Moonlight Medicine: Epidemic (The Moonlight Medicine Trilogy Book 2)

by Jen Haeger

  Evelyn found her mind wandering back to the moment she had walked into that meeting room. They had just gotten back from a whirlwind trip to see The Scribe and made it in the nick of time to deliver his decree and save themselves. Evelyn recalled that she hadn’t been looking or smelling very good at the time, since they hadn’t had time to change out of their hiking clothes. She remembered how happy and relieved she’d been when everything worked out. But back then Clem had been by their side and they’d had the support of not only the Wahya pack, but also a decree from The Scribe. Back then the Vulke had still been acting within Wolfkin law, and Evelyn hadn’t yet done anything to research a cure. Also, the Council was still there to protect them. This was a completely different ballgame. Now they had absolutely no support, not even Clem. The Council was MIA and possibly all the Council members were dead. The Vulke had gone rogue, and Evelyn had dared to attempt what was considered taboo among the packs by starting to research a cure.

  Evelyn let out a breath and nodded to Kim and David before entering the room to set up for the presentation. Here we go, she thought ominously as the door shut with an echoing boom behind her.

  39

  To Evelyn’s relief, the presentation file was not corrupted and downloaded onto the hotel’s computer with no problems. She turned on the projector, plugged it into the computer, and waited until the first slide of her presentation was projected onto the white screen at the front of the room. She tested the remote to flip between one slide and the next and then set it aside next to the laptop. She glanced around the empty conference hall. There was really only the one way in or out via the double doors at the back of the room. It made her feel trapped. She checked her watch. It had only taken her about twenty minutes to set up for the presentation. Now began the waiting. As the vacant meeting space loomed around her, Evelyn began to feel alone and vulnerable, so she decided to go check on David and Kim. She plodded up the center isle to the doors, however, just before her fingers touched the handle, the door opened swiftly and Evelyn let out an involuntary “yip” as she took a few inelegant steps backwards.

  Caroline entered the room at the head of a group of five women, two of whom Evelyn thought that she might have recognized from the previous meeting of the Betas. Caroline gave Evelyn a brisk nod, but otherwise ignored her and led the women to the first row of chairs. One of the women was complaining about her flight in a British accent and the other women were sympathizing with her to various extents. Evelyn watched them drift past her and felt one of the many knots in her stomach slowly begin to unravel after they seated themselves. At least some of the Betas had shown up. That was an encouraging sign. Feeling lighter, she poked her head out into the hallway. David was standing alert and diligently watching the corridor while Kim sat next to him looking uneasy. Evelyn asked if she could get them some water and then brought out two fresh glasses as a few more Betas made their way into the meeting room.

  “Anything?” she asked David.

  He shook his head. “No everything is looking pretty normal out here.”

  “Did Caroline talk to you?”

  “Nope. You?”

  Evelyn shook her head. “Keeping her professional, bureaucratic distance I suppose.”

  Then Evelyn spotted someone whom she hadn’t expected to see: Sara, Gamma of the Ulv, who’d been one of Evelyn’s only friends from the European packs. She’d been a great comfort to Evelyn when she and David had been stuck in the Council manor awaiting David’s challenge against the Vulke Alpha two years ago. She came strolling casually up to them wearing black leather pants with shiny silver rings all up one side and a many-zippered leather jacket over a plain black T-shirt. Heavy, black combat boots completed the ensemble. Her hair was a bit shorter than last time Evelyn had seen her, and fashioned into small spikes that covered her head. She had piercings of her left eyebrow, left nostril, right lower lip, as well as multiple piercings in each ear and only airport security knew where else. Generous black eyeliner and very dark red lipstick finalized the Gothic motif. Evelyn couldn’t contain herself and gave the girl a big hug.

  “Sara, it’s so good to see you!” she beamed, “Could your Beta not make it?”

  Sara seemed a little embarrassed and shrugged. “I’m Beta now. We lost our Alpha last summer.”

  Evelyn really wanted to ask her more about it and catch up with Sara and the Ulv in general, but she knew it was neither the right time nor the right place for it, so instead she said delicately, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad that you’re here now.” Then, lifting her tone considerably, “And however did you make it through airport security in that outfit?”

  Sara reached out for the door handle. “I had to strip,” she said in a matter of fact tone, but gave them all a wicked smile before going through the door.

  Enough Betas had arrived by that time that Evelyn felt that she should go back inside. She gave David a quick hug.

  “You’ll do great. You always come out on top of our arguments,” he whispered in her ear. She knew it wasn’t true, but it made her feel a modicum better.

  Kim also rose and gave Evelyn a genuine hug and wished her luck. Evelyn wondered what would happen to Kim if the worst should come to pass. Hopefully the other packs wouldn’t blame Kim for falling in with David and Evelyn and one of the friendlier packs would take her in. Evelyn steeled herself before walking back in the meeting hall. She was cheered that there would be at least one sympathetic face in the crowd, but was also aware that it was still going to be an uphill battle.

  Once back inside she made her way up to the podium and stood just to the side of it as she watched the room fill up. She saw Madeline enter a short time later and Evelyn decided that even though the Amaruq Beta wasn’t a friendly face, she was at least a familiar face. As Evelyn watched the deadline click closer and closer, she tried to calm herself by closing her eyes and going over again in her head what she was going to say, how she was going to appeal to the other packs. She had to be calm and confident, and keep control of things. She couldn’t afford to get flustered or angry, even if some of the packs exhibited a backwards or pig-headed attitude.

  The wait was excruciating, but at the same time, the minutes seemed to fly by, and then it was the moment of truth. Evelyn switched on the microphone, tested it by tapping it with her finger and then began the most important presentation she would ever give.

  *

  It was forty-five minutes into Evelyn’s speech and things were not going well. A general commotion erupted from the start when Evelyn came right out and described werewolfism as a retrovirus, even though she took pains to moderate the perceived insult by saying that viruses were a perfectly natural part of life and the fact that it was a retrovirus made being a Wolfkin no less unique. After that initial ruckus died down Evelyn had then gone on to say that she had been studying Languorem luporum in the hopes of finding a cure for those who had become accidentally or unwillingly infected such as she and David. The shouts of several of the Betas after that revelation still rang in her ears.

  “Blasphemer!”

  “Why won’t you accept your destiny?”

  “Why is the Stray making trouble for us again!?”

  Those outbursts took even more time for Evelyn to get the talk back under her control, and she hadn’t been able to silence the audience completely, but pressed on nevertheless.

  As she dove into the explanation of how she, while studying the virus, had come across a sequence of viral DNA that appeared to differ between the packs, anger roiled through the assembly.

  “Our pack never gave you a sample!”

  “Are you stealing our DNA!?”

  Evelyn fought back against the outcry. “Please! I have been sent just a few samples, and one was from a Council member who has been helping me with my research.”

  This silenced some, and Evelyn figured that since he was likely dead, there was no point in maintaining the secrecy of their arrangement any longer.

  “Which me
mber!?”

  “Liar!”

  The cries of disbelief swelled but ultimately died away as Evelyn began to explain the mutation in the strays. This firmly grabbed the other women’s attention. Obviously the strays were a widespread concern and no other packs had been able to come up with a suitable theory as to how they were becoming Wolfkin outside the normal means.

  At this point Evelyn thought that she might be winning over most of the packs. They at least seemed to respect her for acknowledging that the strays were a major problem and wanting to help. There were no protestations at all as Evelyn pointed out the significant variation in the genetic code of the viral strain of the strays. She then steadied herself and moved on to the next slide which showed how the viral mutation strains matched the Vulke pack strain at the sequence she believed indicated a Wolfkin’s pack origination. The Betas’ response was immediate. Many got to their feet and there was such noise and shouting that Evelyn couldn’t be heard over the din even with the microphone.

  It was a long time before most of the audience returned to their seats and the clamor diminished enough for individual questions to be heard, but eventually one voice carried over the others.

  “Where did you get a Vulke sample?”

  Evelyn was about to reply when Caroline stood up and called out in a strident and carrying voice, “I know where it came from!”

  Evelyn held her breath. If Caroline made it known that David and therefore Evelyn had been infected by Vulke blood then Evelyn feared with that way things were going it just might turn the packs against them. Caroline didn’t make eye contact with Evelyn, and made sure that everyone’s attention was on her before continuing.

  “It’s relatively common knowledge that the Wahya were gracious enough to take in a stray almost seven years ago now. His name is Clemson Wilson and we are almost certain that he was bitten by a Vulke while hunting in Alaska.” She then turned to look at Evelyn directly. “You got a sample from Clem didn’t you?”

  It was partially an accusation of Evelyn having gone behind Caroline’s back, but there was an ever so slight hint of something that might have possibly been able to be construed as respect there also. There was a chance that Caroline respected Evelyn for being clever enough to realize that Clem would have the Vulke strain. Evelyn just hoped that if Caroline was clever enough to figure out that she and David also had the Vulke strain, that she would keep it to herself. The audience quietened even further as all eyes turned to Evelyn.

  Evelyn nodded and her heart began beating again. She thought the meeting had been saved, and was about to go on to tell them about how and why she believed the Vulke had deliberately engineered the mutation strain of Languorem luporum, when a Beta sitting close to Caroline rose from her seat. She was dark-skinned and had lovely black hair that was intricately braided and then piled on the top of her head in a complex style of woven loops. She wore a black suit with a shiny, gold shirt and her elaborate makeup emphasized her high, angular cheek bones.

  “But you don’t know that for certain,” she said in a clear cold voice. “You only assume it was the Vulke who bit him.”

  She spoke directly to Caroline as if Evelyn didn’t even exist. Just before Caroline turned to face the woman in black, Evelyn could see Caroline’s face turn into a mask free of any hint of emotion.

  “Who else would it have been? What other pack allows, even encourages, such attacks in what they perceive to be their own territory?” Caroline countered in an even tone.

  “Oh I would never presume to implicate any pack in such a deed, but perhaps it was a wild group of strays, the same hypothetical group that could be responsible for recent attacks and for this possible…ah…mutant strain?” the other woman rebutted condescendingly.

  Caroline didn’t get the chance to speak again because a woman on the far side of the room spouted out, “That makes sense! A rogue pack of strays caused the mutation!” This was quickly followed by, “She has a grudge against the Vulke!”

  The meeting room, once again, was in chaos, but this time things escalated. Clear lines had now been drawn in most of the attendees’ minds, and Evelyn watched in growing horror as women began standing and shouting at one another. Several were pointing at Evelyn angrily. She looked from face to face and she could see that while there was some support for her, she was definitely losing the battle and the longer the fray raged on, the less likely it was that Evelyn would be able to reign in the support that she desperately needed. She felt despair oozing up through her, stymieing her ability to bring the meeting back to order. She tried to think of something to do to catch the Betas attention, but some appeared ready to walk out. Evelyn didn’t know what to do. She felt helpless. She had failed.

  Evelyn peered down at her computer screen to avoid looking at the bedlam around her. She focused in on the viral sequence from the Vulke strain on the screen. In her dejection she pondered how much damage those simple sequences of letters had caused. Clem had had his best friends murdered, his life forever altered, and the lives of his family members threatened. David had accidentally killed his best friend and set another friend into a murderous, downward spiral of insanity. Katie was now motherless, had been taken from her family, and would suffer for the rest of her short life. Kim’s dreams of becoming an Olympic athlete had been ripped from her and her life had become a living nightmare. The Scribe was wallowing in his own filth and madness in a cold, lonely cell. Evelyn’s own life had been threatened, her world upended, and she had been made to feel bitterness towards the only man whom she had ever loved.

  Evelyn took in a shuddering breath. And these atrocities were only the selfish ones that Evelyn was certain of. They didn’t take into account the countless horrors the Vulke had committed in the past, all the other strays whose lives had been destroyed, or all of the other lives that would be devastated if the Vulke’s plans came to fruition. This is so stupid! thought Evelyn abruptly. She was right, and failure, letting the Vulke win, was not even an option. I will make these women understand. I will make these women listen!

  “Listen to me! You have to listen! This is just what the Vul-“

  And then, without warning, a man burst through the door and strode into the room. He wore an expensive looking pair of grey slacks and a well-tailored, white collared shirt as well as a light grey cloak made of thin, flowing material. His style of clothing hinted at an earlier time period and seemed strikingly out of place in the modern architecture of the hotel’s meeting room. His hair was a dark brown but peppered with hints of grey and cut in a way that allowed for long sideburns, which highlighted the small patch of beard on his chin. He had strong, handsome features and dark eyes although the right side of his face was marred by a large, painful-looking burn. He had the air of a person of authority, someone who was not used to being ignored, and when his entrance failed to attract every eye in the room he let out a deafening command in a strong and resonant voice.

  “SILENCE!”

  Those Betas who ignored him before certainly took notice of him then, and a hush immediately fell over the entire room. He whisked forwards until he was at the front of the room before continuing.

  “In case you don’t recognize me, I am Roberto Antonio Rivest and I am the fifth member of the Wolfkin Council, and as far as I know, the last remaining living Council member. This woman, Dr. Eisenhart, is right. The Vulke have once again declared war on Wolfkinkind and if we do not band together as packs as we did during the war, then we will all fall victim to the Vulke and their madness and bloodlust.”

  Evelyn’s knees went weak and she gripped the podium with both hands to keep herself steady. This was the miracle she hadn’t even realized that she had been hoping for, and her whole body began to shake as the adrenaline coursed through her. No one was watching her any longer and all eyes were on Roberto, which is why no one noticed a woman sitting on the aisle pull a semiautomatic from inside her purse and aim it directly at Evelyn.

  “You are all FOOLS! Nothing will stop us
this time!” the woman screamed, and then she pulled the trigger.

  Enjoyed Moonlight Medicine: Epidemic?

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  MOONLIGHT MEDICINE: INOCULATION

  Coming 2015

  Evelyn had only a moment to register what was happening before the shot rang out. It was not enough time to try to dodge the bullet or even to scream in terror. She stood transfixed by the glint of the bright fluorescent lights on the shiny metal of the gun, and closed her eyes when the explosion of the weapon echoed through the newly hushed room. The shooter, whoever she was, had not bothered to use a silencer, and there was no way that the blast had not been heard outside the conference room. Evelyn expected to feel the impact of the bullet and awful pain as the projectile ripped through her body, but instead she only heard a cacophony of screams and shouts. She opened her eyes and looked down at her body. There was no mushrooming blossom of blood soaking through her shirt, but she couldn’t believe that the woman had missed her. Evelyn looked up as another shot rang out and was just in time to see a cascade of gore as the crazed woman, in the middle of a throng of Betas trying to restrain her, blew her own head off. The disturbing image was etched into her mind even after she looked away and her legs failed her.

  Evelyn heard the room doors bang open and thought that she heard David’s voice calling her name over the pandemonium, but she was distracted by what she saw when her eyes were level with the floor. Amidst the forest of legs, both human and chair, Sara was lying on the floor with blood dribbling from her mouth and bubbling out of her nose, facing Evelyn. The girl’s black clothing hid the place where the bullet had penetrated her chest, but the ugly green patterned carpet under her was darkening as it became soaked with blood. As she coughed and more blood sprinkled her lips, Sara’s eyes locked on Evelyn’s and she tried to smile. Evelyn found her voice and added it to the clamor as she struggled to regain her footing and pitched herself forwards towards her dying friend.