“Ms Samantha, how are we going to do this?” Cheng Hu quietly asks Samantha, uncertain if she has a plan to actually move through the night. Because, given the thick clouds and fading light, it will soon be impossible to continue on normally. They will simply be blind and without being able to see, their pace will drop to the point that walking becomes almost pointless. Maybe if they use a stick to feel their way through the night it might be possible but even then it would be difficult. Given that Samantha is habitually travelling through the night, she might have a better way.

“What is it you are asking? We’ll just keep moving, and I’ll keep teaching my newly acquired ward,” she asks, looking at him with an expression of utter incomprehension.

“Oh, the darkness,” she finally adds, trying to gloss over the previous moment as her expression morphs into one of contemplation.

“We’ll be sticking to the road, do you see enough to follow it? We can warn you if there’s any trouble ahead but I’d prefer to keep things dark, concealment is a greater boon to us than it is a hindrance,” she suggests, sounding so utterly convinced of the feasibility of her plan that it’s near impossible to refute. Hearing her say it makes it sound so easy, but really, trying to continue moving in the complete darkness with nothing to guide them, nothing but hopes and maybe a tapping stick? Even blind people get to use a guide dog, but they are stuck with only a stick, between the seven of them. And no time to get used to their new condition, while monsters roam all around them. A part of Cheng Hu wants to desperately curse the possibly insane monster, but given that the person he is talking to is that monster, he holds his words, though it’s a struggle.

“We can try,” he allows, not sure what else he can do. Turning around would be possible but what then? Hope that the cattle move away, maybe, but would that solve their problem? They’d still be a rather large group, hoping to get through town without losing one or two of their number. No, dealing with the darkness and the insane monster, that luckily was on their side, was simply safer.

“Please, warn us before we land in a ditch somewhere?” he pleads, knowing that the seven of them are at the monster's mercy. Whether they want it or not.

Clarence takes the lead, using his stick to feel out the way in an attempt to stay on the road, and avoid the occasional cow patty, while the other six line up behind him, holding onto the person in front of them. None of them like it, they can all feel the tense shoulders and arms they touch and yet, it’s the only way to continue. Curses are muttered but nobody dares to voice their displeasure out loud, not with the dearth of other options. Instead, they all try their best to continue moving, to keep in line and not accidentally stumble or do anything to drag the group down.

In the darkness, it’s almost impossible to guess how long they’ve been walking, time seems to lose all meaning. Just set one foot before the other, keep your senses on alert and try to keep your mind from playing tricks on you. There are no unknown monsters out there, hiding in the darkness, only the three monsters that set out alongside you. Somehow, that sentiment helps some of them to calm down. At least those who know about the monsters with them.

At one point, the hound takes over the lead, acting very much like a seeing-eye dog, only without actually having a lead. But hitting Clarence with the tail works just as well, making sure he knows where to go, even if he’s unable to see. The quiet laughter that followed them only seemed to make things eerier but none of the blind could even try doing something about it.

The strange night parade continues on, until after an indeterminate amount of time, a quiet voice calls it to a stop.

“Stop, give me a moment to scout ahead. If you hear screaming, jump into the ditch and keep your head down. Maybe you’ll survive,” the voice orders and somehow, it doesn’t serve to keep people calm. A few words, too quiet to be audible to them, are spoken to the monster’s new companion and then, there’s silence.

Standing there in the dark, hearing nothing but the quiet sounds of wind and what little noise eight standing people and a dog make. The sounds of breathing seem to become louder and louder and even the beating of their hearts feels like the echoes of a drum.

Seconds turn to minutes and maybe even to hours. Nobody can truly guess how long they have been standing there, nobody dared to talk, for fear of alerting the monsters in the darkness.

Suddenly, a voice speaks again and to their sensitive ears, it sounds like a loud shout and coming from far too close for comfort.

“There are sleeping cows ahead,” the voice warns, only to be answered by gasps and even a quiet scream.

“In the ditch, now!” the same voice commands with dire urgency. When the people don’t immediately start to move, they get shoved. The force of those shoves doesn’t seem to fit with the monster’s petite statue and yet, they move. After staggering into the ditch, they crouch down, their ankles getting soaked by the icy water, and wait with bated breath, wait for whatever horror might come out of the darkness. Now, their ears start to get sensitive once again, while their breathing slowly calms down from the horror-induced gasps.

“As I said, there are cows ahead,” the monster repeats, speaking quietly but with enough amusement in her voice to elicit a snort from the new monster.

“Apparently, they aren’t too easily spooked, but I’m not about to risk you wandering into them, who knows what happens if they wake up. I’ll go looking for a safe path, you guys wait here. You can move back on the road, but quietly,” the voice continues and moments later quiet movement is heard as the little monster disappears once more.

“What exactly is going on here?” Mark asks, entirely unhappy with the situation. Sitting in the cold water, not knowing what is out there, it makes for an annoyed man.

“Mi… Samantha is scouting around, trying to find a path around those cows. We’re supposed to wait here, so we’ll do just that. If I tell you to duck, I expect you to obey,” the little monster quietly explains, sounding far too amused with the situation. That her voice sounds as if it’s coming from above, outside the ditch, doesn’t help.

Again, time passes slowly, though now, the people in the ditch quietly crawl out of the cold water, trying to keep their feet warm. It’s difficult in the cold air, but compared to the water, it’s not as bad. Suddenly, there is a quiet chuffing noise coming from the dog, and a soft, golden glow pushes the water away, drying the various feet. If they could, the people would have exchanged looks of disbelief but somehow, that doesn’t work in the dark.

“Mi… Samantha is back,” the new monster warns them and moments later, the other voice speaks once more.

“No way you can sneak past them, they are stretched out for hundreds of metres. Unless you think you can silently trudge through at least a kilometre of worked fields in the dark without making noise, that is. So, no way,” she explains, as the seven people crawl out of the ditch. Cheng Hu wonders just what that golden light was, but it doesn’t really matter, there are more important things to worry about.

Namely, “What’s the plan?”, he asks, trying to speak as quietly as possible.

“I’ll conjure up enough mist to prevent anyone but me from sensing anything. Unless the cows start rampaging around wildly, we’re golden. If they do, I’ll notice and you can take cover in the ditch, it should be safe enough,” the monster explains and, given the situation, nobody can say anything about it.

For the seven people, nothing much changes. The air becomes a little moister and some cold grit floats in their face, while they are led in a line, with the monster walking up front. Just like earlier, nobody can see but now, they also can’t hear, smell or do anything but walk. Even their legs seem to disappear below them, making it feel as if their torsos are simply floating through the thick fog.

Without touching the others, madness would surely await them in the mist, their senses deprived of everything, their minds slowly spinning off their axis.

Again, time starts to warp, nobody has even the slightest inclination just how long they have been walking until finally, the fog fades away.

Compared to the dense, impenetrable fog, the night seems to be almost bright. The moon and a few stars above managed to break through the clouds, giving just enough light to make out vague shapes as they continue their path.