A/N: I'm terribly sorry for the drastic delay. If you don't follow my Tumblr, I was in a terrible car accident in early January. Anyways, I have the next chapter of this series. A really long chapter for you guys. Which I have to warn you that the chapters for this fic will be longer than most of my fanfics. However, updates will not be so frequent because of that. I really need to catch up with the other fanfics and at least finish one off. Thank you for your patience and for reading.
Chapter Three: Vagabond Code
He hated working here.
Just one more month and they are out of Crocus and somewhere new. He hated the city, hated the people and how they liked to congregate to one place. Fake faces and nonsensical words muttering out of their cracked smiles only to hide the truth in their dark hearts. The humans of this era baffled him as they blind themselves with their light up screens and waste away on devices meant to communicate with others only to use it to get the highest score on some game. Though, he had to admit hiding from the humans made things much easier on their part. He could easily hide in plain sight without the need to talk to anyone.
Ring! Ring!
"Levy McGarden." A voice pulled him from his work. "Yes, I have the blueprints of the Mashima project. We agreed on designs seven and fourteen and I'm making changes to the vectors before the meeting later today."
Four days had gone by since the new addition to the company. The smell of her honeysuckle perfume and vanilla soap clouded his mind, sending him back to that autumn night. Out of all the cubicles on the floor, she had to be placed right across from his where the ceiling fan slowly pushing her delectable scent over in waves in his direction, mixing with her morning coffee on her plump lips. The steady pulse of her heartbeat, the shifting of bare wrists moving along the giant screen tablet, and the small hum from the back of her throat when she was deep in her work.
"One more month." He muttered, gulping audibly and returning to his own work.
Buzz! Buzz!
His phone shook on his desk and he lifted it to reveal the screen where the message from Lucy was displayed. Gajeel suspected the same daily message about meeting up for lunch, but something else eluded his attention.
We need to talk.
His red eyes stared at the four words until the screen timed out and revealed his reflection, though the messaged lingered in his mind. Lucy knew they weren't supposed to be seen together in public. Not during the day when they're the most vulnerable to their enemies. Their senses were enhanced regardless of their state, however when they were found it would risk everything they had worked hard on. Just one slip up. One mistake.
"Levy," The name alerted Gajeel and almost turned around to see who it was, but he fought the urge and kept staring at the screen in front of him. His ears though were focused on them. "We're going out for lunch. You want to join us?" Here for three days and she was already making friends.
"Uh, yeah!" He heard Levy shuffling for her bag. "Where are we going?"
"A bistro down the street." He recognized her voice as Lisanna, one of the other Architects working with Levy. "My brother and sister will be there too."
"Elfman works for engineering?" Levy asked.
"Yep," Lisanna answered and started walking away from the cubicle.
"Wait," Levy said and both of them stopped their trek. Gajeel listened for any movements across the way. Nothing but silence to what appeared to be minutes. "Should we—?" Levy hesitated and an uncomfortable squeak came out of Lisanna's throat.
Knock! Knock!
Gajeel's back stiffened and he had no choice, but to turn around to answer the soft knock. Levy immediately smiled when his eyes caught her gaze, looking at the slight blush of pink on her heart shaped face. Cerulean curls tumbled from the edges of her bright orange ribbon weaved into her hair. She was leaning in, hugging the cubicle wall and fingers curled around the threshold.
"Hey," She said happily. "Some us are heading out to lunch. Maybe you would like to join us?" He gulped audibly and averted his eyes to the murmuring woman behind Levy.
"Levy…" Lisanna purred nervously and she could have sworn Levy was waving her off with her hidden hand.
"No," Gajeel firmly answered, noticing the slight drop in Levy's smile. "I mean—I got work to do and I'm takin' lunch here." He watched her face, hoping to see some change. Her lips pressed into a hard line for a brief second and smacked them as it transitioned to a dazzling smile.
"Rain check, then?" Levy peeled herself from behind the gray wall and revealed her whole body. A charcoal gray silken blouse neatly tucked into her pinstripe black skirt. Peeks of her black lace garters were escaping her hem with a small reveal of her smooth porcelain skin. A flash of his fingers undoing her garters at the party washed over him with the heat of that night. He gulped and looked away, hiding his frustration.
"Yeah," He gulped again. "Rain check."
"See you later…" Levy said one last time before she turned away, joining Lisanna as they briskly walked towards the elevators. He could hear Lisanna comment on what she did; asking Gajeel to join them.
"Wow," Lisanna chuckled. "I can't believe you just did that."
"What?" Levy shrugged her shoulders. "He's my neighbor, I have to at least ask him out of courtesy."
"Well," Lisanna told her. "I know you're new and all, but let me fill you in on something. No one ever asks Gajeel out to lunch. He never leaves the office unless he's done for the day." She wasn't wrong. He never took his lunch outside the building. It was better and safer that way.
"I see," Levy sighed. The disappointed tone in her voice hit a nerve with him. It was as if she took his rain check seriously. The rest of their conversation was lost once they turned the corner to the elevators and mindless work chatter returned to his hearing and remembered Lucy's message, though he couldn't get rid of the strange twist in his chest at Levy's disappointment.
It was the rules they'd lived by for this long. There was no way he was going to jeopardize it because of a human. Their code to protect and their code to not settle. He risked something that autumn night and yet he never regretted every second of it. Gajeel won't have the luxury to feel human again, because he won't let himself fall for it.
"Yo," Gajeel darted his eyes around, hoping that the neighboring cubicles weren't listening.
"I wasn't sure you were going to call." Lucy exhaled. He could see her smiling against her phone.
"I'm busy," Gajeel exasperated. "Tell me what's going on." Silence weighed on the other line and Gajeel could hear the wind blowing against her microphone. The sound of traffic zooming by also became prominent until she spoke into the phone.
"Lots of things apparently." She let out a small chuckle. "You can first tell me where you were the last three days? And don't tell me you were out patrolling on your own!"
"You guessed it," Gajeel flared his nose and leaned back in his rolling chair. "I'm guilty. Now what else is there?"
"Gajeel," Lucy said with a slight annoyance in her voice. "You could have told me, you know? I was worried when we didn't rendezvous at our usual. I thought he found you."
"But, he didn't and he won't." Gajeel informed her. "None of his men were in the city."
"That brings me to the next thing." Lucy paused, hearing the rush of traffic before a hard slam of a heavy metal door and silence loomed over the other line. "I sniffed out an anomaly on the upper east side train station last night. His men were in the city to make the transfer to Hargeon line. It won't be long before they'll be searching the city."
"We'll be outta here within the month." Gajeel added. "Bastards have nothing better to do."
"They can't stand to be out in public for long. They'll soon leave to the mountains as soon spring arrives."
"Yeah, I know." He paused, waiting for her to add something. "Anything else?"
"That's the thing."
Oh fuck.
"What now?"
"Maybe we can stay here a little longer."
"Lucy…" It was always a who. Gajeel knew when Lucy becomes attached to a place, she'd always mention someone she has met at her job and not wanting to disappear from their lives. Because once they leave, they completely disappear with a new identity. The only identity she was allowed to keep was her pen name, Leah Tulic Fairy, as the esteem author of Arrows of Passion: The Lizzie Albarn Series.
"I'm sick and tired of moving around every seven months." Lucy explained with urgency in her smooth and articulate voice. "I'm quiet fond of this job and friends I've met."
"Lucy!" Gajeel hissed softly and yet harshly into the receiver. "You know our code."
"Was it always our code?"
"We agreed—"
"I had no other choice but to agree." Lucy exclaimed. She had the luxury to fume and to where Gajeel could not.
"We can talk about this later. I need to get back to work."
"If I make a compromise, would you consider it?" Lucy asked with firmness and confidence in her voice. She was so sure of herself that Gajeel feared that he might not have an excuse to rebuttal her arguments this time. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Lucy…" He warned again.
"I know," Lucy smiled. "I know what's at stake, but it's my turn to call the shots. We've been at it for a long time. We can't be running away again." She paused. "Please consider it. Besides, we need to change things now and then. Don't you agree?" He grunted in response. He hated to argue with her and the conversation was pointless. If he truly gave her his opinion, they'd be arguing for a week. "I'll see you tonight?"
"Whatever."
"Sour as ever."
The warmth of the cream colored ceramic mug heating her small cold fingers was one of the many little pleasures Levy loved in her twenty-one years alive. Along with that and a good book in her hands, no amount of riches could tempt her from this comfortable moment. Even when she was surrounded by her new co-workers, a simple cup of coffee helped relieve the unsettling nerves of being in new company. The group of seven seemed like a nice group of associates from both engineering and architectural, especially Lisanna and her brother and sister. They were very welcoming and always were willing to help her settle in.
"I hope we didn't force too much work on you on your first week, Levy." Mira Jane said to her. She was always smiling, even when they were in meetings, she would have that warm smile along with her optimistic mentality. Not exactly what she was use to when she was an intern back in college as most of the Architectural Directors took everything very seriously in the most monotonous way possible.
"Oh no," Levy shook her head while straightening her back. "It's work that I enjoy doing. Nothing wrong with too much of it."
"You'd regret saying that soon," Elfman laughed. "You won't see the light of day if the directors know you enjoy working a lot."
"Don't be silly!" Mira Jane chuckled. "We try not to overwhelm our workers unless they ask for it. If it gets too much for you, please let me know."
"And I'll help you as much as I can," Lisanna added with the same dazzling smile as her older sister.
"Thanks," Levy nodded.
The other workers started talking about their other projects and got some ideas from their peers. Lunch soon became a business meeting to a delightful late morning hang out as they transition from work to personal interests. Movies that are coming out this weekend, plays and live concerts and lastly sporting events with the small idle chatter of players stats. Levy took the liberty of adding her two cents into the sports conversation and a few of the men and women of the group were quite taken with her vast knowledge on the subject.
"We finally have even teams for Fantasy Football for the fall." One of her co-workers mentioned. "It's great someone else likes Football and knows what she's talking about too."
"Gajeel doesn't join your fantasy league?" Levy asked, remembering the sports radio always playing across her cubicle. Her co-workers looked at each other for a moment, smiling and hiding their chuckles. "All week I've been hearing the PTI podcast coming from his cubicle."
"Let's see," Elfman sighed. "Gajeel is a lone wolf. Manliest of men when it comes to work."
"Outside of work he doesn't say much." Another one added.
"And he's kind of new?" Elfman shrugged his broad shoulders. "He started last June. He's quiet and keeps to himself. We only hear him speak during meetings."
"You work across from him, right?" Mira Jane asked Levy. She looked at her, drawn in by her captivating smile. "He must've said something to you." Levy shrugged her shoulders in response, though everyone wasn't surprised by it.
"Gajeel did speak to her before we left for lunch." Lisanna added.
"He spoke to us." Levy corrected, feeling the burn rising in her cheeks. Everyone stared at her, wanting to know more of their silent co-worker. "I invited him to lunch out of courtesy. He said he has lots of work to do and eats lunch at his desk."
"That's it?" One mentioned and she nodded.
"Two days ago he pointed where the break room was, but he didn't say anything." Levy sipped her tepid coffee. "That's pretty much it to be honest."
"It's okay," Elfman laughed. "No one can break Gajeel. Let the man be a man."
"I bet he has a hot smokin' wife at home." Someone commented. "With seven children."
"Or he could be single with a cat." Levy added and everyone laughed, even though she described Natsu's marital status, feeling slightly guilty in doing so. She wasn't someone that talked about people behind their back. For all she knew Gajeel could be married or dating someone that could be in a fashion magazine. He was muscular where he filled his suit in very nicely with his broad shoulders and taut arms. Perfectly tanned skin peeked beneath his freshly pressed shirts and purposely disheveled hair tied in a lazy ponytail at the base of his neck.
"That's a pretty necklace." Lisanna grinned, gently patting the silver pendant peeking out of her blouse. "Does that symbol mean anything?" She asked with eyes beaming with curiosity. "I swear I saw it before." Levy looked down at her necklace and watched Lisanna study it carefully without intruding Levy's personal space. "I think I saw it during one of my classes."
"It's Norse." Levy answered, grabbing the charm and laying it flat on her palm. The diamond shape pendant shone in the white light, glimmering polished silver with diamonds crusted into the crevasses of the design. The design itself intertwines into an infinite loop of ovals and circles to create an intricate and beautiful triangle. "It's a Triquetra knot. Many Vikings and Celtic states use this symbol as their sigil."
"Oh yeah!" Lisanna nodded. "Like with Thor and stuff, right?"
"Yeah," Levy smiled.
"That's cool," She added. "Is your family from the Nordic states?"
"No…" Levy hesitated a little bit. "Not that I know of…" She paused and looked at the pendant again. It brought back a rush of memories. A flash from the bloody night at the alley, to her high school history teacher's fascination of her necklace and presenting it to the class, and finally the Halloween night in the garden. Levy's Huntsman startled by the pendant now plagued her mind.
Levy wanted to tell Lisanna that the necklace was a family heirloom and had been in her family for a very long time. Generations of women wore this necklace and had seen its fair share of restyling. Although Levy's grandfather was against it, it was her mother who refined the edges and design and included the diamonds into it. The triquetra knot was hidden away with small diamonds and only with a close eye could see it.
They soon returned to their work, happier than before, though Levy's mind kept going back and forth on many things, rubbing the pendant between her clammy fingers. Like her, the reinforced silver necklace was a witness to her mother's murder. It was the last thing Levy had of her late mother.
"Ah!" Levy turned the corner and crashed into a wall of muscle before she tumbled backwards on to the floor in front of her cubicle.
"Damn it!" The raspy curse made Levy stiffen as she blinked at the man who spilled his metal thermos filled with hot black coffee all over his white blouse, revealing the taut tanned muscle beneath the wet fabric. Levy was lost of words with her mouth agape, trying to apologize, but couldn't with the heads of her co-workers peeking out of their cubicle to see what the commotion was about. Her eyes flickered to Gajeel and to the spectators and back at Gajeel again. She could feel the heat of embarrassment rise to her face.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Levy stood up and grabbed the thermos from his strong grip and set it on her desk. "I wasn't looking where I was going." Her hand reached out hesitantly to help him. How could she help him? Take off his shirt? Run to the break room for some paper towels? Maybe she'd have a solution already if she wasn't staring blankly at his drenched body.
"You better be sorry," Gajeel's jaw tightened and his brows are furrowed with much anger his already harden expression would allow. "Oi, yer bleedin'" Levy's eyes widen and suddenly a sharp pain pulsed against her temple. Her cold fingers touched the warm liquid dripping down her skin, feeling blue tendril sticking to it. Her eyes set on the haunting sight of bright red splotched on the tips of her finger.
"Oh no, Levy." Lisanna stepped forward from the hovering crowd, but Gajeel held up his hand.
"I'll take care of her." Gajeel exasperated annoyingly and handed her a white handkerchief. She eyed it strangely before putting it against her forehead. The thermos would explain her injury, however the sudden pain on her chin from the rim of the metal cup would contradict that. His chest? It was surely impossible for someone's body to cause such injury. The throbbing wet skin beneath the handkerchief was proof enough and the impeding headache that would likely ensue once her nerves have calmed down.
"Oi!" Gajeel snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hey, shorty!" Gajeel snapped again and this time Levy blinked before setting her eyes on his face. "Y'okay?" He guided her to her cubicle and set her down on the swivel chair. A first aid kit already in his hand, setting it on top of a pile of carelessly opened blueprints.
"I'm fine," Levy gulped, looking at the enormous coffee stain settling into his white pressed shirt. "I'm sorry. I can't believe I wasn't watching where I was going."
"You walkin' with your eyes closed or something?" Gajeel said with a slight hiss in his tone.
"I'm just—eager to get back to work…" Levy forced an uncomfortable giggle. "That's all." He side glanced her as he rummaged through the kit. From that angle, Levy saw a slight tint of red in his dark brown eyes. Her lashes flickered trying to get a better look of it, though once she did only brown irises met her gaze.
"What are ya lookin' at?" Gajeel moved back a bit, startled by her intense stare. "Got somethin' on my face?"
"No," Levy cleared her throat. "I thought I saw something, but it was nothing."
"Hm," His lips pressed into a hard line. She could have mentioned his piercings, though it might have come off as rude to Gajeel. She tried to avert her gaze elsewhere once Gajeel pressed the antiseptic soaked cloth against her temple, wincing as it stung the nerves just above her brow. Levy wanted to look at him, wanted to see his face. She was used to seeing the back of his head and often times if she was lucky looked at the side of his face. But, she knew it wasn't polite to stare and the last thing she wanted was to make someone uncomfortable.
Instead, Levy looked at the horrific stain on his shirt. If looking at his eyes wasn't intimate enough, his once opaque shirt was now translucent as the lines of his chest and abdomen clung to the fabric and revealing the skin beneath the shirt. A single bead of coffee settled into the ivory buttons. Her eyes focused on the buttons, ignoring the curves of muscle surrounding them, though she could not help but to imagine running her fingers along his taut skin.
The scent of tobacco.
Her eyes flickered away, pushing the memory away and avert her attention to man in front of her. Gajeel set the bloody cotton down and reached for the pack of bandages.
"I'm sorry for ruining your shirt." Levy coughed, watching him peel back the sterile seal. "I can have it dry cleaned for you. If you want, I-I can do it tonight."
"And you happen to have another shirt for me to wear?" Gajeel asked her. She could have sworn she saw a small glint in his eyes and a curve in his lips.
"I—uh…" Levy pondered, feeling her face heat up again. "I didn't think about that." She chuckled. "Maybe give it to me tomorrow? Or at least give you money for it to be taken in?"
"Save it," Gajeel exasperated. "It's not a big deal." His fingers moved a strand of hair away from her face and Levy's golden eyes watched him carefully put the clean bandage on her cut. Coffee and the burn of antiseptic filled her nose and the scent of blood was gone.
"Oh," Levy winced when his rough finger pressed down the edges. "Your girlfriend does your laundry?" Gajeel paused and narrowed his eyes at her. "Or boyfriend?" He stiffens. "Sorry, I don't know if you—"
"I can do my own laundry," Gajeel snorted, turning away and cleaning up the mess on her desk.
"I'm sorry," Levy muttered, but only received an annoyed look from Gajeel. "Sorry—I mean—" She gulped and relaxed her shoulders. "—thank you." She smiled, watching Gajeel studied her before returning to her gaze.
"Don't mention it," Gajeel sighed and Levy realized she didn't like that about him. The short time she had spoken to him was mostly him sighing and answering her with the shortest of answers. It would always conjure more questions about his character.
"Um," Levy straighten her back and cleared her throat. "What are you doing tomorrow?" She asked not knowing where this sudden urge of confidence came from. Maybe from her throbbing head or her delightful lunch with her new co-workers, though to finally have a conversation with Gajeel might have something to do with it. "I'm still new around here and I'd like it for someone who knows his way around town."
"I'm busy," Gajeel pursed his lips. "Sorry, I have plans." Saturday. Of course he had plans already.
"Oh" Levy's gaze dropped to her hands. "Maybe some other time then." Gajeel gave her a crooked smile and left the cubicle. Levy finally slumped in her chair and pressed her head against her fingers, wincing at the stinging wound beneath the latex bandage. How embarrassing! Especially, when the moment was with the most mysterious and quiet employee on the floor. Who happened to be her cubicle neighbor. She couldn't imagine what it was like for him. He held this persona at work and only to have something like this to break his norm only made Levy's cheeks heat up even more with embarrassment.
"Monday," Levy shot straight up in her swivel chair and turned to see Gajeel leaning against the threshold of his cubicle with his arm draping over the top. "Lunch?" Levy saw him swallowed hard. If her state wasn't awkward enough, she definitely was now.
"Sounds good." Levy said, trying to steady her voice. Another crooked smile from him and returned to his desk. Levy watched him sat down into his chair, watching the seat sink from his weight. For whatever was said about Gajeel by the others, Levy would make her own assumptions about him. And as much as she was looking forward to the weekend, Monday couldn't come any sooner.
The rest of her last day of her first week at work went by really well. She had one last meeting with the other architects and the director of the division before she packed up her things and left the offices. Unfortunately, she needed to do another round of startup paperwork and other mundane tasks that had her staying an extra hour, but it didn't pollute her mood for the weekend. Unpack and clean up around her new apartment and get some reading done before tackling her work. Natsu texted, informing Levy she was busy that night but would stop by and bring some Chinese Sunday night after he gets off work. A relatively quiet and lonely weekend, though she was somewhat looking forward to it.
And to Monday.
Levy walked by the bookstore, scanning her eyes for Natsu's new friend, Lucy. No sign of her from what she could tell, though Lucy could be out with Natsu since he said he was going out later. It'd be nice to talk to her as she opened up to Natsu pretty well the other night. From what Natsu told her, Lucy agreed to go out with Natsu. She wondered if tonight was the night.
A group of teenagers were laughing loudly marching down the crosswalk, and Levy followed not too close behind, trying to shield the bitter chill of the wind from hitting her face. It felt nice against the wound on her head, but her lips didn't think so. She adjusted the strap to her large chocolate brown messenger bag and pulled the collar tighter around her neck. The navy blue scarf didn't do much in the January chill, especially a city right beside a mountain. The cold crept up her knee length trench coat and right through her stockings and garters. She might need to unpack her boots. If she could find it under all the plethora of boxes poorly labeled to no benefit of anyone not even herself. The wind had won and Levy immediately turned to the short park along her route.
It was the twilight and the streetlights were slowly coming on, illuminating the path where other pedestrians were rushing home or to their warm destination. With all the pine trees and evergreens, it shaded Levy from the ghastly wind and gave her a clear path. It was the path she would take in the morning, however not at night when the foot traffic was light. Just like tonight, the amount of people drastically diminished as she walked deeper and deeper into the park. Silence and not even the wind whistled between rattling tree branches. Her body stiffens, but it wasn't because of the cold. The rate of her heart sped up, causing the adrenaline to warm her up. She was no longer concerned about the cold.
Levy paused and moved her eyes within the darkness. That feeling of being watched dawned on her like the looming silence. She had to get home, she had to keep moving. It might have been her imagination, but she could not turn down her instincts. She never had before and she would never will. If anything her late father told her it was always trust her gut and her heart. Always.
Her heels clicked against the pavement as her pace quicken and her eyes focused on the row of street lamps guiding her down the path. The wind returned, however, it could be caused by her brisk walk. She didn't care at this point. The gates of the north entrance were now in view and her walk turned into a job. One more block and she'd be safe at home.
"What's the rush?" Levy craned her head to the left, where a group of people gathered smoking cigarettes in a circle. Four of them, two of the male, one questionable, and a tall woman wearing a knitted gray hat and blue hair braided over her burly shoulders. Levy hesitated for a moment and stared at them, but then heard something coming from behind her.
"Whatca lookin' at?" The woman called to her and Levy tried to listen to the footsteps coming closer to her. She looked back to see anyone and nothing to be seen. "Oi! I'm talking to you!" Levy saw her and two others rush after the woman and she immediately ran out of the park. Where her main street was in view and one block away. No car or foot traffic around and fear settled into her gut.
"Hey, you!" A hand grabbed her shoulder and forced her to turn around where three people reeking of cheap menthol tobacco towered over her. "You got a problem with us?" The woman's skin was deathly pale in the darkness and her yellow stain teeth snarled at her. "Look at that nice bag and jacket. Looks like princess has lost her way home. Clearly she's not from these parts!" They snickered, and the woman pulled at her strap.
"I'm sorry," Levy stammered. "I don't have a problem, I thought I heard something. I'm sorry." She wanted to tell them her jacket and bag was all graduation and Christmas presents. No way a college graduate with debt and a rent to pay could afford luxuries like that. Her heart screamed no.
"Hm," The woman didn't let her go. "Y'think this bag will look good on me?" She asked the two men staring at her. "What about everything that's inside it?"
"I bet that jacket will look good on ya," One of them said. "I'd like to see this princess without it on."
"Or clothes." The other man, shorter than the others, added. Levy stepped back, and her shoulder strained from her pulling on the bag strap. She needed to leave. Needed find help, scream for help if anyone could hear her.
"Leave me alone," Levy gulped. "Please?" She stared back at them, darting her pleading eyes to each of them. "I don't have much in my wallet, but I'll give you anything." They looked at her hungrily like she was their first meal in a long time. Eyes that peeled away at her clothes with their disgusting imagination. Her heart and her gut screamed at her to run, but for some reason her body could not move.
"Anything—?" The man said, but whatever he said to them was cut off. With a blink of an eye he was gone.
A rumble in Levy's chest erupted and her ears caught something she only heard in dreams.
"What was that?" Someone shouted followed by screams and shouting. Levy couldn't see what happened. She couldn't think nor breathe. A ferocious growl snapped at the screaming woman and Levy's eyes flickered to the sight before her.
Bright red eyes stared at her, teeth drenched with the blood of a man's arm and fur black as the night itself. He stood eye level with Levy, peering with gleaming hunting eyes and wrinkled muzzle, still growling at her enemies. The familiar scent of iron and snow filled her hazy mind and for a second Levy could have sworn she was dreaming. She had to be. An obscenely large dog in front of her with a limb between its canines was staring back with the red blood moon orbs that haunted her. This couldn't be real.
Breathe!
Levy flickered her eyelashes and shook her head. Clearly she hit her head harder on that thermos than she thought. Now she was hearing it talk.
Run!
Levy heard it again and this time she did run, taking off down the street and instead of running to the main street to her apartment, she turned to the alley where she could enter through the back way. No one should see her like this. She just wanted to get home. Slowly, the growling and screaming diminished and could only hear her heavy breathing and the winter chill. Tears fogged her vision, but they never fell.
What was happening?
Levy saw her apartment building and the gate to the private lot for the tenants. Her heels scrapped along the uneven pavement and made a sharp turn to the keypad lit by a flickering light. The strap of her bag fell off her shoulder and crashed into ground beside her with a loud thud. The whimper that left her lips, the tears that could not fall, and her heart pounding hard against her ribs didn't help her shaking fingers. Levy pulled off her knitted gloves with her teeth and stretched her fingers before her thumb hit the wrong number.
"Shit!" Levy cursed and shook her hand before she aimed her digit at the seven.
Boom!
Levy lifted her finger from the metal key, hearing the beep from the keypad, though her eyes looked up and widen as her ears caught the echo of a gunshot.
"Oh my god!" Levy looked back down at the pad and typed the six digit code. The buzzing of the gate opened up and she squeezed through once she cleared it. Levy sprinted pass all the parked cars crammed into their narrow spots and marched up the makeshift stairs with another keypad awaited her. A quick code and another buzz opened the black painted metal door and fled inside.
Silence.
The silence she wanted to hear where the hum of the building welcomed her home as she leaned against her door. Levy finally caught her breath and her heart rate steadied. Her legs and arms burned from the return of heat and blood in them. Her head throbbed, pulsing beneath her bandage. She was safe, yes, the stillness reassured her that, but was she truly when she flickered her eyes closed she saw the red eyes staring back at her.
"Something is wrong with me." Levy whimpered, sniffling the transparent liquid from her nose. "I need water." She shook her head and swallowed hard. Her fingers searched her pocket for her keys and turned around to unlock her door. The click of deadbolt and twist of the brass knob, Levy pushed her white painted door and stepped through the dark room.
A sudden chill greeted her and Levy paused as she hesitantly placed her keys and bag beside the table. Her eyes scanned the dark room to finally see the window along her fire escape was wide open. Her fingers found the light switch and once the light flickered, her vision went gray once the sight of blood was found on the window sill.
A whimper caught her ears and she turned to her living room where something black and moving curled on her floor rug. Cheap coffee table was pushed away, almost knocking over the small flat screen, to accommodate his large body. The sight of red stood out like fire on an oiled spilled ocean along the sad red eyes that greeted her.
The wolf growled and cried as it stared at her and Levy didn't know what to do. And Levy didn't know if this was all a dream.
Levy stepped forward, but the wolf's fur stood from her movements. She didn't move once she was aware, though she didn't take her eyes off of him. It seemed like hours staring at his red eyes, however, in seconds the wolf lifted his head and then fell unconscious in its own pool of blood.