Tom Harem [Harem - Beast Hunters Omnibus II

It took them about 25 minutes. A black car followed by two ambulances. Despite the urgency, the sirens were off. The heat had also deserted us, and we were shivering from cold, our clothes ripped, and our bodies slashed. Ashen's eyes were open but he couldn't move, unlike Kendra who had fainted once again. The cars stopped in front of what was left of the house, the dust swirling in the air under the gloomy moonlight and the stars that had not hidden behind the black curtain.

A paramedic pulled out of each ambulance and rushed towards us. Both wore fatigue in their eyes and their faces were unwashed. Ramels trapped in their untrimmed eyebrows, snail beards and taller hair on top. In fact, they looked like brothers from a different mother. I helped one of them lift Kendra up and lay her on one of the stretchers. Maggie and Elisa helped the other one to get Ashen in the other.

They thanked us for the help and tried to smile, but the desire seemed to be lost halfway through and we were left with only one awkward result. A black suit man too well dressed to be a man of action came out of the car and walked up to us. He didn't seem to be in a hurry from the way he walked calmly, hands in his dark blue pants pockets, or probably black. At night they all looked the same.

He greeted me with a strong handshake and waved to the girls.

"You're Crash, right?" He asked me. He seemed to know the answer, but he still wanted to be sure. Not that it was hard to know when I was the only man there.

"Yes. And you? Where are you taking them?" I replied, looking at the ambulances closing their doors.

"To a hospital we have a few minutes from here. Don't worry. Don't worry. You'll be able to visit them as soon as we take care of a few things." The man said and paused. The important part was coming, and we could feel the tension in his voice and in the intonation, he added to certain words, as if some were more important for the sentence than others, "Is what you told the operator all true? I am not doubting you but, as you can imagine, we cannot act without confirming the truthfulness of all the facts."

"Yes, it's on camera. Maggie..." I said it, and she pulled the camera out of her eyebrow and handed it to me.

It was imperceptible at night, although it caused itchy skin. I gave it to the man. He looked at it for a few seconds and then removed a small sealed white package from his right pocket and tossed the camera there. It had one of those openings where you had to drag it sideways and all the way to the end to even have room to put two fingers in and take something out of it.

"Well done. We'll investigate it. The best thing now is to come with me. We'll get you some warm clothes and a place where you can spend the night. I warn you, one of you will have to stay up all night. We're having several conferences and all help is welcome." The man said, without ever smiling or showing any kind of emotion... For him, everything was rational, everything was as it had to be, no matter who was wounded or the upcoming blood storm.

"I'll stay. They'd better get some sleep." I said, "Am I going to meet the boss?"

"No, you don't... Not yet." He said, tripping over his words, losing his composure for the first time. He didn't seem to be expecting that particular question and had lost his lead, " We better get going. It won't be a long journey, but there are people waiting for us."

He walked along with us to the car. He opened the back door and invited the girls in, asking me to sit in the front seat.

"We need to have a word in private." He said when he sat down, fully knowing the girls could hear him.

The car had the air conditioning on. The heat contrasted with the street cold and our bodies shivered with the change. Maggie even sneezed as soon as the doors closed. But the warmth was welcome, and the man waited a few seconds before turning on the engine. It rumbled for a few seconds before it silenced, allowing only the birds' whispers to be heard, almost like a moonlit serenade. The man reclined his seat, moving it a few inches back, and yawned.

"I'm so sorry. I had to stay professional around the others. Damn it, we' re looking at a shithole, right? I believe you. Actually, Ashen had already told me about this possibility. We went to the academy together, you know?" The man said and took a cigarette out of his pocket, "Do either of you want one? I usually never smoke, but it helps me calm down."

"Me," Elisa answered. She tore the sleeves of her white uniform until she had only the straps and what remained to cover her chest.

"I don't smoke but thank you," Maggie answered him and yawned. She was sleepy, tired and less cheerful than usual. We hadn't yet talked about how she felt about her father, and at this rate, it would still take a while to get a few minutes alone with her.