The Wolf -Chapter VIII: Exposure; Part 1

VIII: Exposure

1.
Over the next few days, a number of things happened.
Immediately after the wolves left his home and drove off in their jeep, Adrian collapsed on the floor of his living room from the headache that had come seemingly out of nowhere.
Katy awoke to find him several hours later muttering in his sleep something along the lines of, “Don’t let them find.” When he awoke, and she asked him about this, he replied simply that he did not know, or did not remember.
Throughout the day, as the two of them tried to shake off the effects of the visitation, the wolf remained silent. Adrian was angry, but kept himself to himself.
There were a great many things on his mind.
After Katy left, and Adrian sat alone on his couch with a cup of coffee in his hands, it occurred to him that there was a package in the kitchen he had not yet gotten around to opening.
So it was that Adrian opened the box.

2.
He stared at the box for a long time.
Adrian did not understand why it was this box frightened him so much. Was it the use of his name, the mysterious delivery? Or the fact that, ever since its arrival, more things had happened in his life than had happened over the course of the past four years? And he had but unwrapped the packaging.
Its contents were still a mystery.
Was it a coincidence that the box arrived at just such a time, when the turbulence of his world was at a peak? Could he open it and find it nothing more than a practically joke, and be left himself the fool, jumping at shadows?
But the box had an air about it. Just looking at it, thinking about it, holding it in his hands, something was not right. Adrian got the sensation that this box was more than the sum of its materials.
Perhaps it was just the day, but Adrian felt like this box was destiny. Whether or not that was a good thing, well, there was only one way to find out.
Adrian folded open the box and looked inside.
Crumpled brown paper lined the top, which he grabbed and tossed away.
And when he looked inside, though he could not have felt the depth of it then, would not realize it for many years to come, the entire course of history was changed.

3.
Three things sat at the bottom of the box;
A small phone, at least five years old and unimpressive by every technological standard.
A pin of a thin crescent moon, at its center a golden star.
And a pale book whose cover was plain.
Adrian examined each item in turn.
The phone appeared to have no branding or manufacturing labels, and was worn. The pin had gold backing, and again had no manufacturing pressings.
The book was a blank journal, the only markings of note being two lines on the inside cover to denote name and the dates during which it was used.
Had it been only the pin and the book, he could have thrown it all away and never given a thought back to it whatsoever. But the phone?
That was the key. It was the piece which would, hopefully, give relevance to the other two pieces.
As he turned it on, the screen lit up a dull green, like an old calculator. With some navigation, he found its saved contacts.
Of which there was only one. It had no number, and its name was listed as, “?” After a few more moments of navigation, during which Adrian found the mystery contact to be the phone’s only interesting aspect, he pressed the green dial button and held the phone to his ear.
Silence, for a moment. Then a series of clicks.
And it rang.

4.
The line picked up, and there was no sound.
Adrian waited for a moment before saying, “Hello?”
An exhalation of breath. And then, “300 Brownwood Avenue. Make sure the pin is visible. Don’t bring anyone.”
“Who is this?” Adrian asked.
There was a click, and the line went dead.
Adrian set the phone on the counter and weighed his options. It didn’t take him too long to make up is mind.
He grabbed his coat and keys, and hit the road.

5.
The night has come, and Adrian is restless. He has always been a light sleeper, and though he has lived in Louis Genedy Quist’s house for almost two months now, he still has not gotten used to society. He has been introduced to a number of individuals, associates of Louis’s, in whose presence Adrian feels like a savage. His body and mind are tuned to the whispers of nature, the signposts of trouble and of peacefulness. But here, those skills are useless. People look at him like an exhibit and promptly commune amongst themselves about his weirdness when they think he can’t hear.
If only he couldn’t.
But there comes a moment when he feels an uncomfortable push at the back of his neck, and then his vision blacks out.
As Adrian is pushed backwards into sleep, the wolf takes over.
He does this often before sleep, it being the only time he can get away with taking control of Adrian’s body. And it is a relief to feel unpressed by the walls of the mind, unburdened by the metaphysicality of its realm.
And more than anything else, it helps him remember. When he is in control, something changes. The abstractions regain form and function, and he feels himself growing smarter with every moment. He takes this time to remember his earliest days, as little more than a metaphorical fetus in the back of Adrian’s mind, and the kind words that his mother would sing to him while Adrian was asleep. He thinks about her, and he feels content.
And then, he hears the front door open downstairs.
He slips out of bed and sneaks to the top of the stairs and peeks over the banister at Louis letting in a short, bald man wearing a white suit. This one looks up at the stairs, and the wolf ducks.
“Is he up there?” he asks.
Louis says, “Yeahup. Asleep, I sh’d think.”
The balding man nods and hands Louis his coat, who hangs it on a hook on the wall.
“It’s good to see you, Gerald,” Louis says, pulling the short man into a hug, patting him on the back.
Gerald says, “It’s been a time, hasn’t it? Three odd years now, I think.”
“Well come on in, have y’self a seat.”
Louis leads Gerald into the living room to the right, and when Gerald sits down he can see the man’s legs. He stays where he is, curious about this guest.
There is silence between the two of them for a moment.
“I suppose I should get right to the point, then,” Gerald says.
The old man nods his head, “That’d be best.”
Gerald coughs, composes himself, and says, “I assume you are aware of the various goings-on of our group, despite your departure from our ranks.”
The old man chuckles. “Tha’s right.”
“There have been some…rumblings. Amongst the periphery.”
“Periphery?” Louis interrupts. “Is that what you’re calling them now?”
“Uh, well,” Gerald mumbles, then shakes his head. “I apologize, Louis. It’s been a long time since I’ve talked to anyone outside the Circle concerning matters of any particular consequence. The jargon gets…”
As he struggles to find his words, Louis says, “I unnerstand, old friend. Tha’s one a’ the many reasons why I quit.”
Gerald laughs. “The folks back at central would laugh their asses off to hear that accent of yours.”
“I ain’t got no accent,” Louis says. “It’s jus’ local flavor.”
“Hah. Right. Local flavor.” Gerald sighs, then leans forward. “You don’t need it, you know. You never had to hide, no matter what you might think.”
“’Ah hid ‘cause I had to, no matter what you might think. But we ain’t here to talk about the good ol’ days, are we?”
Gerald nods. “No, I suppose we’re not.”
There is silence again. Gerald composes himself once more, and continues. “The periphery doesn’t think you taking Adrian in is the best of ideas. There are too many unknowns… too many wildcards in his personality.”
The old man huffs at this. “Is that right?”
“Yes, actually. It is.” Gerald takes a cloth from out of his breast pocket and wipes the sweat from his brow. “Without proper intervention, the whole thing could go under.”
“Proper intervention? Gerald, I’m surprised at you. I thought the whole point was to leave these things to themselves.”
Gerald is silent for a moment, then smiles. “You lost your local flavor.” The old man laughs reluctantly, and Gerald continues. “In any case, you of all people should know that “the point,” as you call it, is hardly a definite thing. We have our guidelines, but we do what we must when the times call for it. If that means interfering, then so be it. Now then, what you’re doing here with Adrian is… It’s unexpected, uncalled for, and not in any way shape or form a part of the plan.”
“And?” Louis says.
“And they want you to stop. We want you to stop.”
Louis nods and then says, “Well, Gerald. I think you will recall that I left the Circle of Friends something like three years ago over a number of differences in opinion, not the least of which being the ethical treatment of our subjects. Or rather, the lack thereof. And I know exactly what you have in store for this boy, and I’d rightly say it falls under that category.”
“Whatever you know, Louis, I guarantee you, it isn’t the whole picture.” After a pause, he continues. “There is far more going on here than just the periphery and their machinations. The Circle proper has never taken an incredible interest in their actions, and on any other day such complaints would be left entirely unanswered. But your presence in his life imposes a significant statistical problem on his chances, one that we cannot risk. That the Circle…that ABD himself sent the order down… This is big, Louis. You need to stop, before someone gets hurt.”
Louis sits up slowly and says, “Are you threatening me, Gerald?”
“Me? What am I going to do? Even if I had a gun and pulled it on you right now, what difference would it make? You’ve got protection from the likes of me. And that, I think, is the only reason they let you leave, and why they’re sending an envoy instead of a kill squad.”
“If that is indeed the case, then why should I be in the least bit worried about the problems you have presented me with?”
“Because, Louis,” Gerald says in a quiet voice, “you don’t have protection from everyone. Sooner or later someone is going to get angry, and then it will be your head on the line. And we can erase his memory. None of this will have meant a thing, and your life will have been wasted.”
Louis scoffs. “Gerald, that is an impressive claim, and entirely bullshit. You know it’s possible, but that doesn’t mean you can do it.”
“With enough motivation, Louis, we can do anything.”
At this, the old man gives pause. He looks at thisfriend and does not recognize him.
“You’ve changed, Gerald.”
“What?”
“You have become exactly that which we swore never to become.”
With an impatient sigh, Gerald says, “And what is that, Louis?”
“A limb of the machine. No longer a free-thinking individual but another pawn in this ridiculous game. You really believe with every part of you that what you’re saying is right. Your devotion has transcended your will.”
“We’re all pawns, Louis. Even the Gods.”
“But at least I’m not their pawn.”
Gerald huffs. “And just what are you doing now, bereft of your facilities within the Circle, living in this house in the middle of nowhere, that is so much better than any of the work that I am continuing?”
“Well, whatever it is, it’s certainly upsetting someone. After all, they sent you.”
This last he said with a smile.
Gerald’s lip curls into a scowl. “You never took us seriously! You laughed about our projects and-”
Louis shouts. “And I made fun of ABD and his happy little cult, and I criticized our ethics, and I worked there for fifteen god-forsaken years doing things that I will regret for the rest of my life, all because I was told that they were in the best interest of humanity. And look where you are now, Gerald. Standing here, threatening my life because I have the gall to give that boy a home. If you would but stand back and observe, you would find that every breath you take by their command is one bent towards an ill will!”
“Sometimes, Louis, sacrifices have to be made. This concept of right and wrong to which you are so desperately clinging? It is antiquated and foolish.”
“Then what of the good that the Circle supposedly wishes to enact?”
“Alright, fine! I will admit it. We do bad things. We do deplorable things, and we do them to innocent people. But that is the way of things, Louis. The darkness that we bring into the world now is meant only to kindle the flames of our future.”
“And you will see to it that all of mankind is burnt to the ground.”
They stare each other down, and finally Gerald sighs. “I apologize, old friend. I did not want for this visit to be so…morose.”
He puts out a hand, but Louis only stares at it.
“’Ah think you c’n go now,” Louis says.
Gerald’s hand falls to his side, and he nods. As he slips on his coat and opens the door, he turns back and says, “For your sake, Louis. Send him back. Leave it be. This isn’t worth your life.”
“Leave.”
There is no argument, and Gerald does just that.

6.
Adrian had spent a few moments looking over maps in a phone directory before finding that Brownwood was in the old quarter, a section of the town left relatively untouched for decades. As he drove through the center square, where a multitude of individuals went about their daily lives, he could not help but to look at them and ask himself what kinds of lives those people must be living. Who of them had lost family, who of them had murder in their heart, who was in love, who was dying… Was there, in this crowd, a werewolf? Or two? Were they as common a thing as weeds in an unkempt garden, keeping themselves somehow in check amidst such immense opposition?
What could be said of the nameless, faceless others in the world, who so lacked definition until they are introduced by someone else? How could one know any one thing without knowing all things? A piece of the puzzle can give an idea of the nature of its image, but does no justice to the full picture. Had Adrian not told Katy about himself, wouldn’t he be just another guy? He could just say he likes to lock himself in his room once a month, and that’d be that. How could anyone be sure of their loved ones, when such tremendous secrets could be kept so easily hidden?
It was too much for him to consider. He drove on.

7.
Adrian came upon Brownwood and took a left. Immediately he saw a closed down shop with a street sign reading 120, and a barbershop next to it with 122 painted in the window. His heart began to race, and he felt his hands start to tremble.
Adrian drove slowly down Brownwood, watching the even numbers pass by on his left. 292, 294, 296, 298… red light. He stared across the street at an old building that looked both dusty and well worn. Something had been painted on the side, but had long since peeled away, leaving only a faint hint of its bygone message. The light went green, and Adrian pulled forward.
The building had once been built of bright red bricks, though like much on this end of town had lost its color to time. A two-foot inlay at the center held the front door, an ancient wood with peeling red paint, old glass inlays of the kind you only saw on abandoned buildings, white flecks of pain on its edges. To either side of the door were windows of newer glass, very probably replaced. White metal blinds kept him from seeing inside. A sun-faded sign twice the size of a car stood above the entrance, saying in an extravagant mix of neon tubes and vibrant paint (the only part of the place that appeared well taken care of), The Alley-Cat MIDNIGHT.
Adrian almost slammed the breaks right there in the street, just for the double take he did from his passing glance at the sign. If he hadn’t been so wound up by the delivery of the box, its contents, and the voice on the phone, he probably would have laughed. And it was funny, in a very sick and twisted sort of way. If there were werewolves here, at least they had a sense of humor. But there was traffic behind him, and Adrian had missed his chance to pull to the side. Instead he drove down a couple blocks, turned down an empty and unused alley, and parked his car where it couldn’t be seen from the street.
Just in case.
As he walked back down the sidewalk, each step winding his heart a little more, it occurred to him that this was a terrible idea. What if this was a trap?
But what kind of trap could it possibly be?

8.
Adrian walked up to the Alley-Cat Midnight and pressed his face against the front door to see inside.
It appeared to be a bar, and an old one at that. Checkerboard floor, rusty ceiling fans, and a small handful of very beaten looking gentlemen hovering above their drinks.
So far, so good.
Adrian opened the door and went inside.

9.
An old piano piece was playing, but from where Adrian couldn’t tell.
On the left side from the door was the bar, where the bartender stood polishing a glass. He eyed Adrian with curiosity before giving him a smile. Adrian smiled back.
On the right side were six tables, each fitted with four chairs, scattered between which were two men. One man sat at the bar.
At the back right corner there was a corridor, at the opening of which stood a very well dressed man whose arms were crossed behind him. He looked Adrian up and down for a moment, then went back to doing whatever it was he was doing before.
Adrian sat down at the bar and looked around for a moment, confused.
“What’ll it be?” The bartender asked.
“Um, well,” Adrian stumbled through his words, “I guess I’m…supposed to meet someone here?”
“Uh huh. So you gonna order a drink?”
“I…don’t know. I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be-”
“Hey, kid.”
The voice came from the man standing at the corridor. Adrian turned, and found the man standing right next to him.
“I don’t think you wanna be around here, you get what I mean?”
“Huh?”
“You pokin’ your nose into other people’s bidness, it ain’t good for the establishment. So I’ma give you the count’a tree to get the feck outta here.”
“I…what? I wasn’t-”
“One.”
“-poking my nose into, I mean, come on, I was just-”
“Two.”
“Oh! Oh shit, oh wait, wait, wait!” Adrian dug around in his pockets frantically.
“Three!”
The bouncer (or whatever he was) grabbed Adrian by the upper arm and yanked him out of his seat, dragging him towards the door. He just barely managed to pull the pin out of his pocket before he was tossed out.
“Hold on, I have this!” He did his best to hold it in front of the bouncer’s eyes.
They stopped moving, and the pin was snatched out his hand.
“Well, shit,” the bouncer said, rolling the thing over in his hands. “It’s the real ting. Alright kid,” he said begrudgingly, giving him back the pin, “go ahead. And next to him, don’t forget to put the feckin’ thing on!”
Adrian immediately stuck it to his collar and walked down the corridor. Behind him he heard the bouncer shouting, “What the feck are you sons-a-bitches lookin’ at? You shitheads ah paid to act normal, not to gawk like feckin dumbasses!”
There was an utterance of, “Sorry, boss,” before Adrian reached the end of the corridor. Where there was a door. He opened it to find a spiral staircase that ran downwards.
He descended into partial darkness, and could not help but notice the almost dungeon-like quality of the walls.
So it was a club of some sort, then? Now the question became, what the hell did it have to do with Adrian?
As he reached the bottom of the staircase, there stood yet another doorman, who leaned his back against an office-like door with flecked glass. He held a clipboard under his arm, and looked at Adrian (and his pin) with mild interest.
“Wha’s your name, frien’?”
“I, uh…”
He looked down at his clipboard, then looked back up and said, “Ia ain’t no name I see on my lis’.” He smiled, and Adrian felt the slightest bit of relief. At least this one wasn’t an asshole.
“Adrian.”
Out of habit, the doorman looked down at his list, but then he looked back up in surprise, and his lip turned into a half smile. “Adrian? As in…the Adrian?”
“I…guess?”
The doorman laughed and put an arm around Adrian’s shoulder, leading him towards the door slowly.
“My man, my man! We wudn’t e’spectin’ you for a time, but here you is nevertheless! Mah’ name’s Zimmer, fella upstairs is Billy, and you, man, you are a very special gues’ indeed!”
“So…wait, they’re expecting me?”
Zimmer shrugged. “They mus’ be, right? You’s here, after all. They wudn’ta give you the place if they wasn’t a‘spectin ya.”
“I suppose so,” Adrian said, not supposing anything at all. By this point, he had given up trying to understand what was going on.
Zimmer opened the door and let Adrian through, closing the door behind him.
Adrian saw the vastness of the room and was not, at first, able to comprehend exactly what he was seeing. It was scene unlike any he’d ever witnessed before.
Glittering diamond chandeliers hung from the crabby limestone ceiling, mingling amongst the stalactites. Below were at least two dozen tables, each adorned with numerous chairs, ornate tablecloths, gold candelabras, and neatly folded napkins over strictly set silverware. It was not full, but the crowd was above twenty, at least.
A pianist was soloing in the corner, a full band behind him preparing to jump in.
Down here there was also a bar, but it was longer, and far more respectable. And sitting alone at the bar was…was…
“Oh, shit,” Adrian said.
Dade turned around, as if expecting to see someone. His eyes passed over Adrian, then he turned back towards the bar. Then he whipped around, eyes wide. He looked over his shoulder at the crowd, then jumped out of his seat and rushed towards Adrian.
Adrian felt a lurch of fear in his heart and raised his fists, but Dade stopped a few feet in front of him.
“Don’t, don’t,” Dade said, holding up his hands, “I’m not going to hurt you just, please, come over here.” He grabbed Adrian’s wrist and dragged him towards a table in an isolated corner. He sat Adrian down, then Dade sat next to him, turning his chair in his direction.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered.
“I…was told to come here?” Adrian answered.
“By who?”
“I don’t know, I just, I got a package, and-”
“A package?” Dade seemed dumbfounded by this, then looked away. “Oh, fuck, why would it have to be today?”
“What are you talking about?” Adrian asked.
“Listen,” Dade said, leaning in as close as he could. “I think…” he looked back over his shoulder, then looked back at Adrian, “I think I sent that package to you. Don’t ask me how, because I don’t know, just…just listen. I need to talk with you before he does.”
“Who?”
“Abraham. He’s…” Dade shook his head, “Anyway, right now you really need to leave. You know where this place is, come back tomorrow, or the day after, or any day that’s not today, just go!”
“Why?”
“Because he’s here, right now, walking amongst the ranks, and if he sees you, he’ll-”
“By the Gods!” came a voice from behind them. Dade flinched and turned to look at the source.
Abraham stood there, his arms crossed, his face bearing a curious half-smile.
“Adrian!” he said. “How did you…where did you get the pin? How…” Abraham shook his head and sat down across from the two of them. “We weren’t expecting you for a while, Adrian. This is…unexpected.”
Adrian looked at him and said, “Yes, well, that tends to be the case when things aren’t expected.”
Abraham laughed. “I apologize. My verbosity has the unfortunate tendency of vanishing in moments of stress or surprise. One fault among many, I suppose. So, how did you come to be here?” As he said this, he eyed Dade.
Adrian looked at the guy next to him and said, “It wasn’t him. He just brought me over here when he saw me come in to, uh… not attract attention. You know?”
Abraham squinted. “Is that right?”
Dade said, “Yeah.”
“I got a package,” Adrian said quickly, diverting the attention away from Dade, “It just had a phone, and this.” He pointed to the pin on his shirt.
“I…see…” Abraham stroked his chin, then said, “Well, that’s alright, I suppose. Unfortunate, but not without its merits. In fact, I think that I am glad you are here. I was particularly worried about having to convince you to come with us on our next visit, and here you are of your own accord.”
“I get a package with the location of your…” he looked out at the apparent ballroom, “…gathering place, and you don’t ask who sent it or why?”
Abraham only smiled. “In my experience, Adrian, these things only happen when they are meant to happen. Your being here is the way it was always going to be, whether we had planned for it or not. Come, we have much to discuss!”
He stood and motioned to Dade.
“Go tell my sister that he’s here.”
Dade nodded and hurried away, giving only one nervous glance back at Adrian.

10.
Adrian was led to a small conference room set away from the main ballroom, and Abraham sat down across the table from Adrian.
“I imagine you have quite a few questions.”
“I’ll bet you don’t have the answers, though.”
Abraham smiled. “You’d be surprised. We’re a tight-lipped lot, us wolves, but amongst our own kind? And especially amongst one such as yourself, Adrian. There are no secrets between us. I make you that promise now.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “Okay then. So what is this place?”
“The Midnight? It’s a piece of history, actually. During the time of prohibition, it was a speakeasy. It got busted of course, as so many were. But much of it was left intact, and when we came to town we decided, why the hell not?”
“So you’re living in a bunch of caves and pretending it’s the 30’s?”
“Hardly. It’s just an atmosphere that we prefer to, say, a dank office, or some poor bastard’s apartment. It gives our work a sense of honor, I suppose. And no, we don’t live here. This is just a meeting place. There are beds of course, and enough food to last for a time, but that’s just for us. We all have homes elsewhere, some of us even have families.”
“Do you have a family?”
Abraham laughed sardonically and said, “Besides my sister? Not anymore. Dade feels like a kid brother sometimes, the way we have to help him along…especially recently. But that’s that. We’re blessed just as we are cursed. It all must be taken in stride.”
“I see.”
“But you would know all about that, wouldn’t you? The way your…father, I suppose you would call him, died. Mr. Genedy.”
“…what do you mean?”
Abraham blinked for a moment, then said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that you didn’t know-”
“Know what?”
Abraham stammered, then said quietly, “He was killed.”
“I- What? He died of a heart condition. In his sleep.”
Abraham shook his head. “It was tailored to look that way. Someone amongst our ranks…well, it’s something of a mystery, actually. No one really knows who or why. It just happened, and I think for your purposes that knowledge would do no good.”
Adrian shook his head for a moment. “Okay. So are all your secrets that fucked up? Because I’m not sure I want to hear them if they are.”
Abraham said simply, “I’m afraid that some of them are, in fact. But that is the world that we live in, Adrian. Unfortunately.”
He leaned over and placed a hand on Adrian’s shoulder, and despite himself he did feel a level of comfort from this man.
“So why me, then?” Adrian asked.
Abraham took a breath through his teeth, “Now that is a complicated question to answer…”
“You said no secrets.”
“I know, don’t worry. I mean simply that it’s difficult to explain without…well, you ask me if any more of my secrets are painful to hear, this is by every account one of those. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
Adrian considered for a moment, then sighed.
“No. Not right now. Fuck. What are you people doing here, anyway?”
“Right now? Waiting.”
Adrian shook his head. “For what?”
“Well, in a matter of speaking… for you.”
“I’m…sorry?”
“As I said before, we’ve been watching you for some time now. This would not be the case if you weren’t a very important individual.”
“Alright, can we talk about something else, please?” Adrian said.
“What?”
“I don’t want to hear about me. I…I just can’t. God, I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”
“You’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.” He stood up and walked over to Adrian, getting down on his knees and putting his arms at his shoulders. “There is time. We don’t have any need of conversing so seriously so soon. You are amongst kin here, Adrian. You do not need to be afraid of yourself here, because we are all you. We all know your pain, because it is ours as well. You ought to rest. There is a bed in another room, if you’d like.”
Adrian thought about it, then said, “Yeah, I guess that would be alright.”
“Good. Right this way.”

11.
Adrian was led to a small room out of another corridor, where a mattress lay on the floor. Next to it was a perspiring glass of water and a plate of steaming food.
“How did you-”
“My sister prepared these things for you, I expect. She is a wondrous cook, that one. Is everything to your satisfaction?”
Adrian looked around and nodded, yawning.
“Alright then. I shall see you in the morn, then.”
Abraham left the room and closed the door. Adrian felt confused, and very suddenly exhausted. It occurred to him that he had been awake for far too long, and that his vision was starting to cross.
He sat down, intending to try the food, when he smelled the cleanliness of the sheets. He laid his head down on the pillow and took a deep breath, and felt himself being carried away by it.
Adrian was asleep before he could even take off his shoes.

The Wolf -Chapter VII: Visitation

VII: Visitation

1.
“Oh god, what is that stench?” Katy asked.
She had herself under Adrian’s arm, supporting his weight and helping him into the living room. His legs were barely able to hold himself up, and all over he was a mess. It was a very good thing there seemed to be a healing factor to being a werewolf, because he should have been dead.
His arms and legs were scratched and bruised and coated in dry blood, his chest a patchwork of gashes and scars. When asked if this was normal, Adrian said that it had been at one time, but that was a while ago. So he’d been fighting himself, then, she thought. That voice…that other side…fought its instincts tooth and nail, ripping apart its own body rather than hurting me.
She tried to think back to the night, and realized she had already blocked out the particulars. How quickly the human mind worked its magic.
“That’d be the chili,” Adrian said.
“Chili?” Katy looked at him incredulously. “You mean that smell that’s like death and vomit and gym socks all put together…that’s coming from food?”
“It’s the onions. You know canines get sick when they eat onions? Worse than chocolate, actually.”
After she set him on the couch, she shook her head. “What does that have to do with anything?”
He smiled and tapped his head.
Katy blinked, not comprehending, then let out a laugh. “Are you serious? Hey, if I whipped out a tennis ball, would you like freeze up and run after it when I threw it?”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “It’s a psychological thing. It helps me forget…things. Get me a bowl, would you please? I’m a little, uh…” he motioned to his beaten and bloody extremities.
Katy gagged as she walked into the kitchen. “Are you sure I don’t need to take you into the hospital? You look pretty fucked up.”
“No, I’ll be fine. Just give me a couple hours. The effects of shifting don’t wear off for a good day or so. Oh, help yourself to the chili, if you’d like.”
As she walked up to the bubbling pot, bowl in hand, she stuck her tongue out and turned to Adrian. “I think I’ll pass.” She spooned him a bowl and walked back towards the living room.
Outside, the sun was only just beginning to rise.
“So, hold on, this stuff helps you forget? These must be some powerful onions.”
“Like I said, it’s psychological. The smell, the taste…it pushes the voice back, helps me be normal. I guess.”
“Wait, hold on,” Katy said as she was about to hand him the bowl. “Isn’t that the exact opposite of what we want to happen right now?”
Adrian ran his hands through his hair.
“Are you seriously considering…” she said.
He looked up at her, his face a mess of confusion and doubt. “I’m scared.”
Katy blinked. “Of what?”
“Of…what might happen if I let the voice…” Adrian rubbed his eyes. “If I let the wolf in. What if this is just a means to an end?”
Of course it is, the wolf said. Everything is. That doesn’t mean it’s nefarious, you dolt. Maybe I just want-
“Maybe he just wants to be able to live, for once,” Katy said. “I mean, from what I understand, you’ve never given him the chance.”
The wolf chuckled with surprise and said, See? She gets it.
Again Adrian ran his hands through his hair, bending himself over. He shook his head and said, “He.”
“What?”
“You called it ‘he’. Twice. Just now.”
“So?”
“The wolf’s been a shadow in my head for as long as I can remember. It’s never been a ‘he.’ It’s just-”
“Adrian?” Katy asked.
“Huh?” he said, shaken.
She leaned forward and got nose-to-nose with him, looking him straight in the eye.
“What you’re talking about right now? That is exactly what he is complaining about. This casual interior repression,” she motioned to the bowl in her hand, “these antidotes for the working state of your mind. I have been familiar with the situation for all of, what, two days? And already I’ve got a better handle on it than you do. The wolf, despite whatever you personally have been through, is a part of you, and maybe you’re a part of him. I mean, not even giving him a gender? That’s just fucked up. This isn’t healthy for him, and I doubt it’s healthy for you.”
Adrian blinked. After a pause, he said, “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh yeah?” she said.
Adrian managed to pull himself up and limp into the kitchen, leaning on the counter of the island.
“This is a complicated situation, you can’t possibly understand without firsthand experience. You don’t know anything about me.”
Katy shook her head and raised her voice, “You don’t know anything about me! My sister had multiple personality disorder, did you know that?”
He turned to her. “What?”
“Yeah. Did you know my dad was a drunk and that my mom died in childbirth? My sister and I were twins. I came this close to being born crazy, you realize that? It was a fifty-fifty chance. I spent my entire childhood dealing with her constant switching, I know what happens when you repress a personality, Adrian. Don’t fucking tell me I don’t have any firsthand experience with this, my sister may not have been a werewolf but she was a damn sight crazier than you will ever be, so stop using this ‘Oh-you-don’t-understand’ bullshit to block out the fact that I am one hundred percent right. You know I am, don’t even look at me like that. You just don’t want to hear it because you don’t have the balls to face up to your own fears!”
“Jesus Christ, would you stop with that? You’re giving me a headache.”
“Motherfucker, I’ll come over there and kick your goddamn teeth in, then you can complain about a fucking headache. Shit.”
Adrian started laughing, and Katy shouted, “What?”
“You curse like a sailor when you get pissed, you know that?”
She laughed in spite of herself and sighed. By that point she had set the bowl of chili on the table, and she picked it up and carried it into the kitchen.
“Okay, yeah, I’m sorry. That was rude. But I don’t like being ignored, and that’s exactly what you’re doing.” She sat next to him. “Okay, so, what does he say?”
“Huh?”
“About the chili.”
“Oh. He hasn’t said anything since you went on your tirade.”
She nodded. “Well, ask him?”
Adrian leaned back and lifted an eyebrow. “Um…okay, sure, why not.”
He closed his eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened.
“I…really have no idea how.”
“Are you saying you’ve never talked to him?”
“I’m saying I’ve only ever really talked to him out of urgency or desperate need. It’s always been an instinctual thing, I’ve never had to actually, like…talk to him.”
I think you should toss it out the window.
“Oh, well, there he goes.”
“What’d he say?” Katy asked.
“He said to toss it out the window.”
She smiled and did just that -first with the bowl, then the entire pot. “Good riddance.”
“Except,” Adrian said, “now we are without breakfast.”
“That wasn’t breakfast,” Katy says, “that was torture. Sit your happy ass down and have yourself a chat, I’ll cook us up something.”
He moved towards the living room, then said, “Was that true about your sister, and your mom, and all of that?”
Without looking at him, she said, “Are you kidding me? I never even had a sister.”
Adrian nodded his head. Of course.

2.
As Adrian sat on the couch, Katy rummaged through the various fixings in the cabinets and drawers, tallying her resources and planning what to prepare. She had every intention of taking her time.
Adrian, meanwhile, laid his head back and stared at the ceiling. His mind was a mess of questions and doubts, and despite his lack of involvement in the transformation, he was entirely exhausted.
“I know what you want me to do,” he said to the wolf. “I know why you want me to do it. But I don’t know that I can.”
There was silence for a time, and Adrian almost gave up to continue his conversation with Katy when there came a beleaguered sigh, followed by, Is it honestly that difficult a decision?
“On the surface? No, I don’t suppose it is… but you, you’ve always been this thing…this malice at the edge of my periphery. You led me places I didn’t want to be and caused me pain and heartache. I’ve taught myself to hate you and repress you because that was the only way I could retain my humanity… Can I honestly just turn around and accept you, without consequence or forethought?”
…yes. We aren’t so different.
“What could we possibly have in common?”
We share the same body. If you die, I die. And in all likelihood, if I died, you would die, too. There is a great deal that you do not understand, Adrian. I was born here, just as you were. I was put here for a reason. Our union is not chance or luck. It was meant to be.
“No,” Adrian said, standing up. He shook his head and closed his eyes, “No, no, I can’t do this.”
“What’s wrong?” Katy asked.
“This is too weird, I can’t do this.”
Coward.
“Shut up! Just shut up and leave me alone, I can’t do this!”
Katy rushed out of the kitchen and grabbed Adrian by the shoulders.
“What is it, Adrian?”
“Talking to it, I can’t do it, I can’t just sit there and converse with it… It feels like this slithery, slimy thing is worming its way into my heart, I can’t take it!”
Your fear will be the end of you, Adrian.
Katy blinked. “What?”
“What what?” Adrian looked at her, confused.
“You just said…oh god, I think he just spoke through you Adrian.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed in fear, and he turned away, gripping his skull. He ran into the bathroom and screamed at the mirror.
“You, you don’t want union, you don’t want freedom, you want control! You want revenge for being the lesser half! Stop pushing through me, god damn it, get back to your hole and stay there! Leave me out of it!”
You would like that, wouldn’t you? said the wolf, but he spoke no more.
Katy stood in the doorway, a wooden spoon clenched in the grip of an oven mitt.
“It’s okay,” she said. “Just calm down, get a grip on yourself. Baby steps, right?”
Adrian shook his head. “No. I can’t. I can’t do this. I can’t be this person-”
“Yes you can, Adrian, you just have to-”
The doorbell rang, and they both stopped midsentence.
“Were you expecting company?” Katy asked.
“No.”
She looked him up and down, then said, “Okay, go upstairs and try to clean yourself up, I’ll get the door. After they’re gone, we can head out and get some coffee or something and rack our heads about this whole situation.”
They stepped through the living room and Adrian limped up the stairs. Katy noted that already the open wounds were scabbed over. It was definitely a stroke of good luck on his part.
Behind the door were three silhouettes, and Katy composed herself for a moment (having set the kitchen instruments on a counter) before she opened the door.
There was a second of fear that lurched between her hand grabbing the doorknob, and turning it, that made her wish she had thought more carefully about taking charge of the situation.
Standing on the porch were two men and a woman, all of them in fairly normal clothes except the girl had a very pierced face. The shorter of the two men had shaggy hair that looked like it hadn’t been cut in at least half a year, while the other had his down to mid back, in a ponytail. This one wore sunglasses, which blocked out his eyes entirely.
They saw her and appeared confused. The taller man said, “Is this the house of Adrian Quist, by any chance?”
Katy thought about lying, but decided against it. “Yeah.”
“Who’re you?” the woman amongst them asked with a measure of apprehension in her voice. The taller man looked to her and waved her down.
He returned his attentions to Katy.
“We three are old friends of Adrian’s, after a fashion. We haven’t seen him in some time, happened to be in the neighborhood, and thought we might drop by. Is he in, by any chance?”
Again she considered saying that he was not, but she had a horrible feeling about these people, and it seemed foolish to lie. And if they were anywhere near as forceful as they appeared to be, what she said on the matter probably wouldn’t be important. If they wanted to come in, they were going to come in.
“He’s in the shower, actually. Can I take a message?”
“Oh, no, that won’t be necessary. May we come in?”
Katy thought, Fuck, but did not want to make the situation worse.
“Umm…sure, why not.”
She stepped out of the way, and the three came inside.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten myself. My name is Abraham. This boy here is Dade, and that’s Evita.”
She shook each of their hands in turn. Abraham said, “Would you happen to have a name, lady?”
She smiled nervously and said, “Yeah. Katy.”
Abraham nodded and stroked his chin, almost as though he were tasting the name like a fine wine. “Katy. Katherine?”
“Just Katy.”
He nodded again. “Well Katy,” he said as she closed the front door, “would it be within my bounds to ask you how you have come to know Adrian?”
She walked past them and rubbed her temples. She motioned to the chairs and couch in the living area. “Have a seat. Um, I guess you could say I’m a friend.”
“A close friend?” Abraham asked.
Evita admired the rusty dagger on the wall and said, “Not too close, I hope.”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Katy said. She was getting annoyed.
“And I, personally,” said Evita, giving her a poisonous look, “don’t think you should presume to know my business.”
Abraham held up his hands. “No, that’s entirely okay, you are absolutely correct, Katy. Evy, if you don’t mind, would you please calm yourself? We are guests in this house.”
She huffed and went back to looking at the dagger, but said nothing else.
There was silence for a bit, as none of them knew what to say. Abraham and Dade were sitting on the couch, while Katy was sitting across from them in the same chair she had been sitting in the night Adrian told her about what he was. What a gruesome mirror this is, she thought.
“This is a very nice throw rug,” Dade said with a hesitant smile. When his comment was met with only angry glances from his companions and confusion from Katy, he went back rubbing his knuckles and staring down.
“So,” Katy said, “are you guys werewolves, or what?”
All three of them looked at her, dumbstruck.
“I mean, not that it’s any of my business, or anything,” she said nervously. “I don’t care, it’s just, you know, a question. For conversation.”
I shouldn’t have asked that, she thought.
Abraham smiled wanly. “Well, that’s certainly one way to break the ice. In your assumption, my dear, you would be correct. We are of the wolf kin.”
She looked between them and said, “So, why aren’t you all fucked up? I mean, Adrian was…”
Shut up, shut up, why am I saying this?
“Adrian isn’t like us, I’d wager. Too far removed from the culture, I should think,” Abraham said.
“Did he tell you?” Dade asked. His friends looked at him angrily. “I mean, about the…being… nevermind.”
Katy shook her head, “Okay, so you, Abraham, you’re the leader, that’s obvious. Evita, you’re the pissy femme fatale. Dade here is the quiet pushed around kiddo who’s never been allowed to think or act for himself. Is that about right? You’re a pretty stereotypical group, if I do say so myself.”
“Your jokes aren’t funny,” Evita said, “and you shouldn’t be here. Tell her, brother! She’s broken the law and as much as confessed to us here and now. I should-”
“Sister, dearest,” Abraham said, “you are speaking out of turn, and I fear your tongue is miles ahead of your brain. This is neutral ground, we have no authority here.”
She scowled. “We have authority wherever our teeth cut flesh.”
“Evita!” Abraham yelled. Katy jumped in her seat at the sudden fierceness of it. “This is neither the time, nor the place.”
It amazed her to see that Evita’s face resembled that of a misbehaving pup whose master just whacked it on the nose. The canine similarities were more than passing, it seemed.
“I apologize for her rashness,” Abraham said. “You see, we’ve had something of a troubled few weeks, and we’re all a bit stressed. And Dade here, this is the first time he’s been among normal people in quite some time. Isn’t that right, Dade?”
He looked up at them, nodded, then looked back at the floor.
Abraham shrugged. “It surprises me that he should have told you about himself.”
Katy said, “Is it abnormal for someone to want to share their secrets?”
“For us?” He smiled. “Absolutely. But then I suppose that is a consequence of being raised among human trappings. No matter. A young dog can still be taught many varieties of tricks.”
“And where does that leave me?” Katy said with a measure of anger. “How do you know I’m not a werewolf? Maybe I want to learn some of this stuff too.”
Evita snorted a laugh and Abraham smiled. “You should not so blindly try at such a reuse, my dear. You smell nothing like a wolf.”
“Maybe he turned me? And I’m just…I don’t have the smell yet?”
Even Dade chuckled at this, and Evita exaggerated her laughter to the point of hysterics.
“She’s clueless!” she yelled.
Abraham shushed her, but with amusement. He looked Katy in the eye and said, “I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, my dear. Insofar as this conversation is concerned, you can’t fool us. You’re as human as you’ve ever been, and it’s not going to change any time soon. But to answer your question, that will be matter of time in deciding. Where you are left in the near future depends on a great many things, but more likely than not you will be left-”
“In a ditch,” Evita said.
“-in your home.” He turned to Evita and opened his mouth to speak when Katy yelled.
“Hey, bitch!” Evita’s eyes narrowed, and Katy stood up. “You want to keep threatening me? See what happens. See what fucking happens, I dare you.”
Evita rose to her feet, her fingers twitching. “You’d be dead before you could even raise a fist.”
“Evita-” Abraham began.
“No!” Katy yelled. “Fuck that. Fuck all your stupid little witticisms, I think it’s about time to pick your asses up and get the hell out of this house.”
“I mean absolutely no offence, dear,” Abraham said, “but, being that you are not the master of the house, I’m afraid you don’t have the authority to make us leave.”
“Authority? Maybe I’ll come upside your head with a fucking frying pan, see what kind of authority I have then!”
Dade laughed at this, and Abraham rose to his feet as well. “I’m aware that this is a stressful situation, and that my beloved sister is not ameliorating the affair with her overzealousness,” he shot her an angry look, then looked back to Katy, “but you do not want to go about threatening either myself or my compatriots. We mean you no harm or foul, but if you push us hard enough, there will be consequences.”
“Consequences like what?” Adrian said from the foot of the stairs.
They were all surprised by his appearance and turned to look at him.
Abraham smiled. “There he is, at last, at last.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow and walked into the room. He looked at the three newcomers and said, “You folks got names?”
Abraham nodded and walked forward with his hand outstretched, “Yes, indeed, my name is Abraham, that one there is Dade, and she is Evita, and we-”
Adrian considered the hand and said, “Right, well, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with Katy. Have a seat, I’ll be back in just a sec.”
He nodded at Katy and they went upstairs. Abraham appeared deflated and sat back down.
“This was a mistake,” Evita said.
“Shut up,” said Abraham.
“This is fun,” said Dade with a smile.

3.
“I thought you said you were going to get rid of them?” Adrian asked urgently.
“I was going to but…” She rubbed her head. “I dunno. Something about them, I couldn’t just turn them out. I figured, if they wanted in, I wasn’t going to be able to stop them.”
Adrian nodded. “Okay, that’s alright. I think it’s best you leave or at least hang out up here.” She looked at him angrily, but he shook his head. “I know, I’m sorry, but from what I overheard it seems like these guys are a little bit overserious. Or at least two of them are. There’s going to be a lot said as it is without you making things more complicated, and I don’t mean that in any way other than the fact that it’s just true.”
Katy said, “You don’t seem surprised by this at all.”
“I am,” he said. “I’ve just learned to roll with the punches. So…do you want to leave or stay here?”
“I’ll stay here, I guess. This has been an exhausting day. Mind if I sleep in your bed?”
“Haven’t you once already?” he said with a smile.
Katy smiled back and made her way towards the bed. Adrian called after her, and she turned.
He kissed her, then rubbed her cheek and said, “Everything is going to be okay.”
And when she looked into his eyes, she realized that it wasn’t Adrian who had kissed her.

4.
Sleep, both of you, the wolf thought to himself. In the black space, Adrian was passed out, his consciousness having given out with a little extra push from the wolf. He’d felt the others approaching, and didn’t want for Adrian to mess things up.
So with Katy in bed, he was alone, or as close to it as he was going to get. That part had been easy enough. Now the trick was to keep the wolves downstairs convinced that they were talking to Adrian.
Seemed simple enough from a distance, but the wolf knew far more things than Adrian ever could. A slip of the tongue, and everything could go under.

5.
From the bottom of the stairs, he said to his company, “What do you want?”
That was something Adrian would say, right?
Abraham stood up once more, “I think we got off on the wrong foot here, Adrian.”
“Well, you threatened to kill my girlfriend, that’s a wrong foot if I ever saw one.”
Too wordy? Not enough anger? Quit stressing it and just talk. They’ll only notice it if I make a big deal out of it!
“Girlfriend!” Evita exclaimed. “How do you mean?”
The wolf said, “My friend, who is a girl, who is also more than just a friend.”
He realized immediately that he should not have said this.
“You mean you’ve, you’ve had sex with her? You’ve kissed her and bedded her? That foul, odorous creature that sat there, just now?” She said this with a strange mix of outrage and desperation. “You have betrayed yourself and your kind, you have-”
“Evita, that’s enough now,” Abraham said.
“-you have slandered your heart to a lesser creature!” She finished this last almost on the verge of tears.
The wolf stared at her for a moment, then took a breath and looked at Abraham. “I’m sorry, did I miss something? It’s sounding a lot like she knows me.”
Abraham smiled.
“We all know you, Adrian. We’ve been watching you from afar for quite some time. Perhaps Dade here is a little out of date, but betwixt the three of us I should say we have a pretty fair idea of who you are and what you’re doing.”
“Okay. Then why are you here? If you know so much, if you’ve been stealthy about your observations all this time, why come out of the woodwork now, of all times?”
Abraham laughed and said, “How long until your twenty-sixth birthday, Adrian?”
He blinked. “A few-”
There was a sudden crack in the back of his mind, followed by words echoing out. At first they were impossible to decipher, but very quickly they cleared up, and for reasons he did not understand, they sent shivers down the wolf’s spine: Do not let them find you.
“-weeks.”
No one appeared to notice the pause in his sentence.
Abraham nodded. “It’s tradition. We watch you for ten years, see how you fare, and then we scoop you up and bring you home if you’ve passed the test.”
“Oh, okay,” he said. “I get it. You left me to die in the wilderness and crossed your fingers, is that it?”
Abraham shrugged. “We live in strange times. The weak cannot afford to be let amongst us.”
“That’s…” the wolf measured his words, “pretty fucked up.”
“But look at humanity. They’ve outgrown natural selection, and now they’re spiraling downward into self-destruction. They-”
“Will you excuse me for a minute?” The wolf’s eyes were flickering. “I’m sorry, this is a terribly interesting conversation, but I feel a headache coming on. Let me get some ibuprofen and I’ll be right back.”
He stumbled into the bathroom and gripped the sink. He had tunnel vision and felt himself being pulled backwards. Adrian was waking up, but how?
And where were those words coming from?
It occurred to the wolf that Adrian would not give him a chance to talk for himself once he regained full control, so he communicated this as best he could to his waking mind: There are three werewolves in the living room and I don’t know what they want. You can’t let them know that they weren’t talking to you for the first part of the conversation, so please, no matter what you feel about me or what I’ve done, do not freak out when you regain control. Just act natural, and don’t give them anything they can use against you. I will stay in my corner and watch from afar, I promise. Adrian, this is too important to mess up.
And then, just as the echoing words were becoming earsplitting, in the snap of a finger the wolf was back in the black space. There was vertigo, which passed almost as quickly as it came, and he sat down on his couch and closed his eyes.
And he listened, as best he could, to what Adrian said when he came out of the bathroom.

5.
Adrian stumbled away and closed the door behind him. Abraham, cut off in mid sentence, was nonplused. He sighed and looked to Dade.
“Do you know what’s going on?” he asked.
Dade only stared at the rug. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I told you, it’s all hazy…I need sleep.”
“You’ll get sleep, my friend, I promise. I know it’s been hard, but you must maintain yourself for a little while longer.”
Evita put an arm around his shoulder. “Breathe, remember Dade. Find the strand for me, okay?”
Dade clenched his eyes and tears ran down his cheeks. “It’s fading in and out, I don’t know how long I can hold on to it before it disappears and I fall in.”
“If you fall,” Evita whispered, “I will catch you.”
Dade smiled at this sentiment, though he knew it was an impossible one; she could no more catch him from the fall into insanity than she could catch an atom in a butterfly net. But encouragement, as always, urged him on.
Carefully, Dade searched for the strand.
As he did this, Abraham said to Evita, “You. If you ever want to help me with something like this again then you need to learn to hold your tongue. And stop acting like a bitch in heat, for Luna’s sake. That time will come, you just need to have patience, sister.”
“I’m sorry, brother.”
Dade said hesitantly, “Don’t…let them…”
“What?” Evita said, leaning closer to his face, “What did you say, sweetie?”
“There are words dominating his mind…tumbling into his consciousness as though they were trapped behind a brick wall all of his life…but they are fading, I cannot get the whole of them. Don’t let them…don’t let them…”
“Don’t let them what, Dade?”
“I…” He looked at his only friend and lied without a flinch, “I don’t know.”
Abraham held back a frustrated sigh and patted his friend on the back. “It’s okay,” he said with disappointment. “It’s alright. It’s probably nothing of consequence, anyway.”
“I’m sorry, Abraham,” Dade said, feeling horrible for having failed his friend, and for having lied to him. But he had a larger grasp on things now, slipping though it was, and it had needed to be done.
Abraham said nothing to his apology.
Evita hugged him and whispered, “You did good, I’m proud of you.”
He thanked her half-heartedly, but returned to his own thoughts.
Treachery was at work, and it made him feel sick.

6.
Adrian came out of the bathroom and took in the looks of his visitors.
“Alright then, so what do you guys want?”
“To put it as simply as possible, we want to touch base with you,” said Abraham as Adrian entered the room. “We wanted you to know that we’re here. It isn’t time yet for you to come back with us, but very soon it will be. We want you to be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” Adrian asked.
“The future,” said Dade. The others looked at him in surprise. He regarded them meekly and said no more.
“Okay then, well, I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“Why’s that?” Abraham asked.
“Do you have anything else you need to say to me?”
He smiled. “Not at this point in time. But soon, I think we’ll have a nice, quiet conversation.” He stood and the others stood with him. “Just the two of us. Let’s go.”
Adrian saw Abraham, Evita, and Dade to the front door, and locked it behind them when they left.