Death's Middle Name {boyxboy}

Chapter Seventeen

~Wednesday 20th December 2017~

"I'm on my way now, I'm literally leaving the house. I'll be there in like fifteen minutes," Alwynn juggled his keys, phone and bag whilst he tried to lock the front door, barely able to see in the receding light from dusk.

"How about I get Eden to pick you up? He shouldn't be too far away just yet," Iola suggested, having to speak quite loud to be heard over the noise of the club.

"No, it's fine. Honestly, it won't take me long to walk."

"It's getting dark out, Alwynn, what happened the last time you decided to walk this late?" Alwynn rolled his eyes, realising his injuries would only make people treat him more like a baby, like he was so fragile.

"I have mace," Alwynn stuffed his other hand into his pocket, running his fingertips over the cool metal of the spray can, "I'll be fine, stop worrying so much," ensuring the front door was locked, Alwynn pulled his jacket tighter around himself and set off down the street.

"If you're not here in exactly fifteen minutes I'm getting Eden to come looking for you. In fact, why don't I just stay on the phone with you whilst you walk? Or I could get Hudson to-"

"I will see you when I get into work," Alwynn interjected with a chuckle, "goodbye, Iola," ignoring the protests from his friend, Alwynn ended the call, slipping his phone into his back pocket. Iola had a point, staying on the phone sounded safer to most, not to Alwynn. He had been on the phone to Vant when he was attacked, not that he had mentioned that to anyone, it had been no deterrent to the assailant.

Alwynn wanted to keep his focus on his surroundings, listening out for anything suspicious. He knew himself that he was being paranoid, expecting another attack when the first had been a fluke, a 'wrong place wrong time' type of situation. The likelihood of another at all, not to mention so soon after, was in the low percentages.

Alwynn kept a fast pace as he strode down the street, the cold and the impending sense of doom looming over him pushing him to walk faster and faster. The only time his footing faltered was when he glanced to his left, finding himself outside of Vant's house. He stopped dead, staring up at the building, seeing lights on in the windows.

Someone was definitely home, even if it was one of the Bayer children, not Vant himself. Maybe if Alwynn didn't have to be in work he would have walked up the steps and knocked on the front door. He would have confronted Vant, finding out once and for all why he was ignoring him, pushing him away. Sadly, not that night.

"Hey, baby," Alwynn shrieked when he felt someone grip his upper arm, his whole body rearing back as he stumbled away, trying to catch his bearings, "hey, calm down, baby, it's just me," Brodie, great, just what he fucking needed. The man didn't look in the best shape, wearing a dark hoodie and a long black coat over that, half his face hidden in the shadows. Alwynn could just about see the beginnings of a beard, one that looked strikingly similar to Vant's, though a hell of a lot more unkempt.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Alwynn hissed, holding his arm where Brodie had gripped it, "why the fuck are you here?"

"I came to see you, baby, you're ignoring my calls, I wanted to make sure you're OK," Brodie smiled compassionately, his kind demeanour only adding to the apprehensive feeling growing within Alwynn.

"Stop calling me baby, Brodie, we're not together," Alwynn kept his hand tightly around the mace in his pocket, hoping his trembling fingers wouldn't slip if he needed desperately to use it.

"Not with that kind of attitude we're not," Brodie laughed, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them, "it's freezing out here, come on, let's go talk someone warm. My car's just round the corner, we can go to a cafe or something," Alwynn took a few more steps back when Brodie reached out once again, his eyes wide, no doubt fear swirling within them.