He laughed at my question and slung an arm across my shoulders to steer me out of the way of a young man hurrying toward us with another cart filled with goods. "Well, you're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Yep, day or night, Shanghai is always a happening place."
"What time is it here?" I asked, liking the way his arm felt across my shoulders.
"Almost seven at night. Shanghai is a fantastic city," he said, pulling me in close.
"It's a lot busier here than I'm used to," I commented as I watched cars go zooming by one after the next. "And very confusing," I added, peering at all the signs in a language I couldn't speak.
"Nah, it's just like any other city. Once you spend a little time here you become a pro," he said, dragging me down another alleyway.
My nose was assaulted by a sour smell as we walked farther down the alley. "Eww, it stinks," I complained, wrinkling up my nose.
"Well, it is an alley," he teased, stopping in front of a door that was rippled from water damage. He rapped on the door in quick succession. A single bulb hanging above by nothing but its own cord cast a small ray of light down on us. The light blue paint around the doorframe was peeling in the way that you couldn't help but want to reach out to pull off a section.
Standing here waiting wasn't helping my sudden apprehension. The lighting was minimal at best, making me uneasy about the shadows that surrounded us.
"Maybe he's not here," I said after several minutes had passed.
"He's here. It just takes him awhile to respond. You're not scared, are you?" he asked incredulously. "I thought you were like the Terminator Daemon Killer."
"I'm not scared of Daemons or humans," I admitted, flushing in embarrassment.
"Then what?" he asked, mystified.
"Fine, but if you laugh, I'll punch you in your immortal nuts," I threatened.
"Whoa," he said, covering his junk to protect it. "Okay, I won't laugh."
"I'm scared of the things that creep and crawl," I admitted, preparing to hit him if he laughed.
"Like bugs?"
"Bugs, rats, mice. Pretty much anything in that realm," I answered.
"You'd hate some of the places I've been then," he said seriously as the door suddenly swung out toward us.
At first I couldn't make out anything about the person who stood in the doorway since the hallway behind him was as black as the night sky.
I was almost thrown off balance when Emrys reached out to shake a mammoth hand that emerged from the dark hallway in front of us. He greeted the owner of the hand in flawless Mandarin, who then threw a big belly laugh at whatever Emrys was saying as he stepped out into the light to peer at me. I did a double take at the beast of a man in front of me. He had to be seven foot tall and seemed equally as wide. He eyed me with open humor.
"What did you tell him?" I asked Emrys, not a fan of being the butt of a joke.
"He told me you could kick my ass with one hand tied behind your back," the stranger said in a gruff voice, laughing again.
"Oh, well, that's true, but he really doesn't need to do my bragging for me," I said dismissively, making the giant laugh again.
"She's spunky at least," he told Emrys before turning around and lumbering down the hallway. Emrys kept his arm firmly around me as he led me through the doorway and closed the door behind us, cutting off the light. I could hear the massive stranger shuffling down the hall ahead of us. I felt a little uneasy, not from being in a dark place mind you, but who knew what kind of bugs were scurrying around us.
After we had taken about a dozen steps, Emrys pulled me to a stop. I could hear and sense the giant in front of me as he fumbled for the doorknob. Light suddenly flooded the hallway, making me squint until my eyes had a chance to adjust. Glancing around where we stood, I was shocked that unlike the alley we had just left, this place was pristine. I guess I had nothing to worry about. The walls were bright white and the flooring beneath was compromised of oversized ceramic tiles that looked clean enough to eat off of. Emrys gave me a nudge from behind, urging me to follow his friend into the room beyond the hall. Stepping through the doorway, I couldn't help gawking at my surroundings. Everything in the warehouse-sized room was white. The walls were painted the same brilliant white as the hallway without being marred by the hanging of pictures or knickknacks. The same oversized ceramic tiles from the hallway flowed into the sterile space. White plush throw rugs were scattered throughout the room lending the only source of warmth. A leather cream-colored sectional couch ran the length of the far side of the room with a flat-screen TV that sat low on a stand that was also white.
"What's with all the white? Does your friend have a heaven complex or something?"
Emrys barked out a laugh. "Nah, his complex runs closer to your issue," he said, grinning at me.
"And what would that be?" I asked, completely mystified.
"Little Anthony here is scared shitless of bugs," he said, pointing at his friend who lowered himself on the sofa. The sofa buckled and protested slightly beneath his weight.
"That's because bugs are some gross ass shit," Anthony's voice boomed across the room.