowned again. “I wanna give more gifts to more people. I want to find more people who need them.”

Taylor got nervous when she switched her tense there. Maybe he was upsetting her. But he needed to know if making a deal with this God would guarantee his community’s safety and that she would not come again. They were already ransacked with a god of greed and another of deception and they surely didn't need an addition.

“Listen, Travilla. You gotta understand my side. I need you to promise me. If I accept this gift, will you leave this community alone?”

She didn’t looked pleased, but she nevertheless nodded. “Ok. Just you.”

He sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

She walked closer to him and placed a hand on his chest. He tensed. She then placed an ear against his heart. She stayed there for a good while, and then her pink skin started turning blue. He looked in wonder at the transformation. Then, she lifted her heavy sword, and the metal plunged into his gut.

When I was little, I realized what it meant to live among the gods. It meant that on any given day, your life could change for the worse. It meant that tomorrow is never promised, no matter how careful you are. And you have to be very careful.

The rules are simple. Be wary of strangers, even if they seem normal. Never, ever, give out your name freely. Make sure you are always protected with a sigiled item, or inside of a sigiled shelter. And never, ever, talk to the gods.

My first lesson was back in first grade. I had a classmate named Arnold that ran into a god during a Spring Break trip with his family. He ended up getting cursed, and he came back to school with the compulsion to eat bugs. Spiders, flies, roaches, or whatever else crawled or buzzed. He would get so enthralled at catching and eating them. I could tell he didn’t like them, and thought that they were disgusting, but Arnold could barely control his body. The teacher had to put him in the back of the classroom not to disturb us, but I could still hear the occasional crunch or chomp during class. The final straw for me was when he had caught a wasp. Poor kid was allergic, and it stung him in the throat.

If you come across a god, anything could happen to you. And it could be a fate you’d never think of. You could never be able to smell again. You could lose your ability to speak. They may handicap you in some way, or force you to do things you don’t want. And at worst, you could die by all kinds of terrible means.

For example, this ’Travilla’ girl that’s on the news right now, running around here with her care-bear looking skin and huge weapon. That sword looked like it could kill you, but the crazy thing about these mystical beings is that it might not. Maybe if she stabbed you, it could simply make you ill, or infest you with worms, or turn you into sentient sand. And you would never know until you were the victim.

“Dang. I wouldn’t want to run into that one,” mumbled the frontman of the car shop. I looked over at him, grunting in agreement. He looked back at me and shook his head. “We got some crazy ones coming through here these days.”

I nodded. I didn’t have much to say after that.

The car shop, Space Coast Mechanics was a small, worn establishment. The waiting room really only had two seats because the third was tattered and didn’t look very sturdy. I was the only one in the shop though, so what better way to pass the time like watching news I didn’t really want to watch?

I didn’t know of any certified safe establishments nearby, so I just remained in the waiting room. It was my first time getting my car fixed by these guys. My regular mechanic had some kind of family emergency, so I was stuck trusting some random shop to ensure the safety of my vehicle. I wasn’t all too pleased, but my best friend insisted that this shop was reputable and wouldn’t do you wrong.

My phone vibrated. Speak of the devil.

Songmi’s voice was cheery. “Hey Delilah. You still at the shop?”

I replied, “Yea. They said it should only take an hour. Getting close to that time. So bored.”

“Oh, why didn’t you go to one of those nearby restaurants? There were sigiled spaces around.”

“I didn’t see any with a 5-grade. Most didn’t list their grading at all.”

I could feel her eyes roll through the phone. Apparently I was the only one who cared enough that sigils were the ultimate best that a shelter could provide. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. Most people didn’t have the money to care. I barely had the money myself, but goddamn did I try.

“So you really just missed an opportunity to try yourself some bangin’ barbecue across the street just cuz they got a 4-grade on their door? It’s not like the gods are swarming the place. They aren’t news reporters looking for the next big scandal.”

I pursed my lips. “Yes, Songmi, I get that. But you know I’d better be safe than sorry.”

“You mean safe and broke. I know this car repair bout to cost you a pretty penny.”

I sighed. She was right after all. But I couldn’t help it. “I know, girl. It’s just —”

“Don’t even worry about it, friend. You know why? Cuz tonight, you won’t be paying for dinner tonight.”

I furrowed my brow. “Oh no? Why’s that?”

“Because I, Songmi Park have acquired the perfect candidate for a lovely lady such as yourself. A gentleman of class and poise. With humor and mirth to woo your pants off—”

“Ugh, no, Songmi. Not a blind date.”

“Yes! Indeed a blind date.”

“Can I decline?”

She clicked her tongue. “Delilah, you know you haven’t gone out in forever. When was the last time you went out and had some fun?”

I thought about it for a moment. “That arcade we went to was fun.”

“Girl, that was two years ago!”

I frowned. Had it really been that long?

“You don’t even realize how long it’s been, have you?” she sighed. “Look. I know you’re scared. But you’re really letting your fears take over your whole life right now. I just wanna see you healthy and happy. It would be awesome if you could take a chance this one time, and let loose a little bit.”

Moments passed while I considered every possible thing that could go wrong.

“Your car will be fixed, and knowing you, you’ll update the paint on your car sigil, right?”

“Well, yea. But—”

“ And my boy Steve is taking you to El Leoncito’s which has a 5-point and the most amazing Mexican food in Titusville.”

I frowned. “I do like El Leoncito’s. But—”

“And,” she continued to plow on, “if anything goes wrong, I am simply a phone call away. Or I can even tag along if you want!”

I huffed. “No, Songmi, you don’t have to tag along. But I’m just worried about—”

“Delilah, you’re always worried. I’m trying to tell you to relax a little.”

I sighed. “What about this Travilla god?”

Songmi had a serious tone. “It was reported that she won’t touch sheltered spaces. She’s always walking around outside. So if you’re just in your car, then in the restaurant, and then back home, you shouldn’t even have to worry about her.”

“I don’t know…"

“Well, I told Steve you would be there at 6. So if you don’t go, that means you’re flaking out on him.”

I scoffed. “Why the hell would you guarantee that I was going?!”

“Because I wanted to ensure that you would go.”

“Songmi!”

“So go, dammit. Seriously. Like if you really don’t want to, I can tell him the bad news if you’re that adamant. However, I’d be nice to see you enjoy yourself once in a while.”

My heart wrenched at the thought of leaving the safety of my apartment. I was ready to go back home as soon as this car was done, and stay there until I absolutely had to leave. But she did have a point.

“Ok,” I said. “I’ll go.”

This brought a little pep into my friend’s voice. “Really? Oh man, Delilah. You’ll really like this guy. I promise you.”

I gave a soft smile. “If you say so.”

Soon after our talk, one of the mechanics came out. “Ms. Young? You’re all set.”

I stepped out into the garage where my car was waiting. She was an old, navy blue Oldsmobile that I named Betsy. Not the cute Oldsmobile of the 60’s or 70’s, mind you. A tattered, lackluster 1997 that broke down at least once a year or so. The thing was almost as old as me. I would love to have a more reliable car, but I didn’t have the best credit. And clearly with my fixation on safety, I wasn’t gonna be able to save up enough to buy a new car out of pocket any time soon. But even though Betsy wasn’t much to look at, there was one thing in particular that I loved best about her. The hood of this car was so large and wide, I was able to fit a 5-point sigil on the front. The fresh, red touch up paint glistened on its curves and lines within the complicated shape. The spherical sigil sat proud, front and center, and I couldn’t have been happier.

“I gotta ask, Ms. Young. What kinds of gods are you running from? You got Bulrazar on your tail or somethin’?

I laughed, “No, but if I did, he wouldn’t even be able to see me, or touch my car.”

“Guess it’s worth the money, then. Speaking of which, you pay at the desk over here.”

The frontman came out to the pay station. “Thank you for your trust in us, Ms. Young. Your total today will be $780.43.”

I looked at the breakdown of the charges. The sigil touch up alone was $300. Buying a brand new one was much more, and I remember the heart attack I had when I first asked to have one placed. But nevertheless, the mechanic was right. To me, it was worth it for the peace of mind.

I split the payment over two cards. I was prepared for this, and thankfully didn’t have to dip into my savings. The guys kept talking about the size of the sigil and started arguing over whether it was overkill or not. I paid them no mind.

I got into my car and felt instantly safe. The drive was smooth, and I was ready for some good food. I was already feeling a little uplifted at the though of having some amazing Mexican.

I pulled up to the large iron gates of my apartment complex. It held an angry red symbol on its front, creating both a physical and magical deterrent for any unruly gods. While it wasn’t a 5-point, since those were reserved for more luxury apartments, the combination of the two made protection damn-near guaranteed here. Even though the apartments weren’t the fanciest in town, I was drawn to the commitment to safety here.

The iron creaked as the gate opened. I pulled up to the front door, inspecting the additional sigil I had on there as well. All seemed to be intact and in order. I sighed in relief. I was finally home.

Do I really have to go out? I thought to myself as I entered the small one-bedroom space. I shook off the thought. I needed to put on my big girl shoes and commit.

After a couple hours of relaxing, it was go time. I grabbed my gold dress which complimented my brown skin, my black stiletto-heeled boots, and some patterned wooden earrings. I finished the look off with an over-the-shoulder purse. I only wore these types of bags because sometimes running might be in order — not that the heels helped.

My phone buzzed. “You’re not backing out, are you?” texted Songmi.

I smiled. “Nah. Bout to leave now.”

“Girl, yes! I was worried you would back out. You’ll love Steve, I promise you.”

As much trepidation as I had earlier, I knew that my stress had been wearing me thin. I guess it was showing a little too much to others for Songmi to feel the need to set up this date.

I admired myself in the mirror. “You’ve been wasting away this fine ass for what?” I joked to myself.

—————————

I started on the drive to the restaurant. Most things in Titusville were only a short drive. It was a small town in Florida where the majority of the population was old and retired. The best thing about this town was that it didn’t frequently attract gods on the regular. They usually flocked to more populated spaces - the big cities. Those were dangerous places to visit. But the only main attraction here was the Space Shuttle that launched every here and there. It was such a regular and frequent occurrence for residents of Titusville that most would simply go out to their yard to watch it if they felt so inclined. Or others, like me, would simply hear the rumble but continue on our way. Sometimes traffic would be held up like crazy, but thankfully those were for launches announced on the news with actual astronauts manning them — only a few times a year, thank the Lord. And for some reason, the gods were never interested enough to participate.

A few minutes on the road and Betsy seemed to struggle for some reason. Before I could properly pull to the side of the road, the engine died. “What the fuck?”

Thankfully, I was out of the way enough to not interrupt traffic. However, I was on a road surrounded by forests. It would be a long walk to any building.

“You gotta be kidding me,” I mumbled to myself. “This is what seven hundred dollars gets you?”

Thankfully, it wasn’t too dark yet, but I would have to get out of the car to see what was up. I prayed that god Travilla wasn’t nearby, and kept an ear open for any scraping metal.

I opened the hood of the car to check out what might be wrong. Of course, I knew nothing about cars, but I was frustrated to be broken down so close to the restaurant, yet not close enough to be walking distance.

I held my phone tight in my hands, making sure I’d be ready to dive back into the car if need be. Songmi had given me Steve’s number before I’d left, so I took advantage and called him. “Hey, um. This is Delilah. I’m broken down by the bridge. Are you at the restaurant already?”

“Hey Delilah. No, I’m not there yet, but I can pick you up on my way. Shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes or so. Sit tight.”

“Ok.”

That was all I could really say or do at that point. Freaking out would do much but give Steve a terrible first impression of me. I closed Betsy’s hood, giving up on the puzzle of car parts. Looks like that shop would have to be one to cross off my list for good.

I went back into the car and locked the doors. At least I’d be safe within the metal while I waited for Steve.

It had only been a few moments since I’d left the house. The sun was a vibrant orange, welcoming the dusk. I let the light soothe me while I breathed deep. I had only closed my eyes for a quick moment, so was surprised to see that the sky had darkened considerably once I’d opened them again. It was too abrupt, as if the clouds were a solid mass floating toward me. I looked behind me to see the warm sun still setting with its shining light. A profound dissonance.

Fear grew within my heart. I’d just refreshed the sigil on Betsy, but I careened my neck out to double check. It was fine, I was sure, but I couldn’t help but worry. I wondered what god would be approaching.

The mass became even darker, like an inky poison that could taint a thousand innocent hearts with one brushstroke. Like an elixir possessing the essence of sin.

My heart beat frantically. It was so rare I actually saw gods myself in person, and I would almost shit my pants every fucking time. Usually, they passed, like a rain shower whisking through. This god would probably gone within seconds.

Finally, I saw the essence of it. This rolling form like a storm cloud just shy of a hurricane. I held my breath as the inky form approached. I watched enthralled at the haphazard motions, seeming to go backward and forward simultaneously. This darkness spreading in all directions, yet focused on one straight path all the same.

Closer and closer he crept towards me. All I had to do was wait for it to pass. It would simply breeze on by. Goddamn I’m scared. In all my life, I’d never seen a god this up close.

The air had a cold chill. It was a couple feet away now, a mere stone’s throw. It had a shadow of a man’s form, barely discernible from a tornado. And then suddenly, all of that mass, all of the blackness became the distinct shape of a man. Cloud became onyx-toned skin. The sin he held became pitch-black eyes. Then, those eyes looked right at me.

I gasped, wondering how on earth this was possible. The 5-point on my car was supposed to make me invisible to the gods. It was the ultimate protection. So how was this god looking right at me?

I wanted to look behind me to see if there could have possibly been something else that took his interest. Maybe I was just in the way. Yet, I dared not take my eyes off this opaque form. At least I was thankful that it was obvious this was a god. If he were able to parade around as a convincing human, that would be my worst nightmare.

The dark form smiled my way and approached. He was definitely coming my way. I started breathing heavily, hyperventilating. If he could see me, did that mean he could touch me?

I didn’t know who this was or what he could do. I had no idea what he would do once he got close. Would he try to eat me? Kill me?

Please let this be Kashius, I pleaded with the universe. Kashius was the god who was said to give you riches. For what price, I wan’t sure, but at least I’d get something out of the interaction besides pain or death.

The sky lightened because of the god condensing his form. That made me worry, because I could now see him lifting a hand to tap on the passenger side window. But he shouldn’t be able to touch my car. He should not be able to touch me.

He gave me a knowing smile, and simply placed a finger on the glass.

That was enough to break me.

I shrieked. I screamed like the heavens would open up. Like the ocean would part from the sound. Steve would be here in seven minutes or so now, but I realized I’d soon be dead well before that time was up.

No! I can fight this! My drive for survival kicked in and my brain went into high gear as I thought through my options.

Generic tactics for fighting off gods were as follows: chant an umamsi prayer. Spray the god with holy water. Use a sigiled item as a weapon. Create a magic barrier of your own.

I was no mage, so that last one was out of the question. I reached over to the passenger side of the car and opened the glove compartment, looking for something — anything sigiled. There was a flashlight with a ring of bright red. It was metal, too. That would do.

Then I grabbed the keys out of the ignition. I had a small bottle of holy water on a key ring.

With my two base weapons in hand, I was ready to recite the umamsi prayer. But when I looked up at the god, he had both hands flat against the window, eyebrow raised in amusement. Oh, he thought this was funny, huh?

I started reciting the prayer. Unfortunately, it had been quite some time since I said it so I didn’t remember all of the words. But I went through what I knew. Towards the end of it, he floated toward the front of the car, which I thought meant he’d soon be leaving.

But to my dismay, he continued circling around to approach the driver’s side. I hurled myself to the passenger side of the car, thankful for Betsy’s giant bench seats making that as easy as possible. The god tilted his head as if he were confused as to why I would move away. I held up my little holy water spray bottle that jingled with my keys. “Stay back!” I yelled.

“Why,” he asked through the glass in accented English. “What are you going to do?”

Shock struck me when I heard his smooth baritone voice. I did not expect him to speak to me. “I’ll spray you with holy water. Or I’ll fuck you up with this flashlight.”

He started laughing. A genuine, bonafide laugh. I didn’t like that at all.

“That is the best joke I’ve ever heard,” He looked at me again. “What makes you think that would work on me?”

Everything I knew about the gods told me that these things would work. But then again, here I was, having to talk with a god when he wasn’t even supposed to see me. And my prayer didn’t work, but maybe that was because I didn’t remember it all. I decided I was gonna recite that shit every damn day from now on.

I still had my two small weapons at the ready. I was always taught that these would work, so I just needed to put my faith in this. I took a deep breath, waiting to see this god’s next step. Although I had my doors locked, if he could touch my car, it was possible there might be a way for him to come in. I had to be prepared for that possibility.

Had it been eight minutes yet? Time seemed to slow the longer I was in his presence. Hopefully he didn’t control time. If he could, he’d be able to trap me here for years, doing anything he wanted to me, and would never let the actual minute pass. I would age, but the world wouldn’t.

I couldn’t take this burdening uncertainty. There were hundreds of thousands of gods that existed in this world. School only taught you about a few here and there — the important ones, or so they said. As the gods entered your city, like Travilla, they would give you basic facts about them at that time. I could ask this person’s name, and hopefully get a clue about who he was and what he could do. But asking his name might mean I would be obliged to give him mine.

I replied, “If I spray holy water on you, you will leave.”

The texture within his eyes changed. I guessed it was a change in mood somehow. Hopefully I didn’t anger him with my words. Even though his laughter had freaked me out, it was certainly better to deal with a good-natured god rather than an angry one.

“How much do you know about the gods?” He asked me in a quiet voice.

“Enough.” he certainly had me starting to doubt my items of defense. Maybe that was his M.O. — to encourage doubt within your heart. Nevertheless, I continued holding the spray bottle at the ready, making sure I would not allow my guard to be lowered.

He seemed to think for a moment. Then he said, “I can teach you about us.” The amusement returned in his eyes. He leaned closer to the glass, frosting it when he spoke. “If you teach me about humans, I will teach you about the gods.”

I scoffed at the absurd proposal. Surely this had an immense cost. The richest of the rich were the only ones who could make such deals with gods, which is why it was only the upper class that had true protection from them. “I don’t make deals with gods.”

His smile grew wider. “That’s good. But this is no deal. It is a gift.”

I grew apprehensive, but curiosity took hold. There were a few gods that would randomly gift you money or knowledge under no conditions. No names, trade offs with a life, and no binding of your soul to them. Could I have been so lucky to have come across one of these rare opportunities?

He had the essence of darkness. An ominous cloud approaching. A heavy storm. But what if looks could be deceiving?

I eyed him warily, “What kind of gift?”

He seemed even more thrilled that I was entertaining the idea. His ‘hair’ increased in motion around him, though he was never truly still the entire time he’d been speaking to me. “I will give you protection. I don’t know everything about every god, but I would like to protect you.”

“Why?” I dared to ask. “Why would you protect me?”

“Because you amuse me,” he said.

I didn’t get it. “Is there something special about me?”

He laughed again. “No. You amuse me. Is that so hard to understand?”

“So you want to protect me while you teach me about gods, and I teach you about humans?” I shook my head. “What could I possibly teach you about humans?”

“Everything,” he said with what I now observed as his signature smile. Dude sure was joyful for some reason. “You are the first one I’ve ever bothered to speak with. So I am happy to protect you.”

I swallowed. He claimed this wasn’t a deal, but it sure sounded like one. What if I couldn’t provide the kinds of information he wanted? What if I didn’t know any more than he did about what humans were like? The strange request didn’t make sense to me because most gods lived adjacent to humans. Parallel. Yes, in small towns like these, it was rare for an individual to come across a god at any given time but they were around. They coexisted together with humans. How could they not know what humans were like?

But then I had to ask myself the same question. I didn’t know that much about the gods who lived alongside me. Mostly because access to the information costed a fortune, and I was simply too broke to learn.

“If you are scared,” he continued, “you do not have to decide now. But you will have my protection anyway.”

I took another dare and asked, “Who are you?”

This pleased him. “Me? I’m Yanlo.”

The sound of slowing tires made me turn. I saw Steve approaching behind me. Yanlo glanced at the car with a smile. He turned back to me. “I will be watching over you.”

And then in an instant, he formed once again into a cloud, then dissipated.

I couldn’t truly sigh in relief after that. He’d be watching over me? Because I amused him? It still didn’t make sense.

Steve slanted his car so that the passenger side was closer to the back of my car. I saw him reach over and unlatch the door. I got out of my car and sprinted into his in record time despite my heels. My nerves were all tied up.

He looked me over. “Are you ok?”

“I honestly don’t know.” I was trembling.

He looked off into the distance where the god left. “Who was that?”

“He said his name was Yanlo, but I don’t know anything about a god like that.” I turned to him, hopeful. “Do you know that name? Yanlo?”

Steve shook his head. “I’m sorry. Never heard of him.” He frowned. “You were here on the side of this busy road and no one stopped to make sure you were okay. That is so upsetting.” Then he furrowed his brow. “Wait. I though you just had your sigil updated.”

“I did. That’s the issue I was thinking about the entire time.”

“You should sue the car shop.”

“Trust me. On my to-do list.”

He pursed his lips. “You’re probably not up for a date anymore. I can take you home instead.”

I looked at him. I really wasn’t up for a date after all of that. And my car was clearly compromised for some reason. I certainly wasn’t going back into it, now that I knew it was both broken down and unsafe.

My apartment would be the safest place now. No seedy mechanics looking to mess up your stuff on purpose and upcharge you. “I’m so sorry, Steve. I’d like to go home.”

We approached the iron gates of my apartment complex, but now I was questioning the integrity of the sigil upon its doors. It was the mechanic’s fault, I thought to myself. No one has touched this. Once we got within, I then started doubting the additional sigil I had placed on my front door. I had a mage install it, and read thousands of reviews about her before calling her up. Her services were on the pricier side, so I figured it was legitimate, not some cheap knock-off that only looked like it could protect you. But the problem was that anyone could make a bootleg anti-god product, and price it high enough to make you think it would work. And you’d be none the wiser until it was too late. Just like I was. Today.

I’ve always been so careful. So I’m really not sure how all of this could have happened to me. I always vetted my sources. And yet here I was, a victim of failed protection.

I felt scared. Yanlo was a black mass, so I couldn’t help but keep all of my lights on in case he would creep into my apartment somehow. He shouldn’t be able to come close — not past the gate. But now I was unsure. I don’t think I would ever be sure again.