Entering through small cracks and lightly isolated frames, the Niruvei hid in the shadows and spread murder and sorrow to every Isior family. Grandma Nanda, as many Human Eaters before her, had grown up scouting every dark corner, every open door and window.
Being careless was a death sentence. She took turns with her siblings keeping watch, so the other members of the family could sleep. The electric security systems with forcefields that were everywhere today, were a luxury in her grandma’s time and for her social class. In her youth, Nanda had tried to make some of her own with little success.
It was easy for someone to see why for eons, the Isior were alone, scared, divided, hiding, and keeping a low profile, just for a chance to grow old. Her grandma had helped the Rajasthani Isior to come together. But even after so many decades, she still slept with the light open, getting jumpy when something moved unexpectedly in her field of vision.