The clicking of the front door lock served as a starting point in Hal's mind. With Leo gone, he'd have the necessary silence he required for meditation. He hadn't properly sat down with nothing but his own thoughts in what felt like ages, but there was no putting it off now.
Leo believed in him. He didn't necessarily trusted Hal yet – nor was it wise to do so – but that single grain of belief meant Hal had something to hang onto. When the voice would attempt to take over and he was forced to face Lord Harry, he could at least think back to someone who believed in him.
He sat on Leo's old and tattered sofa in the living room and closed his eyes. And as soon as his eyes shut, Hal's other senses heightened. He could hear the downstairs neighbors talking. If he focused enough he could even pick up that Mrs. Brighton was talking to someone of a younger age, possibly a niece. Hal had to focus on something else, and quick. He opened his eyes and threw the meditation idea out the window. There was no way he could keep himself calm when the very building he was in was filled by people. Hal walked over to the table where the boxes of matches were. He turned one box upside down and started lining up the spilled matches. One. Two. Three. Just focus.
A sound caused Hal to turn his head sideways. One of the neighbors was laughing. The voice wasn't loud, but Hal felt as if it was grinding against his ear. This was hopeless. He couldn't stay locked up in Leo's flat. It would drive him mad.
Hal needed to get out. He could have easily broken the old lock on the front door, but he wanted a stealthier route. He went towards the window and looked down to the busy city. Too busy. They'd see him if he tried to go out that way. He walked out of the living room and entered the kitchen, which was positioned on the other side. The view from the kitchen window led to a deserted alley. Happy with what he saw, Hal leaned over and let himself fall. Two stories was hardly a challenge for someone as old as he was.
The sounds and sights of the city were even louder now that he was outside, and Hal's predatory instinct kicked in. There were people everywhere. Walking, smoking, simply minding their own business. Hal felt dizzy for a moment, but knew that he'd be fine as soon as he'd make it out of the city. All he had to do was head for the nearest forest. He stumbled through the people who were ambling on the sidewalk, trying to focus. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to wander the city street without trying to zero in on someone to have for lunch.
Hal took a deep breath to steady himself. Maybe going outside had been a mistake. There were just too many distractions. Too many voices. Too many people who had no idea what dangers were just around the corner. Hal was rounding a corner when he felt his other side struggling to get out. He fought for control and, suddenly, he began counting in his head, just as he did when he lined up the matches. The tactic seemed to be working.
A woman holding an umbrella stumbled into him, and Hal found his mind completely forgetting about the counting. His eyes turned to black. And he heard a scream.
Leo returned home holding several planks of wood and brand new hammer. His tool box had never been complete, but now he couldn't put it off any longer. He knew he'd eventually be forced to board up one of the rooms for Hal.
He was glad to find the door still shut and locked. But panic immediately settled in when he opened the door to an empty living room. Leo dropped the planks of wood by the sofa and looked through the flat. Dead silent. Empty. He ran through the flat searching for a clue to Hal's whereabouts, and he stopped by the table in the kitchen. The window was open. Leo chastised himself for not thinking of that as a means of escape. The werewolf leaned through the window and looked around. The alley was devoid of people, and there was no sign of Hal. Leo shut the window and dashed outside.
If it was anyone else, he probably wouldn't have had any chance of finding him, but Leo was dealing with a vampire. He could just use his wolf sense of smell and try to track him down. Leo followed the trail of scent and ended up in an alley not far from the main road. He found Hal standing by some bins, holding his head.
"Hal?" Leo asked, tentatively, "what happened?"
The vampire turned around and Leo was surprised to see him looking completely perplexed.
"Hal?"
"She hit me."
"Who did?"
Hal let his right hand drop from his temple to reveal a bruise that was quickly healing. "I couldn't stand the voices I kept hearing in the flat anymore, so I left. And as I was walking around a woman tumbled into me. She saw me manifest, so I dragger her here when she started screaming."
"Hal, you didn't-"
"No, I had no intention of feeding on her, Leo. I just wanted to keep her quiet."
"Then what happened?"
Hal looked away. "She hit me. With her umbrella."
Leo wasn't sure what to say.
"Women are usually petrified of me, but she just kept hitting me until I let her go. I don't understand it."
Leo had to admit he didn't mind the chance to meet this woman who had mystified Hal. "So no one was hurt, then?"
"Only my pride."
"Better that then an actual person, wouldn't you say?"
Hal sighed. "You're going to try and turn this into another lesson, aren't you?"
"Come on, let's head back home" Leo said.
"I don't think being locked up in a building full of people is the best course of action right now, Leo."
The werewolf looked back to the apartment building. He had to agree Hal had a point. "Then let's take a breather and have some supper. I know a quiet little café not far from here."
Hal shook his head. "I need to be someplace I can think. Someplace devoid of people."
"But such a place doesn't exist in society, Hal."
"It was different with the others, you know. They were already dead, so that enabled me to be close to other people without hearing the deafening sound of heartbeats."
Leo knew Hal was crossing into the dangerous territory of thinking he was better off before. That's why he gently placed a hand on his shoulder and directed Hal through the alleyway.
"You'll feel better once we're off the streets" Leo said, "you'll see."
They walked across the street to a small café, so insignificant looking that Hal would have passed right by it if it hadn't been for Leo. The werewolf had been right. Inside it was quiet, and there were very few customers. Leo settled them at a table in the back where they could sink into the shadows.
"Feel any better?" Leo asked.
"The noise has gotten dimmer. But not by much."
"In time, it will fade, Hal. Maybe altogether. All you have to do is resist it until it becomes nothing but background noise."
Hal tried relaxing his nerves as he stared out the window. But any thought of relaxation disappeared the moment their waitress stopped by.
"It's you!" she said, letting out a small gasp.
"Do you know each other?" Leo asked.
"If you call dragging me in the back alley 'knowing'" she said "he attacked me!"
"She hit me!" Hal blurted out.
"You assaulted me first!"
"Can we please settle down for a moment?" Leo asked.
"Settle down? This man tried to kidnap me! And that was after his eyes went all loony! I knew I should've done more than give you a bruise" The woman looked around. "Where's my umbrella?"
Hal rubbed his head in frustration. "Look, I didn't mean to attack you, but you were yelling like a madwoman and I had to do something."
"Oh, so dragging me to a back alley is the first thing that popped into your head?!"
"Miss, we are terribly sorry about what happened" Leo said "but can we please just agree that this was a misunderstanding? My friend wasn't trying to hurt or upset you by any means."
The woman frowned. "And how would you know? What're you, his parole officer?"
Hal threw his hands up as if he was quitting this conversation, and settled for staring back out the window.
"Hal-" Leo started.
"I very much doubt you'll like to see how I usually deal with hysterical women, Leo."
"One thing I don't get is how you got your eyes to turn all black like that" she said. "Have you got some weird disease I'm not aware of?"
"Disease?" Hal asked, completely offended.
"Pearl!" a man behind the counter yelled, "work isn't a place for chatting with your mates, so just keep the jabbering to a minimum, and do your job!"
Pearl looked back at Hal and Leo like she would like nothing more than the whole café to be set of fire.
"Fine" she said, pulling out a notepad and pen from the pocket of her apron, "fine, but this isn't over." She took a deep breath. "Now, which of our fantastic apple and raspberry pies would you like to order?"
"Nothing for me" Hal said, waving her off, "now go away."
"Hal" Leo said, his stare conveying that he was being rude.
"Well I don't care for pies very much, Leo."
"Then maybe you should unstick the poker that's lodged in your arse" Pearl said.
Hal looked at Leo and then stood off his seat. "I'm sorry, but I tried. Obviously, conversation and good sense doesn't reach this woman, so now we'll have to handle things my way."
"Hal, sit back down" Leo said.
"Yeah, Hal" Pearl said, pointing at him menacingly with her pen, "sit down and order something."
"Two teas will be fine, thank you" Leo said, while Hal sat back down and held his head as if he was scared it would implode.
Pearl jotted the order down on her notepad, then turned on her heels and left.
"Are you alright?" Leo asked when she was gone.
Hal looked rattled. "Is this what it's like? Normality? Being treated like this - especially by a woman - just seems barbaric."
"This is what normal people do, Hal. They sometimes have to put their egos aside and accept the world as it is."
"It would do much easier doing things the old way," Hal said "just giving into the instinct and snapping her neck."
"It's a good thing that I'm here, then."
Hal nodded, wandering if Leo's presence would be enough to stop him next time.
"Excuse me" Hal said, as he stood up.
Leo regarded him with a questioning look.
"I'm only going to the restroom."
"You can try and run all you want, Hal, but you won't be able to get away from yourself."
The vampire sighed. "And I hope that concludes today's life lessons."
"I'm only trying to make sure you won't try and leave again."
"And I think my bad luck has made it abundantly clear that the only thing waiting for me outside is an angry woman with a very blunt umbrella."
Leo actually found himself smiling. But he kept his eyes on Hal until he disappeared from sight into the restrooms.
"Your friend seems nervous."
Leo realized that the man who was speaking to him was sitting at a table behind his. Because of the whole altercation with the waitress, Leo hadn't even noticed the man in the suit walk in and sit down. Or the fact that he was also a werewolf.
"Do I know you?" Leo asked.
"Jason Crawford" he said, extending his arm, "You might say that I am one of the spokesmen of the wolves here in Southend."
"Spokesmen?" Leo asked, reluctantly shaking his hand.
"We are more organized than you think here in Essex. Much more so than the other supernaturals. We might even give the vampires a run for their money." Crawford gave a nod towards the restrooms. "You appear to be friends with one. That's fairly unusual."
"You mentioned that you are organized" Leo said, ignoring his remark "organized for what?"
The man shrugged. "The same reason we organize as humans. To live better. To be prepared. Wolves are meant to stick together. Like a pack. It's natural. You never know what might happen these days."
Leo frowned. "Like what?"
"Riots. War. That's one thing about supernaturals like your friend there. They might be many things, but predictable they're not."
Crawford reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a card. He handed it to Leo. There was only a phone number on it and nothing else.
"Give us a ring when you'll run into trouble with his kind" Crawford said, "because you will sooner or later. Trust me on that."
And just like that, the man sat up from the table and walked out of the café. Leo was left staring at the card, his stare only broken when Pearl walked by with the teas.
Leo wondered if the man had spoken the truth about who he was. After all, Hal had lied to him about being part of a supernatural welcoming committee. But this man seemed different. He was a werewolf, for one, and that instilled a sort of trust in Leo. But that was a dangerous thought to have. Leo pocketed the card and looked up to see Hal returning to his seat. He had a different look on his face. A suspicious one.
"Hal?"
"I don't think I want to drink that" he said, gesturing at the cup of tea. "Do you think she sneezed in it?"
Leo found himself chuckling.
"Well that woman made it obvious that she doesn't like us very much."
"No, Hal, not us" Leo said, smiling "just you."
Leo hoped he would be able to lighten up the mood and distract Hal's attention, and for the moment it seemed to work. The vampire actually looked like he was relaxing and his mind wasn't going into overdrive. Things were finally falling into a sort of normality. Leo just hoped this wouldn't just be the calm before the storm.