Brittle Midnight

by Harper, Helen

  ‘Do you see anything that might show where our man is holed up?’ Monroe asked.

  I frowned. ‘I’m not sure. I’m looking for anything out of place.’ I had a good database locked inside my brain from all the reports that people had given me. I knew that the suburbs to the west housed all manner of shadowy monsters. I’d been told that the pink mammoth elephant, which still roamed the streets from time to time, tended to hang around the university, and that there were ghostly beings clumped together in the vicinity of the Lowry. I ignored those spots and focused on what was close by. It stood to reason that Philip would have been feeling too unwell after drinking every ounce of Valerie’s blood to travel far, so I scanned the buildings nearby. A patch of blue was moving just to my right – but that was heading in the same direction as the white furry thing that had passed the pharmacy. I reckoned I was looking for something static.

  Then I saw it. When I did, I let out a crow of delight.

  ‘Winner winner chicken dinner!’ I beamed. ‘Come look!’

  Monroe was very reluctant but clearly he didn’t want to look like a scaredy-wolf. He slunk in my direction but kept away from the edge.

  I pointed. ‘That building there. There’s a strong pulse of blue. That’s the place. I know it.’

  ‘You seem very sure.’

  I fixed my gaze on the stone building. It looked abandoned but I knew deep down that it wasn’t. Not entirely. ‘I’ve been there before,’ I told him. ‘Many times. In fact, it’s where I first met Valerie.’ I smiled; it wasn’t an expression of pleasure or glee but satisfaction that I’d found my mark. ‘It’s the oldest casino in the city.’

  ‘The poker nights she set up,’ Monroe murmured.

  I nodded. ‘You can bet your sweet naked arse that she held a lot of them there. Maybe she met Philip there and he’s returned to the scene not only to recover but to relive those times. The magic is certainly strong enough over that building.’ I swivelled round and looked at Monroe. ‘That’s where the bastard is.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  I’d have headed down to the ground in the same manner in which we’d left it but Monroe was still looking green around the gills so I took pity on him and agreed to take the stairs. Shame though. Now that I’d discovered I could fly – sort of – I wanted to try it again.

  I reckon Monroe sensed my mild dismay at using a normal method to get down to ground floor and mistook it for haste. He offered to shift into wolf form again but it seemed prudent to conserve his strength for whatever lay ahead. Instead we jogged down, pausing only for him to grab a navy-blue boiler suit from a janitor’s cupboard. I shouldn’t have been surprised that it looked good on him. Everything looked good on him.

  There was something very eerie about tripping down the stairs of an empty high-rise building. Our footsteps echoed, clattering in a way that made me think no one had been inside City Tower since the first days of the apocalypse. Here and there plant roots had broken through the plaster and there were a few gaping holes through which I could have stuck my hand and waved it around in the cool air outside. The wind whistled through these gaps and did nothing to detract from the ghostly atmosphere.

  I was certain that the building was also groaning in the wind and shifting slightly from side to side. I wondered how long it would remain standing. Even now, mere months since Manchester had been abandoned to magic, it felt like it already had an expiration date. Perhaps everything in the city did. Oddly, that thought didn’t make me feel melancholy or nostalgic. This was the natural order of things – just like bringing Valerie’s killer to justice was part of the natural order.

  ‘You’re thinking too hard again,’ Monroe remarked when we only had a few flights of stairs left to go down. He already knew me too well.

  ‘I’ve been doing a lot of that lately,’ I admitted. ‘Normally I don’t have time to dwell on things. There’s always another problem or issue or complaint that takes up my brain space. I miss having a chance to take my time and ponder things.’ I was quiet for a moment. ‘When I’m with you,’ I continued, ‘it feels like the noise in my head is less bothersome. I get the chance to think properly about…’ I waved a hand around ‘…the bigger picture.’

  Monroe grunted. ‘Thinking is over-rated.’

  I smiled. I didn’t think he meant that. And there was the faintest indication of a blush high on his cheekbones from my acknowledgment that being with him made me feel more at peace. When he wasn’t being a total dickhead, of course.

  When we reached the ground floor and the doors leading into the city streets, Monroe stopped and turned to me. ‘I don’t talk about my feelings very often,’ he said stiffly. ‘But, for what it’s worth, you make the noise in my head quiet too.’ Then, before I could say or do anything, he pivoted, pushed open the doors and walked out.

  I remained where I was for a moment, gaping after him. Monroe had been so quick to pull away from me in the early days of the apocalypse. He hadn’t wanted what I stood for – and I hadn’t agreed with his vision of the future. But perhaps we were growing closer to each other as a result of being so far apart. I chewed on my lip. If that idea didn’t make me think too hard about this new life and our place in it, then nothing would.

  ***

  If I’d expected Monroe and I to continue a deep and meaningful conversation as we went towards the casino, I was sadly mistaken. We jogged in silence, both of us alert to any movement from either the ground level or the buildings around us. Even though the day was drawing to a close and the time when the beasties started coming out in force would soon be upon us, our journey remained event- and monster-free. In fact, there was barely a whisper until we reached the steps in front of the casino.

  When we came to a halt Monroe said, ‘I appreciate that your magic is incredibly powerful and you’re capable of things that I can barely imagine, but I have more experience than you in confrontations like this. I’m not trying to sideline you or to exert my authority – I’m just suggesting that it would be a good idea if you let me deal with the vampire.’ He folded his arms across his chest and glared at me as I were about to start arguing.

  Naturally that’s exactly what I did. ‘You’ll bulldoze your way in,’ I told him, ‘catch sight of Philip, see red and attack.’

  Monroe’s expression didn’t flicker. ‘What would be so wrong with that?’

  I started to tick off on my fingers. ‘First of all, we know from Julie that he’s likely to be curled up in a corner sleeping. He’s had too much blood to drink to be anything other barely conscious. He’s not going to put up a fight, Monroe.’

  ‘You don’t know that for sure. Assuming we can trust what Julie told us, she made it perfectly clear that she’s never taken that much blood in one sitting. Therefore,’ he pointed out implacably, ‘she can’t really know how it’s affected Philip. In fact, the one thing we know for sure is that he’s emanating vast amounts of magic because of what he’s done. That makes him both unstable and very dangerous.’

  ‘I hadn’t finished,’ I answered. ‘Secondly, right now your headspace is telling you to fight first and ask questions later. You could very well end up killing him.’

  He stared at me. ‘Why would that be a bad thing?’

  ‘Because things are bad enough already between the wolves and the vampires. I spent all of two hours in your neighbourhood, Monroe, and even I could tell you’re sitting on a powder keg.’

  ‘The vampires are free to leave at any point.’

  I gave him a stony look. ‘So the werewolves can live alone? A pure society untainted by other ethnicities? Do you know what that sounds like, Monroe?’

  He winced. ‘I do. And I don’t mean it like that. There are plenty of werewolves I’d happily get rid of too but somehow, when I was busy doing other things, they all showed up and settled in. It was not what I wanted.’

  ‘It’s called free will. People have to be allowed to make their own choices. If those choices adversely affect others then they have to be he
ld accountable – but you can’t tell everyone how to live their lives.’

  ‘Yes, I can.’ He blinked slowly. ‘Philip used his free will when he slurped every drop of blood from Valerie. And I’m not sure why we’re suddenly getting into a philosophical argument about morality when I should be in there sorting out fucking Philip for killing your friend.’

  ‘You can’t kill him,’ I insisted. ‘You can’t even hurt him unless it’s absolutely necessary. He deserves to be allowed to speak about what he may or may not have done first.’

  Monroe sighed heavily. ‘I will agree to that if you agree to stay out—’

  He was interrupted by a loud crash. We froze and stared at each other. ‘So much for sleeping it off in a corner,’ he hissed at me. ‘Stay here.’ He turned and barrelled into the door. Unfortunately, instead of going through it he bounced back and ended up sprawled on the pavement. He growled and got to his feet.

  ‘Oh, did I forget to mention that the casino doors are steel reinforced?’ I asked innocently.

  He shot me an irritated look and tried again. ‘They must be bolted shut from the other side. I’ll have to find another way in.’

  I nodded. ‘Go on then.’ I raised my hands and concentrated, allowing magic to spurt forth. A second later the doors sprang open. ‘Look,’ I murmured, holding my hands up in sarcastic awe. ‘Maybe you do need me after all.’

  Monroe hissed something under his breath. ‘Just don’t get hurt,’ he said. ‘That’s the last thing I need.’

  I would take that as evidence that he cared for me. I flashed him a quick grin before squaring my shoulders. ‘Let’s get this bastard. Without hurting him.’

  Monroe rolled his eyes then he stalked into the casino with me hot on his heels.

  Whatever – or whoever – had caused the crash had fallen silent again. The casino interior was very dark and very silent. In one corner close to the doors stood a smiling, life-size, cardboard cut-out of a scantily clad waitress holding up a wad of cash. Whoever she had been pre-apocalypse, she certainly wasn’t here now. I gave her a wave and debated whether to bring her along to make it look like there were more of us.

  Monroe clearly wasn’t concerned with numbers. He marched forward past several empty tables and scattered playing cards and chips. I abandoned the smiley cut-out and followed, unwilling to let him out of my sight – until my foot slipped and I realised I’d trodden on a playing card. The ace of spades. I shivered. I wasn’t usually superstitious and I didn’t believe in luck or lack thereof; I made my own luck. All the same, something about that card gave me the willies.

  I shook myself. It was only a card. It didn’t actually mean anything. I looked up and realised that Monroe had also stopped. His head was tilted up and he was sniffing the air. It was difficult to tell through the gloom but to me he looked very confused and very unhappy.

  I sidled up to him. When he didn’t immediately respond, I nudged him. ‘What’s wrong?’ I whispered.

  His nose twitched and his hands curled into fists. ‘Wolf,’ he answered.

  Now I was the one who was puzzled. I frowned at him. ‘What…’

  ‘There’s a wolf here,’ he said in an undertone. ‘Young. Female.’

  My heart sank. So I’d been wrong. Yet again, I’d fallen victim to my self- belief. It wasn’t Philip the vampire whose magic signature had been broadcasting from this place, it was just a werewolf who wanted to play roulette. I cursed to myself. I’d been so sure this was where we’d find Valerie’s killer.

  ‘And blood,’ Monroe added as an afterthought. ‘There’s a shitload of blood.’ He unfastened his boiler suit and stepped out of it, taking his time, then turned to me in all his naked glory and placed a finger to his lips. It wasn’t his lips I was looking at but I nodded anyway. A second later, his body expanded and shifted. I stepped out of the way just in time. Then he was on all fours, his fur bristling and those same lips pulled back over his teeth. He sniffed again and, with a final warning look in my direction, padded forward silently.

  I was unsure what to do. Monroe’s nose was clearly telling him where to go, but should I follow? Despite my words a few moments earlier, I didn’t want to get in his way. If there was a werewolf here, my presence wouldn’t help matters. Shapeshifter hierarchy meant that any wolf would automatically do Monroe’s bidding, regardless of what I did to intervene. But Monroe’s certainty about the presence of blood… I gritted my teeth. I’d have to go after him and I’d also have to steel myself for what we might find.

  Unfortunately my indecision had cost me because I could no longer see Monroe’s wolf form. He’d disappeared among the poker tables and silent bandit machines. Neither could I move as quietly as he could; I took a few steps forward and, even walking on my tiptoes on the soft carpet, all I could hear was my own movement.

  I stopped again. I was tempted to call out and ask Monroe to wait for me but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. We weren’t alone here. Although I knew this casino well, the shadowy corners and almost impenetrable darkness ahead were making me nervous.

  I could feel my magic pushing against my fingertips, eager to be set free again but I had to stay in control. It was the only way to gain the upper hand. I leaned forward, peering through the gloom. Where had Monroe gone? I glared, as if I could call him back to my side with dirty looks alone. Then there was a strange bristling sensation on the back of my neck and I knew that someone, or something, was watching me.

  I tensed. I wasn’t used to being stalked and I didn’t like it in the slightest. I breathed deeply and tried to think. Whether my watcher was Philip the vampire, a werewolf or some other scary predator, I wouldn’t win the day by letting my fear get the better of me. Instead of thinking like Charley the potential lunch dish, I needed to remember Charley the gambler. I had to act normally and bluff like my life depended on it. It probably did.

  If whoever was out there believed that I was unaware of them, they might drop their guard in the mistaken belief that they were going to take me by surprise. All I had to do was maintain a poker face and work out exactly where my attacker was then I could keep myself safe. I had the magical defences I needed; I just had to know where and when to use them.

  I started forward once again, more slowly this time. To my left, if I had my bearings right, there was a long bar with a mirrored back which had the potential to help me enormously. I tiptoed forward, giving the impression that I was wary but not unduly afraid. When I drew level with the bar, I turned to face it. I reached down to a blackjack table nearby, trailing my fingers distractedly across the scattered chips on the green felt. I kept one eye on the mirror, however, and a few seconds later my strategy was rewarded.

  There was the faintest flicker of movement reflected from behind me just to my right. I couldn’t tell what it was but, now that I had pinpointed it, I felt slightly less anxious. Gotcha. Sort of.

  I abandoned the blackjack table and went deeper into the casino. There was still no sign of Monroe but that was okay. I had to draw my tracker further down where there were more tables. Any furniture between me and them would slow their progress and give me more time to react if I needed it. If my stalker thought I was trapping myself, they would be sorely disappointed.

  Not far from me, a shaft of light cascaded down from a skylight. I wanted to avoid that area if possible; the last thing I needed was to illuminate myself and make it harder for me to see who was stalking me. I slowed my steps, trying not to make it look too obvious. A loose blue curl fell across my forehead and into my eyes and I raised a hand to brush it away. That was when I felt the rush of air behind me.

  I spun, just in time to see a gigantic shape flying through the air towards me with its jaws wide. A dark liquid dripped from its teeth. Wolf, I thought. Definitely another wolf. I jerked my palms up and out; magic bolts flew into the air but before they could smack into the wolf there was another flurry of movement to my left. Monroe leapt through the air and collided with my would-be attacker. My magic s
lammed into the wall behind while the lupine pair slammed onto the floor.

  Monroe rolled to his feet and snarled; the other wolf growled in response, yellow eyes flashing. Monroe took one step towards her and her shoulders and tail dropped. In less time than it had taken me to brush my hair from my eyes, he’d cowed the other wolf into submission.

  I tried not to look too impressed. A large chunk of plaster fell from the wall from my attempt at defence, and all three of us flinched. Monroe kept his gaze trained on the wolf in front of him and shifted, his spine clicking as he stood upright once again.

  ‘And you were the one who cautioned against violence, sunshine,’ he murmured. He smiled, seemingly unfazed by what had just occurred.

  I stared at him. How had he appeared out of nowhere like that? My eyes narrowed. Hang on a minute. ‘You used me as bait!’ I accused. ‘You deliberately left me there on my own because you knew that wolf was behind me.’

  He shrugged but at least he didn’t try to deny it. ‘You were adamant that you could take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’d have never let you be harmed.’ He said it so dismissively that I wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or irritated. Either way, this probably wasn’t the time for yet another spat.

  Monroe still hadn’t taken his blue eyes off the wolf in front of him. Although she was unnaturally large, she wasn’t a match for him. Her belly was almost touching the ground and her head remained lowered. When Monroe knelt down and reached over to touch her muzzle, she whimpered.

  He pulled back and examined his fingers grimly. ‘Blood,’ he said. ‘Vampire blood.’

  I stopped breathing. ‘Philip?’ I whispered.

  Monroe’s expression was hard. ‘Let’s find out.’ He stared at the wolf. ‘Take us to him.’

  She didn’t hesitate. With her body still low to the ground, she slunk forward like a whipped cur. Monroe and I followed. Nothing about this was making any sense to me, not yet. It didn’t help that by the time we reached the back of the casino even I could smell the tang of blood in the air.