Yeah, been a while. I hope I can start posting again regularly, but life's crazy, y'know. Long overdue, here's the 16th addition of the Cerberus series.

If you're new to the series, check out the Cerberus Center for links to previous parts. If you're a returning reader, check out the summarization section to remind you of the events thus far. Thanks for reading and once again, I hope you enjoy.

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The birds grew quiet and flew noiselessly across the evening sky. All day they had been chirping and darting around in the grass, but now they seemed to usher in a calm in preparation for the sunset ahead. The blue of the sky was fading and everything was restful. Two figures now sat on a pile of new fenceposts, enjoying the stillness and looking back on the day's work.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Destiny closed her eyes and tilted her head back in the cool breeze. "Bet you don't get this in the city."

"Yeah, but we also don't have to drill scores of holes for fenceposts by hand using a... uhhmm... whatchamacallit." Zachary gestured towards the wretched tool he'd been using for the last hour. He suddenly realized he had no clue what to call it.

She didn't need to open her eyes to know what he was talking about. A playful smile formed as she replied, "It's called an auger, Zachary. And if all city folk have as hard of a time using it as you, then there's little hope for humanity."

"Hey! It's harder than it looks, you know."

Destiny sprung up from the pile and grabbed the auger in one smooth motion. She put the tip where the next hole was to be and started spinning it. A few spins and quick dirt dumpings later, a perfectly cylindrical hole formed.

"See? Not that hard." She walked back to the pile, leaning the auger on the sturdy wood.

"Whatever. It works perfectly for you, but it keeps moving sideways when I use it." Zachary eyed it maliciously. "It doesn't like me."

"Well, I'm flattered it likes me so much, then." She sat back down on the pile beside Zachary and looked at the slowly dimming sky. She brushed the hair behind her ear, wincing at the tenderness of her bruise as she did so. Her mind wandered back to that moment often. What a mess she walked into on her first day. On the bright side, she knew who the nice people in the school were...

Zachary shattered the peace.

"So, What time you heading out?"

"Want me gone that badly?"

"No, just curious. Does your family want you back before dark or something?"

"I have a nightshift job that starts in about an hour. I'll get out of here soon enough."

"Wait.. a nightshift job? On a school night? And why nightshifts anyways?"

"Little nosy, aren't we?"

"Sorry. Just curious..."

"Well, you can be curious when the sun's not going down." Grabbing an auger in one hand and a bucket of nails in the other, she motioned for Zachary to follow suit. "We gotta get these tools back to the shed before it gets too dark. C'mon."

Zachary reluctantly stood up, groaning as he felt the soreness from the day's work.

"Yes, ma'am." Destiny rolled her eyes and started walking off.

"Keep up, Zachito!"

"Hey! You don't get to call me that!"

***

Carl had never jumped a fence before. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself as he brushed the dirt off his pants and picked up his black duffel bag. Okay, maybe it was less graceful than jumping a fence, but he made it over in one piece. And next time he would factor the descent into his calculations. Not a single cloud hindered the moon tonight as he walked alone on the gently lit campus. A symphony of chirping blanketed the night.

"Now, crickets, this is going to have to be our secret, okay?"

Having arrived at his destination, Carl approached the old abandoned shed hidden behind the other buildings.

"Right where the map said it was. Wow... no one's used you in ages, have they?" He ran his hand along the decaying wood door, imagining for a moment that he wasn't about to enter what was probably the spider equivalent of an apartment complex. He took one last breath. Then opened the door.