"Don't fucking move," Natalie commanded, her voice tight and precise despite the tremble in her arms.

  The man was dark complected and medium height, dressed in dirty jeans and a work shirt. He held his hands up in a placating gesture, eyes locked on the gun in Natalie's grip.

  "What the hell is going on?" Adam gestured at both of them with one of the coffee bags still in hand.

  "This thing just appeared in the corner," Natalie snapped. "Once you were out of the room, he just... appeared. One second it was an empty wall, and the next he was standing there."

  Adam frowned, the now familiar pit rising out his stomach and climbing into his throat. He remembered locking the door. He'd stood almost exactly where the man was now, and there was no way he could have hidden or snuck past him while he checked the shop.

  "I'm sorry," the man said in lightly accented English. "I think we got off to a bad start." He forced a smile, eyes never leaving the barrel. "I'm Hector."

  "I didn't ask," Natalie half-snarled through gritted teeth. "What are you? And where did you come from?"

  Hector looked confused, considering her words as Adam stood still, holding his breath.

  "Hi, Hector." Adam set the two bags down on the counter and flicked his eyes toward the bat leaning against the wall. "You might be right. Today's been pretty stressful. How about we take a second and talk before things get out of hand."

  "I think I'd like that," Hector said, swallowing hard.

  "Adam, I said he appeared there. Out of thin air,” she shouted, daring a glance in his direction. The fatigue tremble in her arms growing worse by the second. Adam wasn't sure how much longer she could stay on her feet, let alone keep the gun leveled.

  "Is that true, Hector?" Adam asked, slowly reaching for the bat. He dragged it to his side but kept the tip resting on the ground.

  Hector flinched as he caught sight of the bat in Adam's hand and the sudden movement made Natalie stiffen.

  They were one wrong move from violence and Adam knew it.

  "Si, I mean, yes," Hector stammered. "Sort of."

  "Sort of?" Natalie locked her hip against the table, using it to keep herself upright.

  "I was here when you came in. You just... couldn't see me." Hector gestured vaguely toward the bathrooms. "I was in there, sleeping."

  "Which one?" Adam asked. If the guy knew which bathroom, it might help corroborate his story, even if it was a 50/50 guess.

  "What?" Hector looked confused. "Which bathroom...?"

  "Which. Bathroom. Did. You. Sleep. In?" Natalie's voice was flat and cold, each word deliberate. She kept the barrel of the gun trained on Hector, but the tremor in her arms had grown so bad Adam doubted she could hit anything.

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  "The men's room?" Hector said, his voice squeaking.

  Adam felt a sliver of tension bleed out of the room.

  "Natalie, we were busy, and I didn't bring it up, but..." he pointed toward the back, shifting so she wouldn't have to turn her head to see him, "It looked like someone had been sleeping in there.”

  "Alright." Natalie nodded, but didn't lower the gun. "Hector, if that's your name. Are you human?"

  This time a flash of understanding crossed the man's face, and he nodded. "Yes. I am."

  "Good," Natalie said, pointing at Adam with her chin. "What do you think?" Her voice trembled, and Adam was sure she on the verge of collapsing.

  "I think we should give him a chance. There's no way he's part of the people that shot at us." Adam was almost certain that was true, but the lump in his throat refused to budge. "If he was, there's no way he could have beaten us here."

  Natalie nodded again but didn't answer. She slowly lowered the gun to the floor, easing herself into a sitting position, but keeping the gun in her hand.

  Adam let out a slow breath. "Hector, do you want to tell us why we didn't see you?"

  Hector hesitated, then nodded slowly, lowering his hands until they rested at his sides. "I didn't want you to. I mean... I made it so you couldn't see me."

  "Were you invisible?" Adam felt like he should be more surprised than he was, but invisibility? After everything else? Why not.

  "Invisible?" Hector tilted his head, as if considering. "No, not invisible."

  He held up one hand, palm out. Natalie flinched, her eyes flashing to Adam, but she didn't raise the gun. Adam extended a hand toward her, trying to keep things calm.

  "May I show you?" Hector asked, looking between them, and waiting for a response.

  Natalie gave a curt nod.

  "Go ahead," Adam said, tightening his grip on the bat as curiosity began to overtake his caution.

  Hector kept his hand raised, his brow furrowed in concentration, and eyes narrowed down to slits. Adam and Natalie stared at him for nearly a full minute, then glanced at each other in confusion.

  "I'm sorry," Hector said, his voice strained. "It is hard to do like this."

  As he spoke, the light around his left hand began to warp. At first it seemed to shimmer, a faint halo forming around his outstretched fingers. Gradually, the hand became translucent, until all Adam could see past Hector's wrist was the wall behind him.

  "It's easier to do all of something than just part,” Hector explained, flashing a nervous smile. "But I thought if I disappeared, she might shoot me."

  Natalie surprised them both with a sudden burst of laughter.

  Adam shot her a concerned look, but she waved him off.

  Hector shrugged and shifted his hand slightly. The halo vanished, and his hand reappeared in an instant, like a light switching back on.

  "Looks like invisibility to me. I suppose it's no weirder than anything else that's happened," Natalie said. She still looked a little wary, but holstered her gun. "I'm sorry, Hector. But you were probably right. If you'd suddenly disappeared, or started to, I definitely would have shot you."

  Adam considered how matter-of-factly she said that last phrase. He had no doubt she meant every word, and if it came down to it, Hector would be bleeding out on the floor.

  "I'm glad you let me explain, then." Hector tried to sound friendly, but the tremor in his voice gave him away. He let both hands drop back to his sides. "May I sit?"

  Natalie nodded. Hector chose a seat a comfortable distance away and folded his hands in his lap, glancing at Samantha's still form on the table.

  "Sister?" he asked, shifting his gaze to Natalie.

  "Wife." Her voice was flat and tired. The moment of laughter long gone.

  Hector nodded in understanding, then looked to Adam.

  "Just a friend." Adam set his bat on the counter and took the seat beside Natalie. He glanced at Samantha before adding, "She owns this place."

  He frowned, realization dawning. "Wait, we haven't introduced ourselves."

  Hector smiled for the second time and nodded. "No, not yet, but I understand. We were... busy." He raised an eyebrow at Natalie, and Adam thought he caught a hint of sarcasm.

  "I'm Adam, and this is Natalie." Adam hesitated briefly after giving their names, doing his best to stamp down his growing sense of unease. "And this is Samantha. She was hurt on the way here."

  "I saw you come in with her. And I saw you heal her." He made the sign of the cross over his heart to Adam's surprise. He wouldn't have expected religion to survive The Voice's announcement.

  "Catholic?" Adam asked, keeping his tone neutral.

  "Mostly." Hector leaned forward conspiratorially. "At least, that's what I would tell my madre."

  He winked.