Brady was the reason they were so afraid.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Lily could only nod.
He gently moved her behind him, standing in between her and the armed men. His movements were calm, subtle, whereas their kidnappers were out of control. Lily marveled at the change. Not long ago, at the club, Brady was so nervous.
"Whoa, guys," he said, holding up his hands. "Let's talk about this."
Lily pulled at her wrists once again. The handcuffs were threatening to drive her mad. She wanted to help Brady, and could do nothing.
"Listen." Brady spoke slowly, using his hands to animate. "I'll go with you. Wherever you want to go." He pointed at himself, then moved his fingers in a walking motion to demonstrate. "But her—" He cupped Lily's shoulder. "You let her go."
"Brady, no," Lily said, trying to stand next to him. He wouldn't allow it. "I'm not leaving you."
"She walks," he repeated. "I stay."
The men appeared to talk it over, lowering their voices to a whisper. Lily studied their surroundings while they were occupied. The only escape was the elevator, but it was behind the men, and quite a long way. Running for it wasn't an option. Behind Lily and Brady, the parking garage curved one more time into an open area, and that was it. A concrete barrier separated the lot from falling to a certain death.
One of the men stepped forward, not bothering to lower his weapon.
"Both," he said, his accent thick. "We take both."
A loud ding behind the men caught everyone's attention. The elevator opened, and three more men wearing black suits stepped out. At first, Lily thought they were all together.
She was wrong.
The kidnappers spun, aiming their weapons at the elevator. Brady reached back and grabbed her arm.
"Run!"
Shots rang out around them. Lily could not move fast, due to the handcuffs.
"OhmyGod!" she repeated. "OhmyGodOhmyGod!"
Brady never left her side. He kept her upright with an arm around her waist. They ran in the opposite direction, as low to the ground as they could, near the very top of the garage. A bullet struck the concrete barrier next to Lily, sending chunks flying into her back. She squealed in shock and lost her balance. She fell to the ground, taking Brady with her. Lily landed on top of him, knocking the air out of him. His face contorted in pain.
"Brady! Are you okay?"
He nodded, not capable of words. Gently, he moved her off him. She brought her knees to her chest and pressed against the concrete, still keeping low. Brady rolled next to her. Shots continued to fire, with several finding their way near them.
"They're trying to kill us!" Remaining calm was an afterthought. She might never be calm again.
Brady was the complete opposite.
"It looks that way."
He held up what looked like a handcuff key. Lily was amazed. Where did he get it? Did it work on both of their handcuffs? He gestured for her to offer her wrists. He fumbled behind her for a moment before the handcuffs finally popped open. She rubbed her wrists for a moment before throwing her arms around Brady's neck. He held her in return, both of them trembling.
More concrete bursting only inches away brought them back to the moment.
"Shit!" Lily said. "What do we do?"
Slowly, Brady lifted his head over the divider. Almost as if in response, another shot rang out, kicking up dust. Lily grabbed his shirt and yanked him back down.
"We can't get out that way," he said.
"Those people by the elevator, could they be on our side?"
Brady clenched his eyes shut as they were showered with more chunks.
"I don't think so. They're, uh, kind of shooting at us, too."
Lily felt the hope drain from her body.
"We're trapped."
"Can you hang-glide?"
She stared at him in disbelief, not quite sure she heard the question correctly. Brady's goofy demonstration of hang-gliding, complete with arms outstretched, reassured her she heard correctly.
"You know," he said. "Hang-gliding?"
"No, Brady. I don't hang-glide."
"How about those flying suits? You ever use one of those?"
"What the fuck are you talking about? Do I look like I've ever put on a flying suit?"
"Okay, okay."
They heard the roar of the van. Over Brady's shoulder, the van backed into view, with a clear shot at the both of them. Their kidnappers had decided to engage in a fight on two fronts. One of them leaned out the passenger's side window, taking aim at the elevator. Two of them crouched at the open side door, pointing guns at Lily and Brady.
They'd run out of time.
Brady grabbed her shoulders.
"Let's go."
"Go? Go where?"
"Stay close."
Brady clenched her hand and pulled her to her feet. They ran, away from the van. Lily's knee throbbed, but fear and adrenaline pushed her forward. She heard the van behind them along with more shouting.
"Jump as far as you can," Brady said. "Or I might hit the side."
Lily's brain stopped processing his voice when he said jump.
"What?!"
"It'll be okay."
The edge drew closer and closer. Lily slowed down, tugging on Brady's arm. He tugged back, trying to force her to follow him. She dragged him to a dead stop two feet away from the railing. She could hear cars on the street below. The parking garage was seven or eight levels above the ground.
"This is crazy," she said. "What are you doing?"
Brady peered over her shoulder, and Lily turned to follow his gaze. The van was approaching. The men from the elevator gave chase on foot. They were close enough that Lily could see the fury in the driver's eyes.
"Goddamnit, Lily."
Her eyes shot open and a squeal escaped as he lifted her off her feet. Brady threw her over his shoulder and turned back to the edge. He held her tight and gripped the back of her knee for balance. Lily's heart raced when she faced the van once again. But she thought it would burst from her chest when Brady brought one foot up onto the railing, and then the other.
"Brady, no—!"
He jumped.
Lily screamed as gravity claimed them. One level of the parking garage raced by, and she suddenly felt like she fell in a pool of water. Her dress felt wet.
Then the falling stopped.
She couldn't put together what was happening. Her feet dangled, her flats long gone, which she realized wasn't the right sensation for a fall.
There was a pressure against her chest. She clutched at her dress. There was fabric that wasn't there before, something she hadn't put on herself. She felt metal loops, and straps running above and away from her.
Lily looked above, and next to the moon was a parachute.
Brady was nowhere to be seen.
The parachute bumped into the side of the garage, hastening her descent as it folded on itself. Her fall became erratic, and she thought she'd slam into the wall. Looking up once again, two of the kidnappers leaned over the side, watching her. There were more gunshots.
She couldn't believe it when her bare feet safely touched grass. She watched the parachute fall next to her. The wind gripped it for a moment, nearly pulling her off balance.
Before the many questions could even pop in her mind, the parachute melted. It turned into something that looked like it came from a horror movie, like a blob. The mass of goo shrank and pooled itself together.
Then it grew. Soft curves turned into hard lines. Colors appeared. Blue, black, and flesh tones. Shoes, jeans, a tee shirt. Facial features, a nose, mouth and eyes.
Brady stood before her, his expression grim. He looked at something behind her, and she turned to see two cars had stopped in the middle of the street to watch the woman parachute from the parking garage. A hand gripped her shoulder from behind. The touch was gentle, but she jumped anyway.
"Are you okay?" Brady asked.
Lily didn't answer. Sh
e truly didn't know.
He smiled reassuringly and cupped her face in his hands. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he did no such thing. His gaze was tender, sympathetic, maybe a little sad.
"I told you I'd bump into the side," he said.
The roar of an engine caught their attention. They turned toward the parking garage to see the van speeding its way down. A car followed at high speed, one level above.
"We have to go," Brady said.
He changed again. Lily jumped back a step and gasped. His body lost its shape, turning into the gelatin-like mass. He grew shorter, but longer and thinner. Two wheels formed, a chain, a metal frame, a seat.
A bicycle.
Lily couldn't move. She stood with her jaw hanging open. It wasn't until a bell formed, just like the one she had on her bike as a kid, and chimed loudly did her muscles obey her.
She threw one leg over the seat and started pedaling. Riding a bike wasn't easy in the dress she wore. The streets were nearly deserted. The tires felt half full, like they could use some air.
Amid of all the chaos, one thought echoed over and over in her mind.
"I'm riding Brady," she said. She looked down at the bike frame. It was pink, like the shade she often picked for her hair. "This bike is Brady."
There was a crash behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see the van turning wildly onto the street. It nearly ran down a late-night jogger and sideswiped a car.
"Shit."
She stood and pedaled as hard as her dress would allow. Approaching a corner intersection, she turned right, hoping the van didn't notice her. She thought she'd escaped, but heard the van make the same turn. At the corner ahead, the car that was in the parking garage whipped onto the street. The two vehicles opened fire on one another.
Lily was caught in the middle.
The windshield of a truck shattered next to her. Glass sprayed into her face and shoulder. She tried to veer to the right, further from the street, but lost control. She braced herself for the fall as she rushed toward the sidewalk.
She never hit the ground.
Instead, she fell into the blob-goop, what she knew now to be Brady. The bike was gone. The goo pooled around her hips and legs, wrapping around her, cushioning her fall. She thought the blob would swallow her whole, and terrible images from old horror movies flowed through her head. Instead, it helped her upright, to her knees. It flowed next to her, leaving an arm-like column touching her hand. That column thinned out and took on a new shape. Fingers and flesh formed, followed by the rest of him.
Brady kept his head low as he squeezed her hand. More shots fired, and he nodded at something over her shoulder.
"There," he said. "The alley."
He pulled her up and led the way. The alley was dark, with only the moon breaking the shadows. Lily heard rats and other vermin scattering about, and the stench of trash nearly made her sick. The brick walls of neighboring businesses were on both sides.
They didn't even cover fifteen feet when Brady stopped.
"Hold up one second."
He gently moved her against the wall. Now that she was finally still, her body throbbed. Her cheek hurt, along with her shoulder and knee. She touched her face and pulled back fingertips of blood. It didn't flow, didn't drip to the ground. She hoped the injuries weren't severe.
Lily stared at Brady, still trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. He leaned against the wall with her, his back completely flat.
"So, you can turn into a parachute," she said. "But your magic powers have trouble with tires?"
Words she thought she'd never speak.
Despite their situation, Brady smiled.
"Tires need air pumped into them. If you would have stopped at a gas station, we would have been fine."
"Uh, sure. I'll remember that next time."
More shots. Lily jumped, even though they were safe.
But for how long?
"What are they doing?" she asked.
"Let's find out."
He slapped his hand against the wall. Lily gasped as his fingers changed. They became snake-like tendrils. They slithered and crawled along the wall, back toward the mouth of the alley. Extending beyond the brick, they danced about in mid-air, reminding her of an octopus.
"They're still shooting," he said. "One of them is on a phone."
She stepped away from the wall to watch his face. His eyes were still open and he peered into hers. She touched his face, just to feel him, make sure he was real. He held her bad shoulder, making her flinch.
"Sorry," he said, then frowned. "Shit. It looks like the one side is giving up."
"You can see? Which side?"
"Yeah, I can see. The people in the car, they're giving up, backing away. Two guys from the van are getting out. They're coming this way."
Brady's octopus-fingers flowed back along the wall, shrinking and forming a normal hand once again. Lily grabbed his other hand and started to run down the alley. But he held her firm.
"Wait."
"Brady! We have to go!"
"Squat down," he said. "Hug your knees."
She didn't react. Brady reached out and hugged her. She recoiled, drawing a look of hurt from him. He didn't back away, and gently helped her to the ground. Grabbing her arms, he wrapped them around her legs, drawing her into a tight ball.
"Relax," he said, which almost made her laugh.
He hugged her tightly once again, and changed. His body melted and poured over her. She nearly screamed, but somehow managed to stay quiet. A sense of claustrophobia settled in as Brady took on a new shape. She reached out, but her hand immediately struck a surface. Thin, cold metal. She ran her fingers up and down, and felt a lid above her.
Lily was in a garbage can.
There were voices, just beyond her. The same men that kidnapped them. She couldn't understand them, but could tell they were arguing. As slowly as she could, she covered her mouth with her palm. She was aware of every nagging pain. The sweat touched the open wounds on her face, stinging her.
She wanted to believe she was safe, that whatever magic powers Brady had would protect her. But the truth was he was running right alongside her. He was scared, too, even if he didn't show it.
The men argued from six feet away for nearly a minute. It felt like an hour, and Lily wasn't sure how much longer she could sit with her knees buried in her chest. Her legs were beginning to cramp. She wasn't sure if it was sweat or blood dripping down her back.
Finally, the men ran down the alley. Their retreating footsteps was the sweetest noise she'd ever heard. She nearly pushed the lid away, but hesitated. Brady wasn't changing back yet. Why? Did he know something she didn't? Would moving the lid hurt him?
The stifling metal around her changed, turning shapeless once again. The goop fell into her hair and face. Lily thought she was going to drown. She coughed and flailed as the goop moved away from her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She tried to stand, but wasn't having much success. Exhaustion and pain were taking their toll.
A hand gripped her own and pulled her to her feet.
Brady was once again himself.
The van roared to life out in the street. Lily's shoulders slumped.
"Oh, God," she said. "What now?"
"They're splitting up," Brady said. "Looking for us."
She leaned on the wall, away from him.
"What do we do? Do we run? Should we—?"
"Just hold this. Hold on tight."
She turned to see Brady offering her a thick, braided rope. Most of it was coiled over his shoulder. She followed the other end to see it was wrapped around her waist.
"How—?"
He changed again. The moon threw wild shadows across the alley, almost making him look like a hovering lava lamp. Wings formed, followed by feathers and a beak.
Brady was a large bird.
He held the other end of the rope in his claws. Flying straight up, Lily watched his every move as he circled above. The
rope followed him until he disappeared over the roof.
The rope tightened, and Lily lifted several inches from the ground. Her eyes shot open as she spun in a circle. She reached out with her hands and bare feet to steady herself. The rope pulled again.
Lily was afraid their pursuers would find her, would somehow see her twisting from a rope like bait. She reached the top, and Brady grabbed her arm. He pulled her up and over with all his strength. As she toppled onto him she saw the van pass the mouth of the alley below.
The two fell, body parts intertwined. Her chin jammed into Brady's belly, forcing the wind out of him. She rolled away from him and stared up at the star-filled sky. Brady winced and struggled to gather his breath next to her. The actions seemed strange to her now. Did he even have lungs?
The night was silent. No vans or cars, no gunshots. Lily took deep, heavy breaths. Was it over? Were they safe?
"You're heavier than you look," Brady said.
He was joking. But Lily was as far from a joking mood as she'd ever been.
"Fuck you."
She pulled herself into a sitting position and rested back against the edge of the roof. Brady leaned on an elbow and looked at her. His face was unreadable at first, but Lily thought she saw fear, maybe nervousness.
She only felt anger.
She wanted to get away, from everything. Men had kidnapped them, tried to kill them, and the man she thought she knew was a complete stranger. She wanted to lock herself in a room and not come out.
The silence between them stretched, until Lily finally spoke.
"When were you going to tell me?"
Brady shrugged, and the motion made her want to lunge and strangle him.
"I don't know. Maybe never. I never really thought about it. I didn't think we'd be such good friends."
"Friends." She nearly spat the word, and waved around her. "I don't remember all of this in the friendship contract."
"You're pissed at me?" he said, sitting upright. "Really? You wouldn't even tell me you're studying to run a tattoo parlor, but you're mad at me because I didn't tell you that I'm an alien shape-shifter?"
She wanted to retort, but he had a point. All her problems suddenly seemed pale by comparison.
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