I had some stuff come up," she added, fumbling for the food she had brought with her.

"Here, I brought you . . ." She stopped, watching as Ben coughed quite painfully. It had gotten worse since the last time she had seen him.

"It's not much," she added, wishing she had splurged a little more.

Ben grabbed the morsels greedily and tore into them. Jane wondered how old he was and “Ben, what's your last name?"

He looked at her suspiciously.

“Why? The government send you to spy on me? They know you know. They know that I know. (Cough) They know I seen ‘um."

"Seen who?" she asked.

"Them suits . . .(cough) . . . They's everywhere (cough) (cough)."

"Are you okay?" Jane interrupted.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"No," Ben replied.

"No hospitals. They've got ‘em there too. Men .

I think they're men . . . all in black with burning eyes and black (cough) gloves."

Jane's skin went cold.

"These men . . . you've seen them around a lot?"

"You believe me?" he asked, his voice cracking in desperation.

"Yes," she said. She sat next to him and threw part of her coat over his smelly but shivering body.

"You were always a good child," Ben said, his voice evening out a bit.

“Don't let ‘em get you . . . them and their poison.”

"The men? The ones in the suits? What poison?"

"Yeah (cough) . . . them. I seen what it do tuh folk. Fucks ‘em up.

Makes ‘em lose their minds (cough) and such, and them fools (cough) . . . line up with handfuls of cash for the pleasure. And the dark thing . . . they talks ‘bout it but I ain't never seen it.

It stays hidden somewhere East of the bridge. That's where the men come from. They says it (cough) . . . it feeds off the crazy folk ... that's why I hide," Ben added, looking around. His eyes seemed hazy and his breathing more ragged.

“My mind . . . its all I got. I won't let ‘em. . . (cough) . . . won't let ‘em take it."