Nightcrawler (A Slimecicle FF)

NINE

"Don't stray too far behind, Glasses," Santana grabbed Charlie's hand and dragged him through the alleyway, back to her leather jacket and dark clothes. His heart was pounding a mile a minute, and at that point he wasn't sure why he'd convinced himself to go with her. "I don't want to be responsible if you're killed."

    "You're really making me feel better about this whole thing," Charlie said sarcastically, pushing his glasses up and glancing around nervously. It was the alleyway where they'd met, and even though it was a lot less ominous during the day, he was confident that he didn't belong there. "What are we here for, anyway?"

    "Hey, if you're scared, maybe you should have called Big Bird like I suggested," She tightly gripped his hand as they walked, eyes ahead. 

    "Ted," He muttered. "His name's Ted."

    Charlie flinched when she shot a glare back at him, and decided it would be a good time to shut his mouth.

    When she started to slow down, it hit him just how odd the situation was. He wasn't someone who was normally thrown into scenarios like that one. His life was planned and easy. 

    They approached a door deep within the alleyway, and she stopped in front of it, glancing over at Charlie and taking a deep breath in. 

    "Don't say anything, Glasses. Just stay silent."

    He let out a nervous sigh. "Okay."

    She pushed open the metal door, and as soon as they walked in, Charlie's eyes widened. 

    It was a small, messy room, with drugs and drinks scattered on tables and people littering the couches and floor. It was very crowded, and Santana had to practically shove people out of the way as they walked across the room. 

    "Hey!" Someone shouted out with a laugh. "Nightcrawler's back! And she's finally got herself a shrink."

    Charlie narrowed his eyes at that statement, adjusting his glasses and looking down at Santana. 

    "That's not a shrink," Another guy boomed. "That's fresh meat. She never could stay away from the ones that couldn't tell her no."

    She didn't even bat an eyelash at the madness that was just said, and instead she scoffed, fixing the sleeves of her leather jacket. "Shut up, Oz, you know that's not true."

    "What'd you bring him here for?" The Oz guy smirked as they approached the table he was sitting at. He was very pale, and there were bags under his eyes, but he was very muscular. 

    "I just need his help with something," She spat. "Just tell me where Razor is so we can get on our way."

    Charlie frowned. She needed his help with something? As she said Razor's name, Charlie remembered what she told him about her fight.

    "Wait, isn't Razor the one that—" 

    She elbowed Charlie in the side, hard, and sent him a glare once again. He then remembered what she told him about keeping his mouth shut. 

    Charlie huffed and looked down at his feet, but his eyes snapped up when a heavy hand rested on his shoulder. Whoever it was had a very strong grip, and he kept tightening it until Charlie swore he heard something pop. 

    "So, this is my competition?" A deep voice came from behind him as he winced, gritting his teeth at the pain he was causing in his shoulder. 

    "Razor, that's enough," Santana spoke with daggers in her voice, and once the pressure released on Charlie's shoulder, he whirled around. He glared at Razor, but had to look up in order to do so.