Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to kill you.
If a stranger had walked into the apartment, they would have found everything in pristine order. There were no scattered belongings, and the inviting scent of deep-fried meat wafted from the kitchen. The space was immaculate, but something was missing from the scene. Alex.
I knew he wasn't home—he hadn't been for almost an hour. His scent, once familiar and grounding, was now fading, like the awful stench of the other wolves. My gaze lingered on his shoes, neatly placed beneath his coat hanging on the rack. Not to mention, he'd forgotten to take his jacket with him—but then again, who leaves the house barefoot?
Behind me, I heard the nervous shuffle of footsteps. I didn't move, didn't even turn around, but I could tell it was Alice by the familiar scent of his worry.
"Was I late?" His question came out more like a statement, his voice tinged with concern.
I stood up, unsure how I found the strength, but somehow, I did.
"What did you see, Alice?" My voice came out dangerously calm as I turned to face him. "What happened here?"
Alice was nervously wringing his hands. Under his arm, he carried his usual oversized chessboard—he must have left his bag at school.
"I'm not sure exactly," he muttered, "I fell asleep in Russian class, and I only managed to glimpse the future for a few minutes before the teacher woke me up."
He closed his eyes, replaying the vision in his mind. "Lunch was ready. Alex took off his apron and hung it up. Then someone knocked. Alex opened the door. I couldn't see who it was, but Alex's face went from surprise to pure horror. Then everything went wrong, and the world went black as he was knocked down after a brief scuffle."
I clenched my jaw so hard that my teeth ground together with a sharp, unnatural noise.
"It's not much," I muttered.
Alice's face reflected a storm of emotions. He was terrified—no, terribly worried—but there was a hint of guilt as well, like he blamed himself for being late.
"I'm going with you," he declared, without hesitation.
He didn't ask, he simply stated it, and I nodded. I wouldn't have been able to stop him even if I'd tried—and honestly, I didn't have time to argue.
"First, we need to find Rolo," I said.
"Who's Rolo?" Alice asked.
"Someone who will help us," I replied, pulling my phone from my pocket.
We were lucky enough to catch a taxi heading back into the city. We sat in tense silence as I mentally beat myself up for not having a license, a car, or the ability to even steal one. I cursed transportation for its sluggishness, the people crossing the street for their total lack of urgency—couldn't they just wait for the next green light? I cursed the red lights, the driver for blasting the radio, and the world in general for always throwing something in my path.
We finally got off at Arcade, and I practically ran toward Széchenyi Square, Alice trailing behind me. The moment we arrived, a wave of high school kids poured onto the square, blocking my path. I couldn't afford to sidestep them, so I shoved through, ignoring the offended glares. I was seriously hoping the damn gremlin kid was still at school—if he wasn't, I had no clue what to do.
Alice didn't ask questions, just silently followed me, then stopped when I did, staring at the building ahead. I focused, trying to pick out the kid's scent from the overwhelming mix of others. I paced, tapping my feet impatiently and massaging my nose as I tried to gauge if his scent was stronger near the school or the bus stop.
"What are you doing here?"
No greeting, no pleasantries—but I couldn't help feeling relieved at the familiar sarcastic tone. I spun on my heel and found myself face-to-face with Rolo, his sour expression unchanged, though curiosity flickered in his eyes. He gripped one of the straps of his backpack, slung over his shoulder, while his other hand rested casually in his pocket.
"You have to help me," I said, trying but failing to hide the nervous edge in my voice.
Rolo didn't question it. He just nodded and made his way over to three boys around his age, who were waiting for him. Seriously? This little gremlin had friends? Miracles did happen. The boys stared at me like I was some sort of deity, and I sent them a charming smile before grabbing Rolo's arm and pulling him away.
"There's no time for goodbyes," I said coldly. "This is important."
Rolo didn't protest, not even a hiss. He just fell in step beside me.
"Alice, this is Rolo. Rolo, this is Alice, a friend of mine," I said quickly, introducing them to each other with a clipped tone, putting the matter to rest.
Rolo blinked, clearly surprised. He looked Alice over, while Alice returned the glance with his usual kind smile.
"I'm Benjamin, but feel free to call me Ben," Alice said, offering his hand.
Rolo looked skeptical. "What's all this about?" He wasn't thrilled to be part of this.
He clearly didn't trust Alice—he didn't know him, and Alice was human.
"Alex is gone," I said flatly.
Rolo froze for a split second, eyes widening in shock. He would've stopped entirely if I hadn't tugged him forward.
"What do you mean he's gone?" he demanded.
"He's been kidnapped," I said, throwing him a pointed look. We didn't have time for confusion.
"What do you want to do?"
I was getting seriously fed up with the questions, but Alice seemed just as curious, so I decided to outline the plan quickly. At least this way, I wouldn't have to deal with their fussing any longer.
"Have you ever heard of Ruben?" I asked, and both of them looked at me as if I'd just spoken in another language.
I sighed, exasperated.
"He's the most wanted informant around here. Knows everything that happens in the city. We're going to him," I explained.
"Where do you know him from?" Alice asked, genuinely puzzled.
"I'm also an informant," I replied shortly. "In any case, my network is not as extensive as the rat's, so I once had to ask him for a little help. I caught him, and finally, with great difficulty, got the info out of him."
"He's not so cool as to seek revenge on me but believe me since we met, he's become so paranoid that he's accompanied by at least three goblins outside and only sends them away when he returns to the rathole," I continued than glanced at Alice's pale face. "Of course, he doesn't go out on sightseeing tours very often, he gets his information in other ways, so Alice stop making that face, we don't have to fight three goblins to catch him."
Alice swallowed hard, clearly not thrilled about the situation.
"And where does this Ruben live?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Not far," I answered, then turned to Rolo. "You said if I needed anything stolen, I should let you know. Well, this is a bit different, but I'll hold you to it. Your job is to get us in. But be prepared—security is tight."
Rolo nodded, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Leave it to me!"
After a quick ten-minute walk, we arrived at Ruben's villa. And I use the term villa loosely—calling it a house would be an insult. Behind a towering concrete fence stood a two-story, grey, cube-like structure with a staircase leading up the side. It looked more like a bunker than a home, with tiny, shatterproof and bulletproof windows reflecting bits of the sky.
The entrance didn't seem like much at first—a simple wooden panel. But I knew better. There was another steel door hidden behind it. When I'd surveyed the place years ago, I had given up on ever getting in. Of course, I didn't know Rolo back then.
The property also had a small garden, but one wrong step and a mine would blow you to pieces—Ruben didn't spare any expense on security. Since my last visit, he'd installed a few cameras, so his obsession with protection had only gotten worse.
Rolo peeked out from behind a wall, scanning the area. We crouched in a narrow side street between two houses, overlooking the garden gate and surrounded by two massive garbage bins.
"Can you do it?" I asked, keeping my voice low.
Rolo looked at me as though I'd lost my mind. "What do you take me for? I'm not just a pickpocket..."
"I figured as much," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"Wait here," he said, his grin turning sly. "I'll open the gate and the door for you, but you won't have much time to get in. When you see I've succeeded, run as fast as you can. If the defenses are as serious as you say, I'll only be able to distract them for a moment."
He shot me another cheeky smile before starting to undress. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, confusion clear in my voice.
"Isn't it obvious?" he replied, clearly enjoying my reaction.
"Wait, let me clarify—why the hell are you undressing?"
"There-there, you can put together a sensible question the second time around."
I seriously hated this kid.
"Don't worry, next time you'll get it right the first time," I muttered, feeling my patience wear thin.
"You'd better answer before I bite through your throat," I growled.
Rolo seemed to be relishing every moment of this, knowing full well I wasn't in a position to do anything about it. He carefully folded his navy blue sweater, his shirt, and his jeans, and handed them to me, along with his bag.
"Take care of these," he said, then, still in his pants, retreated behind one of the bins.
By this point, my jaw was practically on the floor. Especially when a small black kitten suddenly appeared from behind the container. It looked up at me with enormous green eyes before darting off toward Ruben's house.
"So, a cat?" Alice asked, clearly puzzled.
I nodded.
"I thought you hated cats," he muttered, probably just to fill the silence.
"Well, I'm not exactly fond of the kid," I snapped, tossing his clothes into the bag with a little more force than necessary.
The cat nimbly hopped onto the concrete fence and disappeared from view. We waited. And waited. And waited. Time seemed to drag on, each minute slower than the last. Alice checked his watch. Thirty minutes had passed since Rolo had snuck inside. I was about to lose patience and break the damn door down when the iron gate creaked open.
Without thinking, I bolted forward like a bullet out of a gun, Alice trailing a meter behind me. I reached the door, yanked it open, then practically threw myself into the apartment.
Rolo was casually leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed. I had no idea where he'd found new underwear, but he was wearing a fresh pair—not the ones he'd left behind the container.
Alice slammed the door shut behind us, and after a few seconds, the lock clicked and the latches snapped into place.
"Just in time," Rolo grinned. "The system's reactivating."
I didn't ask how he'd gotten in or how he'd managed to disable the defenses, even if it was just for a moment. It didn't matter. He'd succeeded, and that's all that counted.
"We need to move," he added, stepping in front of me and snatching the bag off my shoulder. "The guy's not stupid. He knows we're here."
Contrary to his words, Rolo took his time getting dressed, and I watched, bemused.
"How old are you?" I asked, unable to resist.
He glanced up at me. "Fifteen."
Fifteen. A scrappy, fifteen-year-old with an inferiority complex and behavioral issues had just outsmarted Ruben. That's something.
"I really don't want to imagine what you'll be like in ten years," I muttered, turning toward the stairs.
I heard Rolo chuckle softly behind me.
The spiral staircase groaned under my weight, but aside from that, I didn't sense any traps—Ruben had probably never even considered the possibility of someone getting inside.
When we reached the second floor, there was only one door. I tried the handle, but it was locked—no surprise there, Ruben clearly knew we were here. I didn't waste time. A swift kick, and the door gave way.
The room beyond was a mess. The stench of ammonia and rat droppings hit us as soon as we stepped in. The blinds on the left side of the room were drawn, and the only light came from three massive monitors, their screens frozen in blue. Below them was a desk cluttered with a keyboard and a pile of crumpled chip bags, and in front of it, a cushioned gaming chair.
Cables were strung everywhere, dangling from the ceiling and snaking along the walls. On the right side of the room, rows of cages were stacked one on top of the other. Nervous whines and squeaks echoed in the otherwise silent space. Rats.