"Mom!" Ren said as the black wolf stepped in front of them, dropping a sack at their feet.
"Ren! Ame! I only have a few minutes," her mother began. "I haven't been completely honest with you, and I don't have enough time to really explain right now, but we're shutting this facility down."
"Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Ren, just listen to me. Change back into humans; there are clothes and two train tickets in the sack. You both need to get out of this place. Once you escape, go to the nearest train station and get on the right train. Ride it to the end of the line, and then get off. You'll be far from the city, and you'll smell other wolves. Follow their scent through the forest. I'll be with those wolves."
"But-," Ame began.
"No, no. No time for a discussion. I promise that I will explain everything to you once you make it to the forest," she answered, already walking away.
"Wait!" Ren called. The black wolf turned around. "I love you, mom."
"I love you too. I really mean it." With that, her mother was gone.
Ren looked at Ame, her eyes wide with fear. Where was her mother going? "I don't know what's going on."
Ame seemed shaken. He flicked his tail, his eyes scanning the room. "I don't know either. But we have to get out of here."
Ren nodded and stuck her face in the sack her mother had brought and pulled out a pair of shorts and a black t-shirt. Ame did the same. They changed quickly, and Ren stuffed the train tickets into her back pocket. She took a few steps forward in the direction that her mother had gone.
"Ren, hold on."
She turned to face Ame. He took her hand into his. "Ren, whatever happens, I just want you to know that I, I lov-," he coughed, interrupting himself. "We should go." His looked down quickly, angry that he hadn't had the courage to finish his sentence.
Ren pulled him into a hug, kissing him on the cheek. She knew exactly what he had meant to say.
They moved silently through the dark hallways, unsure of where to go.
"FREEZE!" a woman yelled. Ren and Ame squinted into the glare of a flashlight. It was Dr. Hayashi. Time slowed down as she pulled out a gun and fired, the sound echoing through the building. Ame dove in front of Ren and the bullet buried itself in his stomach.
"Ame! NO!" Ren screamed. Blood poured from his wound, spilling onto the floor. Dr. Hayashi cocked her gun once more and aimed at Ren's heart. In a flash, a large animal was on top of the woman. It tore at her throat, her body going limp. Many pairs of eyes now glowed in the darkness.
Adrenaline pumped through Ren's veins. She felt herself sling Ame's arms around her shoulders, not even thinking about his body weight. Her legs pumped hard as she sprinted frantically, Ame's long legs dragging below. She spotted a large door and barreled through it. How she had managed to find the exit, Ren had no idea. They were in an alley now, the commotion of cars and people filling the night. We're still in the city, she thought. There's got to be a hospital nearby.
"Ughh," Ame moaned, his eyes barely opening.
"Oh god, Ame," Ren cried. She squeezed his hand. "Stay with me! I'm not going to lose you!"
She half dragged, half carried Ame towards the street and hailed a cab.
"To the hospital. Now!" Ren ordered.
"Is he okay, miss? Is that blood?!" the cab driver asked.
"Just drive!"
The car sped off, Ame still bleeding in the back, his head in Ren's lap.
The emergency room was filled with people. Ren could smell blood, sweat, vomit, and disinfectant. She had never been to a hospital before, and her heart rate continued to increase as she grew more nervous. Ame was unconscious, limply laying against her body. She wasn't sure how much more time he had left.
"Help! He's been shot!" Ren shouted. Nurses came rushing towards them and placed Ame on a rolling stretcher. They pushed him to the back, and Ren followed numbly.
"Honey, wait out here please. We'll call you back in a few minutes," a nurse said.
"Okay," Ren said. She took a seat besides a sleeping man. Her fingers tapped restlessly against her leg. Minutes felt like hours. Was Ame going to make it?
He took a bullet for me, Ren thought. And now he might die.
"Excuse me? The doctor would like to speak with you," another nurse said. She quickly guided Ren to the back of the emergency room. The doctor stood in front of Ame's room. His face was pale. Out of the corner of her eye, Ren spotted a couple of police officers.
This is bad. They're probably here because Ame was shot.
"Are you the one that brought him in?" the doctor asked, motioning towards Ame's room.
"Yes. Is he alright?" Ren replied.
"The bullet didn't hit any major organs, and we were able to stop the bleeding," the doctor said. "But he's lost a lot of blood, so he needs a blood transfusion. We took a blood sample to determine his blood type, and, well, let's just say that his blood isn't completely...normal. Without a proper blood transfusion, he's going to die, but we don't have any blood to match his." The doctor looked frightened, uncertain.
"Use my blood."
"Excuse me?"
"You can use my blood. It'll match. I know it will."
"Are, are you like him?"
"Yeah, I am." Ren's "secret" didn't feel much like a secret anymore.
The doctor rubbed his head. "Alright, follow me."
Ren held Ame's hand as blood slowly trickled through a tube into his arm. Four hours had passed, and the blood transfusion was nearly complete.
Ame's eyes fluttered open. "Ren?" he asked, his voice weak.
"I'm here Ame," Ren said. Hot tears slid down her face.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Now that I know that you're going to make it.
"Where are we?"
"I took you to the hospital."
Ame sat up, his eyes now wide and alert. "The hospital? People like us don't go to the hospital!"
"You would've died!"
"They're not going to let us leave, Ren!
"I didn't know what else to do."
"We need to go now." Ame slid the needle out of his arm and got up. "And we need to move silently."
"Okay."
They slipped out of the room, heads down, dodging nurses and doctors. Commotion exploded behind them as they reached the emergency room waiting area. Ren heard the doctor yelling and imagined police officers combing the hospital for the missing patient.
"There they are!" Ren heard someone say.
Ren was sprinting now, Ame right behind her. They shoved nurses aside and pushed through the sliding doors. Cold night air burned in Ren's lungs with each breath she inhaled. The police officers weren't far behind them.
"This way," Ren said, guiding Ame towards an alley. Together, they disappeared into the shadows, escaping for a second time that day.
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