Chapter 2 #2
He could feel the skin around his eye get hot, blinded by the glow until he had to close his eyes tightly.
He and the raccoon both slumped against the cage as the curse burned out.
Wren’s heavy breathing was loud in the night, the raccoon’s whiny chirrups joining it.
Blu flew over and perched on a bar, nuzzling Wren’s cheek in concern. “I’m fine, Blu.”
When he’d gathered enough energy he grunted and forced himself upright, glancing into the cage to see the raccoon exhaustedly sprawled amid blood and foam.
Sparing only a glance at the throbbing mess that was now his arm, he anxiously checked the raccoon over.
Breaks were harder on animals than humans. That sort of magic wasn’t supposed to be used on them, and their bodies often gave out under the stress.
This little thing seemed like a fighter though. He could only thank the universe itself that he’d been able to get here in time.
“You’re safe now, darling,” he whispered, giving a small stroke between its eyes, which fell half-closed in exhaustion. “I’ll take you somewhere you can get looked at, okay? But first…” Setting his jaw, Wren turned his righteous gaze toward the house. “I need to teach someone a lesson.”
After closing the cage, Wren used his good arm to carry it back around the side of the house, then he banged on the front door without remorse leaving blood smears everywhere.
“What is the meaning of—” The woman cut herself off, first seeing the blood and rearing back, then looking at the raccoon in the cage. She cleared her throat, glancing at the surrounding houses again like she was ready to perform for an audience. “Oh…you caught it.”
Caught. Like it hadn’t been locked up in the first place.
Wren continued to glower.
“Well…” She smothered the guilt well, but Wren had good instincts. He could see the sweat on her brow and scent her stress in the air. “Good job. You can take the thing to be exterminated, and I’ll let the neighborhood know everything is fine.”
His lip curled next. “How about I take you instead?”
She blinked. “I’m sorry? What did you say?”
“Were you aware that your side gate was damaged? And your side light is broken?” he asked. “There’s even evidence that someone tried to enter through the window.”
“Y-yes,” she stuttered. “Yes, it’s all damage caused by that thing, of course.”
She was lying through her teeth.
“That’s impossible.”
“What’s impossible? It was cursed! Stranger things have happened.” She was still glancing around, like she was afraid someone was listening in. Or…no, like she was hoping someone was. The nervousness had the lick of anticipation to it.
Wren didn’t know who or what she was protecting, but she wanted them to believe her little trick and pony show.
“An animal can’t try to pop your window open in the dead of night. The lack of opposable thumbs usually hinders that a little. Raccoons are dexterous and intelligent, but despite the cartoons dressing them up as criminals, they’re not actually running a crime ring that’s casing your house.”
“I don’t understand what nonsense you’re trying to spew. The raccoon is cursed. It’s destroying my property. I think I would have noticed if there was a man out here doing that instead.”
“I never mentioned a man.”
She froze.
“This conversation is over. You have the filthy creature and now I’d like you to leave.” She shoved the money out.
Wren sneered and turned his back on her and her blood money. “Keep it. Maybe you can use it to buy a conscience.”
“Excuse me?! How dare you!”
Wren ignored her, instead checking on the darling he was carrying.
She followed him down the porch in her slippers. “I’ll be making a formal complaint to Nexus about your unprofessional attitude and all these unnecessary questions!”
“Make sure you mention my name. It’s Wren. They’ll know it.”
“Unbelievable! Is this what our public services have come to? My taxpaying slates pay your salary, cursebreaker.”
“I guess you’ll have to look into tax evasion, then. I may know a guy,” Wren mumbled distractedly, unlocking the trailer. He held up the raccoon. “She has a really grating voice, doesn’t she?”
“You—”
“You know that cursing animals is a crime.” He cut her off after carefully placing the animal inside.
He turned on her. “And if I find evidence that you caused this, your hydrangeas will be the least of your worries. There will be more than raccoons camping outside your house at night. I will become your worst fucking nightmare.”
His threat was barbed like a scorpion tail and aimed straight at the center of her bullshit.
She clutched her robe to her throat, setting her jaw. “Are you accusing me of something?”
“I’d make sure you have some cookies and lemonade ready for when the local PD come knocking at your door. I’m sure your audience will love that.”
She inhaled sharply, paling. She glanced around before hurrying away from him, back up her path, and slamming the door after her.
Wren sneered after her, leaking fury and sadness everywhere.
Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he turned back and made sure the raccoon was strapped in for the ride. He fussed for a few minutes, directing Blu to stay inside and keep the raccoon company, before closing the trailer door securely.
When he turned he jumped in fright at the sight of a man directly behind him.
Wren crashed back against the trailer and heard the raccoon yowl in fear and Blu twitter and flap against the door. Wren couldn’t concentrate on that though, because the man was pressing forward.
Wren saw that his green eyes were bloodshot, burst vessels bleeding into the white and highlighting the dilated pupils.
Even under the orange streetlights, Wren could tell the man’s face was paper white, almost gray, the skin around his bones sagging like it was about to fall right off even though he couldn’t have been older than forty-five.
Zombie-like was the word that came to mind.
“Do you have anything?” he croaked.
“Have any what?” Wren demanded. “What are you talking about?”
The man slammed a hand next to Wren’s head, making him flinch as he leaned in. “I know you have something. You have to have it. Give it to me now!”
“I don’t know what—”
He gasped as the man began to manhandle him, searching him all over while ranting over and over. “Give it to me. I just need a little. Just a little.”
“Get off me!” Wren screamed at him, about ready to bite the man when he pulled back, a familiar needle in hand.
He looked absolutely euphoric until he looked closer at it. “It’s empty. It can’t be empty. No, no, no…I need it…”
“Jared!” Wren turned to see the woman from before looking frazzled as she rushed out onto the street again. “Get inside the house right now,” she hissed, tugging his arm and making him drop the syringe.
Jared blinked at her in confusion, swaying on his feet. “Inside?”
“Yes. Right now!”
“Inside,” he repeated as he followed the order as if compelled, trudging along with his feet scraping the ground.
Wren’s heart was still racing as he watched him go, then he met the woman’s gaze.
“He’s not feeling well,” she said, voice shaking. “That’s all. Work has been hard lately and he’s going for a promotion.”
“Whatever this is, it needs to stop now,” Wren told her.
“Nothing is going on. Leave us the hell alone.”
Shaken, Wren let her go, Midas’s words replaying in his mind. He looked down and grabbed the syringe, looking at the tiny amount of liquid inside.
What was this?