I heard them moving down off the tracks. The bushes quivered and then a person with long shaggy hair slid through. At first I thought it was a girl, but then I saw there was nothing inside his unbuttoned shirt. He was holding hands with a second person who followed close behind. She had on overalls and a floppy hat, but her eyes still caught the light.

“Will you lookit,” the man said over his shoulder. “Ocupado.”

They both burst out laughing. Not like Carl’s gentle happy laugh, but a laugh that sliced through the air. It made my hair lift.

“She’s wearing a hat,” Carl said. “The Worker’s wearing a hat.”

I slowly sat up. The blanket fell off my shoulders.

“Stan? Yes, they are two. Two.”

I gripped the blanket in my fists.

“Hey, man.” The man’s words sounded as though they were pouring from his nose, stretched thin. “Down with the interrogation lamp, hey, hey now?”

“What’s coming?” Carl didn’t put the light down.

“Didn’t you hear me? You’re blinding me here, man.”

The beam quivered on the man’s face. I knew Carl’s arm was shaking. “Urh,” he said.

“Come on, friend. I’m asking real nice.”

Girl whined, bumped her head into Carl’s knee. He flicked off his light. Flames from the low fire still glowed on their faces. They crept closer. The man had his elbows bent, hands up. Like he was ready to catch a ball. Or fight.

“We’re lost, man.” His head bobbed up and down smoothly. “Strollin’ with my lady. Totally fucked up, you got me?”

Carl shook his head. “Beams broken. They’re here.” He was still gripping the flashlight, but I caught the silvery glint of something in his other hand. His whittling knife, tucked just inside the fold of his coat.

“You know, hard to tell what it’s like down here from up on the tracks. But there’s some serious space.” Then he spoke to me. “Right, buddy? Plenty of room for two more to bunk down?”

Carl bent his head. He was mumbling rapidly, and I was only able to catch parts. “…don’t know…Stan, Stan, systems in place, the Workers…No, no. Can’t be Magic Boy. He’s only one…Those signals…just circling in the outer orbits…” Girl continued to whimper, rubbing her head into Carl’s leg. But Carl didn’t seem to notice.

The lady stumbled toward Carl, pointed at his knapsack. “You got anything in that? I’m, like, so starved.”

I edged closer to Carl, dragging the blanket behind me.

“Back!” Carl yelled at the lady. He drew out the knife, pointed it straight at her chest. “Back! Get back!”

My limbs went numb. Was Carl going to stab her?

Girl showed her teeth then, her gums. Wet snarling, but she still didn’t budge from Carl’s side.