Lisbeth reached into her motorcycle jacket and pulled out her cigarettes. She lit one and puffed away. She turned her head to look at her directly, as if shocked that no one described the Darkness to her. "Darkness is what we get for having the Core," she began. "It's made monsters that only come out at night. Just think of nighttime except there's a marked blackness about it and there is some scary shit out there."

She took another puff. "Things disintegrate. If you don't have a special, Darkness-proof water tank, you can't drink or take a shower at night. Buildings chip away. With winter coming, sirens are earlier. You can take a look outside if you want to see for yourself."