31

The alleyway was long and narrow, and turned at a right angle to run along behind the shops on the streetfront. At the end it was dark, damp, cluttered with boxes which had lain untouched for years. Nobody came here. Kalix crawled under the boxes, still bleeding, and lay down in the accumulated years of city dirt. If it was not a good place to die, at least it would be quiet.

Even her werewolf strength could not protect her from the impact of a truck. Kalix’s ribs were cracked and she was damaged inside. Blood seeped from her mouth and her nose. She hurt badly. She fumbled around in her bag and found her laudanum. It was hard raising her arm and Kalix drank with difficulty.

A song played in her head. Hello Dad, Hello Mom, I’m your ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch Cherry Bomb! The Runaways first single. She wished she could have seen them onstage. And maybe - it occurred to her for the first time in her life - maybe it would have been good to have met someone who actually liked them. Kalix had sometimes overheard young people talking about music, discussing bands they liked, but she’d never joined in. Perhaps that would have been fun.

The laudanum started to enter her system, giving her the familiar warm glow. Now ready to die, Kalix slipped into unconsciousness.