Bunyips and Billabongs

by Amy Hopkins

  "She's my girlfriend, not my mum." Red stole a glance at the woman in question. "But I'm sure she knows how much I want to go and wouldn't ask me not to."

  Amelia rolled her eyes dramatically. "You're right, I'm not your mom. Nor am I a full-blown idiot, so it makes sense for you to ask for my advice every now and then." She folded her arms and tapped her chin, thinking. "Your points are reasonable. I think you should go."

  Red's grin widened. "Thanks, Mum."

  "That's gross, babe. Don't call me that." Amelia flopped onto the bed. "When Superdog freaks out at the enormous rumbling sound, you can tell him it's just me. In about five minutes, I’ll be fast asleep and snoring loudly." She kicked off her shoes, not bothering to change out of her dress.

  Penny finished lacing up her boots, then stood. She patted her belt, where she had already clipped her most vital equipment. "Are we ready to go?"

  "Oh, boy, are we ready." Red ducked back out of the tent, coming to a halt outside to turn his face up to the soft glow of the sky.

  Boots hissed happily. Penny reached an arm out, and Boots climbed it. A moment later, the serpent was curled around Penny’s shoulders.

  A soft silver glow edged the receding clouds, revealing the open sky above. Penny guessed they were only minutes from seeing the moon peeking out from its hiding place. A quick glance at her watch and some hurried mental math added up to a surprising and somewhat worrying fact. The waitress had been right to the minute about the clouds parting.

  She didn't stop to discuss it with Red, hurrying instead along the neat path away from the sleeping quarters. Most of the tents were still lit up inside, and shadows moved against the bright canvas walls. She spied a small, dark building and jogged toward it, planning to use it for cover. The noise from behind made her turn.

  Red had stopped. The noise was the belt buckle he had undone before unzipping his pants.

  "Jesus, Red!" Penny slapped a hand over her eyes. "Can you warn me next time?"

  "Sorry." Red's voice was a deep growl.

  Penny turned her back on her friend to give him privacy—if such a thing was possible for a tall, naked man standing out in the open under the full moon. She heard him kick his jeans aside and tried to ignore the odd grunting that came after. She waited patiently until a cold nose touched her hand. She snatched it away with a yelp, then cursed at the shaggy red dog beside her. "Don't scare me like that!" she hissed.

  The dog whimpered an apology, sitting back on its haunches to wait for Penny's instructions.

  Penny shrugged at him. "I don't know where I'm going. You're the one with the super schnoz. Any ideas?"

  Red gave a quick shake of his head. When Penny looked at Boots, the serpent did the same.

  Penny sighed. "Fat lot of use you two are."

  The small building she had stopped by was unlocked. It was stacked with paper towels and tiny bottles of organic toiletries. She didn't waste any more time looking through the neatly stacked boxes. Outside, the path she had followed away from the sleeping quarters continued, winding through a scattering of palm trees and off into the rainforest.

  Penny pulled the resort map from her back pocket. Though its colors were washed out in the silver moonlight, she could still read it well enough to see where they were headed. "The wildlife hospital. I think that deserves a visit."

  She let Red take the lead, knowing that he would be the first to pick up any movement nearby. Boots joined him, rolling off Penny’s shoulders and landing on the leaf-strewn ground with a plop before slithering ahead. The serpent’s abundant energy suggested she was well and truly sick of being cooped up in the tiny room and was enjoying the chance to stretch her legs. Her scales? I don't even know how to parse that into serpent language.

  The wildlife hospital was not one of the attractions listed in the promotional materials. On approach, Penny saw that it was clearly not designed for casual visits by curious onlookers. A bland white building lit by two bright spotlights sat in a clearing in the rainforest. The chain-link fence that surrounded the facility was at least eight feet high and topped with barbed wire. Thin strips of electrical fencing tape surrounded the perimeter two feet apart, forming a wall. Whatever this place was, they weren't encouraging visitors.

  "I wonder how much of that is to keep people out and how much is to keep something in," Penny wondered. "Red, can you dig under?"

  Red pawed some of the loose dirt and leaves away from the base of the fence, revealing solid concrete underneath. He looked back up at Penny, tongue lolling out one side of his mouth as he panted happily.

  The spotlights were directed at the front of the building, but a third pointing at the rear had blown a bulb. It left the back conveniently cloaked in darkness. Penny headed in that direction, keeping to the shadows and moving as quickly and quietly as she could. Once she was out of the direct glare of the spotlights, Penny's confidence lifted a notch. She dropped to her belly and ducked under the lowest strip of fencing tape. With her face pressed against the ground, she carefully used her wire cutters to snip through the chain wire. She had only cut through three sections before Boots took a chance, slipping through the small opening Penny had created.

  "Don't you dare sneak off without me," Penny hissed.

  She supposed she could have sent Boots in for reconnaissance, but she wasn't sure the serpent would know what to look for. Penny wasn't sure either. If the building was a hospital, it could just as easily be for the genuine treatment of the refuge’s animals as a holding center for smuggled Mythers. Still, even if Penny had evidence of the latter, she didn't plan to act on it. Her goal was to take photos and document everything she found. All they needed was enough proof to turn it over to the FBI. Then they could go in, all guns blazing.

  Red dropped to his stomach and wriggled through the hole in the fence in a canine commando crawl. Penny followed him, her heart lurching when she snagged on the electric fence outside. Thankfully, it was just the rubber sole of her boot that had touched it. She pulled herself through and rolled to a crouch, then quickly scurried to the back of the building. She waited for a moment, her breath coming hard and fast, more from the adrenaline and excitement than from physical exertion.

  There were no doors on the side of the building, but Penny spied two windows and a vent. A cursory examination of the windows was fruitless. The heavy glass was protected by thin mesh, with thick bars overlaying that. Although she could possibly smash it and create a hole big enough for Boots to pass through, there was no way Penny was getting in through that opening. Her eyes turned to the vent.

  She could just touch the bottom of it. The kit strapped to her belt held a multitool, and she flipped out a screwdriver that matched the screws securing the vent in place. Penny went to her tiptoes and felt her way along the bottom of the metal plate with her fingertips, using them to guide the screwdriver into the slot on the screw head. Straining to reach the height, she jammed the screwdriver in and turned it. The first screw came out easily and dropped to the ground. The second wasn't as cooperative. The building was old, and a patina of rust had accumulated around the screw head. When Penny tried to undo it, she realized it had affected the screw. The screwdriver ground against the slot, stripping the head. Penny rocked back onto her heels in frustration.

  "Dammit." She looked at Red and Boots, who were both staring up at her patiently. "I'm going to have to make some noise."

  Her friends glanced at each other, then silently moved away. Boots went to the left of the building, Red to the right. Both stayed low, peeking around the corner to watch for anyone approaching. Penny held her breath for a moment, waiting until each of them had looked back and given her a quick nod.

  Penny opened her kit again, secured the multitool back into place, and pulled out a thin chisel and a small metal plate. She used her left hand to position the chisel so its sharp point poked under the edge of the grate, pointed at the screw. The plate nestled on the heel of her right hand, protecting it as she rammed it into the end of the ch
isel.

  It wasn't a perfect solution, but her third strike hit true. The screw snapped, and the bottom of the vent flapped free. Although Penny couldn't reach the top screws, the vent was flimsy enough for her to simply bend back. Of course, that still left the problem of getting inside it.

  Penny opened the makeshift hatch as far as she could. "Red! Get over here."

  The werewolf padded over and looked up at Penny's handiwork. He whimpered and took three steps backward.

  "Don't be such a baby." Penny crouched and linked her hands. "Here, I'll give you a boost."

  Red was surprisingly heavy. Penny hadn't expected him to be a lightweight. As dogs went, he was huge, but she had underestimated the amount of muscle he was packing under that scruffy fur. She grunted as she heaved him up, wondering if it was possible for him to weigh more than he did in his human form. Then again, he had put on a ton of muscle since contracting the lycanthropy virus.

  With a desperate scrabble of claws on metal, Red managed to pull himself into the vent. It creaked and groaned as he wriggled along it, making Penny wonder if she should be worried about it collapsing under his weight.

  Something clutched Penny's leg, and she looked down. "Oh, you want a lift too, do you?" She hoisted Boots up, and the serpent disappeared into the vent.

  "My turn." Penny slipped her tool case back onto her belt, clenched her flashlight between her teeth, hooked her fingers over the edge, and gave a little jump. She pulled herself up to the lip of the vent, then made her way up to her elbows. With a grunt, she was in. This time, the pause to catch her breath was definitely from exertion. Penny wriggled her arms up to her front and clicked the flashlight on. It highlighted a mass of scruffy red fur…and a naked butthole inches away from her face.

  "Go," she whispered. "And I swear to God, if you fart while we're in here, I'll hand you over to the poachers without a second thought."

  The wolf huffed and scooted forward. Penny wriggled through behind him, passing several junctions in favor of going straight ahead until they both came to a dead stop. Red sniffed at something ahead, then lunged forward. Penny winced at the clatter he caused, then breathed a sigh of relief when she was suddenly alone in the vent. She edged forward and looked out into what looked like a medical supply room. A damaged trolley slowly rolled toward the wall.

  Wishing it was as easy to get out of air vents in real life as it was in the movies, Penny lowered herself down to the floor headfirst. She used a shelf to support her weight and flipped onto the floor. Brushing her hands on her shirt, she grinned at the tail-wagging werewolf. "We made it in! Where is Boots?"

  There was a hiss from the door, and Penny bowed when it swung open. Boots waved her through with a flick of her tail.

  The wildlife hospital wasn't a large building. The door led to a short corridor with three doors on either side and one at the end. If Penny's bearings were correct, the one at the end led to the front of the building. She headed that way first, only to pull back when teeth gently tugged at her wrist.

  "What is it?" Penny whispered.

  Red scampered back to the supply room, Boots weaving between his feet to race him in there. Penny hurried to follow and pushed the door shut behind her, making sure to hold the handle down so it closed silently.

  Another door clicked open. "It was probably a possum," a voice said. "There's a whole family of them living in the roof. I keep telling Sam to set out traps, but you know how it is."

  The door clicked closed again, and whatever response the speaker got was too muffled for Penny to make out.

  "Thank God for that,” she said, leaning against the wall. "I owe you one, Wolf-Boy."

  Red snorted at the nickname and pointed his nose at the door.

  "We're good to go?" Penny asked to confirm. Red nodded. "Right. Let's start at the end that's not full of people who would skin us alive if they found us here, hey?"

  Boots was already hanging off the doorknob. She opened it with a flick of her tail. Penny moved faster this time, conscious that the door at the end of the corridor could open again at any moment. She paused at the next door just long enough to press her ear against it, but Red butted her out of the way. His claws scratched at the door as he flipped the handle and nosed it open.

  "That's right, I forgot." Penny slipped in behind him, waited for Boots' tail to pass through, and closed the door again. "No point in me trying to eavesdrop when you’ve got super-hearing. Hey, if you happen to overhear any conversations while we're here, will you remember them when you shift back?"

  Red tossed his head in lieu of a nod, and Penny got the canine version of an eye roll.

  Penny looked around the room, which was an operating theatre. A large metal table stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by electronic monitoring equipment and trays for surgical implements. Penny shuddered, realizing the scalpels, tiny pliers, and other surgical instruments could easily do just as much harm as good. She picked up one of the tools, noting that it was immaculately clean. A quick search of the room revealed nothing else of interest. Nothing was present that would seem out of place in an everyday veterinary surgery. Nevertheless, she slipped out her phone and took photos of everything she saw.

  "Next door, or across the hall?" Penny asked. Red lifted a paw and pointed. "Across the hall it is then. Boots, you’d make an excellent butler." Penny noted as Boots swung the door open for her again.

  It only took a second to dart across the hallway. When she tried to open the door, however, it was locked. Penny hissed a curse and immediately set to work with her lock-picking equipment. The lock snicked open just as Red gave her a sharp poke with his nose. Penny slipped inside, and the wolf almost barreled her over in his haste to get inside.

  The door clicked shut behind Penny just as another one in the hallway squeaked open. Penny held her breath as footsteps approached. When they faded again, she blew out a slow breath and looked around the room.

  The back wall of the room was lined with cages. There was an aquarium along one wall, its water murky enough that whatever lived in it looked like nothing more than a dark shadow flitting back and forth. A second tank, this one set up as a terrarium, was sitting next to the door they had entered through. Beyond it was another door, one that would lead back out into the corridor.

  Red walked over to the largest cage. Something large and black slammed against the wire door, then retreated back into the shadows as the werewolf whimpered.

  “Yikes,” Penny muttered. “How about we don’t disturb the wildlife, Red? I’m not pulling you out of the jaws of a hungry panther.”

  Penny grabbed her phone out and began snapping pictures of the trapped beasts. A fox slapped its tail on the metal, sending a shower of sparks into the air. I swear I’ve seen that one in a textbook somewhere, but I can’t remember what it’s called. Beside it, she recognized a snotling—a gnome-like Myther with green skin that sat morosely in the corner of its cell.

  The third cage held a machine, but Penny couldn’t tell what it was at first. Gears and levers were linked together, and a broken spring poked out one side. “Gremlin,” she whispered. The spirits often inhabited machines, breaking them beyond repair. The Academy had lost two printers, an ancient fax machine, and four laptops to a stray gremlin once.

  Avoiding the large cage whose occupant had lashed out at Red, Penny approached the other end. Inside the biggest cell on that side, a deer had curled up into a comfortable corner, buried in blankets. When it saw Penny, it lifted its head and attempted to stand. One of its front legs, which were not deer legs but clawed like a large bird’s, was bandaged.

  “No, precious, sit down. Rest that leg.” Penny crooned softly, and the creature dropped back down to resume its nap.

  She went back to the others she had taken pictures of. The fox yawned as she passed, showing off a recently stitched lip and a missing tooth. The snotling sniffled and blew its oversized nose on a tiny handkerchief.

  There was only one more cage to check. Unfortunately, s
he wasn’t going to get the chance. Red scrambled to his feet, whining. For the second time during their adventure, Penny heard the tell-tale sounds of someone approaching. Even as her mind raced to find an escape, a key jingled in the lock to the second door.

  Hsssss. Boots had reared up and was making a show of dominance at the largest cage.

  “Now is not the time, Boots!” Penny hissed back. “We have to get out of here. We have to hide!”

  To Penny’s horror, a black, leathery claw reached out of the cage. It fiddled with the lock, claws scratching and clicking, and the door swung open.

  “Oh, no. Boots! What have you done?” Penny tried to back away, her fear of the approaching staff suddenly seeming not such a big deal.

  Boots grabbed the hem of Penny’s jeans between her teeth and tugged her toward the cage. She gave Red a hiss, muffled by a mouthful of fabric. He whimpered, shook his head, and backed away.

  “Dammit.” The voice outside the door sounded frustrated. “Why won’t it open?”

  Penny gulped. Boots nudged her toward the open cage again.

  “They can’t get in, Boots. We’re fine,” Penny squeaked.

  “Just use the other door,” a second voice called. “I told Sam the lock is stripped on this one.”

  Boots curled around Penny, lifted up to head height, and hissed loudly.

  “Fine!” Penny squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a breath. When she looked at the cage again, the shadowy figure had bunched up into one corner. She crouched and edged toward the cage. “Uhh, sorry. My snake said…well, you know. Please, please don’t eat me.”

  She crept into the cage, curling up as tight as she could. The shadowy figure enveloped her in bony limbs that didn’t quite match to the form she saw with her eyes. A claw reached out and gently closed the cage door. It clicked shut.

  The door to the room swung open. “Was that door even locked? Jesus. I’m gonna kill Sam. He seriously needs to start fixing shit around here!”