“You could see it?” I asked.
“Don’t furrow your brow at me, of course I could see it,” he said. “How did you not?”
“I closed my eyes,” I laughed.
He began to laugh, too, but then stopped short with a moan. Just then, Vivian and Riker walked back in, fully clothed. Riker wore a simple jeans and t-shirt get-up, covered with a flannel shirt. The look suited the scruff on his face. Vivian, well, she was beautiful, all slim, but athletic. She too had on jeans and a t-shirt, but hers was dressed up with a soft pink sweater that made her blond hair and blue eyes all the more feminine.
“Riker,” Lex said, then tried to get up. “Sorry... good to see you, man.”
“Good to see you too, alive that is. I thought we’d lost you to see the mess you were on the floor there when we got here. Anyway, let me help you up. We’ll get you cleaned up so we can catch each other up.”
“They sent in back-up?” he said on a groan as Riker and Vivian helped him to his feet.
By the way she touched him, nakedness was not an issue at all with these people. I guessed that when you turned back to human naked every time, there was nothing to hide from each other after a while.
“They worried about you and just what might happen next, after the first unprecedented attack,” Vivian added. “I think we got them all, at least the ones that were here tonight.”
“No, the ring leader, the guy that stayed human dressed in a black suit, he got away through my window somehow,” I added to the conversation.
Riker nodded as he got Lex to standing. Another man rushed past us into my bedroom.
“I’m going to get you in the shower,” Riker said to Lex. “I have extra clothes, of course, so let’s get you cleaned up as you finish healing. We can all talk after that. There is much to discuss.”
“Want that pizza?” I teased.
“Of course he does,” Riker added. “Just don’t have it delivered.”
“Oh, shit, my apartment again. But, what about everyone else who lives here? Are they all okay?”
“That was the final tip-off we had, even as we were already on our way. Someone called in a gas leak, told everyone in the apartment they’d have to leave until further notice,” Vivian explained. “I’ll go get the pizza while Lex gets that shower. Is the place on the corner any good, Christina?”
“Sure,” I said.
Then, before I knew it, I was alone to survey the damage, as I couldn’t give into my torrent of thoughts. It would be pointless to worry and speculate when the answers were just one shower away, whatever they might be.
I trudged to the sink in the kitchen, shaking off the sights of destruction around me. I wanted a shower in the worst way, just to wipe off that man that had tried to force himself on me, but the sink would have to do. After scrubbing my hands three times with dish soap, the good kind that was blue and antibacterial, I took to splashing water repeatedly on my face.
The scent of rain claimed on the bottle, whatever that was, barely masked the metallic smell of blood. It reminded me of playground days, the smell on my hands after swinging from the monkey bars. Where that thought came from, who knew, but who could judge me right now? Certainly not me. I hadn’t the energy for it, or to stop my restless mind from flipping through the images of suit guy, Lex, Riker, and Vivian, as well as the angry, fighting wolves. Growing dizzy, I braced myself on the sink.
Grabbing for the roll of paper towels, I pulled off way too many and soaked them in the water. With fury, I scrubbed at the skin on my neck and arms. I wanted to burn my shirt. Walking to the bedroom, I realized that no man had returned from there. My window remained open, so I went over to shut it. Guess the man had gone on a hunt.
Pulling off my shirt and pants, having not even shut the door, I threw them in the trash can beside my mirror with a haste that hurt my arm. Listening to the water of the shower, I thought of Lex and I there, even as I mindlessly threw on the first thing my hand reached in my closet. An old sweatshirt two times bigger than the size I actually wore and an old pair of jeans made it onto my body before I walked back out to the living room.
My front door open, two men stood guard in the hall. Nauseous to the point of possibly needing a bucket, I stumbled out between them.