Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

Sixty

     Mike and Alex had finished speaking with the sheriff and his deputy, and they were released to go. They began meandering toward the door, Mike with his head lowered and Alex with his face contorted in apprehension. It was well past dark now, and they found that the building was vacant once they wandered out into the main hall. The two of them exchanged a quick glance, then eyed the double doors that were propped open.

     "We should probably call Rhett and Link," Mike said, and Alex nodded his head before reaching for his phone. 

     He dialed Rhett's number and brought the phone up to his ear. It rang several times with no response and he looked at Mike, worry in his eyes. "They must be talking to Terra still, man. I'm sure she's absolutely heartbroken." He hung up and slipped it back into his pocket. They had stopped in the middle of the hall, too afraid to even think about going near the entrance. Rhett told them to stay inside until they were able to pick them up, and for a good reason.

     There was a demonic, two headed wolf that could walk on two feet and probably weighed two tons that was out there somewhere. An awkward silence befell them as the minutes ticked by. Alex leaned against the wall with one foot pressed flat against it, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned his head back. Mike took in the aftermath of the convention with the bare tables, one that had been tipped over.

     Brochures and fliers were strewn all over the floor in the flurry of people that escaped the building. Cardboard posters were knocked over, signs hung above the tables by one string and one of the main light fixtures flickered incessantly. His own breaths sounded like a ghost whispering and he seriously felt like he was starring in a horror film. This particular scene before him reminded him of something that would happen in a Blockbuster past midnight. He shuddered and found himself instinctively moving closer toward Alex. Alex opened his eyes at the shuffle with an amused smirk on his lips. 

     Mike shook his head with a grimace. "The longer I stay in here, the more freaked out I get. What the heck were we thinking when we came in here to buy those stupid stones?"

     Alex pushed himself away from the wall. "Are you saying that was a bad idea? Because I thought it was really cool, honestly. Who would have thought that you could shoot a rock out of a Nerf gun."

     "No man," Mike said while shaking his head, his face serious. "I'm saying this is our fault." 

     Alex recoiled, his upper lip curled up just slightly. "Dude we didn't ask the wolf to show up here. It just did." 

     Mike narrowed his eyes. "There are so many questions. Why here, why now? Why kill Terra's sister? And why on earth did it act like that toward Link? You saw that, right?" His eyes locked with Alex's.

     "Yeah, I did. It kinda looked like it was claiming him. Challenging us to fight it for him. If we hadn't thought to throw the stones, he would have been toast." 

     Mike shuddered again. 

     "Do you think the wolf would have tried turning him?" Alex had asked with a dash of enthusiasm in his voice.

     "Turning him?"

     "Into a wolf?" 

     Mike arched an eyebrow as he tried to imagine Link turning into a werewolf. He then chuckled, to Alex's surprise, because he was imagining Link even harrier than he already was. "I'd like to try and not imagine that," he said, and the both of them chuckled.

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