by Kevin Rau
Kim finished her computer work, and said, “Rael, you're with me on this round.”
I headed over to her; she walked down the hallway a few doors, and entered a room. I followed, and she checked the chart of the “patient.” She examined the IV and equipment, made a note on the chart, and headed back out.
“The next one's a mu ... unusual.” She glanced at me, and quickly away when she caught her mistake. A pair of security guards watched me closely as we passed them in the hallway. I suppose there isn't anything else worth really looking at here, but I feel like starting something. Jerks are annoying me.
A few doors down the hall we headed up to another door. Another pair of guards just one more door down also watched me, as I entered the room. This guy was a mess. His jaw was longer, and monstrous fangs actually came out of his mouth and went up and down a good half inch outside the mouth. His hair had mostly fallen out, and lay in clumps on the pillow, with perhaps half of it still on the scalp. Spikes came out of the scalp, not sharp enough to tear up the pillow, but odd looking. The knuckles and elbows had short spikes coming out of them.
Kim says “Good timing to check on him, his vitals are above normal. I'll adjust the drip.” She tweaked a small knob on the bag of liquid next to the bed.
I wonder why I've seen so little information on these, or we ... mutant supers. I'd think they'd be all over the news if they are as wild as Kim is claiming. Also useful to know which drip bag has the sedative….
Kim jotted down some notes on the chart, and headed back out. I kept an eye on the guy as I went to the door, and exited.
“This one next,” Kim said. She gestured toward the door after the guard. Wait, where'd the other guard go?
The remaining guard rested his hand on his handgun, the safety strap was off. “Why aren't you wearing a hospital uniform?”
Kim stopped, looked at me, and said, “Rael was sent here to assist in case of problems. I just brought up a new super, and he's doing my rounds with me.”
“Still doesn't explain why he isn't wearing a uniform.”
Annoyance must have flashed across my face, and I clenched my fist ... clawing myself slightly. Ouch. Watch yourself, Rael.
The door we were about to enter opened, and the other security guard exited. I got a strong scent of Stephanie.
The first guard said, “What's wrong with you, Rael?”
Crap, I need poker lessons to maintain better facial control. They already know I'm a super, might as well play on it. “Nothing, I just have a strong sense of smell.”
The guard that just left the room said, “What? I didn't cut one.”
I rolled my eyes, “No, I'm not smelling you.”
“Oh, you must smell the hot ... err, super in there.”
He pulled his hand out of his pocket; I caught the sight of some strands of brunette hair coming out of it.
I pointed at his pocket, “What the hell are you doing with her hair in your pocket?”
“I, what? Shit. She's losing it anyway, and it'd just get thrown away. I'm not even sure why I grabbed some.”
Kim got a really, really pissed off look on her face, and stormed into the room. I figured I better stick with her, or I'd end up maiming this guy. I glared at him as I walked by.
Sure enough, it was Stephanie on the bed. I walked over to the top of the bed to see what the guy had done to her. Her hair was a mix of shiny metallic gold and brown. Kim walked around to the far side, and pulled some of the brown hair off the pillow.
“Oh, he's right. This isn't too unusual. Her hair is being replaced with the new color and texture. Kind of like your fingers. Creepy to take some of it, though.”
I'd have agreed with her, but I was distracted by the smell. Stephanie smelled really, really damn good. I couldn’t help but inhale deeply. It was almost intoxicating. Then I noticed I had leaned over her head, and had been about to dig my face into her new, golden hair. I stood up abruptly and blinked a few times.
Kim watched me closely, with her head cocked to the side slightly. She leaned over and sniffed. “Wow, she really does smell good. I wouldn't think it's perfume, they've washed off the blood and such. New hair won’t have any shampoo or conditioner on it yet.”
I blinked a few times, and tried to clear my thoughts. “Yeah, it must be the changes to my nose, she's distracting. Is she okay?”
Kim looked at the chart, then the vitals on the screens. “She had a broken right shoulder and left humerus when she was first brought in. I don't see any bruising now; she must have healed the wounds. The vitals look good.”
I looked closer at the new hair. It really was pure golden, not just blonde. Interesting.
My sense of smell is better, or more acute, but why does she smell like this? Wait a second.… I opened the bag with the shirts, opened up the plastic bag with Stephanie’s shirt, and smelled it again. It was almost the same, but somehow different. Her shirt didn’t have this intoxicating scent that just made me want to put my nose to her hair and skin and breathe deeply. Maybe she was sweating in the shirt? Something’s different. It can’t just be my sense of smell, can it? That, I could test.
Chapter 9 – Bloodthirst
Rael’s Viewpoint
