Calvin felt the water hit him and he leapt from the cot, his lips curled in a snarl as he let out a growl and hiss. He started to shift, but stopped as he saw Ramirez standing there. There was barely any light from the hallway, but his eyes could definitely make out the shape of the slimy bastard.
"Boss wants to see you," Ramirez said flatly. He held the bucket awkwardly and Calvin watched the remaining water drip onto the floor in a steady stream. He didn't seem to care.
"I have a client?" Calvin asked. He knew it was far past the usual time, but there was a chance that someone had enough credits to cover an hour or so in his company. There were junkies that needed a fix no matter the length of time. One hour with him wasn't cheap, but it was satisfying.
"He wants to see you," Ramirez repeated. He shrugged. "That's all I know."
Calvin grumbled but reached over to grab his pants. He forced them on, growling slightly as the water made them much more difficult to slip on.
"Hurry up," Ramirez said. His voice sounded odd, distant. It sounded small.
"I'm hurrying. It's not easy to put these damned things on, you know." He expected a smirk, a rude remark, maybe even a shock, but there was nothing.
Calvin finished slipping them over his hips and looked at Ramirez's face as he worked the laces. Ramirez had never been kind. In fact, he always looked angry, sadistic, but that was not what he saw. No, Ramirez looked odd and Calvin could not place the expression no matter how hard he tried.
"Is something wrong?" he asked. He didn't really care, but he could sense something wasn't just right. Perhaps a member of Ramirez's family was sick. Or maybe he had gotten into trouble for the incident with Bull. Whatever it was, his expression had Calvin worried.
Ramirez didn't answer and turned, walking back to the door. "Let's go."
Calvin obliged and fell in behind him. Their dorms were far away from the Meeting Rooms and it was obvious. The Meeting Rooms, where they met clients, were furnished with plush beds, carpet, air conditioning and heat, all the things that humans enjoyed and expected. The dorms were just the opposite. Calvin's feet walked along the metal floors that he was accustomed to, but he still felt his skin dot with goosebumps as he did. It was freezing and drafty which added to the almost sterile decor that surrounded them. There was little color, a chair here and there with red vinyl, but everything else was black, white, or stainless. There were no pictures, no books, nothing to make it feel like a home. The lack of books made sense, though. Shifters weren't allowed to learn, to read. That would just make them more dangerous, after all.
They walked in silence, moving down the long, winding halls past the numerous doors. Most of the other Shifters had clients, their rates far more reasonable, but he could see quite a few of them through the tiny windows in their doors. The ones not working were all sleeping soundly, something he envied greatly.
