The Phantom Touch

From the Shadows

I stood there for several minutes, trying to remember how to breathe, trying to keep the warm impression of his arms around my body. However, the cool evening breeze washed over my skin and cleansed me of his touch, so that the whole encounter seemed like a distant memory.

Was it because I wasn't a werewolf? Was he not allowed to get close to humans? And didn't he say it was just a hug? Or was that the point? Was it more than a hug? Was what Bungee shared with me more than a hug?

The questions and their accompanying frustrations clawed at my skull and burned the corners of my eyes. I floated between regret and anger, desperation and confusion, my heart uncertain where to find the release it needed.

Taking a deep breath, inhaling the soft fragrance of the wildflowers blooming in the meadows and filling my lungs with the crisp, clean air of the quiet valley, I decided the hotel was where I needed to be. Not at the commune waiting for Bungee, not chasing after a werewolf who took delight in teasing me, and not standing alone on the sidewalk where a certain vampire might spot me and take advantage of my vulnerability. I was done with the Whisper Valley men. They were nothing but contradictions and shifting emotions.

With my goal at the forefront of my mind, I renewed my quest towards the center of town. However, it only took me a few steps before I diverted from my path once again.

I had almost missed her. She stood there, watching me from within the dark shadows of an alleyway. At first I wasn't quite sure anyone was there since she remained concealed beneath the low light of the street lamps. However, it was an odd mist that swirled around her like a cloak of delicate blue, that caught my eye. Sometimes I wasn't even sure if it was there, the aura disappearing and reemerging with the brush of the wind. But once I had glimpsed the figure hiding in the mist there was no denying that someone was there, that someone lurked in the shadows with the intentions of remaining unseen.

"Mercedes?" I asked, my voice low and hesitant. It might have been better to just keep walking, to ignore the presence and get to the hotel as fast as I could. But, my heart jumped when I registered the figure's squat stature and the subtle gleam that reflected off her blonde hair. If it was Mercedes, that would mean the zombies were home. However, that also begged the question, if it was her, then why was she hiding?

"Mercedes, is that you?" I took a tentative step over towards her side of the road. Most of the buildings on that side of town were retail. Some would be open for the vampire crowd, but we weren't yet deep enough into the nighttime hours for that half of the clientele to be out and about. For now, it was empty and quiet with only the two of us lingering at the far edge of town. "Hello?"

I started to get the sense that I needed to turn around and leave, but the moment I pulled away, the figure darted out of the alley with frightening speed, grabbing hold of my arm and slamming me against the wall of a nearby clothing store.

"You aren't going to go see him now, are you?" she hissed, her voice shrill and full of gravel. She sounded nothing like herself and though her beautiful face was marred with a sneer and cast in a sickly pallor, there was no denying my attacker was, in fact, Mercedes.

"See who?" I whimpered, my teeth gritting together against the pain radiating from the spot on the back of skull where my head met the firm brick of the storefront. "What are you talking about? What's wrong Mercedes?"

Her hold tightened on my arm, her fingers clenching so hard that I thought she might even break the bone. I used my free hand to claw at her grip, but she didn't even flinch at my efforts. Instead she placed her other hand against my neck, putting subtle pressure upon my throat so that I struggled to swallow. She leaned in, so that I could see deep into her penetrating gaze. Her pupils wide and wild, stole away the delicate blue of her irises. The whites of her eyes had grown yellow and the veins around her scalp and neck pulsed with prominence.

"You saw me watching you! I felt your eyes on me. You were going to go off and tell your wolf that I was there." Her lips moved with clumsy effort, her muscles slack despite the tension clearly straining within her intense gaze. As a result, spit gathered at the corners of her mouth and saliva dribbled down her chin.

"I was going to the hotel," I replied, my words raspy as the thumb against my throat pressed deeper into my skin. "I don't understand. What's wrong?"

"I saw you two. I saw you together," she seethed. She gritted her teeth together and I saw the black rimming her gums.

"Mercedes, are you okay? What happened to the others? Where's Bungee?"

"Why should I believe you care for Bungee?" she demanded with a roar of anger, that sent some spittle across my cheek. "He loves you and you cheat on him the moment he's gone — with a dirty dog no less."

"L-love?" I barely managed the word. I grew lightheaded as her grip on my throat tightened and spots started forming before my eyes.

"I can fix this," she said, her mouth stretching into a horrifying smile. "I can fix this and he will be pleased. I know it. I know he won't be mad. I'm making it better. I am."

"What? Who?" But, the words never made it past my lips. She released my arm and directed both of her hands to my throat. And though I used all of my remaining energy to claw at her arms and kick her with my feet, it did little to stop her from finding a firm hold around my throat. Once satisfied, she smiled with glee and punched her thumbs into my trachea. I gasped, my body twitching, my ears ringing, and my eyes fluttering as everything inside me began to fail.

Then, I came crashing to the ground.

Air burned my aching throat and flooded my lungs. I coughed and heaved, my body struggling to find equilibrium as I floundered upon the ground. Eventually, sound returned to my ears and I caught the cry of the zombie, shrill and sharp, cutting through a deep, rumbling growl that I could feel reverberating in my bones. With my oxygen normalizing, I managed to focus my eyes. From my vantage point upon the pavement, I saw Mercedes out in the middle of the street, her monstrous gaze snapping between me and something just out of sight. With a roar of displeasure, she decided to abandon her prey, racing down the street and aiming her sights upon the forest. Air came easier after that and I managed to pull myself up onto my elbows. From there, I had a better view of what had scared off my attacker.

Standing before me with the nearly full moon gleaming off of his dark red fur was a massive wolf.

***

Finally, a wolf makes an appearance in his full glory.  I wonder who it could be...

And what is to become of Mercedes?  Will she be caught and brought before Raid?  Or will she escape in the woods?  What of the other zombies who had left with her to find a promise of a better life?