Chapter 12: Bill's Oath To Improve Himself! The Plans for The Play Are Changed!


"There's no easy way to explain this, Bill. Your body reacted quite violently to the blood; that's common for most predators when they consume their first carnivore product, but yours was a rather extreme case," Alex told Bill as he and Els helped lie Bill down in bed.

"So those visions I had… they weren't real? The blood oozing out the walls, me eating Els, and seeing a bear eat Tem?" Bill said.

"Wait, what's this about Tem?!" Els blurted out.

"I saw a bear eat Tem in my vision," Bill replied.

Alex's ears perked up. "Bill, you have to tell us. This could be important information for the murder investigation," Alex insisted.

"Shit, you're right. That could be important," Bill realized.

"Wait, you're a cop?" Els gasped. The Angora goat nodded her head as she put two and two together. "Yeah, you have a taser that has the ZPD emblem on it. I'm willing to bet that you're a cop," Els murmured as she figured it out.

Alex threw his paws up in the air. "God fucking dammit what's the point of being undercover then?! I put a ton of resources and money into getting documents faked for me to pass off as a student, and almost TEN mammals have figured out that I'm a police officer undercover!" Alex growled.

"Calm down Alex! I wouldn't dream of telling anyone!" Els reassured.

"You'd better not, or else I'll kick your ass!" Alex threatened, and she could tell that the wolf meant it.

"Anyways, there's only one bear I can think of that was really close to Tem, and that bear's name was Riz," Bill revealed.

Alex stroked his chin fur thoughtfully. "What else can you tell me about this… Riz?" Alex asked curiously. As Bill described the bear and his personality to Alex, the wolf took note of every detail.

Els glanced at Alex nervously. "But Riz seems so nice… could he really have killed his best friend in cold blood?" Els fretted. Alex scratched his head.

"It is too early in the investigation to say anything for sure. I haven't even met this guy, and assumptions can lead to false arrests and I don't want to make a move on anyone unless I can say without a shred of doubt that he's the killer," Alex answered.

Bill coughed, his eyes fluttering. "God, I feel like I'm going to black out at any second. But I need to confess. Els… I haven't been exactly a saint. The whole reason I got in this mess was because I drank rabbit blood," Bill said.

Els gasped. "You… you IDIOT! What were you THINKING?!" The herbivore scolded.

"Yeah, I was being a little stupid," Bill chuckled weakly. "But I promise you guys I won't do anything like that again. I won't eat meat, no matter how tempting it becomes. I'll make myself a better tiger. I promise, with all my heart," Bill continued.

Alex arched an eyebrow, staring directly at Bill. "I'll make sure you keep that promise," Alex responded.

"So, if I understand correctly, Bill won't able to perform tomorrow?" Louis suddenly interrupted. Alex whirled around, surprised that the deer was awake.

"Why are you still up? The medicine should be making you sleep!" Alex wondered.

"Yeah, I was asleep. Until SOMEONE decided to perform an exorcism!" Louis huffed.

"Hey, it was necessary! A bloodlusting carnivore is dangerous!" Alex argued.

"MY SLEEP SCHEDULE IS IN DANGER!" Louis roared. Then he recomposed himself. "Sorry. That was a little uncalled for," the deer apologized.

"Louis is right, though. I probably won't be able to perform tomorrow," Bill sighed in defeat.

"I agree. You need three different kinds of rest right now, Bill- spiritual, mental, and physical. You're in no condition to perform tomorrow," Alex told the tiger. Louis began to laugh, the kind of laugh that Alex had heard from the mentally insane criminals that he had put behind bars.

"Louis, why are you laughing like some evil movie villain?" Alex asked worriedly.

"This could provide a most fortuitous opportunity for us," Louis cackled. "What are you talking about?! Stop talking like an antagonist!" Els anxiously replied, concerned that the head of the drama club might have lost his head.

"I'm talking about Legosi! It's time for that reserved wolf to stop holding himself back. He shall be the one to replace me as Adler!" Louis explained.

Alex gulped. He didn't exactly have the utmost confidence in the gray wolf's abilities to be the lead actor of the play. "Are you sure about that, Louis? I'm not sure Legosi can handle it," Alex said.

"I know that gray wolf can handle it. He's got the entire script memorized!" Louis revealed.

"What?!" Alex gasped, taken aback.

Els nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, that's right… Legosi can quote any line from the play!" Els confirmed. Alex then got a text on his phone. It was from Ellen, the zebra who played the role of the maiden that Adler protected.

"I had a really bad allergic reaction and I'm at the hospital. You'll have to find someone to replace me for the play," the text read. Alex showed the text to Louis, who groaned. The red deer racked his brain, searching for someone who he knew could pull off the role. Els wasn't the right kind of animal for the role. After a few minutes of deliberation Louis came to a conclusion.

"Alex. First thing in the morning, you need to go and grab Haru from the herbivore female dorms. She's the only one left who can play the role of the maiden," Louis told Alex.

"Haru?! But she's not even a member of the drama club!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yes she is! She's a reserve member!" Louis replied.

"SINCE WHEN!?" Alex bickered.

"SINCE I SAID SO!" Louis roared.

They all laughed, and Alex realized he needed to sleep. Bill yawned. "Hey, Els. Could you maybe… stay with me? I don't want to have to sleep alone with what I saw earlier tonight," Bill sleepily said. Els smiled warmly.

"Of course, Bill. I'll stay with you," Els assured him. The Angora goat laid down next to Bill and snuggled up to him. Too tired to record an audio log, Alex sank into one of the infirmary cots and went to sleep almost instantly, his exhaustion catching up with him.


And now, a sneak peek at the next chapter!

Tension at the drama club reaches an all-new high as the zebra who plays the female lead in the play calls in sick due to an extreme allergic reaction. Legosi is thrust into the spotlight as he is forced into the role of Adler. Alex must take over Bill's previous role as the final bad guy Adler must face. Louis nominates Haru to be the female role. Will Alex be able to pull the drama club together to make the final performance of the season a success?

Find out in Chapter 13: Unite The Drama Club! The Show Absolutely MUST Go On!


And now, a sneak peek at the next chapter!

Tension at the drama club reaches an all-new high as the zebra who plays the female lead in the play calls in sick due to an extreme allergic reaction. Legosi is thrust into the spotlight as he is forced into the role of Adler. Alex must take over Bill's previous role as the final bad guy Adler must face. Louis nominates Haru to be the female role. Will Alex be able to pull the drama club together to make the final performance of the season a success?

Find out in Chapter 13: Unite The Drama Club! The Show Absolutely MUST Go On!