by Eddie Jakes
The morgue was primarily in the basement of the hospital. They kept it around the back, probably by design so that those seeking treatment weren't exposed to the imagery of death. On the other hand, it made it much easier to transport those that didn't make it to their last stop before burial.
The two of them sat and waited inside a car that Krazek had borrowed from an unsuspecting couple. They wouldn't miss it, however. Pacifying the powerless was an easy task for him, and he knew quite a few different paralysis spells. They would be okay in the morning and none the wiser about the grand theft of their car.
They had been sitting there for an hour, and Ephrain was getting impatient. He had things to do every morning, and this project of Krazek's was wasting valuable time. Even if he sympathized with the situation, dealing with greedy gangsters trying to take a bigger piece of his action took a lot of time and energy. Having that little weasel Craig always sniffing around the facility didn't make it easier for sure.
"What about them?" asked Ephrain, looking at two gentlemen wearing blue jumpsuits.
"No. Those are just maintenance men. Probably in charge of garbage removal."
Ephrain sighed.
"Patience. We need a regular doctor or medical examiner. Preferably both."
It was just their luck that everyone walking in and out of the morgue that morning was anything but a member of the medical staff. Ephrain imagined the real doctors were busy performing examinations of the dead bodies. Murder victims, accidents, suicides, and natural causes—they all needed to be diagnosed by someone with half a brain, he reckoned. Even still, there had to be more than one of them working that day.
"I think we may have found our doctor," said Krazek, pointing to a husky man wearing scrubs.
Ephrain sized up the man and figured him to be just about his waist. He was muscular in the arms but heavier in the midsection. Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
"Nasty habit," said Ephrain.
"No time to waste. Let's go."
"Do I cut his throat or stab him in the kidney?"
"Don't be brash. We can't get blood on the uniform. I'll take care of incapacitating the man. You drag him behind the dumpster. Once we have his credentials, we'll take some lackey's clothes and enter."
Krazek exited the car and walked up to the smoking medical examiner. He looked confused that someone was approaching him. Must not be used to patients walking around in the morgue, thought Ephrain.
"Pardon me, my good man," said Krazek.
"How can I help you?"
"I was wondering if you’d mind looking at something for me. I'm a little concerned that it may be contagious."
"The clinic is on the other side of the hospital. Probably better off having them look at it."
"Please," Krazek reached into his coat, "it'll only take a second for you to look at this …"
A collection of sparkles and lights danced from Krazek's hand, and the doctor was locked in a complete trance. Walking slowly toward the dumpster, Krazek waved his hand at the physician who followed him the whole way. Ephrain was impressed and quickly jogged from the car to the dumpster.
"Please disrobe, and hand your clothes to the gentleman next to you," commanded Krazek.
The doctor complied without so much as a single protest. He stripped down to his undergarments and handed the scrubs to Ephrain, who began to change his clothing. He stopped when he saw the identification clipped to the doctor's shirt.
"Small problem," said Ephrain. "I don't look anything like this. Someone is gonna catch us."
"Don't worry about that. Let's just get another uniform."
When they woke up that morning, Tara was starting to run a pretty high fever. Shepard suggested going into town to grab some aspirin or ibuprofen to help get her through the next couple days. This time, Javier insisted they go together considering the outcome of Maddix's last trip. If the prisoners were out there, they needed to stick together as much as possible.
Javier was just as overwhelmed as Maddix was when he saw everything. The changes in technology and people, in general, was a culture shock to him. He still had a lot of gaps in his memory, but he remembered enough to notice all the changes in the world. He found it ironic that with all the advancement to make people's lives more convenient and simpler, everyone seemed to be in more of a hurry than ever before.
They stopped at a small pharmacy on the outskirts of town and browsed the shelves. For the most part, everything Javier remembered was still there although the packaging was certainly more sophisticated. Picking up a box of cookies, he looked at the writing carefully.
All natural with no GMO.
"All natural? What else would it be made of?" whispered Javier.
"What?" Maddix replied.
"GMO?"
"Don't ask me, I'm as lost as you are."
Maddix motioned for Javier to follow him into the aisle with the painkillers. The variety of products was a little overwhelming, but two brands stood out as familiar so he grabbed a box of each. Shepard had given them a little cash he had at the cabin, so they paid for the pills then walked outside.
"I know some of the food looks a little scary, but shall we go get some breakfast before we head back? There’s still a few bucks left."
Javier smiled. "Oui, monsieur. I could use some decent coffee."
Getting past the security checkpoint was almost too easy. The guard at the desk had to have been nearly seventy years old by Krazek's best estimation. Add that to the fact the man could barely keep his eyes open or his snoring down, it made it almost pointless to have lifted a pair of uniforms to begin with. It was better safe than sorry he supposed. They still needed to keep the low profile while they moved in and out of the city. It would take them some time to notice the bodies in the dumpster, and by then they would be long gone from the morgue. They would most likely chalk it up to a robbery gone wrong or some kind of drug related incident, which seemed to be the prevailing narrative when there wasn't any other explanation.
The morgue mostly consisted of different offices and supply closets with a single rest area for employees. Trying to keep their eyes forward and not draw attention to themselves, the two men walked down a long corridor leading to a large metal double-door at the end. It was big enough to push a stretcher through, and a card reader to the right of it confirmed that was where they needed to go. Hopefully the ID badges they took would allow them access. If questioned, Krazek knew he could use magic to divert them away but the less he used, the better. A bunch of reputable medical staff talking about being hypnotized by some stranger in a pair of scrubs would make good news even if it did sound absurd to the masses. There would always be that one lunatic looking for conspiracies.
Luckily for them, no one seemed to pay them any mind and Krazek swiped his card. The reader beeped, and the door lock released, allowing them to pass through.
There were ten slabs in the morgue with five of them containing bodies. Most of them looked to be of old age and most likely dead of natural causes. One of them was a young man with several stab wounds in his stomach.
"It's like walking into your apartment," said Krazek, with a wink to Ephrain.
"I want to meet their decorator."
"Quick, let's find William before we're discovered."
They split up on both sides checking each slab and clipboard. From the news report William's face looked smashed to the point it was almost unrecognizable, but none of the five corpses were him. Krazek pointed to the rear wall that housed the morgue lockers. They both opened and closed the cabinets until Ephrain pulled out a body with a bloodied sheet draped over it.
"I think I found him."
Krazek bolted to the body and lifted the sheet up. It was William all right; he had gunshot wounds all over him, and his face looked as though someone had put it through a meat grinder.
"Get what you need and let's leave."
"Hold on," shushed Krazek. "Grab me one of those pincers over
by the slabs."
Ephrain glared at Krazek in frustration.
"Just do it!"
There was a complete set of medical instruments sitting on a cart next to the stabbing victim. Pushing the cart over to Krazek, Ephrain waved his hands over them fancifully like a game show host.
"Take your pick," groaned Ephrain.
Krazek grabbed a pair of long forceps and jabbed it deep into one of the bullet holes in William’s chest. He fiddled around with them before clamping down hard and pulling with all his strength. Something finally gave, and he held up the extracted bullet in front of Ephrain.
"Yeah? So what? He was shot. We knew that already."
"Look at the bullet, idiot."
Ephrain took a close look and shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't a stupid man, but he wasn't getting the point.
"It's silver. Whoever shot him, knew what type of weapons to use. Someone knew he was a werewolf."
"Someone knows about us?"
"They know about werewolves in any case."
Krazek tossed the bullet aside and pulled a syringe from his pocket. After removing the protective cap, he stuck it in the chest of William and extracted what little blood he could. The gaping wounds had caused him to bleed out considerably but he was still able to obtain enough for the spell.
"Now let's get out of here," Ephrain muttered.
Krazek wiped the needle clean and replaced the cap on the tip. They were able to exit the morgue just as quickly as they entered, shred their disguises, and regroup at the car.
"So what's the next step?"
"I need to get back to my home and perform the spell. Can you walk back from here?"
"Yeah, the plant isn't far from here. I need to check on operations anyway. It's a beautiful day for a walk."
"Good. I'm going to have to immerse myself into the werewolf's culture so you won't be able to contact me for a while. As soon as I can, I'll check in. You can handle things from here?"
"Sure can."
"If anything goes wrong, contact the doctor."
It was the first regular breakfast they had eaten since they could remember. It was a change of pace being around ordinary people like them versus dining near inhuman creatures that wanted to eat them. Javier helped himself to multiple cups of coffee, and he was starting to feel right at home. Maddix couldn't forgive himself for not remembering the joy of crispy bacon. Years of wild game and vegetables were hearty, but nothing could beat the savory flavor of bacon.
They could both barely walk they were so full. Javier let out a satisfying belch that lasted three seconds. Maddix laughed at him.
"I had been holding that in, monsieur. Did not want to be rude in front of the other patrons."
"Of course not," chuckled Maddix. "Let's get back before they get worried."
They both headed down the sidewalk laughing and joking. It was probably the first boring conversation the two men had ever had. Up until then, it was all business and planning. It was as if Maddix and Javier were average people like everyone else, and they both liked it.
"You know what I just remembered?" said Maddix.
"No?"
"Baseball."
"You forgot about baseball?"
"I didn't forget about the sport, but I remember going to see games. I think my favorite team was Chicago. Anyway, I started to remember some other things about it. Hot dogs, popcorn, potato chips, soda, and beer."
"Beer? You didn't drink at the pub in Malevolent?"
"I did, but it wasn't the same. I know that now."
"How so?"
"I can remember the experience of drinking a cold beer while watching baseball. That's a different kind of enjoyment than just drinking beer by itself. When we get a chance, I think I'm going to go see a baseball game and drink a beer. Maybe that will jog more memories. Good ones, I hope."
"I can't remember anything good."
"Don't want to talk about it?"
Javier shook his head.
"Don't feel rushed. Maybe if you do something … French?"
"French?" laughed Javier.
"Yeah, like find something you would have done back in France. Maybe it will trigger a positive memory.
"The American coffee certainly didn't do the trick."
Maddix laughed. "Didn't stop you from drinking a gallon of it."
"Well, I know that I love coffee. I know that I was a soldier of some kind. I just can't remember how I came to be sent to the prison along with you and Ms. Cherane."
"I haven't got any idea how I was picked to go there. Neither can Tara."
"What do you make of Shepard?"
Maddix was quiet at first. "I'm not sure. I feel like we can trust him, but I know that there is more under the surface with him. There are still things he hasn't told us, but at the same time, I understand."
"I have been thinking about that. Do you think—"
Maddix abruptly stopped walking and stood there with his jaw open. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Casually walking down the street with his hands in his pockets and not a care in the world was Ephrain Ketter. It had to be fate. Two days in a row and Maddix would find two of their enemies just parading through town like any average Joe.
"This is too good to be true," Maddix exclaimed.
"Wait. Don't do anything stupid. If Ephrain sees us and tells the others that we're alive, the game is over. We're not ready for a straight up fight."
"Then let's make sure he doesn't tell the others."
Maddix walked away before Javier could stop him. He was determined to hunt this man down and extract information from him. Not wanting him to get himself killed, Javier followed him.
Ephrain Ketter was remarkable, but he wasn't like any other creature from Malevolent. His senses were nowhere as good as a werewolf or vampire, and thus Maddix and Javier were able to trail him for several miles. They kept their distance, and Maddix kept his cool while they watched him. He wanted so bad to kill the man who had built his trust over the last few years. They had become friends, and Maddix had shared a lot of personal thoughts with Ephrain, but in the end, it was all just part of the big conspiracy to escape.
They had no idea where they were now. The quaint little town seemed to morph into a ragged looking city with a less desirable element to it. There were homeless men and women everywhere, and some of the most despicable looking people Maddix had seen. Even more despicable than some of the prisoners he had been in charge of in the past.
"They really let this part of town go to hell, didn't they?" observed Javier.
"Just worry about Ketter for now."
Ephrain kept moving forward, only occasionally stopping to scrape a bit of refuse off his shoe, or to wave off some vagrant asking for change. He was numb to the environment around him, not caring about anyone or anything that tried to engage him. It was now obvious to Maddix that Ephrain Ketter was and would always be a cold-blooded bastard of a man.
They all took a left down past some tracks and soon they were by the water behind all the businesses lined up on the main street. There was no one around, and Maddix thought about how easy it would be to put a bullet in the back of the man's head and be done with it. The rational part of him knew that they needed to follow him to his destination and find out what he had been up to, and if possible, find where the other prisoners were.
Ephrain took a quick right and approached a door to some subfloor area under what looked like a bar. Grabbing Javier, Maddix pulled him behind some stairs where they could stay out of sight and still keep their eyes on him. They both watched as he opened the door and disappeared into the building.
"We need to find out what's in there," whispered Maddix.
"I agree, monsieur."
They ran over to the door, and Maddix pressed his ear tight against it, hoping to hear something that would give them an idea how many were inside. He could hear another door open and close but not much else. He pointed to the door and made a pulling motion with his hands. Javier withdrew
his pistol and held it at ready.
Slowly, Maddix cracked the door open and took a look inside. It was dim, but he could make out a set of stairs past a small entry. Pulling out his own gun, he opened the door and entered.
Javier held up his finger to his ear, and Maddix stood still trying to listen to the voices coming from behind the door at the bottom of the stairs. One of them was clearly Ketter's.
"My people just picked up the last batch. Here is the money for this month’s receipt and next month’s order."
"Great," said Ephrain. "What about that delivery I talked to you about?"
"Boss says anything you need, as a professional courtesy. No questions asked."
"Good. Now get lost. I'm tired of looking at your face."
"Always the warm fuzzies with you, eh?"
"Good-bye!"
After a few grumbles the door opened. Maddix and Javier pressed their backs against the doorway and remained quiet. Hopefully, the lack of light would mask their presence. The strange gentleman walked right by, while lighting a cigarette and not bothering to notice anything.
The two men let out a big sigh of relief once the strange man was out of sight.
"Let's go," whispered Maddix.
"This is too risky. I think we should come back with Tanya. We need some kind of backup."
"I'm going." Maddix headed down the stairs.
"Shit"
Maddix slowly turned the knob and opened the door slightly. He couldn't see much except for a few people putting something into bottles. Their eyes looked drained of life, similar to the way the wasp venom effected everyone in Malevolent. They weren't aggressive but certainly in a vegetative state.
He opened the door a little more but could not see any sign of Ephrain Ketter anywhere. He hoped he hadn't left through some back door to the place. The thought of finally confronting the man and settling the score was almost arousing. The things he pictured doing to him once he had him where he wanted—
"What the hell is wrong with me?" Maddix muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"What?" asked Javier, confused.