He was done, finished. It was the end of the line for him.

Ellsworth Kowalski picked up his time card and, for the last time in his 50-year career, clocked in to work at the capitol building in Lincoln, Nebraska. He sighed. Forced retirement, starting tomorrow.

He supposed it could be worse. Lincoln was a great place to retire. The small towns around it, even better. People mostly left you alone while still managing to be both friendly and nosy.

He thought he might just stay in Lincoln, though. The colleges brought a constant stream of new blood into the city, and there was a pretty good community of people who loved the paranormal. There were even a few ghost hunters.

He snorted. These days, they preferred the term "paranormal investigation groups." But at least they wouldn't think he was crazy if he let slip one of his stories about his job.

"You Eli?" a voice asked.

Ellsworth turned his stiff body and peered up at a young, dark-haired Hispanic woman. He frowned. This gal couldn't be more than 12 years old. He glanced at her chest. Maybe 19. He shrugged. There wasn't much he could do about it. He'd taken too long and was stuck with this petite girl. His last resort.

"Yeah, I'm Ellsworth... Eli," he grumbled. "You must be Cam? The new guy?"

The girl nodded and grinned. "It's Camila, but most call me Cam." She tugged at the neck of her uniform shirt, adjusting the way it set.

Ellsworth stretched his shoulders, crossing his arms over in front of him, and gestured for Cam to follow him. He was suddenly very aware of the slight limp in his gait when he walked quickly. He frowned. It was probably for the best that the security company was forcing him to retire.

They crossed the foyer, stepping over the intricate floor mosaics showing the spirits of animal, vegetable and mineral. Ellsworth glanced down at them.

One panel of the mosaic, a Greek-like representation of a man holding the reins of the wind and riding the clouds, seemed to come to life, briefly, fluttering the edges of the cloth draped over the man's crotch.

Ellsworth nodded at the man in the tiles and hurried on.

They entered the elevator and began the long trip to the observation deck, just below the dome at the top of the spire. Ellsworth turned to Cam.

"I've been at this job for 50 years," he said.

Cam smirked. "Is this the part where you give me sage advice on keeping my head down and doing my job?"

Ellsworth sighed. "No. Just listen." He waited for her to nod. "You may have heard stories about this place being haunted. The shapes in the stains from mineral deposits and residues.

"But when they clean 'em up, the shapes come back, just like before. The man in the wall – he was supposed to be buried alive in the wall along the stairs to the northern entrance. The Beast that greets the sun on the eastern wall – looks like a wolf’s face, but more… beastly."

He hesitated. But he had no other choice. "It's all true." He looked up at the floor indicator. He had enough time.

"They walk these halls in spirit form,” he continued, “haunting those of us who work through the night. And every time the full moon strikes the statue of the Sower at the top of the dome, he finds the nearest man." Ellsworth glanced at Cam. "Or woman. And he tests them."

"Every single full moon, huh?" she asked.

He nodded. And he'd made sure he was on the clock for every single one. For 50 years. Two wives had left him because of his neglect of their family. The second had even told him that Christmas was more important than work, and he hadn't known how to explain to her that it really wasn't.

Ellsworth pulled an intricately decorated silver dagger out of his shirt. "It is a test of will and courage. If the person fails, the Sower will declare that humanity is no longer good enough. And he will give the Beast physical form, and the Beast will tear apart every living creature that enters these walls."

Cam raised her eyebrows skeptically.

Ellsworth held up a hand to stop her from interrupting again. He only had a few more floors to tell her. "All the state's elected leaders would be targets, as well as their staff. When the Beast is full with blood, then the beings held in the mosaics downstairs will come to life and bring destruction throughout the land."

He shrugged. "At least, that's what I was told."

Cam tilted her head. "Are you messing with me? Is this some kind of hazing for all the new employees?"

Ellsworth glared at her. "I'm too old for stupid hazing games," he growled. "But the Sower comes, and I have always met him to ensure the test is passed." He shrugged his aching shoulders and turned to the doors as they dinged open. "Just wait a few minutes, and you'll see."

The old man stepped out of the elevator into the narrow hall with Cam at his heels. He turned to the eastern windows in front of them and checked for the moon. A soft glow showed at the tree line. Just a few more minutes.

"So, is that it?" Cam asked. "A spooky story and then we sit up here for a while?"

Ellsworth frowned. "Well, sometimes the man comes."

"The man in the wall?"

He nodded. "He's just a spirit, of course, but he does like to scare people."

--------

Cam walked over to the eastern window and looked down at the streets below. She saw nothing that could be considered a spirit or anything like that. Maybe the old guy was a drunk.

Her uncle would put away several bottles of cheap tequila or rum and then tell anyone who would listen about how the spirit of his first wife still showed up to yell at him about not taking out the trash.

She turned from the window and froze, looking behind Ellsworth. A shadow moved between the windows. She tried to convince herself that it was just the play of light and darkness common to the activity of the early nighttime so close to downtown Lincoln and the University campus. But it moved... wrong for that. It was... prowling.

It hit her what she was looking at, and she had a sinking feeling in her gut.

"Hey, Eli," she said, forcing the words out. "You said that beast thing comes out in spirit form, too, right?"

Ellsworth frowned. "Well, they all can," he admitted. "But it's not something that happens often, not the Beast. You gotta be careful of that one."

"Why?" Cam whispered.

"Even in spirit form, the Beast can do some damage." He looked at her closely. "Why do you ask?"

Cam jerked her chin forward, indicating behind him.

Ellsworth turned stiffly, feeling a sense of dread. He saw it, only a few feet from where he stood.

The shadow had a canine-shaped head, with a large ruff and too-big teeth that jutted out of its mouth like knives. The body was cat-like, lean and sinuous. The shadow feet ended in claws that were straight like a wolf's nails.

Ellsworth pursed his mouth and gave a stubborn glare. He raised the dagger in hands that didn't shake, even at his age. He stared down the Beast for a moment before he huffed at it. "Tryin' to sneak up on an old man, eh? Well, I still got a bit of moxie in these bones."

The creature crouched down, readying itself to spring.

"Now, girlie," Ellsworth said to Cam. "When I say go, you take off running. Got me?"

Cam stepped forward. "But..."

"Hey," he said, cutting her off. "Don't argue with your elders."

She swallowed and nodded.

The Beast seemed to grin at the old man, as if eager to greet an old friend. Then it leapt forward.

"Go!" roared Ellsworth.

Cam turned and bolted down the hallway, running as fast as her legs would carry her. She reached a turn and nearly crashed into the wall, but she caught herself with her hands and kept going.

She reached the small alcove where the west elevator opened up and she pressed herself against the far wall after pushing the call button. She waited for Eli to come huffing around the corner.

Nothing.

Cam peered around the corner, half expecting to see a monstrous shadow leap out at her. But there was no monster, and no hobbling old man.

After another minute, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Still no sign of Ellsworth. She knew there was something wrong.

Cam took a few deep breaths and retraced her footsteps. She carefully checked around every corner, but she moved quickly, growing more and more concerned.

She finally reached the stretch of windows facing the eastern side. She peered around the corner and her breath caught in her throat.

The Beast paced along the hallway, glancing out of the windows every few steps. Cam noticed the silvery glow of the moon was brighter now. Ellsworth lay on the floor with several large gashes across his face. The silver dagger lay a few feet from his out-flung arm.

Cam worried that he was dead for a moment, until he took a labored, gurgling breath. She pulled back, pressing against the wall, trying to think. Ellsworth needed help, but the Beast was too close. She'd never get to him without the creature spotting her.

Cam gritted her teeth. She had just wanted a decent job for the first time in her 22 years. She wasn't the college type and she'd gotten sick of bouncing from one food service job to the next. Whatever this was, it certainly was not her idea of a dream job.

Cam set her shoulders and took a deep breath. If growing up in Nebraska had taught her anything, it was that no one was more stubborn than a Nebraskan, and nothing beat football.

She took off around the corner, lowering her shoulder as she ran in a full-tilt tackle at the Beast. She screamed her fear and rage as she plowed into the creature - and right through it.

Cam scrambled to catch herself when she didn't get the impact she'd braced for. Her hands scrapped on the wall as she ran into it. Her face hit the wall a second later, and she felt the skin tear on her chin.

She pulled herself to her feet as soon as she could get her balance. She spun around to face the Beast.

The creature's face shone in moonlight, strangely reflecting the glow, yet transparent enough for Cam to see the details of the wall behind its body. It seemed to be both eager for and afraid of the rising moon.

Cam stood, ready to bolt, ready to fight, tension in every limb. She waited for the creature to move, to attack her, to attack Ellsworth. To do something so she could react.

It took her a minute to realize the Beast wasn't moving. It wasn't even looking at her. It was staring up at the white light, looking along its muzzle like sighting down a gun.

Cam glanced out the window. The moon was shining just above the trees and buildings along the horizon, cold and bright. She thought about what Ellsworth had said during the elevator ride so long ago - or was it only a half hour?

A loud metallic groan came from above their heads, and Cam felt a new burst of fear. The noise of something huge moving across the building outside filled the hallway, echoing in the emptiness.

Cam glanced over at the dagger lying near Ellsworth's still form. Her eyes moved from the windows to the Beast and back to the dagger. She took a deep breath and ran for it.

The Beast snapped at her as she passed it, and she felt the pain of a bite even as she watched the spirit's form move through her without substance. She flung herself forward, sliding across the floor and just past the dagger.

Cam scrambled to her feet and snatched up the blade, holding it in front of her with both hands. A part of the wall shimmered, becoming translucent for brief seconds before turning solid again.

A giant man of oxidized-green bronze stepped through the shimmering wall. The figure hunched over in the hallway, squished into the narrow space. His motionless frowning face turned towards the Beast.

"Not yet." A voice like the groaning of steel beams under stress filled the hallway, and the Beast cowered back from the Sower.

The statue turned to face Cam and Ellsworth. Cam got the impression that it was expecting Ellsworth to stand and face it, but the old man just lay still, weakly gasping each breath.

The Sower's face shifted towards Cam, and she raised the dagger slightly. She wondered if she was supposed to attack it, though the dagger seemed like a useless weapon against the metal figure.

The statue moved as if to step towards her, and possibly on top of Ellsworth. Cam stepped forward, blocking its path to the old man. She lifted her chin and clenched her jaw, adjusting her hold on the dagger. It would have to go through her to hurt him anymore.

The metal figure froze for a long moment. Cam stared at it for several seconds, then shot a glance at the Beast. The shadow creature shifted as if anticipating attacking.

Cam swallowed, pulling her gaze back to the empty eyes of the Sower. She raised her chin back up and adjusted her stance. Whatever happened, she wasn't going down without a fight.

The Sower nodded and turned away. It lifted its hand and made a sharp gesture at the Beast.

"Enough! The test is passed."

The Beast snarled, glaring at the Sower, then at Cam, before fading away. The metal figure turned to the wall and stepped through it, and began climbing the outside of the building.

Cam stood still for another minute, afraid one of them would come back. Then she heard Ellsworth gasping for breath. She dropped to her knees at his side.

"Oh, god!" she cried. "We need to get you to a doctor!"

"No!" he said in a harsh whisper. "My time is over. It's your turn."

Cam shook her head.

Ellsworth grabbed her hand and pressed a piece of stiff paper into it. "Tell him you are my replacement," he growled.

Cam waited for his next breath. She waited a long time.

-------------------------------

Cam Rodriguez picked up her time card and clocked in to work at the capitol building. She smiled wryly at the strange turn her life had taken. She'd gotten this job to pay the rent, but now she didn't need to work. Now she had an obligation to work.

The paper Ellsworth had given her was a lawyer's business card. The old man had given her everything - a house, a decent bank account - all because she'd been the one to take the silver dagger and hold it up while facing the metal gaze of a statue come to life.

She chuckled to herself. Now the lawyer worked for her, and would pass on the estate to whoever followed in her footsteps. He had advised her to not wait until the last minute. Not like the old man who had changed her life and had given it meaning.

"You Camila?" a voice asked.

She turned around and looked at the young kid in front of her, maybe 18 years old. "Yeah, I'm Cam." She jerked her head, indicating that the young man should follow her. "Let's get started on your training."

They walked across the foyer to the elevators.

Cam shot him a look and grinned. "You ever heard of the Beast of the East?"