Morph.

Chapter 19

It's almost 7.20pm by the time I spot Tobias seated at a table with a cup of coffee. 

"Hey! So what's the big hoo-ha?", as I take my seat and the waiter passes me the menu. 

"Don't bother ordering. We're not gonna' be here long. Can't stay in one spot for too long, anyway.", Tobias says as he leaves a $5 note on the table and stands, dragging me along. 

"Tobs, what's going on? Seriously, you're scaring me.".

"I think Chris has told you this already because he called me telling me the same thing.".

We're pacing down the street at a faster-than-normal speed right now, Tobias still towing me along the way as we make sharp turns into different streets. 

Wait. Just exactly how much did he reveal to Tobias? He seeing me change into a hawk? The other shapeshifter?  

"Tobias, no. Please don't get yourself involved. Please, we're not even sure if this whole kidnapping thing will go down soon or in ten years' time.", I said as I stop both of us by the corner of Dion Street. 

"Don't be silly. We better take precautions before anything really bad happens. I trust Chris on this and I'm not about to risk you getting kidnapped.", Tobias continues as he takes my hand and leads me down an alley. "Follow me. I know exactly the guy who can help us out of this.". 

"Tobs, why would you know a guy who can help with kidnapping cases in the first place?", I ask as we stop in front of a steel door in one of the alleyways. 

"I'll explain later. Just trust me on this for now, OK?", he leans in to plant a kiss on my cheek before knocking three times on the steel door. "We're here!". 

After a minute, the sound of multiple bolts unlocking on the other side were heard before the imposing door swung open and there stood Chris. 

"Chris!", I called out before hugging him and heading inside with Tobias. 

The room inside was small and cramp and reminded me of a fallout bunker. Dim lights lit the room and used alcohol crates and boxes of cleaning supplies were stacked against one side of the wall. The other side, a table, three chairs and a rather large steel cage. 

"Chris? Tobs? You guys knew about this? For how long?", I asked as I took a seat on one of the crates. 

"Chris called me and told me all about it, like I said.". 

"Yeah, then I recalled that a friend of mine had this place he used to call his 'den' and thought it might be a good place for you to hide out in the mean time.". 

"Wow. Thanks? I guess? But how exactly do we go about-"

In the blink of an eye, everything changed. A piece of cloth - the sweet, pungent smell. The distorted vision and numb limbs. 

I screamed. Or at least I thought I did. I don't know. Last thing I saw was Chris opening the cage.

I mustered all of my remaining energy and willed myself into a wolf, a tiger, or even a bird. I don't know. I felt my body morph before everything got really fuzzy and dark. 

____________________________________________________________________________

 A wave of ice-cold water hits me in the face. I scream out loud only for it to sound like a...bark? What the?

"Wake up.", says a middle-aged, balding man dressed in blacks.

I blink a couple of times before my vision goes back to normal and I find myself inside a cage. Fudgeballs, what just happened? Where am I? Who's this guy?