said. What else was there to say? Sorry the random cousin of some acquaintance died. If the city wasn’t so massive you would never have even crossed paths. I noticed a young preacher holding a sign proclaiming it the end of days. Would the city swallow him up whole like it had me? “ Declan said his cousin saw the killer leaving. Dude was dressed up like one of those street performers. The costumed ones that kids take pictures with. They’re always out there bothering people. Homeless weirdoes.” Never would have happened in Idaho. “ Who was he dressed up as? SpongeBob? Spider-Man?” I tried to lighten the mood, but it was impossible. “ A wolf in a ratty ‘I Heart NY’ shirt.” “ Weird. But who doesn’t heart New York? Still no reason why we aren’t getting shitfaced playing poker tonight.” The train came to a halt and the doors whooshed open. I hurried through the crowd of strangers. As I emerged on the street above, I found myself looking out for any costumed wolves. I never looked over my shoulder before moving here. What is it about the city that changes you so quickly? The smog? The abundance of people stacked upon each other? “ I left the bar with Declan. We went down to the subway together. It wasn’t that crowded, you know, a Tuesday night at eleven. We were waiting for the train, just talking or whatever, and suddenly his mouth drops and he stumbles back. I tried to catch him, but he fell right in front of the train. It made the most sickening sound.” “ Damn.” I shuddered at the thought of Jay’s friend actually dying in front of him, glad I heard about it as I approached my apartment building and not while I was still underground. “What did you do?” “ I turned away. People were screaming. The Wolf was standing there, twenty feet away. I swear its big plastic eyes were staring straight at me. He held one finger up to his lips.” “ Shit. What happened?” “ People were running around and I lost track of him. As soon as the cops heard we came from the bar they didn’t seem that interested. Anyway, I’ve been holed up here the last couple days.” “ That’s no good. Look, I’ll bring over a six-pack and keep you company for a while. Not like I had any other plans for the night.” He was quiet for several seconds. I thought we got disconnected and checked my phone. The seconds on the call log ticked up. “Jay?” “ Yeah, sure. See you in a few.” I stuffed the phone back in my pants and hurried upstairs. I tossed some beer in a brown bag and left for Jay’s place. The streets were still alive with hipsters and partiers. A scruffy kid played some song by This Is My Roommate as passers-by tossed spare change in his guitar case. I nodded to a neighbor, a woman whose face I knew but name I didn’t. It wasn’t a long walk to Jay’s apartment. I hoped he had some soda and liquor so I could mix something stronger. Somehow I didn’t think three beers apiece would do the trick. As I reached Jay’s building, I glanced up at his third story window out of habit. The lights were on. As I neared the side of the building, something made a crashing sound high above. I looked up just as Jay sailed through the air, plummeting toward the concrete. A woman screamed. Others pointed. Jay hit the ground with a sickening splat and crunch. I backed away and looked toward the window again. Those looming wolf eyes stared at the carnage below. Jay must have opened the door for the Wolf, thinking it was me. He can’t pull the same trick on me. I’ll sit right here until he tries, and then I’ll show him. One quick stab to the stomach ought to do it. And then twenty more to be sure. I crack open my second beer with my left hand and sip the foamy drink. Nothing will take the knife out of my dominant hand. I picture the freak inside the mask. Homeless maniac? A hipster artist hearing voices? A vet with PTSD? There’s a knock on the door. I tense up. The light above the