Astrid stared at Lucifer's broad back as he bent down, carefully putting the jacket on Tommy before scooping him up. Her eyes dropped to the other body. Her stomach heaved and she gagged, clamping her hand over her mouth.

"He's...he's still breathing, I think."

"I don't care," Lucifer snarled.

"I..." Her throat threatened to close and her eyes burned, but there weren't any tears left.

"See if that door's unlocked."

Stiffly, her feet moved toward the small block of concrete with a door and a blackened window. A set of initials had been spray painted on one side, but it was too faded to pick out the individual letters. She tried to twist the door handle but it only moved an inch in either direction.

"It's locked."

Lucifer muttered under his breath and stepped beside her. "Have you ever picked a lock before?"

"Yes." Only once or twice, a few years ago; she'd seen someone do it in an old TV series and had been inspired to try it with the front door and her bedroom door. But her mother had found it disturbing and discouraged her from continuing "such things."

"Do you know how to use a tension wrench and Bogota rake?" He clenched his jaw and shifted the body in his blood-smeared arms.

She shook her head; the only tools she'd used had been paper clips, an old credit card, and a screwdriver.

"Hold him." 

And before Astrid could ask him what he meant, he was handing Tommy over to her.

No, I can't touch that! A copper-like smell filled her nostrils as the dark liquid trickled from his side and the twin holes in his back. It dripped from Lucifer's forearms and permeated his clothing; it was even streaked across his strong jaw and down his neck. She recoiled, eyes wide and body trembling, acutely aware of the stickiness between her fingers.

Lucifer's eyes darkened ominously.

"I ..." 

She held out her arms. The body was heavier than she'd expected, and its warmth burned her skin through her thin shirt. The jacket had slid and, unable to reposition it, she pleaded with herself not to look. But her body rebelled, gaze pulled downwards. He was maybe sixteen at the oldest, soft blonde hair with hints of gold brushing his white face. And his eyes...they were so beautiful, a pale emerald green flecked with gold and lined by a thick limbal ring.

Her brain went numb, unable to process that the boy in her arms would never move again, that his eyes would always remain sightless.

"Okay."

Astrid stared stupidly at Lucifer, clutching Tommy tighter.

Lucifer tucked the lock picks into his pocket and pulled his black mask up. Then he motioned for her to hand him his comrade.

The mask concealed the lower half of his face, covering all but a smudge of blood on his temple. But it couldn't  hide the tears pouring from his eyes, hollow eyes that were locked on Tommy's. With trembling hands, Astrid pulled the jacket back up.

"Go," Lucifier ordered.

She slipped through the open door. Smooth, metal stairs twisted downward in a never-ending spiral and she hesitated at the echoing click of heels.

What would people do at the sight of the battered pair with a body? Police would be called, but there was no telling what their survival instincts might drive them to do in the meantime. What if they had weapons?

"Keep moving," Lucifer grunted.

Astrid forced her feet to move down the stairs, her gut screaming at her to run for cover. But all she could do was grip railing so tightly that her fingers turned white.

"Where are we going?" she ventured once her voice was finally under control again, save for the slight waver at the end.

"To the ground floor."

While she had hoped for a more detailed answer, it was better than nothing and gave her a sense of direction. She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.

Main objective: get out of here.

She gave her head a little shake and music started playing, carefully selected by the chip to match her mood. The growl of cellos and steady heartbeat of drums mixed with the haunting strains of violin and chorus of voices to drown out any thoughts.

After ten stairs, there was a door, but the keypad indicated it was locked, so they kept walking. In fact, the next couple of doors were this way, perhaps private suites or offices.

"Open that door." When Astrid kept walking down the stairs with no indication that she'd heard him, Lucifer repeated it in the same blank tone.

The handle was just as cool as the railing and her fingers left faint red smears behind. She held it open for Lucifer and followed after. The change from natural sunlight filtering through the windows to the harsh fluorescent lighting of the hallway made her blink.

It was a maze of charcoal carpeted hallways and frosted glass doors. Yet Lucifer seemed to know his way around the strangely deserted place.

Where is everyone? Not that she wanted to run into anyone, but the faint rustling of papers and hum of office machinery without any voices or footsteps aside from her own was just so unnatural. Her skin prickled under the scrutiny of hidden eyes and security cameras, and she lowered her head, letting her hair shroud her face.

A door creaked open, then shut with a bang. Astrid lengthened her strides, half-turning to scan the space behind her.

"Stupid Ramona!" someone muttered, closer than she would have judged from the previous racket.

Astrid turned back around, just in time to smash her face into Lucifer's back. He smelled of sweat and dust and dark alleyways.

"What are you doing?" he growled, flaring his wings to not so gently push her away.

Rubbing her nose, she stumbled back, too scared to be angry. "There's someone coming!"

"Push the arrow for the elevator, will you?" But it was no question.

She stabbed the button and whirled around. Her heart was racing so fast it hurt and her head throbbed. The clicking of keyboard keys, the ticking of clocks, and the faint but steady thump thump of Lucifer's heart drowned out her music.

Why...? How am I picking these things up?

"I'm so sick and tired of this!" Now the voice was even closer, coming from the hallway on the right less than ten feet from where they stood.

"We need to hide!" Astrid grabbed at Lucifer's arm and tried to pull him to the left and out of sight. But he didn't budge. "What's wrong with you? Someone's coming!"

"So?" His eyes narrowed again, dark brows pulled together as he muttered, "You really don't know anything."

If they had been anywhere else under different circumstances, she would have slapped him. But they weren't, and he was holding the body of someone far too young to have been murdered. She swallowed, but the lump in her throat remained.

"Turn around and don't move."

Her body moved without her command, eyes glued to the elevator doors.

"She doesn't do her part of the job and always expects me to cover for her! I'm--" He broke off mid-rant, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps.

Astrid remained cemented in place.

The elevator doors finally slid open to reveal a slender woman in a navy suit and skirt, her pale blonde hair in a thick French braid. Her dragon green eyes locked with Astrid's for just a moment. It was impossible to describe what crossed her face--surprise, horror, fear, disgust, and something else.

"Excuse me," the woman whispered hoarsely, scrambling around them and running as fast as her four-inch heels would allow.

Astrid stumbled into the elevator and huddled in the far corner. She shook her head to cut the music off, longing for silence in hopes of being able to untangle her thoughts.

The doors slid shut and Lucifer somehow managed to press the button for the ground floor.

"How are we going to get out of here without being stopped?" she finally forced out.

"Just keep walking until we're out the door."

"Won't the people who saw us call the police?" She hated the way her voice cracked at the end.

He sighed tiredly. "You're really naive for someone your age."

She wanted to scream and cry at the same time. Why can't you just give me a straight answer?!

"Most people are willing to turn a blind eye to stuff like this," he explained, voice lacking the hard edge of just moments before. "They leave gangs alone, and the gangs leave them alone. It works out perfectly."

"But...but what about those who won't turn a blind eye?"

"I haven't met them yet."