MUTT

ONE

I drop down from the landing and run silently across the roof top. I climb a billboard and perch at the top of it. I pull a microphone tipped arrow from my quiver and notch it on to my bow.

He stands in an alley way below me, talking to two big hunks of meat. I jump down onto the roof and lie down on the edge to hear what they're saying. I pull the bow up to eye and shoot it on to the brick wall a few meters above their heads. I press my Bluetooth further in my ear and listen carefully.

"...do you have the information?" he whispers. He is a crime boss that I've been hired to kill. I've been tracking him down for a few days and we've had a couple run-in's...they weren't pretty.

I can't hear what the other one replies because of static but it's not what he's expecting.

"I pay you all this money and you tell me that girl, that assassin-" he spits my name. "Raphael, got her hands on it!?"

"Yes, sir but she didn't get all of it!" one of them scrabbles. "They are meeting in three weeks at 4th and Broadway to go over the plan."

I smile and sit up, part one of my job is done. I get up to sneak away but I disturb a rock. It clatters against the roof tipping over the edge of the roof.

My smile instantly fades as it tumbles down towards the alley. It hits the ground with an echoing thump and their voices abruptly stop.

"She's here," one of them hisses. "There's her arrow!"

"Well, find her," he snarls. "Keep her busy."

I hear their howling as they morph into mutated wolves. They lunge onto the wall their claws, shredding bricks and cement.

I sprint towards the nearest roof and lunge across the gap. I scale a water tower, disappearing from sight. I stick my bow onto my back and listen carefully. All I hear is snuffling and scratching. I peak around and they sniff the ground, their ribs and spine prominent through their fur.

I scan the roof top and I see a fire escape a few hundred meters to my right a few stories down. If I were to use it as my exit I'd be hidden by bill boards and janitor flats.

My ears perk up. "I can't smell her." One of them growls. They are the Night Brothers, Pablo and Flame. They are extremely dangerous and known for helping crime bosses out with the duties. When excited, angry, or if it's a full moon they turn into mutated hybrid wolves. They can grow to be 400 pounds with teeth as long as nine to ten inches. 

My hair whips against my face. I'm up wind from them; they won't be able to smell me. If I was down wind then they would be able to. I dive behind a flat a few meters down. I drop on to my knee with my arm extended behind me. I run a few feet and jump, grasping the edge of the first bill board and I swing up behind a bill board. I pause and listen.

"Dude," he growls. "I think I got something."

My breathing stops.

"Yeah!" he howls. "That's her!"

I'm down wind! I see the next billboard a few meters away. I could have simply jumped across but a railing stretches from one end of the billboard to the other. I can either run and use the railing to jump across or step over the railing and step across. The first one is dangerous but quicker but the second one is safer but slower.

"I found her!"

His voice jars me out of my thinking. I whip around as he flicks his head towards me. They bound over the gap and they land with a thud on the roof. I turn around and make a split second decision.

I sprint across the billboard and step onto the railing. My foot slides a tiny bit to the left but I make it across. I race across the flat roof and jump onto the last billboard.

I hear a growl behind me. I slowly turn around and see Flame at the end of the roof. He slowly slinks towards me. His brother Pablo lands behind him and howls.

"So Miss Raphael," he purrs. "You have some valuable information in that pouch of yours."  His eyes flick to my messenger bag.

"I have nothing of yours." I say as calmly as possible.

They advance and I step backwards. One wolf lunges at me and his jaw latches onto my forearm. His teeth go straight through my arm and I screech. I stab an arrow into his eyeball and he howls letting go. I back up, clutching my arm to my chest. I reach the edge of the roof and I look down at the street hundreds of feet below. The traffic roars like a call to the wild. Slightly to my left, the fire escape sits a few meters down.

"There's no escape, Mizz Raphael."  Pablo snarls, his accent rolling my name. At least he's polite by calling me 'Miss'.

I lift my head a bit and give them a sly grin. "There's one." I raise my good arm and send a stream of fire in their direction. They jump back away from the hazard and distraction. I jump back and the wind rushes past my ears. I land softly on the fire escape. I look up and see the Night Brothers glaring at me.

I race down the stairs and on to the street. I duck into a pizza shop and pull down my hood. I lean against the door, breathing heavily.

"Hey, Gracie!"

I look up to see my favorite person in the whole wide world. I smile.

"Hiya, Sammi!" I say, leaning on the counter. "Two of the usual."

He smiles at me while getting me pineapple, bacon and ham. He makes it just for me. Sammi calls it the Hungry Man Pizza.

He glances at my arm. "What happened?"

"Dogs." I say. I didn't lie, wolves are dogs!

He reaches over and pulls a bandage roll from his pocket, wrapping it tightly around my arm.

"I always have this handy for when Alice is in the kitchen." He whispers, winking at me.

"Thanks, Sammi." I laugh, slapping down a couple of dollar bills.

"Stay safe, hon!" he says, handing me my HMP and Pepsi/7up mix. He slides my money back and I pick it up and shove it into their tip box.

"Thanks! Tell Alice I said hi!" I say, waving at the jolly old man.

He nods. "Sure thing!"

I leave the store and hail a cab. The driver drives me to the address I give him.

"Stay safe, Raph." He says.

"Thanks! You, too!" I smile. Everyone in New York who stays up later than three am know who I am. So they tell me to stay safe because I assassinate billionaires and rescue people from getting hit by a car.

I walk down the graffitied alley way and stop in front of the wall tacked with "Hidden Secrets". I slide a slot back from the wall, exposing an eye scanner.

The red lazers sweep through and turn green. I slide the slot close and the wall lifts up. I take my pizza and the information into the sewers.