It was board game night, and Pyro was pretty excited by it. It was one of the few times the whole team did something out of work, and it was very fun—an opinion not all of his teammates shared, and less when Pyro used his lighter to 'improve' the game.
"Hmpphhph!"
"Heh, sorry, pardner, but I can't play tonight. Medic and I got a lot of stuff to do." Engineer explained, patting their back.
"Hr?" That hurt Pyro. Engineer was his favourite game pal, the board game night wouldn't be the same without him. Also, he was worried about him and Medic: they had been working on some project for days, getting little to no rest, locked inside the laboratory, speaking to each other in whispers but barely to any other member of the team. Pyro hadn't even seen them around in Halloween, when they were supposed to have fun and forget about work. He looked at Medic and the German nodded as a confirmation. In fact, the two scientists quickly left the scene to lock themselves again.
Pyro then turned to Soldier, the second funniest partner to play with.
"Can't, Pyro! Demo and I have a mission tonight!"
"Mission? What mission?" Scout raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing! Explosives, missiles...That stuff!" Demoman rushed to say, elbowing Soldier.
"Bh mm hmphm!..." Pyro complained in low voice.
"Bah, don't worry, man, we don't need them. We're gonna beat Heavy and Sniper together." Scout wrapped an arm around Pyro's neck.
Before anybody else could inquire into their business much further, Demoman dragged Soldier out of the base. It was no use taking the car, they would go by foot. They carried weapons with them.
Spy dropped his consumed cigarette, squashed it with his foot, cloaked and followed them.
"We have to be careful what we say around the boyos."
"Bah, they didn't suspect a thing, I'm sure."
Soldier closed his eyes for a moment and sniffed.
"Darn, do you smell that?" he asked his partner.
"Yeah...Piss...Hare piss...A male marking it's territory, I guess" Demoman identified it.
"I could eat a rabbit right now..." Soldier hadn't eaten anything that day, as his stomach was full of that mule deer they hunted the previous night, but now he was starting to feel hungry.
"Hope we don't eat anybody tonight." Demoman muttered. Perhaps all they had to do was to keep their stomaches satisfied...unless the beast killed to show its might. The thought of that made him shiver.
"Nah. There's no one around here at night, and the team's playing board games tonight. They won't come out."
"What if we crush in?"
"There's cameras and sentries and guns and shit. We'll be beaten to a pulp as soon as we lay a foot in there."
That idea didn't comfort Demo either. As well as the guns, he had brought a bottle of whiskey with him, to help him go through that fix. Soldier also drank some. They drank and smoked as they walked, speaking in low voice, even though they were sure they were alone.
The sky was orange, with the last rays of the day. They felt it was coming to an end. They were getting more and more nervous at every moment. Soldier felt the urge to run, to scream, to fight someone. Demo, on the other hand, wouldn't stop drinking. Hey, if he got drunk maybe it wouldn't be easier to handle. The thought of going through that again displeased him.
"You get no other scent, right?"
"Apart from yours, no." Soldier replied.
"No traces, either..."
"What if that wolf was the only one around here? What if there's no sire?"
"Then...I don't know...We'd have to rely on spells."
Demoman turned his head towards the sun. He found it hiding behind the silhouette of a mountain. A pretty sight but he was in no disposition to admire it. Night would come in a few minutes, before they could realize.
What were they expecting?, Spy wondered. They seemed to be looking for something. What was that 'sire' thing? They talk didn't seem to have sense. Scents, eating animals and humans...He was starting to think that the two had a severe intoxication. He continued to follow them, close but unnoticed.
Soldier leaned on Demo and sniffed him.
"What are you doing?"
"I was wrong. I thought that scent was you. But it's not you."
Demoman sniffed him as well. "Yeah, me too. I assumed it was you."
They looked around. There was nothing. However, they didn't think much about it. They were probably having sensory hallucinations, their noses trying to get used to so many new stimuli.
The sky was going purple now. It was getting difficult to see a thing.
"I'm going to take my clothes off." Soldier announced, stopping to remove his shirt.
"Uh..."
"It felt so uncomfortable with the fur, so off with it."
Demoman shrugged. "Well, okay for me. I've already seen everything...".
Honestly, that sounded like a good idea. The pondered about it for a while, until both of them halted. Their breath had stopped. That seemed to be the sign.
"There we go again..." Soldier muttered.
"Maybe we'll find the sire when we're turned." Demoman said.
What now? Spy frowned. They didn't seem to be feeling well. They were trembling and panting. He didn't want to approach because of that 'infection' thing, but he was attentive.
That is how he noticed the small details. When Soldier removed his helmet to place it on the ground with his clothes, he saw that his ears were growing pointy. Also, maybe it was an effect of the lack of light, but it seemed his chest...No, it was no light effect: his chest was indeed hairier. He was seeing it with his own eyes, he could see the hair coming out and growing.
He turned to watch Demoman. He opened his mouth, revealing teeth which were pointier and bigger than usual. He was also getting hairier, but his fur was completely black, while Soldier's was more of a dirty blond. The Scotsman succumbed and removed his clothes too, with a bit of desperation.
"Okay...It does feel better this way..."
Spy's heart started to beat faster. He took a couple of steps back. Their legs. They were cracking. No wonder they let out a few grunts, because they rearranged and took a more animal form. He could see Soldier's coccyx lengthen a little bit.
The two mercenaries exchanged a look but they said nothing. Soon the changes spread to their faces. With another concert of cracks, their human faces became snouts. That seemed the most uncomfortable part. When it finished, Demoman and Soldier took a second to breath and then howled at the unison.
Spy felt he was going to faint. He had been prepared to deal with all kinds of predicaments, but he never thought he would find...that! He carried his revolver with him but it was one against two—two beasts.
He controlled his breathing. No panic. He was cloaked. They couldn't see him. He just had to walk away, slowly.
The two werewolves sniffed around again. They identified each other as a friend but there was something else around. Near them. Soldier walked towards to it. There was something, even if he couldn't see it. He could smell it.
It was then when he bumped into an invisible object, and said object became translucent for a moment. Enough for the wolves to attack.
Spy quickly grabbed his revolver and shot. One of the bullets went through Soldier's right eye. He didn't have time to shoot Demoman.
The French could only scream when he sunk his fangs in his neck, until he started to choke on his own blood. Soon, silence fell upon the desert.
Demoman started to feed on the corpse but drew back when it suddenly disappeared. He looked around but saw nothing, and couldn't smell it either. Frustrated, he walked away, looking for his partner and maybe something else to eat.
Spy fell on his back when he woke up in Respawn. A second later, Soldier appeared by his side. Growling, he approached. Spy quickly stood up and grabbed his gun; he wasn't going to be a beast's dinner again. But Soldier stopped and watched him. Spy was ready to get the most of it, but, in the end, he couldn't. For some reason, his body didn't respond.
Then he saw it. Something was piercing his gloves. Claws.
A scream escaped from his lips.
"Hmm...Jm!"
Heavy and Sniper leaned towards the board. So...Pyro had just burnt their queen with his lighter. They looked at each other. Disagreeing with Pyro was certainly not a smart move.
"Well, guess you're winning." Sniper sighed.
"Hell, yeah, man!" Scout cheered, giving Pyro five. "You're the best at this!"
Heavy took a sip to his beer and looked around. So many teammates missing. He supposed they had better things to do than minding a stupid game, but that was unusual. For instance, where did Spy go? He was a good chess rival and made funny comments about Scout's performance. Where was he? He never said he was going to be absent.
Bah, he disappeared often.
He was about to sip again when he heard something. It seemed all of them heard it, because the four heads turned towards the corridor.
"Please tell me the eggheads haven't invented some Frankenstein monster." Scout said.
Sniper raised a hand to silence him and listened.
"It's not coming from the lab." he muttered.
"The intel room?" Heavy asked.
"Or respawn." Sniper nodded.
A spy in the base? The men stood up and walked to the corner where their weapons lied to grab them. Slowly, they left the room and walked towards the source of the noise.
Respawn. The noise was coming from Respawn. Like if dogs were fighting in there and hitting the door. What? Dogs? It couldn't be. A spy wouldn't do that, right? Unless that snake bought hounds to make his job more interesting. They couldn't be simple dogs which had made their way to the room, no way. Whatever it was, it was a problem, so they didn't let go of their weapons. After making a sign to his teammates, Sniper approached the door and placed his hand on the knob. Heavy, Scout and Pyro got ready to shoot. After a short count, Sniper opened the door.
He almost immediately fell to the ground. Big jaws tried to bite his head and he got to hold them open with his hands. His partners would have helped him, but they realized there was another one of those—giant dogs. It charged. Scout tried to shoot it but missed by a few inches and the monster bit his leg, making him fall to the floor and swept him. Scout screamed and used his weapon to hit his attacker in the head.
"MEDIC! ENGINEER!" Heavy called. Although they had to heard all that noise forcefully.
In the meantime, he grabbed the dog and hit it with his fists, to then drop it, unconscious.
Sniper pushed the wolf aside and stood up. Where was his kukri? There! He had to be quick.
But he stopped.
"Is leetle Scout okay?" Heavy asked, helping Scout stand up.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Not really." Scout complained, his legs full of blood. "But at least my guts are in their place..."
He, Heavy and Pyro approached to watch the fallen monster. They weren't sure of what that was. It sure looked like a dog but it had strange paws. Also, what was covering its face? It looked like a balaclava. Like the one Spy wore.
"Sph?" Pyro walked inside the room and took a look around. His friend wasn't there. All he found was his suit. The remains of his suit, all scattered around the floor.
"Oh-oh..." Those naughty doggies spoiled Spy's suit! Spy wouldn't be happy! He walked towards the door when he stopped.
Sniper had fallen on fours and was grunting. When he raised his head, Pyro noticed there was something funny about him. He looked weird.
Ah, sure! He had a doggy face! How cute!
He said something to Heavy, but he was watching Scout. The boy was contorting in pain.
"Wha-? ARGH! What's happening to me?!"
He looked at the palm of his hand and saw perfectly how hair started to sprout and his nails were sharpening.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT IN THE FUCK?!" he exclaimed.
Heavy was ready to shoot him. He had a finger on the trigger. But the wolf that had attacked Sniper was quicker and jumped upon him. After him, Sniper himself joined. Heavy tried to shoot around him, but he couldn't handle all those wolves. They were trying to tear him to pieces. He got to hit one in the snout and grab other's neck and throw him to the floor, but it was useless. As soon as the unconscious werewolf recovered, it joined the chase, and a new one, Scout, wasn't going to stay away. Pyro thought it was adorable to see Heavy play with so many puppies.
The Russian tried to push one of them away from him, but now felt his strength was leaving him. He did all he could to keep fighting, not to become the dinner of those monsters, but he just couldn't move. All he could do was feel those wolves bite him. He kicked one, and that was the last thing he could do. He let out a moan. From the tears in his shirt one could see dark fur growing. His ears grew pointy and when he opened his mouth to call for help, his skull cracked and his fangs grew.
One more puppy! Pyro wanted to play and hug them all. The puppies went to him. They were so naughty, trying to bite him, barking happily. It was hard to pierce that rubber suit with their fangs, but the pack found a way, using both their teeth and claws, shaking Pyro violently. When his torso was uncovered, the wolves pounced on it to bite and tear.
Again, they barely had the chance to fill their stomachs, for the prey disappeared just a few seconds after expiring. It reappeared in the very same room, in a corner, and confused. They were ready to kill it again, when the prey's scent changed. It didn't smell like prey anymore. Pyro was about to caress their pretty heads when he welt dizzy. He had trouble breathing or thinking. Everything became confusing. Then, all of a sudden, it became clear. He was with his pack. They howled and the others welcomed him.
Engineer finished buttoning his shirt and yawned. He really needed some eggs with bacon. When he touched his cheek, he found he needed shaving. Sure, he had been so busy those days...Now, thinking about it, what was the use of shaving? He would be all full of hair again soon. But he reminded himself to shave after breakfast.
He stopped suddenly. Then, he ran.
"Guys? Guys!"
What were his teammates doing lying on the floor? Why were half of them naked? Where did all that blood come from? And all that hair, mixed with it?
"For the love of God, wake up!" he knelt down and shook Heavy gently.
Scout opened his eyes slowly, grunted, turned as if he was lying on his bed...And then realized that he was not in his room. He jumped.
"HOLY FREAKING CRAP!"
One by one, the team got up. When Demoman came into the corridor, he found his teammates talking in loud voice, alarmed, confused, utterly shocked.
"...Im...BÉCILES!" Spy protested. All he was wearing was his underwear and mask, which was torn, so he used a hand to cover part of his face. He was so angry he could only talk in his language and no one understood what he said, but he was shouting at Soldier and they could guess something. "VOUS ÊTES LOUPS-GAROUS! POURQUOI N'AVAIS-VOUS PAS DIT? EST-CE QUE VOUS ÊTES DES CONNARDS?!"
"Oh, my God..." Demoman muttered, covering his mouth.
"Guys...Did that...really happen? We became...?" Scout asked. "Jesus!"
"Things went a bit wrong last night, Demo." Soldier said to his partner, with his hands on his hips.
"You...You did this? You're actually werewolves?" Sniper faced Demoman.
"Yeah, well...We were bitten the other day and we left...Damn, sorry, guys, we didn't want this to happen..."
"We're fucking werewolves, dude!" Scout kept screaming, out of his mind.
"This is my fault...My fault..." Engineer sighed, covering his face with a hand.
"It is not. You couldn't have helped." Heavy tried to comfort him.
"No, really, if I hadn't...DOC! COME HERE NOW!
The Doctor appeared shortly after, whistling.
"Well, guten morgen! Played truth or dare with vodka again, huh?" he told his teammates with a chuckle.
"Our fellas transformed last night. Something bit Demo and Soldier and they infected the rest." Engineer told him, glaring at him. "Now, what do you reckon happened here?"
"Hm. I don't know." Medic shrugged, as easy going as he came.
"Dammit, Doc, stop that! I told you! If you had stayed in the cage with me, this wouldn't have happened! I hate to say 'I told you', but this-!"
"Wait."
Medic and Engineer turned their heads. The whole team was silent, staring at them.
"Do you have something to do with this?" Sniper asked quietly.
Engineer crossed his arms and turned to Medic with an eyebrow raised. He adjusted his glasses.
"Well...Probably...A...little bit. Ja."
