Chapter Nine – Sam

 

A lonesome bulb shone down from above the county morgue’s office, and the light formed in a soft pool of sickly yellow. All around me, night encroached, pressing in around my senses as the air became moist and cool.

I could smell rain on the horizon, and knew it would be here tonight, tomorrow at the latest.

I’d parked the Camaro out of sight, down around the corner, and stalked up to the morgue on foot, my sidearm holstered away at the small of my back. I didn’t think I was going to run into trouble here, but one could never be too sure. Now, as I stood off to the side in the darkness, I vaguely wondered again if this was all going to be a waste of my time.

As much as I wanted to see Faith Riley again, I still wasn’t sure if this mutilation was going to be worth it. I mean, this medical examiner could just have a wild imagination and go calling stuff in to the FBI at the drop of a hat. Maybe that’s why they’d ignored him?

But, as I sat there with one eye on the street, and another on the darkened morgue, I heard the sound of tires on the empty street. A Toyota Corolla came slowly up the road, blinker on, and turned into the parking lot. It parked in one of the spots near the door. With my low-light vision, I could clearly see the driver.

Faith Riley. Just as pretty as the first time I’d seen her earlier today. Prettier, even.

I shook my head at myself as I stood there, skulking in the shadows like some serial rapist or mugger. “Hold your horses, Sam,” I reprimanded myself in a growling voice. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, here.”

She turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, the darkened shadow of her head looking around and craning from side to side. Clearly, she’d been expecting me to have my car parked there and waiting, rather than somewhere out of sight down the street.

“Well,” I said as I pushed off the fence I’d been leaning back against, and started to head in her direction, “let’s get this show on the road.”

The gravel crunched beneath my boots as I crossed to Faith’s car. She must have caught sight of me about halfway there, because she was already getting out of her car before I even got to her. She turned and looked in my direction as she closed the door, shutting off the interior dome light.

“That you, Sam?” she asked, her voice quiet but not raspy like she was whispering.

I almost took a step back in surprise.

Damn, she looked gorgeous. Somehow even more so than earlier in the day. Her hair was up off her neck, her face lightly done in makeup. Nothing too exaggerated, like we were going to a club or something, but enough to make me notice. And, hey, at least she’d known to wear dark clothes for this kind of thing. Despite all that, though, she seemed tense. Nervous.

For a moment, I idly reminded myself that I should have at least considered shaving. Would’ve been the literal least I could do, other than cleaning my guns and sharpening my knife. Of course, that would also mean I’d have to admit that I wanted to do more than just work with this woman. And I knew that couldn’t happen.

“That’s you, right, Sam?”

I stepped closer to the light, let it illuminate my features more clearly. “Yeah.”

She visibly relaxed and released a sigh. It was then that I realized she’d had a little can of personal Mace clutched in her hand.

“Ready?” I asked, ignoring the personal protection. This was Texas. Everyone had it in one way or another.

She nodded, licking her lips nervously. “Let’s go.” She went around, and we met at the door. Her keys jingled and jangled in the deserted parking lot like Marley’s chains as she inserted the correct one in the lock and twisted, pulling open the door.

That familiar, almost overpowering smell of disinfectant and death hit my nose like a freight train. There was nothing subtle about it tonight, and the tiles, walls, and ceilings all seemed to be soaked through. Faith led me through the little entryway, her hand immediately going up to turn on the lights.

“No,” I whispered, my hand shooting out by reflex to stop her.

She paused, didn’t jerk her wrist out of my grasp. “Why not?” she breathed, suddenly very close to me.

My heart was hammering. Not from reflexes, but instead our close proximity. Her body suddenly very close, and very warm, I took a step back from her. “Even though we’re not breaking in,” I said, my voice still low, “I’d prefer we didn’t draw any more attention to ourselves than necessary.”

“Potterswell has like one cop, Sam. And he doesn’t work nights unless he has to.”

I gave her a smile as I dug a mini flashlight out of my pocket and twisted the end. The space between us sprang into view as the light shone out, giving her an eerie, monster-of-the week look. “Better safe than sorry, I say.”

“Suit yourself,” she said, reaching down between us and taking the light from my hand. “Come on, then.”

I gave her a little half-smile as, before I even realized what I was doing, I ushered her on with a hand just over the small of her back. “Well, then, lead the way.”

We headed into the morgue, the flashlight cutting a swath of energetic light through the darkness ahead. We headed down the hallway, going right for the examination rooms.

“We’ve been keeping the remains in one of the back coolers,” she explained, “away from the normal intake bodies.”

“Any particular reason why?”

She just shrugged. “No, just that’s the way my boss wanted it.”

As she put her hand on the door to push it in, though, I put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

“What?” she whispered.

I put a finger to my mouth, shushing her. I pointed to my ear first, then into the room. I’d heard something. Something subtle and quiet—so quiet, in fact, that it could have been mistaken for a mouse or other rodent. I sniffed the air, tried to see if there was a hint of anything supernatural, or otherwise off. Just human on the other side of the door, from the smell. And something else I couldn’t put my finger on. Pepper of some sort? A smokiness?

I reached down, closed my hand over the light she held in her hand, and clicked it off.

“Here?” she mouthed back, her face still clear in the minimal light thanks to my supernatural sight.

I nodded, making sure it was exaggerated enough for her to see. I swept her back behind me with one arm and stepped out in front, drawing my pistol from behind my back with one fluid motion.

“Holy shit,” she hissed as soon as she saw what was in my hand. “A gun?”

Without turning back around to face her, I dismissed her issues with a wave.

“A fucking gun?” she asked again, her voice so sharp it could cut steel. “Are you kidding me?”

The noise from the other side of the door was louder, now, and I heard a heavy metal door thud shut somewhere inside the examination room.

Whoever was inside there, was taking the pig. Why else would they be here sneaking around in the middle of the night? Trying to collect their Aunt Mindy’s corpse so she could have one last crazy weekend at the coast? No, it had to be someone here for the pig.

I bit the inside of my mouth, weighing my options. I had only a split second to decide what to do, and I needed to keep Faith’s safety in mind. If I stayed here, and just backed away slowly, she’d be fine. But, if I didn’t move fast enough, and they, whoever they were, got the remains out before I could examine them, there might be more victims sitting on the table sometime soon. And, this time, it might just be humans.

And, besides, who would be trying to steal the remains of a butchered pig? Well, either someone trying to cover up what had happened. Or the person responsible.

No, there was only one thing to do. “Stay here,” I whispered.

Faith put her hand on my shoulder. “Sam,” she hissed. “Don’t.”

I brushed her hand off and shoved through the door, pistol raised.

Two individuals in hooded, long-sleeved sweatshirts stood there in the examination room, their dark clothes a mass of twisting, shifting shadows as the refrigeration unit they were both standing in front of splayed its light across them. Still in the storage unit on a metal slab were the remains of the pig, just as Faith had described. Bloodless, skinless, with ivory bones showing. Beneath it was the tarp she’d mentioned earlier.

“Hold it right there!” I shouted, gun leveled. They were ten feet away, if not less, and any shot I fired was going to hit something.

Both figures turned to me, just their eyes visible. They ignored me, one of them going for the pig, and the other rushing right at me, hands up like a fighter, fists balled and ready to start swinging.

I didn’t even have to think; my finger did it all for me.

The gun leaped in my hand, roaring as I fired twice, the sound and its echo deafening in the enclosed space. Both bullets, normal ones without any silver or anything special, hit the intruder. One in the shoulder, one in the chest.

Whoever this was, he wasn’t normal, I realized. The bullets didn’t slow him down, and he just cleared the gap between us and kicked high, knocking my gun free of my hand and sending it clattering across the examination room floor.

I was more shocked than anything that he’d actually done some kung fu stuff on me, and didn’t bring my hands up in time.

He swung hard for my face. And, damn if he didn’t move faster than anyone I’d seen in a long time.

I took it on the chin, went reeling back into the wall as the Fourth of July exploded behind my eyes. Not only did he move faster than normal people, he also hit harder.

Behind him, his partner pulled the pig entirely out and slung it, tarp and all, over his shoulder as Faith screamed. “Sam!”

Meanwhile, the one who’d just come close to decking me was still on the offensive, and a new round of fists came swinging in at my head and sides.

I shook my head, regaining my faculties just in time to block my opponent’s right. I thrust it off course with my forearm, jabbed hard in the stomach with my other fist.

He doubled over, if only for a moment, but came right back up and swung fast, snapping a rabbit punch into my kidneys. Those bullets weren’t slowing him down one bit.

Sharp pain blossomed in my side, and my whole body contorted to take the edge off. I slashed down with my left fist, struck him hard across the jaw, and knocked him straight to the ground, laying him out flat on his stomach. He didn’t get back up.

“Sam!” Faith screamed again, this time from the middle of the examination room. “Come on! He’s out the back! He’s got the pig!”

I looked around frantically till I saw the back exit about to swing shut.

And then, as if on a horribly wrong miscue, Faith took off after the other intruder and the pig.

I took off after her, was at the door just seconds after she was gone.

She turned the corner and sprinted down the gravel lot after a swiftly disappearing shadowy figure, a dark bundle thrown over its shoulder.

My chest was burning already, my heart racing from the adrenaline pumping. I pumped my legs harder, moved myself faster, as I sprinted as fast as I could down the gravel, quickly overtaking Faith on the straightaway. What she had on me with surprise, I made up for with sheer speed and physical power.

But the masked, hooded intruder? I had nothing on them. They were moving at least one and a half times my speed, and nearly twice Faith’s. Even with the remains of a hog thrown over their shoulder.

They kept moving, increasing the distance between us.

I’d be damned if they were going to get away, though. My only chance was to turn into my wolf form, to strip off this weak human shape so I could chase them down. I began to ready myself, to pull my shirt off as I ran. Contortions began within my body, my bones began to lengthen, and my muscles began to reshape themselves.

“Sam!” Faith yelled from far behind me. “Sam, they’re getting away!”

Shit! Faith! I’d let my instincts come over me. I ceased the shift, beginning to let my body revert to its human shape. I narrowed my eyes, growling low as the pig-thief increased their lead on me.

The thief crossed over into an empty lot and disappeared into the piney woods that backed up to it.

It was over. For now. At the speed they were able to move, there was no chance I’d ever catch them on foot. Not a chance in hell, especially in my human form. Chest heaving, each breath a gasp for burning air, I came to a slow, stuttering stop, my boots slapping the broken pavement with each faltering step.

Faith came trotting up and stopped next to me. “We can still catch them,” she panted.

“Usain Bolt couldn’t catch them,” I said between deep breaths. “Come on, let’s go back.”

“But, he got away, Sam!”

“Yeah,” I agreed, hands on my hips as my chest continued to heave up and down. “He did. You okay, though? They didn’t attack you or anything, did they?”

“No, I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead despite the coolness of the evening. “How about you?” she asked, coming closer to me, her eyes peering up at where I’d taken the punch earlier. Unbidden, she reached up and touched my chin.

“Ow!” I said, wincing, turning away a little. She’d managed to hit it right on the exact same spot where the guy’s fist had, and the sudden pain had been more surprising than anything else. Like a pop quiz for the nerve endings, one they failed.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” she said. “Let me have a look at it.”

I turned my face back to Faith, looking down into her golden brown eyes.

Still breathing heavily, she took a step towards me, her scent filling my nose. Sweat, with a hint of spice beneath it. “You look fine,” she murmured.

“Thanks,” I replied, breathing just as heavily. I could feel her heat coming off her body, could smell her sweat and adrenaline. Something about it was just intoxicating, like it was taking over my mind. I had to fight the urge to wrap my arms around her, to pull her close.

She seemed to realize just how close she was standing to me, and broke out in a furious blush, the color rising to her cheeks like wildflowers blooming in spring. She took a step back, to my chagrin. “You’re welcome,” she said, turning slightly away from me. “Now what?”

“Now what?” I asked, my breath already returning to normal. Training was great for chasing down perps. Unless, of course, they were faster than a cheetah on steroids. “Now, we go back and check out the corpse, decide if we need to call the cops.”

“Corpse? The cops?” she asked, turning back to me, eyes wide. “What? Why?”

“In case you forgot, I shot one of them while I was in there. Twice. If they’re not dead already, they’re probably bleeding out on the floor of the morgue.”