“Kitchen, he’s sitting at the table.” Julie pointed toward the far corner of the apartment.

“Nope. I just came from there. The kitchen was empty. Other than me, that is.” Byron informed them.

"Well, let's take a look." Jesse had already started down the hall.

They moved out of the living room and down the separate hallways into the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathroom. There was no sign of him. The apartment door was closed, as were the doors to the balcony. The hallway to the bedroom and office passed the living room, so someone would have seen him pass through that area. Julie checked her closet as Sal checked the office. He was gone.

The front door was closed. He could have gone out that way if he was quiet enough, but that didn’t seem very likely.

"Okay, where the hell is he?" Sal was voicing everyone's thoughts out loud.

“Do you have a trash chute?” Byron asked.

“Yes. There’s one in the kitchen. Why?”

The sudden realization on her face was evident as the color drained from her cheeks. She ran to the kitchen, pulling the chute door open to find…nothing.

There was no sign of him, though there was no sign of anything else in there either. That's the point of a garbage chute. Their design within this building could ostensibly fit an adult through the apartment, though once the apartment chute met the main chute, it could handle at least three full-grown men at once. If he became stuck on the short span between her kitchen and the main chute, he should be able to shimmy through and make it to the main channel without too much effort.

The decision was to go to the sub-basement and check the garbage receptacles. If he did actually go down the chute, he would be there, broken and most likely dead. They had to be sure.

Jesse, Sal, and Trisha decided to inspect the basement and retrieve the SUV. Byron, Julie, Becka, and Polly would prepare Glenn for transport, along with packing what they had for a trip. Weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, food, alcohol, and water were loaded into duffels and suitcases. Sal and Trisha each took a duffle with them on the trip to the basement. When the three entered the hallway, the man's body was still there, and his blood was still fresh. None had dried. Jesse mentioned how strange that was.

Sal pressed the down button, and they waited for the elevator to arrive, guns aimed and ready for whatever might be waiting on the other side when the doors opened.

#

Mikel was waiting at the corner while Seth searched through the pharmacy. Seth had mentioned how lucky they were to come across a specialist pharmacy. He was sure they would have the antibiotics, plus the compounds, to be able to make more as needed.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Seth filled several bags with various medications and headed for the door. There was no movement inside the store, but out on the street, he could see at least three, possibly more, wolves making their way between the cars. He had no way to warn Mikel without drawing their attention to himself. Thinking on his feet, he took a portable canister of oxygen from a shelf and went to the front door.

The wolves were close to the shop, within 25 feet. Seth quietly opened the door wide enough to toss the canister through and heaved it at the car nearest him. When it hit the ground, the wolves pounced. He fired a round into the bottle, causing it to explode. The car followed suit, which in turn ignited the wolves. The concussion from the blast knocked Seth back several feet and covered him with glass from the shop window.

Mikel was standing above him as he was coming to his senses again.

“You saved my ass back there. I had no idea they were even there. That explosion was genius. Really took them out, too. I’m a bit afraid there are going to be more here soon, though. We should make tracks.”

Mikel helped him up and brushed the glass from his shirt. Seth picked up the bags, and they headed out the door. There were three blocks between them and the apartment building. It had been just over an hour since they left, which meant they needed to get the medication to Byron now, not later. Mikel took most of the bags and led the way. Seth was still a bit wobbly, so he wasn't as quick as he had been.

Three blocks on a typical day wouldn't take any time at all. When the city is overrun with werewolves, it takes forever.

#

The elevator was empty. They filed in and pressed the lobby. As they went down, nervousness set in. There were several variables and unknowns that were making this journey particularly worrisome. What was awaiting them in the lobby? Once they got past the lobby, what would they find in the sub-basement? Would the SUV fit Glenn and the gear they needed?

The door opened in the lobby. The scene hadn't changed since Sal had last seen it. The wolves were lying in the same place, with blood still pooled around them.

They moved quickly to the baggage room that held the service elevator to the sub-basement. The small room was mostly empty but did have a few luggage carts. Trisha and Sal loaded the duffels they were carrying onto the carts and moved into the elevator. It had access to the sub-basement, parking garage, and maintenance levels.

Jesse was the first to enter the sub-basement. It was hot, humid, and smelled of garbage. There was a commercial-grade compactor, several bins for transporting trash, and a large area where the garbage was collected below the chutes. Even from halfway across the room, Jesse could see Elliot. His body was in the trash pile. When he first made contact, his body bounced down the side of the pile before rolling to a stop a few feet from the bottom. From the state of the body, they silently prayed he hadn't survived the fall.

His right arm was wrapped behind his head, then bent at the elbow to reach back to the front of his chest. The other arm was missing. It may have come off in the chute by getting caught in another apartment’s line. His head was turned at a 45° angle to his shoulders, indicating his neck was broken. Elliot was no longer among the living.

Trisha walked over to the body, picked up his legs, and dragged him out of the garbage pile. Jesse picked up a few pieces of cloth and laid them over him.

“I wish I had known him better. I had the opportunity, I just never took it. I hope you find a better future, Elliot. Rest now.” Jesse eulogized. Trisha and Sal nodded their agreement.

The three friends walked back to the elevator, leaving Elliot on the basement floor, covered in a few pieces of clothing, not to be deeply mourned but never forgotten.