PARTY’S OVER!” Garth roared loudly as he tossed a fireball at a nearby table. The white tablecloth caught fire almost immediately and the table burst into flames.
The betters screamed at the sight and began to run towards the nearest door, which led down to the third floor.
Garth roared in outrage and frustration, picked up a table, and launched it across the room. The table hit the wall and shattered. As Garth went on his rampage, destroying furniture left and right, the flames had quickly begun to spread.
Taking angry, heaving breaths, Garth watched as the humans fled from him in terror. This was for their own good. Even if they were a bunch of scumbags Garth didn’t want to kill them. Getting to know Sasha had made him want to become a better person for some unknown reason. But then he noticed that Danny hadn’t left the fourth floor yet. “What are you waiting for, kid? Get the hell out of here before…” Garth cut himself short and trailed off.
“Before?” Danny prompted.
“Before I turn into a monster.” Garth revealed in a hollow tone.
Danny gave Garth a thoughtful look. “I don’t think you’re a monster.”
Garth let out a bitter laugh. “You have no idea, lad. I’m worse than a monster…I’m a demon.” The shifter explained as orange fur began to appear on his face. His cat-like ears sprouted out of the top of his head, and his tail appeared and swished behind him. “You see…I’m hideous.”
The teen street fighter raised an eyebrow at what he was seeing. “You look…like a cat.”
“I’m a Hellcat. It’s a type of demonic tiger. And I’m a heartless-” Garth was saying but Danny interrupted him.
“You’re not heartless. If you were you wouldn’t have saved my life - twice. And you gave me this money.” The teen held up the briefcase. “I have no family, no friends, no skills, and no money. I was kicked out of the orphanage I grew up in because I have the tendency to get into fights. I’m a useless, pathetic human being. The only thing I’m good at is getting into fights and winning. That’s why I thought I could earn some quick cash by participating in these underground fight clubs…and Death Games. I thought I could be a real badass like Brad Pitt in Fight Club.”
“Fight Club?” Garth questioned. He didn’t keep up much with human pop culture or their movies.
“It’s a movie about a businessman trying to reclaim his masculinity by starting a ring of fight clubs where men could go and secretly beat the crap out of each other.” Danny explained with a rueful smile on his face.
“Sounds like my kind of movie. Maybe I should watch it.” Garth said with a lopsided smile.
“You should.” Danny agreed and continued. “So you see, I have nothing to lose. No one would miss me if I died. No one would care. I figured nothing would ever change…until I met you. Even when I tried to kill you, you spared me, saved my life and let me go. And now, again, you saved my life even though it’s worthless. These betters who toy with our lives for their entertainment are the real monsters here, Garth. Not you.”
After listening to Danny’s tragic life story, Garth’s anger began to fade and his tail and ears disappeared. “But…you’re not alone anymore. If you ever need my help, just give me a call.” Garth whipped out his cell phone. “You have a cell phone, lad?”
“Yeah, actually…I stole it.” Danny whipped out the cell phone and they exchanged numbers. “Sweet.”
“Don’t steal anymore, lad.” Garth gripped Danny’s shoulder and squeezed it. “You’ll end up getting thrown into prison and you won’t like it. Trust me on that one.”
Danny’s eyes widened like saucers. “You’ve been in prison?”
“For three years.” Garth admitted.
“What did you…do?” Danny asked tentatively, but he was dying of curiosity.
“Threw a cop car and resisted arrest.” Garth revealed with a nonchalant shrug of his massive shoulders.
Danny burst out laughing at this declaration and started to cough as he accidentally inhaled too much smoke. His eyes watered and he swayed on his feet, but he smiled anyways. “Why am I not surprised?” He wiped a tear from his eye.
Garth noticed how Danny was having trouble breathing, but didn’t seem to mind or care. He shook his head at the teen. “Let’s get you the hell out of here, you reckless lad.”
Danny looked around the fourth floor and saw that the door, which led to the third floor, was completely engulfed in flames. He looked in the direction the fire escape was in and flames blocked that path too. “There’s no way out. The flames are blocking all the exits.”
“Don’t worry, lad. I’m fireproof. You ever ride a horse before?” Garth asked.
“No.”
“Well, just hang on tight.”
“Huh?”
Garth shifted into his Hellcat form and his clothes were ripped off his body. In seconds, an enormous six hundred pound tiger-like creature with horns on top of its head had appeared in front of Danny.
“Holy crap!” Danny swore at the sight and stumbled backwards a few steps. He really is a demon. Seeing is believing.
“Get on, lad.” Garth rumbled in a low voice.
“You can still talk? Cool.” Danny got on Garth’s back and gripped his fur. The teen felt that the fur on Garth’s back was wet. Huh? Danny looked down and saw that Garth’s orange and black fur was covered in blood. “What the hell? I thought you said you were wearing a bulletproof vest?”
“I lied. Hang on tight, lad! Here we go!” The Hellcat ran towards the fire escape, leapt through the flames blocking their way, and then Garth crashed right through the window and landed on the fire escape’s landing outside. The shifter took off down the metal stairs of the fire escape while Danny clung onto Garth’s fur for dear life.
I’m so going to die. Danny thought to himself.
As soon as Garth made it to the bottom of the fire escape he ran into the nearby dark alleyway. “Okay. Get off, lad.”
Danny obeyed, dismounted, and had trouble remaining standing on his legs that had turned into jelly.
Garth shifted back into his human form and was buck naked. “I’ll see you around, lad.” He turned to go, and waved his hand in goodbye.
“Uh…Sir? You’re naked, by the way.” Danny felt the need to point out and his lip twitched in amusement.
Garth looked down at his crotch and shrugged. “So?”
Danny took off the red T-shirt he’d put on over his ratty clothes. He lamented having to give up his new T-shirt for a moment before he remembered that he had a briefcase containing five thousand dollars! “Here, put this on. You don’t want to get arrested for indecent exposure.” He tossed the T-shirt at Garth with a chuckle.
Garth caught the T-shirt and wrapped it around his waist. “Thanks laddie.” The shifter made his way over to his Ducati and mounted his motorcycle.
Danny watched a little starry-eyed as Garth turned on his bike’s engine, pulled out of his parking spot, and took off down the street. That guy is so cool.