A/n: welp! here it is! the sequel of A Man Among Dogs! I know this is a bit short but the second chapter should be much longer! Thank you to all who supported me with AMAD, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it! So, here is Once Bitten, Twice Pissed! Enjoy!

this is not beta'd so all mistakes are mine

warning for language and possible graphic images


Officer Jody Mills would never forget the first case she worked after joining the Sioux Falls County Police Department. It was going to take years to scrub the gory images of those three naked bodies buried in shallow graves or the blood stained torture chamber hidden beneath the remains of the burning house. She knew that eventually the haunting smell of charred wood and burnt flesh would be pushed aside by another nightmare; she was a smart girl after all. The images might be gone perhaps from the forefront of her mind but she knew they would be tucked away quietly, ready to rear their ugly head at some inappropriate time. But the one thing she will never forget, no matter how many cases she worked, was how an impossibly fucked up case wrapped itself up so beautifully, so seamlessly that it came complete with a bow on top.

The call had come in early, around twelve, a concerned citizen reporting gunfire coming from a house down the road. The prospect of riding off to her first case sent the butterflies in her stomach dancing. Her partner flashed a weary smile at her poorly hidden excitement as they settled themselves into the patrol car but, Jody's high quickly slipped away as they pulled up to the scene. The house in question was spewing angry flames, its roof slowly crumbling in on itself. It was then that it became clear to Jody that their domestic disturbance call had morphed into something much more serious and the glee she felt snapped to fear. Gruesome thoughts raced across her mind. What if there were people in there? What if there were children? Nausea bubbled in her stomach as she waited with bated breath for the fire department.

Two fire trucks and hours of battling fire later, the grizzly picture before her became clear.

In total there were seven bodies on the property, four inside burned to the bone and three outside thrown carelessly into a grave. It would take a while for the forensics to come back with names to go with the bodies but if Jody was a betting woman, she'd bet that whoever lived in this house got what was coming for them. If the bodies in the grave where anything to go by then the little white room under the house confirmed that these people where monsters.

The thick concrete floor of the house had been saved due to the fire department's rapid response. Parts of it had begun to crack and crumble but the underground bunker like basement that was hidden below, was saved from any real damage. With a stern warning from her partner to be careful, Jody descended down the rickety stairs of the cellar and pulled open the heavy metal door that looked suspiciously covered in blood. Jody found herself standing at the beginning of a dark hallway, the lights above her busted by the fire. Cautiously she took a step forward, mindful of the cracked ceiling. The stench of decay was over powering. Acid climbed up her throat the further she went. She forced herself to take deep steadying breaths through her mouth as she checked the first two doors on the hall. So far she had found nothing but when she reached the second door on the left she lost the war with her stomach and her lunch came up to meet her. Inside the room there where chains on the white walls, dried blood on the tile floor, and a body of a man who, from the looks of it, had his throat ripped out by an animal. Jody felt like she was going to be sick all over again. The rancid smell of burnt wood and death hung in the air, stinging her brown eyes. She could feel her hands tremble as she took it all in. Jody reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her radio. After a short message to her partner requesting forensics to come down and take a look, she scrambled from the torture room as fast as possible, not wanting to be down there any longer.

Another hour later, the sheriff let Jody head back to the station pale and trembling. In all the ways her new career as a police officer could have gone, she was stuck with this gory beginning and things only started to go downhill from there. Whoever started the fire knew what they were doing. There were no traces of DNA anywhere, the incriminating evidence burned away by the flames. All Jody and the police had to go on were a hand full of undamaged shell casings deliberately placed by the bodies mockingly. It was as if the killer knew how little evidence there was and left the casings as a helping hand.

The forensics preliminary findings came back later that day claiming that the four bodies caught in the fire suffered from multiple gunshot wounds to the sternum and ribs explaining the casings. But something about the undamaged shells wasn't sitting right with Jody. Something about them seemed, fake, like a set up in the making.

To make matters worse, the man from the torture room, identified as one Kev Anderson, was mauled to death by something, not an animal like she suspected, just something. Whatever killed Anderson certainly wasn't human and according to the DNA results, it wasn't an animal either. The medical examiner said the same about the three bodies found in the graves. They certainly looked human but all tests clearly showed that they were not. Jody rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. Things were starting to sound a little too X-Files for her.

She was just about to pack up for the night, ready to leave this hellish day in the past, when her desk phone rang.

"Officer Mills speaking, how can I help you?" she answered.

"I know who set that fire." a rough voice replied.

"Excuse me?"

"That fire, that's all over the news, I know who set it." the voice grumbled. "Fresh Horses Saloon in Harrisburg, you'll find 'em there."

"Can I get your name sir?" Jody asked reaching for a pen. It was a long shot at best. The case had just been reported on the news hours ago, the likelihood that this 'tip' was the real deal was slim to none. "Sir?" she said again but her only reply was the dial tone. After a quick google check, Jody scribbled down the address and rushed into her captain's office.

"What can I do for you Mills?" Captain Hobbs, an older man with a quickly receding hairline, asked in a strained voice.

"I got an anonymous tip about Anderson house fire. Someone claims the person behind all this is at a bar in Harrisburg." She rattled off.

"Do you believe them?" Hobbs asked with a questioning glance, testing her. Jody bit her lip. It could be a prank call but the case was so fresh, a tip line hadn't even been set up yet. And there was that nagging feeling in her gut that something wasn't right, itching for attention.

"I think it's worth looking into Sir." She said confidently. Hobbs looked her over once more, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

"Ok then, take Davis and Weatherly with you." he said shuffling some papers on his desk. "Call it in if the tip turns into anything."

"Yes sir." She said before backing out of the office. Twenty minutes later three patrol cars were pulling up to the darkened windows of the bar.

"Cap's gonna give you hell if this turns out to be a bust you know that right rookie?" Jody's partner stated as he shut the engine off.

"And what happens if I'm right?" she smirked checking the safety on her gun.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

Jody rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car, anticipation slowly growing in her gut. The group walked up to the door of the bar, hands resting cautiously on the guns at their hips.

"Well rookie, this is your rodeo." Davis said with a pointed nod to the door. With shaking hands Jody knocked sharply on the worn oak door.

"Sioux Falls PD!" she called out. "We'd like to ask you a couple of questions!" There was no answer so she tried again. "Hello? Sioux Falls PD open up!" But her calls fell on deaf ears.

"Well, everybody falls for a fake tip now and again." her partner said clapping her on the back. "don't beat yourself up too much."

"It wasn't a fake." Jody said knocking again.

"Sure it wasn't and Captain Hobbs is the nicest man I'll ever meet." Weatherly snorted. "Give it up rookie; you fell for a fake tip."

"I'm tellin' y'all, this isn't a fake tip!" she cried with desperation in her voice. Her gut was practically screaming at her that this was it, something was hidden behind the bar door that would help them solve the case. "I'm going in there."

"You don't have a warrant Mills." Her partner said.

"Well then I better hope that I find something." She said before yanking on the door handle and stepping into the darkened bar. The sharp scent of blood hit her as she made her way into the building, her gun held at the ready. Behind her she could hear the shuffled steps of her companions glancing over the empty space. A muffled groan drew Jody's attention to the far end of the bar. Cautiously she kept across the worn floorboards, coming to a stop in front of a figure of a man slumped on the floor.

Around the man there were building lay outs, spotted and stained with blood. A gun rested innocently by the man's leg and the undeniable smell of gasoline wafted off his slumped form. The man moaned once more and began to stir, lifting his head as if it weight tons.

"Hold it right there partner." Jody said sternly, her gun trained on the man's face. Over head, the lights flickered to life, illuminating the dirty bar. In the light, Jody could see blood crusting the man's dark skin and the tall tale signs of a forming swollen eye. Beside her, Davis, Weatherly, and her partner began toeing through the papers scattered around careful not to contaminate the evidence.

"These are the layouts to the Anderson house." Davis stated. "And I bet the blood on them would match one of the victims."

"Same with the gun." Her partner added.

"Well, it looks like you've got some explaining to do mister." Jody said before hauling the man to his feet and slapping cuffs around his wrists.

The suspect went by the name of Gordon Walker, a nomad and drifter. No home address, no living relatives, just a beat up red Chevy El Camino and a trunk full of nasty weapons. With the way he was found and the lack of a warrant to back up Jody's search many, including Jody herself, believed Mr. Walker would fight the charges brought against him. However, much to the department's surprise Mr. Walker confessed to the crime and all the murders. The evidence collected at the crime scene came back as a positive match to the victim's blood and the gun matched the undamaged shell casings. Along with his confession, Mr. Walker was guilty as guilty could be.

And that was how Jody Mills first case, the case from hell, ended so perfectly. So perfect in fact that the sheer perfection of it sent off little red flags in Jody's mind. With the case closed, all Jody could do was make copies of the reports and study them over her morning coffee. There was something off about this case and she damn well was going to find it.


TBC...