Shaky metal rattled against brick in the alley below, and with a sinking feeling Reggy realized the rat creature was trying to climb the fire escape. His first panicked thought was to bolt for the roof exit. Unsteady legs had carried him almost to the door when the words finally broke though his mounting hysteria.<br/><br/>Reggy stopped and looked back at the roof's edge and heard the rusted iron clanging against itself as the<br/><br/><em>giant <strong>talking</strong> rat creature</em><br/><br/>clambered closer to the rooftop. Adrenaline flooded through his body, and his heart felt like it would burst as he clutched at the book. He glanced back and forth between the roof's edge and its exit; everything in Reginald screamed at him to run, to escape, to hide...but a small voice kept whispering in the back of his thoughts...<br/><br/><em>'Proof, actual proof that it's real, it's all real. It said it recognized the book, said it would help me <span class="bbc_u">use</span> it...said it would...<strong>help</strong> me...'</em><br/><br/>Reggy's survival instincts warred with his curiosity, and self-preservation was on the brink of victory when a name was lobbed over the railing along with a promise of safety. If it...if<em>he</em>...had a name....well, Reggy had no idea what that might have meant, but surely a being intelligent enough to have a name could be reasoned with...right?<br/><br/>In the end, Reg decided to split the difference. He darted for the rooftop door just as a figure hauled itself over the iron railing, and pulled the door almost all the way shut. A sliver of neon light poured through the narrow crack and Reggy peeked out, ready to slam the door tight the instant danger presented itself.<br/><br/>"Wh-what...who are you? What d-do you want?" Reggy called through the cracked door. "Uh, y-you should know I've g-got a cell phone, and...and I'll call the cops if you try anything," he lied, wishing to God he actually owned a cell phone. "This is, I mean...it's a g-good neighborhood, the cops'll be here...really quick," Reggy said uneasily. Another lie; emergency response in Cape Merrin was the butt of so many jokes, it could have had its own show on the Comedy Channel. Maybe Mighty Mouse wouldn't want to test his luck, though. A thin hope, but it was all Reggy had. Then, it was all he<em>ever</em>had, so at least it was familiar. If only his teeth could stop chattering...<br/>