“What’s that?” Tanya Sue asked after receiving the okay from Alex Pearson.

  “Stay back. Lay low.” Alex Pearson raised his left hand as he crouched towards the dire from which the smell came: “It’s probably a dead animal, but I’ve gotta be sure. If anything is wrong, run.”

  The two young women lowered their bodies and watched Alex Pearson crawl uphill with bated breaths. Up ahead scattered many bushes and small, slerees, none of which looked friendly or safe uhe dim moonlight. They paid a price to be here - a hefty one for their financial situation, but still not that high a hey were expeg, which meant he could have some ulterior motive and thus they had very little trust in him. Right now, the only thing they could do was focus on the figure of the man - so he would not be out of their sight for even one moment.

  The smell grew more intense as Alex Pearson climbed, and even slightly burning to his nostrils and eyes. At first he was worried that it would be a human dead body, but now it was more likely to be that of a skunk. In just a few steps, he would reach the top of the small hill in front of him, aill did not have eyes on the source of the smell.

  After a short moment of hesitation, he poked his head over the hilltop, just in time to see a ball of bd white fur curled up by a rock. A skunk, it would appear.

  Just to be safe, he waved at the two young women, signalling them to stay put, while he looked around fns of the patrol team befoing downhill.

  It was ihe body of a skunk, dead from unknown reasons. No other bodies were around, and no signs of danger or . He went back to the hilltop, and sighe young women to e over.

  “It’s just a skunk.” He expio the two young women with a lowered voice: “Cover your nose and be careful. The smell’s pretty bad.”

  The two young women followed Alex Pearson’s lead with hands over their faces and tears in their eyes. It took a while before they were able to escape the pungence.

  The path downhill was only slightly easier than the . The slope was not steep, but the terrain was rough. More potentially poisonous pnts and bushes were on their path, and they had to zig zag their way to avoid them.

  “Stay close.” Alex Pearson whispered as he lowered his speed. The night was getting darker, as more clouds gathered in the sky, obsg the moon more and more.

  Another wave of horrible smell hit them before they reached ft nd. Only this time, the source of it was somewhat easy to see - a rotten carcass of a wolf, or a coyote, covered in maggots.

  “Ring” “Ring” The two young women rang their bells.

  Alex Pearson groaned, he checked around befing his bell, asking with a suppressed voice: “What?”

  “I’m hearing voices.” Eve Kim held her friend close, while looking around.

  “Me too!” Tanya Sue’s voice was high pitched and a little too loud, she realized this and covered her mouth.

  The hairs on Alex Pearson’s back stood up again, the wetness on his back came ba his mind. He walked closer to the two young women and tried his best to whisper his question: “What’d you hear?”

  “g - at least three voices, all g.” Tanya Su frowned and shook her head.

  “For me it’s - grunts, heavy breathing, and - and - uh - what’s that noise - ” Eve Kim scratched her fad then her forehead: “ - basically - the kind of noise when there’s - uh - there’s phlegm in your nose and throat - ”

  Alex Pearson thought for a brief moment before pulling out a small piece of teardrop-shaped semi-transparent gss and putting it over his left eye and Tanya Su: “Okay, look up, at my eyes.”

  “ I?” Eve Kim raised her hand.

  “... fine.” Alex Pearson groaned and turo Eve Kim: “Foy eyes.”

  The young woman’s pupils were slightly dited. And upon close iion, there was a light e aura hidden inside of each of her eyes. In the sight behind the piece of semi-transparent gss, the auras scattered, into pieces of arch-shaped rainbows with inplete spectrums of colors.

  “Dammit.” Alex Pearson couldn’t help but curse.

  “What?”

  “You had a bagua mirror in your pce, right?” Alex Pearson sighed.

  “Yeah - and?” Eve Kim’s frown grew deeper.

  “Either you put it in an incorrect position, or you’ve got a well crafted but unfinished one.” Alex Pearson turned around aured both young women to keep up with him: “We’ll figure something out when we’re out.”

  “Than - thanks.”