Page 10 of Natural-Born Cullers

“Hey, no… no,” said Cane, pushing him back down as Alec crouched next to them. “Stay there. Let us get you some help, okay?”

The guy shook his head, and a thin line of blood crept from underneath his hairline, down to his left eye. “I… I—”

“Easy… easy.” Alec quickly looked around for help, then tugged out his phone, seeing none. “Did you fall? Can you tell me your name?”

“I… I….” The lad started to choke, and Alec jerked back as he threw up.

“Okay, okay… I don’t think that’s a good sign.” Cane flicked Alec a worried look as he started patting down the lad’s clothes. “I’m just looking for some ID. I need to give it to my friend, Alec, here, so he can tell it to the ambulance staff, okay? I swear you’ll get it back.”

“Fuck,” muttered Alec, and he thumbed at his phone again as he kept one eye on Cane and the young lad. “No bloody signal.” He looked back at the gap in the wall, then got to his feet. “Shout me the details over, bro. I need to get back outside.”

Cane nodded, still looking for the lad’s wallet. As more blood trickled from the lad’s head wound, Alec tugged off his suit jacket and tossed it down to Cane.

“Cover him up,” Alec said quickly. “Watch for shaking…. Along with concussion, shock ain’t good either.” It was standard to do first aid training at the bank, and he remembered the basics at least.

Cane saluted him, and Alec bolted back for the gap. A bar came up on his phone as soon as he was through it, and Alec wiped at his face, then spat out some of the dust. “Got a signal,” he called back after a moment, and he thumbed in 999.

“Emergency, what ser—?”

“Hi. I’m on Charterhouse Street, just outside the General Market…. I need a—”

“Hello… hello, sir?”

Alec covered his one ear. “Listen, I need a—”

The line broke, and he lost the call. “Fuck.” He never usually got no signal here, and he quickly looked around at the empty street. Christ. Any other day…. “Cane. My phone’s bloody wank. Give me yours.” Alec had two: one for work, just a cheap one in case he was mugged, where the other, his iPhone, sat at home. He kind of wished he had Cane’s look now and the ability to carry a phone without having to worry too much about getting mugged.

As he tried thumbing in the numbers again, he craned his look back through the crack when no reply came. “Cane…?”

Nothing but dust stirred beyond the barricade, and, frowning, Alec squeezed back through a little, keeping the phone outside, so conscious of the signal. “Bro, your phone. For some reason mine’s not working.”

The pile of scaffolding still lay on the ground, but other than that, nothing but quiet and broken sunlight danced around the huge indoor market.

The lad had been hidden behind the metal tubing more to the right. Bar his hand, he hadn’t been visible, but as Cane crouched by him—Alec should have been able to see him, especially as Cane and his tall body had a few inches height over most with that red mohawk of his.

“Bro?” Confused, Alec went over. A patch of dried blood and vomit stained the concrete, but other than that?

Alec did a full 360 of the abandoned stalls.

Only the sound of life beyond the barricades moved with him: rumbling cars, a few horns, drills from roadworks seeming to come more from the direction of the bank, so what… where? Alec’s heart pounded harder in his chest. Fuck the young lad—why… where would Cane have gone?Howwould he have gone? The only way out would have beenthroughAlec himself.

“Cane.” Alec started to shake. “Ca—”

A thud smacked the back of his skull, and he hit the floor a moment later, blood running down his cheek as he blinked. Dust-filled shoes came from around his side and… blink. All Alec could do was blink at them as they kicked dust into his eyes.

A phone was picked up off the floor. His own? Why wasn’t it in his hand anymore?

“Found the reason why your phone ain’t working, mate.” Someone leaned down a little closer. “Me.” A rough sigh came. “And that makes two. Cane and his little… not-so-Able bro, right?” The voice was as gravelly as the rubble around them, and it carried the barest offer of a French accent. “I know where that Candy Cane of yours is, Alec. Wanna come have a lick with us too?”

Us? Flipped over, a tug came under Alec’s arms, and his head lolled back, hitting a shin.

“Fuck.” A huff came. “You enjoy those crisps and beer on Friday nights a little more than Cane, huh?” A tut, a glance over a shoulder. “Noah…Noah.” The cry cut into Alec’s head. “Don’t make me cut off your dick to get you over here and helping, bro.”

Chapter 5

Sons

“Light…?”

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