Fated Hybrids

Chapter 6

Meriden Pharmacy 429 Aldergrove, N.E. across from Yerwa Auto.

I knew exactly where it was, I just had a feeling in my gut that made me weary of going. Mont went there during the most dangerous time of the morning to check it out; there was no backing out now. My mother had taken her last dose of medicine today, and if I couldn't find any more the disease would start to advance again. I couldn't let that happen, not after all of this time of finding what she needs.

I started up my bike and took off once again, my tires screeching. I took my hand off of the brake handle to put the address paper back in my pocket, and then quickly placed it back. While I headed for what could be my big lead, I started thinking. How was little Emery feeling right now? Not just now, but every day since mom had fallen ill and she was left at home to take care of her while I was out? The reality of it was too much. If what Mont had seen turned out to be a hot stash, maybe Emery could focus on being a kid again, at least for a little while.

Meriden Pharmacy was completely empty. The glass doors were shattered open and nothing was left to be desired. I parked my bike around the back so that no one would ask any questions or become curious as to why someone was stopping here. I scouted around the building first to make sure no one was in or around the Pharmacy. There were people in the neighborhood but they weren't showing much interest in the pharmacy itself. I stood on the side of the building where the employee entry door was gaping open. It creaked each time the wind blew. I looked down near the ground searching for the basement window Mont had mentioned, but it wasn't on this side of the building.

I took out one of my pistols and quietly made my way around to the other side of the building.

The building next to the pharmacy was casting a shadow on the window which made it difficult to spot. I looked around again before I crouched down in front of it. I had to lean down a little lower to get a good look inside.

There were six bars against the inside of the window, with a lever to crank them up but it was also inside. I was going to have to break the window to reach the lever. I placed my pistol back in its holster on my right hip before I positioned myself in a sort of half crab-walk with my left leg out. I used the heel of my left boot to kick at the window just hard enough to break it, but also being as quiet as possible. If anyone saw what I was going after they would rush me like a pack of wild wolves and take everything before I had a chance to get what I needed.

I kicked once and I heard a small crack. I kicked a second time and the glass cracked a little more. After the third kick, the glass cracked and crumbled inside of the basement. I could hear the pieces faintly fall to the ground. I got up on my knees reclaiming my pistol in my right hand again as I reached through the bars and pushed down the lever. The bars slid down into six round holes and I was home free now. The window wasn't that big but wide enough that I could wiggle my way in.

I used the butt of my gun to knock down the remaining jagged glass from the frame so as not to slice myself open on the way in; wouldn’t want that. I poked my head in just a little to see if anything would be blocking my way. A stainless steel counter sat a few feet below the window, low enough for me to make a safe landing on.

I turned around so that I was backwards and started going in feet first. Once my head and hands were all that was in the window frame, I felt the front of my boots touching the table and I let go. I dropped onto the table with a thud. I looked around and there were seven rows of shelving against the wall filled with medicine. I carefully came down from the countertop and stood there in awe. I would have to look through all of these bottles and boxes to find what I needed but at this point it didn't matter. All I wanted was for them to still be usable. I looked around for a moment to take in my surroundings. There was another door but from what I could tell, it was closed and needed a key to be opened from the outside. A keypad was above the handle on the inside, of which I didn’t have the access code to. I wouldn't be able to get out that way; the window was my only exit.

Better still, this appeared to be the storage area for all of the extra prescriptions so there were large unopened boxes that I was probably going to have to search through as well. There was a large sink and a white, wrap-around counter against the wall to my left and aisles of shelves in front of me going from the left to the right.

I put my gun back into its holster once more to begin my search. I didn't want to be here for too long and risk someone else discovering my little jackpot.

I walked away from my entry/exit and started searching all of the bottles in the first aisle on the top shelf. From what I could tell, things were still in alphabetical order so I had a pretty good feeling I was going to be able to skip a few shelves. I pointed with my index finger and started to follow with my eyes A through B. I came to the end of the Isle and there were still B drugs so it looked like I had to search another isle. Hooray.

The second aisle started with lots of B drugs flowing into C towards the end. I could see something in my peripheral vision and stopped searching the shelves. I looked to my right and saw what looked like a twin sized cot against the wall. It was neatly made with a single pillow.

Someone was living here, s**t.

It didn't look like anyone was here when I arrived so I didn't think to search. Sloppy Zara, very sloppy. I was going to have to search faster before the 'tenant' discovered they had an intruder. I took my pistol out from my right holster and took the safety off just in case. I got to the D section of drugs in the third isle but I hadn't found Dyglosamine just yet. There was DA, DE, and so on.

Then I saw it, in a dark purple glass jar sitting next to two others.

HELL YEAH BABY!

I pulled my rucksack down over my head and set it on the floor while I checked the dates on the bottles. One was going to expire in the next three months but the other two were still good for a whole year. I got two of them into my bag before I heard what sounded like the door handle clicking. Someone was coming home. Then again, they might have been here already.

I quickly put the last bottle in my rucksack and slung it back over my neck and around my shoulder. I held my gun up, not pointing it just yet as I started to back up. I peeked through the shelving to try and see who was entering the room. The door closed again with an auto-lock clicking sound and I stood still. Damn it! I didn't need confrontation right now!

As I was almost to the point in which I started, the person who I assumed slept on the twin bed stood pointing a weapon of his own at me. I quickly pointed my gun at him as well. I don't know what kind of weapon he had; it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It didn't look man-made, that was for damn sure. He stood about five foot eleven, and had slightly tanned skin; like he might've grown up on an island somewhere. He had an athletic, muscular build from what I could see of his arms. He was wearing what looked like a bulletproof vest, but that wasn't exactly accurate.

His pants were all black with straps and chains almost like some Goth-spin on what the S.W.A.T. guys used to wear. I looked up so that I could see his face but when I met his dark, almond shaped eyes I felt like my consciousness was slipping away. I forced my eyes to his chest level.

Only Xerclanz had the kind of power to hypnotize you in that way. What the hell was he? He looked human enough to me. From what I was able to see of his face he was Asian, had short, dark teal, fly-away hair that came down just below his ears and eerie tri-colored eyes.

They were gray but with swirls of green and purple, it had to be some trick of the light. But there was something else in them that put me on high alert. A certain hunger. I began to feel light headed, then sleepy. The last thing I remembered seeing before I collapsed to the floor was a bright, blue light…