A bright grid of monitors stretched out above the desk, three by three, where empty monochrome rooms glared into dust and atmosphere. From the desk they climbed the green wallpaper to almost touch a low, sloped ceiling. Here and there a solitary figure passed by on them, crossing one screen and then appearing on another before vanishing into a door as the Clemsworth Museum emptied for the night. All living souls save one would be gone within an hour. A uniformed caitiff sat watching these portals, only to turn from them and his thoughts with a shaking start when Godric Durst opened the door behind him.

The door hadn't been thrown open—it hadn't crashed against the wall—yet he flinched. Spun around and glared at the younger man before him. Whatever occupied that moment of nerves vanished; he sighed and glanced at his watch.

"Early again?"

"Only five or so minutes," said Godric.

Steve had always been twitchy asshole, but the last week or so had seen an increase of both attributes. Godric avoided his eyes at first, merely gazing at his forehead and the raised, soon-to-be-gray hairline.

"You in that much of a rush to sit here all night?" said Steve. He started swiveling himself in the chair with his foot.

"Nope," said Godric.

"Well, you won't get overtime for those minutes."

"Yeah, I know."

Steve looked off to the side for something to end the conversation, when instead a smile shot up his cheek, and he turned back to Godric. "So, how'd you spend your weekend?"

"It's Tuesday..." said Godric with a vague squint.

"What?" mumbled Steve. "So?"

"Why are you asking that on Tuesday?"

"Because I didn't on Monday."

Godric let silence reign for a moment, his face stiff, before saying, "Didn't do that much."

"No?" said Steve, an unpleasant little grin forming on his lips.

"No." Godric made for his locker to escape.

"Should've come to the pub then. Joined the gang. If you weren't busy. Would've been good. Could've socialised with new people. Or are you scared of the north end? Too good for it?"

"I was born there just like you Steve," said Godric, fiddling with the lock.

"All the more reason to fear it right? Gonna suck you back in?"

"I wasn't in the mood. Maybe next weekend."

"Some of the summer students were pretty cute if you're into that," Steve's smile still bored into Godric's back.

"They go to your kind of pub?" said Godric. "In the north end?"

"No." Steve said, "And weren't you going to do some starwatching? Last weekend?"

Godric glared into his lockers—the question he'd dreaded since the cad mentioned weekends arrived.

"Yeah," almost coughed the word. His back straightened in embarrassment when he heard a chuckle—for this reason he never liked to talk about his interests, with anybody.

"See anything good up there?"

Godric closed his locker. "No," slapped the lock back on.

"No miraculous new constellations burst in from the ether?" said Steve, suppressing another chuckle.

"Not that particular time, no." His mind was racing through familiar faces, trying to remember who he might've told that would repeat it to an asshat like Steve. Had Alan overheard something?

"Not even a shooting star or UFO?"

Godric glanced at his phone and turned around without answering. This made Steve burst into another chuckle.

"What?" said Godric, had to stop himself from snapping it.

"What a waste of time!" said Steve. "Some quack on the internet really managed to convince you a new constellation was going to appear? Like someone switching on a string of Christmas bulbs up in the sky? Is that what was supposed to happen? You didn't really believe it, right?"

"Did Sally tell you that?" said Godric through his teeth. He hadn't told anyone else near the museum—must have been her that leaked it. Damn that dull girl.

"Yeah, she did. When I got my coffee this afternoon. Told me to ask you if it happened or not, because she hadn't seen you since Friday and didn't hear anything on the news about it. Said she didn't know what part of the sky to look at to see if it was there or not, either."

Godric tried to smile. "I was never convinced of it. That wasn't the point for me. It's not why I went."

"Oh yeah?"

"I was curious—just that. Not really convinced. I read about it, and it seemed like such a big thing if it really did happen... You know? I wanted to see if it would really happen or not... Be a part of it... Of something."

Steve cringed, "Oh man! You did believe it. You did! Dumb—wow! I was hoping you were just trying to shag Sally. Oh wow."

"What?"

"Get her to come out with you, and then run out of gas in the country and get a little bit of incidental exercise under the stars." Steve rubbed his upper lip and chuckled again. "That would've been clever, my lad."

This from the guy who used to spend his weekends hunting for treasure—who still spun tall tales of half-remembered adventures he'd never lived to creeps like Alan the janitor. Godric just stared at him, and then said, "It's time for me to punch-in."

"And me to punch out?" The smile fell off his face. "Fine." The cad glared at his watch, stood, and walked over to the pad on the wall. Placed his finger against it after a few quick-hit buttons. "You missed an opportunity, my friend. Could've shagged Sally," Steve shook his head. "Wait. You don't own a convertible?"

"No," said Godric, and Steve snorted.

"Fucking Sally. She is a little dumb though, isn't she?" the pad his finger pressed against beeped, flashed red, and Steve cursed before saying. "Dumb like you. A good match. Really did miss an opportunity. Marry her my lad—just don't populate the planet with your little rock-headed Caliban's after. Use a condom and consider that a personal favor to me."

"What opportunity?" burst Godric while Steve again to make pad register his fingerprint, "All I did was chat with her a little about it. She saw me taking out a book on astronomy at the library a few days prior and asked about it when I came to buy coffee. I'm surprised she even remembered!"

Alan, one of the young janitors poked his head in then and began to babble about a pub and its occupants. Godric glanced as he would at an excited drunk, but Steve looked upon him with a smile. The pad finally flashed green and let him go, and he said, "What's that, my lad?"

Alan's straightened out then, "The man himself is at the pub again. Planning to spend the evening. You-know-who just texted me, said he mentioned your name!"

"Better get ready then," said Steve, smiling, and Alan grinned before charging down the staff hall at a near jog. Steve turned his eyes to Godric, smiled, before leaving.

"See you tomorrow," said Steve from the door. "And enjoy the long night."

A twinge lingered in his eyes when he said this, a smile that was nearly a sneer before slipping out and slamming the door behind him. Godric turned to the cameras instead, where Steve piled down the east stairs in black and white. The last person to be seen on the screen. Durst watched him, eyes hard. Didn't sit down until the asshole scrammed out the staff door in the back.

Godric returned to his locker after punching himself in to retrieve a leather notebook along with a tome of academic essays on astronomy and a book on day-trading. Set these within easy reach before placing a fine-tip pen next to the notebook. Flipped to the most recent page. Drumming his fingers he stared down at his own handwriting before looking up to monitors, eyes still hard.

Today was the third night—the final night of the occurrences, assuming the pattern held true.

Rested his chin on an uncalm hand and then stood with a sudden jerk to cast the nerves away. It was too early for what he knew would come, and it was already time for the first patrol of the night.

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1327 words.

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