The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1) (37 page)

"I
don't think she should be in that much pain yet," Imogen said softly. Lucy
slipped on the fresh blood at her feet, nearly taking them all down the stairs
together.

Celia
went rigid. Her head dropped forward, revealing a thick swath of dark brown
roots, and Lucy felt the woman's skin go clammy and cold from one second to the
next.

Lucy
expected Celia to turn into a Werebeast at any moment, but instead the woman
crumpled in on herself, eyes rolling back in her head.

Imogen,
Myra and Lucy barely managed to get the nearly catatonic Celia down the stairs
and through the outer doors. While the others had abandoned them, they had
thankfully left the security doors to the outside propped open.

The
larger group hadn't gotten far. They stood in the middle of the grass area of
the main yard, unable to move forward or cross back. A number of regular male
inmates in orange jumpsuits —
at
least a dozen
— circled them while letting out threatening hoots and
hollers.

Rivers
thrust out her baton to ward them off. Quick as lightning, three aggressive
attackers dove for the guard with the riot gun.

The
men looked almost human but for the razor-sharp claws on their hands and
elongated feet.

His
teargas cartridges spent, the Asian guard swung the gun and connected with the
head of one of the feral men. The two others rushed the guard, threw him on the
ground and bit into his face and body savagely.

They
fight like dogs not men.

Lucy's
fingers went numb, and her knees felt watery.

Officer
Diaz screamed at the pack to get away. A few of the women prisoners broke from
the circle and ran to the far fence.

Before
Lucy could react, Celia heaved, slipping from her grip, and hit the ground with
all fours. She vomited violently, and her body lurched forward. Myra grabbed
Celia's back and held her without hesitation.

"We've
got her!" Imogen yelled to Lucy. "Go!"

Lucy
sprinted toward the fight in progress. People and Beasts now ran from all
directions. Ear-shattering sirens sounded with overlapping double and triple
blasts. Lucy ran at the pack ripping at the downed guard. She couldn't tell if
he was still alive.

"OFF!"
she yelled, throwing herself at his assailants. To her complete shock, they
backed away immediately and looked at her with inhuman eyes.

Before
Lucy had time to adjust, chilling howls from the side of the yard spun her
around. Four Werebeasts of the gargantuan variety came across the grass at a
dead run.

"Get
'em!" Lucy called out, taking a chance. Most of the jump-suited men
surrounding her took off to meet the four Beasts head on. Far outclassed in
size and strength by the Beasts, the man-creatures nevertheless fought with the
fierceness and intelligence of pack predators.

Still
working against shock, Lucy snapped her head to check on the small group of
women left in the middle of the field. Officer Rivers kneeled on a woman
prisoner in mid-transformation, smashing her baton down into the contorted Beast
face.

"The
chapel!" Officer Diaz shouted out. She shepherded her remaining prisoners
in the direction of the grey granite chapel behind the fenced workout area.

Lucy
returned her gaze to the downed guard, noticing the blood splattered grass all
around him. She bent down to help him, but as she had feared, the guard was
dead. Only now did she see the nameplate dangling from his shredded uniform
shirt —
Chu
.

She
picked up his riot gun.

Lucy
looked back for Imogen and Myra, but the main yard had filled up — bodies
running every which way — and she couldn't spot either woman. She had
turned around again when a powerful blow to the back of the head sent her
flying forward, knocking Chu's gun to the ground and almost laying her out.

"Bitch!"
Peklar spat.

The
surprise attack didn't slow Lucy down. She jerked to the side, barely avoiding
the man crashing into her.

"No
cunt prisoner kicks me and gets away with it!" Peklar seemed crazed, his
face beet red and spit flying from his mouth.

Lucy
squared her shoulders, ready to take the man on, when a robust Werebeast in a
pink jumpsuit flew at him. The creature dug sharp claws into his thigh and
threw open her jaw for a fatal bite. A shot rang out and then another. The
female Were dropped, the second shot having ripped through her head. Peklar
sunk to the ground, groaning in pain — not from a gunshot but from her
bites.

Lucy
caught sight of the shooter in the guard tower just as an ungainly shape fell
on him as well. Not waiting any longer, Lucy broke into a desperate run toward
Greystone Chapel.

The
gate separating the chapel from the workout area with its colorful exercise
apparatus swung wide open, nearly ripped off its hinges. Lucy saw Rivers and
Diaz run between the granite pillars and duck through the chapel doors.

The
yard had transformed into one giant Blood Alley between raging Werebeasts,
crazed feral men-not-men, shooters on the guard towers and regular prisoners
taking advantage of the chaos. Lucy heard the airship above before she could
see it and knew the riot would be contained soon.

If I can survive that long.

The
first thing Lucy saw when she came to a halt in the church was a giant
weathered mural above the altar.

The
Last Supper.

Lucy
had heard about the magnificent replica painted by an inmate long ago, but she
hadn't seen it before.

She
scanned the room. Women and men crowded into the pews, either sitting in chairs
or on the floor. Rivers and Diaz had stationed themselves at the doors, whether
to keep prisoners in or creatures out Lucy couldn't guess. An eerie hush filled
the room, as if every person — on an instinctual level — had
acquiesced to paralyzed silence.

Good. Silence means survival.

A
heart-stopping scream shattered the illusion of safety and pulled Lucy's attention
to the back corner. Imogen and Myra kneeled over Celia who lay with her back
flat on the cold ground, her mouth wide open. Celia screamed and screamed and
screamed. Her belly had grown enormous since the morning. She was covered in
blood and grime. Myra tried to hold Celia's shoulders to keep her from smashing
the back of her head on the stone floor as seizures jolted through the pregnant
girl. Imogen straightened the corner of a white sheet she likely had ripped
from the altar to cover the woman's lower body and legs. Clorox white material
contrasted Celia's bright blood and the dark chunks of fetid gore.

"She
isn't dilated," Imogen said. "I need something sharp."

This can't get any worse.

The
chapel doors flew open and a slew of Werebeasts flooded in.

Crap!

A
colossal reddish creature indiscriminately tore through Rivers with mighty
claws while the rest of the Were pack rampaged towards the pews. People ran,
screamed or tried to fight, but the Werebeasts were faster, stronger and far,
far more motivated.

Desperate
for a weapon, having lost Chu's gun on the yard, Lucy dove toward Rivers'
fallen body and snatched up her baton.

"OFF!"
she yelled and faced the red Werebeast. The creature towered over her by a
foot. It was beyond muscular, making Gabe's Werebeast form seem slight. It took
a step back, but she thought it was only to get a better vantage. Keen predator
calculation flashed through its eyes, seemingly assessing the risks and rewards
of killing Lucy.

The
instant it lunged for her, Lucy pivoted to the side and smashed her baton into
the back of its knee. It faltered momentarily, allowing Lucy full access to its
back. She grabbed a handful of its thick shoulder fur, pulled herself close and
brought her baton down on the back of its head. The Werebeast screamed, its
rage hitting a peak, and threw Lucy off like a rag doll. She crashed into a
wall, dropping her baton, the breath knocked out of her. Out of the corner of her
eye, she saw a blur of wild dog-men tear through the chapel doors.

Ferals!

The
red Werebeast reared on her, slavering and growling in the back of its throat.

"To
me!" Lucy yelled, completely panicked. The Werebeast moved closer. She
could feel its breath on her face.

"Get
it!" She screamed and jabbed both fists into the creature's eyes.

The
Ferals turned from the chaos in the chapel and rushed the red Were as one,
covering it in a cascade of punches and bites. The Ferals fought the Were like
a pack of dogs would fight a bear. The group gripped its legs and arms, while
one dashed straight at its throat and held on with iron jaws.

Lucy
pulled herself to her feet and grabbed the baton. She lunged for the red Beast,
but the sound of shots fired stopped her short. Everyone in the chapel turned
to the entrance, which was now lined with officers in riot gear. More shots
rang out, and Lucy saw one of her Feral protectors go down.

"No!"
Lucy threw her body in front of the pack still engaged in taking down the red
Were. "Don't shoot. They're helping."

Her
words were useless in the mayhem.

A
rubber projectile smashed into her side; pain spread like fire and she
stumbled, her bare feet scraping on the stone floor.

Abruptly
a knee came up into her face, connecting with her jaw. It would have floored
her, if a hand hadn't viciously grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up,
almost off the ground.

"Where
is Dr. Friel?" A guard in full riot gear bellowed into her bruised face.
He grabbed both of her shoulders and shook, leaving Lucy dazed and seeing
bright flashes. Weakly she lifted her hand and pointed to the corner. He turned
his head to look. Instantaneously, she shot her other hand up under his
protective mask and then drove her palm into his nose. The awkward blow brought
pain, and he let her go abruptly. Scrambling on her hands and feet, Lucy
scurried in the direction of Celia. She didn't get far when vice-like arms
clamped around her waist and pulled her up.

Ahead
she saw Imogen standing still against the granite wall, the bloody white sheet
bundled in her arms. Guards encircled Imogen, protecting her. Lucy struggled in
the painful grip, kicking her feet high in the air for leverage. Pain shot
through her body, enraging her further.

"To
me!" she roared, sensing the rush of Ferals struggling to come to her aid.
The guard let go when the first Feral crashed into him, and she bolted toward
Imogen. Lucy didn't care what happened in her wake.

On
the stone ground — a disquietingly serene look on her face — lay
Celia in a virtual lake of blood, dead. Her body looked as if it had been
shredded, flaps of flesh dangled from within. Myra knelt beside her, rigid. A
guard held out his hand to help the nurse to her feet.

Imogen
put a conspiratorial finger to her lips, urging Lucy to keep silent. Confused
Lucy stumbled forward, but a team of six guards headed her off. In
rapid-response-team-style, they grabbed her arms, her legs and her head. Lucy felt
all fight leaving her. Going quiet, she surveyed the aftermath in the chapel.

Her
Ferals had been beaten down and cowered by the door. The guard they had
attacked on her command lay on the ground. The Werebeasts were strewn around
the chapel, all dead — shot or bludgeoned. As the team carried Lucy out
of the chapel, her eyes went again to Imogen holding the bundle.

The
white sheet moved. Black fur dropped into sight. Imogen carefully hid it away.

Lucy's
body jerked involuntarily. Hysterical laughter took hold of her. She shook and
cried manic tears. A baton cracked down on her head.

Chapter 29

ORACLE: Grabbed
him but got away
.
Cornered him in
the high school.

OMEGA: withdraw immediately

ORACLE:
Situation escalating. Going in.

OMEGA: NO!

Empyrean
was just waking up, the good folk either heading to work or dropping their
children off at school.

Lucy
accelerated down Main Street past the venerable used bookstore, when she
spotted Hanna's truck in the parking lot of Molly's Diner.

"Let's
stop here and get Hanna." Lucy turned into the lot and parked close to the
building. "She can help us find Kai."

"I
don't want to waste any time." Xochitl jumped out of the car. "If
Hanna won't help right away, then fuck her."

"Fine."
Lucy locked El Gallo. "We'll file a police report."

Xochitl
snorted. "As if la chota's gonna help find a Hound boy."

"Hey,
this isn't L.A." Lucy pulled open the door to Molly's Diner. "People
are nice here."

Molly's
Diner hadn't changed since Lucy was a kid. They'd never eaten out much when
Lucy was growing up, but as a special treat Mama would let Lucy have a piece of
Molly's famous blueberry pie.

Molly's
was a cozy country restaurant with wood paneling and comfortable booths. Pretty
flowered curtains framed the large windows.

A
small breakfast crowd went about their morning business of guzzling coffee,
munching on bacon and waffles, reading the Empyrean Post and gossiping.

As
Lucy and Xochitl walked through the door, all activity and conversation ceased.
The handful of seniors, teenagers late for homeroom, farmhands and soccer moms
all stared at them in utter silence. A very uncomfortable moment passed,
leaving Lucy wanting to joke, "As you were."

Xochitl
elbowed Lucy. "Friendly you say?"

The
activity resumed, but Lucy still felt eyes on her. When she looked to catch
someone glancing at them, they quickly looked away.

Hanna
sat in the booth by the one open window that looked out to the parking lot. The
curtains had been pushed all the way to the side, letting in the cool morning
breeze.

Hanna,
dressed in nothing but a tank top and jeans, was obviously enjoying the cool
air. She fussed with her phone while shoveling a massive breakfast burrito down
her throat. A nearly empty pot of coffee sat on the wood table next to a brown
mug and beside that, pushed slightly out of the way, rested a pancake easily
the size of a manhole cover. The giant pancake was covered in syrup and topped
with a mound of whipped cream.

Hanna
clicked off her phone, picked up her fork and speared a piece of the gooey
pancake.

Lucy
slid into the booth across from Hanna, followed by Xochitl who only paused to
swipe another mug from the bar.

Hanna
didn't seem surprised to see them and scooted her pancake out of the way before
Lucy could stick her fingers in the whipped cream.

"It's
a reflex," Lucy muttered. "We don't have time for food."

Xochitl
snatched up the coffee pot and poured some into her mug. "This is
sustenance, not food," she answered Hanna's raised eyebrow.

"Somebody
took Kai." Lucy didn't hold back. "Help us find him."

"Are
you sure he didn't just run off." Hanna didn't seem impressed. "Ferals
are like that. No loyalty." She gave Xochitl a wry smile.

"Lupe
saw—" Lucy started, but the clatter of a coffee mug being slammed
down in front of her stopped her from continuing.

"You
wanna order?" The waitress stared at Lucy, completely ignoring Xochitl.
Lucy heard giggling from the booth behind her.

"Sherry?"
Lucy asked, recognizing the heavy-set teenage waitress as Molly's daughter. "Blueberry
pie would actually be great."

"So,
you have time for pie?" Hanna quipped.

The
girl scoffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. Lucy remembered the
stubborn gesture, usually accompanied by foot stomping, from when Sherry was
little.

Lucy
and her mama had been Sherry's favorite babysitters many nights when Molly was
busy running the diner on her own. The ranch had been a second home to so many
of Empyrean's children and adults. Ellie welcomed everyone. And everyone had
been their friend.

"I
don't think your mom would be happy to see you being rude to customers,"
Lucy remarked as gently as she could.

"Yeah,
and I guess your mom isn't too happy you killed her, you murdering slut!"
The girl spun and fled before Xochitl could grab her arm. Xochi rose to go
after her.

"Leave
it," Lucy said, in shock.

"And
this is why I asked you not to go into town," Hanna hissed. "These
folks loved Ellie," she explained to Xochitl who looked outraged.

Hanna's
phone buzzed with a text. She glanced at it and slammed the phone on the table
facedown.

"What's
going on?" Lucy asked, but before Hanna could respond an older woman
strode up to the table, followed by a grey haired man in a matching Hawaiian
shirt.

"Lucy
Lowell. How dare you?" The woman looked familiar, though her blue-tinged,
old lady Q-tip hairdo was new.

"Janice?"
Lucy greeted the woman who had been on the town council with her mama.

"Mayor
Welks," Janice's husband Gary corrected.

"Lucy
Lowell, I never thought you'd have the nerve to show your face in town again
after what you did," Janice said, looking prepared to spit in Lucy's face.
Lucy shifted her body forward. More giggles came from the other booth.

Backing
up, the mayor waggled her finger at Lucy and Xochitl. "The Werewolf
Whisperer doesn't belong here!" She turned to her husband. "Tell
them, Gary!"

Gary
put both hands squarely on the table, flexing fairly impressive old man
muscles. His arms, exposed by the short sleeves of his shirt, were exceedingly
hairy. He looked right at Lucy, but spoke to Hanna.

"Hanna,
do you need this jailbird trash removed from your place?" He pushed down
on the table, making the coffee mugs jump.

Lucy
was starting to find humor in this grotesque situation.

"Is
this ancient pendejo threatening us?" Xochitl sounded truly puzzled.

Again,
a response was impossible as a shrill, but familiar wail cut through Molly's
Diner. Every head turned to the front door.

Screaming
at the top of her lungs, little Lupe stood next to the entrance, her hand
trapped in the chute of a vintage gumball machine. Imogen, now swathed in an
elaborate Renaissance cloak, leaned into Lupe and spoke to the child in short
syllables.

"Just...let...go."
Imogen tried to appease the girl, but Lupe only screamed louder. "Honey, I
don't have change. The machine wants a quarter. I don't have a quarter. Let go.
I'll buy you all the gumballs."

Imogen
waved to Sherry who sulked behind the bar. "Hi, excuse me. I need change
for a hundred."

"You
don't belong here, Lucy Lowell." A trim woman with a bleach blond pixie
cut leaned in to their booth on Hanna's side.

Hanna
placed her hand on the woman's arm. "Why don't you go open up the library,
Nina? I got this."

"Let
go, Lupita!" Imogen's voice shrilled in the background.

"Self-defense!
It's just not right, Hanna," the librarian argued. "Ellie would never
have hurt anyone."

"Right
on, Mrs. Schlabach!" a young man's voice shouted from behind them. Lucy
spotted a blond teen in an Empyrean High football jersey duck back down in his
booth.

"You
weren't there, Nina," Hanna insisted. "None of you were there. Now,
leave it!"

Gary
straightened up. "If I'd been there, well, things would have been
different," he grumbled uncertainly but backed away.

Janice,
apparently unable to help herself, turned to Lucy who sank down in her seat.

"T...raaaaa...sh!"
Janice dragged the word out into three slow syllables, making each carry as
much venom as possible.

"That's
it!" Xochitl lurched out of the booth and grabbed Janice by the blue
cotton ball hair. The mayor shrieked as her wig came off her head. Xochitl
shrieked in surprise, and Gary shrieked as he tried to ram Xochitl into the
bar.

Lucy
shot up out of her seat, but several pairs of hands grabbed her from behind and
dragged her over the back of the booth.

"Son
of a motherfucker!" Lucy spat as her head hit the edge of a table.

Two
young men in football jerseys started raining blows down on her. She curled
herself into a ball and dropped under the table. One of her teen assailants
grabbed for her legs, looking to drag her into the aisle.

Lucy
kicked him square in the face. She rolled to the side and weaseled her body up
between the table and the booth.

She
heard a familiar howl of delight. Scrabbling to her feet, Lucy saw Kai fly
through the open window and land on Hanna's table. Long fangs protruded from
the boy's mouth. He howled again and flung himself at the stunned football
players.

Letting
Kai distract the football bullies, Lucy oriented herself for a second. No other
threats advanced; instead, most of the patrons sat in their chairs quietly and
watched the melee with utter fascination. No one stepped in to help or hinder.

Lucy
clocked Hanna engaged in a cell phone contest with the blond librarian.
Apparently both women had 911 on the line, Hanna screaming loudly about how her
daughter was being attacked. Lucy reeled when she heard Hanna shout the word "Lynching!"

Lucy
heard the crash of dishes and pivoted to see Xochitl whirling around on the top
of the bar. Xochitl kicked and flung another plate, avoiding the grabby hands
of Gary and the antics of Sherry who was preposterously swiping at her with a
broom. Lucy heard Xochitl laugh and egg them on with filthy Spanish expressions.

Out
of the corner of her eye, Lucy spotted Imogen chasing after Lupe, who streaked
through the diner with Janice's pale blue wig held aloft.

Janice
sat slumped in a chair by the restroom and pointed. "My hair. The child is
getting away with my hair!" Janice groused weakly.

"Time
to go!" Lucy shouted to her companions and turned to Molly's customers. "Unless
anyone wants to see my Werebeast go full throttle." She pointed at Kai,
who had shoved one of the football players into the pie display and was
circling the other, delivering calculated kicks and punches to his vulnerable
areas. The teenage bully sank to his knees, protecting his face and begging Kai
to stop.

As
suddenly as it had begun, the brawl stopped. The diners looked transfixed. Xochitl
jumped off the bar and walked to meet Lucy and Kai at the front door.

"I'll
take care of the cops," Hanna called across the room, while clutching Nina
by the wrist. Nina's cell clattered to the floor. "Just go!"

Gary
hobbled over to Janice, a red boot print on his left cheek. Sherry hid behind
the bar, phone in hand. Lucy could hear her start, "Mom..."

Imogen
carried Lupe in her arms, the child yanking the individual strands out of
Janice's rumpled wig.

Lucy
started to walk out, Kai holding the door for her, but Xochitl hesitated by the
gumball machine. She knocked it over deliberately, breaking the round glass top
into pieces and sending the candies rolling across the hardwood floor.

"Have
at it, kid." She winked at little Lupe.

Xochitl
reached into to her jacket pocket, drew out a wad of cash and threw it on the
floor.

"Hasta luego, bitches!"

Lucy pulled El
Gallo out of the lot and turned toward the highway.

"What
the hell, Kai?" Xochitl swatted the back of the boy's head. Lucy glanced
over to see Kai cramming himself into a tiny ball on the floor by Xochitl's
feet. He pointed to the back window and made low whining sounds.

"There's
a black van following us!" Xochitl exclaimed, having glanced out the back
herself. "¡Ay carajo! Looks like Lupe's blond lady is driving."

From
a distance, Lucy could hear police sirens. She squinted in the rearview mirror
to see the black van pull down a side street.

"Not
the local Catcher unit then. Or ICE," Lucy wondered out loud. "Keep
an eye, Xoch. I think the weather report said something about a shit storm
coming our way."

"Let's
just get to L.A." Xochitl checked Kai for injuries. "He's fine."
She ruffled his hair, and sent him to scramble into the backseat.
"But if any other pendejo tries to
snatch him, I'm gonna shoot first and forget to ask questions later."

As
they continued down Main Street, they were neither stopped nor followed. Lucy
started breathing a little easier when she saw the
YOU ARE NOW LEAVING
EMPYREAN
sign.

Xochitl
pulled out her phone and started searching something on the screen. She turned
the phone toward Lucy. "Look!"