Infection- Book 2

Chapter One- Alleys

Doggy and I stepped out of our car, pushing the doors shut a little too hard. I slid over the
hood of the vehicle to stand next to him as he adjusted his hat.

“Is this the place?” he questioned. I nodded, watching him reach for the taser that was in
the cloth pouch around his belt. He twirled the weapon around on his finger, looking down the
dark and filthy alley ahead of us. “You better be right about her being here.” He lightly nudged
my shoulder in a joking manner.

I flipped through my notepad, skimming the scribbled letters on the pages. It was a mystery I could even read what was written down, the words looked like gibberish from a few feet away. “My investigation led me to this place. I’m sure she’s here.”

He fiddled with the small microphone clipped around his shoulder, adjusting the cord.
“Is your radio on?” He turned to me. I reached over my chest and clicked the small
button, making a series of stupid childish noises through the microphone. Doggy’s device buzzed, repeating the sounds I made. He chuckled, rolling his eyes at me. “Dork.” He adjusted his hat one more time. “Alert me if you find her. Let’s make this arrest quick.” With that, I split away from him in search of the hidden criminal.

The entire place was disgusting. Trash was piled up everywhere, and the small shop in the middle’s interior was destroyed as well. It really suited her lifestyle. I stepped inside the nearby hotel, looking around up the stairs of the building. A large sign was laying on the floor next to the big glass doors, pushed up against the wall. Hotel Closed by Order of the LPD. I stood the sign back up in the door and exited the building. One down, one to go.

A large storage building stood not far from the hotel, and scattered trash cans blocked the entrance. I kicked the cans aside and shoved the door open to see a startled girl staring at me from the back wall. She wore a purple shirt with a black overcoat, along with a black scarf. She was in her early twenties, and her pointed ears fell flat against her fur.

The girl retreated into the back room of the storage building, slamming the door in my
face. I clicked the button on my mic and called out, “I found her, she’s in the back room of the
storage building. Get your ass over here!” I followed the girl into the room before managing to corner her as Doggy came up from behind me with his taser in hand.

“Willow, you’re under arrest for stealing food and other supplies from all over the city!” Doggy bellowed. Willow slowly stepped back into the wall, holding her hands above her head.

“I was only trying to feed my family, please!” she pleaded, her voice breaking. A sense of guilt washed over me when she explained the reason for her actions.

“You know the laws, Willow. I’m sorry,” I almost stuttered. Handcuffs were clicked around her wrists as Doggy led her out into the car. I froze, unable to leave the small room. I’d never felt so guilty about something in my life.

Doggy appeared behind me once again, setting a hand on my shoulder. “Ready to go?” I jumped when he touched me, breaking free from the small trance I was in. I stared at the floor as his footsteps faded, but grew louder again before disappearing. “What’s wrong?”

I grabbed my forearms. “This really doesn’t feel right.”

His ears fell when he heard the tone of my voice. “I know what you mean,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s the way things have to be.”

“But… isn’t there anything we can do about it?” Doggy sighed, pausing.

“We all have a role to play, Jade.” He clipped the pouch on his belt shut and stood against the wall. “We do things because we have to, not because we want to.” I dropped my arms and looked up at him. “Now, let’s get out of here.” He gave me a light tap on the shoulder before passing me.

"Yeah,” I muttered.

Doggy poked his head back into the room. “Are you coming, Jade?”

The wind tickled my neck as I heard George and the sisters laughing. They chased each other around the parking lot as Zuzy called, “Come on George, why can’t you keep up with us?”

George huffed, struggling to catch the girls. “I’m one pig against two zebras, what do you expect?!” He stopped and leaned over to catch his breath.
“Well? Are you coming?” Pony asked me. I heard a slight annoyance in his voice. He and Zizzy stood in front of me with their arms crossed.

“Huh? Where?” I didn’t have the slightest idea what was going on.

Mimi dusted her hands off on her dress before stepping over to me. “Remember that old radio we found on one of our supply runs? We were just talking about it this morning.” The memory quickly returned.

“O-oh, right. What about it? Can we get it working?”

“Yep! We just need to find some batteries for it.”
Zizzy dropped her arms and gestured to Pony. “Pony and I are going to the store to get some. Did you want to come along?”

“Sure, let’s get going,” I quickly replied, turning to leave the safe place. The gate slid shut behind the three of us as we headed out of the city.