The parking lot outside the movie theater in Ridgeville had changed. Not only was it now shrouded in the darkness of night, with a few diligent light poles scattered about to help distinguish the aisles of parked cars, but the cars themselves had changed since Corbin and Lydia arrived earlier under the aging afternoon daylight. They walked out of the theater, maneuvering through the crowds huddled near the ticket windows while chatting freely about the movie they'd just seen. Corbin's attention broke away from Lydia just long enough to spot his car, finding it one aisle over from where he thought it was, then he resumed adding his thoughts to her comments.

    They got in the shiny red coupe and Corbin brought it to life with the turn of a key, forcing powerful bellows of exhaust out the twin tailpipes which manifested into tiny clouds in the cold night air that was creeping near freezing temperatures. He navigated the rumbling coupe out of the parking lot and onto the highway where their spirited critique of the movie continued until Corbin had a hunger-influenced suggestion. 

    "Hey, wanna run by Angelo's Pizza and grab some dinner to take home?"

    "Yeah, that sounds good," Lydia eagerly agreed, always up for something tasty from the Allenders' favorite pizza place.

    "How 'bout callin' Shade and askin' if she wants something," Corbin considerately instructed.

    Lydia dug her cell phone out of her pocket then hit the speed dial button for Shade's phone. She waited through a few rings, then said,"Hey, we're going by Angelo's, would you like something?"

    After a few seconds of listening silence, Lydia replied,"Okay, see ya in a bit." She buried the phone back in her pocket as she looked at Corbin and informed,"She wants a thin crust heavy on the mushrooms."

    Corbin nodded as he plotted a course across town to the desired pizza joint. Angelo's resided in Ridgeville's downtown business district which was shaped by modern office buildings of various heights that went on for several blocks and was mostly a vacant part of town during the weekends, especially Saturday night. He glanced over at Lydia and saw that she had an odd look on her face.

    "Something wrong?" he asked.

    Lydia snapped out of the weird look to answer,"Nah, just a funny feeling, that's all."

    Corbin left it at that and followed his appetite toward downtown. Upon reaching Angelo's, Corbin turned in, noticing only a few patrons through the restaurant's windows that allowed the dining room lights to reach out into the immediate perimeter of the poorly lit parking lot. He wheeled the car to a lone parking space, then he and Lydia got out and met at the rear of the car, discussing their favorite pizza toppings.

    Before they could take a step toward the small building, a dark blue sedan flew into the parking lot and came to a tire-screeching halt right in front of them. Corbin and Lydia froze as a man wearing a ski mask jumped out of the passenger door brandishing a pistol with a silencer screwed onto the barrel.

    "Both of you, get in the car, now!" the man barked, opening the rear door as he kept the pistol trained on Corbin.

    Corbin quickly put himself between the masked gunman and Lydia, who was frightened still, holding his hands up to the gunman to make it clear that he wasn't being aggressive, only protective. "Look, whatever..."

    "Shut up and get in!" the gunman barked again, cocking the hammer on the pistol to emphasize his command.

    Corbin glanced back at Lydia with a momentary flare across his purple eyes that signaled to her what was coming. She nodded with a hard swallow in preparation. He turned back to the agitated gunman, making a move toward the car as if he were obeying, but then he lunged for the pistol. The two struggled only  seconds before the gun went off, sending a muffled round into Corbin's chest. As the gunman watched with shock in his anxious eyes, Corbin dropped hard to his knees and fell back onto the asphalt parking lot with a gushing wound in his chest.

    Lydia shrieked in horror at the sight of her fallen brother, who squirmed in his own blood, then the gunman grabbed her by the arm and started yanking her toward the car. She screamed again as she resisted him with all her might, but he was too strong, her efforts only slowed his pull. The masked driver of the car frantically scanned the restaurant and the parking lot to see if anyone noticed the struggle. No one seemed to be stirring. No one seemed to notice the change overtaking Corbin's body either.

    In her moment of desperation Lydia turned to her gift. As the tears for Corbin streamed down her eyes she gritted her teeth and focused her thoughts against her assailant. She conjured an image of angry bees, then sent them swarming into his mind. The man grunted as he began to swing violently with the pistol at the imaginary bees that only he could see. Lydia focused harder and increased the size of the swarm so that the man released her to protect himself with both arms as he flailed them at the bees. She darted away behind a looming shadow that rose from the ground, then she released her focus on the gunman, causing the bees to fade out of his mind.

    The gunman's frantic assault on the empty air around him ended, but Corbin's alternate form of the beastly Protector in front of him gripped him with sheer terror. The masked man retreated slowly until he brushed up against the idling sedan, whose driver was still keeping an alert vigil on the restaurant and had yet to notice the imposing figure near the back of the car.

    Corbin's broad chest heaved with intimidating breaths and the huge clawed hands cocked at his sides clenched and unclenched repeatedly into eager fists. He stared down at the cowering gunman with fury raging in his glowing purple eyes and an unearthly growl slowly escaping through rows of exposed fangs. Lydia peeked out from behind one of his trunk-like legs, fearfully waiting to see what would happen next.

    Corbin wanted badly to tear the man limb for limb, then grant the driver a similar fate, but he thought of Lydia first, not wanting her to witness the unbridled release of his wrath; which would surely be a terribly gruesome thing to see. Without looking back he motioned with an open hand for Lydia to stay put as he stepped near the frozen gunman. Corbin leaned his snarling snout down to the man's masked face, huffed an angry breath, then reached down to the man's hand that still held the gun at his side. Easily swallowing both the gun and the man's hand in his huge claw, Corbin squeezed slowly, crushing the gun and every bone in the hand as the man cried out in agony through his cloth mask.

    The driver's head snapped around at the pain-filled cry of his accomplice. His eyes widened in frightened disbelief at the sight of Corbin's beastly presence. The masked gunman fell backward through the open passenger door, cradling his shattered hand, and the driver wasted no time in stomping the gas, forcing the two passenger side doors shut as the big sedan lurched away.

    Corbin watched the car until it was out of sight, then he turned to check on his little sister, who stood near his car trembling from a mixture of fear and the frigid night air. He went and knelt down before her, gently wiping at the tear stains on her cheeks with the back of his clawed index finger. She flashed a quick half smile to assure him that she was okay, then she alertly scanned the parking lot and found that apparently no one had witnessed what just transpired.

    Corbin ducked down beside his car on the side opposite the restaurant, trying to stay out of sight, while Lydia gathered her wits as she scurried about collecting his torn, blood-soaked clothes from the stained asphalt. She fumbled around until she found the keys to the car in his shredded jeans, then she opened the trunk and tossed everything in. Rushing over to Corbin, she urgently advised him.

    "You can't change back, you still have the gunshot wound!"

    Corbin listened attentively to Lydia, who quickly turned to survey the darkened office buildings that towered nearby for somewhere to keep her brother's secret safe until she could summon help.

    "We've gotta get you outta sight until Gale can heal you," she reasoned aloud.

    Corbin used his perfect night vision to search the surroundings with Lydia, then he pointed to a close, five story building. She agreed with a nod then checked the parking lot one more time to make sure the coast was clear. Looking back to Corbin she said,"Okay, let's go."

    Corbin stood, scooped Lydia up with one arm, and galloped off to the vacant office building. Setting her down once they reached the building, Corbin stared up its brick wall to the roof high above. He knelt down and gestured for Lydia to climb up on his back, which she did without hesitation, locking her arms around his neck and her legs around his abdomen. She declared her readiness into his pointy ear and he once again studied the rising wall in preparation for a jump.

    With a powerful upward thrust Corbin propelled himself past the first two stories and sunk his clawed hands and feet into the brick wall. Carefully he scaled the rest of the wall until they reached the roof where he knelt down again to allow Lydia to dismount. She quickly examined the flat roof and all its shadowy equipment, trembling still from the dangerously cold night air. Corbin was mindful of her exposure to the cold, which could not reach him through the insulating pelt of dense black fur that covered every inch of his form.

    He squatted down next to a large air handling unit with his knees up, then motioned for Lydia to come to him. She understood and climbed up into his lap where she was surrounded by his warm, furry body. He wrapped her up with his brawny arms and bowed his head to cover hers, concealing her almost completely from the freezing cold.