"It looks like he's coming to again."
The skin-walker's eyes flickered open like a machine coming to life.
"You think the effect of the tranquilizer is going away enough for him to speak to us?" Cassie asked.
"Let's see." Eric slapped the skin-walker hard across the face. "Say something, asshole."
"W-water," the man whispered.
"I've got a bottle in the car," Cassie said.
"Forget about it. We can give him water when he's told us everything we need to know."
"Water," the man repeated.
"No. No water until you give us some juicy information," Eric said, leaning over him. "Let's start with your name."
"Russell," the man said with a hoarse voice that was barely audible.
"Russell?" Eric said. "Russell the skin-walker. Russell the monster. It doesn't really have a ring to it, does it? What kind of monster couple names their son Russell? It just doesn't command as much respect as... as..."
"Zoltan," Cassie offered.
"Yeah, Zoltan. Why didn't your monster parents name you Zoltan, Russell?"
Russell looked up at Eric but said nothing. The effect of the tranquilizer was fading, and for the first time, Eric could see the burning hatred in his face.
"Eric, I don't think we're going to get anything out of him unless we give him something to drink. His voice sounds like it's barely working."
"It's working enough, I'd say," Eric replied cruelly, "and anything more than that is of no concern to me."
"It's just that –" Cassie began.
"Oh my God, are you really going to sit here and question my methods right now? Is this what you're doing now? Is this it? Do you have nothing better to do but hinder my work? Oh, what now? Are you going to cry or are you just going to stand there and quiver your lip at me?"
Cassie stormed out of the room with tears in her eyes and not a word on her lips.
In any other moment, Eric might have felt guilty, but not this time. He was getting tired of doing all the work and babysitting at the same time. Hateful thoughts started filling his mind. Was it the exhaustion or the adrenaline? Or perhaps it was the euphoria of nabbing such a big lead. Whatever the case was, he didn't have any compassion to lean on, only pure drive and aggression.
"Are you still eyeballing me?" he said to Zoltan/Russell as he stood him up.
The man didn't respond, nor did he break eye contact.
Eric leaned in right up against him. "If you don't talk, things are going to get very, very unpleasant for you." With the last word, he punched him in the stomach with all his strength.
Russell heaved and coughed, but still said nothing.
"Tough guy, I see," Eric said. "That's fine by me. I get to take out more of my frustration on you. Don't for a moment think that I'm not enjoying this, you worthless fucking monster."
"Fuck you!" Russell spat.
Another well-placed gut punch knocked the skin-walker to his knees.
"On the ground already?" Eric said with a laugh. "I haven't even brought out the instruments of jolly fun yet. Man, if you're buckling now, you're really going to have a bad time when I move away from bare hands."