Cassian sat frozen in the driver's seat, his hand still gripping the glove compartment door. Empty. The space where the necklace should have been gaped back at him like an accusation. His registration papers lay scattered and askew, as if someone had rifled through them hastily, searching.
But the car had been locked. He was certain of it. He'd heard the electronic beep, seen the flash of the hazard lights. No broken glass, no jimmied locks, no signs of forced entry. Yet someone had been inside and had taken nothing except relocating the one thing that mattered most right now.
Could someone have hacked into the car? Maybe used a false key? But why would anyone...
A soft tap on the passenger window made his heart stop.
Cassian turned slowly, dreading what he might see. A figure stood just outside, features obscured by the dark parking lot lighting, creating an obscure shadow of a person. The person raised a hand in what might have been a wave or might have been something else entirely.
In the dim reflection of the glass, Cassian caught sight of his own face. Pale, wide-eyed, terrified. In the space between his reflection and the stranger's silhouette, Cassian could have sworn he saw himself standing outside the car, smiling back at him with an expression no human can naturally bear.
A soft tapping sound again, and as Cassian blinked and his vision cleared, he could make out the rough hairs of a beard, speckled white and black, and the outline of a takeout cup in his hand.
"Sir, please spare some change, just enough for a coffee, please."
Cassian's hand moved to the window controls, his voice barely steady. "What... what do you want?"
Even though he'd heard the muffled request clearly enough, he needed the man to repeat it. Needed to ground himself in something real, something ordinary. Something that made sense.
The homeless man leaned closer to the glass. "Just some change, sir. For coffee."
Cassian fumbled in his cupholder, pulling out a handful of coins. His hands shook as he rolled down the window just enough to drop them into the man's outstretched cup.
"Thank you, sir. God bless."
The simple gratitude cut through Cassian's panic like a lifeline. This was real life, a typical and normal situation. This was just a homeless man who needed money, not some supernatural threat lurking in the shadows. He took a shuddering breath, realizing how completely everything had unraveled him. When had he become so paranoid, so quick to see monsters in every shadow?
Cassian reached for the ignition, desperate to get home and back to Selene—even if it took him a little longer without his phone's guidance. He just needed to pretend this day didn't happen.
"Hey!" the homeless man called out just as Cassian started pulling out. "And watch out for Selene! She might get in between what they're after!" The voice echoed throughout the garage.
Cassian's heart stopped. They?
"What do you mean—" Cassian started, before realizing he needed to roll down his window. "What do you mean they? Who are they? Hey wait up!" Cassian backed out quickly and drove toward the homeless man. "Hey! I said wait up! Hey!"
But the figure had already melted back into the shadows between the concrete pillars. Cassian's headlights swept across empty spaces, illuminating nothing but oil stains and discarded cigarette butts. He pulled forward, craning his neck to peer into every dark corner of the garage.
"Hello?" His voice cracked as it bounced off the low ceiling. "I just want to talk!"
Nothing.
Cassian pulled up to where the man had been standing and threw the car into park. He stepped out, the slam of his door echoing through the empty garage like a gunshot. His footsteps were too loud, too frantic as he searched between the pillars, behind the support beams, anywhere someone could hide.
The man was gone. Vanished as completely as if he'd never existed at all.
Cassian stood there breathing hard, the fluorescent lights humming overhead, casting harsh shadows that seemed to shift and move. The musty smell of the garage filled his nostrils. Had he imagined it? No, he'd definitely given some homeless guy a dollar and some odd cents. The whole encounter felt surreal now, like something from a fever dream that just wouldn't stop replaying.
The man had been real, and he'd known Selene's name.
Cassian slammed back into the car, fury and fear warring in his chest as he yanked the door shut. The engine roared to life, tires squealing against concrete as he sped toward the exit. Without his phone's GPS, he found himself taking wrong turns, doubling back through unfamiliar neighborhoods until he finally spotted signs for the turnpike.
The highway stretched ahead, mercifully empty at this hour. Cassian pressed harder on the accelerator, eager to put distance between himself and whatever had just happened. But his eyes kept drifting from the road to the necklace now lying on his passenger seat, its dull surface catching the dashboard lights.
"Selene doesn't even wear this stupid thing," he muttered, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "What's so special about it?" He thought back to this morning - had it really only been this morning? - when he'd found it on the floor. "It's not even real silver. Just cheap, silver-plated junk."
In a burst of frustration, he grabbed the pendant and hurled it onto the seat beside him. The silence that followed felt oppressive, broken only by the hum of tires on asphalt and the steady thrum of his heartbeat in his ears.
When he pulled into his office parking lot, a familiar dread settled over him like a heavy coat. But this time, he had an idea. He snatched up the necklace and slipped it over his head, tucking the pendant beneath his shirt where it lay cold against his skin.
The building's lobby was nearly deserted. Most coworkers were either on-site or working remotely, leaving only the dedicated few who preferred the bright sterile LED-lit sanctuary of the office to their home setups. Cassian badged in, the electronic beep echoing in the quiet space. He managed weak smiles and nods for the familiar faces, but before he could make it to the elevators, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey Cass, sheesh, you look like hell." The older man's weathered face creased with concern beneath the harsh lobby lighting. "Let me guess, Matt pulled another no-show and left you hanging all by yourself to mark down all his crap?" His expression shifted to a knowing grin. "That guy's got more excuses than a Republican during election season."
Cassian had never been one for politics, and that kind of banter never really sat well with him. "Uh, yeah. Matt was a couple hours late. He brought Klara with him, so I figured he went to the Berks office to pick her up first. Probably a double delay." He shifted uncomfortably under the man's scrutiny. "Hey, is Tommy in?"
"Yeah, Tom's in. Just got out of a call too, so you should be good to go." The older man smirked, clearly believing Cassian was about to report Matt for another tardiness infraction.
As Cassian approached the elevator bank, another coworker intercepted him. A young intern with an eager smile and perfectly pressed business attire that screamed "I have never done this before!".
"Hey! My name is Danielle, nice to meet you!"
God damn it. No one ever bothered him. Why pick today of all days?
"Hey, I'm Cassian. Nice to meet you." He shook her hand, noticing how her grip was surprisingly rough for someone who looked delicate and rearing to graduate college.
"I'm here for another couple of weeks. I hope we get to work together!" She beamed at him with the kind of enthusiasm that only came from someone who hadn't yet been ground down by corporate life, then walked off toward the break room, leaving Cassian feeling like he was trapped in some bizarre sitcom.
Finally.
The elevator seemed to take forever, each floor ding echoing through the empty hallways. When he reached Tommy's floor, the familiar maze of cubicles stretched out before him. Tommy's corner office sat at the far end, a warm rectangle of light in the otherwise dim landscape. Tommy's office is shared with the accountants, who always go home early.
Cassian walked over and knocked on the door.