We turned away from the carnage and shuffled down the alley. Our route took us behind the apartment building, but there was a back door. We slipped through there and struggled up the stairs.
"Damn. I wish this place had an elevator," Red murmured.
"You and me both," I agreed as I readjusted his arm. He was heavier than that Mortale guy.
We reached the fourth floor and were met by Ben. He grinned at us until his eyes fell on Red's shirt. The man gaped and pointed at the stain.
"What happened there?" he asked us.
"A little accident," I replied as we pushed past him to the last flight.
"That looks bad," he commented.
"Just some fun with ketchup that got out of hand," Red assured him.
The fifth floor was empty. We slipped into our apartment and I set Red down on the couch. He leaned back and sighed.
"Damn, what a night. . ." he muttered.
The night was far from over. I knelt in front of him and grasped his coat. He whipped his head up and grabbed my hands. I looked up and frowned. He grinned back at me.
"Could you wait for me to recover before you get frisky with me?" he teased.
"I need to check your wound," I told him.
"I'm just as fine as that one guy you were playing with earlier," he insisted.
"He wasn't bleeding all over himself," I argued.
A shadowed expression fell over Red's face. "No, but I was right when I told you he was just fine."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
He nodded at his coat pocket. "In there."
I reached into his pocket. My fingers touched something smooth, thin and cold. I pulled out a long chain. A long, silver chain. My eyes widened. Four silver beads glistened back at me. The clasp was broken.
I looked up into Red's face. "Where did you find this?" I asked him.
"That thing that got me had this around his neck," he told me. He tilted his head to one side and his dark eyes studied my face. "I knew it was yours, so I grabbed it just before he got me. Maybe that's why he got me."
I furrowed my brow. My eyes flickered up to his face. "How did you know it was mine?"
His eyes flickered away from my face and he shrugged. "I saw it one time when I helped you look for your lost car keys," he explained. He returned his attention to me and leaned close to me. His voice was soft and tense. "I saw that guy wearing it earlier. Why?"
I leaned back and studied the chain. "I left it in my old room and he found it."
"And wore it," Red finished for me. He shook his head. "That guy, or whatever he is, isn't too smart to be wearing something that recognizable when he changes into that thing."
I frowned. The silver reflected the light above us. "It couldn't have been him. . ." I whispered.
Red's eyebrows crashed down. "Why couldn't it have been? You don't even know the guy." I stood. Red leaned forward and grabbed my hand that hung near him. His narrowed eyes looked up into my face. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go pay Mortale a visit," I told him.
His expression darkened. "Are you nuts? That'd be suicide."
I tore my hand from his and pulled my gun from its holster. "Not with this."
"Then let me go with you," he insisted. He tried to stand, but when he bent his stomach a cry came from his lips. Red fell back against the couch. "Damn it. . ." he muttered.
I walked to the door and lay my hand on the knob before I turned back to him. "I just can't believe he's that thing we both saw, but I can believe he knows something about it, and I'm going to find out what."
I knew Red would argue with me, and maybe he had a point, but I couldn't tamp down the curiosity me. Something inside me pulled me towards this mystery. I had to know the truth.
I slipped out of the apartment and down to the fourth floor. The hall was empty. I hurried down the passage to my old apartment. My gun was concealed behind my back. I kept a finger close to the trigger.
I reached the door. It was shut. I knocked.
"Mortale? Mortale?" I called.
No answer. I knocked again, harder this time. The unlocked door gave way beneath the force and swung open. I raised my gun and clasped the grip in both hands. The door revealed the bare room. I stepped inside.
"Mortale?" I repeated.
Movement to my left caught my attention. Someone was in the bedroom. I stepped into the open doorway and pointed my gun into the room.
The thin, stained curtains flapped in the breeze blown in through the open window. I lowered my gun. The room was empty.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the broken necklace. The chain glistened in the weak light from the window. My mind went back to when I last saw the necklace. Red was right. Mortale had been the last one in possession of the jewelry. I tucked the necklace back into my pocket and holstered my gun.
"Damn it. . ." I murmured.
I returned to my new apartment. The couch was empty. I swept my eyes over the area.
"Red?" I called. No answer. My pulse quickened. I strode over to the couch and spun in a circle. "Red? Where the hell are you?"
"I'm glad to see you really were worried about me," a voice teased me. Red stepped from his bedroom. His clothes were changed, though he still clutched his stomach. He shuffled down the hall like Methuselah and eased himself onto the couch. "I thought I'd slip into something more comfortable."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you didn't follow me."
He smiled and shrugged. "Sometimes you have to let a girl figure things out for herself. So what'd you find?"
I sat down on the coffee table and shook my head. "Nothing. He wasn't there."
"And probably won't be if he's that monster we saw," Red added.
I raised my head and studied Red's face. "You're taking this pretty well for believing a monster who's a guy attacked you."
"There are more things in heaven and earth, my dear Leila, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," he quoted.
I snorted. "Now you're quoting Hamlet? Are you sure that gut wound didn't damage your head?"
"Are you sure that scare in the alley didn't damage yours?" he returned. He jerked his head towards the door. "You just faced death and then went back for seconds."
I frowned. "What makes you so sure this guy's a monster? And if he is, what the hell is he?"
Red leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You ever hear of werewolves?"
I rolled my eyes. "You honestly believe he's a werewolf?"
"You have a better explanation?" he countered.
"No, but a werewolf? It isn't even a full moon," I pointed out.
Red frowned and fell back against the couch. "Maybe some of the rules don't apply, but you don't have to take my word for it that that guy was there. That necklace I gave you should be enough proof that he was involved, and that he's trouble."
"It doesn't mean much to me," I argued.
His frown deepened. "You also have your promise to keep. You said you'd stay away from him."
I stood and looked down at him. "I guess my promise doesn't really matter now that he's gone."
"It matters to me," Red insisted.
My eyes fell on his gut. "You sure you don't need a doctor to look at that?"
He shook his head. "Nope, and you're terrible at trying to change the subject."
I strolled around the couch and towards the hall. "I've kept my promise so far, and if you don't need me any more tonight I think I'll go to bed. It's been a long night of facing death."
"We'll talk about this tomorrow," he warned me.
"Yes, Mother," I retorted as I slipped into my room.
I shut the door and leaned my back against the entrance. The light from the city spilled into my room. I ran my hand through my hair and a sigh escaped my lips.
"What the hell happened in that alley?" I whispered.
Unbidden, my fingers dug into my
pocket. I pulled out the necklace and studied the break. The clasp could be mended. I could wear it and-
I pursed my lips. "What the hell are you thinking?" I asked myself.
I pushed off from the door and stepped over to the window. The sky still shed its tears of rain. I looked down at the chain in my hand.
"Who are you, Morale?" I whispered.
I would find out, even if it brought me face-to-face with that creature again.
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