Disclaimer: Again, I don't own any of the characters involved within the fic.
Author's Note: Part one got a better response than I expected. Looks like I'll have to do that long supernatural fic after all! By the way, this is the fourth version of this chapter. All my other versions seemed to turn Gray into a cute little fuzzy wuzzy puppy. This fic maybe rated PG-13, but I don't want it to be too friendly! And due to the changes I'm making, it seems this fic is going to be much longer than I'd originally planned. Is that good or bad?
SHADOW MOON
A 'Falls the Shadow' fic
Part Two
Blood Stains His Hands
Swiftly, silently, the other approached the military hangar. It moved between the shadows with an ease born of long practice, melting from one patch of darkness into another with barely a sound. It drew no attention as it crept closer and closer…
It paused once to swipe irritably at the hole in its neck; the wound wasn't fatal, but it wouldn't close! For that, the soft, fleshy human would pay…
All its senses snapped to alert as it neared its prey. A strange, yet familiar musky odor assaulted its nostrils, and it wrinkled its nose in distaste. There was something else here! The massive wolf-creature pricked its ears, and it slunk forward on its belly to investigate, careful not to leave the shadows.
A low snarl escaped its lips when it saw a large grey creature, its body an unholy blending of man and wolf, with its head thrust under a large Copperhead. The smell of blood came to its nostrils, and its ears flattened. Mine! My prey! This other creature was after the prey it had chosen!
The creature quelled its jealousy as it considered the repercussions of its mistake. It had created another. Hiding itself was hard enough; but now it had created another to endanger its existence, a relative infant in its powers. The one who had hurt it was no longer important; it needed to fix this mistake!
But not here. Not tonight. The wound in its neck still burned, and the other looked strong and fit, despite a limp in one of its front legs. A battle between the two wouldn't be easy, even with the element of surprise. It would have to wait for now.
With a disdainful flick of its tail, the creature left. It was a pity, really. It had hoped to feed its body the blood it craved.
* * *
Neil knew he was in danger, but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the creature's savage face until one of the massive paws slashed forward, catching Neil above the navel and tearing deep furrows in the flesh up to his throat. Only then did Neil break from the creature's hypnotic gaze as he screamed in agony and rolled his hurting body further back under the ship.
The beast emitted a keening cry, a sound that was a cross between a wolf's howl and... a man's scream? But Neil had no time to contemplate what that meant as the monster, excited by the scent of blood, lunged forward. It overestimated the height of the Copperhead's belly, however, and caught its hunched shoulders on the metal plates. It yelped in surprise, and its claws scrabbled against the concrete as it tried to pull its bulk underneath. It lashed out, paw catching Neil's ankle and twisting. Neil screamed and scrambled away, only escaping because the blood on his ankle made it too slick for the beast to hold.
Neil's vision swam, and he was barely holding on to consciousness. If I black out now, that thing will finish me off! Neil wriggled away on his belly, fighting back waves of pain and leaving behind a thick smear of blood. So much blood... Neil tried not to think about his life's blood pumping out through the gashes in his chest, or the creature behind him. He didn't dare look back, but he imagined he could feel its hot, fetid breath on his neck...
His goal was the Copperhead's open hatch in the cockpit. The ladder leading upwards was only a few feet away, almost within reach. But at this point, the ship's belly rose higher and, while he could rise safely beyond his hands and knees, the creature could get through more easily, as well.
When he felt the metal rungs of the ladder under his hand, he almost wept with joy. But... he couldn't get his feet to work! They were like water, and wouldn't respond to his commands. I have to get up there! Oh, God, I don't want to die! With hands slippery with blood, he began to pull himself up the rungs, realizing that, at any moment, the creature would dart out from under the ship and attack and there'd be nothing he could do about it because he hurt so much...
His slick hands lost their grip, and Neil fell with a cry into a heap on the floor. No! This isn't fair! As he lay, unable to get up, he suddenly realized the creature was no longer in sight, and that he hadn't heard anything beyond the rapid beating of his heart for the past several moments. Had it left? That was too much to hope for.
Neil strained his ears, but could hear nothing else. He knew he still had to get out of there, but he was so weak... No! He wouldn't give up! He tried to get his feet under him, biting his lip to keep from screaming as pain flared up from his ankle. One bloody hand extended towards the ladder.
With a harsh growl, the creature dropped to the ground beside him. Slavering jaws grinned at him, and its tongue licked its chops in anticipation. Neil opened his mouth for one last scream, but all that came out was a weak whimper. He scrambled backwards, moving more slowly as the pain began to overcome his adrenaline rush.
So this is the end... Killed not by Phantoms, but by some giant dog. Not what I'd hoped for... His hand encountered something smooth and metallic that rolled away from him. Neil slanted his head to see what he'd hit. A crowbar! He'd scattered his tools untidily around the ship earlier, and the bar would make an excellent weapon, if he only had the strength to swing it.
The creature suddenly crouched on its haunches, poised to spring. Neil made a desperate grab for the crowbar, bringing it up as the creature made its leap. He brought it down with all his remaining strength on the creature's head.
The blow had a devastating effect on the creature. Its screams nearly deafened Neil as its body twisted in midair. It landed beside Neil, collapsing as if its feet couldn't take its weight. It lay silent and still, with only the occasional twitching of a limb or ear showing it still lived. Strips of cloth clung tightly to its body, but Neil was too beyond caring to wonder why.
Guess I don't know my own strength, was Neil's last thought as he collapsed unconscious to the ground.
* * *
The sound of his alarm woke Gray, and he groaned as the incessant ringing tore through his aching head, clawing at his brain with merciless talons. His hand fumbled for the clock, but his motor control was off and his nerveless hand knocked the clock from his nightstand. The sound of it breaking on the floor was like someone taking a hammer to his head.
Shit... Why did he hurt so much? He felt as though he had the hangover from hell, but he hadn't gotten drunk since before his academy days. Gray pushed his body into a sitting position, absently taking in the disheveled condition of his bed. Apparently, his sleep had been restless.
He rubbed his face, frowning as his fingers encountered swollen skin along the bridge of his nose. One eye was nearly sealed shut from the overhanging lump. No wonder his head hurt! But when had he taken a blow to the face? He couldn't remember... that was a bad sign, wasn't it? What if he had a concussion? Had he even seen a doctor?
He stumbled to his feet, fighting back a wave of dizziness. He groaned again. How was he supposed to go on duty like this? But at least his arm was feeling better, he realized. The pain had dulled around his elbow, and he could flex his arm without hurting it.
Thoughts of his arm's recovery flew out of his head when he saw his hands. His eyes widened as he examined his fingertips. Blood stained his hands... It was under his nails, streaking his fingers, caught in the folds of his flesh... Dried blood, which he now realized was splattered across his bare chest. That can't be mine... Except for my head wound, and the one on my elbow, I'm not hurt! Then, whose blood is it?
What happened last night? Gray whipped his head around, ignoring the dizziness as he searched for clues to what had brought him to such a state. My clothes! He still wore his officer's uniform, or what was left of it. Small shreds of it hung in ribbons around his body, along with strands of coarse gray hairs. Gray began to tremble as it slowly sank in. Something terrible had happened last night, and he'd been involved somehow. But what was it?
Blood... teasing his nostrils, exciting him into carelessness. Blood... so close, but out of reach. Blood... pumping from his prey, pooling on the floor in hot, steaming puddles. The scent of blood, mingled with the overpowering odor of the prey's fear, was so thick he could practically taste it...
Gray drew in his breath with a sharp gasp. Again his eyes were drawn to the dark stains on his fingers. What have I done? The brief flash of memory hadn't given him any indication of the damage he'd caused. What have I done?
A flashing light on his answering machine caught his eye, and with numb fingers he played the message. "Captain Edwards," the recorded voice began, "please come to the infirmary as soon as you receive this message." A chill went down his spine as he stared at the orderly's small image. "It's one of your men, Corporal Neil Fleming. He's been hurt." The message ended there.
"What have I done?!" Gray screamed.
* * *
Ryan and Jane were already there. Jane's face was pale and drawn, and Ryan was solemn. He found them in the waiting room, where Jane was pacing while Ryan sat and thumbed through a magazine. When he arrived, both stopped what they were doing and immediately came to him.
"Sir, what happened to your head?" Jane blurted out. Gray touched the bandage firmly affixed to the swollen skin, then shrugged.
"I passed out on my way to my quarters last night. I guess I fell on something. I'm all right, don't worry." It seemed the most reasonable explanation. "What happened to Neil?"
"We don't know," Ryan said. "They found him in the hangar this morning, covered in blood. His chest has been ripped open, and his ankle's been twisted and broken. They think someone attacked him with a knife," he said hollowly.
Gray curled his gloved fingers into his palms. The blood had been washed away, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling that it was still there, for all the world to see. Was it Neil's blood? "How is he?"
"They stitched him up," Ryan continued. "And they reset his ankle. He'll recover, though he'll carry some of the scars forever. He was lucky; none of his vital organs were pierced. But he lost so much blood... He's unconscious, the doctor said, and has been since he was brought in. The doctor doesn't know when he'll awaken. Until then, we have no idea who his attacker is."
"A sick bastard," Jane snarled. "Whoever did it didn't just stabbed him; they slashed him open. The general has ordered an investigation, and Neil is to be questioned as soon as he awakens. Someone like this is dangerous to us all."
Gray swallowed. Dangerous was right... especially if the enemy was within himself. Had he been the one who had attacked Neil? Had he, in a fit of delirium, taken a knife to one of his men?
"Assuming it was human after all," Ryan ventured softly. The others looked at him in surprise. "It's a hell of a coincidence that the captain is attacked by a beast the other night, and then the next night Neil is mauled. What if... what if the creature somehow hitched a ride back here, or tracked us here somehow?"
"That's impossible," Jane said slowly. "Isn't it, sir?" she turned to Gray, who swallowed uncomfortably. "It was infected. It should be dead by now. And anyway, it was just a dog."
"The doctor did say the slashes resembled claw marks," Ryan argued.
Claw marks... The blood had been under Gray's nails, as if he'd used them to tear through flesh...
Gray didn't have an answer for them. Instead, he murmured, "Can we see him?"
"We were just waiting for you," Ryan said. They followed him down the hallway until the sergeant halted them. "He's supposed to be in this room."
There was a doctor within, and the woman glanced up as they entered. "He's still unconscious," she said. "But his vital signs are normal, and there's no sign of infection, so he should come out of this all right."
"Doctor, was there anything... unusual about the wounds?" Gray asked. She'd probably already heard the question, but he wanted to do some investigating of his own.
The woman frowned. "As I told the men here earlier, they were likely done with a knife. But whoever did it made it resemble a claw pattern. Obviously a fake; there aren't any animals around that would have claws that big and wide-spread."
Gray looked down at Neil's face, bloodless and locked into a grimace of pain. A bandage was wrapped around his throat where the wound began. "I came in the other night with a bite wound; a large one. Could it have been done by a creature of similar size?" He unwrapped his arm, then stared at the flesh underneath. It was almost fully healed... The others gasped, but Gray ignored them and presented his arm to the woman.
"When did you come in? This is an old wound," she said. Her brow furrowed in puzzlement. "My God, it is bite wound. But the creature's mouth would have to be..." She glanced down at her patient. "Something with a bite radius that size could have paws large enough to cause that damage," she said finally.
That's it, then... It was that creature! He hadn't been involved at all. Gray repressed his sigh of relief. I'm not a killer. It must have been a dream... Perhaps the blood is just from my head wound, after all. Of course, now I have to tell General Hein the perp is a giant dog. Better than believing it's one of his own men, I suppose.
Jane's eyes narrowed. "Then you think it was that creature? What would it be doing here?"
"I'm going to report to General Hein. I want you two to carry out your duties for today; worrying about this won't do either of you or Neil any good." Gray smiled crookedly. "I'm sure we can catch this thing before it kills someone."
"If things are that simple. It's probably some experiment belong to the scientists, a new weapon that can withstand a Phantom attack. Maybe Hein will try to cover it up instead of destroying it," Ryan said bitterly.
Gray's lips tightened. That would be a good explanation of why the creature was here in the first place. Perhaps Dr. Sid had sent them out the other night in the hopes that they'd recapture it for them. Or perhaps they'd been deemed expendable and had been meant as a test of its abilities...
"That's being paranoid," he chided his normally cheerful second. "It's probably nothing more than a loose dog. Neil had no diseases, right?" Gray asked the doctor, who nodded.
"He's healthy, though we gave him some antibiotics to be sure," she said. "We're keeping a close eye on him."
"Then there's nothing more we can do here." Gray ushered his squad out. He paused once in the door, glancing back at his injured man. For a brief instant, he saw his friend crouched in his own blood, an expression of fear distorting his face. Gray shook his head, and the image was gone. It wasn't a memory... I'm just imagining things. It wasn't a memory...
He didn't find that very convincing.
* * *
"Sir?" Gray waited respectfully by Hein's office door. He could hear the man inside, but didn't want to barge in. Hein's desk sergeant was absent, and there was no one to announce Gray's presence. Even Major Elliot, Hein's shadow, wasn't around.
"Who is it?" Hein's voice was irritable, and Gray hid his groan. He wasn't going to be very receptive towards Gray's wild theory.
"It's Captain Edwards, sir," Gray replied. "I need to speak to you." Hein grunted an affirmative, and Gray entered the shadowy office. Hein was seated, examining a document he'd projected in the air in front of him. He must have been in a hurry that morning, Gray noted with some surprise. Hein's normally immaculately groomed hair hung around his face, and the collar of his shirt was unbuttoned. Gray saluted, which Hein ignored.
"Yes, Captain." Hein released his breath in a hiss. "You and your squad are causing quite a bit of trouble. First your little expedition, and now this attack." The holographic document dissolved at his command, and Hein turned his attention to Gray. "Is your team just getting careless?" Gray's lips curled into a snarl, but it wasn't worth taking on Hein at the moment. He wanted the man to be receptive towards what he had to say. "At least you seem to have recovered well," he noted. Gray frowned, resting his left hand over the site of his injury. The rapidness with which it healed disturbed him. "Though I'm curious about your head wound."
That was getting difficult to explain, too. What had happened last night? "I passed out and hit my head," he said. He tried to make his voice sound embarrassed, as if he didn't want to admit it. It sounded better than saying he didn't know...
A smile touched Hein's lips. "Clumsy, Captain? But that's beside the point. I'm wasting valuable resources trying to find out why your team has had such bad luck. And so far, I have no answers, if that's what you're here for."
So Hein hasn't found anything yet. That answers one question. "That is what I'm here about, sir," Gray said stiffly. "But... I think the two incidents could be connected."
Hein's cold eyes narrowed. "You think your dog attacked Corporal Fleming," he said derisively. He rested his chin in his gloved hands and coolly studied the captain. "Just how hard did you hit your head?"
"I was attacked by something resembling an enormous dog. Whatever went after Neil could have used claws, and it would have been large as well. The creature we encountered could easily have done that kind of damage."
"You really believe this, don't you?" Hein's sardonic voice was incredulous.
"I don't know what to believe," Gray said. "I'm just trying to find answers, and I thought any bit of information would help." Gray couldn't really blame Hein for his skepticism; he wouldn't believe it, either, if he hadn't been attacked.
"Hmph." Hein turned away, and Gray received the impression he was being dismissed.
"Thanks for your time, sir," Gray said. Hein waved him away, restoring the screen he'd been reading through earlier. Well, at least he didn't lose his temper. Gray turned to go, but paused when he caught sight of Hein's exposed neck. He had a large, ragged scar near his jugular.
"Still here, Captain?" Hein said, glancing up at him. He seemed to realize what Gray was looking at and pulled the collar over the scarred skin.
"I was just leaving, sir," Gray said. He saluted and left the office.
* * *
Neil still hadn't woken by nightfall. As the sun began to set, Gray excused himself from the waiting room where his off-duty squad were sitting, advising them to go to bed as he did so. They'd reluctantly agreed, but left only after checking in briefly on their injured teammate. Gray slipped off on his own, intent on getting to his room where he could lock himself in.
It was a dog. A big, dumb animal! But if that were true, why hadn't General Hein found it yet? Thus far, there'd been no luck finding out who - or what - had attacked Neil. Gray was taking no chances. He'd woken with blood on his hands and no memory of how it had gotten there. He wasn't going to take that chance again.
At least he felt better tonight, though. His head was clear, and the ache he'd awakened with had diminished. Even the lump on his forehead had gone down, a rapid recovery that surprised him but caused no alarm.
Arriving at his quarters, Gray proceeded to change the shredded covers on his bed, something he hadn't had time to do all day. He picked up a swatch of coarse grey hairs, and examined them closely. Where had they come from, anyway? It didn't look like human hair; it was more like fur.
It came from the creature... Perhaps when it had attacked Gray, it had shed on him, and he hadn't noticed before. That had to be it. There was no other explanation, Gray told himself as he folded the slashed sheets and prepared to stuff them in the closet for later disposal. But he stopped when he saw the pattern of one of the slash marks: Four parallel tears, set wide apart... like claw marks...
Now he was getting paranoid. He put away the sheet, pulling out a fresh set and making his bed. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for something to happen. After about ten minutes, he felt rather foolish. What was he expecting, anyway? To suddenly become a raging, murderous lunatic? Here he was, locked inside his room, waiting for something that couldn't possibly happen, when the real attacker wandered free!
There was no way he was getting any sleep any time soon. He decided to volunteer himself for one of Hein's search patrols, hoping he'd be able to find what the others couldn't. He pulled on a clean uniform and left his room, pausing once to look out a window, where he could see the city as brightly as if it were day, despite the late hour. He couldn't see where, beyond the barrier, the moon was rising, with a small sliver missing from its edge.
* * *
He was lost, adrift in a world of shadows. He was in a world like his own, but different. The shadows were prevalent, making the world a darker place than he was accustomed to. The dead walked among the living, and there were eyes gleaming in the dark, watching, waiting... He wanted to run, but he didn't know where to go. Around every corner was another shadow, more eyes, more death masquerading as life... His tried to quicken his strides, but every movement tore at him, making his wounds hurt more... The blood dripped from the holes in his chest, the trail of crimson he left behind the only color in a world stained with shades of grey.
A snuffling noise behind him drew his attention, and he turned. A massive creature detached itself from the darkness, taking shape into a massive, doglike creature - no, wolf-like - and it sniffed at the blood. Its tongue lashed out, licking it up in one swipe. Then it raised its head to face him, mouth open in a grin, scarlet-stained tongue lolling. The promise of death galvanized him into action, and suddenly the pain didn't bother him anymore. Now he ran, even as his life's blood flowed away with every rapid heartbeat. He ran, and ran, and ran... and everywhere there fell the shadows that made the world a more dangerous place than he'd originally thought. Behind him, the creature loped along easily, in no hurry to finish him off. It knew he had no chance...
Then he fell to the hard pavement beneath, his legs too weak to carry him any longer. Blood pooled beneath him, more than he should have been able to lose and still be alive. The creature trotted up to him, still grinning its unearthly smile, and then its features began to distort, the muzzle shriveling, the fur rippling and fading... until a shadowy being that was undeniably human stood there, advancing on him with a silent stride, a hunter's prowl. The person knelt down, dipping a hand into the pooled blood, then licked the long fingers. A scarlet smile stood out against the shadowed face, and he felt a scream bubble past his lips. He let it loose, screaming until his throat was raw, but it was no good! The other placed its stained hand on his shoulder, and he knew his death was coming...
...but instead, a vigorous shaking pulled him out of the world of shadows into another, this one brightly lit and smelling of antiseptic. His screams broke off as he met the concerned face of a woman in a doctor's coat, and her gentle voice broke through his panicked mind. "Corporal Fleming, calm down. It was a dream. You're safe, you're all right..." the woman repeated the words over and over until they sank in, and Neil gasped for breath. "Wh-where...?" he tried to ask in a voice as weak as a newborn's.
"You're in the hospital," the woman said in a soothing tone. "You were attacked. You'll be all right, though. Everything will be all right."
Neil met her eyes, seeing the truth in them. So he wasn't dying... But the dream - if that had been all it was - still dominated his mind. The message of it was clear; the world was a far darker place than he'd suspected, darker even than the Phantoms had made it. No, he wanted to tell the woman, everything isn't all right. Nothing will ever be all right again.
* * *
Gray got the news the next morning, after Hein's men had questioned his corporal. Neil was awake, but the doctors were reluctant to let him see any visitors. Hein's men hadn't been concerned with Neil's well being, and the doctor had driven them out when Neil had been reduced to a nervous wreck.
"Did he say anything useful?" Gray asked his teammates. He was again the last to arrive, though he'd been bone-tired when he'd finally gotten to sleep the previous night. Hein had accepted his offer for help and put him to work, and Gray hadn't gotten any sleep until after two o'clock. And they'd had no luck.
"Only that it was a creature that attacked him," Ryan said. "The men seemed a little miffed that their culprit is a dog."
"Can we see him?" Gray asked. His gaze was on the hall they'd followed before, where two orderlies were prowling the hall as if they were on guard duty. Jane saw where he was looking.
"After his interrogation," she said bitterly, "Neil was so worked up that the doctor said he wasn't to get any more visitors. They've even got people watching the room in case Hein decides to pull rank and force his men to be admitted."
"Actually," a voice interrupted smoothly, "he's been asking for you. As long as you don't upset him, you can be permitted a short visit." The woman doctor they'd met the previous day stood behind them, a stern look on her face. "But if you do anything to get him worked up, you will be denied visiting privileges."
Even Jane was intimidated by the woman's threat. "Right," she said, her voice uncharacteristically meek. Gray suppressed a smile as they followed the woman to Neil's room.
He looked better today, Gray noted. There was some color in his cheeks, and Neil smiled when he saw them. Gray stood back and let his teammates greet the tech first.
Jane's first words were an insult, and Gray inwardly winced. But Neil took it all in a stride, though he didn't make his usual snappy comeback. Ryan stood a little behind Jane, participating in the friendly banter and helping to put Neil at ease. Gray hung back a little; these were his friends, but sometimes they thought of him as their leader, not their equal. His presence usually meant business, and he wanted Neil to enjoy himself for awhile.
Besides, he was afraid that if he got close to Neil again, he'd see those terrible images of blood he'd gotten before…
"Hey, Cap, do I really look that bad?" Neil's weak voice penetrated his thoughts, and Gray started. It wouldn't do for him to stand around lost in thought when his teammate needed him. Gray stepped closer, putting a smile on his face.
"You look good, Neil," he reassured the corporal. "You'll be up and about in no time." The rest of what he'd been about to say stuck in his throat as the expression on Neil's face changed. The blood drained from his face, making him as pale as he'd been the other day. His eyes had gone wide, and he seemed to be trying to bury himself into his pillow.
"Neil? Is something wrong?" Jane's voice was tinged with alarm.
"I… I think I need to talk to the captain alone," he whispered.
* * *
The whole world seemed to shatter around Neil. He'd spent the last few hours assuring himself that everything was all right, that he'd been attacked by a mad dog which would soon be captured. Even the insistent questions and obvious disbelief of Hein's men when they'd questioned him hadn't shaken this conviction. But now…
It was the wound on Gray's face that caught his attention. The skin between his eyes was puffy and discolored, and there was a faint line where a cut had healed. But Gray hadn't had that wound before Neil's attack, and it shouldn't have healed in the time since. And it matched the one he'd given the creature.
No… it can't be true. It's a coincidence. It's just a wild theory based on a myth! It was the dream that had clued him in, reminding him of stories he'd heard as a child when his older brother had tried to convince him there were things scarier than the Phantoms. Ghosts. Vampires. Zombies. Werewolves… The night they'd encountered the beast in the city, there'd been a full moon. And, unless Neil was mistaken, there'd also been one the following night.
"Neil? What's wrong?" Gray moved closer to him, and Neil got a good look at his arm. It had only a light bandage, and Gray moved it easily, as if it didn't bother him anymore. But the bite wound had been deep, and painful, Neil recalled.
"Sir," Neil said in a tremulous voice, "where did you get that wound on your head?"
There was a brief flash of uncertainty in the captain's features, then he said smoothly, "I was sick the night you were attacked. I passed out and hit my head." Gray shrugged as if it were nothing.
He doesn't remember… No, that wasn't quite true; the captain had an uneasy expression on his face that alarmed Neil. What is going on with him?
"How are you feeling?" Gray continued, changing the subject. "You look a little pale."
You would, too, if you knew what the world was really like. The dream had been an omen, a warning. If one kind of creature of the night existed, others could as well. The Phantoms weren't the only danger on the planet. Maybe I'm just paranoid. Please, God, let me be paranoid. I couldn't bear it if there was some truth in the dream…
"I'm fine," Neil said softly, searching his captain's eyes. Was it you? What do you know? "What attacked me was no dog," he blurted out suddenly.
Gray started. "But I thought you told Hein's men – "
"I know what I told them," Neil said numbly. Why am I telling him this? He'll never believe me! "Sir, it wasn't a dog. It was too big, and too smart. And there was something about it that wasn't… animal-like." Something about it had been human… "Do you know anything about werewolves?" Because, so help me, I think you could be one!
To Be Continued…