Beneath the Blood Moon

Chapter Eight: When Things Go Sideways

Back up the alley from where she came, the scents of the central hub swarmed her again. Some putrid, others intoxicating, all of it overwhelming. A distraction. She needed to find Sarai before the Sentinel caught them both.

Dodging through the throng of people, the tug at the base of her spine eased. The farther she got from Elrick's shop, the clearer her mind became. Everything focused in her head and she heard the soft voice of her intuition guiding her again. To the left, down a cramped side street filled with dumpsters and people that looked like they lived in them, she twisted down the narrow path.

To the right again, an even darker alley stretched out before her. The buildings so tight together, she felt claustrophobic as she raced through it, turning to the side to dodge fire escapes and lumps of fabric on the ground. She didn't want to think about the smell that rose from those lumps, or the very real possibility that there were people swaddled in the dark material. The noises that rumbled from them didn't seem human and there was a good chance that they weren't even alive.

The stench of mixed magik made her want to gag. It was no wonder she didn't see many others traveling the road she was on. Besides the closeness of it, the energy there felt off. Quarantine zone during a plague outbreak. That was the only accurate way to describe it. These creatures were sick and just being among them felt dangerous.

Another turn, a left.

The alley went wide again, but was completely deserted, save for a long truck tucked to the side of an old, derelict factory building. As she neared it, her stomach twisted and she flatened herself against the wall, sinking beneath the shallow shadow.

Two voice, deep and masculine, quaked at the far end. She slid along the damp brick wall, inching closer to hear better. At first, everything was still too hushed and garbeled for her to understand, but one of the men shouted in pain and cursed violently.

"That little bitch bit me!"

"Told you not to cover 'er mouth with yer hand, don't go squawling about it to me," a rasping voice snapped, "Hoist 'er higher, you dog."

"She's too long, all arms and legs."

"Quit yer moanin'."

The men bickered back and forth and Nnandi squinted in the low light. The shuffled and tumbled together, all three bodies tangling on the ground. One broad backed man, another slim, and Sarai. Her sandy brown hair was in a mess, eyes wild, she struggled against them and fought to break free from their hold. In a quick jerk, she pulled out of the big man's hands and scrambled down the alley, only to have her ankle snagged by an invisible chain.

She folded forward, smacking against the asphalt hard. She was close, so close. Three steps away. When Sarai's eyes opened after impact, they locked with Nnandi's.

Don't let on.

The silent prayer Nnandi shouted in her mind, hoping that a miracle would happen and Sarai would maintain the act. She raised a finger to her lips and shook her head. Before she knew if Sarai understood, the girl was dragged back by the invisible leash, her long leg twisted in the air. At the other end of the alley, the slim man cackled as he reeled her in.

"Slippery one, aye? Like that fight, girlie. Can't wait to break y'of it."

When she was within reach, the large one picked her up by an arm and flung her against the back of the truck.

"You pull a move like that again and I'll rip your arm off, I will."

Sarai glared in response, silently staring the man down.

"I don't think you scare 'er much."

"She'll be afraid soon enough."

Sarai hocked up and spit straight into his eyes, kicking the slim man flat in the stomach. Wrestling against the hand on her arm, she bucked and stomped on feet, but the man wouldn't move. While his counterpart wheezed and coughed out of breath from the blow, he simply lifted a shaking hand to his face and wiped away the offensive fluid.