Chained - Jenlisa

The Black Hound

As Lisa and I leave the apartment and walk to the SUV I notice way more bird poop on it than could possibly be considered normal. Honestly, I never should have let her feed the birds. Now everything around us will be white, I already know it. Hell, there's even a pigeon staring at me as I get into the driver's seat. It's creepy.

"The price we pay," Lisa mutters as she scrutinizes a rather large white stain on the windshield.

I stick the key in the ignition and start the car. "This is your fault, you know. You fed the birds."

She hums and clicks her seatbelt on. "And I will continue to do so. It's worth it."

I'm not even going to argue. Lisa's new chore will have to be to get the car washed, then. I'll take over cleaning the bathroom.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Lisa asks as we drive off. "I didn't read the file."

I squirt the windshield with water and hope the wipers can get rid of the bird poop. "Uh, one of theirs went rogue. Rabies or something."

Lisa hisses in sympathy. "That's not good."

"Why?"

"They will die from the infection. Usually not before killing, or infecting, many others. It's best to find them and give them a quick death. It's a good thing they called. If they go try to catch their member on their own, they might catch the illness and the process starts again."

I give Lisa a side long glance. "How do you know all that?"

"I've dealt with something similar. If something is happening to your people, it's best to ask for help from a different species, one that won't be effected."

"And you won't be?"

"Probably not. I've never been infected with rabies. But I hear doctors now have a cure, correct?"

"There's a vaccine, yes," I drawl. "But I'd really rather not have to take you back to medical so soon."

"Don't worry. I haven't gotten sick by any diseases you know of. I'm essentially immune to human diseases. There is a sea virus, though..."

"Ah, don't tell me," I say quickly. "I don't want to hear about it." I don't think it would be fun at all. Everything in Lisa's past is tragic. I don't want to know. Even if I am curious about what a sea virus is exactly.

Lisa shuts up and focuses her attention on her window. I keep my eyes on the road, and the rest of the drive goes on in silence. I remember seeing The Black Hound before on the way to the Facility so I know exactly where to go. The place is almost dark when we arrive and I park out front, studying the grungy building.

"This looks nice," Lisa says, and I'm not sure if she's being sarcastic.

I step out onto the sidewalk then lock the car when Lisa is beside me. We both stare. Lisa is the one that takes the initiative, though, and approaches the front door. She tries to open it but it's locked, so she knocks instead.

"You Jennie?" A gruff voice asks, a slight accent to it.

Lisa steps back and waits for me to respond. "I, uh, I am," I say. All of this is just weird. It's late, it's dark, and we're standing out on a not so reputable street to meet who knows what kind of people.

The door to the bar opens and a woman with an evil eye and barely any clothes waves us in. Lisa steps in first, thankfully, and I hurry in behind her, shamefully using her like a shield. I don't want her to get hurt but she could take any oncoming threat better than I ever could. I peek around her, though, and get a good look at the place. It's like any other dive bar- dingy, kind of depressing- but there are more people in it than there should be if the joint is closed. There's at least a dozen men and women standing around.