my chest and then you won’t hear me say it again, I hope: This shit is fucking weird.” Red Feather exhales smoke and breaks off a fresh piece of cigarette to leave as an offering.
Günn takes a long drag and shakes her head. “It’s only going to get weirder. A wolf girl? A fucking werewolf? And the body parts are growing? I mean, what exactly are we supposed to do with that? How’s this all gonna read in the report?” Pauses. “Jesus H. Christ I can’t believe it’s us that pull lead on this case. Our reps’ll be ruined by the time it’s over.”
“Naw, we’re gonna have all the physical evidence we need to prove this madness is happening.” Red Feather sounds as convinced as the Roadrunner telling Wile E. Coyote he’s not going to drop a safe on his head. “Anyway, Severin’s filming the body parts at the morgue. We have crime scene photos of that wolf girl and her amputated leg—”
“Atticus,” Günn interrupts, “that isn’t going to mean diddly and you know it. Prepare to be scapegoated.” Günn grinds out her smoke on the stair rail, puts it in a tissue. As Red Feather takes another drag, screams of bloody murder hit them through the fire door. Red Feather tosses his smoke aside, and bolts through, gun drawn.
The screams come from the wolf girl’s room where a posse of onlookers crowd around the door, craning their necks and standing on tippy toe for a better look.
“What the hell is this?” Red Feather roars and grabs hospital staff, pulling them out of the way by the scruff of their necks when necessary. The wolf girl is awake, huddled in the corner of her room and getting her growl on, big time. She looks at Red Feather, looks back at her furry hands, places them on her furry face, and bursts into tears.
“What’s wrong with me?” She screams, a sound that is more howl than human. “What’s happening to me!” She screams again and convulses in pain, collapsing into the fetal position on the floor. Red Feather watches as her fur begins to retract into her body, inspiring another of those God-awful howl-screams. “It hurts!” Her claw hands and feet crack and splinter as they re-form into what Günn sees are human extremities. Another scream breaks Günn and Red Feather from their reverie of amazement.
“Günn, get a blanket!” She strips it from the bed and hands it to Red Feather, who turns to the bystanders and shouts, “What the hell are you people doing? You think this is a fucking sideshow? Go get the goddamn doctor!” The voyeurs jump and scurry away, embarrassed. And also disappointed. The show was just getting interesting.
Red Feather covers the wolf girl with a blanket. She looks up at him with puppydog eyes, watering with pain. “It hurts so much,” she whispers in a voice raw from screaming. Another convulsion tears through her body, her head arches in pain, the tendons in her neck an inflamed red against what is now hairless skin. Red Feather crouches next to her, gathering her in his arms, holding her as she writhes and twists in agony.
Günn watches as the transformation is complete and instead of a hirsute wolf girl, before them a twenty-something woman with dark curly hair and an olive complexion. The wolf girl looks up at Red Feather, her skin rubbed raw, but human. Red Feather is startled to see that those brown eyes have turned a blue-green, almost the color of turquoise.
“Thank you,” she moans and passes out.
Red Feather realizes that the woman is now buck-naked and blushes. Günn frowns. “Let’s get her back in the bed, shall we?” Günn tucks the blanket around the former wolf girl and helps her partner put her back in bed.
“Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.” Red Feather unties his long hair and runs his fingers through, smoothing it back before retying it with the leather cord. First a vampire, now an honest-to-God werewolf.
“The captain is never going to believe this,” Günn insists.
“Everyone’s gonna believe all kinds
Günn takes a long drag and shakes her head. “It’s only going to get weirder. A wolf girl? A fucking werewolf? And the body parts are growing? I mean, what exactly are we supposed to do with that? How’s this all gonna read in the report?” Pauses. “Jesus H. Christ I can’t believe it’s us that pull lead on this case. Our reps’ll be ruined by the time it’s over.”
“Naw, we’re gonna have all the physical evidence we need to prove this madness is happening.” Red Feather sounds as convinced as the Roadrunner telling Wile E. Coyote he’s not going to drop a safe on his head. “Anyway, Severin’s filming the body parts at the morgue. We have crime scene photos of that wolf girl and her amputated leg—”
“Atticus,” Günn interrupts, “that isn’t going to mean diddly and you know it. Prepare to be scapegoated.” Günn grinds out her smoke on the stair rail, puts it in a tissue. As Red Feather takes another drag, screams of bloody murder hit them through the fire door. Red Feather tosses his smoke aside, and bolts through, gun drawn.
The screams come from the wolf girl’s room where a posse of onlookers crowd around the door, craning their necks and standing on tippy toe for a better look.
“What the hell is this?” Red Feather roars and grabs hospital staff, pulling them out of the way by the scruff of their necks when necessary. The wolf girl is awake, huddled in the corner of her room and getting her growl on, big time. She looks at Red Feather, looks back at her furry hands, places them on her furry face, and bursts into tears.
“What’s wrong with me?” She screams, a sound that is more howl than human. “What’s happening to me!” She screams again and convulses in pain, collapsing into the fetal position on the floor. Red Feather watches as her fur begins to retract into her body, inspiring another of those God-awful howl-screams. “It hurts!” Her claw hands and feet crack and splinter as they re-form into what Günn sees are human extremities. Another scream breaks Günn and Red Feather from their reverie of amazement.
“Günn, get a blanket!” She strips it from the bed and hands it to Red Feather, who turns to the bystanders and shouts, “What the hell are you people doing? You think this is a fucking sideshow? Go get the goddamn doctor!” The voyeurs jump and scurry away, embarrassed. And also disappointed. The show was just getting interesting.
Red Feather covers the wolf girl with a blanket. She looks up at him with puppydog eyes, watering with pain. “It hurts so much,” she whispers in a voice raw from screaming. Another convulsion tears through her body, her head arches in pain, the tendons in her neck an inflamed red against what is now hairless skin. Red Feather crouches next to her, gathering her in his arms, holding her as she writhes and twists in agony.
Günn watches as the transformation is complete and instead of a hirsute wolf girl, before them a twenty-something woman with dark curly hair and an olive complexion. The wolf girl looks up at Red Feather, her skin rubbed raw, but human. Red Feather is startled to see that those brown eyes have turned a blue-green, almost the color of turquoise.
“Thank you,” she moans and passes out.
Red Feather realizes that the woman is now buck-naked and blushes. Günn frowns. “Let’s get her back in the bed, shall we?” Günn tucks the blanket around the former wolf girl and helps her partner put her back in bed.
“Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.” Red Feather unties his long hair and runs his fingers through, smoothing it back before retying it with the leather cord. First a vampire, now an honest-to-God werewolf.
“The captain is never going to believe this,” Günn insists.
“Everyone’s gonna believe all kinds
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