Beneath and Beyond

Chapter 37

"Morning guys," Kiedi said to the guys- Esther was staying behind for this trip.

They all mumbled back greeting to her but none of them really looked her in the eyes, they went as far as to look anywhere but at her. 

"What is it?" she asked irritatedly, was something wrong with her? None of them answered but Luke had a smirk on his face as he put a hand around her shoulders.

"Why are we going to town then?" Kie asked instead since none of them wanted to answer her, "I thought the next plan was to ask my mother?"

"Cooger thought of an alternative to getting the money without going to the king.

"What's that?" They were outside the gates now and the guys were getting ready to shift.

"A man called Crannon. He's a wealthy son of a bitch who'll lend us the money in return for a favour."

"Is that wise?" She asked Luke asked Carl and Len as the others had gone to change.

"It's better than the King."

The town was a damp, crowded mass of demons, monster looking creatures. The streets were lined with shops selling the weirdest looking commodities and the alleys oozed a dark green fog. She didn't even look at the gutters for fear of barfing.

Luke and the others had changed back on the outer rims of the town and now they were making their way through the crowd with Kiedi barred between them. Kiedi squeezed Luke's hand as they turned into one of the creepy alleys. They walked up to a door hidden  in the wall and as Cooger knocked Kiedi inched closer to Luke at the sound of shuffling further down the alley.

Cooger knocked again, harder this time, and a minute later a big burly man opened the door. He had a thick goatee and a bald head and he looked menacingly at them. The guys however didn't seem to think of him as any form of threat as Carl pushed past him and into the building. The others followed and the man had no choice but to step aside.

"We're here for Crannon," Cooger said.

"Don't even bother saying he's not here because he never leaves this sleeze nest," Luke glared at the man.

"He's in the back," the man said as an after thought to Luke's comment. He turned and led the way. This place Kiedi noticed with a smile, had mirrors. She made a point of walking past one and gasped at her reflection. She still had a flushed mark to her skin and Luke's finger prints were on her arms and hickeys lined her neck; there was also a particularly bright purple bruise at her neck where Luke had  bit her.

No wonder the guys had refused to look at her, she wore "just f*cked" like a sign on her forehead. Luke hadn't even said anything to her! None of the guys had and they let her walk around like this! She mentally flicked all of them in their heads and they all turned to look at her with apologetic smiles, except for Luke, he was grinning down at her.

They stopped at a door and big and burly knocked and opened it before they stepped inside. A balding man  with beady eyes that shimmered with greed sat at a desk staring at them.

"They just barged in boss," big burly said looking at his feet in submission. Kiedi was confused, what was so scary about the small man sitting at the desk?

"That's fine Walt just leave," even his voice was like sandpaper. Big burly- Walt turned to walk out the door and Crannon pulled out a gun and shot him in the back of his head.

Kiedi screamed and hid in Luke's arms as the man fell on the floor in front of her. Crannon simply whistled and two other men came and dragged the body away.