Wolf Asylum (25 page)

For the rest of the afternoon, the good doctor and her two subjects worked together on the project and by the end of the day, Teddy Holmes had been more or less repaired.

In thanks for his efforts, Evita Gagnon and Teddy Holmes had James for dinner.

Darwin had run the entire gambit to the cave only missing one turn along the way. Quickly realizing his mistake he made an abrupt U-turn, having mistaken a fork in the trail for a place where the trail double-backed on itself, moving higher up the hillside. It was a minor problem caused from a lack of concentration. His mind was filled with possibilities with only one option garnering his attention.

How could Darwin live with himself if he didn't at least try bringing Steve home? If the outcome was the same…and the escape failed; Steve would be lost. If he stayed and did nothing he would be lost—and he was already nearing that oblivion. It made sense that the only option worth trying was to bring Steve home.

His mind was made up.

When Darwin arrived in front of Steve, he found that he hadn't moved. Still on his knees and nude, Steve looked up with his fang-encrusted face and growled lightly.

“I've got what you need,” Darwin declared as he pulled out the vial from the back pack.

“Where's Shawn?” he asked in a deep husk.

“He got hung up; he'll meet up with us later,” Darwin replied in partial truth. “Here, drink this.”

Darwin handed over the vial expecting Steve to drink it right away, but he didn't. Steve held the vial and looked at Darwin but made no further motion. Steve rocked slightly on his knees and huffed occasionally.

“This will only delay it,” Steve reminded. “I'm tired Darwin, I want it to end.”

Darwin dropped down and placed his hands on Steve's shoulders, “I have a plan to save us both. You must drink that if it's going to work. I think I can end it!”

Trounced, Steve took the vial and poured the contents into his mouth, placing the last shred of trust he had in what Darwin had said. In one large gulp he swallowed and the waiting began. “I only do this for you.”

“Thank you,” Darwin said, squeezing his shoulders. “How long does it take to work?”

“Last time…” Steve stopped in mid-sentence and began to shake.

His body vibrated in one continuous muscle spasm. His back lurched upwards creating a hunch before concaving back down. Steve's face opened in anticipation of the mounting pain in his gut. He snapped his jaw a few times and hissed before collapsing to his chest on the floor and raising his rump as though he was presenting. The skin on his back inflated momentarily before subsiding as the hair began to spread outwards from the spine, thickening as it went. The shoulders cracked and stretched wider as Steve kicked out, extending his feet.

Steve turned his darkened face upwards to see Darwin. In that moment he could feel the last of his humanity slipping and by Darwin's expression, he knew it to be true. He howled a scream before crumpling to the floor where he sprawled out and went limp.

His breathing stopped and the muscles relaxed in an unusual way, mimicking bread dough on a baker's bench. Darwin knelt down in front of Steve, placing his palm on his head. Heat radiated from the cranium that was uncomfortable to the touch as Darwin pressed his hand down firm. He could feel nothing. The hair felt like a mounted taxidermist prize.

Darwin expected to cry at this moment. He had already been here before. Maybe that was why he didn't—he was done with emotion. He was finished with good-byes.

He stroked the mutated head of his friend, waiting for something to happen. If Steve was dead, he should have changed back into a human form. On the other hand, things weren't the same in the underworld. Even Darwin couldn't transform—it seemed like all the rules went out the window.

Darwin sunk to the floor and cradled the large head. He would wait as long as he had to…there was nothing else he could do. Darwin didn't even know how to return to New Haven. He was imprisoned.

Twenty minutes after Steve stopped moving, Darwin still felt extreme heat exuding from his body. The heat gave him hope. If Steve were dead he should be cold, but heat meant life. Was it part of the enigma?

At thirty minutes, Darwin broke the silence and decided to talk to Steve. Maybe it was time for another good-bye?

“All this…” he started with a pause, “after everything, you started it. I wanted to tell you that I am a werewolf. I wanted to bite you! After everything, you did this to me. It's still hard for me to wrap my brain around that. We wasted so much time.”

Darwin stopped for a moment, his face sagging as he realized more truths. “They used you. It was me they wanted all along. Once they got me, they didn't care what happened to you. Wasn't that the story of your life?”

Snot billowed from his nose but he paid no attention. He was lost in thought.

“I want to know what to do next. Why is my family so…fucked up…important to these—whatever they are! Marta was marked, there's no doubt about that. Zack did horrible things to me, probably Cornell, too. Was Zack marked? And Cornell…” He stopped as he felt something under his hands.

By the time Darwin had noticed the change, Steve had already shifted back to his human skin. In Darwin's hands, Steve was awake and smiling. His skin was still searing hot but all traces of the wolf were gone.

“It worked!” Darwin shouted, lifting Steve off the ground for a hug.

“For now,” he sputtered out. “I have to be careful of what I think about, otherwise the change will start all over again.”

Darwin insisted, “that's why we must find away out of here and back to the world. We must leave, now!”

“You know I can't,” Steve grumbled as he sat up, closed his eyes harshly before re-opening them to a new view on things.

“I know what was said! Hear me out!” Darwin begged. “If you stay, you change. If you leave and get pulled back in, you change, or change faster. So, let's risk everything and try to leave. The gate is opening! If the barrier between the two worlds is weak, maybe this will be our best chance to escape! Their hold on you won't be strong enough and I think we can break away.”

“Then what?” Steve asked already seeing the next problem. “The gate will be open and Marta, the baby and whatever else is down here will be free in the world above. There's no escape.”

“That's right! Unless we close the gate after we escape. The message I had you send Teddy, that's the first step in closing the gate. I wasn't sure how this would work, but I'm sure now. Will you come back with me?”

Darwin had barely finished the question when the wind picked up outside and whistled through the caverns.

A gummy winter storm closed in and Darwin knew at that moment his plan had merit.

Teddy was asked to stay in bed while his new limbs continued to regenerate. The operation, though taking many hours longer than planned had been a success. As he lay in recovery looking at his hands and feet, he could feel messages being sent to the various points in his body which in turn twitched.

He was excited to feel nerves where there had been nothing but air for so long. He wanted his rehabilitation to begin and to excel as fast as possible. Part of him wanted to run down the hall and sprint until the foreign feet were officially his. He knew better from injuries when he wrestled in high school. You had to work the wound, slowly and methodically if it was to heal quickly.

Teddy had been left free in Hadamar, no restraints or security. Doctor Gagnon had departed hours earlier and Teddy was left alone to rest. He wondered why Evita had such a reversal of opinion in her approach to him and he could only conclude that she was nothing more than a narcissist. As long as he did what she wanted she was quite amiable.

One other reason Teddy felt Doctor Gagnon trusted him, or was at least not as concerned about him, was the fact he had consumed fetus. Teddy was still interested in resisting, in helping Steve and Darwin in whatever way he could, but the fetus was inside of him and it nagged.

Teddy sat up from his bed holding his weight with his new arms. The limbs didn't look right compared to the rest of his body. The new forearms and legs were pale and thin, almost bony in appearance. The line between the old Teddy and the new was heavily scarred and his left arm was slightly crooked, but he had everything he needed.

His arms and feet were still numbed, the way your mouth might feel after a dentist visit. Although deadened, he could feel the odd spasm and that gave him hope that soon he could walk.

He put his head back down to the pillow for some more rest. It's not what he wanted to do; he wanted to go for a walk and find some more fetus drink. It sickened him at the same time it excited him, but he also wondered if it would help his limbs grow stronger. For the moment it was impossible; he closed his eyes and tried to pass the time.

Fucking little faggot!

Teddy again found himself in the shower. It was his dream, his nightmare. Steve hovered over the small meek boy puffing up his chest getting ready to strike.

Fucking little faggot!

“I forgave you Teddy,” he said as he shrunk down to the proper size Steve.

“I know,” he said sullenly. “I can't forgive myself.”

“I don't have much time. I see you've played along with Doctor Gagnon. You must use these new legs. We have something very important you must do.”

“You and Darwin?”

“Yes!” Steve barked. “We're coming back to New Haven, soon. We need you to do something.”

“Of course, anything,” Teddy assured.

“In the east wing of Hadamar you'll find a man by the name of Dave Cronin. He's very sick and very dangerous to you. We need you to get a sample of his blood but you cannot touch it—it could be deadly,” Steve lectured as the room began to darken.

“What do you want me to do with it?”

“It must behave like the rumors,” Steve said in metaphor as the room dimmed further.

“I don't understand,” Teddy replied as the water from the shower head coughed out coagulated blood onto his face. “Please don't leave; I don't know what you want!”

Fucking little faggot!

Teddy awoke in a sweat and he could feel his body was already changing. The power raced through his veins into his new limbs and his body morphed in unison. He wasn't sure why he was changing, but he didn't fight it. With his new claws, Teddy tore away the hospital gown revealing his full-sized animal.

He rolled from the bed and landed on all fours. For the first time since he had been cursed he felt the gift. His body was restored and the hunger inside of him was growing. Like being drunk, he knew the difference between right and wrong but his ability to care was stunted.

All Teddy could see was blood and meat and he knew just where to get some. He bolted from his room ripping the door from its frame. The solid wood door fell to the floor, making a deafening crack that anyone inside the hospital would have heard. Undeterred, Teddy ran down the hall looking for the OR and the fridge that had more bottles of the sweet life giving fluid that had brought him so much relief.

He slammed the swing doors of the operating room, making his way directly to the fridge. He stopped in front of the tiny cooler and opened the door delicately. The light came on and to his delight, there were three bottles of the liquid that his body was in severe need of. He gently grabbed one bottle with his large claws, making an effort not to drop it. The cap was tight; making it difficult with his long knives and eagerness to open the bottle without mashing it with his claw frustrating. Growing impatient, Teddy fumbled and the bottle fell to the floor, shattering and infusing the air with the smell of sweet barbeque and a bakery all in one.

Unconcerned about the glass, Teddy swiped the floor with his fat tongue picking up nearly all the contents in one sweep. The feel of the fluid brought immediate gratification and he trembled with enchantment. The glass shards cut his tongue but the wounds quickly healed.

When he finished lapping up the floor, he looked back to see the fridge was still open. The two remaining bottles beckoned him, but he showed restraint. Teddy picked himself up and left the OR, deciding to search for the man in the east wing. He kept himself as the wolf even though he felt like he could bring himself back to just plain Teddy. The wolf was able to walk better than he could as a human. More over, Teddy was enjoying the strength and rapture and he understood now how easy it was to become lost in the power.

Dave Cronin, alone and near death when Teddy lumbered into his room, was conscious. Teddy had followed the smell of rotting flesh that was combined with soiled bedding. It was distinct and pungent, so much so that not even a human would have been able to ignore it.

In his waste, three flies had already found their way to life. They moved over Teddy and whipped past his snout before losing interest and returning to the putrefaction.

Not much was left of Dave. His body now resembled a swollen manatee. Every square foot of his body was three to four times larger than it should be. His body was so large his fat rolls were beginning to spill off the edges of the bed. His skin looked blotchy and pale with varicose veins runnning up and down his exterior.

Under his octuple-size chin his vocal cords were being crushed, yet Dave still gasped for air to speak. His eyes had swelled and ruptured, leaving him in the dark a day earlier although he could still hear well enough to know he had a visitor.

“Finish me,” he wheezed.

Teddy reluctantly began his trek back to his human form which felt like getting out of bed on a ridiculously cold morning. A minute later, he was human enough to speak with the one he had been told to seek out.

“What happened to you?” Teddy asked with a still, deep voice.

“Fucker…got…me.” Was all Dave could say as blood spattered from his raspy voice.

“Well, you don't have to worry. I'm here to help you. I'm just going to take some samples from you and I'll see if we can't figure out the source of the infection.” Teddy searched the room for garbs and gloves, heeding Steve's warning.

“Liar.” He coughed.

Teddy laughed at the dying man. He abruptly stopped and for the first time in years, he again felt like the bully, and it didn't feel good. Guilt swept over him which was hard to distinguish from the shame. He had to come clean.

“You're right, I'm sorry. I don't think I can help you. I've been asked to get some samples from you, it might help us…honestly I don't even know how it's supposed to.” Teddy stopped for a moment. “No one can save you.”

Having found everything he needed, Teddy slipped on his protective wears and gloved up. With a couple of needles on hand, he approached the hulking mass that sounded as though his stomach was churning continuously. Gas ruptured from hidden crevasses all over the mass and it took no expert to realize that soon Dave would be dead.

Teddy removed the plastic cap from the needle and jabbed it into the flesh. With no medical training of any kind, he could only guess how to take samples. He pulled back on the plunger and the vial filled with a clear-yellow material with solid particulates that were neither blood nor blister water.

With one syringe full he readied the next needle with the goal of acquiring blood.

The second and third needles all pulled out more of the same material which disheartened the novice intern.

The extraction sites had quickly darkened and become soft, oozing more yellow juice. What started out as localized bruising quickly spread outwards from all three locations and it showed no sign of stopping. Even Dave's own breathing had changed from labored to restricted. Whatever was going to happen to him, it would be very soon.

Feeling an urgent need to withdraw from the room, Teddy limped his way into the corridor, holding onto his three samples. He looked back only once to see the flesh of Dave ballooning off the bed in thick streams. The flesh began to break away, causing small geysers of cadaverine and putrescine gas to blow out. In one instant, the smell of a live being was gone to be replaced by the smell of a hundred rotting corpses in the August sun.

Teddy closed the door, latching it as the odd sound of a balloon bursting could be heard. It wasn't the sound of a crisp new balloon that had been over-filled, however. It sounded more like an old balloon that had slowly leaked over time and then had been forcibly punctured.

Curious, Teddy opened the door again and took a look. The door pushed through the mush leaving a sleek skid mark on the linoleum. Inside the room the lights had been covered in bio-matter casting a yellow-red hue on everything. From floor to ceiling globs of Dave dripped and slid down surfaces. Steam or gas rose off the pieces of flesh, making Dave look like he had liquefied.

Overcome by the odor, Teddy again shut the door and began walking the halls not knowing what to do next.

After his transformation and fetus, his body had again improved. His limbs still looked smaller than they should have, even as the scars were beginning to erase. Yet it was clear his body was absorbing the new material.

“I must hide this stuff,” Teddy mumbled to himself.

Teddy being the Trekkie that he was, knew it was the logical choice to save the samples. He had been asked to take samples so they would must be stored somewhere that Doctor Gagnon wouldn't look. The other task he needed to think about was how to save the samples?

“Freezer; I must find a freezer,” he concluded.

After a moment thinking about his situation, he came up with a place to hide the samples that was pure brilliance. Fridges and freezers throughout the hospital might be looked at in everyday usage, but the old morgue would not be used at all. No bodies would make it to the morgue from what Teddy had seen. The werewolves had an appetite that could never be fulfilled; that much he understood personally.

Teddy limped his way to the basement and found the old morgue. The lights were off when he arrived and were a bit slow to engage. Once the sterile room was bright again, everything looked dusty and that was a good sign.

With a hobble to the first unit, Teddy found that it was still on. He considered leaving the samples but then decided against it. The first freezer would be the most likely to be opened; he just proved that point himself. He closed the door and walked along the bank stainless steel doors until he found one on the end that still had a name tag on the door.

It read: Marie Foster.

Teddy hadn't known Darwin's mother but he knew enough about his family that he was aware of their names. Cracking the door open he quickly realized that the body of Darwin's mother was still inside, and frozen solid. Someone had knowingly left the body in the morgue. They had the foresight to decrease the temperature to well below freezing instead of the short term refrigeration that the morgue would traditionally do.

Teddy said in prayer, remaining silent for an entire minute. “Mrs. Foster, I'm sorry you've been forgotten. I'm sorry that I destroyed your son's life. It's because of me, my actions that things went the way they did. I feel responsible for everything. I couldn't have known at the time how I would have affected so many people. I created a monster, and for that I'm truly sorry.

“I need your help now. I'm told these samples will help put things right and I must hide them. You were murdered in December and you've been here ever since, which means I can leave these with you and they should be safe. All I can offer you in return is giving you your little boy back and a proper burial when this is all finished.”

A click of a door and heels on the floor could be heard at the other end of the hospital. Teddy marveled at how his ears could hone in so quickly. Without further discussion he shoved the needles under Marie Foster, slid her back in and closed the door delicately.

As fast as he could limp he ran up the stairs to the patient floors to make it look like he had been walking on his new legs. He tried to be as quiet as possible, knowing her ears were as good as his.