Anora stopped beside Darsby when the man at last paused. She fidgeted with a strap of her backpack as she once more took in the frail appearance of the man. No matter how well armed, difficulties simply standing never made for a fair fight.
	She met his gaze when he at last addressed her, the clamor of the hospital sounding all around them. She blinked in surprise at the tone he used instead of the tired, almost callous one she had already grown to expect.
	She inhaled slowly at the concept of her and Darsby being ‘edible.’ Which meant everyone in the hospital could make for a decent afternoon snack. She winced when he carelessly scratched his head with his weapon, her gaze watching it uneasily.
	“Great. Very helpful,” she muttered, a tinge of fear at the unknown mingling with exasperation. She watched him as he leaned forward, sniffing at the air. “What in the world are you doing?”
	Curious, she, too, sniffed, wondering what smell he was trying to find. Only the overwhelming scents of sanitizer and body odor greeted her.
	Her attention returned to him when he continued speaking, only to pause again.
	“A… [i]host?[/i]” She gawked at him as he decided on a direction. “Wait, wait, wait,” she hurried after him, speaking quickly. “We talking demonic possession, or invasion of the body snatchers?” She took a deep breath, catching Darsby’s glance in the corner of her eye, the hubbub of a hospital in panic fading more into background noise.
	Part of her felt like this had to be a dream, from his magic to the chaos around them. Perhaps her lucid dreams had taken an unusual turn, and she was still in bed. But then, this felt different. Her real life had never integrated itself into them before, the drabness of reality merging with the luridness of her dreams.
	[i]There’s always a first for everything…[/i] 
	Darsby’s voice regained her attention, interrupting her silent debate. Her steps faltered when she again met his gaze, his expression uncharacteristically empathetic. 
	Anora took another deep breath and nodded once. Though she hated not at least knowing exactly what she was up against, another part of her relished the excitement of not knowing. Besides, the panic and terror hanging thick in the air reminded her that now was not exactly the time for explanations or debating on what was real. She could decide if she was dreaming later.
	Right now, Darsby was—or at least [i]seemed[/i] to be—on a mission to save the people in the hospital. And she out to make sure [i]he[/i] succeeded. She was the reason he could hardly walk straight. The least she could do was make sure he survived.
	Though his empathy disappeared as suddenly as it had come, at least it had been something. She stepped after them, determination on her face as she kept a vigilant eye out for the next few paces, ready to look away at the smallest hint of blue.
	Noticing a woman who looked about ready to play hero against the heroes—if Darsby really [i]was[/i] one of the good guys—Anora moved to place herself between Darsby and the woman. Purple crackled at her fingertips, ready to create a barrier to keep the woman back, but the magic proved unnecessary.
	The piercing bang of gunshots echoed down the hall, freezing Anora’s feet, heart, and lungs for a precious second. Screams rang off the tiles as shouting workers, patients, and guests scurried for cover. The woman lost her nerve and ducked into the nearest room, slamming the door behind her. Anora could only stare down the hall, hoping the shots meant a police officer had taken down whatever plagued the wing.
	An instinct to run [i]toward[/i] the sound, to make sure no one had been hurt, made her take a hasty step forward before the lighting flickered ominously where the hall branched off again. In the silence of everyone taking cover, a sliding scuttle replaced the sounds of fear in the now mostly deserted space.
	She gasped and stumbled back when something crawled into their view only a few yards away. She watched the spider-like creature, eyes wide in awe and fear. It clumsily banged into anything it could find, searching, oblivious to its remaining audience. The clatter of medical equipment, papers, and furniture scattering over the linoleum drowned out the soft sound of of its lurching movements.
	She took another partial step back so she stood slightly behind Darsby. “What—” she began, but Darsby interrupted.
	“I…” She quickly wiped the shock from her face as well as she could, her voice just loud enough for him to hear over the monster's rumpus. “Yeah,” she affirmed, her voice firm. “I’ve got this.”
	Acting quickly before the thing’s attention turned to them, Anora moved her right foot forward, angling herself toward the creature and giving her a better shot. Purple mist formed and curled over her arm, the gold ring of her eyes intensifying and their violet glowing faintly in the dim light.
	She watched the creature for only a second as it crashed its way closer, then thrust her arm toward it.
	In the blink of an eye, energy surged down her hand and from her fingers, lighting the hallway. Four strands of misty black-speckled-violet and golden sparks shot toward the creature, following Anora’s silent orders to tangle around the monster from all sides, ready to shift trajectory or explode into a confining shield if the spidery thing tried to dodge or attack.