WnW 3.15

The deeper we walked into the Old Town, the more the colour was leached from our surroundings as the light from the lively nighttime city was left behind. In the dark, lit only by the moon, the buildings turned grey and ominous, seemingly becoming uniformly hostile, like our presence was being acknowledged.

We passed a building I recognized from the news. It was once a trading post for trappers that settlers had built around. It was strange that the city would let such a historically significant monument be abandoned. Looking at the Sill, though it towered high, we certainly weren’t so close as to be in danger of falling rocks. The closed off part of the city was too big. I’d heard that the rich and powerful had put pressure on the city to focus resources into new projects rather than attempting to shore up the cliff face and restore Old Town, but had they also had a hand in expanding the off-limits zone? If so, for what purpose?

I kept to the center of the road, not wanting to go near any buildings that might be secretly inhabited. Nell kicked a bottle and it rattled along it in front of us. I let her feel my disapproval.

“What?” she asked innocently. “There’s nobody nearby.”

“You’re sure?” I asked skeptically.

“Just bugs, plants, and mice,” she looked thoughtful. “Or maybe they’re squirrels.”

“How accurate is your sense exactly?”

Nell hummed a note then said, “I have to tune out the bugs cause they’re freaking everywhere. I’m pretty good at telling what’s a person and what’s a plant. Everything else…” she gestured ‘so-so’. “If it’s something I’m not used to, I have to uh, manipulate it in order to figure out its structure.”

“Hands-on learning, huh,” I said. “That sounds like it could be harmful to the subject.”

“Not if I’m careful. Oh…” Nell stopped walking. “There’s some people up ahead.”

“Okay,” I said, taking out my phone. “Let’s take a detour.”

Nell narrowed her eyes. “Why? I can handle them if they try anything.”

“Why would we take that risk?”

Nell shrugged and turned away. “Things are going to get bloody at some point…” she said quietly.

“So we make it sooner rather than later? That makes no sense.”

I took us down a different road, next to a movie rental store with some messy graffiti on it that read, “Outcasts moved to 7th. Not safe here.”

A faint rumbling echoed down the empty streets, like distant thunder. Odd. I hadn’t seen rain in the forecast.

“You have to be careful picking fights, Nell,” I said. “No amount of witchcraft is going to save you from getting shot. Despite the laws, even Canada has guns.”

Nell was quiet after that. I could sense she was dissatisfied with that answer.

After a while of walking, I spotted something in the distance. A faint glow that was familiar to me. Fire, burning in the distance. Looks pretty large. I wonder who started that? I couldn’t help but think of Jason and felt a pang of anxiety at his uncertain fate. Then the rumbling came again and I tried to distract myself by imagining it was a dragon, razing its territory.

We passed through an intersection and I immediately froze as I saw a burning garbage can with three figures huddled around it. They turned towards us, sunken faces lit by the flickering flames. Shit. I’d been so distracted by the distant fire, I hadn’t distinguished this one as separate.

I warily watched the three people. They had wide eyes and dirty clothes. If they were part of the Rings, they weren’t being treated well.

The air vibrated with another rumble. One of the people raised a finger to his lips. A warning. Quiet. Something is out there.

Nell confidently kept walking and I followed her through the intersection. Once we were around the corner, I hissed, “What the fuck was that?! You didn’t warn me about those people.”

She didn’t turn around. “It was fine, wasn’t it? I didn’t want to take any more detours.”

I took a deep breath, calming myself and shaking my head. “You’re in a mood.”

“No. I just want us to stay focused on what matters. Finding a lead, pursuing the organization that’s hurting people. We’ll never get anywhere if we’re afraid to step on anyone’s toes.”

“I’m just being cautious. Mac gave me a pretty serious impression of them. They don’t fuck around. We need to consider each step carefully.”

“If we take too long, more people will be hurt. More people will be used like I was. They need to be stopped now.”

I caught up to her and looked her in the eyes. “Look, I agree. Just don’t do anything suicidal.”

Glancing upwards, a building caught my eye. It was one of the older buildings, made of a combination of carved stone features and brick wall. It struck a chord in me, making me shiver under the cool wind. 

“Ah. This is it.” I recognized the architecture. My father would drive past the front door and stone that arched over it on his way to the parking lot in the back. “The interior must be renovated,” I murmured. “The inside was much more modern in my memory.”

We made our way up the large steps and to the front door. The door had glass windows embedded in its dark wood, but the windows were covered in a grid of metal bars. Unsurprisingly, there was no light coming from inside. I tried the metal doorknob. The textured metal turned only slightly in my palm, and didn’t budge the door.

“Someone’s heading this way,” Nell said.

“Okay,” I said, reluctantly stepping away from the door. “Let’s try the back. Hopefully they’ll pass by.”

We went around to the parking lot in the back. Here, I recognized the entrance immediately. A door without a handle, with a small keycard scanner on the wall next to it. Leaning on this door proved just as fruitless as the front door. I sighed and put down my backpack. The tools inside clinked together as I rested it on the pavement. “Damn. I’d hoped they would have removed the locks. I dunno why-”

Nell interrupted me, hissing, “They’re coming around to the back.”

Had we been followed?

I turned to the corner of the building that Nell looked anxiously at and sprouted antlers from my body, wrapping them around myself to form armour. We waited. No one emerged.

“Come out or I’ll hurt you,” Nell said. I was a little shocked at how sincere that promise felt in her emotions.

A silhouette emerged. “I suppose I got a little cocky,” they said.

“Who are you?” I asked, heart beating quickly.

They took a step closer and I could make out a two piece suit, with the front open exposing a muscular chest. They leaned forward and spoke, “Really, Nick? You forgot me already? After I so graciously provided you with knowledge, too.”

I recognized the voice. “What do you want, Alek?”

He took another step and raised an eyebrow as he shrugged. “Just seeing what my pupils were up to.”

“You can quit lying. We know that you’re an active Ring member.”

Alek chuckled. “Don’t believe what you see on the news. The cops just want a bogeyman to blame. I haven’t been active in years.”

“And your Witch?” Nell challenged. “Was that a lie too?”

The amusement was immediately wiped from Alek’s face. “…No. She’s missing and I can’t find her.”

“Not our problem,” I said. “We’re taking enough of a risk coming out here for our own purposes.”

Alek studied me. As I felt the intensity of his gaze, it dawned on me that I may have never known him sober. “Have you ever been in love, Nick?”

There it was again. That uncomfortable line of questioning. “No.”

Alek shook his head. “Damn shame. Love is what it’s all about. Let’s say… Imagine if Nell went and disappeared. You know she’s still alive. You know that.” 

It sounded like he was trying to convince himself. “Sometimes you feel her, just for a moment, and you get a taste of what you used to take for granted. That intimacy. But then it goes away and you’re left with an even bigger hole in your heart.”

Again we heard that distant sound, and this time it was unmistakably a roar, though not from any creature I could name.

“There’s something over there,” Nell said, looking towards the fiery glow. “What is it?”

“Nothing you want to get acquainted with,” Alek answered.

“So what now, Alek?” I asked tersely. “We won’t be convinced. You going to cause problems?”

Alek looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. “Nah. It wouldn’t even be a fair fight. I’d mop the floor with that paper mache Shape you got. Not that I’d try,” he said quickly as Nell’s expression darkened. “Here, let me show my good will. You guys were too loud, I could follow you from miles away. You’re trying to get into this place, right?”

He stepped up to the door and kicked. The door shrieked and caved in like it had been struck by a battering ram. Alek grunted and kicked once more, sending the door loudly crashing into the interior.

“What was that about being too loud?” I asked sarcastically.

Alek flashed a grin. “You have nothing to fear. I’m here.”

“What’s so wrong with instinct?” I muttered defensively. “Is yours any better?”

“Sure, but I don’t use it,” Alek said. “I’m powered by love after all. Without that artistry, we’re all just animals fucking.”

Nell wrinkled her nose at Alek’s crassness and followed him inside. I stared at the dark interior, with only guesses at what could lay inside. It was time once again. Take the plunge.