For the first time, Agnes was okay not leading the group. Her steps were hesitant as she followed behind the adult companions, who were speaking in hushed tones ahead. Had Agnes been more sound of mind, nothing would've stopped her from listening in for passing information she could use to her benefit.

But the last thing the young girl wanted was to get closer to the woman Kay, or Bex for that matter. Though the latter had promised protection from any possible danger, it did little to make Agnes feel secure. All she could think about was the emptiness in her lungs. The paralysis of her body. The all encompassing stillness.

"I'm sorry," a voice whispered from over her shoulder.

Agnes nearly struck out in defense. Spinning around, she found the pitiful eyes of Yvonne. Rather than going sour, Agnes slowed her pace so they were walking in tandem. "What?"

"You were right, back at the water tower. About the trailer, the adults—everything. I should've listened to you when I had the chance. Now because of my stubbornness, we're stuck working with those two." Yvonne's gaze was glued to the backs of Kay and Bex, ready at any moment to shut her mouth and smile pleasantly.

The nature in Agnes wanted to give Yvonne a big I told you so, but their circumstances were much too grim to begin bickering again. It had proven fruitless in the past, so instead, young Agnes gave a sympathetic shrug. "That's not all true. No one says we have to keep following them. We have the freedom to go home when we want."

But silently, both knew that wasn't all true, either. Yes, Kay and Bex had made it clear their presence was not contingent on the children staying by their side. It was the freedom aspect of Agnes's statement that was up for debate. Though she still stood by her previous sentiments about the nice-talking adults, Agnes found it practically impossible to stop following behind. An invisible chain was yanking her along, insisting that this was where she was meant to be. Following.

"Do you truly think they didn't feel it? The..." Yvonne hadn't a word for the moments without air, so she let the rest of her sentence hang in hopes that Agnes could fill in the blank.

Agnes could not, so her focus went to the question. Her answer didn't come easy; she hated not being certain. "I haven't the slightest idea. Kay looked as she always does with that pinched face of hers, but Bex... they are still a conundrum to me."

After a beat, Yvonne gave a nod. "My thoughts as well. But what is it that we do?"

It was what young Agnes had been wanting all along—submission. Finally, Yvonne was willing to follow her command. Of course, it was just in time for Agnes not to know what their next steps should be.

But she was much too clever to let Yvonne know that.

So Agnes put on her bravest face and spoke with all the authority she could muster. "There is still the possibility of a gain if we stick with them. If anything, it's another chance to search Eldritch for Bogart. Perhaps they know of hidden spaces even I haven't come across in my weeks of canvassing. I believe it smart to keep our wits about us, but as for ditching the plan altogether... I'm not ready to do that yet. Do not feel forced to make the same decision for you and Hugo, but if we stick together, us children...it is my belief that we're more likely to come out on top in the end."

"All us children?" Yvonne asked skeptically. Partly because she doubted Agnes could keep an alliance for that long, much less with all three of the gang; partly because of Margot, still hovering just behind them, quiet as a mouse. The shadow girl hadn't uttered a word since they'd left the edge, yet Yvonne knew better than to assume her displeasing disposition was gone for good.

Agnes glanced back at Margot. She was hugging herself as she shuffled along, not even pestering the ugly boy Hugo. Agnes caught his eye and was relieved to see clearness; even through the fit at the edge, the Good Stuff had taken effect. He acknowledged her with a nod before refocusing on the upset Margot; his onyx eyes held a concern often seen in his sister.

Before today, Agnes's response to Yvonne would've been obvious. Of course not, she could hear herself replying. We'll lose Margot the first chance we get.

But the moments without air had changed everything for Agnes, including her own conscience. A bit of empathy wriggled its way around her heart and squeezed, demanding that she care about Margot. Sure, she wouldn't be heartbroken if the shadow girl decided to move on after what happened at the edge. Based on her mood now, that wasn't too far off. But no longer would she actively push the girl away. With an aggravated sigh, Agnes nodded. "Yes. All of us."

"Get up here, Four Eyes!" Kay's harsh falsetto carried back to Agnes's ears, commanding her to obey. The young girl swallowed her very large ego and listened. She could feel Yvonne's wary eyes on her as she jogged up to the adults.

When she reached the dreaded Bex and Kay, they were huddled around a lamppost, studying a poster. The pink-haired woman tapped the picture that was glued to the middle. "This the kid we're looking for?"

The breath left Agnes's lungs—this time with reason. It felt like weeks since she'd put up her last posters, and the sight of her brother's cold blue eyes brought the stakes sharply back into focus. There was no time to be fearful of the imposing adults. Not if she was ever to see Bogart again.

"Yes. That's him." With a tilt of her head, Agnes's gaze met Kay's. "He was last seen while on our way to School, but I can't say what street."

"What about a general area? There has to be something specific you remember about where you were when it happened."

"It looked just like here," Agnes deadpanned. "Like it looks everywhere. Don't you think I ran through this line of reasoning before?"

"Bit of a design flaw in the city planning, but I guess hindsight is twenty-twenty," Bex suggested, sizing up the surrounding buildings. Chiseled brick exteriors, all red, all traditional. None of them different from their neighbors. "This is gonna be a chore to navigate."

"What does that mean?" It was as if the shadow girl's voice had found its way back to her, coaxed on by innate curiosity. As stated before, Margot couldn't stay quiet for long; no matter what, she would always deliver. " 'Natgate' ?"

"That's navigate, Little Bits. Means following maps or stars or good ol' intuition to get where you need to go." Eyeing the petite shadow girl, whose saccharine face still held fragments of fear, Bex took on an expression of thought. "Do you wanna give it a try?"

"What?" Kay and Agnes asked in unison.

"You mean," the shadow girl Margot bubbled up with glee, "I get to be in front?"

Bex nodded, smug. "That's right, Bits. Your turn to be line leader."

"I think not," Agnes exclaimed, stepping pointedly between the adults and Margot. "She'll never get us where we need to go. You don't know her as I do. For hours she will lead us on the slightest of whims and we will end up absolutely nowhere!"

"I'm ashamed to say this, but the kid is right," Kay butted in. Still, she stared down the end of her nose at Agnes and the shadow girl. "If I'm in charge of you, Bex, then I'm most certainly in charge of the children."

"Ah, but they have the advantage here." Bex walked knowingly around the wretched woman Kay, their eyes teasing. "I don't know about you, but the last thing I feel like doing is getting lost."

"Lost?" Yvonne had been biding her time to speak up; alas, her knees still knocked, giving away her lingering trepidation. "That's impossible. Sure, Margot would most likely waste the day and have us accomplish nothing, but no one can ever be truly lost in Eldritch."

With an exaggerated shrug, Bex leaned against the lamppost. "Well, no one might be a bit strong. Why, Kay and I—"

In seconds, Kay had her accomplice pinned to the post by the popped collar of their jacket. "Not another word."

Rather than shying away, the curious Bex merely smiled. "I know all you know, my friend. Never forget that." Bex winked with the ease of a Cheshire cat, fully pleased. "Now, let my Bits go in front."

The two held eyes for a moment. Then another. One more. All the while, Agnes appraised the exchange. These adults were at odds just like the gang themselves. I'm sure she and Yvonne could find similarities between the standoff they were witnessing and their own constant bickering. Did they truly look this ridiculous when they fought?

I wish I could tell them they in fact, did.

Finally, with a huff, Kay shoved Bex off the post. Flipping up her glasses, she stormed over to the shadow girl Margot, who had gotten her gusto back, as predicted.

"Looks like I win," she sang sweetly. Even when Kay snatched her up by the arm, Margot cackled as if it were all a game. "Now we go where I say."

"No, you lead where I say." Kay dragged Margot to the head of the queue, then took the child firmly by the shoulders. "You will take us to where the snow is coming from. That's something your rotten little brain wants to know, right?"

Margot harrumphed. "My brain is not rotten! And what if I can't find the snow? Will you string me up by my ears and let your adult friends pelt me with eggs?"

Bex jumped to respond first. "Don't worry about that, Bits. Ain't gonna happen. You have a brain that can find anything. We'll be at the source in no time."

This seemed to appease the shadow girl. Following a cold glare at Kay, Margot secured the straps of her overalls, then set off down the sidewalk. "Right you are, Favorite. To the source of the snow!"

And so, they were off, our ever growing band of wayward travelers. Four children, two adults, and not a line of trust between any of them. With Margot at the helm and Bex not far behind, Agnes was left to stare at the Kay woman's back. She had expected Yvonne to stick by her so they could plot their own means of self preservation, but the pitiful girl was much too concerned about keeping Hugo sane. As they brought up the rear, Yvonne led her sweet brother in breathing exercises. He was doing well so far on their journey, but she knew all too well that could change at a moment's notice. Best to prepare.

An eerie silence lingered over the streets of Eldritch. Only the crunch of their own footsteps breaking through the snow reached the ears of the gang. At first, this was deemed a stroke of luck. No distractions for Margot, and clear pathways for the group to stumble down. But the silence was like an exposed wire, humming through the air, just waiting for something to strike. Surely they were getting closer to the heart of town by now? The children had been expecting mass hysteria. Chaos.

Not this.

"Where is everyone?" Agnes muttered aloud. She hadn't a clue who she was speaking to, but the question felt necessary to ask.

"As we said, the adults don't like our presence," Kay explained, surprisingly patient. "My guess would be at home, or in alleys, or anywhere but right here."

"But surely the snow would grab their attention?"

Without turning, Kay shook her head. "Curiosity is a child's game. Adults know when to take a closer look and when to steer clear. I doubt we'll run into—"

Kay's lecture was cut short by a sound that made all six of them stop dead in their tracks. Even the ugly boy Hugo and the shadow girl Margot had the sense to freeze on the spot. All children of Eldritch could recognize that sound amongst a cacophony of others. It was the sound that induced fear in the hearts of all. An icy chill sliced through the group as the piercing scream grew ever louder. Hmmm, not a scream per say, but a cry. A wail.

A baby.

"That....is not good."

It was Bex who spoke first. The slight quiver in their statement let on how not good this was. The adults were just as frightened, or at the very least concerned. Instinctively, Agnes glanced up at Kay and found an expression of pure disbelief.

"Something is wrong," Kay said harshly.

"Yeah, we knew that already," Agnes added impatiently, but the underlying anxiety she felt pushed her to ask more. "But babies are born all the time, I mean, maybe someone Passed On or—"

"Shut your mouth, child." The slap was harder than any strike of Kay's hand. Her voice held nothing but utter contempt for Agnes's babbling. "There have been no deaths, therefore, there should be no babies. Something is more wrong than you could ever comprehend."

"But must we stand here and talk about it?" Margot pouted. "This is ruining my turn as leader."

Bex put a hand on the shadow girl's shoulder. "Say nothing more, Bits. Kay is unfortunately right. This is something that you can't understand."

"Umm, maybe we should do as Margot says," Yvonne added suddenly. With the groups' eyes on her, she pointed discreetly to a spot across the street. "Keep moving, I mean. It seems we have an audience."

And so they did. A hulking figure lay waiting in an alley, his hungry eyes trained on the young. His hair was a matted mess, with clumps of dirt, sweat—and perhaps blood— staining the blond strands. A glance down at his hands showed a hammer similar to young Agnes's trusted tool. He swung it around his fingers with ease, never once acknowledging Kay and Bex. No, he had eyes only for the children.

The children who had disrupted the balance.

"Keep walking."

Kay's demand was followed by a shove to both Agnes's and Margot's backs. Though the shadow girl stayed the lead, Kay took up a spot next to her as guard. Without a word, Bex fell back to the rear, keeping their eye on Hugo and Yvonne. Their adult bodies acting as a barrier, the group continued their journey forward.

"They'll kill us if they get the chance," Agnes said softly to the woman Kay. "Won't they?"

"No one is killing anyone," Kay barked back. "Now stop talking and keep walking."

"You can't keep demanding things from us without explanation. It isn't fair."
"And yet, I remember you demanding our help only hours ago without a care," Kay spit back, but her voice stayed low to avoid alerting other adults of their presence. "Hypocrisy is not a good look on you."

And with that, the group fell silent once more.

Margot led them down endless streets, some desolate, others occupied by sinister adults, just waiting for a chance to attack. They came across no other children, and the wailing of the baby grew softer and softer the further they walked.

Until.

"Is that another one?"

Yvonne's tone was full of alarm as the sound of a second baby carried over their heads. This time, the group had eyes on the squalling thing, blue in the face and lying only a few feet ahead. The snow covered its writhing body up to its waist. Not a single bit of clothing shielded it from the frigid air. No one in the group stopped to help it.

Agnes was beginning to understand the gravity of the situation. One baby was enough to turn Eldritch upside down. Two? The last time that happened had been herself and Bogart entering the world, and she clearly couldn't remember that.

"He's doomed," she said softly to Yvonne, who was just steps behind her. "If Bogart is out here alone, surely an adult will try and take his life."

"Don't think like that," the pitiful girl warned. "We have come too far for your stubbornness to fail us now. Have faith."

"Faith," Agnes scoffed. "What a stupid word. Faith will bring nothing but disappointment. My brother is out here alone while babies are being born here and there. His fate is inevitable."

"Jeez, bring back the defiant Agnes. This one sucks," Yvonne murmured before falling back to Hugo's side. To her brother, she simply said, "Best I leave her be. She needs a moment."

"I found another!"

The squeal of delight came from the shadow girl Margot, who pointed out another baby lying in wait. This child did not make a sound. Its soulless eyes stayed fixed on the sky above, blinking away the snow as it fell.

"Three babies..." Bex said under their breath but didn't reveal their train of thought. If there was a thought behind the statement, they kept it to themselves.

Kay took a different route. "What in God's name is going on?!"

The shout took the group by surprise after such a long stint of subdued tones. With a kick, Kay sent a nearby trash can flying through the air until it nearly crushed the third baby found. Bex shook her head at the outburst, but said nothing.

Margot took up the duty herself. "It's okay, Miss Kay lady. The babies do not matter because we have arrived!"

Yvonne and Agnes shared a look, then searched their surroundings for just what they had arrived at. All the girls found was an abandoned mini mart and an empty parking lot.

"Just as predicted," young Agnes said cooly. "She has led us to nowhere."

"Not true!" Margot argued, her face hot with rage. "I have led you to the most safest of places in Eldritch."

With no further explanation, Margot led the group around the corner of the store to the back alley where her box was situated. No birds were waiting—it was still hours until last light—and so the space truly looked like nothing special. All but Margot wrinkled their noses in contempt.

"You're taking the blame on this one, Bex," Kay deadpanned. "Follow the child, you say. Trust the child, you say. Now look. We must backtrack to get where we need to go."

Bex said nothing. Their green eyes scanned the shabby home belonging to Margot with an unreadable expression.

"This is where we are meant to go," Margot insisted again. "Now we can stay here until all the babies get killed or taken and then the snow will stop and we will be safe!"

Agnes rolled her eyes. "Maybe now you two will listen when I say to ignore her."

"I certainly will," Kay muttered under her breath. Then, louder, "Alright, let's take five. I gotta rethink this whole situation now that the child has proven useless."

At that, Margot stomped her foot. "I am not useless! My brain is better than all of yours combined! Someday, you all will see!" Then, turning on her heel, she stormed over to the box and disappeared inside.

Kay and Bex stepped away as well, standing near the entrance to the alley, their voices hushed once more. Agnes gestured for Yvonne and Hugo to join her closer to the box for a much needed regroup.

"She is right," Hugo said almost instantly.

Agnes quirked a brow. "Who's right?"

"The nice girl Margot. This is where we're meant to be," he answered softly.

"How can you possibly know that, sweet boy?" Yvonne asked.

Hugo shrugged his wide-set shoulders. "I do not know. I just know."

"I'm growing tired of all these non-answers to questions so imperative to our success," Agnes grumbled. "But if this is where we're meant to be, where in Eldritch is Bogart?"

None of the children knew the answer to that, either. Seconds later, Margot popped back out from her little box, a flyer in hand. At first glance, it appeared to be one of Agnes's signs, yet where Bogart's face should've been sat a large, black splotch.

"See, see, I did good! This flyer answers all of our questions," she beamed.

All at once, Agnes remembered the strange sign from days ago, back when things had been simple. She rolled her eyes, aggravated. "How does a load of rubbish and an ink spot tell us anything?"

Yvonne, not so quick to discount Margot, took the paper gingerly, then studied the message: We see you. Can you see us?

"You have to ask nicely or else I'll tell you nothing," Margot bit back with a wicked grin. "I know more than you, just admit it!"

In truth, Margot hadn't a clue how the flyer fit in, but it brought her great joy pestering the horrid girl Agnes, and after the events of the morning, she needed a good laugh. Based on the vile face the Agnes pulled, Margot was succeeding greatly.

Just as Agnes reached for the flyer, ready to rip it to shreds, a hand from above plucked it from Yvonne's fingers.

"What are you children bickering about now?" Bex asked, then glanced at the paper. And stared. And stared. And stared, until Kay joined them. Then, Bex stopped staring and moved to hide the flyer behind her back.

"What is it?" the woman Kay asked hotily. "Give it here, I want to see!"

"It's stupid, not even worth considering—" Bex tried, but Kay was much too fast. One twist of her wrist and she had snatched the page away.

The children watched on, bemused. Even the shadow girl Margot hadn't expected the adults to care about her precious flyer, but by the look on Kay's face, she found it less than impressive—in fact, she seemed downright terrified of it.

"Did you know about this?" she asked in a harsh whisper.

Bex said nothing back.

"Know about what? It's just dumb nonsense," Agnes insisted for the umpteenth time.

"Quiet, you awful thing!" Kay screeched. "You know nothing of nonsense!"

"I'm so confused," Yvonne couldn't help but add. "What's there to be upset about. It's just—"

"You haven't a clue what this is, none of you!" Kay's eyes protruded painfully from their sockets, frantic. "This changes everything! The snow, the babies, you awful children stuck in the middle of it all. How could I not have seen it sooner? How could I have missed this?!"

Never had the children seen someone so manic, not even their own parents. In an instant, the woman Kay let the flyer fall to the ground, then spun on her heel and raced from the alley. Over her shoulder, she called back to Bex something incoherent. The entire ordeal was strange to say the least. None of the children understood the last five seconds of their lives. But the strangest part of it all?

Bex did not follow.