But as they got closer, one of the hunters moved toward them.Jasper didn’t stop walking.He acted as if everything was normal and went past the man, but when a hand grabbed his arm, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of this mess.
“Can I help you?”Jasper asked.
“We just want a little chat,” the hunter said.
“Well, I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Do I look like I care?”
“That’s rude,” Cullen piped up, getting the hunter’s attention.
Jasper put down the grocery bags.He could tell how this would end—not well—because he and Cullen were outnumbered.
Jasper knew he had to use the element of surprise.The hunter was distracted by Cullen, and his three friends were still a little further away.That gave Jasper the opportunity to punch the hunter in the face, hoping to knock him out.The hunter stumbled back and hit the wall, looking slightly dazed, but he wasn’t down.
And neither were his three friends.
They rushed forward.Jasper sent a prayer to whoever was listening that he and Cullen would make it out in one piece, but he didn’t have high hopes.This was going to hurt.
The first hunter reached him fast, throwing a punch that Jasper barely had the time to block.The impact jarred his arm, sending pain shooting up to his shoulder.These men knew how to fight, and they knew how to fight monsters specifically.
Cullen tackled one of them, using his weight to bring the hunter down, but another one grabbed him from behind, yanking him off easily.Jasper tried to get to him, but the hunter he’d punched had recovered and was coming at him with a knife.
Jasper dodged left and felt the blade slice through his jacket, but not his skin.He grabbed the hunter’s wrist, trying to disarm him, but someone else hit him from the side with a punch to his ribs that knocked the air from his lungs and sent him staggering back.
“You think you can do what you want?”one of them snarled.
Jasper couldn’t answer, but then, he didn’t think that the hunter expected him to.Jasper thought he recognized him, but he couldn’t remember the man’s name.Cullen was holding his own against two of them, but barely.Blood trickled from his split lip, and he was favoring his left side.They needed help, but no one was coming.
A door slammed open somewhere.“Hey!”a female voice yelled.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Jasper risked a glance and saw Mrs.Chen from the apartment above his favorite restaurant.She was a small woman, barely five feet tall, but her eyes were blazing red with fury.Behind her, Mr.Robinson from the bookstore emerged, along with three other monsters Jasper recognized from the neighborhood.
“This is none of your business,” the hunter with the knife spat.
“Like hell it’s not.”Mrs.Chen stepped forward, and Jasper saw her raising her hands.She had claws.“You’re attacking someone in our neighborhood.That makes it our business.”
“Stand down,” Mr.Robinson said, his voice deep and calm.He was easily six and a half feet tall and built like a brick wall—he was the same color as one, too.“We don’t want trouble, but we won’t stand by while you hurt people who live here.”
The hunters hesitated.The other three looked at the one with the knife as if he were their leader.Maybe he was.
“You’re protecting a former hunter,” one of them said.“He hurt people like you.“
“We’re protecting our neighbor,” Mrs.Chen corrected.“Jasper’s been nothing but respectful since he started living here.He doesn’t cause trouble and treats everyone like people.That’s more than I can say for you lot.”
“He’s dangerous,” the lead hunter protested.
“The only dangerous people I see here are the ones who jumped two guys in an alley,” another monster spoke up.He was a young guy, maybe mid-twenties, who worked at the corner market.“Now get out of our neighborhood before we make you leave.”
The hunters looked at each other.The math wasn’t in their favor anymore, and they knew it.Theywere outnumbered now.
“This isn’t over,” the lead hunter said, pointing his knife at Jasper.“We’ll be seeing you again.”
“Looking forward to it,” Jasper managed, even though his ribs were screaming and his arm felt like it was on fire.Maybe he had been stabbed there after all.
The hunters backed away, keeping their focus on the group of monsters until they reached the end of the alley.Then they turned and ran.
Jasper sagged against the wall, feeling banged up.Cullen was in a similar shape, breathing hard and clutching his side.
