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this might just be it.”
    “We’ll see soon enough,” Laura agreed.  The anticipation she felt was killer.

Chapter Four
    ~A Crooked Building~
     
    Laura walked beside Logan down the narrow street.  Alexander was far behind them, watching from a distance in case they should stumble upon any trouble.  Laura didn’t think that was going to be likely.
    The street they were on was one of the back alleys of a very poor neighborhood.  The buildings that lined them on either side were broken and old, and the few windows that overlooked the street were devoid of glass.  The outside façade of many of the structures was covered in ancient graffiti, and the ground was littered with trash.  Logan told Laura that the main streets would be busy at this time, and, to avoid attracting attention, led her and Alexander on a winding, circuitous path that kept them as far away from prying eyes as possible.
    One of the first things Laura noticed on entering this part of the city was the horrible stench of the place.  She had gotten somewhat used to the very defining and poignant smells of a city, bustling with human life, over the last three weeks, but this area was unlike any she’d yet encountered.  The scents that violated her nose were sharp and stinging, dank and corrupt, all in one.  They were the scents of decay, of a dying part of civilization.  Few who lived in this part of town seemed to care anymore, and their apathy was reflected in the crumbling buildings and dirty streets.
    Despite Logan’s best attempts to avoid notice, they still passed  a few people along the way.  Most were male, although Laura noticed a few women from the corner of her eye.  The females tended to stay away from strangers.  Unfortunately, that was not the way of the males.
    The first person who spotted them, a cocky middle-aged man with bad facial hair, made no effort to hide his excitement.  Strangers were unexpected around these parts, and two teenagers wandering together were easy targets.  He got up from the side and stood to block their path.
    “Just where d’ya think yer goin’?” he asked casually, pulling back the side of his jacket to reveal a large, evil-looking knife.  He smiled unkindly and stepped toward them.  “You aren’t welcome around these parts.”
    “Let me handle this,” Logan whispered under his breath, so softly that only Laura’s ears could have picked it up.  She nodded imperceptible and stood to the side.  Logan stepped forward.
    “Friend,” Logan began grandly, spreading his arms, “we mean you no harm.  Let us pass, and we will not trouble you.”
    The man’s face contorted into a wicked smile.  Then he started to laugh.  “You?  Trouble me?  That won’t be the case here, boy.  Y’know, I find yer smug attitude insultin’.  How ‘bout you give me whatcha got in that wallet of yers, and the girl.  Then I’ll let you be on yer way.”  He mocked a bow.
    “I don’t want any trouble,” Logan said.  “And I will not give you the girl.  But my wallet should more than make up for it.”  He reached his hand slowly into his pocket to produce a leather wallet.  He tossed it onto the ground in front of him.  “There.  Take a look inside, I’m sure it’s more than what you need.”
    The man grinned and threw himself at the wallet.  Logan made no attempt to move.  Scooping the wallet up in one hand, the man greedily ripped it open.  His smile quickly faded.
    “Why, this is empty!  You lyin’, deceitful son of a bitch!”  He grabbed the knife buckled to his belt.  “I’m gonna make you pay for that.  I’m gonna kill you, and the girl too!”  He lunged at Logan with the knife.
    Logan, of course, stepped smoothly to one side to avoid the blow.  He caught the man’s wrist and swept it upwards, using the man’s momentum to lift him high into the air.  Logan kicked his foot out, and the man’s feet went out from under him.  In one easy move, Logan had the man flat