Moonlight Medicine: Inoculation (44 page)

Though glad the strays were handled, Evelyn wanted evidence of distemper-neutered Vulke and Alonso too. Following her nose, and more screams and shouts, Evelyn eventually got her wish, though too many of the enemy Wolfkin had been able to make it back to their vehicles and escape. There were also, as predicted, enemy Wolfkin who were not initially infected. But, to Evelyn’s delight, capture and forced time in front of a canister spewing the distemper virus actually coerced a slow regression of the transformation. It was a painful transition and gruesome to witness, but it answered questions and solved timing issues. In only a few hours, sixty-six Wolfkin had rounded up two-hundred plus humans, sorting strays from Vulke by scent. No Alonso were found, which created a pit of unease in Evelyn’s chest, but she had to reserve that fear for a different day. She worried about the Vulke rallying and infecting more people or turning into a band of human murderers, but all of that was Roberto’s problem. She had done her part and, against all possible belief, she had found a kind-of cure.

*

In the still of the night, she found herself patrolling with Kim and Paul at her side. She finally felt some measure of elation at their accomplishment in defeating the Vulke, though David’s melancholy had led to her sneaking off on patrol without him. In just a few more hours they would leave these woods and, with luck, Evelyn would never have to pack another war duffle ever again.
I can’t believe it’s over.

Kim’s sparkling eyes mirrored exactly what Evelyn was feeling.

Paul nudged Kim playfully with his shoulder and she snapped at him just as joyfully. Evelyn watched their antics with a tentative contentment.

Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.

Temporarily deaf, Evelyn felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. Stunned, she watched crimson bullet-hole flowers bloom in fatal places from Kim and Paul’s bodies. Paul stumbled and fell, and the joy in Kim’s eyes faltered as she looked down at her chest. Then a pale man and a woman brandishing black pistols stepped out from behind a tree. A roaring growl rippling from her throat, Kim sprang forward and was at the woman’s throat even as the woman screamed and fired off more rounds. Blood cascaded from the pale woman’s neck, but she threw Kim off before dropping.

As Kim sprawled to the ground, her eyes met Evelyn’s for the last time. Evelyn wanted to howl with rage and pain, but she found she had no breath and pain was creeping from her stomach into her chest. Wanting to rush at the pale, she could only stare as he toe-d the woman and shrugged before returning his attention to her.

“Ah, not very sporting, but as you robbed me of my civilized death dealing with claws and teeth, I will dole out justice as I can. But where is your beloved Alpha? I very much want him to watch you die. Too bad we have so little time for torture. Again you rob me of my dignity and little joys. Ah well.”

Finally, able to gasp, a deep, ugly growl ripped from Evelyn’s throat.

“Now, do not make me shoot you again, Doctor, before I tell you who I am, though I apologize that I must be brief since those shots will undoubtedly bring more mongrels. I am Taras, former Alpha of the Vulke before your witchcraft science. As you die, know that I will bring suffering to your family and your friends, who would have been spared had you just surrendered to us. Every agonizing scream of theirs will be your fault. Just thought you should know.”

Rage and desperation forced the pain in her torso to the back of her mind. Her leg muscles tensed. He would get more rounds off before she reached him, but maybe she could tear out his throat before she bled to death.

“Evelyn!”

Out of the darkness came a
thwump
and then a canister winged Taras’s shoulder, knocking him off balance. Not wasting the distraction, Evelyn released the built-up tension in her legs and was on Taras before the gun went off. Blinded by red, Evelyn bit and tore and rent flesh from bone. A too loud sound echoed in her ears, but Evelyn only bit down harder until something gave way between her teeth.

“Evie!”

David’s voice sounded so far away.

*

Evelyn awoke slowly to the sound of voices and the harsh light of a fluorescent bulb. Her head throbbed gently and her whole body felt incredibly stiff. She tried to open her eyes but they were being stubborn, so she decided to try her ears first. She focused on the voices. One of them she was certain was Clem. He was saying something now.

“…bon-a-fide miracle. Anyhoo, I’ll leave ya to it. Got some Alpha-y stuff I gotta do, but tell her I was here and I’ll be back.”

“I will.”

Evelyn heard a door open and shut. Her eyes were still not cooperating, so she tried her voice, but only managed a rasping noise.

“Evie?”

Finally, a heavy lid slit open and there was David next to her bedside. Seeing the softness returned to his green eyes almost allowed her to keep repressing the bitter memories that brought stinging tears to her own dry eyes. She tried to move her arms and pain flooded her abdomen.

“Hey, whoa, easy there, tiger. You’re supposed to be in intensive care. Let me get you some water.” Disappearing briefly, David returned moments later with a foam cup with a bendy straw.

She sipped, coughed, winced in pain then sipped again. “K-kim?”

David’s eyes told her everything. He swallowed hard and shook his head.

The stinging in Evelyn’s eyes worsened and her vision blurred.

David gently brushed back some hair from her forehead. “Paul didn’t make it either, but everyone else is doing fine. Clem was just here visiting. He’ll be back soon.”

Evelyn tried to speak again, but David shushed her. “And without Taras, the whole Vulke pack kinda imploded. Roberto still has a lot of work to do, but I think it’s going to be okay. They rescued the scientists and Zachary’s daughter.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened.

“Her name is Sydney and Roberto infected her and Katie with distemper as soon as things calmed down. One lunar cycle down and so far so good.”

Evelyn scrunched her face then lifted an eyebrow.

“Oh, yeah right…So, you were in a medically induced coma for…a bit, but you were right about the transformations helping with healing.”

*

Evelyn fidgeted in her bed. “Tomorrow, I can get out of here right? You promised, David.”

“Only if you rest today.”

She scowled and stared out the window. Time was slow to heal her new wounds, both inside and out, and something had been bothering her. “This isn’t a real cure, you know. It could be reversed.”

“Only if someone engineers a bird virus.”

Turning to face him again, the edges of her healing gunshots pulled uncomfortably under the fresh bandages. “What?”

“You know, you used the spider virus to catch the fly virus, but someone could make a bird virus to catch the spider virus…”

“Ah, ‘There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly’.”

David nodded. “I thought it was a good analogy.”

“It works, but now I have to find another spider.”

“You’ll find one.”

“Someone will find one.”

Sighing, David sat on the edge of her bed. “Can we worry about something else for just, say, an afternoon?”

“What do you want to worry about?”

“Well, I’ve had a lot of time to think about things to worry about, what with you in a coma, and all. There’s rounding up strays and Vulke, reconnecting with survivors from the other packs, and getting back to some semblance of a normal life to worry about, but I came to a different decision.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “Us.”

Bracing herself on the pillow, she pushed herself forward and kissed him back more firmly. “I think I can handle that.”