A wolf in New York

Chapter 7

A wolf in New York

Allyson

It was awful how Lisa approached me, accusing me of having gotten my job by being my boss's mistress. We never even left the office together. But my boss was amazing to have put her in her place. I'm still not sure what made him promote me, but the closer I get, the sooner I'll know. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people there have been waiting for a promotion for a long time and that bothers me.

I do my job and feel Peter Fletcher's watchful eye on me. It's like a sixth sense that makes me look at him now and then. And he disguises it very well. I prepare the Denver contract and send it to my boss's email for review.

"Very good, Mitchell... It's good"

He encourages me to be better, he appreciates my work, and I feel on cloud nine. Mainly because he has that devouring look in his eyes every time he looks at me. Sometimes I'm pretty sure it was him at Venus, but since I can't be sure, I try to forget about it.

The day goes well and it's time to go clubbing. I talk to my father on the phone briefly and ask him to check his glucose levels so that I can go to work calmly. I need that extra money.

"Mr. Fletcher," I say, looking at my watch. "Am I cleared?"

He raises his face and stares at me for several seconds. Then he looks at his wristwatch.

"Of course, Mitchell, you're free"

"Thank you, sir"

He gives me a half-smile and I quickly leave, putting on my jacket.

 I arrive at the nightclub and notice that the same car is standing at the door again. But I don't have time to check who it is and I can't do that. I decide I'd better forget it. The hustle and bustle of the night contrasts sharply with the corporate atmosphere of the day. Throughout the night, the thought of my boss's mysterious car persists, a feeling of unease that accompanies me. When it's finally time to leave, I find the same vehicle parked nearby.

I walk towards the car, watching it with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty, when I am suddenly interrupted. A figure emerges from the shadows, the metallic sheen of a knife reflecting in the dim streetlight.

"Your money and your cell phone, now!" the robber's voice is harsh, his words full of menace.

Fear sets in, but I try to remain calm as I hand over what he asks for, my hands shaking slightly. "Here, please, don't do anything."

He steps forward, the knife glinting dangerously in the dim light. "That's not all, where's the rest?"

My breathing quickens, trying to find a way out.

"I've got nothing else, really!" my voice falters as I try to sound convincing.

"Don't lie to me!" he says, threatening me.

"It's the truth, I swear!" my voice trembles, his eyes staring at me with an intimidating intensity.

Then something extraordinary happens. A huge, black figure suddenly appears, an imposing wolf that stands between me and the assailant. Its eyes shine with a ferocious intensity, a protective aura enveloping its majestic posture. A wolf in New York? Has it escaped from the zoo? What do I do, my God? He doesn't even look like an ordinary wolf, he's much bigger than I've ever seen on TV and his fur shines in the moonlight with an abnormal intensity. It's even... beautiful. But my heart is beating even faster than before. Can I be torn apart by a huge wolf in the middle of the city? Because that's what he's going to do after he finishes off the mugger.

I close my eyes, squeezing my eyelids tightly to make sure I'm not dreaming, and when I open them again, there's the same scene. It's not a nightmare. It's real. I take several steps back when the beast looks at me calmly and snarls at the assailant. It seems pretty clear who he's intimidating at the moment. This is crazy!

Surprised and frightened, the assailant takes a step back.

 "What is that?! A fucking wolf?" his voice falters, fear evident in every word.

The wolf emits a deep growl, a clear warning to the man to back off. Its imposing presence is frightening, but strangely comforting in a moment of danger.

The assailant hesitates, his wide eyes fixed on the wolf.  

"I... I'm leaving," he stammers, backing away quickly before running off.

I stand paralyzed, watching him disappear into the darkness, unable to believe what has just happened. I look at the wolf with admiration and a mixture of fear, unable to fully understand the mysterious creature that has protected me.

With my heart still pounding and my mind full of unanswered questions, I rush home in a cab, trying to process that night's inexplicable encounter. What was that? A wolf with fur as black as the dark of night appears out of nowhere in the middle of New York, just as I'm about to be mugged and all my belongings taken? That can't be a coincidence.

I start crying in the cab.

"Are you all right, miss?" asks the taxi driver.

"Yes, I'm fine..." I answer shakily, because I'm not fine at all.

I can't even pick up a cell phone right now and call Margot. Can you imagine what I'd say in the cab? That a wolf saved me and that it attacked a mugger and not me? What kind of insanity is that?

As soon as I am out of the cab, my hands shake. I call Margot.

"Hi, friend, what's up?"

"Margot, I can't go home right now. Something crazy has happened to me"

She gets nervous.

"What happened to you, Allyson?"

"I saw a wolf!"

"A wolf, what do you mean a wolf, girlfriend?"

"A huge black wolf outside the nightclub! I'm still shaking!"

"A wolf on the loose? We need to call the police, girl"

"No!"

"What do you mean, no Allyson?"

I can't say he protected me from a mugging, Margot will have me committed to a psychiatric ward.

"All right, I'm fine now, I'm going in"

"Are you sure that working so hard and studying is doing you any good?"

"No, I'm not sure, I think I'm going crazy, I'm going to see my dad."

I notice that the street is very bright at this time of day and the moon is high and full in the night sky. Things are going through my head. Things I don't even want to think about because I could be going really crazy!

I go into the house and see if my father is all right.

"Anything on the news, Dad?" I ask as I take a sip of water with the fridge open.

"Nothing much, son, just politics and games." He turns to look at me. "You look scared!"

"Yes, I almost got mugged, Dad," I reply. "How's your blood sugar? Have you eaten?"

"Mugged? What do you mean, Allyson?"

"Mugged, Dad, but I managed to escape"

I try to maintain a certain normality for him.

"I had a snack, daughter, you need to stop working late, this company is exhausting you and putting you in danger"

The only thing my father knows is that I work late at the law firm. Even though the workday ends at 5pm, all he knows is that I work overtime until 10. I'm lucky Barry doesn't ask me to stay up until the early hours. I wouldn't be able to do that, but some girls stay all night.

I prepare a sandwich for my father and me and go to my room to rest. I search the internet for news about wolves in the city, or some recent escape, but I can't find any answers. I know I won't, what happened to me was unlike anything a human being has ever experienced. There was a magical aura about that wolf. And I'm probably going mad. I'd better get some sleep because tomorrow is another day at the company, facing other kinds of wolves and threats.