Chapter Text
Cal had just left the bar when there was rustling next to him.
He was walking home, it was late evening and he had maybe drunk a bit too much. But it was much less than last week, which he was proud of. And he had managed to talk his best friend, Tomas, into quitting smoking. That was great. But the rustling wasn't.
On his right side, where the noise had come from, was Lebanon's park that led to the nearby woods. At night, you weren't supposed to walk through it because of the animals that came to dig through the trash cans and mess up the flowers. Cal knew that there were some that the authorities considered dangerous to humans, too. Rustling wasn't a good sign this far towards the street.
He stopped to look. Staring into the dark between the plants, he briefly wondered if people would consider him stupid when they found his body. Most animals wouldn't dare to cross the street if he ran away, right? But he didn't need to worry; there was nothing to see. No eyes in the dark, no bulk of muscle, no gleaming teeth. Maybe it was just a stupid thing, like a mouse and his wonky brain. Nothing at all.
He continued down the street.
Ahead, there was a damaged lamp post. Cal had almost forgotten about it. Last week, this guy from the bar had driven his brand new Porsche against it, and the post had crumbled like a match. What was his name again? Something like Benno...
Cal stood there, the gap between the one lamp and the other as big as a pool. What if...? There could be a hole in the ground, his mind helpfully supplied, and you wouldn't even see it.
No, he told himself, no, it was stupid. Everything, all of it, was completely ridiculous. It was ten meters from here to there. No holes in the ground, no beasts in the bushes. He could absolutely do this.
He set one foot in front of the other, eyes on the next light.
Three meters in, there was a rustling again, like wings, and then, suddenly, a man stood there, dark hair and light coat moving with a gush of wind that had tossed him here. "Hello", the stranger said and stared, inhuman blue eyes. Cal couldn't answer.
"Don't be scared." The stranger lifted a hand. He smelled like rain. His fingertips touched Cal's forehead.