Nightshatter

by L. E. Horn

  All I could do was push the image of the sign and hope she received it.

  Then another thought intruded: Peter, attacking Keen when she came up to sniff the hare. It had been three days since Sam consumed my blood and the virus along with it. Was she sick, already suffering from the memory lapses? Or was the antiviral working? My heart pounded and the surge of adrenalin rose and fell so fast it fogged my mind and blurred my vision. My own reserves moved into the red as fatigue hovered over me. But I reached again for her, desperate to determine she was okay.

  Still no response. Please, just let it be the distance.

  My thoughts descended into chaos as we followed Ace into the building, which I noticed featured two old leather couches, a table with Travel Manitoba brochures, a desk, and a chair. Ace unlocked a door into another room, and we filed in to stare at a closet.

  Only it wasn’t a closet. My beleaguered brain snapped back into focus: they hadn’t cleared the ground to create a landing field. They’ve built something underground. Ace pressed his thumb to a panel on the wall and the doors slid open. We stepped into an elevator large enough to take everyone in one go. It dropped like a stone. I’d barely drawn breath when the doors opened again to reveal a polished metal-lined corridor. And the smell of food.

  Part of my mind stayed with thoughts of Sam as the rest hummed with the probable cost of building such an underground complex. Meanwhile, my stomach growled so loudly that Ace shot me a look as he walked past me out the door. Two turns of the corridor and we emerged into a cafeteria that seated a hundred people, but at the moment contained only a scattering.

  “I will give you an hour to eat,” he said. “Then my men will show you to your quarters to rest. We’ll debrief you this evening after you settle in.”

  The men hardly waited for him to finish before they moved toward the serving counter, eyes rapt. I admired Ace’s technique—point out the benefits before you mention the downside. To someone who eked out an existence on the streets, hot food and a safe place to sleep were obvious perks.

  Yet none of us would leave without Ace’s thumb on that panel. Was I the only one who realized we were prisoners?

  * * *

  I blinked and opened my eyes to a blank stretch of metal ceiling. A part of me reached for something that wasn’t there. I tried again and again, without success. When did I become addicted to the connection between Sam and me? I hoped she was okay, and that her absence was only a distance issue. Not knowing could drive me crazy if I let it.

  As I lay on the cot in my new quarters, I tried to grasp a sense of the time. The chime that woke me rang again, and I guessed it summoned us to the debriefing.

  I sat up, looked around, and grimaced. They had assigned each of us a room that contained a metal cot with a thin mattress pad and blanket—the entire bed lifted to reveal a compact commode. The room measured perhaps ten feet by six, perfect prison accommodations. But I recognized that for many of my homeless friends, this would seem luxurious.

  The door, also metal, slid into the wall and was activated with a recessed button. I had no doubt that, when locked, the door provided a barricade impervious to even a wulfleng. I examined the walls with narrowed eyes, stood and ran my hands over the painted surface. My fingertips revealed what the paint partly concealed: long scratches in the metal. I traced the indentations and spread my hand across the scar. My fingers couldn’t make the span—the scratches extended over a foot across.

  The door was solid except for a small opening at chin height, about twelve inches long by two high. Perfect size for insertion of a food tray. I pushed on the button and the metal door slid into the wall. As I moved into the corridor, Danny stepped out of the room across from me, a troubled look on his face.

  “Sleep well?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t like”—he hesitated, and shadows flickered in his eyes—“small spaces. It’s warm, though.”

  Smart kid. I nodded. I’d slept like the dead after the meal we’d eaten, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccoli. The food hadn’t been bad, considering all supplies probably had to be flown in.

  A wulfleng waited at the end of the hall and we followed him to a room lined with chairs, the first row of which were not touched until all others were taken. Ace and another man, dressed in a white lab coat, waited until we were all seated. Ace’s presence filled the room and had a lot to do with the reluctance to sit near him. I deduced the man in the lab coat to be wulfan, although much smaller in stature than Ace. Much to my surprise, his body possessed soft contours—he was the first wulfan I’d seen carry extra weight.

  After we settled, the door closed, and two wulfleng took up position on each side. Did they lock the door? From my chair in the corner, I focused on Ace. He’d adopted a casual posture, but his eyes remained alert. I leaned back in my seat and waited for the show to begin.

  “Now that you have all eaten and rested, it is time to brief you on the company and what we expect of you as new employees.” Ace pulled himself up on the desk that stood in the center. As I’m sure it was intended to, the casual posture relaxed those closest to him. “Noah will have told you we are a security firm, and that is true. The League of the Red Wolf is a private organization whose trained personnel are hired to deliver security services. Those services vary from providing bodyguards to protection of larger assets. It is a lucrative business and our employees are well paid. Once on the payroll for a few months, you will be able to walk into a typical car dealership and pay cash for the vehicle of your choice. After a year, you will be able to do the same thing with a house.” He paused, and I noticed many recruits straighten, as though pricking their ears in interest. Ace continued. “The reason our clients pay so well is that we are unique in terms of our training and the manner in which we offer those services.”

  He had them riveted. Heads around the room nodded as they followed along. Danny sat in the row ahead, and he glanced over his shoulder at me, one eyebrow raised. Keith sat beside him, his eyes fixed on the wulfan.

  Ace scanned the room before continuing. “As new recruits, you will be placed in a rigorous training program, but before this, there is a special procedure you must undergo. This is Dr. Smith. He will tell you more about it.”

  Smith? Couldn’t they come up with anything more original?

  Smith didn’t waste any time. He stood straight and stiff as he spoke. “The League has developed a serum that taps into the genetic strengths of your human body, making you a stronger, faster, and fiercer agent. We administer this serum as a simple injection, and it requires you to have periodic boosters afterward to maintain its effects.”

  Keeping a clandestine eye on the reactions of those around me, I barely kept myself from snorting out loud. Several men stiffened and from where I sat, I could see Danny’s forehead wrinkle.

  “I don’t understand, what does the serum do?” I didn’t see who asked the question.

  “The serum permits your body to activate certain gene sequences. Ace will give you a small demonstration.” Ace raised his hand and wiggled his fingers before shifting them into thickened digits tipped in claws.

  Although I knew this to be akin to parlor tricks for a wulfan, gasps raced around the room. Shifting just the hands, feet, and even jaws was common among wulfan. What I did involved isolating and altering individual bits at will or freezing the process in between man and wulf. While most wulfan could change their entire hand to wulf, I could alter a forefinger on its own, and give it a ten-inch dagger for a claw. My ability to do unique things to my body’s core was what gave Chris nightmares.

  Ace let his fingers return to normal. “The serum also gives you enhanced strength,” Ace said. “Some of us can take it even further, changing the shape of our entire body.”

  Some of us? Ace was a damned good liar.

  “Is it safe?” Danny asked.

  The doctor was quick to answer. “We have extensively tested the serum and it has enhanced over three hundred operatives to date.”


  I’m sure my eyes widened. Three hundred? Was that just in Manitoba? Or did it include those in Texas, and was that successful operatives or also those lost to madness? And was I the only one who realized that the good doc hadn’t actually answered the question?

  “Achieving control over the changes takes time and practice,” Ace said.

  Smith nodded. “The injections ensure you stay in control. Shifting ability varies between individuals. The initial injection will cause a fever while the serum works on your body and there is some discomfort associated with this phase. We can administer pain relief to help you through. Also, more extreme changes can be uncomfortable.”

  Some discomfort? I kept my face expressionless with an effort, aware of bodies shifting in the seats around me. These guys trusted no one. The money angle had hooked them, but Ace and Smith were going to have to work hard to land them.

  “One benefit of the serum is that if you are an alcoholic or drug user, it will cure you immediately. It has healing properties that ensure you won’t ever get sick and can even prolong your life. Humans enhanced with the serum can live well over one hundred years.”

  Yeah, if it doesn’t kill you first. But as a sell job, it wasn’t bad. Smith basically promised not only a new life but a rebirth of sorts.

  Danny cleared his throat. “This serum—is it dangerous? Seems like shifting your form can go all kinds of wrong.”

  Go, Danny.

  Keith frowned. “Won’t the changes happen on their own when you need them to?”

  Ace glanced at Smith but took the question. “Getting it right takes practice. We’ll guide you through the process.”

  In other words, no, they didn’t just happen on their own, and yes, it was dangerous. But I knew why they didn’t say more. If they told these guys the truth, they’d have to pin us all to the floor to inject us with the virus—much easier to buy our cooperation by lying. Some looked reassured by the rhetoric, but Danny’s shoulders tensed. The really big guy, whose washed eyebrows indicated his hair was bright red, shifted so that his chair creaked. The tall thin one eyed the door.

  Several men glanced around the room. What did they make of the deal? If Ace’s comment had reassured them, it might sound sweet to those who struggled to find their next meal. Ace and Smith worked smoothly together to present a well-spoken, educated, yet matter-of-fact speech, designed to reassure and impress. I stared at Ace and wondered at the soldier with a golden tongue. And I waited. Because someone would ask.

  “What if we don’t want to take the serum?”

  Bingo.

  Ace answered. “It’s voluntary, but to qualify for our organization, you must take it. If you opt out, we’ll be forced to eject you from the program.” He scanned the room. “Are there any who wish to withdraw?”

  His gaze swept through us. Oh, God. It tested every fibre of my being not to stand and query them on the fate of those who opted out. I pushed my hands beneath my folded arms and felt them trembling.

  Silence, then one man stood. “I’m sorry. If I’d known about this, I wouldn’t have come.”

  Two others squirmed, but they obviously awaited possible repercussions for the one brave enough to speak up.

  “I will ask you to leave with my associate. We will return you on the next flight back to the city.”

  Ace’s voice and expression remained calm, as though he were discussing room assignments rather than a life or death decision. As the man stood and left with a wulfleng, I kept an eye on the squirmers, but they stayed where they were.

  Smart. I reminded myself to stick to the plan despite my doubt that that man would ever see Winnipeg again. He’d already seen too much.

  “What other changes can you do?” Danny asked Ace.

  This should be good. I sat up to watch. Were the wulfleng guards ready for a stampede?

  “This may be disturbing until you become accustomed to it,” Ace said. “Just remember that I’m in full control and you are not in any danger.” He stripped off his clothes before shifting.

  It surprised me that he was willing to show them up front. He wasn’t fast—I was used to the enforcers, who were—so the contortions his body underwent as he changed were dramatic and gruesome. When he’d finished, someone at the back of the room was quietly sick.

  No sooner did the wulf stand on all fours before us than he reversed the changes until he stood once again as a naked human. In near total silence—I still heard heaving—Ace pulled on his clothes.

  A squirmer shot to his feet. “No way I want to turn into that! Let me out!”

  “You can do this.” It was Danny, tension in his voice. “It won’t be bad, you’ll see. You’ll be clean for the first time in years, and think what you can do with the money.”

  I stared at the back of Danny’s head as he spoke. He knows. And he recruited some of these guys himself.

  “No way. I can’t be part of this.” The man sent Danny a wild look, then locked his gaze on Ace.

  Smith fiddled with something on the desk, but Ace looked at him calmly. “Very well. There’s the door.”

  If I needed any further proof as to the fate of those who left the room that was it. The wulfan would never let anyone see a full change and then allow them to leave. I opened my mouth to try to convince the man to stay, but shut it again. I couldn’t risk it. Much as I hated it, I had to behave like a sheep in order to catch some wulves.

  After the door closed behind the man, Ace asked, “Anyone else?” When no one even breathed, he continued, “In a few minutes, Dr. Smith will administer the serum.”

  Smith stepped forward. “For the fever’s duration, we’ll confine you to this level, but you are free to move about between the rooms. We have an excellent selection of books for those who enjoy reading and there is a lounge with a big-screen TV, as well as two gaming consoles and a pool table. Although we do have satellite, we regret that access to the internet is restricted to staff.”

  “How long will we be sick?” someone asked.

  “The incubation for the serum varies with individuals, but the period is two days to two weeks, with an average of six days.”

  Silence fell as everyone contemplated being confined for six days, even if we had the entire level. If they had any idea what lay ahead, they would run screaming now. The full moon was in nine days, and then they all must change or die.

  But no one ran. So Ace finished up. “Let’s get started. Dr. Smith will take you to the med clinic.”

  The sheep stood and followed the wulves.

  15

  Waiting for the shot in the small med clinic—basically a room with a few cots and shelves of equipment that didn’t look like it had been used in years—I hovered near the back of the line. Danny dropped behind the others to stand close.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. The skin around his eyes and mouth looked stretched tight with tension. “If I’d had any idea, I wouldn’t have talked you into this.”

  “You didn’t talk me into anything. It was my decision.” I realized Danny reminded me of myself. Wasn’t his fault that his best option turned out to be the worst.

  “It’ll be okay,” I said, knowing it likely wouldn’t. Maybe Danny will be lucky and make it through. Something inside me grabbed hold of that concept. The rabies shots had stopped the virus from fully affecting me, but Chris believed it to be more than that. He said I had a strength of mind over matter that made all the difference.

  Where does my mental strength come from? When I changed, I tapped not only into my emotions but also into my artistic side, visualizing the anatomical changes as they occurred. It not only guided me through but enabled me to engage in the partials.

  Anatomy could be taught. What if I helped Danny through the transition? I glanced around at the desperate young men standing in line. What if I helped everybody through?

  We had only days before the full moon, not as much time as I’d had. And I couldn’t give myself away, which would make it very tricky. But Ace and Smit
h had talked about control over the changes, so they’d set it up, to some extent.

  If I was careful, I might salvage this situation and keep some men from losing their minds—and maybe their lives.

  Danny hovered near me. His jaw muscle jumped with tension as he leaned close. “Those changes—they aren’t something that comes from inside us.”

  The kid was too smart for his own health. I glanced at Ace, leaning on the back wall; wulfan ears were sharp. “What do you mean?”

  The tall young man met my eyes and I witnessed the fear and uncertainty. “What he changed into—there are myths about those things. I thought they only existed in fantasy books. He isn’t a super human, he’s something else.” He swallowed. “And they’ll make us just like him.”

  I kept my expression calm, but my heart raced as I sensed how close he’d come to bolting. “The time to opt out has passed. We’ll get through this.”

  He glanced at Ace and back to me. “Do you really think so?”

  I nodded and some inner compulsion spat out the words, “Stick with me kid, and I’ll show you how.”

  One corner of his mouth twitched. “Is that a Bogart line?”

  “You like Bogart?”

  “I love old movies.” He tilted his head and grimaced. “Don’t know if I remember him ever saying that, though.”

  “Don’t know that he did,” I admitted with a smile. “I think it’s a Lee quote.”

  He swayed from foot to foot, but he no longer looked as though he would run. We watched our companions receive the shot in their upper arm, just like an ordinary vaccine. They all appeared nervous although most tried to put on a brave face.

  As I watched, the tall, thin man stepped up for his shot. He caught me looking, and I noticed his odd-colored eyes—one was hazel with deep-brown flecks, the other blue. An image of Keen flashed through my brain, they were so much like hers.