Officer Grey Walker chased the robbery suspect for six city blocks before finally cornering him in a blind alley. Or at least he thought so until he arrived at the dead end to discover that the suspect had mysteriously vanished. He could hear his partner arriving behind him, out of breath, and sweating profusely from the hard running he had done to finally catch up with Grey.
Officer Lucas Marshall was in peak physical condition. He ran marathons in near record time and had been a sprinter in both high school and college. But he couldn't keep up with Grey, who was faster and stronger than any other man on the force. It annoyed him because Grey didn't work out. But Lucas knew that he was lucky to have him as a partner. Resting his hands on his knees, Lucas looked up at Grey. "How in the hell did you manage to lose him?"
"Good question," Grey replied looking up for any fire escapes that the suspect might have used. Turning around, he noticed that Lucas was standing on a metal grate. "Maybe he went down, as there is no way he could have gone up and there's nowhere to hide in the alley itself."
Lucas bent down and examined the grating. "I don't see how. This grate is bolted in place."
"Let me have a look at it," Grey said as he approached.
Lucas backed off the grating. "Knock yourself out, partner."
Grey worked his fingers around the iron grate and gave it a gentle tug. It didn't budge. When he pulled his hand out, he noticed a small coating of slime stuck to his fingers. He stood up and wiped it off on his pant leg. "Next time, Lucas, follow in the car. It's a long walk back to where we parked it."
Lucas shrugged. "Well, I expected you to have run him down sooner. Never expected him to get away from you." Both officers started the long walk back to their vehicle parked at the convenience store six blocks away.
As they turned the corner exiting the alley, Grey stopped and grabbed Lucas by the arm. "I'm going back down that alley. I want you to go get the car and come back with it. I have a hunch about where the suspect is hiding and if I'm right, we'll need the car to take him in." Lucas deliberated for a moment before agreeing, then took off at a light jog back to the car.
Grey stepped back into the middle of the alleyway and started a slow walk toward the dead-end. He closed his eyes and listened to the echoes of his footfalls. As he neared the end of the alley, he could hear the rapid heartbeat of a cornered animal. He sniffed at the air and encountered an unusual scent wafting off a nearby wall. Something or someone had tried to sneak past Grey. Before it could move further out of the alley, Grey reached out with his hand and grasped it firmly by its neck. When he opened his eyes, the nearly invisible captive struggled for a few minutes before finally conceding defeat. Grey lowered the boy to the ground and released his grip.
"The dude you were chasing," the boy stammered. "He just oozed down the sewer grate." Keeping his eyes to the ground, the boy asked, "What did the slimebag do?"
"Held up a convenience store, or at least he tried to before my partner and I showed up."
"What were you doing in the alley?"
"Hanging out," the boy replied.
Grey grabbed the kid by the chin and stared into his eyes. "Have you ever seen him before?"
"No," the kid answered without hesitation. "And you know I ain't lyin', 'cause I'd be a fool to lie to a vamp."
Grey smiled. "Relax, kid, I don't bite. Sounds like my partner just arrived with our ride."
"You takin' me in?"
"Of course, I am. You didn't think I was stupid enough to fall for that story about the grating, did you?" Grey grabbed the kid before he could run away, shoved him face first against the nearest wall and handcuffed him. Grey shoved the shapeshifter into the back of the vehicle. He took a seat next to his partner. "We're taking this one to special lockup."
"The Freak House?" Lucas asked as he glanced back at the passenger. "What's so special about this one?"
"He can't decide what to wear," Grey replied smiling.
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