"Grady?" The sound of his name made him jump.
He ran into the room, his heart pounding. He placed his hands on the bars before he could stop himself, relieved that they didn't shock him. He stared intently at John.
"You... you came back." Despite his condition, a smile crossed John's worn face.
"Of course I did," said Grady. Relief was setting in now that he had found who he wanted, somewhat ironically since most people would be the opposite of relieved about being in a room with a werewolf. "I heard that they had you locked up here. I couldn't leave you."
"I thought I'd never see you again." John reached out his bleeding hand, pressing it against the metal bars.
"So did I," Grady admitted. "I thought I'd never return to this place. They have you locked up like an animal."
"Because I am one," John said with a hint of humor. Then his smile disappeared. "I'm glad to see you again, but... you should go. Go before they find out you're here."
"How will they find out?" Grady demanded.
John's eyes became desperate. "There's someone else here in the building." His words made Grady's heart drop. "They're far away from this room, but still here. They were the only one brave enough to offer to stay here overnight." His voice took on a bitter undertone.
Grady's heart sank, but he didn't leave. John looked at him pleadingly. "You have to go," he insisted.
"I can't leave you!" Grady insisted, pressing his hands to the lock. He started working it with shaking hands, trying to get the cage open. The lock was complicated, but designed to be opened from the outside.
"No," John insisted in a hoarse voice. "Don't do this for me."
"You saved me," Grady pointed out. "Now it's my turn."
John smiled slightly. "Still, you should leave. You'd get in trouble."
"You got in trouble with the other werewolves for me," Grady pointed out. Then he paused, remembering. He didn't want to ask John whether he had killed Will and Cassie. But was he just letting a killer free?
John seemed to sense his question. "Grady, look at me." Grady immediately turned his head up, peering into his deep green eyes. "I didn't kill those two. They think I did, but I didn't. I did severely injure them, but it's nothing they haven't dealt with before. If I did kill them, I'd never forgive myself."
Grady knew that he was telling the truth. His eyes shone with sincerity. He continued trying to free the lock.
"Don't," John insisted. "Maybe this is what's right. I am an animal, after all. A dangerous one. Maybe they're right to keep me here."
"Don't say that!" Grady insisted, his voice high. "You're not an animal. Well..." He paused, trailing off. Another horrifying thought struck him. What if tonight was the night of the full moon? He hadn't checked while he was outside, too focused on his mission.
John seemed to sense that as well. "Don't worry," he assured. "It's not a full moon tonight. If it was, I would've turned by now."
Grady relaxed slightly. "Now it's my turn to save you," he insisted, ignoring John's protests. His hands were starting to ache and turn red, but he managed to get the lock loose at last. He pulled the cage door open, wincing at the loud creaking sound it made.
He held his hand out towards John. "Come with me," he insisted. "You don't have to be locked up here."
John stared into Grady's eyes. "You're truly one of a kind," he said. "I've never had a human treat me with such kindness."
"I could say the same about you," said Grady. "Only a werewolf instead."
John remained in his cage. Grady said, "I won't leave you. You're not a monster. You're just as human as I am." Well, maybe not just as much...
"You're one of a kind," John repeated as he slowly stepped out of the cage. "I don't know how I can thank you. I never can."
"This is me thanking you," Grady retorted. "You saved my life."
They shut the cage door behind them and left the room as quietly as possible. As they headed down the hallway, Grady's heart pounded, but John had enhanced vision in the dark. He led the way, far more than the puny flashlight. Grady was relieved, even though he knew he should be terrified with a werewolf leading him.
They had just reached the end of the building when John stopped. Grady walked forward and opened the door, staring out into the clear night.
"Go on," he whispered. "Go on, run. You can escape."
"I can't." John shook his head. "They'll find me, and they'll kill me. They said they were going to do that as soon as they got the chance."
"You can make it," Grady insisted.
John stared out into the night. Grady walked up next to him. "I'll come with you," he offered.
John stared at him in surprise. "Not for long, of course," Grady amended. "But we're going to escape."
John smiled slightly. They both stared out into the night. Grady internally counted to three, and then dashed outside. He heard John do so as well. He could barely feel the cool air on his face before he heard a loud, blaring siren that made him jump out of his skin.
"No!" John exclaimed. "I'm such an idiot! How could I have forgotten to tell you? The siren would sound as soon as we escaped."
Grady's heart stopped, but he watched as John dashed forward. He was faster than any human being. Grady ran after him.
"What are you doing?" John yelled. "Stay away!"
"I won't leave you," Grady insisted, even though he knew it was illogical. His heart stopped as he heard heavy footsteps following him. But it was too late to turn back now. He knew he'd be in trouble as well if he turned back. He tried his hardest to keep up with John, his chest aching as he ran, but he couldn't keep up with the werewolf's swift movements. He tripped over and flew across the air, founding himself sprawled hard onto the ground. He heard the footsteps catching up behind them.
"Hey! Stop!" His heart stopped as he heard voices yell.
Then he saw John turn and run back towards him, even though he was almost to the swamp. He wanted to yell for him to turn back, but he was in too much pain. John helped him to his feet and helped him run, even though it slowed him down.
By some miracle, they managed to get to the swamp in time. As they entered, Grady heard the footsteps behind him slow down. Then he heard an annoyed huff before they turned around and walked in the other direction.
Grady leaned against John, trying to catch his breath. He couldn't believe he was back inside the swamp. It was completely silent. He could only hear his own frantic breathing, not even John's.
"He... he left," Grady said in shock.
"Yeah, they wouldn't enter the swamp at night," John agreed. "They're terrified of this place now. But they'll come later to kill me."
"No!" Grady exclaimed.
"You'll be fine," John reassured. "You'll be in a bit of trouble, but at least you'll be alive. They'll definitely kill me after they think I 'manipulated' you into helping me escape."
"I won't let that happen!" Grady insisted. Then he groaned, sinking to the cold ground as his knee throbbed.
"Are you alright?" John knelt as well, his eyes filled with concern. Grady raised his head, rolling up his jeans and touching his knee.
"You scraped yourself pretty bad," John noted.
"I'm fine," Grady insisted. But he couldn't help wincing.
"I think I can help," John offered. "But it might feel a bit strange. Close your eyes."
Grady did as instructed. He winced as he felt John lean in to his wound, expecting it to hurt. But instead, he felt a sticky, damp sensation on his leg. It felt strange and tingled, but didn't hurt. Actually, it slowly soothed the wound, sucking out the sting. When he opened his eyes, he spotted John licking his grazed knee. His eyes widened and he began to feel grossed out, but it felt too good for him to protest.
John noticed him staring at him and pulled away. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I knew that was strange for you. But my saliva has healing properties. It's how I get rid of the worst of my scrapes after a full moon."
"Really?" Grady's eyes widened, feeling intrigued now instead of grossed out. "That's so cool!"
"It only works with direct contact with my tongue, though," John explained. "And I was too distraught to heal the injuries they gave me." He glanced down at his scraped hands.
"You can see in the dark and run faster, too," Grady noted.
John let out a harsh laugh. "I'd give up all those powers in an instant to stop being a werewolf."
Grady yawned, feeling his eyes drooping shut. He felt exhaustion overtake him. The cold night air and all the running had made him tired. He found it hard to stay up. He almost fell to the ground before feeling John catch him.
"You should get some rest," he suggested, concerned.
"I can't," Grady insisted. "We need to escape..."
John glanced around the swamp. Even though they weren't far in, the trees still towered over them, the shrubs and plants enclosing around them. "You right. You should go," he urged. "They'll be here tomorrow, and you'll get in trouble. You might not if you leave now."
"I won't let them do that!" Grady insisted. "I'll convince them to leave you alone. I'll tell them you saved my life and you wouldn't hurt anyone."
"That might not work," said John. "I'm afraid this is it for me. Maybe this is what's best. I am an animal, as dangerous as the other two."
"Isn't there anywhere you could go?" Grady asked.
John hesitated. "I could escape to the other side of the swamp," he admitted. "Not many people know about it, even the scientists who have been searching the place. It's something only us werewolves know about. They wouldn't be able to find me there."
"The swamp has an end?" Grady exclaimed.
John nodded. "There's just one problem. The other werewolves are there, too."
