"Get up," she said gently.
Only then did the monsters dare raise their heads, though they remained kneeling.
Eve walked up to the old ogre and reached out to stroke its head, her movements gentle, like she was petting a pet—or her own child.
The old ogre trembled all over, not only from fear, but also from excitement.
"Well done," Eve said. "Take me somewhere with humans."
Two hours later, on the outskirts of downtown Grants Pass.
A taxi was parked by the roadside. The driver, a middle-aged man, was looking at his phone when the front passenger door opened and Eve got in.
"Where to?" the driver asked without looking up.
"Downtown," Eve said. "Just find somewhere lively."
Only then did the driver glance at her.
Young, pretty, simply dressed, though there was something strange about her bearing. He did not think much of it and started the car. "Out alone this late? Be careful. Things haven't been peaceful in town lately. I heard monsters have been showing up."
"Monsters?" Eve watched the streets flash past outside the window.
"Yeah. People online have been spreading rumors that someone saw man-eating things out in the suburbs." The driver became more talkative. "If you ask me, it's all bullshit. What monsters could there possibly be in this world? People are just scaring each other."
Eve turned to look at him and smiled. "What's your name?"
"Me? Tom," the driver said. "And you?"
Eve leaned closer, so close that her lips nearly touched his ear. "My name is Eve."
At the same time, an extremely fine, almost invisible black thread drifted from the tips of her hair. Like a living strand of hair, it slipped into Tom's ear.
Tom's body stiffened.
The steering wheel shook, and the car nearly swerved onto the