Chapter 8
He had been running for so long. The monsters had chased him all over town. He had left the arena hours ago and was only now reaching his destination. His eyes darted everywhere searching for his pursuers.
Gathering his courage, Tom sprinted for the door. Upon leaving the relative safety of the alley, he sensed one of the monsters behind him. As he reached the door, he heard a high pitched whistling then felt a stabbing pain in his back.
ooOoo
The Host, also known as Krevlorneswath of the Deathwok clan (Lorne for short), was tallying up the receipts. It had been a very successful night mostly due to a group of Japanese businessmen in town for a convention. Their rendition of "Heartbreak Hotel" brought a tear to Lorne's eye. Too bad about the dip in their company's next quarterly statement. Luckily that little business should help balance things.
He was about to turn off the lights when he heard a thud against the front door. "Sorry, we're closed."
There was a weaker knock. Lorne debated for a moment then reached for the knob. "Face it, you're a marshmallow. A great big green marshmallow."
He opened the door and barely had time to catch the man as he fell forward. Upon seeing the elaborate knife sticking out of his back, Lorne dragged the man inside Caritas and locked the door. The bar's sanctuary spell should protect them from the piece of nastiness outside.
The bleeding man looked familiar. "Hang in there, buddy," Lorne said.
"Too late," he moaned then began to hum 'Help!' by the Beatles.
It was enough for Lorne to get a reading and see what Tom had gone through and why. "Don't worry, kid. Everything will work out."