58: The Same Syringe

Mike, Aaron and Sophie sat in the waiting room, surrounded by a variety of different animals and their owners. Each of the owners were a different specimen and somehow matched their pets. There was only one exception which was a rather large, heavily bearded and tattooed biker who sat with a kitten small enough to hide in his beard. The interior was in a pitiful state and the old posters about dog health were on the verge of surrendering to gravity. The entire clinic was dimly lit because of the light bulbs that had gone bad and no one had cared to change them. The staff tried to numb down the stench of cat shit but was failing miserably. The janitor seemed to have the great idea to flood the place with bleach so the stink had become an abomination mixture of organic and inorganic torment to the nose. The three waited patiently and Boris was out of sight. The receptionist, who looked to be in her fifties, rang a bell and announced, “Next!” without any effort to mask her dissatisfaction with the job. It was visible through the glass behind her that she was playing solitaire on her computer. The big guy with the kitten was next. He dutifully made his way into the office. The previous patient exited the office, which was a pug that had swallowed a key. A young skinny teenage girl held it to her chest as she walked out of the clinic. Boris made his way into the clinic from the front door. The three were confused as they had entered the clinic after him. He motioned them to follow him outside. They obeyed.

“We need to go through the back door. He’ll let his assistant take over while he sees us in the store room”, Boris informed them as soon as they were outside. They were in no mood to wait any longer. “The kind of gentry he’s dealing with in there, just might start a riot if we cut the queue right in front of them”, he added and pointed them to the way to the back door. It was through the bins that somehow stinked even worse than the interior of the clinic. Every set of testicles that had been severed from the neutered pets, was probably rotting out there. They finally made their way and Boris opened the door. The way inside the back door was deserted and they easily found their way to the store room.

It was dark inside and Boris flicked on the lights. Only one of the several light bulbs flickered on. Even that was begging to be put to rest. The vet was already clearing a table and putting away the cardboard boxes that lay in their way. He was a white chubby man with a small beard and stood five feet tall. He saw them enter the store room and requested them to take a seat on one of the discarded chairs that lay there. Aaron was feeling his body ache as the time passed. Boris was right on that account. The adrenaline was wearing off. Sophie wasn’t feeling too good either. Mike wasn’t satisfied with the setup. He was able to afford any of the biggest hospital facilities in the country yet his daughter was waiting to be examined by a vet in a dusty store room. He shook his head in disappointment. Boris saw the look on his face and approached him.

“Believe me, they study the same crap as the doctors. Even most of the medicines are the same”, Boris whispered as he tried to comfort Mike. “He knows what he’s doing”, he added. Mike didn't buy it.

“Why can’t we just get a doctor out here?”, Mike whispered back. The vet was making Sophie move her arms in all possible directions and patterns to check for any point of pain. Boris hadn’t expected such a naive query from his new friend. But then he remembered that he was just a regular father with a lot of money.

“Everything about us screams that we’ve survived a bomb. Any doctor or even a vet who’s not on our payroll will find that out in a second”, Boris calmly and softly explained. Mike listened closely. “Hell! Even the pet owners could see that. That’s why you were getting those looks”, he continued. Sophie’s ‘Ouch!’ attracted their attention. They looked at her and saw that the vet had found a problem with her wrist. Mike was going for his daughter. Boris grabbed him by his arm. He wasn't finished. “Long story short, the doctors will call the cops and things will get messy”, he concluded. Mike nodded and Boris let go of him. Mike paced to his daughter and the vet searched his bag for supplies. Sophie held her wrist carefully.

“Sprained wrist. Nothing serious”, the vet announced as he pulled out a brace from his bag. Mike was relieved. The vet put Sophie’s wrist in the brace and asked Aaron to step forward. He repeated the same routine with him and found nothing. He checked his eyes for any signs of concussion and found him fine on that account as well. Aaron was showing signs of mild pains in different parts of his body. They were mild enough for the vet to advise him to walk it off. The vet then moved on Boris and Mike. They were fine as well. He pulled out a bunch of painkillers from his bag and handed them to Boris. They shook hands and they were done.

It was almost midnight. Mike, Aaron, Boris and Sophie sat in the car motionlessly for a while before taking off. They all waited for Boris to come up with a plan. Boris was also in deep thought. His phone rang and broke the pin drop silence in the vehicle. All the passengers were startled. Boris wasn’t. He picked it up and listened without saying a word. Aaron stared at him with anticipation. The call went on for a while and Boris eventually hung up. He didn't make one sound during the entire call.

“I know where he’s holed up and I know where his family is. The elders want you to lay low which apparently isn’t working”, Boris abruptly spoke after he put his phone back in his pocket. It gave Aaron a hint about the caller. “I say we strike back. He won’t be expecting it”, Boris suggested. Aaron was uneasy about the mention of Hudson’s family.

“We’re not hurting his family”, Aaron responded without any hesitation. Mike and Sophie agreed and were relieved that Aaron was not contemplating such a horrible line of action.

“We won’t. We’ll just lure him out and force him to make a mistake”, Boris explained. Aaron tried to absorb the plan. A mistake made by a vampire while using his powers was definitely going to have side effects. He was in deep thought.

“How long does it take for an Alpha to get his powers?”, Aaron inquired, entirely out of the blue. Boris wasn’t expecting it. He didn't know how to answer it. Mike and Sophie also awaited the answer as they were just as curious. Boris sighed.

“I’m not an expert but as far as I’ve heard, it only takes a moment. Something triggers it. Age or time doesn’t matter”, Boris softly explained. Aaron listened closely. No one had ever told him how being an Alpha or the powers worked. “You’ll turn when it’s time. And believe me, nobody will need a proof when it happens”, he grimly added. Aaron slowly nodded. They sat silently for a minute. Mike and Sophie got the gist that the Alpha’s powers were no joke. Aaron’s phone rang. He was puzzled. Since the demise of Lawson, there should be no one left who would have his number except Sophie and the elders. He checked the phone and there was no number. His confusion was turning into fear. He looked at Boris for any help. Boris motioned him to receive it. Aaron received it and decided to let the caller start the conversation. There was silence on the other side. Aaron waited anxiously and so did the rest of the passengers of the vehicle.He listened for a while and hung up. Boris awaited a response.

“Where exactly is Hudson?”, Aaron asked Boris.

“Suite 18, 10th floor…”,Boris was explaining dutifully when Aaron stole his words and completed the address.

“10th floor, Red Palm Hotel”, Aaron concluded. Boris stared at him in disbelief. Aaron stared back at him but looked less disturbed. “Except Soph, the elders are the only living people who have my number and they don’t call me”, he added. Boris wondered what to make of it.

“And why the hell would they tell you his whereabouts if they don't want you to fight back?”, Boris asked himself aloud, staring at nothing, still not sure what was going on. “Who the hell was that?”, he finally asked himself. Aaron looked away for a moment and looked back into Boris’s eyes.

“Somebody who wants Hudson to die by my hands”, Aaron said. Boris got the gist of it. There was too much to lose if a full-on werewolf and vampire war broke out. Somebody wanted to watch the world burn. Boris knew his people too well to suspect a werewolf's hand behind this but the vampires were open season. They were hostile and resourceful enough to make their own elders flee for their safety. But going after Rick Huson, who was the biggest benefactor to their faction, seemed like a stretch to Boris. Mike and Sophie spectated their exchange and were being dealt one punch after another. There was already enough on their plates and the probability of another player greatly shook all of them.

“Let’s get out of here. We’ll plan on the road”, Boris said and Mike stepped on the gas.