A Bump in the Road. Chapter Six.
A Bump in the Road
Chapter Six
By Roofles
"I don't think we're suppose to be in here..." Barney said from behind. I ignored his begging, pleading whimper of a voice and continued to move further inside.
Nearly down on all fours I moved quickly, silently on these large hands and feet I found myself bestowed with. Each foot absorbed the impact of each powerful step and left only silence in return. It was a handy thing to possess. Even in the dark my brilliant teal eyes could make out the shapes and forms of everything as if there were a dim light in the room. My nose could pick up the musty smell to the room combined with several other odors. Two of which I was familiar with. Those of the fox and wolf that I had tailed inside this world to begin with.
There was a tinge to them. Something about them was almost human but now as they headed into this place all traces of it were gone. They were clunky though, each step was loud and clumsy like new born babies trying to walk for the first time. They were hunched over like mongrels. So undignified, it boiled my blood for some reason.
Beasts.
The very word echoed in the back of my head. Brutish creatures that didn't deserve this. I wasn't sure why it was getting under my skin so. As if it was a personal affront to who and what I was.
"Someone's killing people in my world," I replied in a soft whisper of a voice as I stopped at the edge of a few massive creates. I raised my hand up to stop the hare before peaking around the corner. The cost was clear and that smell was already beginning to lessen. I turned back towards the jackalope. "I'm going to find out who and stop them. At any cost." And with that I was moving around the corner, nearly on all fours once more, and darted across the room leaving nothing behind but the hare.
I stopped next to one of the large crates across the room and looked around.
It was almost identical to the warehouse I had come into. To think that a simple back alleyway would lead into this place. Something to do with this strange back ways world I suppose. I couldn't focus on that, think of anything else but following these two. It was my gut that told me these two had something to do with this. All of this. The murders back home and with that uneasy feeling I was getting in my gut. I wasn't sure how but I was going to figure it out. One way or another.
I could feel my nails slowly slide out as my jaw clenched shut glaring forward.
Already I was moving once more before the hare could even catch up. So slow. Useless. I should just leave him behind, I scowled back at him making him stop in his tracks. The fat hare jogged behind once more cursing something about being eaten or other. It was easier to ignore his insistent whining. Just focus on the task, the hunt, the prey...
Nails dug into the ground as I moved forward around the corner and towards the back office. There was light in the window, even with the curtains drawn I could make out two shapes inside. Talking loudly. Something about the match coming up and tickets. Then one of them disappeared and the other stood there, crossing his arms with his head held high.
"We need a pass from this point." Barney explained catching up. "They hold The Pit just down those stairs. Or so I hear." I was sure he had come here before.
"You still got money?" I just replied sharply afraid of biting off my own tongue as I turned towards him. The hare nodded moving back a bit.
It was a simple thing I had planned. Standing up and walking forward casually, natural I opened the door planning on bribing the guard off. A silver tongue, something I was blessed with. Able to talk my way out of any mess. It usually came back to bite me in the butt, yet that was something future Isaac has to worry about not this one.
"Hey," I spoke loudly, arrogantly as if I was suppose to be here.
The guard was taller than me. A large three headed dog, resembling that of a rottweiler. He had a spiral headset in one ear (on the middle head) and each pair of eyes had black shaded glasses. Wearing a suit the larger canine had his arms crossed and didn't even look at me as I came up.
"Hey," I said again reaching out getting annoyed. And then I don't remember.
I felt his hand grab my wrist. I could see the middle head mouth open and that tongue curl as it spoke words to me. But I don't recall moving, I don't remember the words he said. All I remember was that hot, sticky fluid underneath my nails as blood splattered the side mirror and the almost Seven foot canine was sprawling out on the floor clutching his throat.
It was like I had taken a step back and was watching as this man I was. This jaguar was pounding, beating and smashing this beasts very body against the concrete floor until each head stopped moving and there was nothing but a bloody mess. My breath was hot and I was panting loudly. The smell, that acrid metallic smell of blood was heavy in the air as I found myself standing back up.
"What the fuck, man!" Barney said.
My head rolled back looking at him and he froze. I could hear it. The pounding of his heart and could see the heat of his body, smell that fear in the air and with it my mouth began to water.
It was intoxicating, the rush I felt. It was pouring through my whole body like a drug. Made the fur on the back of my neck stand up and left a heavy warmth in my stomach. It was the most thrilling thing I had ever felt, this rush washing over me. And I wanted more. I needed more. And I could get it again, feel it again if I only just...
It was only the door behind him, that had closed, that stopped me. The mirror, my reflection caught my eyes and I stopped to just look at myself. The look in those eyes alone turned my blood to ice as if slush was running through my veins.
Words failed me as I saw it, that bloody muzzle from the food I had eaten. The blood over my chest and neck that rose and fell with deep heavy breaths. My hands were tingling, numb and I looked down to see not my hands but what they really were. Paws. Blood drenched paws.
I tried not to scream. I don't even think my voice would work then if I even had.
My neck felt heavy, so very heavy as if someone had put a giant anchor around it. Clutching tightly around the brass medallion, I nearly yowled like a wounded animal as it burned. The medallion around my neck felt so hot as if it had been resting in hot coals. It was from sheer force of will I ripped the damn thing off and hurled it to the side. My very arm felt heavy, so numb as the metal slid from my finger and crashed into the corner.
I nearly toppled over and if the hare hadn't caught me I most likely would have.
"Shit." My voice was only that of a whisper and a chill ran down my spine, only now did I feel just how cold I actually was. "I just...what happened?" I could feel hot tears on my face, I was shaking and just looking down at my hands.
The fur was gone and with it the blood had been shed and yet why then? Why did my hands feel so soiled?
"We should just get out of here." Barney said far more understanding than I would've been. Why had he stayed with me this long if I looked like that, if I was that! Was that what these people were? This gang was? Just a bunch of druggies, high on this strange addiction.
"Shit," I cursed. I'm not sure how many times I said it as I pulled away looking at my hands before biting my finger sure I would draw blood. It was the pain, that sharp pain from my own teeth that brought me back was able to keep me from slipping any further.
Three minutes, at most, had passed. It only took Three minutes to almost lose myself.
"No." I said a bit harsher than I meant. My very voice felt cold and my teeth were chattering, I was sure the blood had drained from my face. "No." I said again swallowing heavily. "I can't let this happen again." Those killings from home? Did whoever do that get that kind of thrill from it? That morbid, sickening rush? I couldn't let whoever did that, did this, all of this continue. I had to find a way to stop them.
So with heavy steps, on the limp noodles I called legs I began making my descent down into the very depths of this place. Barney didn't say anything. Or maybe he did? I don't recall hearing anything but the pounding of my own heart as the glean of the medallion, still rotting in that corner, caught my eye before vanishing down the stairs.
It was dark and even feeling along the wall I couldn't find my steps. It was only with Barney's assistance that I manage to make it down to the door at the bottom - running smack dab into it. This really wasn't my day. First finding myself in neverland, then getting a cursed medallion, now willingly heading into the wolves den. Fun, fun, bullshit fun.
The room inside was stuffy, for lack of a better word. It was warm and muggy like the inside of a car that had been left in the sun all day long. A car filled with dogs that was. I should say animals rather as we made our way down the dark pathway we found ourselves in a throng of cheering bodies around us. Opening out in the middle of the room was a large circular ring, something you'd see if you went to a wrestling match. Large chain fences rose up around the ring forming a massive dome over it trapping those inside.
The noise was all but nonexistent until I walked through the threshold and into the stands. And then it was deafening. Cheering and booing echoed around us to the point where I was almost sure I had just walked into a mosh pit. Bodies bumped into one another, pushing there way through back to the seats (or whatever ones they wanted). The smell of animal was only overpowered by the stench of alcohol. Who goes to a wrestling match without a keg of booze, right? And wrestling it was.
I caught movement in the ring and taking a step forward I could see two bodies inside. A rather large looking multi-headed dog and twin tailed cat. A cat the size of an overgrown tiger that was. Cheers roared around the crowd as one head latched onto the cat's shoulder, the other two snapping at his face as their massive bodies collided together like monster trucks. It shook the very air around them and with it all of my nerves left me.
Holding my guts from releasing themselves I found myself next to the hare and making our way, the long way, around one booth of fans.
"What's the plan?" Barney asked for the Third time the other two times being lost.
"Uh..." Was the response I gave scratching my chin. My stubble had fully regrown since I've shifted back. My hair was in a tangled mess and I felt as if I had just been mauled by mighty jesus. At least my faded gray overcoat was still in tip top, moth eaten shape.
To be honest? I wasn't expecting to make it this far. I was winging it at this point. I wanted to do something but what could a man do in a pit of monsters? At least I figured out their underground, assuming illegal, fight club they were having. Problem with that was. What in the Nine hells was I suppose to do with this information?
Nothing was coming to mind and I was pressing my index fingers against the rim of my nose trying to come up with something, anything. Hell. I should just high tail it out of here, save my own skin and regroup. I still couldn't believe Barney was sticking around for all of this. He was either a really good guy or a complete idiot. Probably both.
"And the winner is Marty!" What kind of name, for a monster, was Marty? "Next up. Marco vs The undefeated Bruiser we all know and love! Khan, the boxing kangaroo!"
Other than wanting to see a boxing kangaroo I moved back over to the front, the first name catching my attention. I chuckled at the idea as I saw the wolf man walk out. Funny there really was a wolf man.
He was a big brute, not as much as the other two had been, but taller and thicker than any man. His arms hung a bit lower than normal and there was a slight hump to his back. He strode with a powerful almost cocky walk as he rocked that thick gray furred neck from one side to the other, rolling his shoulders, flexing those long fingers and grinning widely with those crooked fangs that were too large to fit even into his own muzzle.
I laughed. A single, loud laugh. The very thought that THAT could be Marco? Was a joke in and of itself. And a bad one at that. "Yeah, like that's Marco." I scoffed loudly with a shake of my head and turning back towards Barney.
My jaw nearly dropped and my hand was already reaching for my gun as twin biker punks were standing on either side of the hare, holding his arms like a wish bone and grinning, toothy grins at me. There was something in those eyes, feral, unnatural and most of all dangerous. It was like pools of amber rolling around behind their normal eyes as if something else was looking through them.
"Shit." I cursed before jumping back as the first lunged, whipping the gun out and firing even before his hand closed on my throat. The shot rang out and only those around seemed to hear as another loud roar echoed around us.
I could feel the hot blood on my face as the shot rang true and tore a decent chunk from the biker's jaw that was already twisting, forming and ripping clean of his flesh into a grizzly snout. The gun shot halted his change allowing me time to escape to the only place I could possible think of in the adrenaline rush that followed. Up onto the dome itself.
Scaling it hand over hand I made my way up as a loud howl broke through the crowd. I had gotten lucky with the first shot and doubted the next would do much against the massive creature hurling itself at me. Thankfully it was stupid. A straight forward charge allowing me enough time to whip out my revolver and burying it in that open muzzle, pulled the trigger.
I wanted to close my eyes but when you fire a gun at such close range you get the full show. The back of its skull exploded and what I can only assume to be brain matter splattered back onto his friend that was following in his wake. The other wolf was just as startled as I was when I first saw them. Another loud howl ripped through its throat, a howl of sorrow and rage. A blind fury that carried him up past the corpse of his friend and towards me.
Firing another shot, it clipped it's shoulder taking a good chunk with it and the force nearly taking my own arm with it (damn I hated using this gun). The pain only seemed to fuel that rage. Pressing it's feet against the side of the cage it lunged at me with outstretched hands.
The body hit me hard, causing me to drop my gun and cling to the fence behind me for support. I coughed loudly as the wind was knocked out of me, my head swam and I couldn't focus as it raised its hand up for the death blow.
A loud thunk hit just underneath me and the whole cage shook as a body smashed into it. I barely held on, my fingers nearly ripping clean off (the fence cutting so hard into them blood was drawn). The wolf had no such support and soon found himself toppling backwards head over tail onto his friend. His friend who was already getting back up. I'm not sure how that was even possible.
Flesh seemed to reform, connecting and sewing itself back together where the bullet had pierced its skull. Apparently I had missed anything important as it's very body pulled a fucking wolverine, regenerating right before my eyes. Its own eyes rolling back out from inside it's head. Even recovering the wolf was down for the count just sitting up as his body did all the work. Damn supernatural bullshit, how the hell was a man to fight something like this.
Fingers nearly laced around mine making me bolt upright and I was looking down into the eyes of the very wolfman within the ring. Those eyes were large, filled with that same amber substance as the other and yet. There was something else behind them. Not a feral mind but something possible sentient, almost human.
"The fuck." It spoke in a deep gruff voice. "Are you doing here?" It's eyes were wide, even seemingly more startled than my own.
"I was bored?" I offered weakly before reaching for my other gun blindly, never taking my eyes off him.
Bodies were beginning to swarm around us. Some surging out, others grouping to watch and even more trying to join the fray. Human shapes were soon splitting open like crude paper mache costumes. And one thing clicked. I didn't have enough bullets.