Torn Between Two Moons

Chapter 3 Part II

Sure enough, outside her house, roughly fifty meters and lessening, were about two dozen werewolves, and at the lead were, of course, Zhen Zi and his employer. They were progressing slowly, as if cautious of traps, that would have been a problem, if she had any traps, but for now it worked to her advantage.

“I take it that you were followed, and from your expression, there are even more than both of us could handle, especially in your current state.” Ashier said, the playfulness gone from his eyes, now replaced it something dangerous, Natasha smiled, she had always wondered what it would be like to have a partner like her.

Natasha did the math in her head, it would take the incoming force roughly two minutes to reach here. She knew this entire building was being watched from all directions, there were probably even snipers waiting to shoot once they see her. She was boxed in.......... or was she?

“Come on,” She whispered to Ashier, pulling him by the hand, “We don't have much time.” She looked around, what could she not replace or might need in the next few hours. She grabbed a few knives and some money in different currencies, just in case. Her sword still hung in its sheath.

Natasha grabbed a lighter from the table, and lit up a fuse. “That should detonate in about a minute and a half, we don't want to be here when it does.” She whispered urgently, then grabbed his hand, leading him to a wooden and slightly charred door. She opened it, the door creaking slightly. Inside was a flight of stairs that went down into darkness.

“That, is a very long flight of stairs,” Ashier, at least his playfulness was back.

Natasha scowled, slightly, she did not seem to like his jokes. A twinkle shone at the corner of his eye, and she scowled deeper. She grabbed him and pulled him down, shutting the door behind her. Already she could here to werewolves getting closer, they were moving faster than she had thought.

In the near pitch blackness of the underground tunnel, it took a second for Natasha's vision to adjust. Ashier looked back, raising a questioning eyebrow, then she mouthed Quiet. He then shook his head, as if he was being told to breathe.

The air in the tunnel was stale, and the lower they went, the staler it became, taking on the musty scent of dust and mildew. Very soon, the stairs changed from wood to stone, and after a while, they came across a stone door, which took both of them straining to open. After that, the stairs all went upward.

As the duo climbed up the stairs, a large boom shook the tunnel, causing it to vibrate, shaking bits of dust and stone from atop the wall. Ashier looked back when he steadied himself, shock and surprise evident upon his face, she smiled in response, he probably hadn't expected so much.

A few minutes later, they came up from an abandoned building about half a mile east from where the werewolves attacked. They climbed up, pulling themselves up to the flat wooden roof. In the night, the burning building shone like a fallen star. Natasha hoped they had all died in the explosion, but even she doubted it, Zhen Zi was too good to be taken out so easily, and he would rather die than see his employer fall like that. Still, there was no crime in hoping.

“Well, that was fun, it's not every night you almost die from fiery explosion, makes you actually value the importance of life, you know?” He said, giving her a playful nudge on the arm.

“Are you ever serious?” Natasha asked, surprised to find herself genuinely curious.

“What's the fun in that?” He replied, turning and walking away. “Come on,” He called, “I know a place that's not far from here.”

It turned out that Natasha and Ashier had very different views on the meaning of 'not far'. They walked on for the better part of an hour, taking so many side streets and back alleys that Natasha suspected Ashier was making it intentionally long and confusing as a joke.

The walk was mostly uneventful, except for the one time three cut-throats who hadn't seen a soap bar for years had ambushed them, they were humans, and Natasha almost felt sorry for them, at least Ashier had left them alive, mostly.

After enough twists and turns to make Natasha's head spin, they arrived at the location. It was not large, about two stories, and was painted in a fading green. Ashier walked to what Natasha had first mistaken for part of the wall, but turned out to be a door. Instead of a lock by the side, it was a number keypad. Ashier moved close, typing in the number pin so fast Natasha could not catch anything apart from the first five numbers. He looked back and smile, as if he knew what going through her mind, Insufferable man.

The keypad clicked, shining a faint green. Ashier put his hand on the door handle and pulled the door open, revealing the inside. “Welcome to my humble abode.” He exclaimed, and bowed, like a master performer waiting for her standing ovation, and Natasha had to admit, she was impressed.

While on the outside the building looked almost run-down and in ill repair, its state on the inside was a different matter. It was bigger than Natasha originally thought, and built like a mansion. The inside was painted a shining white, decorated with bits of gold here and there, and chandeliers shining down from the ceiling. Even at a glance, Natasha could tell that everything was expensive. The house smelled fresh, and it took Natasha a second to place that scent, it was lavender.

Natasha looked at Ashier, wondering where he had gotten all these, but, seeing the unasked question in her eyes, he chose to ignore it. “Come,” he said, pulling her along “Let me show you your room, I trust you must be tired.”

He pulled her, gently but firmly, along the mansion, his hands warm and full of life against hers. He led them through stairs, twists and turns, navigating through the maze-like rooms until they finally arrived at a door that said 'Wolfsbane'.

She looked at him, her eyebrow raised questioningly, he shrugged “I thought you might like it.”

“How did you know I will accept?” She asked.

“Well look at it this way, if you had never accepted, no one would've known I put this there.” He replied, smirking.

She chuckled, “Good night, Ashier.” She said as she opened the door.

“Good night, Wolfsbane.” He replied, turning to leave, and Natasha was shocked to find herself sad to see him go.