[EXCERPT BELOW:]

As she worked at re-shelving books, she caught a glimpse of a Hat Man, disappearing around a bookshelf out of the corner of her eye.

Spike sighed and glared at the bookshelf in question. “I saw that,” she muttered – as if speaking to them would make them go away. But, she was alone up here in the romance section, so she didn't worry that anyone might catch her talking to herself. “You think you can scare me, blob boy? Go ahead and try it.” 

Just as she suspected, the Hat Man did not return from where he had disappeared. “Figures,” she said with a snort. They rarely came back. It had occurred to her that she might be seeing something scientifically provable – like seeing people moving around in alternate dimensions as shadows within her own. But if that was true, then the shadows shouldn't be aware of her. Either the guy that liked to stand at the end of her bed was some sort of alternate universe version of a Buckingham Palace Guard, or he was quite aware of her.

Spike returned to shelving the books, her hands working with the easy familiarity of someone who's done this very task multiple times previously. She put the shadow men out of her mind for the time being, letting her thoughts drift to the last book she had read. [...]

Something caught her eye and she turned, expecting to see her manager or a coworker – but what she saw made her blood run cold.

The Hat Man had returned, and was standing beside the bookshelf it had disappeared behind a few moments before. But it wasn't the mere presence that had frozen her in place – it was the fact that for the first time, the Hat Man had a face... sort of. 

It had eyes.

Two, bright red, glowing hot coals of eyes, in a completely black face.

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