Chained

We made our way down the ally at a slow walk, trying not to draw attention to our dirty selves. We walked up to the dumpster where I had hidden our clothes.

“We could have found a better place to hide them, they reek.” Walter complained as I moved the trash concealed them. I sighed heavily as I picked up the bag of clothes. Walter stopped and turned to the shifter, taking the chains off of his neck. "Do you think you can shift?"

The shifter slowly nodded and laid down on the ground. I turned around, not wanting to see the horrifying transformation. Bones snapped and the soft whimpering turned into little gasps of pain. Walter snatched on of the bags out of my hand and I heard the crumpling of plastic as he pulled out clothes.

Hearing a zipper zip, I turned to find a dark haired man collapsing back onto a wooden crate, now dressed in Walter’s hoodie and jeans.

“You okay?” I asked the shifter quietly.

“No, I need to be somewhere safe, they know what my face looks like.” he said. Walter looked up at him from where he was leaning on the brick wall.

“They know?” surprise and anger seeping out of Walter’s voice. The shifter nodded as he looked up at Walter.

“I wasn’t the only shifter there, they have just forgotten that they were once human.” the shifter said, tiredly getting up from the crate.

I looked at Walter. His eyes were filled with anger, his fits clinched and shaking. “We have to go back for them.” Walter said, turning back to where we came and started jogging. The shifter growled and lunged at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him against the brick wall.

“They can never be human again! You know that as well as I do, if they did change back, they would be a danger to all of us!” The shifter shouted. He let go of Walter and leaned against the opposite wall of the ally.

We stood in silence for a moment, letting what the shifter had said sink in. My stomach turned to ice when I thought of Martin. Was it already to late for him?

“We need to move, those thugs are going to be looking for us.” The shifter said as he started walking down the ally, shaking me from my thoughts. I started to follow him, hearing Walter’s foot steps soon follow.

“What’s your name?” I asked him. He stopped as he reached the end of the ally and turned to me, sighing.

“What ever you want it to be.” The shifter said.

“Why can’t you just name yourself?” I asked a little flustered.

“I already do have a name, but it isn’t understandable to the human language, and now that you are my Master, you must give me a human name.” He said.

“Why do I have to be everyone’s master?! Why can’t you guys just run off and do your thing and leave me alone?!” I shouted, feeling stress flood over me.

“It’s illegal to be human without a human master outside of our cities until we kill. We must be named and controlled. Since you were the human that came to rescue me, you are now my master weather you like it or not.” The shifter said.

His words felt like a slap to the face. I felt the weight of the world fall on my shoulders as his blue eyes stared me down. I looked away, trying to clear my head.

I had to do this for Martin.

“Derek, I’ll call you Derek.”