Big Bad Claws - Michele Mills Page 0,6

the outside and notice. Derelict housing that suddenly lit up at night would bring the dreaded peacekeepers.

Dammit. She had no way to create light to find her way around. She’d left her tablet behind because it was coded to her and would make her traceable. So she was standing there, like a girl from ancient times, wishing for a candle.

Large windows at the front of the room let in the moonlight. Her eyes adjusted to the dim glow. She carefully walked through a cluttered room with an unusual amount of chairs. Everything was so dark, it was hard to see but she could feel the grit on her fingers and coughed at the dust that floated in the air. Her teeth chattered as she progressed. It was filthy and a giant mess, but at least the building was still intact, and the roof wasn’t leaking. She was very lucky to have found this empty dwelling. Hopefully she could hide out here at least until daylight.

She paused and lifted her chin and took a deep breath. Hmm, this place smelled strangely good, with a light manly scent.

Manly?

She blinked and glanced around. What type of species would have males whose scent she thought smelled good? A scent so strong it could cut through the cobwebs and clutter? Where the hell was she? That tantalizing scent was confusing. The outside of the house looked overgrown. It had been difficult to navigate a rainy entrance covered with dense foliage. But, how could a scent linger in a vacant building?

She continued on, determined to find somewhere in this house to rest. It was eerily quiet here. No vermin. No bots. No signs of life whatsoever. How long had this building been abandoned? Why had the occupants left?

At the back of the front room she found a hallway lined with doors. She turned and slowly made her way down the dark hall, feeling her way along the dirty walls, hoping to find somewhere to rest. The pleasant scent seemed to grow stronger as she moved down the hall. Sunshine, soil and wood, with a note of spicy manliness. The beings on this planet must smell terrific if even their vacant buildings smelled good.

She stopped at the last door in the hallway, where the scent was strongest. It just seemed logical to try this room first as a place where she could possibly rest.

She put her hand over the lock. It easily opened. Strange. Did this world even believe in locks? Did they just let strangers right on in? If so, why bother with locks at all?

She walked in and a night light lit up. Was it coded to just anyone? She had no idea. With the small amount of light, she could see much better. The room was cluttered with boxes and furniture, very much like the front room. Dust and grit filled the air. There was a spacious bunk, a chair, desk and a cabinet. Everything looked dusty and strewn about, and nothing had its own place, which bothered her immensely.

There weren’t any personal objects, but because of that manly scent she’d detected, she assumed a male used to live here. How long had it been since this house had been vacated? She wondered why they’d left and who used to live here.

Lila walked up to the cabinets and opened one and gasped at a collection of sharp, vicious weapons. She immediately slammed it closed. Why would anyone leave those behind? Was the owner coming back for them? Was she invading someone’s house or was she hiding out in a condemned building?

She sat on the edge of the bed and thought it through. The outside looked like the building was about to collapse. The inside was a cluttered mess—and that was all she could see in the dark. If the lights were on, she was sure it would be much worse. But this room, the room where the scent was strongest, also seemed unoccupied. The bed was made but maybe there was still a cleaning bot left behind trying to do a bit of work?

But it smelled very, very good, which made her want to stay.

She scanned the room again and this time noticed another door. Oh, thank gods, there was a restroom. She rushed inside and used the surprisingly high-tech toilet that still worked. At least the house had some residual energy left for this too.

Her clothes were soaking wet and dripping water onto the floor. If she could just get this wet clothing