twitch and have the occasional seizure. Their bodies hadn’t started to change, but the shift in their minds was obvious. They stopped navigating like humans and approached the cows like a wolf pack. They circled around a stray calf. When the cattle fled, they didn’t let the calf go with the rest of the herd. And then they fell on it and began to eat.
Seth watched Yasir’s monitor with horror as human hands and human teeth ripped into the calf. The werewolves were clearly unaware that they were being watched from a road a half-mile away by two vehicles with enhanced surveillance systems. Although by that point, the Union probably could have walked up to them without being noticed.
Seth thought he might throw up.
When the pack was done, they started arguing again. One woman gesticulated wildly with bloody hands, while the other gripped her stomach as though she was still starving.
The man collapsed on all fours. His spine cracked.
Seth had been given a Union earpiece so he could follow the conversation between vehicles. Stripes hooted as blood sprayed out of the man’s face and misted the ground. His jaw and nose elongated.
“Twenty bucks!” he told the other Union team member, who was named Jakob. “Pay up, dude.”
“You said it was going to take two days!”
“Look at the time, nimrod. It’s been almost three days now.”
Only Eleanor was silent, but Seth could see her smiling on the intra-vehicle cameras. He really hated that smile.
“That must be a record,” Yasir said, making note of the time on his laptop. The sun was dropping outside as night approached. “I’ve never seen it take effect that fast.”
Seth was so disgusted that he couldn’t think of a response.
“That’s more than enough verification,” Eleanor said with her fingers to her earpiece. “We can end the hunt now.”
Yasir closed his laptop lid. “Yeah. We can.”
“Leave them for a few minutes,” Jakob said. “I want to see how much of the herd they can take out.”
“That’s against regulations,” argued Stripes. “The cattle are someone’s private property. We’re here to protect humans and take out werewolves, not cost some rancher half his cows.”
Seth tightened his hands on the steering wheel of the Chevelle. He didn’t want to be there anymore. He didn’t want to have to listen to them discuss the fate of people whose only offense had been to get bitten by the wrong animal.
He powered his earpiece off, turned from the monitor, and watched the light fading in the sky.
Yasir kept talking to the rest of the unit. Seth tried not to listen, but when the commander exclaimed over something happening with the herd, he couldn’t resist glancing at the monitor again.
The pack had killed an adult cow. Now that the man had a wolf’s jaw, he was gulping down massive bites of meat. The weaker of the women started to change, too. She rolled onto her side and sobbed as her body shifted. Her companions kept eating.
The crying was too much, especially since it only made Eleanor’s smile widen.
He reached out to turn off the intra-vehicle cameras.
Yasir caught his wrist. “Don’t touch that,” he said sharply. He hadn’t been quite as friendly since Seth failed to shoot any of the wolves with the sniper rifle. One of the women had almost escaped. He knew that Yasir was wondering if his bad aim had been deliberate or not.
“Sorry. My mom…”
The commander watched her for a few moments. His eyes darkened at her gleeful expression, and he turned off his earpiece. “I’ve seen her type before. The people who really enjoy it.” He waved at the monitors. “This seems weird to you, doesn’t it? Betting on the lives of werewolves when we should kill them. The men are just blowing off steam. But your mother…”
Yasir hesitated, and then turned the monitor off.
Seth ducked his head. “Thanks.”
The commander reengaged his earpiece. His voice hardened. “This is what we’re going to do: we’ll circle
Seth watched Yasir’s monitor with horror as human hands and human teeth ripped into the calf. The werewolves were clearly unaware that they were being watched from a road a half-mile away by two vehicles with enhanced surveillance systems. Although by that point, the Union probably could have walked up to them without being noticed.
Seth thought he might throw up.
When the pack was done, they started arguing again. One woman gesticulated wildly with bloody hands, while the other gripped her stomach as though she was still starving.
The man collapsed on all fours. His spine cracked.
Seth had been given a Union earpiece so he could follow the conversation between vehicles. Stripes hooted as blood sprayed out of the man’s face and misted the ground. His jaw and nose elongated.
“Twenty bucks!” he told the other Union team member, who was named Jakob. “Pay up, dude.”
“You said it was going to take two days!”
“Look at the time, nimrod. It’s been almost three days now.”
Only Eleanor was silent, but Seth could see her smiling on the intra-vehicle cameras. He really hated that smile.
“That must be a record,” Yasir said, making note of the time on his laptop. The sun was dropping outside as night approached. “I’ve never seen it take effect that fast.”
Seth was so disgusted that he couldn’t think of a response.
“That’s more than enough verification,” Eleanor said with her fingers to her earpiece. “We can end the hunt now.”
Yasir closed his laptop lid. “Yeah. We can.”
“Leave them for a few minutes,” Jakob said. “I want to see how much of the herd they can take out.”
“That’s against regulations,” argued Stripes. “The cattle are someone’s private property. We’re here to protect humans and take out werewolves, not cost some rancher half his cows.”
Seth tightened his hands on the steering wheel of the Chevelle. He didn’t want to be there anymore. He didn’t want to have to listen to them discuss the fate of people whose only offense had been to get bitten by the wrong animal.
He powered his earpiece off, turned from the monitor, and watched the light fading in the sky.
Yasir kept talking to the rest of the unit. Seth tried not to listen, but when the commander exclaimed over something happening with the herd, he couldn’t resist glancing at the monitor again.
The pack had killed an adult cow. Now that the man had a wolf’s jaw, he was gulping down massive bites of meat. The weaker of the women started to change, too. She rolled onto her side and sobbed as her body shifted. Her companions kept eating.
The crying was too much, especially since it only made Eleanor’s smile widen.
He reached out to turn off the intra-vehicle cameras.
Yasir caught his wrist. “Don’t touch that,” he said sharply. He hadn’t been quite as friendly since Seth failed to shoot any of the wolves with the sniper rifle. One of the women had almost escaped. He knew that Yasir was wondering if his bad aim had been deliberate or not.
“Sorry. My mom…”
The commander watched her for a few moments. His eyes darkened at her gleeful expression, and he turned off his earpiece. “I’ve seen her type before. The people who really enjoy it.” He waved at the monitors. “This seems weird to you, doesn’t it? Betting on the lives of werewolves when we should kill them. The men are just blowing off steam. But your mother…”
Yasir hesitated, and then turned the monitor off.
Seth ducked his head. “Thanks.”
The commander reengaged his earpiece. His voice hardened. “This is what we’re going to do: we’ll circle
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