Ben’s lungs were burning. He sprinted through the rain-slicked alleyways of Sector 4, splashing through puddles that smelled like old oil and ozone. "Is it still behind us?" Ben yelled, not daring to look back.

  Vala was running beside him, her heavy armor clanking rhythmically but not slowing her down at all. "The Hunter gains ground. It moves through the shadows. We need a kill box."

  "A what?"

  "A trapped environment. Somewhere we can contain a liquid."

  Ben looked around. They were passing a construction site for a new (and stalled) high-rise. A yellow chain-link fence surrounded a pit of mud, rebar, and heavy machinery. Ben saw a massive truck parked near the edge of the foundation pit. The barrel on the back was massive and silent. "Quick-Dry Cement."

  "In there!" Ben pointed. "I have an idea, but it’s stupid!"

  "Stupid is your specialty, Carrier!" Vala yelled, drawing her sword. "Go!"

  They scrambled over the fence. Ben ripped the leg of his jumpsuit on the wire but kept moving. The mud sucked at his sneakers.

  HISSS. The sound came from everywhere. The Black Sludge Stalker wasn't running on the ground anymore. It was oozing along the yellow crane arm above them, dripping black tar as it moved.

  "It has the high ground," Vala observed. She stopped in the mud, banging her sword against her shield. "I will draw its aggro. You prepare the trap."

  "Aggro? You know gaming terms?" Ben asked, climbing the ladder on the side of the cement truck.

  "I learned your language from the broadcast waves," Vala shouted. "Now work, Peasant!"

  Vala swung her sword, sending a wave of heat into the air. "Hey! Void-Scum! Down here!"

  The Stalker dropped. It fell from the crane like a black anvil, aiming straight for Vala.

  Vala didn't dodge. She braced. CLANG. The monster slammed into her shield. The impact was heavy enough to crack the concrete beneath her boots, but Vala held her ground. She thrust her sword into the black mass. The blade glowed orange, boiling the sludge, but the monster just flowed around it, trying to suffocate her.

  "Ben!" Vala grunted, struggling to keep the slime off her face. "Now!"

  Ben scrambled up the wet metal ladder, nearly slipping twice. He saw a key dangling in the emergency override slot. He twisted it, and the engine roared to life. He looked down at the control panel. "Okay," Ben muttered, wiping rain from his eyes. "Green button spins. Red button stops. Lever dumps."

  He looked at Vala. "Bring it here! Climb the ladder!"

  "I am a little busy!" Vala shouted, kicking the monster away. It stuck to her leg like gum.

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  "Just jump!" Ben yelled.

  Vala gritted her teeth. She grabbed the monster’s "head" (the blank white circle) and heaved. She didn't throw it away. She threw it up. Then she leaped, grabbing the ladder of the truck.

  The monster, agitated and mindless, followed the movement. It shot up the side of the truck like a black snake, aiming for the highest point. Aiming for Ben.

  Ben stood on the edge of the hopper. Behind him, the drum was churning wet, grey cement. The monster coiled on the platform, rearing up to strike.

  "Hey, ugly!" Ben yelled. He pointed at the Grey crystal in his chest. "You want the Heart? Come and get it!"

  The monster lunged. Ben dove to the right. The monster sailed past him—straight into the open hopper of the churning cement mixer.

  SPLAT.

  "Vala! The water!" Ben screamed.

  Vala, hanging off the side of the truck, slashed the water tank hose with her sword. Water sprayed into the hopper. Ben slammed his hand on the Fast Spin lever.

  VROOOOM. The truck roared. The drum spun violently. Inside, the black sludge mixed with the quick-dry cement and the water. The monster screeched—a gurgling, wet sound—as it was churned into the mix.

  "It binds!" Vala yelled, climbing up next to Ben. "The stone traps the darkness!"

  Ben watched the mix turn from grey to a dark, streaky charcoal. The screeching stopped. The mixture began to harden rapidly. "It's over," Ben panted, leaning against the cold metal of the truck. "We turned him into a sidewalk."

  Vala looked into the mixer. "An effective prison. Primitive, but effective."

  Ben checked his phone. It was 11:45 PM. "Okay, we have fifteen minutes to get back before Grandma starts asking Mia why the 'raccoon' took so long to catch."

  [SCENE BREAK: The Apartment - Midnight]

  The sneak-in was harder than the sneak-out. Mia was waiting in the hallway, pacing back and forth. When she saw Ben and Vala climb up the fire escape, she let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for an hour.

  "You look terrible," Mia whispered. Ben was covered in mud, cement dust, and rain.

  "Is she okay?" Ben asked, wiping his face.

  "She's fine," Mia whispered. "I told her you chased the raccoon down the street and cornered it. She's making tea. But the window..."

  "I know," Ben said.

  He walked into the living room. Grandma was sitting in her recliner, holding a mug of tea. Her hands were still shaking slightly. "Benny?" She looked up. "Did... did you get it?"

  Ben forced a smile. He tried to stand tall, hiding the tremble in his own legs. "Yeah, Grams. I got it. Big sucker. Animal Control came and took it away. It won't bother us again."

  Grandma sighed, closing her eyes. "Thank the Lord. I’ve never seen a raccoon look like that, Ben. It looked like... like a ghost."

  "It was just the shadows, Grams," Ben lied softly. He kissed her forehead. "I'm gonna go clean up the room. Put some plastic over the window."

  "Okay, sweetie. Don't stay up too late. You have that interview tomorrow."

  Ben froze. The interview. He had completely forgotten. The interview at the robotics repair shop. His one chance to get a non-delivery job.

  "Right," Ben said, his voice sounding hollow. "The interview."

  He walked into his bedroom. Mia had already taped a heavy black trash bag over the broken window. It flapped in the wind. Vala was standing in the corner, stiff and silent, trying to look like a coat rack.

  Ben collapsed onto his mattress. He didn't even take off the muddy jumpsuit. He looked at the ceiling. He looked at the Grey crystal under the duct tape.

  [COOLDOWN: 17 HOURS REMAINING.]

  "We survived," Ben whispered.

  Vala looked at him from the shadows. "The Scout is dead. But the Hive will know it is missing. They will send more."

  "Not tonight, Vala," Ben murmured, pulling his pillow over his head. "Tonight, I'm just a guy who needs a job."

  He closed his eyes. Outside, in the rain, the cement truck sat silent. But deep inside the hardening concrete drum, in the very center of the stone block... a single, microscopic bubble of black liquid was still wet. It wasn't dead. It was waiting.

  [TO BE CONTINUED IN EPISODE 7]