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	The Chilli was watching Jack intently. She watched as he was lying on the bed and asking questions. She watched as he got up and skirted himself in a small blanket Amber provided. She watched as he took a drink of water from the bottle in his bag. But she watched him with even greater intrigue as he unloaded the Glock of its magazine, the bullet from the chamber, and placed the gun on the table for Amber to take a better look at. And then the chilli just kept on staring as Amber took measurements of Jack’s bare torso in order to design a holster for him. Things were getting very uncomfortable. 

Amber had taken many of her tools and leather products down into the basement in order to work on Jack’s holster while the three of them were in hiding - and she did just that, carefully drawing out an outline for her first cut of leather as Jack stood and had a staring contest with the Chilli. The first time he had stared into the creatures eyes they had made a special connection – if you want to call it special – in which Jack had shared the creatures feeling and notions of its thoughts before he passed out, and peed himself, apparently. And yet, the connection they had had apparently resulted in very little, as Jack had received no information as to why the Chilli was following him. Nothing. And now, staring into the Chilli’s eyes again, there was no more connection being made, no weird affect at all, just the standard dark, animalistic depth that could be expected of any animal’s gaze.  

Eventually Jack had to ask, in quite the demanding tone, ‘What do you want from me?’  

In response, the Chilli broke eye contact with Jack. It looked instead at the towel wrapped around Jacks waist, then looked at Amber working on Jack’s holster at the table, and then it moved. It stepped off the rim of the barrel, walked on its two legs to the center of the barrel top, then shrunk down as if it were collapsing in on itself like an accordion. It placed its penny-size clawed hands on its now popped belly. It was getting very comfortable. It nuzzled its face beneath one wing in preparation to sleep. 

Jack grumbled, ‘Fine, just ignore me then.’