I met his eyes and adrenaline slammed into me, spurring me to move. I grabbed my messenger bag and we ran into the alley. People were still screaming, only now for different reasons. Others, like Sal and Kenny, had made their way into the alley. Fuck. My heart fell into my stomach as large hands wrapped around my upper arms and physically moved me toward my bike.
“Get on and go, Emery,” Tony ordered as he grabbed a crowbar from the ground. One of the creatures rushed toward us, and he swung it at their head, knocking them out.
“Tony—“
“I mean it, Emery. Get the fuck out of here. Get home to your parents. They need you. I’ll be fine. Go! Now!” He spared me a glance as I unlocked the bike. “You’re a good kid. Don’t stop for anything.”
“Thanks, Tony.” I got on my bike and pedaled for all I was worth, dodging clumps of people. When I reached the end of the alley, I paused to look back in time to see Tony get overrun. As if he could sense me looking, his furious eyes met mine. “Go!” he bellowed.
I took off toward home, tears streaming down my face. Tony could have escaped, but he chose to make sure I made it out of that alley safely. I’d never forget his sacrifice for as long as I lived. And with the way things were looking, that might not be too long.
Chapter two
Nico
Iscanned the street from the front steps of our building for any dangers. Luis and Miguel were nearby doing the same. Well, Miguel was. Luis had his face buried in his phone. We might not be perfect, hell, we weren’t even particularly good men, but we looked out for our own, and this block was ours. I would never let what happened two years ago happen again. We were cocky back then, thought we were hot shit. Losing one of our people who was in the wrong place at the wrong time humbles a man. Now we were smarter, more careful with the turf wars we got involved in.
“Hey, man, look at this,” Luis said, showing me his phone. He was watching a live on TikTok that showed a man attacking another man, but not with his fists. It wasn’t a fight, it was... like an animal attack.
“Where is that?”
“That’s a few blocks away.”
I looked around at the people on the street. The kids playing on the sidewalks, the old couple three doors down out for their after-dinner stroll. It was evening, so there weren’t as manypeople around, but there were still plenty at risk. “Get everyone inside.”
Luis and Miguel started running down each side of the street, urging people to go inside. Nobody put up much of a fuss. We were the law here, and if we said something was coming and it was dangerous, the neighborhood listened. Once the street was clear, we met back at our building. It was eerily silent for only a few minutes before the screams reached us. A flood of people suddenly came around the corner.
“Let’s get inside,” Miguel said. We ran inside, and I glanced under the stairs to where Emery kept her bicycle, only it wasn’t there.
“Emery isn’t home yet!” I ran back outside, searching the crowd filling the street for her. People were screaming as they were tackled to the ground and ripped apart.
“Nico, we have to go inside!” Luis said as he grabbed me and started dragging me toward the door.
“Emery is out here somewhere!” I yelled, shaking him off.
“I know, man, but we can’t help her if we’re dead.”
I knew he was right. We could watch the street for Emery from inside. Just as I was turning to go back inside, I caught a glimpse of someone on a bike. Relief flooded through me when I realized it was Emery, but it was immediately replaced by panic when a man knocked her to the ground.
“No!” I shouted as I ran toward her, gun drawn. I shot the man on top of her in the head, and Miguel and I quickly pulled her to her feet. Together, we ran inside before anyone else could attack us. As soon as we were safe, Emery began freaking out as she ran her hands over her body.
“Did he bite me? Do you see any bite marks?”
I placed my hands on her shoulders to stop her erratic movements. “Emery, calm down.”
“Have I been bitten?” she asked again.
She stood still, her only movement was her chest rising and falling as she breathed heavily, while I checked her over. “You don’t have so much as a scratch on you,” I assured her.
“Thank God,” she sighed as she slumped against me.
I was taken aback by her behavior, but I chose not to complain. I’d been infatuated with Emery since high school. All three of us have. There was a time I thought she might have liked us too, but then the shooting happened. Since then, if she looked at us, it was always with hatred.
Just then, the door was ripped open and the guy from 3B ran inside, slamming the door shut behind him. The interruption caused Emery to jump away from me like she had been burned. That didn’t last long.
“Check him,” Emery ordered, blocking the stairs when 3B went to go up them.
“Get the hell out of my way, lady,” the man growled as he tried to push past her. Before he could even brush against her, though, Miguel had already grabbed him and was throwing him against the wall.
