{"id":6053,"date":"2020-08-16T08:13:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-16T08:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/?p=6053"},"modified":"2024-09-23T06:12:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T06:12:50","slug":"bite-marks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/bite-marks\/","title":{"rendered":"Bite Marks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Detective Murray downed another shot of brown liquor. With some slosh still left over, he slammed it on the bar and knocked it sideways, nearly toppling himself off the bar stool.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cAll you cops get this fucked up?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>He didn\u2019t recognize the woman\u2019s voice.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cYeah, one Bud Heavy, thanks,\u201d she said, alternating her attention between the disheveled detective and the bartender.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cVa fangool, bitch,\u201d Detective Murray groaned as he scooted away from her.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cCheers!\u201d She chuckled and held her drink toward him. Eyeing the shot glass on its side, she shrugged and took a swig.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cThat was a big parade today, fella,\u201d she said in between sips. \u201cBet you guys love that shit, don\u2019t ya\u2019?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray shook his head but had to push his foot down to keep himself from falling. \u201cReardon was a good dick\u2014the best we had.\u201d He hung his head and swallowed. \u201cA friend\u2026a gentleman\u2026a\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cMangled mess\u2026\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray squinted at her. \u201cHow you know \u2018bout how he went, lady?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cOh! The whole town knows. Heard about the bite marks, only half a torso\u2014the whole nine-yards!\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>And how\u2019d you know I was a cop? He wasn\u2019t sure if he\u2019d said it out loud. He leaned back on his stool and scanned the lady from head to toe. The floor boards creaked beneath her as she shifted her weight against the bar. Ordinarily, Detective Murray would pass on such a large and intimidating woman, but perhaps tonight he could make an exception.
\n+++++<\/span>He puffed out his cheeks and stared into the mirror behind the liquor rack. His salmon-red eyes blinked back at him. While rubbing his temples with his thumbs, he slid his elbows forward on the bar, noticing the woman had no reflection in the mirror.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cWh…Why you ain\u2019t got\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re toasted, big man.\u201d She reached over and rubbed his back. Her touch distracted him from the mirror.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cBig man?\u201d Detective Murray chuckled. You\u2019re twice my size, sweetie.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cHow about we get you home?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cI live far from here, lady. Just\u2026 just leave me be. I\u2019m the poor asshole that\u2019s gotta work Reardon\u2019s case anyway\u2026\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cOh, we\u2019re not heading to your place,\u201d she said, choosing not to acknowledge his last comment. She yanked him by his shoulders off the bar stool, supporting him with just one hand. \u201cWe\u2019re crashing in my cave tonight.\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray felt a shot of adrenaline pulse through his veins. But it wasn\u2019t a feeling of sensual desire; her inhuman brawn filled him with fearful apprehension.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cChrist, you\u2019re strong!\u201d He said as he was dragged from the bar toward the backdoor. \u201cHey! What\u2019s your name anyway?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cSabelina Wymarc.\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cSabe\u2026what? Sounds exotic\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cMedieval.\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cOld-fashioned parents I\u2019m guessing?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Sabelina smiled and clutched the detective at his rib cage. \u201cThey were the oldest on the block.\u201d A vein popped on her neck. \u201cAnd they\u2019re still alive!\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Sabelina produced a guttural laugh and launched the detective onto her shoulder. It happened so fast that Detective Murray\u2014while still discombobulated in a drunken stupor\u2014barely had time to protest. She sprinted for the trees that aligned the bar\u2019s parking lot with the detective bouncing on her back.
\n+++++<\/span>The light from the full moon flickered between the tree trunks, shining just enough for the detective to see in front of Sabelina\u2019s path. Thick strands of hair poked him in his eyes as he maneuvered his neck to peer over her shoulder.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cWhat the\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Before he could finish, Sabelina grunted and transitioned into a gallop. Her back arched as she began to propel herself forward with one hand still gripping the detective.
\n+++++<\/span>Beyond the store fronts sat a modest incline\u2014not quite a mountain\u2014but bigger than a hill. While Sabelina climbed up its spine, Detective Murray fought his nausea, managing only to lift his head slightly.
\n+++++<\/span>Sabelina slowed to a trot and in one swift motion, unfurled the detective\u2019s body from the bramble of hair that now occupied her back. After stumbling to his feet, he circled his head around the rock-covered knoll and said, \u201cSabe\u2026Sabe\u2014sweetie, where\u2019s your pad? What\u2019d ya\u2019 call it? Cave\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray felt a fist pummel his back, thrusting him into a crevice on the underside of a low-lying crag.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Tasting the dirt collect on his tongue, the detective began to cough and feel around his surroundings. He massaged the back of his head and shoulders\u2014sore to the touch.
\n+++++<\/span>He overheard crunching noises intermingled with grunts and uneven breathing. The shadow of a human-like figure undulated on the rock walls of the cavern, the details of which brightened behind orange dancing flames.
\n+++++<\/span>Having sobered up from his post-funeral parade binge, the detective dragged his feet over the gravel toward the shadowy figure. As it became easier to see, Detective Murray stopped in his tracks and had to place his hands over his mouth, forcing himself not to vomit. Human bones and clothing scraps were piled in unending mounds, stacked haphazardly atop one another against the walls of the cave. The stench tinged his nostrils and made him dry heave. Suddenly, he felt the urge to sneeze on top of his queasiness. He held it in, just as the distant crunching and grunting came to a halt.
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray placed his shirt collar over his nose and knelt beside a pile, concealing himself behind a collection of femurs. The crunching noises started again.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cIs that chewing?\u201d he whispered to himself. \u201cHow\u2019d I get here?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>While shuffling his feet, he caught a glimmer of something protruding from the bone pile. He held back another dry heave-sneeze combination and reached out with his hand, plucking out a piece of metal covered in a slimy residue. The contours of the object came into view with the fire light that trickled over the bone pile.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cDetective\u2026\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>He pushed his other hand into the bone pile and extracted the remains of another shining object. The detective\u2019s worst fear was confirmed as he rode his fingers over the corners of shield-shaped metal. The already corroding badge quivered between his fingers as he read the words engraved within its metal.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cReardon\u2026\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>The chewing noises ceased, followed by a thump and a belch. And the firelight sizzled into darkness.
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray tossed the badge to the side and reached back for his gun, only for his fingers to jam against the leather of his empty holster. The sound of the steps grew louder, followed by labored breathing and dripping saliva.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cYou stay back! Police!\u201d he shouted.
\n+++++<\/span>The detective tripped backward over a bone pile, landing on all fours. He dug his fingers into the dirt, crawling back to where he had awakened earlier. A single strand of sunlight peeked over the beast\u2019s shoulders as it stepped toward him.
\n+++++<\/span>A way out! But how?
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray burped and tasted liquor in his mouth, mixed with the lingering stench of rancid flesh. He began to dry heave, only for the sensation to be overpowered by a colossal sneeze that he fired right into the beast\u2019s face.
\n+++++<\/span>After wiping the snot from his nose, he scampered to his feet, nearly scraping his head against the top of the cave as he attempted to stand. The creature barked and moaned.
\n+++++<\/span>He reached into the rancid pile and pulled out a pelvic bone still attached to the spine by half-eaten ligaments. Gripping it by the tail bone, he swung it forward and struck the beast against the opposite wall.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cDetective!\u201d the beast screeched in a familiar feminine voice.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cAh, shit!\u201d he shouted as he limped over the rocks. The memories cascaded back into his consciousness.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cSabe-shithead Wehrmacht. Fuckin\u2019 werewolf lady!\u201d He sneezed again and shouted, \u201cSorry, babe! You ain\u2019t my type!\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Sabelina bellowed loud enough to shake Detective Murray\u2019s eardrums. Apart from her shrieks, he could hear her pounding footsteps gaining momentum behind him. More light poured in through the cave\u2019s entrance; it was daytime.
\n+++++<\/span>He felt her claws dig into his shoulders as he was shoved to the ground, right at the foot of the cave\u2019s entrance. She flipped him over onto his back and revealed her muscular frame. The saliva dripped from her fangs onto the detective\u2019s face, forcing him to cough and sneeze into her muzzle.
\n+++++<\/span>Sabelina straddled him, coughing and fighting through the fluids as Detective Murray did the same. He shoved his hands against her hairy thighs, pushing himself into the light.
\n+++++<\/span>Sabelina attempted to crawl forward but the light singed her leathery skin. Detective Murray stumbled to his feet, stepping backward while staring\u2014mouth agape\u2014at Sabelina\u2019s transformation. He watched her fall to her knees\u2014her body steaming as it shrunk to human proportions. Her hair receded into her whitening skin.
\n+++++<\/span>Detective Murray turned around and sprinted down the mountain.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cA werewolf!\u201d Detective Parsons laughed between bits of donuts falling from his lips.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cA goddamn idiot!\u201d Detective Smalls replied. He shook his head. \u201cHad his whole life set out for him. Now he\u2019s in the looney bin.\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Smalls lifted the newspaper from his desk and scanned the headlines. \u201cPenny Saver says here that he was last seen on the East Side, over by that plaza\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cHe escaped?\u201d Parsons paused his chewing.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cYeah, like I was sayin\u2019\u2014don\u2019t interrupt me, you dumb shmuck.\u201d Smalls rustled the paper and glared at Parsons. \u201c\u2026running around the hills on the East Side, fully nude\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cWe got ourselves an exhibitionist? Dickin\u2019 around!\u201d Parsons slammed his fists into the desk.
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cWould you shut the fuck up already? Christ\u2026he was accompanied by a woman\u2026\u201d Smalls\u2019s eyebrows arched. \u201cAlso, nude\u2014broad shouldered and generally unkempt\u2026\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cSo, Murray ran away with a skell into the mountains?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Smalls rubbed his chin. \u201cI\u2019m startin\u2019 to think maybe Murray was on to somethin\u2019. He was assigned Reardon\u2019s case. And he did claim it was werewolves\u2014\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cMaybe he\u2019s still searchin\u2019 for \u2018em?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>\u201cOr maybe he\u2019s become one?\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>The detectives busted out in laughter. Parsons rose to his feet and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. \u201cHey Smallsy, let\u2019s get a drink over on the East Side. Maybe we can catch of glimpse of Murray the Wolfman!\u201d
\n+++++<\/span>Smalls snorted. \u201cSee some fine broads while we\u2019re at it!\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The lights dimmed in the police precinct as the moon climbed the night sky. Smalls and Parsons slammed the patrol car\u2019s doors and headed to the bar. As they reached for the door handle, two howls pierced the evening quiet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Detective Murray downed another shot of brown liquor. With some slosh still left over, he slammed it on the bar and knocked it sideways, nearly toppling himself off the bar stool. +++++\u201cAll you cops get this fucked up?\u201d +++++He didn\u2019t recognize the woman\u2019s voice. +++++\u201cYeah, one Bud Heavy, thanks,\u201d she said, alternating her attention between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":6064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1465,1233,1452],"tags":[1287,1108,1234,71,1288],"class_list":["post-6053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-m","category-michael-dioguardi","category-short-story","tag-bite-marks","tag-close-to-the-bone","tag-michael-dioguardi","tag-short-story","tag-werewolves"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1Zyqm-1zD","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/bite-marks-cropped.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.close2thebone.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}