Hey guys! Welcome to the last chapter of this arc of Midnight Hour. When the next chapter rolls in, it will be the mark of the beginning of a new arc for Alfred's adventure! I just feel like making a distinction of separation, because this chapter just sort of ties up the rest of Alfred's stay in Denver. I was going to make it a super special 'midnight upload' or whatever, but I'm a bit late on that, aren't I? Oh well... Onward my friends! Any and all support is so greatly appreciated!
Part Eight
Sirens woke me.
I tried to stretch and moved about an inch before pain froze me. I groaned. I felt totally hung over. It was still pitch dark out, middle of the night, which meant I hadn't slept very long. I needed more time to sleep and recover from shifting back from the Wolf before I'd feel decent.
I bent my elbow enough to pillow my head. I was curled up in the corner formed by a brick wall and a wooden fence. I had no idea where I was. But I heard sirens. Police, ambulance.
I remembered enough of the last hour or so to not be entirely confused. I licked my teeth and tasted the blood. Blood still coated my mouth. I curled up tighter, squeezing shut my eyes.
Footsteps crunched up the gravel alleyway.
"Jones. You awake?"
For all my earlier lack of modesty, I now felt thoroughly naked. I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged myself, covering myself as much as I could.
The footsteps stopped. I looked. A few steps away, Ivan knelt. He offered me a blanket. When I tried to reach for it, I felt a cut open across my back. Wincing, I hissed.
He put the blanket over my shoulders, and with his hands under my arms, helped me sit up. I wrapped the blanket tight around me.
"You found me," I said.
"You were trailing blood."
I nodded. I could feel it caked on my face and neck. I hadn't even looked at my injuries yet. The wounds I got as a wolf transferred. They hadn't had enough time to heal. They itched.
I tasted blood. Blood in my mouth, in the back of my throat. I could taste it on my breath, all the way down to my stomach.
I choked, unable to hold back a sob, and my stomach quailed. It was Nikolai all over again, but this time I'd actually… eaten a part of my assailant. I pulled away from Ivan and vomited. It was purplish. It had chunks. After a couple of waves, and a couple more dry heaves, I could take a breath and start to think of what had happened. I rested my head against the brick, which was cool and rough.
"Big bad werewolf, eh?" Ivan said with a half-grin.
"That's me," I said weakly.
"I told you not to fight him."
"It was self-defense, Officer."
"Can you stand?"
I thought about it, taking a couple more deep breaths while I assessed myself. I thought I could stand. I tried. I got my legs under me, but when I put weight on them, they shook. When I tipped, starting to fall, Ivan caught me.
I cried. I pulled close into myself and cried, gritting my teeth to stop the sound, embarrassed that I couldn't stop the sobs shuddering through me. I hugged my arms around my head, all the hiding I was able to do.
Ivan held me. He didn't pet me or make silly comforting noises. He just held me, halfway on his lap, bracing me.
Eventually, the crying stopped. The trembling stilled. My eyes squinted, swollen. I hiccupped, trying to fill my exhausted lungs. I didn't feel any better after crying my heart out. But I did feel ready to fall asleep without having nightmares.
Sometimes, especially in my early months as a werewolf, I had dreams where I was covered with blood, running through the forest, killing things, happy to be doing it. Sometimes I couldn't remember if they were dreams or not.
"You okay?"
"I don't know," I said, my voice small. I rubbed my face, which was gritty with dirt and grime. Everything was blurry without my glasses. I vaguely wished I had got Mattie to tag along, if only to have him here to hand my glasses to me like he always did. He just seemed to have a knack for finding wherever I misplaced them.
"Come on. I'll drive you home." He started to stand, and this time when I put weight on my legs, they held me. Ivan kept his hand under my arm, just in case.
The blanket reached down to my knees. I walked gingerly; my feet were bare and the alley was covered with broken glass and metal bits. I watched my feet and wasn't paying attention to much else. When Ivan stopped, I looked up.
Detective O'Sullivan stood there. She turned and said something to the half-dozen uniformed cops trailing behind her. Reluctantly, they backed away. All of them had their guns out.
O'Sullivan tucked her gun into a belt holster. She crossed her arms, regarding us like she was a high school teacher who'd caught a couple of kids necking behind the bleachers. Or maybe it was just that I felt like one of those kids.
She said, "I've got a body back there with its face ripped off. Why do I get the feeling if I check the guy's DNA, I'll get a match with the suspect's evidence from my mauling victims?"
I swallowed. My throat was still raw from throwing up and trying not to cry. "You will."
Her face took on a pained, annoyed expression. "Does this happen often? Werewolves slaughtering each other for no apparent reason?"
"Oh, there's always a reason," I said. realizing how bad that sounded, I looked away. "No, it doesn't happen often. Within a pack, only when power struggles happen. But this wasn't a pack thing."
"Huh. And I thought police internal affairs was tough."
I glanced at Ivan. His expression was a mask, inscrutable. I was sure he hadn't called the cops. I said, "How did you know where to go?"
"Your sound guy called me."
"Antonio. Bastard," I muttered. I thought he knew better than to get mixed up in supernatural rumbles. Even still, I knew he was just concerned about me. Normal people called the cops, I remembered.
"Why didn't you call me?"
"I didn't want you to get hurt."
"I'm touched. Really, I am. Do you have any idea how I'm supposed to write this up? What am I supposed to do with you?"
I shrugged, wincing when the cut on my back split again. I was going to have to lie still for a good hour if I wanted it to heal. "Should I call my lawyer?"
She stared hard at me, like she was trying to peel back my skin. My shoulders bunched. If she'd been a wolf, I'd have taken her stare as a challenge. I looked at my feet and tried to seem harmless, small, and inconsequential, metaphorical tail between my legs. Wolf seemed terribly amused, and it surprised me a little to feel his thoughts, consciousness so close to mine.
Wolf always seemed to have this space in the far back of my brain that he hid to whenever it wasn't full moon, or when there wasn't something that particularly roused him from that place. Still close enough to be able to leap out at a moment's notice, but hardly so near as this. But I could only guess it was because of how I'd chosen to try and remain linked after the last Change we endured. I remembered speaking to him, wondering if Wolf could hear me. I could feel his calm when I spoke to him as he lay hurt. Maybe… just maybe, he didn't want to be alone in my brain anymore. I didn't quite know how I felt about that.
O'Sullivan tipped her chin up, a sort of decisive half-nod.
"I saw dogs fighting. That's all I saw. But for God's sake, call me next time."
She walked away.
Ivan had my clothes in the passenger seat of his Jeep. I was pleasantly surprised to find my glasses perched atop the pile. I put them on, but still kept the blanket around me. I was cold.
He stopped the Jeep in front of my apartment building and shut off the engine. I had to work up to moving, taking a deep breath because I knew how much it was going to hurt.
When I gripped the handle of the door, Ivan said, "You need me to come in with you?"
The question was laden with meaning and unspoken assumptions. We weren't exactly a couple on a first date, testing the waters to see if the evening was going to go on a little longer, him wondering if I would invite him, me wondering if I should. But there was a little of that. Maybe he wanted a second chance. Maybe I wanted him to have a second chance. I had to decide how hurt I was- but if I was hurt enough to need help, I was probably too hurt to give him that second chance. Maybe he was just trying to be nice. But why would he be trying to be nice if he didn't want a second chance?
Or, most likely, I was reading too much into it. My head hurt, and I needed a shower. And sleep. Which meant no second chance. But… he had stopped the engine, like he really wanted to come inside. And, maybe, even if there was no second chance, we could at least work on being friends. His scent and presence comforted me. Maybe… he could stay, just for a moment.
"I'll be okay." His grip on the steering wheel seemed to tighten, or was that just me? "But… you could come in for awhile. At least until I fall asleep. I'm really tired." And this time, I could visually see him relax.
"I understand. It has been hard for you, that much I can tell. I…" he hesitated, "I just don't think I could be entirely comfortable just leaving you, after all that has happened. I will stay just until I can make sure you will be all right." He was trying to make it sound like he was doing it out of some sense of duty, but a glint in his eye told me that he may have been concerned about my well-being. It was enough to make my chest feel warm.
I opened the door and eased myself to the sidewalk. Ivan exited his side of the Jeep and rounded over to my side with ill-concealed worry. He must have been really concerned if he was having such trouble hiding it. I could probably walk by myself with only minor difficulty, but I indulged in letting him lead me to the door, if only because I liked the attention, and he was just so adorable with how he tried to mask his fretting.
The scent of Mattie was fresh. I reeled with guilt because I had yet to call him and I really needed to. But when I opened the door, I found I didn't have to. He was right there, pacing, looking on the verge of jumping out of his own skin. He started at the door opening, and his eyes seemed to hone straight to me.
"Oh, God, Alfred! Do you have any idea what I've been through these last couple of hours? No note, no call. You could have at least had the decency to leave a note! What happened?" His eyes flickered to Ivan warily. I gently tugged away from him to get closer to Mattie. He wasted no time in gathering me up in a bear hug. I winced a little for my back, the wound re-opening for the third time. Mattie could smell everything on me, he practically buried his nose in the crook of my neck and shoulder. He released me from his hug, but kept his hands on my shoulders, eyeing me up and down.
"Tell me what happened now. Everything." I nodded, moving to the futon. Mattie followed me immediately. Ivan stood in the doorway awkwardly.
"You can join us, Ivan. It's okay. Mattie won't do anything, I promise. He's the one that stayed with me after I broke from my pack."
Ivan closed the door behind him, but hesitated to move to the futon. "I see. He is the one that helped you before. I have bumped into him other times I've been here."
"I've been wondering who you were," Mattie spoke, the humor in his voice barely discernible underneath his nerves.
"He's okay, Mattie. He helped me a lot tonight." I launched into recounting everything that had transpired from the conversation I had with Toris on the show and afterwards, leaving out nothing. Mattie deserved to know everything. When I was done, he fixed me with a piercing stare.
"This was so completely dangerous, Alfred! Especially after what had just happened with Nikolai. You should have called me, brought me with you."
"I know, Mattie, I know. But I was… really scared about you getting hurt. You're the only person I have. And after our talk about… running away and never Changing back…" I fell silent, my eyes moving to stare down at the floor.
"Alfred, no matter what, I'm still pack. And as much as I'm the only person you have, you're the only person I have too. We're pack, Alfred. We stick together, we handle our problems together." His voice was stern, but not harsh. He understood my reasons, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. I understood too.
"I'm sorry, Mattie. I know I should have called." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and I leaned my head onto his. His touch grounded me so much. Ivan swallowed audibly beside us.
"If that's all, I'll be leaving now." He made to stand up, but I grabbed his wrist before he could fully eject himself from his seat.
"You don't have to leave," I spoke, "I guess it must be kinda weird to watch me and Mattie have a bro-fest over here, but… well… he's my brother. My pack." I gave him a reassuring smile. "I really need to shower, but if you two can behave yourselves and make civilized conversation until I return, that'd be great." Mattie smiled widely at me, and Ivan did sit back down, reluctantly quirking his lips up a bit.
In the bathroom, I stripped quickly, wanting to get clean. The skin over my entire body itched. I smelled like the bad part of town, blood, sweat. Much like the night I fought Nikolai, I scrubbed over myself hard. Some cuts that still hadn't healed fully shut stung with the soap and the force of my scrubbing, but the pain just made me feel more… there. I listened to the sound of the shower and my breathing. Wolf's consciousness brushed against mine and it… it was comforting. I appreciated the gesture. I felt a little more at peace in my own skin than I had before. When I stepped out, I dried off slowly and deliberately, looking over my wounds and just basking in the simple feel of the towel over my skin. Before I did anything else after drying, I decided what I really needed was to brush my teeth. I brushed my teeth five times. Flossed twice. Didn't look too closely at the bits I spat out.
After dressing I meandered back into my living/bedroom to find Mattie and Ivan talking animatedly about… hockey of all things. I knew just enough about hockey to identify that it was, indeed, what they were discussing. Mattie had tried to get me into watching it once. I haven't watched it since. I leaned on the wall and smiled until they finally noticed me. Ivan, surprisingly was the first, but then again, he was facing the direction I'd come from. Mattie was too excited to focus on anything else but speaking.
"You two seem to be having fun, should I go take another shower and give you guys another minute?" I snickered. Mattie turned around, affronted.
"Just because you have no taste in sports doesn't mean that everyone doesn't," he huffed. I flopped down on the futon, face first.
"Well, I'm tired. So feel free to continue whatever it is you two are doing while I sleep for the next day or two." Mattie sighed at my dramatics, but went to lay beside me all the same. Ivan sat there, unsure of what exactly he should do. I tried to speak, but my eyes were already too heavy for me to open anymore. Too relaxed with Mattie beside me, and his and Ivan's scent so close, I drifted to slumber.
"You can stay with us, if you want," the one named Matthew said to me. It was… odd, how close he and Alfred were, but I understood about pack dynamics and how much it meant for werewolves to be close and comfort each other. I understood their intimacy was due to a strong bond of friendship and brotherhood. After all, how good of a hunter could I really be if I didn't understand all aspects pertaining to those I hunted? But even then, those I hunted were usually the dangerous rogue types. Even if I was familiar with their ways, I wasn't so close to werewolves that I saw this type of behavior all the time. I felt a twinge of discomfort with such open displays. I wasn't used to such things.
"I do not wish to intrude. I must be leaving soon, in any case." Matthew shook his head, and fixed me with a stare.
"That's not what I meant. Alfred… he really seems to like you, if he was willing to leave you alone in the same room with me. He really trusts you," Matthew hesitated, and then, "You know we've split from the pack we were with before. We'll be leaving now that the rogue is gone. It's the only reason we've stayed so long. We'll leave this town and we probably won't come back. Not for a very long time. I know you're a hunter. You travel a lot, it's part of your job. I'm just saying that we could go the same way for awhile."
I stayed silent for a few beats, unsure of what I should say. It was an unexpected offer, to say the least. I didn't quite understand why Matthew was even asking. He must have sensed my confusion.
"I understand how weird this is, but you did a lot for us today. For Alfred. You were there, and you took care of him and made sure he was ok when I couldn't. Not only do I feel indebted to you, but also, maybe if you were around, Alfred wouldn't feel the need to try and run off and do things by himself. He gets into so much trouble, and I don't deny that I really need all the help I can get in looking after him."
"You would willingly let a hunter travel with you?" I asked.
"You haven't done anything to Alfred as long as you've been interacting with him," Matthew pointed out.
"When we first met, I was fully intending to kill him."
"But you didn't, did you?" Matthew was staring straight into my eyes, silently reminding me exactly what he would do to me if I had actually harmed Alfred that day.
"Besides, it's as much a danger for you as it is for us. We are two full grown werewolves. Even if you managed to take one of us by surprise, I'm sure that you couldn't manage to kill both of us without either getting seriously injured, killed, or turned yourself." Matthew brought up a very fair point.
"How long do I have to consider before you both leave town?"
"Until tomorrow." I winced internally. That wasn't very long. Not that there really should be anything to consider. Traveling around with two werewolves? That was such an outlandish concept. But it also thrilled me. Though it was my family that forced me into this, I did not hunt for the sake of hunting. I hunted because knowing that you've pitted yourself against a foe much stronger than you, having to struggle and claw your way to victory, knowing that it was your life or theirs, your will against theirs. It was that excitement that drove me. And if I died, I would rather it be because I struggled to the last breath and drove something so powerful to such desperation, and nothing less would be any satisfaction.
I couldn't deny that though the answer should have been obvious, I had trouble deciding one way or the other. I glanced down to Alfred. He was something of a puzzle to me. I hadn't really ever encountered anyone quite like him before. His ideals were naïve, but also refreshing.
"And what would you do when I have a mark?"
"You'd have a mark. It's none of our business. Besides, it isn't a mark unless it's causing serious trouble, right?"
"That was not the case with Alfred." Matthew's eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"Then we could help you. Help make sure the marks deserve to be marks."
"I did not get in this business for guessing if marks are deserving or not. And besides, Natalya handles all of the legal proceedings to ensure contracts are followed back to their sources should any… incidents occur."
"And yet, for the case of Alfred, there was a go between who would have taken the fall instead, and Alfred was completely innocent of wrong-doing. On top of that, it took the help of one vampire close to Francis who was Alfred's friend to trace it back to Francis, and Alfred was the one who chose to give you the information and help you out. Yes, Alfred told me all about how Gilbert helped him in regards to finding out who got all the incriminating evidence of him being a werewolf." Ivan had to admit, Matthew was very good at making a point. Natalya would like him, Ivan was sure.
"Not to mention it'd be easier to get in with the supernatural crowd with Alfred's reputation and the fact we're werewolves. To some extent, at least. But it's better than not having us around."
I sighed, knowing that Matthew had too many good points to argue along this vein any further.
"You would turn me into a 'law abiding hunter' then?" Matthew shrugged.
"It was only a suggestion. I'm only saying this because Alfred would probably like to have you around, but it doesn't mean that you have to come with us. I'm sure, as good a hunter as you are, that it wouldn't be hard for you to find work elsewhere. I just think that a guy with your talents would be beneficial to keep around." I couldn't blame Matthew for his arguments. He was looking out for his pack, and he knows the value of safety in numbers and knows from my dealings with Alfred that I've proven not to be a threat.
I closed my eyes in thought. This wasn't something to be considered lightly. Matthew had made good points, but those points only appealed to morality. And being a hunter for as long as I've been, you learned to take killings in stride, no matter if they were justified or not. A contract was a contract. Alfred's was the first of its kind, however. There was a reason I didn't usually make time to actually speak with a target before killing. But just as Alfred had pointed out in their first encounter, law-abiding werewolves and vampires weren't worth the effort, because they were hard to track and not worth the risk. Alfred had practically been the first ever that I had not believed really deserved his mark. If it were any other hunter but me, Alfred probably wouldn't be here. But that was all in the past now.
I exhaled loudly and steadily. "I think I will go back to my hotel room. I will more carefully consider your offer there." I stood from Alfred's futon and made strides towards the front door.
"Hey, Ivan," Matthew called. I turned halfway around to regard him. "Thank you. Thank you for helping Alfred."
I nodded my head to him. "Just tell him that he owes me now."
I woke to sunlight streaming on my face, and Mattie's soothing presence curled beside me. I stretched languidly, my shoulders popping from having not moved for so long. Mattie stirred beside me and I smiled.
"Well, let's get everything squared away and over with then," I spoke to him, feeling refreshed and ready to just leave and not look back. So much had happened, and it just felt right to start someplace new, where no one knew who I was.
Mattie went home to gather his things, and I myself packed all I thought was necessary. I made a call to the radio station and spoke to Eliza about transfers.
"I know you've been bringing it up to me for awhile about moving out of town, but are you really sure, Al?" Eliza asked me, concerned.
"Yeah, Eliza. I'm pretty sure. It's… just kinda personal. I just feel like I need to get out and go somewhere new, you know?" I explained.
"Well, I'm not gonna stop you if it's what you really want. But make sure to give me a call sometimes, yeah? We've got to keep in touch!" I reassured her that I'd be fine where ever I decided to go and that of course we were going to speak again. On a regular basis, in fact. She gave the phone over to Antonio.
"So it's really happening now, huh Al? Not gonna be the same without you around, that's for sure."
"I'm sure you'll manage just fine, Toni. You're still talking to Gil, aren't you?" There was a loud chuckle on the other end.
"Yeah, the guy is totally awesome. Much cooler than I actually expected him to be."
"Well, I'm glad you guys made such good friends and all. I'll get back to you guys once I've figured out where I'm going and all that. Later."
"Okay, man, later. Take it easy." It felt good talking to Antonio and Elizaveta. They were good friends, and I appreciated them.
I swung by Yao's defense class studio and spoke my goodbyes to him. He'd been a good mentor to me, and I couldn't just skip town without saying anything to him.
"Keep practicing even after you leave!" He encouraged me.
"Don't worry, Yao, I will."
Felicia almost burst into tears when I told her I was moving. She ran up to me and practically leaped on me, enveloping me in a tight hug. Wolf bristled at the unexpected contact, but quickly established that Felicia was no threat.
"Oh, Alfred! I hope you like it where you move! I'm going to miss not being able to give you any food!" Felicia had gotten into the habit of cooking things for the class to take home every time we met up, though it was usually some sort of pasta dish.
"I'm gonna miss the food too. Your cooking is amazing," I praised her. She gushed happily, tears threatening to fall, her eyes glassy.
When I finally returned to the apartment, Mattie was there outside the building, standing by his truck and waiting for me. He had his arms folded and his expression looked troubled, but as I neared to him, he smiled at me happily.
"All ready to go, finally?" He asked me.
"Yeah, never more ready!" I piled my stuff into the truck bed, and he fastened the tarp over it so as to make sure nothing would fly out. We each got in on our respective sides, but before turning the truck on, Mattie hesitated.
"What is it?" I asked him.
"Well… I'd offered to Ivan to come with us…" Mattie replied after a few seconds.
"You… really? What did he say?" Shock coursed through me.
"I thought it was a good idea at the time. To help look after you and all," I shot Mattie a glare and he snorted at me, "He said he'd think about it but, he finally called while you were out and said he thought it would be best if we didn't travel together. He did promise to keep in touch, though."
I blinked, not really sure what to say to all of this. "Well, he does have his own life, you know. Hunting and whatever it is he does besides that." I played it off, but I was kind of… I don't know, disappointed? But I knew that we'd eventually see each other again.
"Well, let's not waste any more time," Mattie spoke up, and finally started up the truck. As we reached the edge of town, the sun was finally dipping behind the hills. Everything was starting to turn to shadow. The sky was darkening to that rich, twilight blue of velvet, of dreams. This was the Elfland blue that Dunsany described. It made me feel like I could take a step and be in another world, a magic place where nothing hurt. Where no one hurt another. Or where the adventures someone had were symbolic and meaningful, leading to enlightenment, adulthood, or at the very least a nice treasure. Maybe a talking goose.
I'd seen plenty of magic in my world. None of it impressed me a whole lot. But that didn't mean that I didn't have it in me to dream. There was still much out there left to find. We just had to go out there and find it.
"Okay, we're back with The Midnight Hour. We have time to take a couple more calls for my guest this evening, Senator Joseph Duke, Republican from Missouri. Evan from San Diego, you're on the air."
"Yeah, hi," Evan said. "Senator Duke, first off I want to thank you for being one of the few members of our government willing to stand up for his beliefs-"
Inwardly, I groaned. Calls that started this way always ended with Bible thumping.
Duke said, "Why, thank you, Evan. Of course it's my God-given duty to stand for the place of moral rectitude in the United States Congress."
"Uh, yeah. And for my question, what I really want to know: In your knowledgeable opinion, what is the best method for punishing the minions of Satan- burning at the stake or drowning in holy water? If the federal government were to institute a code of mandatory punishment, which would you advocate?"
Why did people like this even listen to my show? Probably to collect quotes they could take out of context. The answers I gave to vampire orgy questions always came back to haunt me later.
The senator had the good grace to look discomfited. He shifted in his seat and pursed his lips. "Well, Evan, I'm afraid I'm not the expert on punishing the unrighteous you think I am. In this day and age, I believe the current penal system addresses any crimes for which the minions of Satan might be convicted, and the just punishments for those crimes. And if they come up with new crimes, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, won't we?"
That was what made guys like Duke so scary. They were so articulate in making the weirdest statements.
Senator Joseph Duke, a fifty-something nondescript picture of Middle America, like the guy in the American Gothic painting but twenty pounds heavier, sat at the other end of the table, as far away from me as he possibly could and still reach the microphone. He had two suited bodyguards with him. One of them had his gun drawn, propped in the crook of his crossed arms. the senator refused to be in the same room with me without the bodyguards. I asked about the gun- silver bullets? Of course.
After all the people declaring that the show and my identity be hoaxes, part of some elaborate ratings scheme, or a sick joke played on my gullible fans, Duke's unquestioning belief in my nature was almost refreshing. He almost refused to come on the show at all- originally he'd been scheduled to appear the week after Ivan invaded. We'd had to postpone. I'd had to agree to the bodyguards.
"Next caller, please. Lucy, hello."
"Hello, Alfred. Senator, I want to know how after all your talk about smiting heathens and ridding the country of the nefarious influences of the unrighteous, which you have openly stated include werewolves, can you sit there in the same room with Alfred like nothing's wrong?" I couldn't judge Lucy's tone. It might have been the height of sarcasm, her trying to get a rise out of him; or she might have been in earnest.
"Lucy, the Lord Jesus taught us not to abandon the unrighteous. That even the gravest sinner might be saved if they only let the light of Christ into their hearts. I see my time on this show as the ultimate chance to reach out to the unrighteous."
In my experience, becoming a werewolf had more to do with bad luck that with being a sinner. I couldn't mock his belief, or his sentiment, though. He wasn't advocating mass werewolf slayings, which made him better than some people. My folder of death threats had gotten thick over the months.
Lucy said, "So, Alfred, has he reached out to you?"
A couple of impolite responses occurred to me, and for once I kept them on the inside. "Well, as I've said before, while I may not be the most righteous guy on the airwaves, I certainly don't feel particularly unrighteous. But I'm probably using the word differently than the senator. Let's just say I'm listening attentively, as usual."
The sound engineer gestured through the window to the booth, giving me a count of time left. Not Antonio. I was in Albuquerque this week, at the public radio station that carried the show. It wasn't my booth, or my microphone, and the chair was too new, not as squishy as my chair back at KNOB. I missed that chair. I missed Antonio.
"All right, faithful listeners- and mind you, I'm probably using the word 'faithful' differently than Senator Duke would use it. We've got just a couple of minutes left for closing words. Senator, I have one more question for you, if you don't mind."
"Go right ahead."
"Earlier in the show we discussed the little-publicized report released by a branch of the NIH, a government-sponsored study that made an empirical examination of supernatural beings such as werewolves and vampires. I'd like to ask you, if I may: If the U.S. government is on the verge of labeling lycanthropy and vampirism as diseases- by that I mean identifiable physiological conditions- how does that reconcile with the stance taken by many religious doctrines that these conditions are marks of sin?"
"Well, Mr. Jones, like you, I've read that report. And rather than contradicting my stance on these conditions as you call them, I believe it supports me."
"How?"
"I said before that I want to reach out to the people suffering from these terrible afflictions- just as we as a society must reach out to anyone suffering from illness. We must help them find their way to the righteous path of light."
And what did the vampires think of being led to the path of light. I had to stop myself from snickering as I imagined the Senator saying that to someone like, I dunno, Gilbert.
"How would you do this, Senator?" I said, a tad more diplomatically.
He straightened, launching on a speech like he'd been waiting for this moment, for this exact question. "Many diseases, such as lycanthropy and vampirism in particular, are highly contagious. Folklore has taught us this for centuries, and now modern science confirms it."
"I'd argue with the highly part, but go on."
"As with any contagious disease, the first step should be to isolate the victims. Prevent the spread of the disease. By taking firm steps, I believe we could wipe out these conditions forever, in just a few years."
A vague, squishy feeling settled on my stomach. "So you would… and please, correct me if I've misinterpreted… you would round up all the werewolves you could and force them into, what? Hospitals, housing projects-" Dare I say it? Oh, hell, sure. "- ghettos?"
Duke missed the jab entirely. "I think hospitals in this case would be most appropriate. I'm confident that given time and resources, science will find a way to eradicate the mark of the beast that has settled on these blighted souls."
If it wasn't so sad, I'd laugh. Trouble was, I'd talked to people like this enough to know that I'd never argue them out of their beliefs. "Right. I think I and my blighted soul need a drink. That must mean we're near the end of our time. Once again, Senator Duke, thank you so much for being on the show."
"Thank you for having me. And I want you to know that I am praying for you. You can be saved."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." The other thing about people like this was how they completely lacked the ability to identify sarcasm. "Right, I think we have a whole lot of food for thought after that. And just so everyone out there is clear about how I stand on the issue, and because I've never been shy about expressing my opinion: I think we need to look to the lessons of history when we discuss how the government should handle these issues. I for one don't want people with black armbands coming for me in the middle of the night." This was my show. I always got the last word.
"Thank you for listening. This is Alfred Jones, Voice of the Night." Cue the wolf howl. Another one in the can.
I sat back and sighed.
Senator Duke was staring at me. "It won't come to that."
I shrugged. "That's what they said in Berlin in the thirties."
"I would think people like you would want to be helped."
"The trouble is in how many definitions of 'help' there are. Everyone thinks they have the right answer. I did mean it, though- I appreciate your being on the show, Senator." I stood and offered my hand to shake. Frowning, he looked at it. "I can't hurt you with just a handshake. Honest."
Nodding crisply at his bodyguards, he turned his shoulder to me and left.
I blew out the breath I'd been holding. That was rough. But never let it be said my show was one-sided.
I went to the control booth, where the engineer handed me the phone. "Hey, Toni."
"Hey, Al. Sounded good." Antonio still worked on the show remotely, coaching the local guys on how to run things, making sure the phone number got transferred, stuff like that.
"Cool. Thanks. It only sounds good 'cause you're the best."
"Yeah, I'll believe it when Eliza gives me a raise. Hey, speak of the devil. Talk to you later, Al." There was a rustling as he handed the phone over.
Elizaveta came on the line. "Great show, Al. Just great. You had that bozo sweating. I could tell."
"You think they're all great, Eliza."
"That's 'cause they are. I'm your biggest fan. Are you going to be in Albuquerque next week, or someplace else?"
"Someplace else, I think. I haven't decided. I'll let you know." After I talked to Mattie. We usually just picked a direction and drove.
"I wish you would tell me why you're doing the fugitive bit."
"You don't really want to know. Trust me." All the pack issues and everything that'd happened, I don't really think I could ever explain it to her or Antonio. It wasn't that I thought they wouldn't understand or anything like that… it was just painful.
"Just remember, if you need anything, anything at all, you call me."
"Thanks, Eliza. Give Toni a raise."
She grumbled, and I laughed.
Who said a pack had to be all werewolves?
I bought a car, a vintage '80s hatchback with enormous gas mileage to replace Mattie's impractical truck. I doubled my salary when I stopped paying off Arthur. Maybe I'd even buy myself some new clothes. With a car we could just go anywhere. We'd be traveling at our own speed from now on. And traveling, and traveling.
I checked in with my parents before I left Albuquerque; I checked in with them every week. They bought me a cell phone so I could be sure to call, no matter where I was- and so they could always find me. They weren't happy about my situation. They kept inviting me to stay with them however long I needed to. I appreciated the thought. But I couldn't do that to them, or abandon Mattie.
I kept a lookout for Elijah Smith and the Church of the Pure Faith. There was still a story there. My ultimate goal was to get Smith himself as a guest on the show. Not likely, but I could dream. Every now and then I found a flyer or someone sent one to me, advertising his caravan. I always seemed to be a week behind him.
Detective O'Sullivan got hold of me through Natalya Braginski. God help me, I hired the lawyer on retainer. I had my mail forwarded to her, and she had my contact information. She'd been calm and straightforward through all of our interactions. She was never above giving advice on anything and everything, even things as mundane as car insurance. Mattie and her got along great, and I imagine it was because they bonded over having people to look out for all the time; Mattie had me, and she had Ivan. Mattie had told me that they could never tell which one of them had the worst charge to look out for.
Best of all, O'Sullivan had to talk to her before she could get to me. But even Natalya couldn't put her off forever. We talked on the phone the weekend I stayed in Albuquerque.
"We found your DNA on the other werewolf's body, in his mouth and under his fingernails. That makes you an assault victim. Then we found your DNA in the saliva on the wounds on his body, which could get you in trouble, with the way his face is ripped out. But we're willing to make a case for self-defense since he also had your blood under his fingernails." She made it sound so technical. This was my blood we were talking about.
If it hadn't been my blood involved, I would have laughed at how the whole thing sounded like some werewolf version of a Mexican standoff. I admired O'Sullivan for trying to sort out who had attacked whom first.
"Why did you have to leave town?"
"I had to. It wasn't safe for me to stay, after what I did." I let her think it was about the rogue. Some of it was, but it was hardly all of the story.
"You were afraid of ending up like the other guy?"
"Yes."
She sighed. "You might be interested to know, the powers that be are actually listening to me."
"You mean you say 'werewolf' and they believe you?"
"Yeah. The alternative is the theory that some ritual slaying specialist came up with about a cult of cannibals to explain why they found shredded bodies with pieces missing. The idea is the cult imploded when it turned on itself and the member started eating each other. Werewolves sound downright rational compared to that."
Except when there was a hint of truth to the cannibal theory as well.
She said, "If I think of anything else, I'll call you."
"Yeah, sure."
We parted civilly.
O'Sullivan was a good person. I felt grateful for her open-mindedness and her professionalism through all this. I just wished I hadn't been the focus of her efforts.
I was closing in on Austin, Mattie asleep in the passenger seat beside me, when NPR aired a report. I cranked up the volume when I heard a key phrase.
The reporter said, "… Paranatural Biology, releasing findings to Congress in response to questions that have been raised regarding unusual appropriation requests. Doctor Emil Steilsson, an assistant director of the National Institutes of Health overseeing the Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology, offered this statement at a press conference held earlier today."
Then Doctor Steilsson spoke:
"I am authorized at this time to announce the formation of the Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology within the National Institutes of Health. In conjunction with the British Alternative Biologies Laboratory, we are prepared to release findings recognizing the existence of alternate races of Homo Sapiens, races that were once considered only legend…" Blood rushed in my ears. This was the government, a spokesperson for the government. They were blowing my world wide open.
More than that, I recognized the voice. Deep Throat. My secret government spook. I stifled a laugh as he went on to explain the report in terms of taxonomy and science.
"These conditions are mutations brought on by as yet unidentified infectious agents. The following conditions have been identified… Homo Sapiens Sanguinis… commonly known as vampire. Homo Sapiens Lupus… commonly known as werewolf. Homo Sapiens Pinnipedia…"
I had his name. As soon as I stopped for the afternoon, I was going to find his phone number and give him a call.
At a gas station somewhere in West Texas, I went into the store to stock up on road trip munchies while Mattie filled the tank. On my way to the cash register, I passed a rack of newspapers and stopped cold. I stared. I smiled. I bought a paper, the latest issue of Wide World of News.
I would frame it, and as soon as I had a wall, it would go up. The headline read:
"Bat Boy to Appear as Guest on The Midnight Hour."
As Mattie and I settled into a hotel off of interstate 35, I took some time into researching how I could contact this Doctor Steilsson. I was able to call the offices in which he worked and requested to speak with him. I was in luck, he was still at work.
"Hello? Who might this be?" The same flat, unassuming tone that I'd heard on the radio reached my ears.
"Ah, so you're a Doctor, huh? Neat."
"This is certainly not the best place or time for a personal call." To his credit, he didn't sound all that shocked, if he was at all.
"Well then, we'll just have to make this quick, won't we? You gave me a warning, last we talked. There was a rogue. Toris. He also mentioned doctors."
"I know your curious, Jones, and you deserve answers. Toris was a subject, but that is all I can say on the matter. I assure you that I am on your side, but try and at least wait for me to call you. I'm putting both of us at risk by contacting you." I could sense the urgency in his voice, even if his tone didn't suggest it.
"Fine, fine. If this is as dire and you're trying to make it seem, and I guess I can believe that, by the state Toris was in, then I'll let it alone. For now. But you better call back." The call ended as I finished speaking. The guy needed a lesson in phone etiquette.
"What was that all about?" Mattie asked.
"Just a source of mine. I was trying to find out more information on what was wrong with Toris, our rogue. Hopefully the next time I'm contacted, I'll get more information than that." I sighed, shaking my head. For once I'd wish that I wasn't the one that all this weird stuff happened to.
Mattie curled up with me on the hotel bed (even though there were two) and fell asleep beside me. It took me a bit longer, but the taxing drive eventually led me to sleep as well.
To Be Continued
I'm a bit sad that this chapter is so much shorter than the others, but I really didn't want to put any more and spoil it running over into the next arc or anything like that. The chapter is late and it's shorter... I feel bad about that. Oh well, I guess. Nothing to do about it now. Any Favorites, Follows, and/or Reviews are so greatly appreciated! Until next time, my friends.
