Chapter 2

It watched him.

It had memory, now. Hours of memory. Had it ever had memory? Did it know what memory was? Had it even existed, before coming to the man in the snow?

It couldn't remember.

It stood, she stood, against the wall, watching the two talk. Watching HIM talk, sounds coming from his head.

Sounds ... meanings...

What was meaning? She didn't know. So much she didn't know.

The furry creature frightened her. Frightened as only something in this strange world could. She could no longer see the orange creatures that had been eating her man, preparing him for her touch. They were gone. Vanished.

Or ... she just could not see them.

Ve, white eyes wide, focused again on the beautiful man. The beautiful, alien man...

"So, why were you out there?"

His question surprised Menolly. Wasn't that what she should be asking? Did he think she looked too ill to be out by herself?

"I was hunting down a dog who should have known better than to wander off in a snowstorm." Canth licked her hand, as if in apology. Then, as if he had done his duty, the brown half lab stood and ambled over to where Jeff sat on the couch. She tried not to be jealous as the man petted her friend. "What about you? What sane person travels alone in a storm?"

He laughed. Jeff was handsome when he laughed. She had to admit that. His short black hair and day's growth of beard did fit him. Still being shirtless helped, too. Menolly liked her men topless. And bottomless.

"Something stupid, really. I was supposed to go riding with a couple buddies, bring our girls along. You know, hit the trails, stop at some small town bars. That kind of thing. Well, Stacy had to cancel, some family thing, and it turns out I got the weekend wrong. So, I show up, and I'm the only one there. After a few phone calls confirm my stupidity, I decide to just ride anyway as long as I'm out here. I was out in the middle of nowhere when the storm really started, and using the GPS I figured I could cut cross country to get to my truck."

Menolly put a hand to her forehead.

"They mark those trails for a reason."

"Yeah, but cutting a few miles off the trip seemed like a good idea."

"Shortcuts make long delays."

He blinked at her.

"What?"

"Never mind." Menolly looked out the window. "I think we can safely say you'll be spending the night here. Is anyone waiting for you?"

He shook his head. Canth, having decided the man had been graced with his company long enough, moved back to Menolly. Reaching her, he turned, looking over towards the wall near the bedroom door. She scratched his head.

"Is our friend staying put, Canth?"

"She's just standing there," Jeff said. "It's freaky."

She was sure it was. Ai freaked her, still, even after all these years. The kids were OK. Perhaps because they were only half ... well, half whatever Ai was. Maybe if she spent more time there, had a chance to really get to know the blue skinned girl...

She stood. Canth stood as well, ready to follow.

"I'm going to put the kettle on. Do you want anything?"

"Have any beer?"

"No. If you have a supply out on your machine, you're welcome to go get it."

"Water's fine, then."

"If you find water a good replacement for your brand of beer, your taste is worse than I suspected."

Menolly smiled as she turned away. The problem with going off to be by yourself, she had found, was that you were by yourself. The joys of solitude eventually became boredom. Having someone to mentally spar with, even if they weren't all that well armed, was definitely refreshing. Maybe, when she went back, she'd go visit Ai. Spend some time down there. With the kids. Violet had said something about them opening up a huge new section. There might be room for her to be alone, yet NOT be alone. The best of both worlds.

She turned the stove on. It was a camping stove, propane. It looked weird, on the counter next to the electric refrigerator. That was her brother, mixing whatever was practical with no regard for esthetics. A cast iron wood burning stove gave the cabin what heat it had, a small gas generator giving her electricity for the lights and refrigerator. Water came from a well, the pump outside.

All the luxuries of home.

Opening the refrigerator, she pulled out the jug of water, filling a large cup. Still a lot left. That was good. Still, as long as she had a hunky man here, maybe he could go out back and work the pump...

"Menolly..."

His voice was weak.

Shit.

Jeff, slowly, lowered himself onto the couch. He felt tired. Numb. It had come suddenly. A strange feeling, one which brought back hazy memories of childhood illnesses. The couch, so much like one half remembered, made him question the reality of this.

Again.

"Hope you don't mind," he said, letting go a sigh as his head hit the pillow. His eyes were already closed.

"Nope. The couch is yours." He heard the humor in the strange woman's voice. There was concern there, yes, but more humor. Resentment, too, at this intrusion into her life, but with the acceptance that this wasn't his fault. "Hell," she added, "now I don't have to worry about how to kick you out of my bed without looking like a bitch."

"I never stay in a bed where I'm not wanted." Now that he was horizontal, fatigue overwhelmed him. His feet were still on the ground, the effort to raise them seemingly too much. Reality was fading.

"Good." A blanket fell on top of him. A hand, warm, caring, touched his forehead. He smiled. Mom was there...

Menolly slowly made her way into the kitchen, Canth padding along beside her. Opening the cupboard, she pulled down a pack of instant cocoa.

She hoped he didn't die now.

It would be the inconvenience of the thing. A dead man outside, OK, she could just leave him there, call the police, have them deal with it. Now, though, she was involved. Had "nursed" him back to health, by basically standing back in confusion. If he died now, how would she explain? "Yes, officer. I dragged his drained body up here, causing unknowable damage, gave him a sandwich when he woke up, then let him die on my couch. No, I have no medical training, and never tried to go get help. Why do you ask?"

She looked back into the living room. She couldn't see him. Maybe he wasn't there anymore. Did the drugs cause delusions? Probably. They caused everything else.

The irony of it sometimes got to her. Maybe it was irony. The exact definition sometimes escaped her, not helped by everyone using the word wrong to begin with. Menolly didn't do drugs. Didn't drink. Dad hadn't, and while her moms had not had the same aversion to alcohol as Dad, the children had definitely picked it up. Even Jaxom hadn't gotten into that, and the gods knew he had gotten into tons of trouble. Not that that he was bad. Just ... reckless. He had been ready to marry that Jenny girl he knocked up, before the miscarriage had them both rethink it.

Menolly's eyes returned to the back of the couch. Cynthia told the story of how, as a child, she saw the Red Thing come, cause the miscarriage of some Aunt. Saw another kill her Grandfather.

Saw her sanity vanish before her eyes.

Well, drugs or not, Menolly as yet could not see the thing the man said was there. That was good. Better the death you can not see, than the one slowly walking towards you.

She was tired. Time to sit again. Pouring hot water into her mug, she turned off the stove, gave her hot chocolate a quick stir, and took her drink back over to the table. Now that he wasn't sitting there, she felt more comfortable being here.

Canth came over, head sitting on her lap.

"I haven't fed you yet, have I?" Her free hand went to his head. "I haven't fed myself, either. What do you think? Can of stew for me, a bowl of dry dog food for you? That seem fair? Or maybe that frozen pizza. If I'm going to be going home, the power is going to be turned off again. Might as well eat it."

He wagged his tail.

"Pizza it is, then. He can have some if he wakes up."

Menolly looked out the window. Still snowing. She could see the trees, though. That was good...

A person moved across the length of the picture window, towards the front door.

She stood, chair scraping against the floor. Canth looked up at her, surprised. The knock on the door had him bounding across the room. He didn't bark, which she took comfort in. That probably was a real man, not some otherworldly creature. She also thought she had seen a police uniform, or at least a winter coat which looked police-like. Moving at a reasonable pace, not wanting the visitor to knock again, yet not wanting to make herself dizzy, she reached the door. Pausing for a moment, composing herself, she opened it.