Intros Are Always Boring, I
It was a dark and stormy night.
Cheshire Shadow discovered this as he stepped outside the Replay video arcade. A sharp wind pressed him against the door, flattening his mop of hair and lilting his glasses. Lightning occasionally lanced from sickly green clouds to highlight the deserted streets of Durem.
Cheshire grimaced and considered his options. The seizure-inducing video arcade would be open until one in the morning, but there was no telling when the rain would end or start. Stepping into the Ethereal Plane would keep him dry, but then there was the occasional ghost.
He hunched over and flipped up his collar, a shadow with his gray clothes, hair and eyes. Trash bags twirled across the road as he ran.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Another set of eyes tracked the bags.
The air smelled of ozone. The storm was close. It would be on the town in a matter of minutes. The creature’s claws gripped the rooftop. He studied the human’s retreating back. His nostrils flared.
After a month of dumpster scrapings the fat had rolled off his form. Now the muscle was going too. His bones showed through his pale skin. His long purple hair had tangled in knots.
He stalked along the edge of the building. The human was far down the road. The creature crouched and leaped to the adjacent apartment complex. He clung to a concrete windowsill. The sill below bore his weight. He began to descend.
The human was alone. The streets were deserted. And he hadn’t had a good meal in days. Not since the fat man. The girl hardly counted.
He reached the sidewalk.
It started to rain.
* * * * * * * * * * *
As Cheshire turned off of Main Street, a light patter on the sidewalk announced the coming of rain. He skidded to a stop under the awning of a ritzy restaurant. No way he could run the five remaining blocks home and not get soaked.
A car sped past and honked. Cheshire turned.
A humanoid had jumped onto the sidewalk and now crouched five feet away from him. It glared at him with purple eyes and hissed between sharp teeth. Its grey scales blended into the dark.
The humanoid lunged for him, claws outstretched. Cheshire yelped and stepped into the Ethereal.
* * * * * * * * * * *
He landed on sidewalk. Not his prey. He spun around. The human was gone. Nothing but streetlights and rain.
Then the human stepped out from the air with a Swiss Army knife. “Don’t move.”
He froze. His tail lashed. This human could turn invisible. This was it. He was going to die.
“Let’s settle down.” The human pointed with its knife. “Please stand up against the wall with your arms high.”
He would die. He’d be sent back. He had to do something. He blurted out, “Sanctuary!”
It blinked
He tried again. “Sanctuary?”
It tilted its head.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Cheshire stared at his attacker. It – or he – stared back.
“Spare my life,” he said. “I will serve yours.”
How could he expect mercy after trying to mug him, let alone service?
Cheshire managed to keep his voice neutral. “What can you do?”
The humanoid’s face twisted. “Anything.” After a pause, he asked. “Do you need something eliminated?” He studied the human out of the corner of his eye.
Curiouser and curiouser.
The best word to describe the creature would be emaciated, although haggard would also fit. He wasn’t much of a threat now. And Doctor McGuire would want to take a look at him.
“If you serve me,” Cheshire said, “you’ll get to eat whatever you want and will be very well taken care of.”
The humanoid nodded.
“And you’ll have someplace to stay. But if you break your oaths and betray me, I and my family will hunt you down like a rabbit. Am I clear?”
He nodded again.
“Then we have an understanding.” He suddenly noticed that he’d been standing in the rain. His clothes were soaked. “You may walk ahead of me. We are going home. I’ll tell you where to go.”
The humanoid nodded a third time and trudged into the dark. The human followed behind, with one hand touching the Swiss Army knife in his pocket.
