Lies, Textbooks, and Leprechauns

Chapter 5: Back in the Game

Ashley Turner's breath fogged in the chill as she searched the trash can for anything worth selling. Her thick brown hair spilled over her face, as she dug through it. She was pulled from her search by the scraping sound approaching her, she whipped her head around just in time to them — a predatory glow of navy blue eyes.

"Can't control it..... run!" a voice rasped, the figure lurking forward from the shadow. Kristian's silhouette was tall, his skin still a deep blue colour.

Ashley bolted, sneakers slipping on the wet cement, but her terror pushed her forward. The trash cans clattered as she brushed past them, throwing the odd one down behind her to slow her attacker. But Kristian was too fast; he ran along the wall, closing the space between them.

Kristian growled as his claws raked through the air, catching Ahsley's back. A sharp cry tore from Ashley's lips before she crumpled to the ground, the pain blinding, all-consuming.

"Please don't!" She begged, her voice was a hoarse whisper, fading with her consciousness. But it was no use Kristian continued to slash at her.

A distant crash echoed through the alleyway, seemingly snapping Kristian back to reality for only a moment. He began to shake, seeing what he had done, and then, he fled the scene.

---

"The sun will be up in an hour and we still haven't found him," Zack's voice crackled through the phone, frustration clear as he tried to sense Kristian's aura. He walked through the streets, careful not to miss a single dark parking lot or empty building. "If someone sees him the way he is now... We need to regroup and figure out a way to bring him to us."

"I agree," Ethel replied, scanning the alleyway for signs of Kristian. "I think he may be heading toward Waterloo, he is running on instinct and Waterloo was his home."

"Ok, I will let the others know and we will all head that way. Meet up at the university if we find nothing." Zack said before hanging up.

Stoic as always, Ethel knelt beside Ashley, whose breaths were shallow and ragged. With a shaky hand, Ethel traced a symbol on the girl's forehead, searing it into her. The mark seeped into Ashley's skin, her wounds began to heal as her breathing eased.

"I'm sorry about what he did to you," Ethel whispered, as she scooped the young woman up off the ground. "I promise you, I will make sure you are never the victim again."

Ethel knew that Zack would never forgive himself or her if anyone died because of Kristian tonight. Looking down at the young woman in her arms, she prayed that no one else would end up in his way.

"I will save you, Kristian," Ethel affirmed, making her way back to the street. "And then you can make it up to her."

---

Ahmed hummed the solemn tune, as he weaved through the streets of Waterloo. Even with his eyes glossed over in his trance-like state, he slipped between pedestrians and darted across streets just as traffic lights shifted from green to yellow. The song led him deeper into the city, all the while he followed Nemo's ghostly form.

"You're here," Nemo muttered under his breath, as he faded from existence. With a jolt, the trance shattered, leaving Ahmed standing in an alley reeking of stale beer and vomit. The White Rabbit's neon sign buzzed overhead, as the fog lifted from his view. It was then he saw it: a human shape wrapped in a blanket lying next to the dumpster.

"Please don't be dead, please don't be dead," he whispered, approaching the shape slowly. His hand reached out, fingers brushing against the cold plastic of a manikin. A sigh escaped him, one cut short by the sticky warmth coating his palm. Blood. His eyes followed the crimson trail leading to a gruesome discovery—a mummified corpse propped against the dumpster. Ahmed gasped and stumbled backward, reaching for his phone.