by Liz Paffel
And now someone was inside that dark alley, crying out.
She was terrified, but she couldn’t just leave if someone needed help. Maybe someone had simply fallen and needed assistance. Then again, what was she going to do to help? What if it were a mugging or altercation or something? Damn it!
She could at least peek and see what was going on, see if there was something she could do.
I’m going to regret this, she thought as she crossed the street toward the sound. The cops patrolled around here at night. One could stop by anytime now, thanks. Her feet were nearly silent on the concrete as she stepped up the curb and onto the sidewalk. Sounds of movement came from the alley, muttered words that sounded a lot like pleading. Heart racing, she edged along the building until she was almost to the entrance of the alley, her palms flat against the cool brick.
“Just tell me what you want.” The wavering male voice had the gravelly undertone of advanced age. Aila forced her breathing to slow. One quick peek inside to see what was going on—if she could see inside at all given the dim light and then she’d carefully race home and call for help.
Steeling herself, she peered into the alley. Three shapes stood in the middle of the corridor highlighted by the glow of a flashlight. She blinked until her vision acclimated to the new spectrum. Two men had another up against the side of the building. The victim mumbled something that sounded like begging. One of perps was tall and skinny with unusually broad shoulders. The other, whip-like, lethal looking.
She narrowed her eyes to make out the man in their clutches. He rolled his head side-to-side, an unmistakable snarling sound coming from deep in his throat. Aila’s eyes widened at the telltale sound. It wasn’t a man; it was a shifter! How in the world were two mere humans subduing him?
There were a handful of shifter-vampire hybrids, Ahprets, in the city. Though most had disappeared to their forest reserves after the war, a small pack opted to stay behind and fight for Ahpret rights. The Ahpret had fought alongside humans in the North Korean war, virtually ending the conflict on behalf of the US. And now humans were hunting them for the pain-numbing serum they carried in their palates. Many of the Ahpret who’d opted to stay went missing; a few more had fled. Only the most stalwart had remained.
A sickening crack filled the air as one of the men viciously pulled the shifter’s head to the side. Aila leaned against the wall and covered her mouth with both hands. Her heart tattooed a painful rhythm as the urge to flee raced through her body. With a shallow breath, she peeked into the alley. The human pulled a knife from his waistband. With a quick downward slash, he sliced the shifter’s neck and jerked him forward until his blood ran down into a bucket at their feet.
The shifter’s eyes went wide, his gnarled hands clawing at his attacker’s grip. His attempts quickly weakened, his hands falling away, his body going limp. Both men supported the shifter’s dying body and bent him at the waist. The blood made a sickening spray over the men’s hands before it splashed into the bucket.
Bile rose in her throat.
These men... they weren’t human! Humans experienced an unpleasant burning sensation upon contact with Ahpret blood. These men, or whatever they were, weren’t wearing gloves and didn’t seem concerned or affected from the blood that coated their hands.
Shivering uncontrollably, Aila eased back against the wall and slid her feet silently sideways until she’d scooted a few inches away from the opening. If they heard her, she’d be dead. A car whizzed past, bass pumping from the open driver’s window. Aila ran, using the resounding music as a cover as her feet pounded across the street and down the sidewalk. She usually didn’t change out of her work blazer and pencil skirt before heading home, but she was glad she’d chosen to do so tonight. Her sneakers hit the concrete with an ease her heels never would have.
She’d almost cleared the block when her scalp began to tingle. She slowed her pace and looked back. A tall, thin figure crossed the street near the alley entrance. A lamp pole behind her cast enough light that she could see the man’s eyes. He was looking directly at her. Her gut clenched at the ethereal glow of those unnatural orbs. Realistically, it was too dark for her to see him so clearly from this distance. But those eyes, they glowed eerily blue.
“Shit!” Not waiting to find out his intentions, she jumped the curb and sped across the street.
“Hey, sweetheart, where you going, huh?” The voice rang out in warning. As if she was going to stop! He’d probably smelled her scent all over the alley, and with his crazy eyes, he’d likely gotten a good look at her in the dark, too.
She was so fucked.
Suddenly, a loud squawk filled the air as a dark shape swooped from the air and curved in front of the man’s face. He covered his head with his arms as the bird made another assault. It took her a second to recognize the darn raven that was always hanging around.
Using the distraction, Aila ran as fast as she could, rounding a corner and cleared the last block to her duplex. The air had the same heavy quality she’d noticed earlier, the same tang of fear. Fishing her keys from her pocket, she tried to steady her hand to unlock the door. Flicking on the kitchen light, she raced for her cell phone and looked around for a weapon. Ignoring the flashing light of missed calls, she dialed 911. They’d send a team of High Weaponry cops, a special unit assigned to deal with things stronger than mere humans. There was nothing they could do for the dead shifter now—but she needed someone, so she didn’t end up dead, too.
She was about to hit, ‘call,’ when a thud outside made her jump.
Deftly moving the corner of the curtain away from her kitchen window, she peered out into the softly lit back yard and found nothing out of place. She’d heard enough whispered gossip from someone who knew someone who’d had a run-in with a shifter to know she was screwed. When they were pissed, and in this case, a psycho murderer, no mere human stood a chance.
She put the curtain back into place with a trembling hand. What was she going to do? Her scent was everywhere here. Even if she did manage to get away, he’d find her... follow her scent all over this city. Gripping her cell in one hand, she scooped up her purse and keys in the other. It didn’t matter where she went, as long as she got out of here.
On tiptoe, she headed to the side door that lead to the small drive where she parked her car. A fractured sound crashed through the air as a window shattered, followed by a loud bang as if the front door had been kicked in. Aila wrenched the door open and bolted outside for her car. She fumbled with the key fob to press the unlock button, sliding on the damp grass, nearly losing her balance as she skidded toward the car. Grabbing the driver’s side handle, she found her balance and whipped the door open, her cell phone flying from her numb fingers.
Making a mad reach for the phone, she spotted a man in the doorway. His eyes locked onto hers for a half second before he ran in her direction. With a squeal, Aila left the phone and slid inside. She clicked the lock just as the man hit the hood of her car with a fist.
This time, she had a perfect view of his face thanks to her side porch light. Lean and sinewy, a powerful strength reverberated off him despite his stature. Thick, dark brows topped blazing blue eyes; his nose crooked in the center as if it had been broken more than once. His lips, no more than a slash across his face, pulled into a sneer, showing off canine teeth that grew into sharp points before her eyes.
He flexed his left hand, the fingers elongated with pronounced knuckles, the nails arching and thickening into black claws. Fluid dripped from the tips, falling like drops of rain on her car where it pinged with a sizzle and a puff of smoke.
Holding back a scream, Aila started the car pulled it into reverse and hit the gas. He grabbed the door handle as she stepped on the gas, but momentum jerked it from his hand. Unfazed, he ran after her, screaming,
“I see you, bitch!”
Chapter Two
Aila didn’t stop. With a squeal of her tires, she whipped into drive and sped down the street. She watched in
the rearview, expecting to see him flying after her. But he stood, watching, until she rounded a curve and his form faded from view.
After making a few blind turns, Aila snapped back into focus and realized she was on the interstate. Soon, she’d have to decide if she was going head deeper into Oregon or enter Canada. She had no idea where she was going... she just had to get farther away. Turning toward Canada, Aila’s breathing began to even out. Another handful of miles made it easier to take a full, deep breath. Each passing mile marker lowered her anxiety a little more. Still, she couldn’t stop glancing in the rearview, or imagining the acidic drops from the vampire’s claws as they ate away at the hood of her car.
He’d seen her face. And she’d seen him.
There was no way she could go back to her apartment—they’d be waiting for her. Likely, they were digging through her things right now, learning everything they needed to know. Her name. Where she worked.
She was an hour from the city now with no signs that anyone was following her. Spotting a road sign, she pulled off the interstate into a bustling truck stop. Semi-trucks filled the parking lot, the bright lights of the place reassuring. Even if the perps did find her now, would they attempt to accost her in front of all these people?
Parking in the back between two large trucks, Aila grabbed her purse and went in. She’d call the police from and figure something out. After washing her smeared makeup in the restroom, she found an ancient payphone and dialed 911. People milled about and it was both comforting and nerve-wracking. In her mind, everyone who passed by was out to get her.
The line finally connected. “I need... I need to report a murder. The victim was a shifter.” Aila hurried with the details, letting them spill out of her like a toxin she needed to purge. There was a pause before the dispatcher replied, almost as if she were disbelieving.
“...Okay... ma’am, where did this happen?” The voice crackled over the line. Aila filled her in. She was then asked for her home address.
“15 West Maple. Apartment one. Look, I know it was a shifter. I heard him growl and...”
“And where are you now?”
“Um... near Plainsville.”
“I’ll need you to come back to the precinct, ma’am, to fill out a report.”
Her hand tightened on the phone. “But, what’s to stop them from finding me? Can’t you...”
“As of now, we don’t even know there was a murder.”
“I know what I saw,” she shouted. Glancing around to see if anyone had noticed her outburst, Aila cupped her hand around the phone and whispered. “I saw two man-like creatures kill that shifter.”
The line cracked again, and she thought she’d lost the connection.
“I’ll send someone to check it out. Please come in for a report.” The woman rattled off something about sending officers to Aila’s home, and the scene of the suspected crime. But all Aila could imagine were the murderers waiting for her, finding her. Hunting her down if she showed up in the city.
Seattle was a big place and dispatch probably received a frustrating amount of 911 calls that turned out to be nothing. This wasn’t nothing. The murderer had looked her right in the damn eyes!
“How will I be protected?” She asked.
“I’m sending an officer to your apartment right now. Can you meet him there?”
“High Weaponry?”
“Ma’am, we won’t dispatch the HWU until we know for sure— “
Aila clenched her eyes and saw the murderous shifter’s eyes blazing back at her. No standard police officer could keep her safe. “I can’t,” she blurted. “I can’t come back.”
She needed to give it a few days, let the cops do their job and see if they could apprehend the murderers so she could safely go back home.
“Ma’am...”
Numb, Aila hung up the phone. No way could she risk going back right now. But soon, she’d have no choice. She couldn’t run forever. Besides, she’d be missed at work. Her friends would wonder what happened to her. Digging quarters out of her pocket, she picked up the phone again and deposited the money. Before she could talk herself out of it, she dialed the only co-worker’s number she actually knew from memory.
Brent picked up on the third ring.
“’Sup?” His voice was thick as if he’d been asleep.
Aila cupped the phone close to her mouth again. “Brent, its Aila. Look, I need...”
“Aila?” His voice perked up. “You coming over, baby?”
She rubbed her temples. God, you oversexed asshat. “No. Listen, I need you to tell Barbara that I need a few emergency days off. I lost my cell, or I would have called her myself.”
“What happened?” His tone was clear now, as if he’d snapped fully awake. “Where are you?”
Tears pricked her eyes. “This whole thing is so... so crazy. I witnessed a murder and the police won’t send the HWU to protect me, so there’s no way I can go home right now.” She wiped her eyes, realizing she was rambling.
“Aila,” Brent said firmly. “Why would you need the HWU?” There was a suspicious edge to his voice. She didn’t blame him. This kind of thing didn’t happen often.
“I saw two men kill a shifter. They... they cut his neck wide open and started draining his blood into a bucket. Oh, shit, Brent. They saw me watching them and chased me, but I got away. They had like, acid or something dripping out of their claws, and huge fangs.”
A beat of dead silence stood between them. The rush of her own pulse began to whoosh loudly in her ears. She shouldn’t have told him. He probably thought she was nuts.
“Brent?”
“Head through the Sanctuary.” He swallowed hard. “Are you listening to me?”
Aila shook her head in confusion. The Sanctuary was over a thousand acres of prime hardwood forest belonging to the Ahpret. It was a reservation with a residential community with a small school, hospital, and other elements of a small town. Humans were welcome to pass through, but not to stay.
“Why the Sanctuary?”
“I have a friend in the pack, Shane Allis who lives on the far North border. Go through the reserve until you’ve gone to the North border. Call me as soon as you get there so I can give you directions. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
Brent’s voice was urgent and lined with a tone she could only equate to excitement. As muddled as she was right now, she was probably reading him wrong.
“Shane is a good friend. He’ll look out for you until I can get there. Okay?” Brent’s voice had cooled but something about it still rubbed her wrong. The feeling that she shouldn’t have told him any of this was eating at her. She silently cursed herself for calling, but his cell number had been the first one to jump into her head.
Besides... there wasn’t anyone else. Her parents had died when she’d turned eighteen. Her life was like that of one of those pathetic side characters you saw on late-night television, surrounding herself with meaningless people, taking the brunt of life’s bitchiness with her head down while keeping a low profile and wearing sensible shoes.
All she’d wanted was to work her way up to a better life, but that included little time for the whole human-interaction and romantic relationships thing. So, she’d colored her life a brilliant shade of vanilla-crazy cat lady in the process. Except, she didn’t have any cats. Just a pesky crow that hovered around her duplex and followed her all over the city.
Besides, she was plain. Boring. People didn’t connect with her very well, or rather, she didn’t connect with them. No wonder Brent found her appealing—she probably reeked of quiet desperation.
“Aila!” Brent snapped, pulling her back to the moment. She winced when she noticed that she’d twirled the phone cord around her middle finger so tightly that the tip was purple.
“I’m listening.” Sort of. Then she recalled what he’d said a moment earlier. “You’re coming to get me?”
“I’m going to dig around a bit here first, see what I can hear on the street.”
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This plan should have made her feel slightly better, but it didn’t. Stress and nerves, she supposed because she didn’t have another option. She had forty bucks in her wallet and one credit card with a small limit. Staying in a motel for any length of time wasn’t an option. Besides, if the perps were professionals, they’d be able to track where and when she used her card.
“Okay,” she breathed. “Thank you.”
“Don’t tell anyone where you’re headed. No one. Understand?”
“Why?” Alarm was becoming her bestie tonight as it forced her pulse up again.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Brent sounded annoyed. “Look, Aila.”
“Yeah?”
“Promise me you won’t stop again until you get to the Sanctuary.”
If she grabbed a few necessary things now, she wouldn’t have to. “Okay.”
“Hey, I’m not a bad guy, you know.”
That was an odd thing to say. Aila gave a half-assed smile, not that he could see her, and shrugged. Trying to convince herself, maybe. True, he wasn’t a bad guy. Just annoying. And persistent. He didn’t give her that spark that she craved in a lover—not that she was in any position to be picky. They had a nice, platonic thing between them, although, now and then he gave off the vibe of a creepy dude who shoplifted women’s underwear from Goodwill.
“Thanks again.”
She hung up before he could say more. Aila went into the small convenience store section and grabbed some juice and snacks for the road. She still had a couple hours to go and she was starving.
She was just about to the register when the cosmetics aisle grabbed her attention. She browsed, taking mental stock of what she would need for the next couple days. Luckily, she had a bag in the car with her workout clothes, sneakers, and jeans and a tee shirt, that she’d never bothered to take in the house. Grabbing toiletries, she paid and went back to her car.
Emotion welled up in her throat. There wasn’t time for that now. Just keep driving.