If there were a worst time for unforeseen circumstances, Jack didn't know of any. Odds against these kinds of things had to be near astronomical. In fact, occurrence like these were generally avoided, considered hopeless situations. Certainly they were usually resolved before any length of time would pass.
Damnit, these kinds of things just weren't supposed to happen!
Well, I only have myself to blame, Jack thought to himself. It was my bright idea to wait until the last minute, yet again. Why the hell couldn't I have gotten this thing done earlier? Why the hell couldn't I have picked a different pharmacy?
He couldn't help but berate his foolishness as he continued to bump his head against the cold glass of the freezer door. Not really wanting to know, Jack couldn't help but turn his head to look at the clock on the wall. His eyes briefly swept over the aptly placed Budweiser logo before settling on the clock hands.
Half-past six, the words echoed in his mind.
If this were the burning center of summer, he wouldn't be so worried. Unfortunately, they were nearly done with fall, and winter's long nights were beginning to creep in. He'd checked the paper this morning, just to be sure, and knew for a fact that the sun would be setting at 7:38 p.m. It wasn't as early as usual these days, and for that Jack was glad. Still, if he didn't get his medication and out of this damn place soon, things could get very bad. If worse came to worse, and the medication was a no go, it would take him a good twenty minutes to get to the flat he called home, and into the specially constructed room. He might have time to get his arms shackled, but his control might go before he had time for the ankles. Still, he would need that time. Thirty minutes would be good, but twenty minutes was the bare minimum.
Briefly, the thought occurred to him to just run out of the store now, and worry about the consequences later, but he'd heard too many stories and seen too many movies to seriously consider it. As he berated himself over and over again, the events leading up to this moment replayed themselves in his head. It was three days ago that he was in the doctor's office...
* * * * *
"Thank you," Jack smiled and stood. He dropped the magazine he'd been reading just then - and the last eight times he'd been to the office - on the table near the waiting area. With ease that came only with familiarity, he maneuvered his way past the reception area and into the intricate maze of offices and examination rooms in back. The first few times he had come, the place seemed a labyrinth of doors and halls, but after his initial insecurity in new surroundings faded, he quickly learned the correct path. In no time, he found the office.
Even though he knew it was the right office, he couldn't help but look up and read the sign on the door: DR. BENJAMIN BAUER, DIRECTOR OF GENETIC DISORDERS RESEARCH. With the part of his mind that insisted on the verification reassured, he opened the door and walked in.
* * * * *
"Don't waste your time, buddy," said a voice snapping him from his distraction, "you're going to be here for a while."
He looked up at the speaker, frowning.
"What's the matter, you got medicine to take?" the man spat.
It was all Jack could do to keep from laughing. Though the restraint helped, his smile did little to diminish the potential problem.
"Hey, Chris, I think we got us a trouble-maker here," the young man called out, pumping his shotgun and lowering the muzzle.
He was dressed in a long, black trenchcoat that hung open in front. Underneath, he wore a dark, torn tee shirt and corresponding black pants held up by a black, leather belt covered in shiny chrome studs. The black, chrome tipped boots on his feet completed his ensemble. He had dark hair, cut close and spiked, and a five-o'clock shadow showing prominently on his narrow, slightly pale face. Covering his eyes were two small bright blue circles held in place by thin, wire frames. Jack considered him a man, but just barely. He couldn't have been much older than twenty or twenty-one, but if the legal system considered him an adult, Jack figured he could do the same.
"Oh, yeah?" one of his companions answered. "Why don't you just shoot him, then?" the other voiced mocked.
"Yeah?" the young man took aim with the rifle. "Tell me, why don't I?" he asked Jack.
Eyes unflinching, Jack replied, "Cause if you fire one shot, the cops outside - the ones with the itchy trigger fingers - will level this whole place with all the firepower they have out there. You've heard of 'The Domino Effect,' haven't you? All they need is for you to push the first one down."
The young man's lip curled into a hateful sneer as he considered Jack's words. Finally, realizing the truth in his words, he satisfied his ego by slamming his heel straight into Jack's stomach.
"I'm no clown," he said, leaning in till he was inches from Jack's face, "don't ever smile at me again."
Jack couldn't help but cough as the waves of pain swept through him. He hunched over, drew his legs up to his chest, and grunted, trying to maintain as much dignity as he could. With shaky hands, he wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to ignore the pulsating ache in his gut. There was no way for the gunner to know, but Jack had received an injury there the night before. It wasn't a severe wound, but the man's heel had managed to open up the wound again. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing the full extent of his injuries, Jack tried to cover up the blood as much as possible.
The young man stood up, adjusted his lenses, then walk away, continuing his circuit around the small store. Off in the distance, Jack could hear yet another member of the group shouting at the cops over the phone. Somehow, Jack was able to push down his humiliation, which had been quickly turning to rage. Knowing where those kinds of emotions would lead him, Jack had long ago learned to control his emotions.
"Are you alright, Mister?" a small, sweet voice asked from his right side.
Jack turned his head to see the young girl curled up with her mother. Ironically enough, her mother seemed to be more afraid of the situation than she was. Perhaps it was the ignorance of youth that gave the little brunette girl her courage, or maybe it was just that she had been so desensitized to fear this seemed just another day to her. In any case, she offered Jack a shining smile, and for a momenthe forgot his own suffering.
"I'm fine, sweetheart," he offered her a weak smile in return.
Looking at the girl quickly reminded him how desperate his situation was. He couldn't stay here much longer. There had to be some way out. What the hell were the cops doing out there?! Couldn't they just give these morons what they wanted and be done with it? Of course, there was no way for them to know just how much danger the people inside were in. Jack, knew, though. He knew just how dire their situation was. Likewise, he also knew the only way to save them was for him to get out. Apparently the negotiations hadn't gotten to the point where they would be sending out hostages. When that time came, Jack was going to do everything in his power to be the first one out.
Wait, he groaned as realization dawned. If I get out, the cops are going to be all over me. Oh, shit!
That was right! The police had their "procedures" to follow, and the first thing they'd do would be to lock him up and assume he was one of the "terrorists." After that, he would have to face several hours of interrogation and debriefing.
That meant only one option was left. He had to escape.
Oh, definitely! his reasoning took over.
There were five of those idiots scattered around the small store, and only two exits. There was no way he could go out the front door without being seen by the cops. Also, what were the odds that the police would be dumb enough to not cover the back door? Besides, from what he had seen, one of the gunmen was standing in the back of the store with some kind of assault rifle. Even though the weapons were unlikely to be loaded with silver bullets, any shot to his heart or brain would put him out of commission for more than a few hours, something he couldn't risk. The last thing he needed was to be unconscious.
It was hopeless. He looked at the clock again.
* * * * *
In front of the windows was a large, wooden desk, complete with desk lamps, a computer, and the other miscellaneous items people usually put on their desks. Also, there were several papers, and folders near bursting with even more papers scattered throughout the furniture. In front were two, rather cushy leather chairs. The point of the furniture had long been lost to their owner, as they were both currently doubling as extra paper storage devices.
Jack knew from past experience that if he wanted to sit he would have to clear one of them off. He couldn't decide, though, which one to clear off.
His pondering was interrupted when the door opened.
* * * * *
Jack's breathing started to increase in tune with his anxiety. He looked around the small store, feeling like a trapped animal. Looking out of a clear spot on the front windows, he could see the shadows outside were getting longer.
* * * * *
"Oh, hello, Jack," he greeted, smiling, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"That's fine, that's fine," Jack returned the smile, and offered his hand.
He continued with an apology anyway, "Well, you see, things are going on in the lab that require my supervision every so often, and I had to step out for a second." Realizing Jack's hand was still offered, he reached out and gave it a firm shake.
"Really, Doc, it's fine," Jack nodded. "Time isn't a factor right now. There's still three days left," he shrugged. Jack knew that Doctor Bauer would feel bad no matter what he said, but he was determined to make the young man relax.
"Well, fine, then," Bauer scuttled to his desk. "Please, have a seat."
* * * * *
Jack could feel the sweat beading on his face. Soon, it was pouring down him like small waterfalls. His loose button-up shirt and slacks were drenched in a matter of minutes.
* * * * *
When Bauer saw Jack was settled in, he spoke, "Well, um, how has the medication been working?"
"Fantastically," Jack answered. "There hasn't been one recurrence of my symptoms since our last session."
"Good, good," Bauer said, scribbling the information down in Jack's file. "Now, have you experi-?"
"I've suffered from no side-effects since our last session. Likewise, my hormone levels seem to have stabilized even more since my last tests," Jack answered, knowing the routine.
"Yes, I've been copied on the test results, and concur. Now, your psychological status?" Bauer readied his pen.
* * * * *
As his fear began to rise, Jack forgot everything Dr. Tsumiko had taught him. His hands were shaking as he placed them over his face and began to rock back and forth.
* * * * *
"Excellent," Bauer detailed it all in his log. "I think we're making real progress here, Jack. The medication seems to have stabilized your condition."
"Yes, it has," Jack smiled.
"You do realize, of course, that for things to continue this way, you cannot go off the medication for a single day. You must be meticulous in sticking with the program."
"I realize that," Jack nodded.
"Because if you miss even one day, then you're not covered for the rest of the month. It takes another full lunar cycle for the chemicals to take hold again."
Jack swallowed, nodding again.
* * * * *
Over and over, Jack heard himself repeating the words, "Please, God, no... Please, God, no..."
* * * * *
"We're still stuck," Bauer sighed. "Our new protein coating didn't work. I've wanted to talk to you about bringing in a specialist from Japan. We've heard nothing but good things about him."
"Has he ever worked for the government?"
Bauer paused before answering, "Yes."
"Then I can't allow it."
"Jack," he started.
"No, Ben," he held his hand up. "You know my feelings on this. Bringing in an outsider is just too risky. We're taking a big chance coming to you, as it is. I'd rather stick with the people we know."
"All right, then," Ben nodded.
"If it were just me at risk," Jack left the sentence open.
"I understand," Ben smiled.
As Jack stood, he offered his hand again and smiled when Ben didn't hesitate in taking it. With a quick nod of his head, Jack turned and walked out the door.
* * * * *
Not able to take it anymore, Jack jumped to his feet.
"Goddamnit, you have to let me out of here!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Sit the fuck down!" the man with the blue sunglasses said, pumping his shotgun and sending a perfectly good shell flying to the ground.
"No! You don't understand! I have to leave! "
"Sit down or I'll blow your fucking head right off!" the young man who had been talking to the police shouted, pointing a rather large handgun at him.
"You don't understand! You're all in danger!" Jack's pleas were beginning to excite two of the gunmen. "I don't want to hurt anyone! PLEASE!!"
In response, the man with the glasses swiped the butt of his gun across Jack's face, sending him to the floor.
"No," was all Jack could say as the world went black.
Danny smiled as the nut hit the ground. He'd told Jesse that this one would be trouble, and had been right. The fucker had thought he could trick them into throwing him out if he acted like a nutcase. Danny had seen through the guy's ploy, though.
He turned around to look at Jesse behind the counter, "I told you so."
"Yeah, whatever. Good thing you didn't shoot him, or we'd all be fucked."
"Whatever. They wouldn't," Danny stopped in mid sentence as the lights flickered out.
"What the fuck?!" Chris shouted from the other side of the store.
"Relax," Jesse said. "The sun went down, so they thought we'd sweat better if the lights were out. The moon's full, though. There's plenty of light."
"Yeah," Chris relaxed.
"Let me just," Danny stopped again. "Where is he?"
"What?" Jesse asked.
"The fucking guy! The one I hit, where did he go?!"
"What do you mean? I thought he was out."
"Dazer!" he shouted towards the back of the store.
"Yeah?" came the reply.
If Dazer was still in the back, then he couldn't have gotten the body. That only left...
"Tony!"
No response.
"Tony, get your thumb out of your ass and answer me, goddamnit!"
Still no reply.
Danny looked at Jesse, who immediately took the safety off his gun. Hefting his rifle, Danny started to walk through the store. He heard a faint sound coming from where the bathroom was, and headed towards it.
His heart nearly stopped as the door swung open and Tony came bursting out.
"Fuck?!" Tony shouted, seeing the guns all pointed at him, even though a long rack of groceries was between him and Danny.
"Shit, you scared the shit out of me!" Danny shouted.
"Shit out of you?? I've got to go back in there, now!" he smiled as the guys laughed. "What the hell happened to the lights?"
Danny relaxed his hold on the gun as he started to answer, "The cops-"
All of them were set back on edge as Tony was tackled by a large, hairy thing. The two of them went flying back into the bathroom.
"What the fuck?!" Chris shouted again.
All of them could hear Tony's screams of terror as something let out a demonic roar. Then Tony was quiet. Danny could hear the same sounds he heard in slasher movies when the people were being ripped limb from limb. The sounds of bone crunching froze him in his place.
"Fuck you!" Chris appeared from around Danny and began to unload his Uzi into the door. Chris' gun had been loaded with hollow-points, and the flimsy door didn't hold up for long against the onslaught.
The people in the store started to scream as Chris' maniacal laugh filled the area. Outside, the police were shouting through their bullhorns. Inside, Chris was shouting all manners of obscenities while he blew the door away.
Too busy to notice, Danny never saw that most of the people were running outside.
Finally, Chris' Uzi ran out of bullets. He discarded the weapon and drew a .357 from his belt. Slowly, he crept toward the door. Right behind him, Danny readied his shotgun.
Chris didn't even have time to scream when what remained of the door crumbled as the hairy creature jumped out from the bathroom.
Danny was still frozen in place as the creature ripped out his friend's throat. It wasn't until the thing turned its dark eyes to him that he began to stumble back. His legs felt like jelly, though, as he struggled to regain his footing and run like hell to the back of the store.
He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. It was like something out of a horror movie. Things like that weren't supposed to exist in real life! The image of it was burned into his mind. It had been the size of a small bear with long, black fur. On the ends of its legs were enormous dark paws with what could almost pass as fingers holding long blood-soaked talons. The face resembled that of a wolf, but no wolf Danny had ever seen. The jaw muscles on the thing were like nothing he had ever seen before. They looked like they belonged on a demonic pitbull instead of a wolf. But the teeth, the teeth were what scared him most. The front fangs had to have been a full two inches long, and were dripping with the blood of his friends. The beast seemed to have smiled at him, almost in recognition. That thought sent chills running down Danny's spine.
"Jesus-fucking-Christ, Danny!" Jesse shouted as he ran past.
Danny couldn't figure out why, but Jesse stood his ground. From behind him, Danny could hear Jesse shouting and emptying his gun before his own throat was ripped out. If he was hearing right, the damn thing was right behind him!
Running faster than he ever had before, Danny broke through the flimsy screen door with ease. In the alley, Dazer was waiting with his AK ready. Taking a few strides away from the doorway, Danny spun on his heel and aimed his shotgun at the torn door.
They waited.
Nothing.
Dazer looked at Danny and gulped.
Danny's eyes narrowed as he realized his sunglasses were missing. They had actually been prescription lenses that he'd tried to disguise as regular shades all these years. Fortunately, the guys had associated them with some kind of trademark he'd been trying to develop over the years. He didn't think he could stand the embarrassment if his friends knew he was half-blind. Even with the light of the moon being as bright as it was, in the dark alley, all he could see were general shapes. Taking his eyes off the door for a moment, he looked on the alley floor.
The glint of the chrome covered titanium frames in the darkness caught Danny's eye. Apparently, they had fallen off when he had gone crashing through the door. They weren't too far away, and he thought he could reach them.
Slowly, his gun never leaving the direction of the door, he lowered himself into a crouch and reached out his left hand. Dazer, who was too busy aiming at the door to notice him before, turned and looked at him.
"What're you doing?" he asked.
"Keep the fucking door-!" Danny shouted as the creature came flying through the doorway and straight into Dazer.
Danny could barely see as Dazer tried to fight the beast with his rifle. The bestial growls and roars were too much for Danny, and he knew that his friend was dead. Not waiting for the beast to finish, Danny left his glasses and ran at full speed down the alley.
He ignored his friend's pleas for help as the tears rolled down his face.
It didn't take long for the thing to be done with Dazer, and Danny could hear its claws scratching the pavement as it came towards him. As soon as he cleared the alley, Danny knew his only chance was to slow the thing down, and spun around, taking whatever aim he could.
All he could see were blurs in the dark, but he started firing at anything that moved.
His shouts of rage almost carried over the sound of the gunshots. In any case, the noise he was making called the attention of everyone in the area.
" Freeze! Drop the gun! " came the shout over the bullhorn.
Danny was too far gone to understand the words. Instead, he turned and made the mistake of firing at the multitude of police cars.
" Fire! "
The beast watched from the shadows of the alley as an invisible creature tore his enemy to pieces. Piece by piece, he saw the man's body bursting open. He couldn't help but lick his lips at the thought of the meal that was escaping him.
Unfortunately, the scent of Man was strong in the air, and the beast knew he had to flee. He would have to be content with the bits of the other four he had already tasted this night. As the beast turned and fled down the other end of the alley he thought how wondrous the night was.
It seemed like an eternity had passed since he had run free through the night. In this concrete mayhem, however, there wasn't much he could do. Snaking through the alleys and shadows, the beast made his way towards the scents of the open air and away from Man.
Relishing the scents of nature, the beast smiled. It had been too long. He would enjoy himself this night, knowing it might be another long while before he could enjoy it again.
Tonight, he was free.
BIO: I've been writing for a few years now, mostly in the fantasy/sci-fi genre but also delving into the horror. My favorite authors include Robert Jordan, Piers Anthony, Anne Rice, John Saul, and Dean R. Koontz. On my regular hours, I'm a student working on a Bachelors in Computer Science and minoring in English or Journalism. My passion is writing, although I also enjoy reading almost as much. I'm still honing my skills, so I'd appreciate any feedback anyone could give.
E-mail:lightwarrior@rocketmail.comlightwarrior@rocketmail.com
URL: http://w3.panam.edu/~rjarero/aol/
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