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00:00:00.100 Speaker 1 Two:
00:00:35.460 Speaker 1 Always close the circle. Written in the margins: But then we'll be out of a job,
00:00:41.380 Speaker 1 ha. Written below that in another color: Not funny.
00:00:48.160 Speaker 1 Eight months later, Kelter sat at the bar, his bar, drinking a glass of
00:00:53.960 Speaker 1 something. No one remotely connected with work knew he came here, which was why he
00:00:59.320 Speaker 1 liked it so much, except for the barkeeper, Dreus, but she was all right. She knew
00:01:04.500 Speaker 1 when to talk, and she knew when not to. There had been a lot of the latter lately.
00:01:11.620 Speaker 1 He emptied his glass, then tapped the side. Walking or driving?
00:01:18.420 Speaker 1 He squinted one eye, testing his vision. He shook his head a little. Eh, maybe not
00:01:24.040 Speaker 1 then. Kelter was drunk right now, but not a drunk. People needed him.
00:01:30.020 Speaker 1 Well, one person anyway. He stared hard at the bottom of his empty glass.
00:01:36.340 Speaker 1 The door swung open and the first licks of autumn air swirled into the bar. It
00:01:40.780 Speaker 1 brought the sound of an approaching truck engine with it. A big truck by the sound
00:01:45.160 Speaker 1 of it. Kelter ignored it. Maybe just one more. He could always walk home.
00:01:52.220 Speaker 1 Someone sat down at the other end of the bar, but didn't order anything right away.
00:01:56.560 Speaker 1 The door swung open again. The truck engine idled outside. He looked up, covertly
00:02:02.480 Speaker 1 sliding one hand to press against the thick part of the wooden bar. Old habits never
00:02:07.820 Speaker 1 died. A woman stared at him from four seats over. Behind her, two men in
00:02:13.800 Speaker 1 black suits stood casually by the door. Kelter glanced over at Dreus. Her hands were
00:02:19.400 Speaker 1 out of sight too, somewhere beneath the cash register. Can I help you?
00:02:25.540 Speaker 1 Kelter tuned out their conversation and watched the men by the door. One of them was
00:02:30.060 Speaker 1 a little shorter, fatter than the other. Then he dismissed them. They were only the
00:02:35.420 Speaker 1 third and fourth most dangerous thing in the room. The most dangerous thing in the
00:02:41.100 Speaker 1 room smiled warmly. Her teeth were uncommonly white.
00:02:47.180 Speaker 1 Yes, you can help me actually. I'm going to rent out your bar for an event tonight.
00:02:54.020 Speaker 1 I don't do that. Kelter winced. The wooden bar was a good conduit, but there wasn't
00:02:59.660 Speaker 1 much material to work with. One of the men opened the front door and slipped
00:03:04.300 Speaker 1 outside. Kelter cleared his throat.
00:03:09.280 Speaker 1 Dreus, the rate is, uh, what, four hundred an hour, right? He hoped she would take
00:03:15.080 Speaker 1 the cue. Dreus shot him a confused look. It was an enormous sum of money.
00:03:21.140 Speaker 1 Four-hour minimum, of course, if I recall correctly. The man in the suit
00:03:27.160 Speaker 1 came back inside and casually handed the other man a rivet gun, keeping another for
00:03:32.360 Speaker 1 himself. The rubber hoses snaked back out the door, preventing it from closing
00:03:36.620 Speaker 1 completely. The two men leaned back, smug, holding the weapons in plain sight. They
00:03:42.560 Speaker 1 were still only the third and fourth most dangerous things in the room. The bar's
00:03:48.540 Speaker 1 other customers tentatively rose from their tables, uncertain if it was wise to walk
00:03:53.420 Speaker 1 past the men or risk sticking around for a confrontation instead. When the first
00:03:58.380 Speaker 1 steel worker made it out the front door without incident, the rest of the place
00:04:02.120 Speaker 1 quickly emptied. It's six hundred an hour, actually. Plus what those
00:04:07.900 Speaker 1 customers you scared off owe me.
00:04:11.640 Speaker 1 She looked the armed men up and down, then took off her apron and shot a glance at
00:04:16.360 Speaker 1 Kelter. He tried to grin apologetically. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone.
00:04:23.220 Speaker 1 Then she left through the back door behind the bar. Kelter let out the breath he'd
00:04:28.380 Speaker 1 been holding. At least the people in the bar wouldn't have to die tonight. The woman
00:04:33.920 Speaker 1 got off her barstool and walked over to him. Her heels clicked against the tile. She
00:04:39.020 Speaker 1 sat down again, still leaving one seat between them. Smart. Getting in
00:04:44.860 Speaker 1 close with a summoner was always a crapshoot. They could transmute you as well as
00:04:49.700 Speaker 1 anything else. Nasty way to kill someone. He'd gotten lucky with the kid in the
00:04:54.480 Speaker 1 sewers. It didn't work if the other person put up a mental defense first. But if you
00:04:59.560 Speaker 1 did it fast... Hi, James.
00:05:05.100 Speaker 1 He didn't know who she was. She was part of the family, he knew that much. Which one
00:05:10.580 Speaker 1 was anyone's damn guess. Didn't matter. She wanted something, and he'd have to
00:05:16.020 Speaker 1 listen. Don't call me that. I'm Kelter. She nodded
00:05:22.020 Speaker 1 as if she were expecting he'd say that, then leaned over the bar top to grab at a
00:05:26.820 Speaker 1 bottle of something on the other side. She lingered there, showing quite a bit of
00:05:31.400 Speaker 1 skin beneath her outfit. By hook or crook, she was going to snare him.
00:05:37.420 Speaker 1 Damn family. One of the suits must have noticed his hand on the bar because they
00:05:43.140 Speaker 1 started getting twitchy. The rivet guns rose halfway to point in his direction.
00:05:49.080 Speaker 1 Hands where I can see them, sir. Kelter gritted his teeth and took his hand off the
00:05:53.500 Speaker 1 bar. The woman slid back onto her barstool and pulled the cork out of a bottle,
00:05:59.540 Speaker 1 filling two glasses with dark red liquid. James, my name is Sasha de
00:06:05.060 Speaker 1 Coutier, and I have a job for you. She spoke without preamble,
00:06:10.852 Speaker 1 swallowing the first glass of wine in one go. She grimaced and then pushed the
00:06:15.392 Speaker 1 bottle and second glass right off the counter. They shattered behind the bar.
00:06:20.452 Speaker 1 Expensive way to send me a message. You know I got a mailbox, right? [laughs] Oh,
00:06:26.552 Speaker 1 I won't be paying her. These people are beneath us, James. Sasha waved one hand
00:06:32.532 Speaker 1 through the air as if wafting her promise away. It was that simple. Kelter narrowed
00:06:38.492 Speaker 1 his eyes. He might be able to melt her skin off. You could do something with air.
00:06:44.752 Speaker 1 Not much, but something. Most people didn't know that. Of course, it would be the
00:06:50.012 Speaker 1 last thing he ever did. The suits would plug him full of holes, and that would be
00:06:54.252 Speaker 1 it. Still, it wouldn't put her skin back on. I'm retired. Find
00:07:00.292 Speaker 1 another closer. Sasha ran a finger along the rim of her glass. She seemed
00:07:06.092 Speaker 1 disappointed it was empty. Kelter looked her over. She was pretty, but not
00:07:11.952 Speaker 1 gorgeous. Pampered. That felt right.
00:07:16.752 Speaker 1 No. That was all she said, tossing her short dark hair and
00:07:22.632 Speaker 1 leveling a humorless gaze at him. I want you, but I don't need you, Kelter. I
00:07:28.412 Speaker 1 have better closers. The pay is eighty thousand dollars, and you'll get to kill a
00:07:33.612 Speaker 1 child. The hell? Who did she think he was?
00:07:39.752 Speaker 1 I said no. He got up from his stool. It was an unbelievable
00:07:45.592 Speaker 1 amount of money, but it was also just words. Good deals don't start at the end
00:07:51.592 Speaker 1 of a rivet gun. The suits lifted their weapons, and Kelter heard the chambers
00:07:56.612 Speaker 1 pressurize. If he could just sever the connections to the idling truck outside
00:08:01.172 Speaker 1 somehow... Yeah, then he could deal with Sasha. She was family though,
00:08:07.512 Speaker 1 no summons. He'd have to close quickly, end it with brute force, and hope he could
00:08:12.132 Speaker 1 take the suits after. Then... Stop. Sasha raised her hands but didn't
00:08:18.092 Speaker 1 step between him and the suits, he noticed. He wasn't worth all that. The suits
00:08:23.392 Speaker 1 lowered their guns just enough to be obedient. Kelter lowered his sweating palms.
00:08:30.652 Speaker 1 You want this job, James. You just don't know it yet. She moved closer to him,
00:08:37.032 Speaker 1 heedless of the risk, however minor. Sasha fixed her dark green eyes on him, and his
00:08:42.972 Speaker 1 body betrayed him a little. She was prettier than he'd given credit for.
00:08:49.232 Speaker 1 I can pay extra if that's what it takes. She moved
00:08:55.172 Speaker 1 one hand along his forearm. Kelter let her do it. He'd hate himself for that
00:09:01.132 Speaker 1 later. No.
00:09:04.772 Speaker 1 I have a wife. And for the first time, Sasha looked uncertain. She pulled her
00:09:10.832 Speaker 1 hand back, letting it hang in the air just in case she needed it after all. Then she
00:09:16.272 Speaker 1 looked back at the suits. The not fat one shrugged. I didn't
00:09:22.352 Speaker 1 know that. She turned back to Kelter. Her words held
00:09:28.192 Speaker 1 an air of danger, but not for him. He was still standing there. Why
00:09:34.212 Speaker 1 was he still standing there? He should have walked away the moment they walked in
00:09:39.512 Speaker 1 the bar. He was still standing there because it had been eight months.
00:09:45.872 Speaker 1 Eight long months. Sasha de Coutier moved a little bit
00:09:51.772 Speaker 1 closer.
00:09:54.032 Speaker 1 Why'd you quit?
00:09:56.672 Speaker 1 Something got to you, James, and I think I know what it was. She
00:10:02.472 Speaker 1 put one high-heeled foot on top of his, then pressed down.
00:10:10.552 Speaker 1 How'd you walk out of that sewer with a broken ankle, James?
00:10:16.652 Speaker 1 It took a long time. It hurt. It still hurts. I
00:10:22.692 Speaker 1 retired. Hmm.
00:10:27.551 Speaker 1 She flicked her eyes up to his and moved closer still, reading his stoic posture as
00:10:33.232 Speaker 1 invitation to press against him. I closed the circle.
00:10:39.432 Speaker 1 Hmm.
00:10:42.492 Speaker 1 I closed the circle.
00:10:46.592 Speaker 1 Sasha suddenly stepped back, her face placid, with only the curl of a smile hinting
00:10:51.892 Speaker 1 at satisfaction. Kelter turned his head, trying to hide his shame. He wanted
00:10:57.872 Speaker 1 this woman.
00:11:00.172 Speaker 1 I believe you, James. I do. But that's not what I mean. You need to hear
00:11:06.212 Speaker 1 this. The summoner, the child, she's killed seventeen people. You don't
00:11:12.212 Speaker 1 have to kill her yourself if that's not your thing. I'll send a team.
00:11:17.972 Speaker 1 Kelter couldn't look up from the floor.
00:11:21.792 Speaker 1 Why me? He heard her walking away. Because the last living
00:11:27.692 Speaker 1 person she spoke to said her monster came to her in a dream.
00:11:33.812 Speaker 1 What does that mean to you, James?
00:11:38.812 Speaker 1 The door closed, and he was alone. It would mean something impossible.
00:11:45.632 Speaker 1 It would mean the circle wasn't closed, couldn't be closed, because the
00:11:51.372 Speaker 1 rules had changed. Damn. It would mean he
00:11:57.352 Speaker 1 wasn't retired anymore.
00:12:01.592 Speaker 1 Kelter opened the door to his apartment. It was dark inside. He'd forgotten to leave
00:12:06.652 Speaker 1 the lights on again He glanced at the bedroom door, slightly ajar,
00:12:12.712 Speaker 1 then walked into the kitchen instead. A drink. He needed a drink first.
00:12:18.452 Speaker 1 Kelter had to squint to make the room stop spinning, had to steady himself with the
00:12:22.852 Speaker 1 wall just so he didn't pour his drink all over the counter. He looked back at the
00:12:27.792 Speaker 1 bedroom, trying to think of some reason why he didn't need to go in there yet. There
00:12:32.492 Speaker 1 was no reason, of course. There was no reason to do anything. He was retired. That
00:12:38.432 Speaker 1 was kinda the whole point. Well, he'd been retired until about an hour ago
00:12:43.972 Speaker 1 anyway. Kelter took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the crypt.
00:12:49.472 Speaker 1 [sighs] The air was a stagnant
00:12:55.172 Speaker 1 pâté of mashed vegetables, dirty laundry, and human waste. It didn't matter how many
00:13:01.152 Speaker 1 times he opened the window, the smell had sunk into everything. His wife was sitting
00:13:06.372 Speaker 1 up in bed, looking at the wall next to him. "Hey, Lin.
00:13:13.911 Speaker 1 Sorry about the lights."
00:13:18.292 Speaker 1 Kelter walked over to the wall she was looking at. A painting of a flowery meadow
00:13:23.092 Speaker 1 hung there. He took it off the nails, set it gently on the floor, and thumbed
00:13:27.332 Speaker 1 through the stack of paintings leaning against the wall in the closet. He selected a
00:13:31.852 Speaker 1 painting with huge puffy clouds over a calm sea. The sun was setting in the
00:13:36.792 Speaker 1 background. "What do you think of this one?"
00:13:42.492 Speaker 1 Kelter hung the painting and sat down on the bed next to her. It had been a
00:13:46.772 Speaker 1 wonderful eight years with Lindsay, and it had been a very long six years after. He
00:13:52.672 Speaker 1 wrapped his fingers around her hand and lay down next to her, closing his eyes and
00:13:57.032 Speaker 1 pretending they were sharing a special quiet moment, when in reality all they had
00:14:02.992 Speaker 1 now were quiet moments. [sighs] "Come on, let's get you in the bath."
00:14:10.072 Speaker 1 It took him almost fifteen minutes to get Lindsay undressed and in the bathtub. He
00:14:14.592 Speaker 1 washed her with the sponge. Long years of practice guiding his hands. Even as drunk
00:14:19.832 Speaker 1 as he was, the movements came easy. "I did something stupid today, Lin.
00:14:26.932 Speaker 1 Broke a rule. One of the big ones.
00:14:32.872 Speaker 1 It's a job. It's a job. Pays well, too.
00:14:39.252 Speaker 1 We could use the money. Maybe if..." He stopped. The
00:14:45.312 Speaker 1 sponge fell from his hand. He looked down at Lindsay. She was so frail now.
00:14:51.712 Speaker 1 Her body was covered in bleeding sores. It didn't matter how much he moved her. It
00:14:57.432 Speaker 1 must hurt so bad. "I miss you so much."
00:15:03.652 Speaker 1 He bowed his head. "I miss you so damn much."
00:15:09.892 Speaker 1 Not this living corpse, the real person. The person that had died six years ago.
00:15:16.352 Speaker 1 She'd just left her body behind. If he could just... If he could just talk
00:15:22.372 Speaker 1 to her again, dance with her again. Hell, he was dying to have sex.
00:15:28.712 Speaker 1 There were a thousand tiny moments he missed, a thousand tiny things that made a
00:15:33.632 Speaker 1 relationship. Whatever was left, it wasn't a relationship. Just
00:15:39.852 Speaker 1 more chains, binding him to a life he no longer wanted. Lindsay just
00:15:45.852 Speaker 1 lay there in the bathtub, her head lolling to the side, glassy eyes looking up at
00:15:51.032 Speaker 1 the ceiling. Kelter wasn't sure if it was the booze or the depression, but he
00:15:56.292 Speaker 1 reached out with both hands and pressed them against her. He willed life into her,
00:16:02.192 Speaker 1 as if that could actually work. Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened.
00:16:08.992 Speaker 1 But a thought entered his mind, a thought so depraved it
00:16:14.852 Speaker 1 made him sick. And yet, Kelter closed his eyes and pushed on Lindsay, not
00:16:20.852 Speaker 1 with his hands, but with his mind, pushing like he was trying to will break a
00:16:26.152 Speaker 1 summon. He was shocked by how easy it was. There was no resistance
00:16:32.212 Speaker 1 at all. He could... He could... Lindsay's body thrashed once in the bathtub and he
00:16:37.412 Speaker 1 stumbled backwards, slamming into the wall. Kelter buckled over, covered his mouth,
00:16:41.972 Speaker 1 and tried not to puke.
00:16:44.892 Speaker 1 He had... He had will broken her, like a... like a damn monster. It shouldn't have
00:16:50.912 Speaker 1 been possible. Kelter stood up, a storm of emotions raged within him. This was
00:16:56.192 Speaker 1 wrong. It was worse than wrong. It was sick. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
00:17:02.112 Speaker 1 But then he put his minds on her shoulders again and tapped her mind with his will.
00:17:07.652 Speaker 1 He had to know. Tears poured down his face. There was no
00:17:13.332 Speaker 1 resistance at all. Nothing at all to push back against his own thoughts.
00:17:20.012 Speaker 1 She was completely empty. And for the first time in six years, he
00:17:25.672 Speaker 1 finally admitted the truth.
00:17:29.012 Speaker 1 Lindsay was gone.
00:17:33.752 Speaker 1 Three, mind the family.
00:17:37.692 Speaker 1 Written in the margins, in dark ink. What, no jokes?
00:17:43.712 Speaker 1 In red ink. Not here. In dark ink. Good, you're
00:17:49.732 Speaker 1 learning.
00:17:51.952 Speaker 1 The morning sun raked across Kelter's brain. He'd forgotten to close the drapes.
00:17:57.252 Speaker 1 [groans] He rolled off the couch onto the floor with a thud,
00:18:03.692 Speaker 1 and every part of his body moaned with him. Part of him hoped he'd black out last
00:18:09.232 Speaker 1 night and forget everything, but the memories clung to him like toilet paper on his
00:18:14.252 Speaker 1 boots. His wife was dead. But unlike most people, she hadn't
00:18:20.052 Speaker 1 been courteous enough to start rotting. He pulled himself off the floor and walked
00:18:24.952 Speaker 1 into their bedroom. Only her bedroom now. Lindsay was laying in bed,
00:18:31.252 Speaker 1 eyes closed. He wouldn't kill her. Couldn't. Even a muddy
00:18:36.852 Speaker 1 reflection of Lindsay was something to remember her by, but he didn't hope
00:18:42.592 Speaker 1 anymore. His hope had finally died somewhere between the fourth and fifth drinks
00:18:48.392 Speaker 1 last night. He left the room, no longer his wife, just another
00:18:54.332 Speaker 1 burden now. Kelter walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Huge
00:18:59.772 Speaker 1 mistake. It looked like he'd done a partial summoning in there. He closed it before
00:19:04.632 Speaker 1 too much of the smell could escape. There was a light knock on the apartment's front
00:19:08.992 Speaker 1 door, followed by the sound of running feet. Kelter shambled over to find an
00:19:13.592 Speaker 1 envelope wedged under the door. He opened the door, but whoever had dropped it was
00:19:18.172 Speaker 1 already gone. So he opened the heavy envelope and found both good news and bad.
00:19:25.612 Speaker 1 Enough money for two years' rent and a potential death sentence.
00:19:31.852 Speaker 1 The death sentence was written on monogrammed stationery. Two letters at the bottom
00:19:36.652 Speaker 1 read S.D. The note itself read, Your advance,
00:19:42.452 Speaker 1 fifty-two Pillar Avenue, ten AM. Don't be late. Now that
00:19:48.292 Speaker 1 money was in his hands, he was truly committed. He could try to return it, but then
00:19:53.432 Speaker 1 he'd have to wade into hell itself. Fortunately, hell was only a few minutes away.
00:19:59.732 Speaker 1 That gave him enough time to run some errands. Kelter parked his car in the parking
00:20:04.932 Speaker 1 lot near Drea's place. The bar had no name. The metal sign above the door simply
00:20:10.672 Speaker 1 read, Bar. For the kind of people who came here, that was all they needed to know.
00:20:16.232 Speaker 1 It was early. Too early for the employed drunks to be off work. Too early for the
00:20:21.472 Speaker 1 unemployed drunks to wake up. There was no one inside when he pushed open the door.
00:20:26.712 Speaker 1 But when he closed it, a woman in her forty-somethings popped up from behind the
00:20:30.572 Speaker 1 bar. Drea looked like she worked for a living. The burn scars on her
00:20:36.332 Speaker 1 arms and neck told a story Kelter had never asked about. You got those kinds of
00:20:41.312 Speaker 1 scars doing steel work. But you didn't do steel work if you could summon.
00:20:49.352 Speaker 1 Still alive? Good. I thought that might be the last time I saw you. Kelter
00:20:55.452 Speaker 1 smiled and set an envelope on the counter. I play by the rules.
00:21:01.312 Speaker 1 Besides, I didn't want to ruin your place.
00:21:06.072 Speaker 1 Well, by the look of things, she didn't like the house wine. She pointed at the
00:21:11.232 Speaker 1 floor. Shame she didn't drink it. I piss in that one.
00:21:16.532 Speaker 1 Kelter thought it best not to follow up on that. So he nudged the envelope instead
00:21:22.092 Speaker 1 and took a seat.
00:21:24.492 Speaker 1 What's this? Drea pulled the envelope toward her and looked inside. She dropped her
00:21:29.912 Speaker 1 mop and brought a hand to her mouth. I'll be damned. She was good for the money
00:21:35.532 Speaker 1 after all. Kelter put his hands in his pockets. Guess so. Drea
00:21:41.432 Speaker 1 stared at the money a little while longer, as if making sure it was real. Her smile
00:21:47.012 Speaker 1 slowly fell.
00:21:49.852 Speaker 1 I thought I told you not to do anything stupid, Kelter.
00:21:54.392 Speaker 1 I didn't. Not yet, anyway. She threw the envelope of money at him. He
00:22:00.212 Speaker 1 fumbled but caught it. Give it back. Whatever they want, tell them no. Kelter
00:22:06.172 Speaker 1 spread his hands. It doesn't work like that.
00:22:13.772 Speaker 1 Yes, it does. I asked around. She's a nobody. A third-rate member. Not even. She
00:22:19.432 Speaker 1 married in. She's family. And I'm trash by comparison. We all
00:22:25.432 Speaker 1 are. He pushed the envelope back toward her. Drea hesitated but snatched it up and
00:22:31.012 Speaker 1 put it in the register. She slammed the drawer to make it go away. Then she looked
00:22:35.952 Speaker 1 at the register for a moment longer, just in case it tried to get out.
00:22:41.312 Speaker 1 I don't think she knew you could summon. Drea turned her attention back to him.
00:22:46.772 Speaker 1 Yeah, well, I don't make that known. She set down a glass and poured him something
00:22:52.192 Speaker 1 he hoped wasn't the house wine. How long's it been since you summoned?
00:22:59.792 Speaker 1 Fifteen years, maybe.
00:23:04.132 Speaker 1 I got drunk as hell with these guys I knew. I was into one of them, Ian.
00:23:10.192 Speaker 1 Hated his friends, though. So we're drinking, and, you know, one of them tells me to
00:23:16.232 Speaker 1 summon something. I don't know how they found out. Ian probably told them. Anyway,
00:23:22.712 Speaker 1 he's cute. I'm drunk. So I take the dare. We go downstairs, out behind the
00:23:28.592 Speaker 1 apartment, and I summon a Vexis. You know, one of those spindly things.
00:23:34.632 Speaker 1 You can kind of make it talk. I know what a Vexis is. They were useful. Not
00:23:40.612 Speaker 1 only were they a fast summon, needing little material, but they didn't just kind of
00:23:45.452 Speaker 1 talk. They could talk if you were good. Excellent as diversion or lures
00:23:51.472 Speaker 1 for something meaner. You could use them to call a person's name from around a
00:23:55.932 Speaker 1 corner, and then Stupidest thing I've ever done. Never did it again. And
00:24:01.992 Speaker 1 then what happened? Huh. Nice try, closer. Like I'd tell you.
00:24:08.252 Speaker 1 Drea took a drink straight from the bottle. Seriously. What happened?
00:24:17.172 Speaker 1 I made it sing a drinking song. One of Ian's friends tried to touch it. I panicked,
00:24:23.032 Speaker 1 and then
00:24:25.344 Speaker 1 I closed the circle.
00:24:28.484 Speaker 1 Good answer.
00:24:31.564 Speaker 1 Yeah, well, we never hooked up, so I guess it wasn't the thrill he was looking for.
00:24:36.904 Speaker 1 The conversation fell silent after that. Drea seemed troubled by her memory, so
00:24:42.724 Speaker 1 Kelter finished his drink and left her to it. Will you be back?
00:24:48.584 Speaker 1 Yeah, soon. Drea nodded unconvincingly. Don't
00:24:54.584 Speaker 1 bring your friends next time.
00:24:57.363 Speaker 1 Kelter walked back to his car and steeled himself. Now it was time to enter the
00:25:03.204 Speaker 1 Torax den. He put his hands on the steering wheel and let out a long, slow breath
00:25:09.044 Speaker 1 before putting the car into reverse.
00:25:13.324 Speaker 1 He had to roll down the window and keep one arm on the door. Ever since the handle
00:25:17.444 Speaker 1 broke, it didn't stay closed on its own. He really needed to get that fixed at some
00:25:21.604 Speaker 1 point. He looked in the rearview mirror and was glad he did. A man in a gray suit
00:25:26.664 Speaker 1 stood right behind his car. He was fumbling with papers in his hands, making his way
00:25:31.504 Speaker 1 around the car. Excuse me. Sorry, excuse me. The man walked over to the driver's
00:25:37.464 Speaker 1 side window and the papers he was holding spilled out of his hands onto the ground.
00:25:42.864 Speaker 1 Are you James Kelter? Yeah. The man in the gray suit reached into his coat and
00:25:48.344 Speaker 1 pulled out something shiny and black. A gun. Kelter slammed the car door into the
00:25:53.684 Speaker 1 man just as the gun went off. Then he leaned out the window to grab him, but the man
00:25:57.924 Speaker 1 stumbled backward out of reach, so Kelter ducked back into the car below the window.
00:26:03.064 Speaker 1 Boom, boom, boom. The man in the suit fired his gun into the car as Kelter scrambled
00:26:08.944 Speaker 1 into the back seat. His heart raced. He had no idea if he was hit. He crawled onto
00:26:13.404 Speaker 1 the floorboards and pressed one hand to the rear car doors and formed a connection.
00:26:18.124 Speaker 1 Something fast. He needed something fast and small. He closed his eyes and found the
00:26:23.704 Speaker 1 frequency of the correct plane, imagined the body of the creature he wanted. The
00:26:28.344 Speaker 1 bond fell into place and he moved away from the door quickly. Half of the door fell
00:26:33.384 Speaker 1 away with a chitinous plop. There was the sound of a scuttling insect on concrete.
00:26:39.664 Speaker 1 Kelter didn't stop to watch, but by the time he heard the screeches, he was already
00:26:43.984 Speaker 1 out of the car, on the other side to use it as cover. He commanded the blood weevil
00:26:48.944 Speaker 1 to attack. The man in the gray suit fired three rounds into the thing. It screamed
00:26:53.624 Speaker 1 horribly, gnashing its spiked mouth at him. It left a trail of bright red blood as
00:26:58.744 Speaker 1 it chased the man. It was far too slow to actually catch him. But he hadn't summoned
00:27:04.704 Speaker 1 it because it was fast. He'd summoned it because it was loud and frightening.
00:27:10.904 Speaker 1 The man stepped up to the broken creature and executed it with a final shot to the
00:27:15.064 Speaker 1 head. A mess of bright red blood and insect parts splattered the pavement. Its
00:27:20.324 Speaker 1 horrible wailing finally stopped. Just in time for Kelter to grab the man's neck.
00:27:26.764 Speaker 1 He formed a summoning connection with the man's own flesh. The man in the gray suit
00:27:32.004 Speaker 1 had just enough time to turn his head and look surprised. Kelter broke the
00:27:37.504 Speaker 1 connection and his neck exploded in a fountain of gore. The man's head flopped to
00:27:42.564 Speaker 1 the side, unsupported, and his body collapsed to the ground. Kelter breathed
00:27:48.324 Speaker 1 heavily, standing in a spreading pool of human and summoning remains. He was covered
00:27:54.324 Speaker 1 in blood. A family of four turned the corner and walked by the parking lot.
00:28:00.664 Speaker 1 Morning. He waved at them with a gore-soaked hand, still catching his breath. They
00:28:06.484 Speaker 1 didn't seem eager to stick around for a chat, though. Kelter checked to make sure
00:28:11.004 Speaker 1 the blood weevil was actually dead. Even though he couldn't feel a bond, it was
00:28:15.064 Speaker 1 always wise to check. Not all of his contracts had been rogue summoners. Some of
00:28:20.204 Speaker 1 them were just regular people who'd made careless mistakes, or were too squeamish to
00:28:24.944 Speaker 1 check the corpses to make sure they were actually corpses. It was dead, so he got
00:28:30.744 Speaker 1 back in his car and tried to close the door. It didn't latch, though, and bounced
00:28:35.044 Speaker 1 right back open. That broken door had actually saved his life. Maybe he wouldn't fix
00:28:40.784 Speaker 1 it after all. He backed up the car, ignoring the bumps as he rolled over something.
00:28:47.464 Speaker 1 This is why he didn't take these jobs. It was just another day working for the
00:28:52.904 Speaker 1 family.