"Here we are, sugarplum!"
Having made it to town, the tall man seemed intent on getting his payment; they had stopped right in front of an inn. He helped her down, hand lingering on her thigh.
"I thank you, sir. May God forgive your transgressions."
Maleika started to walk away, but the man had a grip of iron. She looked up at him in shock and confusion.
"Sir, I do not desire your presence any longer. Please release me."
The man gave her a solid whack across the face, bringing tears to her eyes. She sniffled softly and mouthed a prayer for rescue.
~*~
Matthew leaned Dante against the doorframe and maneuvered him inside. "I'm Matthew, by the way. Can you watch him for a second? I'll be right back." A furry ear flicked out from under his mop of hair as he set the man down just inside the threshold. He smiled shakily at the both of them and jogged down the street.
"Hey, man. Where's the fire?"
Matthew slammed the front door with unnecessary enthusiasm and went straight to the kitchen. Rick had gotten out of bed with Julie and taken up residence on the squeaky couch, but now followed out of concern.
"You're turning again. What happened?"
Matthew began tearing apart the cupboards. He tossed cans of vegetables, tins of biscuits, and other assorted objects across the room, but couldn't find anything remotely medical.
"There's a fire across town and some guy got shot or something and there's some creepy shit going on and—" Rick grasped his arms and stood him up. He struggled for a second, but finally stopped and took a breath.
"Matt. Do you need help?"
He nodded weakly, hands shaking. Releasing him, Rick started picking up cans and stacking them on the counter in a neat pyramid shape. "Alright, tell me what you need."
Matthew leaned against the wall, arms clasped around himself protectively, and concentrated on removing all signs of mongoose from his body. "Bandages. And some disinfectant. And how about some cornbread? He looked kinda hungry."
The furry ears retracted into his head as the adrenaline wore off. "I mean, you shoulda seen him. I've seen fatter tadpoles!" Rick opened the only untouched cupboard – the one under the sink – and started pulling out supplies. "But not the stick kind of thin, he was more wiry, really. And tough. Like a bear. A big grizzly bear on Atkins." He smiled, then. "Yeah… Oh, thanks, man." He picked up the items and headed for the door like nothing had even happened.
"Be careful, Matt. If things get bad, we'll drop word at the church. Maybe God'll send us some competent firemen!" Matthew laughed and waved and ran back out into the rain with a newfound sense of composure.
