Charlie started the day by finishing reading the two copies of his current book - Northern Lights. It was a habit he had gotten into when they first figured out the true nature of the street. Li didn’t quite understand it, but it was a process he enjoyed, the reading of two slightly different copies of the same book exposed the differences between the universes in a way they found deeply satisfying, and conveniently made for a great vlog discussion later.

The two copies he had been reading were subtly different. One copy, acquired a few weeks back from the library, was from what Charlie thought of as the “Sexy universe”, whilst the other was from what Charlie referred to as the “Philosophy universe”.

Sections of these books were understandably quite different, but then Charlie had done that deliberately – it was more interesting that way and gave him more to chat about with Al.

He finished the books and checked the time; they didn’t plan to meet up with it for another couple of hours, so he had a bunch of time for a workout before they needed to meet up with Al.

As usual he used the workout as a way to refocus his mind for the day ahead. An opportunity for Charlie to think through and sort out the events of the street and mentally explore future content ideas.

He enjoyed the latter process the most, the freedom of his brand meant Charlie could film just about anything they fancied and still get decent numbers. Well, as long as he took his shirt off anyway, gotta keep some level of consistency! Charlie smiled to himself as he picked up a dumbbell, not that he liked wearing a shirt – or any kind of top. They doubted they’d ever forgive the world for the decades of being unable to feel the wind on his chest without public rebuke.

As his workout finished, Charlie succumbed to a fit of vanity and posed Olympian-like before the bathroom mirror. They frowned at their reflection, new scars marred his skin, the jagged white lines a new addition courtesy of the bat-like thing’s violent claws. Small wonder that Li had been worried about them, but it was healed up now.

He flexed again in the mirror and contemplated. – Yeah, he could sell this vibe, a bit more rugged and wild than his old vibe, but workable – He’d just have to design a new plushie.

He quickly scribbled out a note and pinned it to the fridge as he made their way past, A thought for later. Content he’d not forget, Charlie grabbed his books and ever present camara bag, gave his sleepy spouse a goodbye kiss and made their way out onto the street.

Charlie stepped over the steep curb and out onto the street. As always, he stopped considering the eery outline of the cliffs in the sky and orientated themself towards the meeting point. It was a gorgeous winter’s day, the drift was light, the suns were beaming down with cool red and blues and there was a crisp breeze blowing along the street.

They smiled to themself, swung his bag over his bare shoulder and took off down the street at a steady jog. As they ran the wind rushed past him and the street quickly fell beneath his rapid footfalls, despite the perfect day there was something off about the world. Something strange and alien in the air that slipped through Charlie's fingers.

As the feeling built Charlie’s run changed; moving from the blissful steady pace of the casual jog to a nervous skittish run and then a steady sprint until something primal deep inside snapped. Charlie let loose a desperate scream as the anxiety boiled over into pure terror and he took off into a ragged frantic sprint and the grasped unevenly for breaths of air, all finesse forgotten.

It was in this state gasping and panting that Charlie approached the fine Edwardian architecture of the weird library. As they spotted Al scrolling on its phone as it waited, he slowed and forced himself into a steady even jog, no need to freak out the distracted enby.

Al was startled as Charlie came to a stop beside it. Shocked by the sudden appearance of its shirtless friend.

“How are you not cold? It’s freezing out here.”

Charlie forced his mouth into a grin and ran a hand through his short sweat drenched hair.

“Cardio ma enby!”

Al groaned and turned back to the door to the library before them, watching as the colours within flickered and changed.

It was an unsettling thing to watch, the swirling collision of two doors both trying to exist in one place. Charlie looked concerned, but Al shrugged.

"Biz says, and I quote: the door is safe. Despite its new volatile appearance, there is no indication that it’s unsafe. That said, personally I'd avoid it to be sure, but I know that you two'll probably ignore me. “

Al turned back to Charlie.

“That’s what xe said. So, what do you think we should do? “

Charlie's grin twisted into a genuine one as he pushed past to open the door.

“Well, obviously we ignore xem.”

The flickering door opened slowly, the broken overlay of worlds continued to the room inside and Charlie stepped through with some trepidation.

As his foot passed through the doorway the rows of bookcases within seemed to double, two worlds overlaying and then crashed against each other as each fought for dominance. Charlie had expected as much, it was why they were there after all, but even so it was always unnerving to be at the only place on the street which restocked itself.

Al gulped and followed after Charlie as they stepped through and began to get a lay of the library. As usual it was an old building, its ancient stone archways straining against the weight of the knowledge within. As was their habit, Charlie took the left-hand side whilst Al wandered down the right.

There was something of a mental checklist of things to get, a race to find the gifts for the people of the street as well as any duplicate books for Charlie's collection. As they searched the library for these gems they chatted across the foyer, discussing the twists and turns of Northern Lights as their stash of interesting books grew.

It was as Charlie picked up a thick university level chemistry textbook – a prize Biz would enjoy reading through for sure that - he felt a shiver of that same alien feeling from earlier. That disconcerting unnatural feeling of wrongness that set their hackles up, and with it something new. A sense of direction.

Fighting the urge to run. Charlie placed the thick book into his bag of loot and swung it over their shoulder. After a moment’s hesitation, he fought past his instinct and turned towards the sense of danger in a desperate attempt to understand the source of the feeling.

His sandals scraped across the rough floor as his muscles moved torturously against the sense of wrongness. He moved as though in a fast-flowing river, straining against a current of fear until he was facing the source.

A section of the library backlit under a yellowing sign labelled “Mysteries of The Arcane”.

“Well damn. Al look at this, real life magic books!”

Intrigued Al strolled across the foyer to join him, seemingly oblivious to the powerful sense of wrongness oozing across the room.

Instead, it looked nonchalant - if somewhat intrigued. Its hands were jammed in the pocket of today’s pale blue hoody as it crossed the room towards Charlie, the soft squeak of its trainer trailing its footsteps as it moved. As it stood beside him it looked up, obvious to the subtle trembling of Charlie's hands as it focused on the sign.

“Mysteries of the Arcane? You reckon something for Jack maybe? Good point that, it’s definitely worth a look at least.”

Without waiting for a response, the relaxed enby strolled past and began rooting through the books, piling interesting ones into its backpack whilst the stack of “boring titles” grew next to it. Meanwhile the Scotsman stood back, unable to shake the perverse sense of danger.

As Al pulled out its phone and began to shining light up to read the titles on the upper shelf, Charlie finally noticed the source of his terror, his jaw clamping shut against the scream that threatened to escape. A scream that could easily get the duo killed. A scream that would wake the thing he could now see slumbering in the rafters above.

There hanging from the ceiling was a creature Charlie had seen before. The same leathery bat-thing which had attacked them at the Wi-Fi router. Just bigger.

A lot bigger.

As Charlie began to panic, a dispassionate voice in their brain realised that really it was less a giant bat, and more of a demonic entity. At this size, it was clear that these creatures were as biologically impossible as a dragon, or meter tall spider.

As Al sorted through the books beneath, the thing moved in its sleep, the grotesque twisted musculature twitching beneath a layer of thick rubbery skin. A disturbing perversion of peaceful slumber.

With great effort and forced calm, Charlie found their voice, and speaking as loudly as be dared whispered across to Al.

“Al.. Al buddy, I need ya to listen to me real careful. We need to leave, really quietly like, just put down the books and come back to me. No sudden movements, and whatever you do don’t look up.”

Unable to help itself, Al looked up immediately and saw the demonic bat nestled in the roof mere meters away.

Al froze and turned its head towards Charlie, its eyes wide with panic as the blood drained out of its already pale face. Charlie motioned towards him and carefully Al began to move – step by terrifying step beneath the huge slumbering monstrosity.

The seconds stretched into eons as Al moved, carefully shifting its weight across the loose detritus spread about the floor. For a moment it seemed Al would succeed in its efforts to sneak away, but the stack of spurned books had other ideas.

Rocked perhaps by Al’s movement through the room, or perhaps just poor organisation. The stack began to sway lazily and just as easily, began to fall. As the heavy leather-bound volumes fell, the dull reverberations of their impact echoed through the room.

Noisy enough to awaken the demon in the library.

The demonic beast stretched its neck, flexing into a huge yawn as it casually exposed the rows of needle-like teeth that filled its jaw. It shook its head to throw off the last dredge of sleep and curious, glanced about for the source of the noise and the two intruders in its midst.

As it saw them. the beast roared, and Charlie and Al ran.

Sprinting past bookcases and tables powered only by a human being's raw desire to survive as the beast began to move after them with the sluggish energy of the sleep disturbed.

It began to move, loping lazily towards Charlie and Al it opened its mouth wide using a shimmering prehensile tongue to taste the air. Its casual pace nevertheless devoured the distance between the beast and its prey.

But not quite fast enough, and Al reached the front door before the monster caught it. Al slammed into its surface with reckless abandon pushing it open and tumbling out face first onto the street. Charlie followed immediately after, and for a moment thought they too would escape unharmed.

This was not to be, and as he pulled through the door he felt it, the soft spray of venom as it was sprayed along his arm, burning into his skin. Driven by fear he pushed on, ignoring the pain as the beast’s venom boiled away his flesh. The door must be closed.

His vision blurred as he focused on that thought, flexing his tortured muscles against the creature’s huge bulk. Forcing the door shut a centimetre at a time.

Then the creature let go and the door slammed shut, and in an instant the street changed, and Charlie was left, their bloody hand resting against the familiar stained mahogany of home.

He waved his arm towards Al, the loose thumbs up marred as the melted gore of their arm splattered blood across the horrified tailor. Dazed he turned to Al mumbling absentmindedly as they began to lose consciousness.

“D-do you think It’ll scar? I really want the new plushies to be good….”

Al ignored him and snapped its fingers across in front of Charlie’s face as it tried and failed to keep its friend from passing out in its arms.

“Gotta have the plushies right….”