Howling Dead

by M. H. Bonham

  “Yeah, hold on.” Trevor’s voice came from somewhere inside. Kira fidgeted.

  Trevor opened the door and sighed. “Oh, it’s you.” He was still in his torn t-shirt and sweatpants. Still barefoot, too, but now holding a mug of hot, frothy coffee. “Want a latte?”

  “No, thanks,” Kira said. “You know what’s been going on, don’t you?”

  A gleam entered his eyes, but he shook his head. “What in the hell are you talking about, Kira?”

  “My eyes! You said to look in the mirror sometime and I saw them. What in the hell is happening to me?”

  “Inside!” Trevor said, pulling the door back so she could enter. The shades were dark over the windows. The walls were filled with metallic bookshelves and the black leather couch had a metal frame as well. Dark, Kira thought. And spooky, too. There was a dark sword mounted on the wall near the kitchen, not far from the metallic table. A movie poster for The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney Jr. hung over the couch.

  Kira frowned. She didn’t find it at all comforting. “Why have my eyes turned this color? Why do I have dreams about being a wolf? What’s going on here?”

  Trevor ran his hand nervously through his blonde hair. “Why did it have to be me?” he muttered. “Look, Kira, I think you’d better sit down.”

  “I’d rather stand.”

  “Okay.” He sipped the latte nervously. “Are you sure? I mean, it might be better if you sat…”

  “I’m fine!”

  Trevor winced. “Okay, no growling. Look, Kira, you’re one of us now.”

  “Us?” Kira looked at him and then glanced at the apartment. “What, Goths?”

  Trevor laughed nervously. “Nah, the Goths sort of followed our lead. I mean, if you saw a bunch of us, you might think we’re Goths, but we’re not.”

  Kira felt her temper rise. “What in the hell are you babbling about?”

  “Well, it’s not that easy to explain.”

  “All right, what’s happening?” She crossed her arms.

  “Welcome to the pack, bitch.”

  Kira’s mouth dropped open. Without even thinking, she felt her fist close and she swung hard. Knuckles impacted nose. Trevor yelped and fell backward; blood spurting everywhere. His latte flew from his hands and splattered across the carpet. Kira turned on her heels and marched out, slamming the door behind her.

  “Goddamn bitch!” she heard him yell. “I should’ve left you to rot with those road workers!”

  Kira ran down the hall and out the door. What was she thinking? She stared at the blood on her knuckles. She could smell the acrid copper reek from it. Odd, she’d never noticed the smell of blood until recently.

  But today had been a day of firsts. First sleepwalking; then breaking a guy’s arm. Then discovering her gold eyes. And now hitting Trevor. She’d never hit anyone before—not even Bob. She smiled slightly. It felt good. It really did. So what if she got evicted? She was tired of this fucking town anyway.

  Kira stepped out of the building and saw that the road workers were still patching part of the section across the street. She did a quick turn and ran in the opposite direction. Her face began to burn as she heard the catcalls.

  “Damn, I’ve got to move,” she muttered. Between Trevor and the road workers, she decided that she’d look for another place in Denver. She stared up at the crystal blue sky. The sun was warm as it shone above the buildings in LoDo. She walked up Wazee Street toward 15th Street. If she recalled correctly, there was a coffee shop on the corner. As she walked, her head spun with everything that happened—the dream, Trevor, the sleepwalking, the black wolf—too much to think about before her first cup of coffee. “Welcome to the pack, bitch,” Trevor had said. What in the hell did that mean?

  As she walked, the sound of footsteps broke her from her reverie. She turned sharply and looked around, but found herself alone. Still, something prickled the hairs on the back of her neck and for a moment, she thought she caught motion out of the corner of her eye. She took a few steps backwards. Had one of the creepy road workers followed her?

  As she continued to walk toward toward the coffee shop, she peered into the alleyways. She saw a few homeless men, huddled by a Dumpster and sleeping off the night’s booze. She hurried by as one man looked up at her with gold eyes and snuffed the air. She shivered and ran to the coffee house and opened the door.

  The warm scent of java was overpowering and downright heady as she walked into the Uncommon Grounds. The coffee shop was typical for LoDo, with tables arranged for patrons and a bar along the wall and storefront. Shelves of coffee and tea were available for sale along the back where the baristas worked. Kira had been to the Uncommon Grounds twice before. It was a free wireless Hot Spot, which meant geeks with laptops could plug into the wireless network and surf the Internet or conduct business or whatever. It hooked into the main Intermountain wireless connection and had a separate broadcast that anyone within range of the coffee shop could hook into. Kira generally eschewed Hot Spots only because her work was so heavy in security and the Hot Spots were unsecured networks. She’d also have to set up web pages that allowed her access—something she was loath to do at any company. Giving people a backdoor on the Internet just never seemed a good idea, even if all the executroids thought it was great for business.

  But now, she felt comfortable here. There were plenty of geeks with laptops, appropriately wired on coffee and unwired with equipment. She took another big breath and let the aroma pound her sinuses.

  Man, you could get high just hanging out in a place like this, Kira thought. She got in the line of people waiting to be served. They had pastries, too, and Kira had already decided on a cinnamon scone and a Brazilian mocha latte with a double shot. She paid for the coffee and waited in the line for the barista to make her drink.

  The barista was a small man with short-cropped hair, two earrings, and a tattoo on his cheek of a Celtic knot. He was growing his beard out, Kira noticed, no doubt trying to hide the tattoo now that he was in his twenties.

  “Here’s your Brazilian mocha latte double shot,” he said and met her gaze with brass-colored eyes.

  Kira caught her breath and stared at him. He grinned and winked at her, setting the cup down. When she recovered her voice, he was already busy mixing another coffee and another barista—a kid with red hair, still in his teens—pushed another drink on the bar. “Large mocha cappuccino. Large Brazilian mocha latte with a double shot!” A businessman jostled forward and scooped up the cappuccino, bumping into Kira. Kira glared and he sidled away. She picked up her coffee and headed over to an empty table. Maybe when the guy was less busy, she’d be able to ask him about his eyes...

  Kira sipped the coffee, nibbled the scone, and closed her eyes. As she did, she found she could pick out snatches of conversation. Geek conversation, to be sure.

  “I can’t wait to get our network on IP6—I’ve got a couple of Cisco routers that are bitchin’...”

  “Microsoft’s due out with the new Windows. We’re the beta...”

  “You try SNMP with Linux yet?”

  The bells attached to the coffee shop door tinkled and Kira opened her eyes to see a blonde woman enter the shop. Kira cocked a quizzical eyebrow at her. She was about Kira’s age or a little younger—about the same build, as well—wearing what looked like aqua scrubs as though she’d come from a hospital or clinic. Freckles splashed across her fair skin. But what was startling was that the woman had golden eyes.

  Her eyes met Kira’s and she made her way over to Kira’s table. She sat down opposite Kira. Kira stared at her.

  “You’re Kira Walker, aren’t you? You’re the girl who got bit by the lycanthrope last month,” she said.

  CHAPTER 9

  Who the hell are you?” demanded Kira. She looked at the woman skeptically. The scrubs she wore suggested a hospital. Maybe she was an escapee from a mental ward. Just my luck, Kira thought. I’m being followed by a nut case.

  “Alpha sent me as backup—he told me you’re al
one. Trevor was supposed to tell you, but Trevor is an idiot. I told Alpha that, but Alpha said that Trevor knew you and it’d be easier if he told you,” the woman chattered.

  “Whoa! Slow down!” Kira said. The girl was babbling excitedly about nonsense. “What in the hell is an Alpha? What’s Trevor supposed to tell me?”

  “Trevor didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what? He called me a bitch and I punched him in the face.”

  The woman grinned. “Good for you! I’ve been wanting to do that for some time, myself. Anyway, kiddo, I’ve got some news for you. You’re a werewolf.”

  Kira felt the coffee cup slip from her hands, but caught it before it spilled. “I’m a—what?”

  “A werewolf—a lycanthrope. Someone who can shape-shift between human and wolf,” she said. “By the way, I’m Megan Olson. I’m a Beta female of the Denver wolf pack.”

  Kira smothered a laugh. Was this woman serious? She tried to look for a hint of a joke, but the woman looked earnest. “Are you Trevor’s girlfriend?”

  “Oh heavens no!” Megan said. “He’s gay, you know.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Kira said. “Did he send you after me to play this joke?”

  “This isn’t a joke, Kira. A member of the rogue pack attacked you and your friend. You somehow survived—you’re the first victim to have done so. Unfortunately, it’s left you lycanthrope. Alpha’s been trying to find the rogue pack for a long while. You’re his first lead—you’re the only one who’s gotten a good look at one of them.”

  Kira wrapped up the half-eaten scone. “You’re nuts,” she said. The conversation had taken away her appetite. She wanted to get far away from this gold-eyed woman. “Good-bye.” She picked up her coffee, stood up, and walked out.

  Kira didn’t bother to look back, but she knew Megan was following. “Leave me alone!” she shouted at the woman.

  “Don’t be an idiot, Kira.” Megan paused. “Listen, I can prove everything.”

  Kira turned around. “How?”

  “Wait—follow me,” Megan walked to the nearby alleyway. The homeless men were gone and they were quite alone. “Turn around.”

  “Why?” Kira asked.

  Megan blushed. “Well, I really hate undressing in front of people...”

  “That’s it!” Kira said. She turned and ran out of the alley. Weirdos, she thought. It’s time to move from Denver.

  The street was still deserted—it was still too early for the normal traffic. Kira took a gulp of her now lukewarm latte and felt something touch her leg. She nearly shrieked as she turned and saw a wolf walking beside her.

  It’s okay, it’s me, Megan, the wolf said.

  “Oh my God!” Kira gasped. She started backing up. Another wolf! She felt the panic well up in her throat. She felt as if she was going to lose what little breakfast she had. “I’m going crazy—I know I am!”

  No, you’re not, the wolf said. I know it’s quite a shock, but I’m a lycanthrope too.

  “You’re a werewolf?”

  Yeah.

  Kira blinked. “I can hear you?”

  We’re telepathic when talking to other lycanthropes, the wolf said. You can understand any canine.

  Kira’s head spun and she felt herself sinking to the curb. The package with the scone and the coffee cup slipped from her hands. “I’m crazy,” she said out loud. “I’m certifiably nuts.”

  She felt a warm tongue lick her ear and instinctively she buried her head into the wolf’s thick neck fur.

  You’re not crazy, the wolf said. This is just a shock. I’m so sorry you had to get the news like this. If Trevor had been doing his job...

  Kira found she was crying. She snuffled once. “But why? Why is this happening?”

  “Lady, you okay?”

  Kira looked up bleary-eyed to see a man in a suit standing a few feet away. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the man. A typical businessman, he could have come from any of the businesses that were just outside LoDo. She forced a smile. “Yeah, I think so,” she lied. How could she explain she was going crazy? “I tripped while walking my...dog,” she said, glancing at the wolf. The wolf seemed to nod.

  “Can you stand up?” he asked, offering his hand.

  She took it and hoisted herself up, then pretended to test her ankle. “Yeah, I can. Thanks.”

  “Do you need help walking?”

  “No, I’ll be okay, thanks.”

  “Okay, well, be careful,” he said and headed toward Uncommon Grounds.

  Kira looked down at her “dog.” The wolf’s ears were flattened and she licked Kira’s hand in a very submissive gesture.

  I’d like to get my clothes, the wolf said. Then, we go to see Alpha.

  “Alpha?”

  Alpha wants to talk to you. You’re the only survivor from the rogue wolf attacks.

  CHAPTER 10

  They returned to the alleyway and the wolf asked Kira to keep watch as she changed back. Kira wanted to peek—to see the actual transformation—but she guessed that Megan was far too prudish and she respected the woman’s privacy.

  “Okay,” said Megan, as she emerged from the alleyway. “I know this is weird. You’ll get used it in time. Let’s go find Alpha. He’s waiting for you.”

  “Is... he... far away?”

  “Nah, just a few blocks down Blake Street. He runs a pub there.” She took a few steps and looked at Kira quizzically. “Are you coming?”

  Kira sighed and looked down at the gutter where her spilled coffee and half-eaten scone lay. Her stomach rumbled, despite feeling topsy-turvy.

  “You know, Felan makes a mean bacon and eggs at the pub,” Megan remarked. “I might be able to coax him to whip some up for you.”

  Kira met the woman’s gaze and nodded. “All right, I’ll play your game for a bit. Lead on.”

  Megan nodded and headed toward 16th Street. She began chatting with Kira like they were old friends. “I know it’s tough when you first find out. Alpha says it’s tougher on the Normals than the rest of the pack. It’s a big enough shock growing up and changing with the moon, but to get bitten...You wouldn’t believe what I thought when I first became a lycanthrope.”

  Kira saw some passers-by glance at them oddly as they walked. It appeared Megan was oblivious, or just didn’t care. “A lycanthrope?” Kira repeated.

  “Werewolf,” Megan said. “You know—like a werewolf? The word comes from Latin or Greek. It means ‘werewolf’ but it sounds much more sophisticated to say ‘lycanthrope,’ don’t you think so?”

  Kira scrunched up her nose. Here she was having a conversation about werewolves just as casually as if she was talking about the number of processors in her new server. “So, you weren’t always a... a...”

  “Werewolf?” Megan finished her sentence. “Heavens no! I’m a vet.”

  “Vet?”

  “Veterinarian. I got bit by one of my patients. Damn Charlie thought he was being cute when he nailed me good. Of course, I deserved it, trying to suture him after a dogfight without any anesthesia. Deserved what I got, he says.”

  “Charlie?” Kira repeated. “Another werewolf?”

  “Yeah, cheap-ass wolf too,” Megan smirked. “Didn’t want to pay for human medical. He says he trusts veterinary care more. So, he shows up at my doorstep in wolf form looking forlorn. I must’ve had ‘sucker’ written on my forehead, ‘cause I took him in, even though he’s a wolf and all...”

  “Owning a wolf is illegal in Denver,” Kira said.

  Megan grinned. “Yeah, well so is owning a Pit Bull. People do it anyway. You got to catch them. But they’re not illegal in Colorado except Boulder and of course, Denver.” She paused. “So, he nailed me. Wanna see my scar?”

  “No,” Kira said, shaking her head.

  “Nah, it’s not bad—not as bad as yours. Just on my wrist—see?” She pulled back her shirtsleeve to expose her wrist with two scars from puncture wounds. “Hurt like the dickens—but not as bad as yours, I suspect.”

  Kira sta
red at her. “I suspect not.”

  “Imagine my surprise when I changed into a wolf on the next full moon. Just absolutely stunned. But there’s been an upside. I can understand my canine patients now.”

  Kira snorted. “That would be useful.”

  “It’s handy for the profession,” Megan confessed. “I can just ask the dogs how they’re feeling.” She paused. “Look, I know you don’t quite believe me yet, but there are some things you should know about yourself.”

  “Like what?”

  “You’re stronger now. Really strong. Your hearing is way better and your sense of smell is beyond anything human.”

  “That’s ridiculous!”

  “Is it?” Megan asked. “Are you sure? How do you feel today? Last night was the first full moon since you were bit.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “It has everything to do with it. See, you don’t fully become lycanthrope until the first full moon after you’ve been bit by a werewolf. So, do you feel different?”

  Kira opened her mouth to speak but then shut it again. Her eyes had changed color since last night. She had accidentally broken that man’s arm. She had punched her landlord out. Come to think of it, she had noticed the stench of the city on her, the television playing next door, and the overpowering aroma of Uncommon Grounds.

  “Uh huh,” Megan said with a wry smile. “You’re lycanthrope.”

  Kira stopped and closed her eyes. “Shit. You mean I’m going to go running around on all fours, howling, and attacking and eating people when the moon’s full?”

  “Well, the running around on all fours is pretty likely. Howling is up to you. And unless you’re rogue, you’re not likely to attack and eat people, either. Monkey is nasty meat.” She chuckled as if she’d just made a joke.

  “What do you mean?”

  Megan grinned. “You can control this—like I can. Alpha can help you do that.”

  “Can Alpha also tell me who the son of a bitch was who bit me and killed my best friend?”

  The woman winced. “Yeah, maybe. But Kira, there are some useful things about being lycanthrope too. You can’t be killed except with silver weapons while in lycanthrope form.”