Taryn got out of bed slowly, her brow furrowed in thought. The same dream, the same warning about her family. It had happened five nights now in the past four months. She couldn't simply think it a dream anymore, but a vision.

She wondered what she should do, if she should heed the warning or leave it. The encounter seven months ago was pretty compelling not to just leave it behind, but what if it was only a dream? Sylvie's vision had been considered a dream too, right? But if they had prepared earlier, then maybe they could have stopped all that death and destruction, the turning of a quiet northeastern town into a scene from Judgement Day. But other dreams, some very vivid, had turned out to be just nightmares that came and went. Trauma did that to people, and maybe this vague warning was just that. Traumatic memory absorption.

This kind of circular reasoning gets you nowhere. She thought angrily.

Pushing her anger aside, she slowly brought her mind to the present. She blinked.

Man, I was out of it, she shook her head slowly.

Staring into the mirror, she found she'd dressed in her costume from Nightshade's circus, a very fine buckskin dress like you'd see in Wild West Plates showcasing Native Americans. The soft leather rustled against her skin like silk, and she took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. Like all her things, the buckskin dress had been tenderly cared for and showed little wear, despite all the horrors it had seen.

A walk might help her think, so she grabbed her cell phone and checked the charge. She picked up her spears and war shield without thinking--they were as much a part of her as her arm and she never thought of leaving them behind now--and stepped outside her centaurian door. She hardly noticed the ever-so-slight glow the sharpened tips gave off along the pictograms etched on the blades.

It was still early, the sky had only perceptibly lightened, as she started down the street.

It still feels so weird, she mused as she walked. Nothing about the street was the same as her old one. The houses were different, practically stamped out of a mold and came with many odd things found nowhere else, she assumed. For one, oversized doors predominated on all ground accesses. These weren't simple doors either like you'd find at a hardware store. Instead, they wouldn't look out of place on the front of a castle. They were made of heavy beams and thick steel plates and bolted in place. You could hold off the world behind them. Then there were all the security cameras bristling off the roofs and around the enclosed yards like fur on a dog. Seriously, if you squinted in the dim light the houses looked fuzzy with the damn things. No idea why so many would be needed, but Taryn wasn't footing the bill and who knew what all was guarding the houses. Some houses, she knew, had oversized pools that could connect to the river with the push of a button or a code on a underwater keypad. She guessed that those were for Megan and Cindy, the town's mermaids in Luna Lake, but she didn't know that for certain. As far as she knew, neither girl had swam inside the mermaid houses since they were cleared from medical observation.

Most of the houses sat abandoned, waiting for owners she hoped would never come, and feared would.

Roland is still out there and may be making more of us. I guess the changed will have a place to live at least.

Taryn shook her head. She couldn't worry about that right now. No moves or disappearances had yet been brought to her, so she could only wait.

She had to admit, Agent Bengal and Mr. Wolfe had financed a fantastic neighborhood for Changed peoples, herself included. It was a safety net at least, for her and the others. They'd spared no expense, and had created one of the safest places on Earth. The gated community was certainly one of the most heavily defended, she supposed. Guard posts were set every ten paces and had underground steel-reinforced tunnels and bunkers connecting them, isolated by blast doors in case the posts were overwhelmed. Each house had an underground bunker capable of withstanding a fifteen-hour attack on their doors, complete with escape tunnel and armory. The parking garage was another of the places that was armored and had the community vehicles, including their armored truck and trailer.

All her centaur friends had homes next to her and her mother on the same street. One far away from the walls, she noticed, which was good in a way. Despite the armed agents that guarded the compound night and day, people still found ways to get right up to the fence to protest their existence.

As nice as the changes to centaur-friendly homes were, she missed the familiarity of her old room in the garage.

Stop that, she scolded herself as she came to the end of the street and turned right. She wasn't here to think on the past but to figure out what to do about the dream.

That it was a summons or warning she did not doubt. But could it be a false one? How could she tell? It also spoke of danger and trouble, and though she'd told the scorpion the truth about herself, she didn't like seeking trouble.

What should I do? she asked herself. Getting there is not a problem with our old trailer, modified as it is. But should I take anyone with me for what might be nothing?

She wished she had an answer, but none sprang to mind.

Hooves beat the pavement behind her. Tensing her muscles and sending her on full alertness. She raised her shield to a guard stance and set her spear.

Before she could turn to fight though, Sylvie's voice broke upon her ear.

“Taryn! Wait up!” her best friend called.

Smiling now, Taryn relaxed her stance and turned to see her flame-haired pinto friend hurrying towards her, also dressed in her western clothes, the oiled buttstock of her holy Winchester rifle dancing on her back and her brace of Colt Peacemaker pistols in her belt.

“Sylvie!” she said gladly when the other had caught up. “I hadn't expected to see you awake yet.”

“I couldn't sleep very well for some reason.” Sylvie explained. “And when I saw you walking by, I knew you couldn't as well.”

“Yes, I know.” Taryn said quietly. “Help me out here Syl, I'm confused on this one.”

“You? Confused? Then what hope have I?” she laughed. “But tell me anyway.”

They resumed walking while Taryn narrated her vision. Sylvie acquired a thoughtful look.

“You know Taryn, I have a feeling this is a lot like mine, but what's the monster this time? That isn't clear.”

“It didn't seem clear last time either.” Taryn pointed out.

“Though in the end it proved accurate.” Sylvie countered. “But here there's no clear enemy. Nothing is threatening, and the scorpion seems to be helpful, though that surprises me, as they're usually evil.”

“You think it might be a trap?” Taryn asked.

“What's the point of warning you beforehand?” Sylvie reflected. “After all, it might have tried a different approach, telling you to come learn something, and to come alone. It hasn't done either has it?”

Taryn shook her head.

“So, either it feels strong enough to face us together and forewarned, or it's on the level. Either way, we won't know until we get there.”

Taryn knew it would be a foregone conclusion that she would come.

“What about Stetson?” she asked.

“He'll want to come. Whether he can leave the farm is a different matter, but I'll arrange it with Wolfe. What about Josh?”

“He'll come. I won't even have to ask.” Taryn said, fondly.

“We'll have to let Bengal and Dr. McMillian and Doc know we are going.”

Sylvie sighed. “One of our curses.” she grumbled. “We have to alert an entire army we are going somewhere.”

“Part of the price for being different.” Taryn said philosophically. “Let's leave this here for now and just enjoy our walk.”

They reached the gated entrance to the community only to find thirty or more agents already mounted on horseback carrying a variety of weapons and modern riot shields blessed by Taryn herself.

Nodding to their bodyguard and the uniformed gate guard that Taryn still suspected was likely Secret Service, she waited for the huge blond man to open the three-inch thick steel bars and let them out. The bodyguard surrounded them as they walked down the street into town.

Red Leaf's Riverway met up with what used to be Main Street, now Military Road and the girls turned onto the wide thoroughfare through town. Taryn couldn't help but feel a nostalgic sense of loss of the town's character as it struggled to rebuild itself from the horrific battles it had so recently endured.

Storefronts now sported dense steel shutters on quick-rail systems that could deploy in half a second to seal the occupants inside the reinforced buildings, giving good cover and perfect firing positions through slits in the doors or along the windowfronts. Inside every shop owner and resident would be heavily armed with pistols and rifles ready to pour a hail of lead on invaders. Barriers of trees and thick shrubs disguised concrete ones between the road and sidewalks preventing ramming cars or VBIEDS from being detonated close to the stores. Near City Hall, a new town armory squatted, painted white to brighten its thick reinforced hide. Two more were under construction on either end of town. They passed the town park and saw two dozen people already up at this ungodly hour of five in the morning to drill under the watchful eyes of a National Guard sergeant, a wiry man whose sharp gaze swiftly noted the least infraction and giving vent to a horrible outburst on the unlucky man or woman.

“The Civil Defense is up early.” Taryn commented.

“Yeah. It's amazing how many signed up to do it when Dad suggested the idea. The hard part was getting instructors.” Sylvie replied. “They spent weeks going back and forth on it with the governor. He still won't tell me what persuaded them to allow a Defense Force that is for all intents a town-blessed militia to form.”

Taryn snorted.

“Perhaps seeing demons come to life convinced them that such measures were necessary. When the enemy sees civilians as lunch, there are no civilians anymore.”

“I guess so.” Sylvie shrugged. “I mean, having such dangers appear with no warning like that? No time to deploy forces from bases or call them in? Having a fighting force already in the town to hold it long enough for outside reinforcements to get here seemed a good idea.”

She sighed.

“Besides, normal forces tend to get dead around us.” she said much softer as she looked sadly at the building going up where the ruined police station had been. A smoking, cratered wreck from the savage firefight during the opening stages, the Red Leaf Police Force had been annihilated. Chief Ben Brodrick had barely seven officers left when the dust settled, all of them walking wounded even now, out of a police force of fifty people for the entire town and surrounding area. For right now, Ben was training the new recruits and running things out of the completed armory. when the new police headquarters was finished, it would serve as a command-and-control center for all the forces in the area, its own armory, jailhouse, and shelter in times of crisis.

They continued walking through town as it woke to the new day. People appeared on the streets, hurrying to open their shops and businesses, nodding hello to the girls as they passed.

A squad car appeared around the corner, its occupant driving slowly, but not particularly anxiously. They waved hello and saw a wave in return before it turned a corner and disappeared.

“Demons! Unholy flesh-eaters! Misshapen wretches! Go back to the Hellfire from whence you came!” screeched a voice behind them.

The agents and girls whipped around to see an old woman with unkempt, white hair, a stained white floral blouse that looked as if it hadn't seen a wash in weeks, and old purple slippers. She could have been somebody's kindly old grandmother out to fetch her papers, but her wrinkled face seemed twisted into a demented state and her eyes were practically feral. In her hands she clutched a small book that Sylvie was sure had to be a bible.

“Ignore her.” Sylvie said to the agents who had started to train their weapons. “She's in need of medical help.”

“Already called in.” the head agent said. Her eyes were kept looking warily around for ambushes. “But we might want to keep moving until they get here to pick her up. Just in case.”

Taryn sighed. As the woman mumbled into her beads and trailed the pack, surrounded by agents, she ignored the distraction and kept walking.

“Damn,” she said in an aside to Sylvie, trying to drown out the batty old woman, “if only that cop had gone by a few minutes later.”

“This is really wearing on my nerves.” Sylvie confided, doing her best not to notice their tail. “I'm sick and tired of them treating me like I'm Lucifer's niece or daughter or something.”

“Don't worry.” Taryn nodded to a pair of policemen and an ambulance that came up to the group and pulled over fast. The woman saw and tried to run for it but hemmed in by the horses she couldn't escape and screeched her displeasure as the paramedics attempted to speak to her. Taryn and Sylvie waited to see if they needed to help as the policemen were forced to tackle the fiercely combative woman after she tried to kick one in the nuts. In short order she was cuffed and taken into the back of a silent police cruiser and whisked away without a crowd or fanfare.

“It's a shame this is happening so often everyone's immune to it.” Sylvie commented sadly as they went on.

Taryn nodded.

“Remember that group last week?”

“Two weeks ago, now actually. Yeah. He was pissed when he didn't get any news coverage. I'd heard his lawyer had tried to bring every major network in to film their protest.” Sylvie laughed. “He wound up throwing a fit in court with only local news and hurled a briefcase at his lawyer. Got extra time in prison for contempt and his fancy lawyer quit.”

They chuckled together.

“For several minutes they made their way down the road nodding to people they knew. Taryn spotted a familiar head in the window of the florist shop.

“Is Sara working there now?” Taryn asked.

Their one-time high-school enemy turned tool of Nightshade and Jacob Meyers had become nearly comatose after her ordeal at the hands of that lunatic. Taryn hadn't seen her after the battle and thought she'd moved away.

“Yeah. I've seen her working there and other places. She's only got the job a week or so ago.”

“How's her family” Taryn asked hesitantly.

“'bout as well as can be expected.” Sylvie said stonily. “I've heard her mom's been moved out of the hospital and is now with the new psychiatrist across town. Goes every day.”

“And her father?”

“She makes him go with her. Gives Sara time to clean out the bottles. I think he sees him too.”

“With all that's happened, I'm surprised we all aren't in a padded cell.” Taryn commented.

“It was stressful.” Sylvie admitted, “And I think there are a lot more patients he sees than he can realistically handle on his own.”

“Well, I'm sure she's glad to have your help.”

Sylvie shrugged uncomfortably. “I'm not able to do much, actually. Her parents flinch every time they look at me. Not much I can do about that though, and I'm really there for her anyway.”

“I should be helping.” Taryn felt the first prickling of shame.

“You can come with me next time if you want.” Sylvie offered, “But it'll be pretty tight; their house isn't built for centaurs.”

“That's fine.” Taryn said. It was true: she'd grown surprisingly nimble in her centaur body.

They walked past the park, turned left, and followed the road down to the riverside park. The turbid blue water seemed idyllic compared to the storms it had witnessed so recently.

“We'll have to get up there and visit them.” Taryn commented.

Sylvie grunted, she'd become distracted as she stared at the surface zipping by.

“Taryn,” she said after a few minutes, “what if the warning in your dream is about Roland transforming more people?”

Taryn considered the possibility.

Could it be about him? Perhaps seeking to strike more unsuspecting victims?

“It's not near Halloween,” she said half to herself. “So he might wait till then, or perhaps not. There are still calls for costumes, either in preparation for Halloween, or for school plays or something.”

“The opportunities are certainly there.” Sylvie agreed. “Rare as they are.”

“So, what are we going to do about it?” Taryn asked.

“We could be human again.” Sylvie pointed out. Strangely there was no eagerness in her words.

“I don't think that will stop other events from happening.” Taryn said quietly. “At least this way we have a chance to fight back, and help the others fight as well. And...” she fell silent, not wanting to say aloud what she'd thought.

“You like being a centaur.” Sylvie finished for her.

You couldn't pull it past her, she thought ruefully.

“Yes.” Taryn admitted.

“I get that.” Sylvie said. “I love it too. I didn't at first but now...”

Taryn patted her friend's shoulder.

Staring at the water, Taryn thought of how far they'd come since being turned. They'd survived kidnapping, torture, literal Hell on Earth, and being decried as demons and monsters everyday. Before the worst she'd ever worried about were her grades, her mother's health, and keeping the house up. How different things were now!

“Oh, I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of? I'm afraid that I'm not sure of, a love there is no cure for!” her phone sang suddenly.

“It's Josh.” Taryn laughed while Sylvie grinned.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Taryn, where are you?”” Came the worried voice.

“Mom?” Taryn asked surprised. “What are you doing on Josh's phone?”

“He's here.” her mother answered shortly, “Looking for you. He's got important news. I've already called Anne. Sylvie's with you?”

“Yes. We've got news of our own.” Taryn said slowly. “We'll meet you at the house. We'd better get a hold of everybody.'

“All right. Come straight home and be careful sweetie.” she said.

“I will mom. Love you. Bye.” Taryn hung up. The agents were already remounting their horses and looking tensely about them.

“Here we go again.” Sylvie said resignedly as the band set off, back to the house.