I found Philip in the bedroom Michelle was in last night. The one she woke up in this morning. The room that was next to the one I woke up in. Him, his wife and his 2 kids all huddled together on a queen sized mattress. His wife and kids were sound asleep, but as soon as I walked in, he sat up quickly, a wooden, broken table leg in his hand. He quickly hides it looking guilty. Like he'd done something wrong.
I shake my head, trying to convey he didn't need it and that I wasn't mad. Then I gesture for him to follow me.
He hesitates, looking down at his kids and wife, clearly not wanting to get up. Probably still worried they might still be in danger here. I didn't really blame him. Cecil and Ivy still scared ME. Luckily I was beginning to trust, actually trust, Fletcher and Zeno. But, Philip had more than just himself to worry about.
But after a moment, he slowly starts to slide himself away from them, trying very hard not to wake them up. His elder daughter, who was in his arms, he slowly shifts out of his embrace and onto the bed before standing.
"What?" he hisses quietly as he comes to my side.
I usher him out a little farther and half close the door, leaving it slightly ajar, "Which 'safe house' were you at?" I ask him quietly
"The high school on main street. Why?" He whispers back, intentionally standing between himself and the only doorway into the bedroom with his wife and kids in it.
"Do you know if they have a witch kept there?" I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest & leaning on the wall.
He hesitates, "I'm not sure…" He says thinking it over.
"I saw them bring in a shipping box…" the wife says, opening the door a little more, but not being brave enough to actually step out into the hall. As if Philip OR the door would somehow be enough to save her if any of the creatures in the house were to go berserk. "I remember thinking it was big enough to hold a person." She whispers.
"Not a lot to go off of." I admit, "But it's all we got. Thanks."
I turn to leave but the wife grabs my wrist. I pause, turning to look at her, "That werewolf... That m-man…. Uhm… is he…?" She stutters, her grey eyes filled with worry and compassion.
I pause, taken aback. I wasn't expecting her to ask. I wasn't expecting so much… concern, "Uhm… Noah says he'll push through." I say, feeling weird being the one giving out this kind of information.
She lets out a heald breath and to my surprise, so does Phillip.
I hesitate a moment, feeling awkward, before giving them a nod and saying, "G'night." before leaving. As I start to walk down the stairs, Cecil is there. I pause, not sure what to say. But my mouth moves before I could think to stop it, "Not so bad afterall?" I ask him.
He scoffs, rolling his eyes. But, he doesn't argue with me. He just brushes past, muttering, "Night."
I watch him walk upstairs, then I sigh and head downstairs to find Noah sitting beside Zeno who was still laid on the kitchen table where Cecil and Noah played operation on him. Noah sat on a kitchen chair beside him, his arms crossed and leaned on the table with his head laying on his arms, his eyes closed. He'd fallen asleep while watching over him.
He was still basically a kid. I think to myself.
I gently touch his back and he stiffens, sucking in a sudden breath as he wakes up. He breaks into a yawn and says, "Everything okay?"
"Noah, you need sleep. Go on upstairs. I'll watch over him until Fletcher gets back."
"He still outside?" Noah asks.
I nod.
He sighs, "He likes fresh air when he's stressed. And Zeno is… Zeno's his best friend. They've been together almost every day since Fletcher bought me. Side by side. Always together. I dont… I dont know what Fletcher would do without him…"
"You love him?" I ask.
He hesitates, like he wasn't expecting me to ask that. Shit, I wasn't expecting me to ask that. But, he nods, "Yeah," Noah says slowly, "He's… Like an uncle to me, Quinn."
I smile, pulling up a chair and sitting beside him, pulling him into a hug, "He'll be fine, Noah." I promise him, "He'll make it."
He nods, sniffling.
We both jump as we hear Fletcher say, "He's tough. And I can hear his heartbeat. It's strong. Much stronger than it was earlier. Werewolves heal fast, too. He'll probably be up and ready to fight something else in a day or two."
"Speaking of fighting things," I say standing, "Philip's wife, Emily, says they were bringing in a shipping container. Something big enough to carry a person."
"That's not a lot to go on." Fletcher says.
"That's actually exactly what I said." I tell him.
Fletcher nods, "I mean, what are the chances it's a witch?"
"I don't know…" I admit, with a one shoulder shrug, "But with my arm still broken and Zeno out of commission, I don't think breaking into a DMHS's war camp is a good idea."
He nods, "Not unless we know for absolute certainty that it's a witch…"
"How the hell are we going to do that?" I ask him.
He shrugs, "I don't know. Maybe you should go back and see Isaiah?" He asks, "Do you know if he's still got an in at DMHS?"
I hesitate, "I doubt he's gonna help us now. He was… pretty mad about me bringing Zeno near the refugees." I admit with a grimace, "I'll be lucky if he ever talks to me, honestly."
"It's night time now. I could go with you this time?" He offers.
I groan. "No. Maybe I'll try calling my mother, though. But, I'll have to go back to my apartment first. My cell phones are all there. Well, my unbroken ones, anyway. I also still need to get my truck from that fucking diner where I left it." 'and got my ass handed to me by rotting dogs', I think to myself.
He nods, "You think your mother would know if they got a witch there?"
"If she doesn't, there's no way in hell my father wouldn't be able to get that information."
"Why's that?" Noah asks, popping back into the conversation with innocent curiosity.
"He's got a gold license." both me and Fletcher say at the same time.
"Gold!?" Noah gasps.
I nod.
"What about your mom?" He asks.
"She's still silver." I say.
"Damn…" Noah whispers.
"I know, right?" Fletcher questions.
I shoot him a glare and he just shrugs, "What? Your family is pretty scary to one of my kind." He says.
I sigh, rolling my eyes, "Let's just go get my truck." I say, "I'll call my mom once I get to my apartment."