by Brenda Bryce
Feeling a bump as he clipped her on the side, he watched as she flew through the air and skidded on the cement of the sidewalk. Grinning, he spun the car around and parked at the curb as gently as you please.
Glancing around to make sure the streets were still clear, he climbed out of his car and slowly headed her way. He saw her looking around for help, but there wasn’t any at this late hour.
She pushed herself to her hands and knees and tried to crawl away. Crying and gasping for air, she slowly got to her feet.
As he got closer and closer, she looked back and saw him. She opened her mouth as if to scream, but only a petrified squeak emerged. She was dragging one leg behind her. He must have damaged it real good. He smiled at the thought of how she must be hurting and that her fear was escalating as he got closer.
Pounding on one of the glass-fronted doors to a video shop, she received no answer. He heard her yelling for help, but the store was closed for the night. She staggered away from the door, leaving only smears of blood on the glass.
The woman scurried around the corner and into a dark alley, calling out for help. The man had heard the same noise she had and knew she thought someone was there. It would do her no good. No one was around; he had made sure of that. He approached the glass door of the video store, ran his gloved finger through the blood she had left smeared there, and raised his finger to his lips. Licking the blood off the glove, he sighed. So good.
Following her into the alley, he listened to her trying doors and calling for help.
He purposely let his shoe scrape at the entrance to the alley, raising her level of terror. That was half the fun, the adrenaline tasted like fine wine on the prey’s blood.
He let her hear his voice for the first time. “Come, come, little squirrel. It’s play time, and you aren’t following the rules. I do appreciate you going into this alley. More private for what I have planned.”
She was trying to be as quiet as possible as she scooted farther into the dark alley. Trash, and who knew what else, littered the ground and walls, which made it a little difficult to pinpoint her location. Her scent was nearly overpowered by the garbage in the overflowing trashcans.
He could hear her dragging herself along the alley floor with her hands. “Are you unable to stand? Poor thing, would you like me help you?” Chuckling, he slowly headed in the direction of the sounds she made. He heard her grunt, and the smell of blood sharpened. She had cut herself on something.
“Little squirrel, little squirrel, you are not supposed to do yourself damage. That is my job. And one I wish to relish. If you do yourself in, what fun would there be left for me?”
He smelled her fear escalate. He laughed aloud. “Wondering how I knew you cut yourself? I can smell the blood. It’s warm and fresh, and the new blood smells so sweet.”
A noise on the other side of the alley, which caused a cat to become frightened and run from the trashcans there, briefly caused him to glance over. He didn’t let the cat that had caught her attention originally, drawing her into the alley, distract him from his goal. She was a clever little thing. She had thrown something in the hopes he would think she was on the other side. He heard her groan dejectedly as she realized that her last chance had just been blown.
A low, evil chuckle resounded through the alley. “As if I would fall for such a childish trick. Let me explain some pertinent facts to you, little squirrel.”
He was very close. He could smell her sweat and tears.
“First,” he continued, “you are perhaps under the impression that I’m your run-of-the-mill exterminator. This assumption is, of course, inaccurate. I’m a top-of-the-line killing machine.” As he came closer to the section of the wall she was crouching against, he chuckled shortly. “Second, and most important, because it makes the violence fun, I’m not human. I am a lupus lycanthrope -- a werewolf -- and it is instinct to hunt and kill. Who else is better equipped to rid the world of your puny race? Not that I am considering such an endeavor by myself. Oh, no. There are many of my race who despise your own. And you are going to be instrumental in furthering my aspirations.” He knew he was gloating, but everything was going his way, and every day brought him closer to achieving his long-term goals.
He laughed jovially. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I am the typical murderer telling you all my secrets before I finish you off. Actually, I just love to hear the fear in your breathing and heart rate. I speak, and you hold your breath. I take a step in your direction, and your heart speeds up. It is so delicious.” He approached her hiding spot on stealthy feet. “Oh, and one last thing, little squirrel.”
His hand reached out and wrapped around her throat. The woman tried to scream, but her air was cut off by the tightening fingers. She was unceremoniously lifted into the air several feet off the ground and shaken like a rag doll.
She looked down, and he could see in her terrified gaze his own glowing, reddish-yellow eyes. Her mouth opened on a silent scream as he let the transformation begin to take him.
“Just a tiny point in my favor. I can see in the dark and can see you as clearly as day.”
With those final words, he let her feel the moist heat from his breath on her neck, and with one piercing bite, she knew no more.
He left the alley and climbed back into his car, setting the item he carried on the seat beside him. Driving away, he looked back at the alley, then down at his souvenir.
“That was fun. Don’t you think, dearest? I’m going to have to do that more often. This could be just the place to start my campaign. It’s far enough away from the city, I think. Watching the humans run around confused, trying to figure out what’s going on, is going to be a laugh riot. Well, I think it’s time to go back to the hovel I rented. I need to clean up. You got all over me.”
He reached over and patted the woman’s severed head as if it were a pet.
* * * * *
Lannie woke early, not that she’d slept well when she had slept, but the sun was still creeping over the horizon while she was making her extra thick, heavy-on-the-caffeine coffee. Adding a little of the high-octane viscous brew to her milk and sugar, she took her first tentative sip. Sighing her appreciation, she then took a longer, deeper quaff from her cup.
She decided she may just survive the hour.
Peeling her eyelids from her bloodshot eyes, she opened them ever so slightly. “ARGGHH!” Lannie moaned in agony and slammed her eyes shut again. “I can just leave them closed all day. Really, I can function without them. I still have four other senses.” Sure, she wasn’t buying it, but it sounded really good.
She had heard that there were creatures called morning people, but she wasn’t one of those frightening beings and hoped never to have to deal with one. A shudder ran through her at just the thought of encountering one. “Brrrr! Scary.”
A knock resounded through the house, causing her to cringe. Who would dare encroach into her space this early? Perhaps it was one of those morning people. No way was she going to answer the front door. Could prove to be dangerous. Ignoring the knock seemed prudent. Since she considered herself a prudent woman, she naturally did just that.
Congratulating herself on her first wise decision of the day -- everyone should have several each and every day -- she almost had heart failure when a thunderous, rapid banging came from the back door. Lannie jumped, sloshing her coffee on her hand, let out a yelp, then screamed when the back door flew open. Her eyes flew open as well, and what she saw bursting into her kitchen caused her to slam them shut again.
Groaning in sheer agony, she asked, “Why may I ask, did you break my door?”
Kyle searched the kitchen quickly, then sent his gaze roving over Lannie. She was standing at the counter with the coffeemaker in front of her. He could see she had recently risen from bed by the hair sticking straight out on one side of her head and smashed flat on the other. Pillow creases still lined her face, and her eyes were closed tightly. Pajamas with little clouds and bu
nnies on them covered her from neck to ankle, and on her feet were -- if he wasn’t mistaken -- floppy-eared puppy slippers.
Damn, she was cute.
“I asked you why you broke my door.”
And grumpy. He remembered her mentioning to him once that she wasn’t a morning person.
“You didn’t answer your front door. I smelled coffee and knew you were up, so tried the kitchen door hoping you were in here. I knocked, but heard you yell. I thought you might need help.” He looked around the kitchen again. “I assume I was incorrect in my thinking?”
Giving him a get real look with her eyes closed, which he had to admit she did very well, she curled her lip and waved her hand in the air, nearly knocking a spoon off the counter. “You know what assuming gets us, don’t you?”
“Are you talking about the old saying, ‘To assume makes an ass out of you and me’?”
Gasping, Lannie scowled at him fiercely. “I am not an ass. I was calling you an ass, so don’t dare call me one.”
Kyle simply sighed at her logic. “Drink more coffee, sweetness. It seems we’re going to get nowhere until you’re awake.”
Grumbling for all she was worth, Lannie picked up her coffee nonchalantly. Taking a small sip, she felt the floor ahead of her for obstacles with the nose of her puppy slipper. Slowly and with eyes still firmly closed, she headed for the table, pulled out a chair, and sat.
Kyle watched her progress and the smug nod of her head when she succeeded in getting to her destination without mishap. Seeing his woman first thing in the morning for the first time made him realize just how little he had known about her before. She had told him that she wasn’t a morning person, but knowing it and seeing it were two different things. He had tried to fit her into a slot in between work and family problems, but the last two months he had been searching for her he knew the incident had really been caused by lack of knowledge. He didn’t know her well enough to trust her. Berating himself for a selfish bastard had done no good. But he promised himself that he would put her first in his life when he found her.
Well, he had found her and putting her first only had one drawback. Lannie. She was going to fight him tooth and nail. He smiled, welcoming the oncoming battle.
Shaking off his thoughts, he crossed to the coffeepot. Digging around in the cabinets until he found her coffee cups, he poured himself a cup and took a drink. Then choked. “Yuck! This stuff tastes like ...” He glowered into the cup looking for an appropriate word that wouldn’t piss her off. “You actually drink this mud?”
Sending another closed-eyed facial glare in his direction, she took a leisurely sip from her own cup. “That is the way I like it, and if you don’t, you can get your coffee elsewhere. Why don’t you go now?”
He found he loved this sassy side of her. “Good idea. Get dressed, and we’ll go find some breakfast. The morning is already half over, and we haven’t even eaten yet.”
Sputtering, Lannie shook her head. “I’m absolutely, positively not going anywhere with you. I don’t like you anymore, remember?”
“I suggest,” he stated calmly, but firmly, “that you open your beautiful eyes and go get dressed while I fix your door. Your only other option is that you keep your eyes closed and I change your clothes for you. I wouldn’t mind the latter option, if given the choice.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Really?” He ran his eyes over her curiously, hotly. “Are you willing to test that theory?”
Chapter Four
Lannie muttered unhappily the whole way to the diner. He, of course, had no sympathy. She felt like snarling at him. He whistled throughout the entire forced march, acting as if he enjoyed being exposed to morning air, morning dew, and heck, morning.
Trudging the last few yards as if she were going to her death, she didn’t notice when Kyle stopped walking directly in front of her.
She found the front of her body flush with the back of his. Her body rebelled against her brain. Her mind was hollering, Back up, back up! while her body was saying, Whoa, baby! Her nipples tightened, her tummy started tingling, and she had trouble sucking in air.
Kyle reached an arm behind him, pulled her beside him, and showed her what had stopped him. “The diner is closed.”
“Closed? Closed? What do you mean it’s closed? The diner is never closed during the day.” She stared at the sign in the doorway.
Lannie marched up to the door and gave it a tug. It stayed closed. She shook it with all her might, but still it didn’t open.
“I walked all the way down here, so you better be open!”
“Umm, sweetheart? You’re going to break the door if you keep that up.”
“Hey! You broke my door, I’m owed one.”
Laughing, he took her arm and pulled her away from the diner’s abused door. “We’ll find somewhere else to feed you. If we hit the store on the way back to your place, I’ll fix you breakfast. How does that sound?”
Grumbling, she let him lead her away.
A crowd of people stood outside the video store, and the noise caught her attention.
“What in the world? What’s going on there?”
Kyle stretched up and tried to see over the heads of the crowd. “I don’t know. But it looks like the police are here.”
“Maybe someone broke in.” She couldn’t help but speculate.
“Doesn’t look like it. The door is still intact, and they’re looking at the door, not inside the store.”
“Well, I’m not going to hang around. Wait a little while, and we can ask just about anyone what happened, that way I can get some more coffee in me.”
He nodded, and slowly they headed toward the grocery store. Crossing in front of an alley, Kyle froze again. Luckily, this time she wasn’t lagging behind, so didn’t run into him, but was several yards in front of him before she noticed he had stopped.
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Lannie cocked her hip and asked, “Now what?”
“Do you smell it?” He seemed distracted. Nose in the air and a peculiar look on his face.
“Smell what? The garbage?” But as she finished talking, she smelled something different. Metallic.
“The blood. Something bled heavily in the alley. Stay here.” He issued the order and shot off into the shadows.
“Like I’m gonna listen to you.” Following him into the alley, she mumbled about bossy men.
“Lannie, please don’t come any closer. Stay where you are. You don’t want to see this. As a matter of fact, go get the officers who are at the video store.”
“Why?”
“You need to get the police over here because they know something has happened, and my standing over the body won’t look good without an explanation.”
“Body? What is it? An animal?” She stayed where she was, she didn’t want to see a dead animal.
“No, it isn’t an animal. Please go get the police.”
“Well, if you insist.” It sounded like a plan to her. She was very uncomfortable in the alley. Her skin felt itchy, and goose bumps started to rise on her arms.
She rushed back to the video store. The crowd hadn’t lessened in the time since they had walked by, and no one would give up their space so she could get through.
Using elbows and rudeness -- the only thing that works in the city -- she finally made it to where she could see the local police. “Excuse me. Officers? I think there’s something in the alley you should see.”
“Yeah? What is it?” The wearer of the uniform had a gruff voice, as if he had been yelling at surly crowds most of his life.
“I’m not exactly sure, but my, umm, well, Kyle and I found it, and he’s still there with whatever it is. Could you please come and see?” She pushed her way out of the crowd and headed back toward the alley.
The officer called two other officers, and she showed them into the alley. Kyle stood at the entrance waiting for them and pointed them to the back of the alley, but they insisted Kyle accompany them back to show them what
he had found. Complaining about the smell and whatever they had stepped in, they covered their mouths and noses with their hands and threatened them both with arrest if they were pulling a fast one. Further into the alley they went, cursing and muttering. They reached the back of the alley and Kyle stopped, causing Lannie to follow suit. One of the officers started to ask what was going on, then he looked past Kyle.
Bad idea.
One of the three officers nearly knocked Lannie down as he ran past her and vomited at the entrance of the alley. Another made gagging noises, but held his ground. The third suggested that the vomiter close off the alley and keep everyone out. Then he added, “And call the coroner and the sheriff.”
She still couldn’t see what was causing the brouhaha. She glared at the men in the alley. “Kyle, what’s going on? What is it? Will someone answer me?”
“Lannie, don’t come any closer.”
“Why not?” She wanted to know what all the fuss was. Darn it.
Then she looked at what had everyone’s attention.
Pieces.
Just pieces.
“Oh, my God!” Lannie cried out in a choked voice.
Blood and body parts were spread all over the back of the alley. Her gaze landed on an arm, then a leg, then some unidentifiable bits. Nowhere did she see a head.
Lannie rushed out of the alley as if she were being chased by hellhounds. Crossing the street without looking, and not at the crosswalk, she kept running until she met up with an immovable object. A building. She leaned against it, breathing heavily.
She felt Kyle behind her. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort them both. “Oh, Kyle. Someone has completely dismembered that woman in the alley. Where is her head? I didn’t see it at all! Do ... do they know who she is?” Lannie asked quietly. As if speaking loudly would be a desecration.
