3.53 – Beginner’s Luck
I was hoping Destiny and I could go on a date, see a movie
or something. Instead, she wants to put my skills to the test. We’re chasing
Lizbeth Morgane, a twenty-three year old woman from the state of Washington.
Supposedly she’s a werewolf on the run for murdering one of her pack. We’re
tracking her down, bringing her in alive. Simple enough, except that whole
werewolf part, that’s kind of complicated.
“If she attacks, watch for her bite. If it doesn’t kill you,
it’ll turn you. The claws won’t always turn you, but there’s a chance,” Destiny
gives pointers over the phone.
“While I’m walking through alleys avoiding people pissing
behind nightclubs, what are you doing?”
“I’m getting a birds eye view. Unless you’re confident
enough to go jumping between rooftops, I don’t think we should switch
positions.”
“What do I do if I find her?”
“Follow her, call her name if she notices you.”
“What if she transforms?”
“Give that bitch a nightmare,” Destiny cackles before
hanging up.
Why would a werewolf on the run go out to the club anyway?
Maybe she just likes clubs you idiot. I don’t like them, but there are people
that go every weekend, and she’s young. I stare at the picture, hazel-colored
eyes, button nose, shoulder length blonde hair and a sweet smile. She’s not
hard to look at, if I was a pretty woman like her I’d probably go out a lot
more often too. But what kind of club does she go to? All we’ve got to go on is
the photograph. She could be into death metal for all we know. A list of hobbies
would be a really good thing to have right now.
I’ve checked three different clubs and two bars tonight, not
a single sign of her. Nobody knows who she is and I look suspicious asking
about this woman’s whereabouts without a badge or something. Destiny isn’t
having much luck either. I don’t know why we can’t just ask around different
hotels and motels. It would be just as effective as wandering into random clubs
and stalking rooftops.
Actually, I think I might have just found her. I follow her
out of the club and phone Destiny. “I got her.”
“Cool, how did you catch her?”
“I didn’t catch her, I just found her.”
“Then why are you calling me.”
“How am I supposed to snatch a woman on a crowded street
without going to jail?”
“Herd her.”
“Like a sheep?”
“Yes, exactly,” she sighs. “What street you on?”
“Clark, heading away from the stadium.”
Destiny hangs up the phone without saying anything else. I
just keep following Lizbeth, waiting on her to do something suspicious to prove
I’ve got the right person. Then again, she’s not going to turn into a werewolf
in a crowd. There’re fees for stuff like that. I heard the Marson family got
stuck with the bill for the mall fight. Probably another reason they’re pissed
at us, but they got money to spare.
“What’s up Liz," I hear Destiny shout to my left.
Lizbeth takes off running down an alley. I give chase and
Destiny speeds ahead with the whole vampire speed thing. It doesn't take long before
we have her alone and cornered away from view. A few months ago, I’d be holding
my knees, gasping for air while dry heaving. Now, this is light practice. I
suppose Destiny’s training techniques worked. My body has changed a lot since I
met her, I actually have abs now, well I can see them sometimes.
“Just surrender, make this easy,” Destiny offers.
“Never tasted vampire meat before,” Lizbeth responds, her
voice is almost like a growl.
“I’m a human,” I try to get in on the banter.
“You’re a casualty,” Lizbeth responds.
I expected a werewolf to just sort of quickly morph from
human to wolf, painlessly, I also thought it was only possible on a full moon.
That means I’m wrong on all three counts. Lizbeth’s clothes start to rip as her
body rapidly begins to bulk and become more muscular as her skin turns grey,
she rips at her flesh. It stretches and bruises but isn’t visible long. A dark
brown fur begins to spout on her body as her face becomes more and more wolf
like. Short quick grunts and growls indicate the transformation is painful.
Destiny rushes before the transformation is complete and is
smacked away. A werewolf’s strength is truly frightening if it could do that to
Destiny. I summon the echoes and launch an attack. That’s all I can do. The air
that comes from her missed swings is enough to make me afraid. The smell, she
didn’t smell like this a few minutes ago. It’s the breath, I nearly faint
dodging a bite. I’m cutting her, it’s doing nothing to slow her down and I can’t
keep dodging the claws and bites forever.
It feels like electricity is flowing through my back and I’m
forced to my knees. I know she’s got me with her claws. I try to focus as
Destiny comes back into view but my vision isn’t holding. I’ve never been in so
much pain before, all this from one claw? I swing out my right leg and use it
to push myself back to my feet. My vision steadies enough for me to move
forward and slash. This time I’m met with fist that deflates me and sends me
flying into a wall. There’s a slight popping sound and my ears begin to ring. I
touch the back of my head feel the blood.
I push against the wall and use it to bring myself up again. Patient, I need to wait for the right moment to strike. A moment when Destiny has backed off to give her some distance. Lizbeth swings and Destiny leaps backwards to avoid the claw. I rush in from behind and swing the blade at her throat. I miss, too high, too groggy to aim. I feel two fists come down on my back, then I feel the pavement.
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