A Little Undead Page 3
It had started out innocently enough. After several long days of playing handywoman for Cassandra I'd taken my hard-won cash out to buy a cheeseburger (hopefully made mostly from beef) and there he was. I'd been twelve the last time I had a crush at first sight, and so with a little apprehension I sat down with him on an informal date.
For a time it seemed like a fairy tale romance, Prince Charming sweeping Cinderella off her feet into happily ever after. After our third casual lunch date he asked me out on a moonlit cruise on his brother's yacht. The shock that his brother could possibly be that wealthy aside, the trip across the ocean waters had been spectacular. At last, I could experience the outdoors without worry or fear. Zombies and starving wolves and every other bedtime story monster miles away across the sparkling ocean, leaving the pair of us alone in a moonlit paradise.
Then, after we puttered back into the cove and anchored the boat, had come the moment. Phosphorescent plankton glowed beneath the rocking boat, stars twinkled above, and blushing maiden that I was I knew it was time for the kiss. My body turned red as flames as I followed the first kiss with another, brushing my lips against his neck... I didn't mean to bite him, but once I drew blood my canines grew into fangs in seconds and it was all I could do to stop myself from shaking him to pieces in my teeth like a dog shakes a bird. Despite all evidence to the contrary I still hoped I had just imagined that. After all, whoever heard of growing fangs after kissing someone?
Adding to my shocked, almost drugged surprise, Alex had his own transformation trick to play. Bones cracked obscenely as his body changed shape. His widening neck and swiftly-sprouting fur broke my hold on him, even as a twisted paw-hand sent me falling over the railing of the yacht. In the end it was only a wolf's inability to perform a swan dive that gave me the head start I needed to get away.
The strange energy that had propelled me since this madness began had fled, the last of it drained in that last amazing, terribly painful leap. Only my faltering willpower kept me upright now as I pushed myself onwards. My heart pounded in my chest, its beat echoing in my legs and feet as blood pulsed from my wounds. I needed to get somewhere safe – and fast.
A revenge-minded werewolf hunting me wasn't all I had to worry about. There was no telling how many zombies might track me down, attracted by the smell of fresh-fallen blood. Military-entrenched city or not, I wasn't going to trust my life to chance here at the edge of the slums. When the Animator virus first spread it was hours before there was any signs of revival. Now someone could turn in as little as five minutes, and that was during the day. At night they'd be munching on you in under a minute. That didn't leave long for a family member or loved one to say their goodbyes and put them out of their misery for good.
The police station was a welcome beacon of light amidst the darkness. I didn't know how many false turns I made trying to find it but I knew I was nearly at my limit. Legs growing heavier by the moment my pace slowed to a crawl as I forced my way up the steps and leaned deep into the door to open it. “Thunk.” To my misfortune the door was far lighter than it appeared and I made my third visitation with the ground that night.
“What the hell?” The voice was masculine and deep. “Fred, get Bruce in here asap.”
“I'm alright,” I said from the floor, not entirely convincingly. 'At least my bad shoulder landed skywards or I might be screaming and swearing my head off right now.'
“My name is Morris. Can you tell me yours and what happened?” He was speaking to me like a little kid hurt on the playground. I didn't look that young, did I? Or perhaps I did, given that all my carefully applied makeup had likely washed off thanks to my dunk in the ocean and I no longer had my four inch heels to prop me up to the five foot mark. Well, even if I no longer looked as old as my sister, let alone nineteen, I could at least act my age and put on a stiff upper lip.
Craning my head to look at the fellow I was less than pleasantly surprised. With a neatly trimmed black beard, square jaw, and salt and pepper hair, he looked like a cardboard cutout military officer. Unfortunately, from his insignia he was also the captain of this police station. Not that I had anything against military people exactly, but I wasn't entirely sure I wanted one as my boss. Briefly I contemplated pretending to be someone else, but pretending to be an orphaned, recently mugged thirteen-year-old would probably cause more problems than it would save me. “Uh, hi, I'm Julie Fisher.” His eyes widened slightly in recognition. “Sorry about being a day early.”
'I'm also sorry about showing up barefoot in a sleeveless leopard-print blouse and black skirt, not to mention covered in blood. Though admittedly that last one might help my street cred if so much of it wasn't mine.' The outfit was my first truly frivolous purchase since arriving in Boston. I knew they wouldn't be as durable as the heeled boots, jeans, and T-shirts I normally wore, but I thought they'd last for more than a single date. Picking the sodden fabric away from my clammy skin I wondered how long it would be before I could afford the like again, even second-hand as it was.
“Jeeze, Captain,” called a voice from behind me, “I thought when they sent new recruits by mail they were supposed to slap a 'fragile' sticker on the box.”
'If I was on my feet right now I would... well, probably nothing. I'd definitely imagine hitting him though.' Besides, I'd heard a lot worse back when I was still in school.
“Can it Bruce,” responded Morris. “Take a look at her shoulder and then take her to the hospital. You can grab her statement once you get there.” With that he turned and walked off, Fred taking his position at the front desk. I shivered a little at the word 'hospital' but I doubted they would take the reaction as anything other than a chill from my still damp clothes.
'Wow, tough department. You'd think my arrival would cause a little more stir.' It had hardly taken a second for the captain to switch from caring and compassionate to an utterly emotionless block of authority in human form. 'Useful skill for a captain, I suppose.' I never expected him to be chummy with me, but I expected a little more warmth. He did offer me a job, so he must have thought I was worth something. Either that or this neighborhood was in even worse shape and more underfunded than Cassandra's litany of complaints had suggested and he simply couldn't convince anyone else to accept the post.
The aforementioned Bruce stepped in my field of vision. He was young, handsome in a sort of boyish way, possibly short if my judgment from the ground could be trusted, and unfortunately not my type. 'It's a shame, too. If I picked guys like this I'd probably stand a better chance of not being eaten alive. That being said, I've really only had one boyfriend who didn't drop me after the first date and he tried to eat me. It's not like the only men who are interested in me are wolves, right?' It was sort of sad that these counted as my happy thoughts at the moment. Almost unbelievably, my now ex-boyfriend changing into a wolf before my eyes had not been the most disturbing thing to happen to me tonight. 'Oops, he's saying something isn't he.'
“–dislocated. I can set it for you or you can wait for the hospital staff. I warn you, it could be a few hours before they see you. You haven't lost enough blood to be put on the high-priority list and the hospital is short-staffed.” That was putting it lightly. Medical staff had been some of the hardest hit by the early zombie risings, and even years later there were few college students with the inclination to go into the field. The fact that Bruce had even a cursory knowledge of first aid was probably enough to make him the office's de facto paramedic.
“Go ahead and set it, this isn't the first time it's happened and I'd rather just get it over with.” Soccer could be surprisingly brutal for a game that generally didn't involve fists. I wasn't even playing at the time. 'Accident indeed, more like not-so-accidental bullying.'
“Alright, here we go.” As his hands touched my skin I felt fangs grow in my mouth for the second time of my life. 'Not now! This is how this whole mess got started in the first place.' “Three–” I felt my mind start to glaze over as my eyes locked onto the pulsing arter
y in his neck.
“Mmfugeh!” came my muffled yell as my shoulder snapped back into place. Blood flooded my mouth as my newly grown fangs cut into my lip. The blood was strangely bitter on my tongue, not at all like Alex's.
Teeth sinking into warm, tender flesh, tongue lapping at the blood that filled my senses like hot chocolate in winter or the first slice of apple pie straight from the oven. Power burning in my stomach, legs twitching with energy as if they could run forever as my mind drifts in the clouds – I shook myself from the memory before I could relive the stomach-turning sound of cracking bone as Alex transformed, skin melting as he roared his rage to the crescent moon 'What a night.' I turned my head to spit in the waste basket beside me but found myself reflexively gulping down what blood remained in my mouth instead. “Gahh!”
“Are you okay? Does it it feel like anything's fractured?”
“I'm just peachy.” My eyes lay half in shadow as I let my head hang towards the floor, my hair falling into a curtain around my face. Reluctantly I accepted his help in reaching a chair, keeping my eyes averted from his neck until his hands left my skin. I wasn't sure I liked him being so close to me, but I wasn't sure I disliked it either. Regardless, I knew it wouldn't end well.
“Did you bite your tongue? You've got a bit of blood on your chin.” '
Who is this guy, my mother?' Wary of revealing my fanged state I kept my lips firmly sealed, answering his question with a small shake of my head. Like some eighteenth century butler he walked off to return moments later with a box of napkins and a cup of water from the water cooler. Cautiously taking them without touching his hands I gave him a small, toothless smile in gratitude. It would probably take a gallon to rid the taste of blood from my mouth, a bucket of bleach for the clothes, and a very long shower to clean off the rest of me, but at least it was a start.
Hiding my mouth behind the plastic cup I tried to dissuade him. “You really don't have to worry about me. Just grab me some bandages and iodine rinse and I'll be fine.”
Bruce glanced at my leg. “Don't be ridiculous, that cut on your leg needs stitches, and there's a high risk of infection for your shoulder.”
Tongue testing my fangs I felt myself relax a touch as the troublesome things finally began to shrink. “Seriously, don't worry about it. I'm a fast healer.” 'Perhaps a little too fast.' Rinsing my bloodstained teeth with a swish of water I began to clean my face and hands with the tissues as Bruce peered at me. 'Maybe I'm a werewolf from being around Alex. Wolves sorta have fangs, right? Or an alien?' I wanted to say vampire but I'd know if I was dead and allergic to sunlight, wouldn't I?
My heart was still beating, brief cessation in breathing notwithstanding, and still pounding hard enough after the run to make my chest ache. 'If one of the hairs from his scruffy beard got in my food and contaminated me somehow he is so going down, crazy werewolf or not.' Noticing Fred coming over with the first aid kit I quickly waved him off as a renewed wave of bloodlust swept through my body. 'What's wrong with me? I never used to want to eat people alive.' My head cocked to one side. 'Or eat dead people. I'm pretty sure I still don't want to do that, so that's one plus at least, right?' Though in the case of eating zombies I doubted anyone would really mind.
“I can treat myself, don't worry.” I snatched the box from him, hoping he wouldn't be too put off by my behavior. His impression of me was bad enough already. I didn't want to be known as the maiden in distress but being prickly wouldn't win me many friends either. It wouldn't take much for them to start thinking of me as some bratty kid or someone to pity, and I refused to be pitied. First impressions, I decided, were entirely too exhausting.
'It's not the sort of change that happens without a person knowing,' I assured myself. 'Dracula bit those girls in the book multiple times before they turned all bloodthirsty and fangy, right?' Coming out of my musings I noticed the bloody tissue entirely too close to my mouth and with force of will threw it into a nearby garbage can. 'Frikk, maybe I am a vampire.'
“If you could call me a cab I'd be grateful.” Another worthless expense. Obviously I couldn't walk home in the dark, not with Alex the big bad wolf out there, but maybe there was a bench or something inside the station that I could nap on 'til daybreak. Then again, a bench was bad enough when not covered in cuts and bruises. Besides, I doubted I could sleep in such an exposed place. Something as little as the draft from an open window was enough to wake me up if the sun wasn't out. Random people walking around while I dozed was a definite no-no.
“Nonsense, let me drive you to the hospital, we can call your house on the way,” said Bruce. “Your mother is probably worried sick about you, and the captain would be upset if I didn't take proper care of our new intern.”
“Intern?” I bristled, a wave of electricity passing under my skin as a tendril of rage forced itself to attention through the pain. “I'm a police officer, just like you. Stop treating me like I'm just some kid.”
Bruce cocked his head slightly, and I could tell Fred wasn't quite as oblivious to our conversation as he was pretending to be. I could see his curiously cut mustache twitch despite his otherwise stolid facade. “Sure thing,” said Bruce.
I knew I shouldn't try and argue; it always made me seem even younger than normal. It was just that being talked down to all the time was so infuriating. This job was supposed to be a new start, a place where I could finally make a name for myself as someone besides the sister of Miss Perfect. I wasn't jealous, really, but being consistently mistaken for the younger sister of the up-and-coming physics prodigy had a tendency to grate as the years went by. “What, you don't believe me? I'm older than I look you know.”
“You would have to be,” said Fred.
'Unbelievable…' My hands began to shake. I wasn't sure if it was rage or my exertions and injuries catching up to me, but I was through playing nice. “Just call me a cab or I'll take my chances walking home.” I was sincerely regretting not owning a cellphone.
“Take it easy,” said Bruce, pressing on my shoulder as I attempted to stand. “I suppose if you don't want to go to the hospital we can't force you.”
By the time he finished the call I had managed to wrap both my feet with enough gauze and tape that hardly a speck of skin was showing below the knee. “Don't forget to ask about what happened to her,” commented Fred. He hadn't even looked up from his paperwork, casually putting me on the spot without a care in the world. I just knew he was doing it out of curiosity rather than strict adherence to police procedure. 'Somehow I suspect telling them I bit a guy who then turned into a wolf and chased me through the streets would put me on the shortlist for a pink slip – shortly followed by a trip to the asylum. At least Alex looked too comfortable in his wolf form for me to be guilty of turning him into a werewolf for the first time. With a little luck this will all blow over.'
The friendly, concerned atmosphere that had surrounded me until that point dissipated into an awkward, inquiring silence. Well, I had to say something, didn't I. “A pair of muggers nearly got me but I managed to get away.” I could tell they wanted more, but I didn’t make it through high school English without learning how to make up nonsense on the spot. “They were both about five ten. I didn't get a look at their faces, they were both wearing black hoodies.” 'The sort of utterly uninformative garbage that no doubt gives cops headaches across the world. I'm going to just love the karmic backlash for this.'
“I see.” Bruce's mouth seemed to twist a little as he took another glance at the long cut on my leg, his gaze lingering a little too long for comfort as if trying to pierce the gauze covering and determine the wound's true source. “Some parts of the neighborhood are dangerous at night, even for cops. You should try not to travel alone.”
I hadn't been alone, of course, but telling him about the violent breakup would probably give him the idea I was on the market again. Which I wasn't. Really. From here on it was Julie time. I had a new job, was out of my parent's house, and apparently had a supernatural world that
needed discovering. A new boyfriend could come later, trouble-causing things that they were. I was just fine as I was. “Live and learn, I suppose.” And then there was silence. The too-loud turning of pages by Fred of the twitching mustache. The hum of a motor. 'Finally.' Fending off the obligatory offers of assistance and casting a suspicious eye at a few nearby bushes where predators could be lurking I made my way to the taxi.
It wasn't until I stepped into the fresh air that I placed the scent that had been tickling my nose. Marijuana. Faint but still recognizable on Bruce's hands, though not his breath. It was an expensive drug these days, too expensive to make a habit out of on a policeman's salary. It was probably just residue from taking in someone for possession or trafficking.
“Where you headed, miss?” The fellow seemed a bit put off by my injuries. I was half certain he even went so far as to examine my footsteps to make sure I wasn't dripping blood. I suppose it was a reasonable action, bloodstains not generally being a big selling point outside of haunted houses. Either that or he was checking for bites. It wouldn't be the first time someone joined the ranks of the undead in the back of a cab, generally to the detriment of the cabbie.
“Fifty-five Ash Street.” Leaves rustled in the darkness beyond the headlights' reach. 'It’s just the wind, or maybe a rabid horde of squirrels. Alex probably ran off by now to avoid Animal Control.' I locked the doors to either side of me when the driver wasn't looking – just in case. The cabby was thankfully not the talkative sort. While no doubt curious about how I'd gotten my injuries he must have picked up on the fact I was dead tired. Hopefully not literally on the whole “dead” thing. Pressing a hand to my chest I felt a comforting heartbeat, skin still alive and warm to the touch. I also felt the twenty-cred bill I hid in my bra that was now the only cash I had on me.