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When he glanced out the window, Toryn saw the first drops of rain start to fall. He was still holding Krystal, but she had ceased to struggle. He tried one more time: "Who are you working for?" Instead of replying, she acted. Jerking her arm out of his grasp, she ran to the huge widow overlooking the mountains in the east and smashed through it. Toryn was close behind her, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The twisting fabric of her jacket eluded his fingers and she crashed to the ground below. She landed in a twisted heap among the broken glass. A moment later a pool of blood started spreading around her. It merged with puddles, thinning out and becoming lighter. "Damn!" he shouted. He slammed his fist down on the window frame, cutting it on a tooth of glass. Toryn looked back out the window and saw a crowd of people starting to gather around Krystal's mangled body. They were looking down at her and up at the shattered window...and him. Some were already on their cell phones. Calling the police, no doubt. He turned and disappeared into the apartment. He ran through the place, grabbing all his weapons. He stuffed what he could into a knapsack and carried the rest. Then he slipped from his bedroom down the fire escape and into the alley behind the building. As he dashed out of the alley and down the street away from the building, he heard cop cars starting to arrive at the front. They would be after him soon. He decided that getting away fast was his top priority, and finding out who wanted him dead could come later. * * * "Hey, Ash!" a voice cried out twenty minutes later. "How's it hangin'?" He glanced up at the elf standing in a shadowed doorway. "Just fine, Jace. You?" "Alright. Dad's bein' an asshole again." He stepped out of the doorway. His blue hair glistened in the sun as he moved. His grey eyes gleamed with a light all their own as he smiled at his best friend. Toryn walked to meet him and they momentarily clasped hands and hugged. "So, where ya goin' with all this crap, Toryn?" Jace asked once they had parted. "Dunno," he replied. "Some girl jumped outta my window a while ago. The cops prob'ly think I pushed her." He rolled his eyes. "Like I would. I've got better things to do than push people out windows." "So...?" Jace waited for an explanation. "So, I gotta keep from gettin' in trouble," Toryn said. "That means keeping away from the cops." He's a little slow, he thought, but he's the best kind of person to have as a close friend. "Ah." He turned back toward the doorway. "Come inside. It's pourin'." He followed him in through the door and down a flight of steps. Eventually, they stopped and Jace opened a steel door set into the otherwise unbroken expanse of grey cement of the wall. He stepped through and the lights snapped automatically on. Toryn followed and found himself in a small apartment. There was a bed with puke-green sheets next to a faded orange loveseat just inside the door. Ahead was a small kitchenette. Dirty dishes were piled up above the edge of the sink and strewn across the counter. The stove was caked with years' worth of charred grease and grime. There were old molding clothes strewn everywhere, and the bathroom sink and toilet were yellowed and splattered with years-old blood. There was also a distinct odor hanging about the place. It smelled of years of disuse and neglect. Jace had obviously just recently found the place and moved in, not daring to touch the decaying mess covering the floor beyond the couch. "So," Jace said, breaking the silence, "whaddya think? Just moved in." "Well..." Toryn paused unsure how to continue. "It needs a little cleaning up, but it's cool." "Cleaning up?" Jace asked. "You mean like getting rid of the mess?" "Whaddya think I mean," he replied. A look of fear and disgust passed over Jace's face. "I don't really want to move it," he said, lowering his voice. "I think there might be somethin' under it. Somethin' nasty." "Alright, whatever you think is best," Toryn sighed. "I just thought you might like it better clean." "I like it like this," Jace growled. "Whatever's in there can't get out." "Okay, I believe you," he replied with a sigh. "It was just a suggestion." * * * A while later, Toryn and Jace had settled down. Jace was lying stretched out on the bed and Toryn sprawled on the loveseat. One of his legs was hanging over the back, and he had his head resting on crossed arms. "So," Jace said, "why'd the girl jump outta your window?" "Dunno," Toryn replied. "All I know is that she was trying to kill me." Jace's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Who was she workin' for," he asked. "I dunno," Toryn grumbled, "she wouldn't tell me. Why'd you care anyways?" "No reason." "�Kay." They lapsed into comfortable silence for a while. Toryn had just started drifting off to sleep when Jace spoke: "You've never told me about your family. What're they like?" "Dunno," Toryn replied, "never met them. Mum died when I was born, and I never found out who my father is." "I don't know whether to consider you lucky or feel sorry for you, Toryn," Jace sighed. "Whatever you do," Toryn said, "don't feel sorry for me. I can't stand people feeling sorry for me." "Okay," Jace said slowly, "then I'll consider you lucky." "Good." They stared blankly at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. It fell dead in the cluttered room, but they didn't notice. As they laughed, something started moving under the heaps of clothes. It didn't like laughter. In fact, it hated it, and it was determined to kill whoever was making the hideous sound, whatever the cost. Untitled © 2002 Gioanna Rheumer |