Claws screeched on the employee door, and I almost tripped over myself in my rush toward the back exit. Behind me, the door shuddered as something hit it with enough force to make the metal groan. My heart stopped, and I twisted to look over my shoulder. I was still alone. But for how long? A burst of adrenaline helped me reach the end of the hall.
The cold metal exit bar of the back door gave way, and I flew outside, startling a few of the users who lingered amongst the trash. I pulled emotions from them as I ran past, fueling myself. The people sagged. I didn’t stop running or pulling. I might need it to get to Ethan.
Ahead, the mouth of the alley beckoned. Already, people from the club ran past on the street. Screaming and shouting filled the air, along with my own rapid breathing and the pounding of my feet on the pavement.
Before I reached the mouth of the alley, the door burst open behind me. Taking a risk, I looked back. Just in time, too. The dog flew at me, knocking me backwards. I lifted my arms to block its snapping jaws as I fell to the ground under its weight. My head hit the blacktop with a burst of pain, and I lost my breath a second time.
My ears rang. I gave my head a tiny shake and blinked as I looked up at my hands. They weren’t braced on fur but a human arm. I blinked again, trying to focus. Beyond the snarling face and snapping teeth, I met the light grey gaze of an older man. He had wrapped his arm around the thing’s neck in an attempted chokehold.
“Run,” he said. The man pulled back, straining to win me some wiggle room.
The thing on top of me roared and tried shaking the man off, but it didn’t budge from its position. Its front paws rested on the pavement, boxing me in, and its chest pressed me down. How did the man expect me to run?
I focused on the dog. I’d never tried pulling emotions from an animal before. But now, I stretched out my senses. I felt the worry of the man holding the beast but nothing from the beast itself.
“Get off me.” I punctuated my words with a swing to its elongated nose. I connected and had the satisfaction of hearing its teeth click together.
It grunted, and the man above gave an extra heave. I had room to breathe. More than that, I had room to run. Twisting to my stomach, I pulled myself free.
When I won my way to my feet, I didn’t look back. I ran to the mouth of the alley. If the thing had followed me, Ethan was safe. I wasn’t.
Most of the people had already fled. I bolted across the street, almost knocking over two girls dressed in shoes not made for running, and slid into my car. The engine roared to life as I pressed the gas pedal to the floor and left behind a blue-grey cloud of exhaust, a path of burnt rubber, and my best friend.
Heart still thundering, I burst into my apartment. I locked the door and backed my way to the kitchen before I tried to start breathing normally. My keys fell to the floor, and I yanked the note from the fridge and read it again and again. Not human. My mind stuck on that phrase.
A man had been pacing beside the cage. When Brick had hit me, that man had changed. No, not man. It definitely was not human. Had it hurt anyone? Crap. Ethan. I patted my backside for my phone. I’d left it in my bag. The bag I’d dropped behind the bar. I shook inside and out. I needed a phone. I needed to check on Ethan. I needed to run and hide like the letter said.
There wasn’t much in my stark apartment that I needed. I went to my closet, grabbed a bag, and started throwing clothes into it. Five minutes after storming my way in, I was ready to run out.
A knock startled me as I reached for the knob. My breath rushed out of me, and for a moment, I did nothing. Another sharp knock. I leaned forward and looked through the peephole. The familiar face had me yanking the door open.
“Ethan.” A sob escaped me as I dropped my bag and threw my arms around him.
He caught me and held me close.
“I was so scared. Are you hurt?” he asked, pulling back. He looked me over and frowned at something he saw on my face. With a finger, he gently brushed my jaw. It felt tender.
“Brick caught you good,” he said.
Screw Brick.
“What was that thing?”
He let go and moved to come in. I stopped him.
“No. I can’t stay here. Let’s go to your place.”
He gave me a worried look.
“You sure?”
I nodded. He picked up my bag and held out a hand. Against my better judgement, I took it. I felt very little coming from him, though.
We walked around the back of the building to the parking lot. In the dark, everything seemed scarier. My heart continued to pound, and I was glad Ethan was with me. He opened my car door; but before I could get in, he wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me close. I let out a shaky breath and laid my head against his chest. I felt the steady thump of his heart under his shirt.
“I thought I lost you tonight,” he said.
He smoothed a hand over my hair, and I winced. He must have felt it because he dropped his arms, stepped back, and looked at me with concern. I reached up to gently probe the area on the back of my head. A large bump pulsed there.
“You almost did,” I said, thinking of the beast that had brought me down. “But I’m fine now. I’ll follow you. We’ll talk when we get there.”
He nodded and waited by the car until I closed the door.