by Meg Ripley
I watched as a bear attacked a woman on the screen. She was waving her arms frantically trying to stop it, while running towards what appeared to be a rocky beach. I covered my mouth in horror as the bear chased her and shredded her with its claws until she lay among the stones, unconscious and bleeding. The bear sniffed her for a moment, spotted something in the trees, and ran towards it.
Eric seemed to notice my fear.
“What you just witnessed was the death of Danielle Peterson, the host of the Travel Channel’s Danielle’s Destinations.”
Wait, what?
“I remember hearing about her death on the news. She was killed by some guy with huge deep-sea fishing hooks, wasn’t she?” I asked, confused.
“That’s the information that was released to the public, yes.”
“So, a bear killed her? Why not just say it was an animal attack then?”
“Because that was a bear shifter, not just a wild bear.” This was the second time the woman beside me spoke up.
“An FBI report by a woman named Blanca Gianni was submitted about the murder with the information that was released to the general public. The information in it didn’t completely line up, so we looked into it personally. That’s how we found the satellite surveillance of what actually happened,” Eric revealed.
The woman made eye contact with me and had piercing green eyes. “Shifters do not injure humans. They have fully aware consciousness and control. What you just saw is a shifter infected with a form of a mutated rabies virus.”
I whipped my head toward Eric to see if this was true and he nodded.
“That’s where you come in,” he said.
“I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do about this? How do they even get this ‘mutated’ form of rabies?”
“We don’t know. We imagine they contracted it the same way other creatures in the wild get it: from a bite of an infected animal,” Eric shrugged. “The point is, we need to help them. And to help them, we need you to help us.”
“By doing what?”
The woman reached to the left of her and picked up a clear glass box.
“With these.”
I looked inside and saw what appeared to be fully grown ticks. However, they were unlike any I had ever seen: they had a distinct letter H on their backs.
“Ticks? How are these going to help with a rabies outbreak within a group of shifting bears?” I snorted. They couldn’t be serious. This all had to have been a joke.
“These aren’t your everyday ticks,” she started. “They hold the antibodies that will help prevent the virus from spreading among the shifters, like we have for dogs.”
“So, like a vaccine?”
“Yes. We can’t cure the virus once an individual has become infected, however, we can vaccinate the entire shifter population using these ticks to prevent an outbreak. To our knowledge, since the shifter you saw in the video died, we have not detected anyone else with the virus. We would like to handle this before someone else contracts it,” the woman explained.
“So, you want me to go to this national park, unleash these ticks, and do what? Just leave and hope for the best?” I wasn’t really sure about the merit of this project. It seemed valiant enough, but had the ticks had a trial run? Was this a trial run?
“Well, we would want you to stay there for observation. See if anyone develops the virus or has any negative side effects to the vaccine,” Eric answered. His hands were folded over his desk and he was hunched over.
“Is this a trial run?” I finally asked.
“Not exactly. I myself have already conducted two trials and have found the ticks to be effective at inoculating their hosts. We think Acadia is the perfect location for this since the infected shifter was there,” the woman answered. She seemed irritated that she had to explain these things to me, but hell, I wasn’t thrilled to learn them in the first place. This project seemed sketchy and I wanted to cover all the bases to make sure of what I’d be getting myself into.
“What if someone already has the virus?” I asked.
“No one does,” Eric answered sternly.
I folded my arms. “How can you be sure?” I wasn’t convinced by the answers I was being given.
“I know because I have the test results of everyone who works in that park. I sent a phlebotomist there to test everyone’s blood for the virus under the guise of a routine federal blood test. The park had been quarantined after the incident to both make sure the scenes were completely cleaned up as the shifter killed multiple people, and to implement some safety precautions. It was found to be in the park’s best interest to close down for a while until the public felt safe again. None of the staff have the virus, so they make perfect vaccine candidates.”
“May I see the paperwork?”
“Of course.” Eric passed the results of the blood tests my way and I looked them over carefully. He was correct: every single person tested negative for the virus, and the blood tests had only been done two days prior.
“So, everyone at this park is a shifter? All of the staff? What about the people in town?” I was a little wary. How would I know who was a shifter and who wasn’t?
“No, not everyone is a shifter over there. Shifters travel to different parks, so the footage you saw was a gathering featuring some from different areas. We can’t exactly pinpoint which individuals are shifters when they’re in their human forms, but as I said previously, they wouldn’t attack you either way. I know the video was unnerving, but keep in mind that you will be going there to help these people,” the woman urged.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about learning of the existence of shifters. After watching that video, it was hard to believe they wouldn’t hurt me. Knowing it was the virus that caused the particular incident only comforted me slightly.
But, I had gotten into the CDC to help people, and these people clearly needed help.
“Okay. I’ll do it,” I agreed.
“Perfect!” Eric exclaimed. “We want to get these released as soon as possible while the park is still closed off to the public for safety renovations. Therefore, I will need you to go home and pack immediately.”
Immediately? Boy, they weren’t wasting any time.
“I’ll pick you up with our flight tickets shortly.” The woman stood with Eric and I followed suit.
“You’ll be coming with me?” I couldn’t say I was thrilled; I didn’t exactly need a babysitter.
“I work there,” she said bluntly as she exited the room.
“Don’t worry about her; she’s just very invested in the project. She’ll be giving you your orders as well, so if anything happens, go to her first. I’m sure she’ll acquaint herself with you more on the plane. For now, though, she asked that I not reveal her identity until she felt she could trust you,” Eric informed, shaking my hand and motioning me towards the door. “You’d better get home and start packing.”
I thanked him for the opportunity and sprinted towards the elevator, noticing the woman was nowhere in sight.
It’ll take me ten minutes to get home and at least half an hour to pack, so hopefully, I have at least an hour. Boy, this will be interesting, I sighed.
Chapter 2 - Ramon
“Well, amigo, it’s just you and me now.”
I was staring down at a dead body. The shifter that had been infected with the mutated rabies virus that had killed Danielle Peterson was now lying on my autopsy table.
I had watched his health deteriorate and his behavior become even more aggressive—if at all possible—since his capture. It had gotten to the point where he was permanently in bear form and seemed unable or unwilling to change back. The last day, he was just lying on the floor of his cell, his breath ragged and labored. I had known he would die soon. I had been intrigued to see if the virus also affected whether he would shift back to human form after his death, which usually happened in healthy shifters. Or would he remain in bear form because the virus had taken over so much?
My
question had been answered by his naked human frame lying before me. I already knew the cause of death, so a forensic autopsy was not necessary, but a clinical one was imperative to figuring out what the virus had done to this man’s insides. I never had to do an autopsy while working at the national park in Mexico, but I had the training and knew what I was doing.
“¡Empecemos!” I exclaimed, grabbing my knife. The first thing I noticed, was that the body was covered in bug bites. The shifter had been out in the wild for who knows how long with no clothes on and I couldn’t be sure he hadn’t brought any with him into his cell where they continued to feast on him.
“Maybe that’s why he was always in such a bad mood,” I laughed to myself.
I made the first incision going straight down from his chest to his pubic bone. The shifter bled black, but I had been expecting that. His blood had gotten darker and darker each time I drew it for testing.
The body didn’t have much fat tissue, so it was a little tough to cut through the muscle to get to the ribs, but I finally managed. I cut through the rib cage as well, cracking it open so his organs were fully exposed, and I was completely shocked by what I saw.
“It looks exactly the same,” I spoke aloud, regarding each organ in my hands. The shifter’s stomach was small and empty. He wouldn’t eat anything, no matter how hard I had tried to get him to. His intestines were barren. His liver was intact, and his lungs were perfect.
Then, I saw the heart.
It had to be the heart; it just didn’t look like one anymore. Now, it resembled a giant piece of coal, hardened and completely black.
“Huh…interesante…” I examined it a bit longer and set it aside, picking up the camera to snap a photo of it, along with the other internal organs to document how the virus had seemingly not affected anything else.
That seems nearly impossible. With the virus taking over the blood cells, what was fueling bodily organs to continue to function? There was no way the virus was smart enough to be able to allow them to function like blood could. Maybe the organs shut down once the virus took over completely?
This virus had me doubting almost everything I knew about science.
I decided to examine the brain next, cutting along the shifter’s hairline and pulling his scalp back, exposing his skull with a noticeable crack in it.
“¿Que demonios?” A crack in the skull would have caused a massive bleed out to the brain and the shifter would have died. I could tell that it had been there for a while; it was not a fresh injury. Why was his skull cracked in the first place?
I used my medical saw to cut through the skull and make an opening big enough where I could remove the brain.
“¡Dios mio!” I exclaimed after almost cutting straight into the brain.
Why is it so close to the skull? It shouldn’t be… I thought, removing the window of bone I cut out and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The shifter’s brain had swollen to the point where it had almost taken up the entire skull. Removing the piece had only caused the swelling to bulge out from the opening.
How long has this guy’s brain been like this? Any human would have died instantly from brain swelling of this magnitude…
I had to break the cranium completely open to extract the brain. Other than the massive swelling, it was perfectly normal.
“Ah!” I shrieked, dropping the brain onto the table and grabbing my shoulder. I opened my lab coat and pulled the sleeve of my shirt up to see a small bug bite.
“And now you’ve brought them with you? Come on! I didn’t even see anything!” I cursed, checking the area. I still didn’t see an insect, so I just assumed I had killed it when I grabbed my shoulder. Nevertheless, it made me want a shower. Badly.
I decided to wrap up the autopsy; there wasn’t much more I could do anyway, so I took a few more shots of the enlarged brain and stitched up the body.
Hey, man. Still locked up with your boyfriend? I heard Trent’s voice calling out in my head and rolled my eyes. I had been spending so much time on research regarding the shifter, Trent kept making jokes about the number of hours and effort I was putting into it. The guy is dead, you can move on now!
I focused my thoughts to telepathically respond. Well, someone has to figure out how he might have picked up the virus from the environment and how it affected his body. Just in case we encounter it again.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. You’re all work and no play these days, man. You need a break.
I’ll take a break when I feel like I have done all I can and found out everything there is to know about this.
Did you finish the autopsy? Knox’s voice joined their channel.
Yes, sir. I have the pictures of all the abnormalities. I was going to head home and shower and then request a meeting with you to discuss my findings.
That can wait until tomorrow morning. When you get home, you can still shower and get dressed, but Trent and I will be by to pick you when you’re done.
Pick me up for what?
We’re having a bros’ night out, man! Going to Leary’s for a few drinks! Trent sounded loud and excited.
Yo no se…It’s pretty late guys…
What are you? An old man? It’s only 9pm!
Don’t make me have to order you. Knox’s voice was stern. I sure as hell didn’t want to get our Alpha all riled up, so I finally gave in.
Fine. I’ll need at least an hour to get ready, though.
No one said anything else, and I imagined they were just happy I finally caved.
I loved going out for beers with Trent and Knox, but I just hadn’t felt like it that night. Not like I had a choice anymore, though. I removed my lab coat, pulled on my hoodie, and headed out into the chilly spring night.
****
When I got back to my place, I felt a headache setting in and I was feeling a bit nauseous. I pounded a glass of water, which was helping, but not enough to make it completely disappear.
Just as I was turning off my shower, I heard a banging at my door.
“Aye, man! You ready yet?” I heard Trent’s voice booming through my lodge and rolled my eyes. I grabbed a towel, wrapped it around my waist and went to open the door.
“Of course, I’m not ready yet. That was hardly even a half hour,” I groaned. They always rushed me when it came to going out. I mean, yes, I was always the last one ready, but that was mainly because I was usually the last one to know about our bros’ nights out in the first place.
“You really need to cut down on your prep time, man. You’re a guy. Guys are supposed to get ready quickly.”
“Yeah well, I’m not feeling too good all of a sudden. I have a headache and my stomach’s a little queasy.”
“You’re just saying that to try and get out of going.”
“I’m serious!”
“It’s supposed to be chicks like Hannah and Blanca who take forever to get ready.” Trent rolled his eyes, ignoring my statement, and plopped himself onto my couch.
“Speaking of Hannah and Blanca, what are they going to be up to tonight?” I asked, heading back to my room to get dressed. Hannah was Knox’s girlfriend and Blanca was Trent’s, and they were just as good of friends as Trent and Knox were to me.
“Chick flick movie marathon or something. They practically threw us out.” Trent laughed. “Hey! Make sure you wear something presentable!”
“Why?” I yelled from my room, examining a grey short-sleeved shirt. I heard Trent come into the room, followed by Knox; good thing I already had my boxers on. I laid the grey shirt on the bed and towel dried my cropped deep brown hair.
“Because we are going to find you a lady tonight!” Trent proclaimed.
“Oh no. Not another one of those nights!” I complained. Trent liked to set up these bro nights to try to get me to approach women. I always felt so much pressure that I’d up saying something awkward, or I’d be a complete clutz. And then they’d ultimately laugh at any of my dismal attempts to recover and never let me live
down any of my mishaps.
“Oh, come on, last time was hardly a try. You slipped on a spilled drink before you even got to the last girl,” Trent said with a smirk.
Here we go…
“And there was no way for us to tell that the first girl was waiting for her boyfriend to come meet her. Who goes to the bar to meet their boyfriend, anyway? And the other girl? Well, she just wasn’t all that hot, honestly. Must have been a case of beer goggles in the first place.”
“I’d really rather not have another night of misfortune, hombres. If there happen to be any girls there that catch my eye, let me handle it,” I warned, pulling the grey shirt over my head and grabbing a blue and red flannel to wear over it. I decided it would be enough to keep me warm in the forty-degree March weather, and besides, we’d be in Knox’s Jeep—not to mention, shifters had higher body temperature than humans. I still liked to pretend I would be cold, so I didn’t get weird looks walking around in frigid temperatures with a tank top on.
“Alright, fine, I’ll stop giving you advice. I’m just happy your coming out, honestly. But for real, you need to find a girlfriend. You’re the only one of us who hasn’t settled down yet and even Knox is getting a little worried about you.” Trent pointed at Knox who nodded in agreement.
“You’re drowning yourself in your job, leaving no time for yourself, Ramon. You have an amazing work ethic, but you also need to stop and enjoy the simple things in life.”
“Like a woman!” Trent exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, he acted like such a frat boy, just like the stereotypes played out on TV and in movies. Trent would be the one chugging a beer keg and getting wasted every night, failing all his classes except anything that involved physical activity. Knox would probably have been in the ROTC program. I don’t even think we would all have been friends if we had gone to the same college.
“I just don’t like to rush things like that. If there is a woman out there for me, she’ll come. I’d rather not force the universe. It all worked out for you guys in ways I’m sure you least expected.” Knox and Trent looked at each other and both nodded in agreement. “Maybe the same will happen for me.”