by EJ Whitmer
"You look more like a speckled, gray salamander. Does the cape at least detach?"
"It does," confirmed Carl. "I've learned that capes are not always beneficial in battle. Occasionally, they can be hazards." Carl reached behind him and ripped his cape off, the familiar sound of vel-cro echoing in the confines of my Mini.
I reached over and patted his knee. "It only took you getting stuck three times before you learned, but that's alright. Better late than never. Do you plan on leaving it off for tonight's adventure?"
Carl shook his head as he strained to reattach the cape. "Absolutely not. I may need the aerodynamic enhancement. I believe it also works as sort of parachute, should I be thrown off a building."
"Like a speckled flying squirrel. Lovely. So here's the deal. Some evil asshole is after people with super powers. He took out the entire Boston team, save for two people, and is now in the Chicago area. Emmett Vance and Eric Blake are still in Boston. They're flying in tonight. In the meantime, one of the Boston guys who wasn't killed was able to teleport himself to Chicago to warn the rest of the team. I overheard their plan to meet at Millennium Park to do some investigating. Apparently this guy has been making phone calls that originated in the area. I have no idea if they've got any other leads. I just wanted to keep an eye out and do some of my own investigating. At no point should you make your presence known to the team, okay?"
Carl nodded his head emphatically. "Absolutely. I am sneaky. I am quiet. I am Stealth."
We pulled into a parking space near the park and I crossed my forehead and chest, sending a prayer to the Heavens that Carl would, for once, personify his self-appointed name. As soon as we exited the vehicle, pedestrians were shooting awkward glances at Carl. I had somehow forgotten that all of our previous escapades had taken place at night, away from the public eye.
"Erm … Carl? Do you think maybe we should split up? We'll be much less noticeable if we aren't together as a pair. You've got my cell phone. Why don't you give me a call if you see anything suspicious?"
"Absolutely. Good thinking. Do you want the west side, or would you prefer to scout along the marinas?"
"I'll take the marinas. I live not far from here so I'm familiar with the area."
I resisted the urge to hug my little salamander. I can't help it. I get huggy when I'm anxious. Carl shot me a thumbs-up and sprinted off, black cape waving in his wake. I started out at a fast clip toward the water. We had arrived just about an hour after my eavesdropping session, so I assumed the team was already dispersed throughout the area. As I neared the first set of docks, I slowed my pace to a leisurely stroll. Should anyone recognize me, it certainly wouldn't be out of the question to say I was out for an evening walk.
Ninety minutes later, my feet were killing me and I hadn't seen a trace of a supervillain or superhero. Carl had called a few minutes earlier reporting the same thing and inquiring on my location so he could join me. Defeated, I sat down on a park bench and hung my head back behind my shoulder blades. The sun had finally set, and with it, the majority of pedestrians took their leave as well.
I was so focused on wallowing in self-pity that I barely noticed the chunky, naked old man run past. Had I not recently seen Tom Selleck on TV, I'd have sworn he'd gained eighty pounds and taken up streaking as a hobby. As the strange naked man passed, he paused to wink at me and use his rather small appendage to mimic a helicopter.
All I could do was stare. It wasn't that I was shocked that the little tallywacker was able to flop so fluidly. (Although, honestly, it must have taken some skill.) It wasn't even that a nude man was frolicking along the docks. Seeing a naked guy running around downtown Chicago wasn't exactly unheard of. However, this man looked pretty well-groomed. He certainly didn't look like a typical street bum. By the time I was able to close my mouth and shake free of my trance, he was gone. It was as if he'd vanished into thin air.
Almost immediately after, I was alerted to the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Peter, Will and Dom rounded the corner, racing in my direction, Lilith and Lloyd puffing along behind them. Dom was the first to recognize me and immediately slowed to a stop in front of me.
"Jennings," he groaned. "Why am I not surprised you're here?"
I stiffened at his tone. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I live just down the street. Is it odd that I'd enjoy a nice evening walk?"
The unmistakable sound of a flapping cape drowned out any response Dom was about to give.
"Anna!" cried Carl. "I've been looking everywhere for you. You must have moved since we last spoke."
"Hello, Carl," Lilith said with a smile. "New outfit?"
Carl glanced down briefly before flashing a grin at Lilith. "Yeah! Do you like it? It's my urban camouflage. I blend right in, huh?"
Dom turned back to me with an arched eyebrow. "Out for an evening stroll, huh? With a friend decked out in full costume?"
"Hey. It's not a costume. It's a uniform. It's utilitarian." Carl puffed his chest out and wrapped his cape around his boney shoulders.
"Honestly, Anna, I-" A high-pitched scream interrupted Dom's reprimand.
The entire team sprang into action, racing toward the marina. Carl and I bolted after them, quickly passing a wheezing Lloyd Vance. The scream was definitely female and seemed to have originated near one of the many boat docks lining Lake Michigan. Our group skidded to a halt in the center of a narrow dock. Twenty feet ahead, a woman teetered on the edge of the dock, flailing about and screaming for help.
"What the hell is going on?" I panted.
Will kept his gaze locked on the woman as he answered. "The man we're after is able to vanish from view."
"You mean he can teleport like you?"
"No. I mean he slips in and out of invisibility. It's how he's been able to evade us for so long."
I looked closer at the flailing woman and noticed her left arm grabbing at her throat as if something was wrapped around it. I gasped and automatically took a step forward. Dom's arm shot out to stop me.
"No, Anna. Just stay put. Bend your knees. Keep your center of gravity low. If we can't see him, we won't be able to tell when he attacks."
No sooner had I adjusted my stance than a shriek erupted from the captive woman's mouth as she was launched backward into the water. Then, all hell broke loose. Lilith was the next to be thrown off the dock, followed by Lloyd Vance. Peter, Will and Dom immediately surrounded me, providing a protective wall. A loud crack sounded from behind me just before Will crumbled to the ground, his hand cupping his already bleeding jaw. Peter's legs suddenly gave out as if kicked from under him. He landed on his back, his head bouncing off the wood dock with a sickening thud. Dom whirled around, his eyes searching for anything to attack.
A thick muscular band wound its way across my neck, cutting off my air flow. I desperately clawed at what was apparently an invisible arm, twisting my body in an attempt to gain a quick breath of air. The edges of my vision were beginning to dull and turn black when a loud "oomf" sounded from just above my shoulder and the arm loosened its hold. I wrenched myself free and turned to find Carl riding on the back of the invisible man. At any other time, I would have appreciated how strange it was to see a spandex-clad super nerd clinging to an invisible person. However, as I laid on the dock, rubbing the feeling back into my neck, I had a hard time finding any humor in the situation.
After several tense seconds of Carl employing every wrestling technique he'd probably ever seen on the WWF, his skinny body went flying over the dock and into the water. Dom launched himself in the direction Carl was thrown from and immediately found himself grappling with our foe. I’d seen Dom in action before, so I knew he had advanced fighting skills. However, wrestling with an invisible opponent must be a completely different ball game. From what I could tell, Dom was having considerable trouble figuring out where to punch or kick.
As the two of them wrestled, I army-crawled to the edge of the dock to help Carl out of the water. As I peered over the ledge, all I
could see was a swirling mass of black fabric. Carl was completely wrapped up in his damn cape! I immediately threw myself into the water and attempted to drag his body to the surface, quickly discovering that I couldn't find my way through the yards of cloth.
I resurfaced and gulped in a breath of air, noting that Dom was still wrestling on the ground. I opened my mouth to refill my lungs for a second dive when a sharp howl pierced through the otherwise silent night. The first thing I saw was a pair of glowing, amber eyes, followed closely by the shadowed form of an extremely large dog. The beast launched itself at Dom, knocking both him and the invisible asshole to the ground, where the three of them resumed their wrestling match.
A loud, human yelp of pain resonated from the group, just before Dom leapt to his feet, apparently free from his opponent. Quick footsteps sounded down the dock, toward the shore. Dom glanced down at me, presumably to ensure I was alright, before racing after the footsteps. Apparently he had completely forgotten about the ginormous, extremely scary-looking dog.
The creature took a few steps toward me, his teeth still bared in aggression, before glancing down at the water. A split second later, he leapt into the water, surfacing a moment later with a skinny, spandex-clad arm in his mouth. Thankfully, attached to the arm was a sputtering Carl, still wrestling with his water logged cape. The dog swam to shore, dragging his cargo with him, and dropped Carl on the rocky bank. After shaking his fur dry, our canine savior turned to glare at me once more before racing off after Dom.
At the end of the dock, Lilith was pulling a water-logged Lloyd out of the water. The woman who had been held hostage sat shivering next to Will who was trying to rouse a still unconscious Peter. A low moan brought my attention back to Carl. His black cape clung to his skinny body as he held his right arm and moaned. I scrambled over to him and knelt on the rocky shore to assess his injuries. A small amount of blood seeped through his fingers as he gripped his forearm tight. Apparently when the beast dog rescued Carl, he clamped down a bit too hard on his arm, leaving a pretty gnarly looking bite.
“Oh Jesus,” whispered Carl as he stared at the wound. “My life … I … I’m doomed!”
“What?! Carl, it’s just a bite. It’s already stopped bleeding. You’ll be fine! Just take a deep breath, buddy.” I inhaled deeply with exaggerated movements, attempting to coerce Carl into joining me.
“Don’t you see!?” Carl exclaimed. “It’s not this horrifyingly disgusting, oozing, vomit-inducing hole in my arm. It’s what it represents!”
I another deep, calming breath, this time for my own benefit, and narrowed my gaze. “What are you talking about? Carl, it probably won’t even scar.”
“Anna … I’m a werewolf now.”
I stared blankly at my obviously delusional friend. “Come again?”
“Don’t you read or watch movies? I’m a werewolf now! When a werewolf bites someone, its saliva turns that person into a werewolf.”
“Carl, that was a dog. Not a werewolf. It was a large dog, yes, but a dog nonetheless.”
“Oh? And how many dogs do you know whose shoulders stand at the same height as your own?”
I resisted the urge to shake him. “You were in the water, looking up at him. Obviously he was going to look large to you.”
“Oh gosh,” Carl wailed. “The moon is nearly full. I can already feel its pull on me. We’re only a couple days out. Do my arms look hairier to you?”
I’d had enough. I reached down and grabbed Carl by the armpits, dragging him to his feet, before ripping his cape off. “Come on. We need to make sure the others are okay and then we can get you patched up. No more capes. I mean it this time.”
By the time I dragged Carl to the rest of the group, Peter had regained consciousness and Lloyd Vance’s bushy white beard had regained its fullness. Lilith hurried over to us and pulled me in for a tight hug.
“Are you alright?” she asked as she circled us both, checking for injuries.
I grabbed her shoulders to stop her and offered a reassuring smile. “We’re both fine, Lilith. Are you? It looked like Peter got the worst of it.”
“Oh yes, I’m fine. Peter will be fine as well. He just bonked his head. Oh my word!” Lilith gasped when her eyes met Carl’s scraped up arm. “What happened to you?”
“A werewolf saved my life … and then doomed me for eternity.”
Lilith shot a questioning glance my way. I could only roll my eyes and shrug.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, dear,” she soothed as she hugged Carl. “Why don’t you go with Anna and she’ll get you cleaned up?”
“Are you sure you don’t need me here?” I asked quietly. “What happens next?”
“We’ll be fine. Carl needs you. We need to discuss how to handle the hostage and figure out what happened to Dominic. I’ll buzz you tomorrow at work to let you know we’re alright.”
I squeezed her hands once more before turning to Carl. “Come on, buddy. It’s late. You can stay with me tonight. I think I’ve got some of my brothers’ clothes you can borrow until your super suit is dry.”
9
By the time we arrived at my loft, our clothes were mostly dry, but the chill had seeped deep into our bones. The muscles in my arms were beginning to regain their soreness and I prayed to everything holy that I had a bottle of ibuprofen PM to help me through the night. Unlocking the door was a struggle with my shaking hands, but the third time was the charm. We stumbled inside and I rushed to find clothes for Carl to put on.
“Here.” I shoved an armful of clothes at Carl and steered him toward the guest bedroom. “These will be a bit too big, but they’re dry. There’s a bathroom attached. Towels in the cupboard under the sink. Go soak for a bit in the hot water. There should be soap and shampoo in there. I’m going to hop in the shower in my room, so if you get out before me, just make yourself at home.”
Carl nodded, his teeth still chattering, and made his way quickly into the room. As soon as the door closed, I rushed to my own bathroom and stripped down with lightning speed. I turned the water temperature up to lava level and stepped in, hissing as the hot spray hit my skin. As my body warmed, my muscles began to loosen up, but I knew the following day was going to be painful. When the water finally began to lose its heat, I reluctantly turned off the shower and stepped out into my fluffy robe.
I emerged ten minutes later, dressed in my most conservative (and hideous) red flannel pajamas, and found Carl with his head in my refrigerator.
“Did you eat dinner?” I asked, stepping into the kitchen area.
Carl let out a yelp and hit the top of his head on the inside of the fridge. “Cripes! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” He rubbed the top of his head as he scowled at me. “No, I didn’t eat dinner. Did you? All that crime fighting left me starving!”
“I can order us something. What are you hungry for?”
“Meat.”
My eyebrows rose on their own accord. “Meat? Um … Any kind of meat in particular?”
“Red meat. Rare. Lots of it. Anna … It’s starting already. I can feel it. I have this hunger, deep down here.” He patted his stomach and winced. “It’s like nothing I’ve felt before. I need meat. And … I want to run. I need to run. I need to feel the wind.”
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. “How about I order a meat lovers’ pizza? You can pick off the meat and I’ll eat the cheese pizza leftover.”
Carl pondered this for a moment before nodding decisively. “Yes. That’ll be fine.”
I ordered the pizza then went in search of a first aid kit. Carl sat on the couch, elevating his injured arm as he channel surfed. By the time I returned, he’d settled on a wilderness survival show and had zoned out. I sat down next to him and reached for his arm. The bite mark didn’t look nearly as bad after his shower. It definitely wouldn’t scar and would probably be completely gone within a week or so. Nonetheless, I slathered the scrapes with antiseptic ointment and bandaged it up, finishing just as the pizza delivery man buzzed
the intercom.
We ate our pizza in comfortable silence. Carl ended up picking the meat off of the entire pizza, leaving me with three quarters of a cheese pizza to pack away in the fridge. The walk to the kitchen and back took less than thirty seconds, but when I returned, Carl was sound asleep on my couch, snoring lightly. I didn’t have the heart to wake him up and walk him to the guest bedroom, so I grabbed the squared afghan my grams made me and draped it over him. Exhausted, sore, and mentally checked-out, I trudged to my bedroom and fell face first on my bed, narrowly avoiding a snoozing Figaro, instantly drifting off to sleep.
Fig woke me a few hours later. I had no idea what I’d done to please him, but his purring was loud enough I was afraid Carl would hear. I reached out to the pillow beside me, Fig’s usual nightly nest, and felt nothing but the cool pillow. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and tried to seek out the point from which the purring originated. I felt the corner of the bed shift just before Figaro pounced toward me. It took me about ten seconds to realize the mattress hadn’t resumed its original state. Someone was in the room with me, perched on the corner of my bed. I threw Figaro off of me and switched on my bedside lamp, wincing as the bright light hit my pupils. Eric Blake sat on the edge of my bed, looking rumpled and tired in dark jogging pants and a wrinkled gray t-shirt.
