The officer turned away, and I backed up, looking for another way around the perimeter. There were places I might slipthrough, but I’d only end up distracting the cops. This was a time for subtlety.
I slipped down a service alley. Two officers blocked the far end, but they focused on keeping civilians away. Using the moment, I jumped onto a fire escape and ran up to the roof.
From my vantage point, I surveyed the havoc. A police car lay on its side, windows shattered. Officers had formed a defensive line, weapons drawn. Beyond them moved a dark shape—seven feet of muscle and claws, reptilian and insectoid features blended in impossible ways. The D'val.
I searched for Nick, hoping the train bypassed the Dupont Circle Station. My luck ran out. He was closer now, and his fear rolled off him in waves. Scanning the crowds, I couldn’t find him.
People ran in panic as gunshots rang out. They’d need something more powerful than.9mm bullets to stop the creature. Right now, all they did was enrage the beast plodding toward them.
My fingers wrapped around one of my metal cylinders. Killing the beast would be the surest way to protect Nick. The crowd, police presence, and the media meant it would be very public if I killed the beast. I needed to wait for backup. Vicky was the best at concealing our identities.
The D’val shoved one police cruiser into a second one. Before it attacked the officers, it froze, seemed to scan the area, and then changed course. I couldn’t see Nick, but I was certain the creature had found him.
Out of time and options, I released my wings. They unfurled with a soft rush of air, stretching wide before settling against my back. It felt good to let them out after months of non-use.
I stepped to the edge of the roof and wrapped myself in a blanket of power to hide my presence from people and recordings. Satisfied I wouldn't be seen, I leaped from the roof,my wings catching the updraft between buildings. The sensation was exhilarating, even in these circumstances. I didn’t, however, have time to enjoy the moment. The creature had moved into an alley and was moving in the direction of the Metro exit Nick would likely have used to get to Alex’s place.
From high over the city, I finally spotted Nick. He moved cautiously toward a cut that unwittingly would put him on a collision course with the D’val.
Tucking my wings, I dove just as the creature entered the same alley Nick tried to use to get around the perimeter. Nick froze as the D’val snarled. I converted the metal in my palm to energy and focused it in both hands. I’d likely only get one clean shot before the beast reacted to me. I planned to make it count.
Nick
Ireached the long escalator at the Dupont Circle stop, and a wall of chaos hit me. People were running down, shouting to everyone to turn back. Sirens wailed in the distance, punctuated by the staccato bark of what sounded like gunfire. Through the screams, I heard a weird sound.
My instincts told me to turn back and wait this out, but whatever was happening, I figured I’d be safer at Alex’s place than standing inside the Metro. When I got topside, I took out my phone to call Alex, but the screen showed no signal. Not just no bars, but not even the SOS feature. I opened it and confirmed I had power—eighty-two percent. Next, I turned on and off the airplane mode, hoping that would help it connect to a tower. Still nothing. Of course, this happened when there was shit going down, and I wanted to let Alex know I was on my way.
Slipping my useless phone back into my pocket, the commotion around me intensified. A police helicopter circled overhead, and the streets were jammed with stopped cars, trucks, and buses. People were running everywhere. Most were heading for the Metro escalators. My stomach tightened. Everything seemed to come from the direction of Alex’s placeand because my stupid phone had no signal, I couldn’t check if he was okay.
I caught fragments of radio chatter from a nearby police cruiser.
“...confirmed multiple casualties on Connecticut...”
“...containment protocol not effective...”
“...do not engage without backup...”
What the hell was happening? More importantly, was Alex in danger?
Weaving through the crowd, I moved toward P Street. Alex’s house was only a few blocks away, and if I moved quickly, I’d get there before things got worse.
Or so I thought.
The moment I turned the corner, I ran into a wall of blue uniforms. Police had set up barricades across the street and sidewalks. They directed a stream of frightened pedestrians through a narrow opening.
“Hey kid.” Someone grabbed my shoulder. “You need to go the other way.”
A police officer not so gently tried to turn me away. She wore the white shirt of a senior official.
“But my friend lives there,” I said, trying to sound reasonable despite my growing frustration. “He’s elderly and I need to check on him.”
“I appreciate that, but it’s too dangerous,” she said, her expression softening. “Everyone in that area has been ordered to shelter in place.”
I strained to see past the barricade, but all I saw was madness. “What’s happening?”
“Details will be released later,” she said. “Right now, you need to leave. Trust me, your friend is safer than you, so move along.”
Pretending to comply, I waited until she was distracted and snuck down a side street. I hugged the wall, ready to run when I heard someone yell at me to come back.
