The Curvy Mate

8

(Toni's POV)

I was on something cold, but smooth. My head was hurting so bad, and I felt dizzy. When I opened my eyes, I prayed to God I was having a nightmare, all around me were things right out a science fiction horror movie, there were things in jars, and chemistry sets for who knows what, and there were other steel tables covered in blood, the smell made my dizziness worse wanting to puke at the smell of  flesh rot, urine, and feces. I wasn't alone in this room, somewhere I could hear, grunts mixed with growls, like an animal fighting to get out of somewhere.

"You're awake..good, good."

I looked up at a man his face scared and discolored, like they had dragged his face along the gravel road. But for some reason I felt like I have seen him before, he grinned.

"You were only ten and yet you still remember me, I see you grew into your own skin."

"You're the one that killed....."

"Mmm, yes, I am and I still remember the way they tasted, so sweet and tender, perfectly aged to tell you the truth."

He ran a long finger nailed hand along my face, I turned my face away.

"what do you want with me?"

He grinned again and moved away.

"Did you know, some humans carry a gene, that makes them perfect candidates to be turned, and it doesn't even have to a near death experience."

He pulled a syringe out and it was filled with a red liquid, my guess was blood.

"All it takes is a little bit of blood to be shared, works better in a pregnant woman, but I've been trying to find the right person sense all my other subjects failed, but you..I always hoped to get this chance, you are perfect."

I looked around hoping to see some sign of hope, instead there was a man in a cage, or what was suppose to be a man, half changed into wolf. I felt tears fall from my eyes, how could he do this. The man started to walk toward me. I pulled on the retrains but it was no use.

"Now, don't struggle all you'll feel is a pinch."

"NO!!"  

He held my arm still and I felt the poke, I felt the semi warm liquid go into my arm.

"There, see that wasn't so bad."

For a minute I thought I was just going to be worried about  STDs, or something else, when my whole body started to feel warm, then my whole body just locked, and I was shaking and I felt like I was suffocating, I felt my eyes roll back.

"Don't fight it my dear, let the beast rise!"

I couldn't stop shaking, I just wanted to die, I didn't want to be a monster, until my body just collapsed, and it went dark.

When I woke up again my whole body hurt, and I felt cold.

"Wake up!' I heard, I opened my eyes and looked around to see who had talked, I was in a cage alone.

"What the..."

I suddenly covered my ears sounds were too loud, and the other being was scratching the stone wall, it sounded awful. I finally puked the smells were now in my nose, and it was disgusting.

"Shhh, you're okay."

I held my head it was hurting, the voice was loud in there.

"Who are you?"

The voice took a while to answer, but she did something, I felt a pressure in my chest, then it felt like someone put some type of glasses, the colors were a light gray but it was like I was looking through a zoom in and out camera. I covered my mouth with my hands.

"He turned me." I gasped out in shock.

I felt a sadness that wasn't mine, I knew it wasn't mine, because I was feeling angry and shocked. Then the tears spilled, and I sobbed, until I fell asleep again.

"You need to save your energy, if you burn too much then you're going to get too hungry."

"What do you suggest?' I thought to her.

"Just relax, I know this is the last thing you wanted and honestly it's bad ,but you need to wait for the right time."

"Agreed."

I carefully sat up and looked out of the cage, that's when I heard arguing.

"You said you'd have my army ready!"

"Well, this process isn't easy Secretary, and the few people I have found it just seems they die."

"I don't want excuses, you i***t I want results, we had a deal, now hold up your end of it!"

When that someone was gone, I heard footsteps heading this way, I laid back down on the cage floor, and pretended to sleep. The door bang open and the guy in the cage, went crazy but the wolf came right to where I was, and looked in at me.

"Haven't woken up yet, huh, any other would've burned out, don't prove me wrong."

With that he left turned off the lights and locked the door, I could hear him  going up stairs, and then an other door. It was silent.

"You're not asleep." said a gruff voice. i looked up and saw the other wolf looking at me.

"You talk."

Something like a grin crossed the guy's face, but he looked at me.

"Yeah, he has me in here like some trophy, what you doing here?'

"I don't know, I'm just here."

He looked at me with curious eyes. Then looked at the door, as did I. Nothing. Then he turned back to me, coming to sit right next to the bars, to his cage.

"He had pictures of you, I'm guessing a little older then now, you looked bigger in them, but he was obsessed with finding you, kept saying we'd be perfect."

"Perfect for what?"

The man just shrugged, but I didn't have to think, if I was here, I'm turned, my guess is he got what he wanted.

"He also got mad when he knew where the pictures were taken, and that you were there with a guy."

"A guy..."

"Yeah."

"Black and white, kinda of like surveillance  pictures?"

"Yeah."

They had been keeping tabs on me, then why didn't they do something then why wait until now? What changed?

"Can you phase back to human?"

"No, that asshole did something so now I'm suck like this."

"I'm sorry, but I got to find a way out of here."

"I'm Joe, by the way and good luck, these tungsten bars are laced with silver, so not only will it take you time, it's going to burn like a mo-fo."

"Have you tried?"

"Yeah, and so has many others, you're not the first in that cage."

There's a cheerful thought, I looked around, trying to think, we can't reach anything, and ugly won't chance it with leaving things laying around. I felt so tired but that could be because I was hungry.  Then Suddenly there was a click somewhere above us.

"Down!" called Joe and we hit the deck, as an explosion rang and the wall across from us came down. Then two people came running in through the hole now made, one came toward me the other toward Joe, and the one that came around to me, broke the lock and came in. Picked me up, and ran out. The other person still looking at Joe, before deciding to free him too. We just made it out when gun shots rang out behind us.

"Who..."I was going to ask.

"Glad to see me now?" Said Dominic's voice.

I grinned, and then I blacked out again.

(Dominic's POV)

After we made sure we had put a good distance from the hospital we stopped. To take a breath, I finally had a chance to look at the thing that had been in the cage. He was half phased into wolf from human, it looked so bizarre to see but that's how it looked, the man didn't flinch as I looked at him, either he was a wolf or a soldier, Cruz told us that some soldiers had volunteered to undergo trails, they were injecting wolf blood into humans hoping to get the same result, the sicko that had thought of it, was delusional. This poor man being the result of it.

"How long have you been in there?"

"What year is it."

"2021."

He was stunned, and I could feel his sadness.

"About ten years."

We sat there for a second, when I felt Tonia, shake in my arms. She felt cold.

"He, injected her with his blood too."

"He what?"

"The wolf, he injected his blood into her, she's been blacking out the whole time."

I looked at Tonia, and my wolf came forward, I could sense, her wolf.

"I know why she's blacking out, her body is burning out fast."

"So what do we do?' asked Liam

"She needs red meat, raw and animal, I'm glad he didn't feed her human."

"We need to set up shop somewhere."

"Come on." I said I remembered we had a bunker close by we headed there. Once there I handed Tonia to Liam. checking that the bunker was empty of people, once clear, so we went in and laid her down in a cot, Liam and I went hunting and caught a few rabbits,came back and started to lightly cook the rabbits.

Then I took one, woke Tonia up, and offered her the rabbit. She dug in not even flinching that the meat wasn't cooked all the way. Of the six we got she ate three. Then she slept for a bit.

"So what's next?" asked the man.

"Phase two underway. Liam like we planned right, we need to find the other research buildings."

"What about him?"

We both looked at the guy.

"Um...maybe drop him by with Eric he should know how to help."

"If this is  a science experiment gone wrong I doubt it."

"We can't just leave him out here alone."

"Fine, you're with me big guy."

"Fueled and ready?" I asked he nodded.

"Take care of her, got it."

I nodded, with that he and the other man were gone. I was going to give Tonia a chance to rest, before we went to see my informant, he might have an idea where to head next. I sat back and fell into a cat nap, when I heard Tonia move again. I looked over and she was sitting up.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I little better, but I'm still hungry."

"You'll have to make do with the three rabbits, until we reach some other place to get food."

"I guess I can do that, how did you find me?"

I looked at her and then pulled out my phone, placed the battery in, and played the video.

"Toni."

"Dad?"

"I know it's hard to believe but I promise it's me, and I have a mission for you and Dominic, help him find the two remaining research hospitals, and destroy them, you'll have to make choices, sweetheart, and I'm sorry about that, but understand that it's for the best.I love you and I'll see you soon."

She was crying, I didn't understand just yet of what:happiness, sadness, or fear. But she leaned into my chest and just cried. I just held her, until she stopped and got up.

"Let's go."

"Okay, we're heading into the city, I have informants there, they could tell us where else we could find the second research hospital."

"Cool, let's go." she said it casually but I could feel how tense she was. We got things and hid clues of us having been there and then headed south, an hour later we were finding the first signs of houses, then small business and small buildings, then finally the more dense part of the city, the smells of food, car exhaust and trash reached us, and I could hear Tonia's stomach growl, but she didn't say anything.

"You've been really quiet."

"A lot to take in, I guess."

"Did you really think he was dead?"

She looked up at me, her eyes conflicted with so much, but she just shrugged.

"I wasn't sure what to think,I'm just glad to know he's okay."

For some reason I didn't believe her, she just sounded so emotionless. We walked until we reached the building we needed to find, I knocked and a big guy opened the door.

"Dom, back so soon?"

"It's business, Mac."

"Yeah, I can see it's all business."He said pointedly looking at Tonia.

" Luke here?"

"He asked to be left alone, he's a little occupied."

"When isn't he, sit here I'll be right back."

Tonia nodded and followed me in and sat down, the club was always up and running, Luke, ran this place for those that wanted to have fun, to the public he was a legit club owner, to the ones that knew him, knew he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Luke always had company there wasn't a moment he was alone, and we were in a hurry. I wasn't even at the door, when I could hear moans and screams, I rolled my eyes, and knocked. It didn't stop, so I walked in, wish I could say I haven't seen this side of Luke before but I have.

"What the hell?!" shouted the woman, but Luke turned with a big wolfish grin.

"Dominic, coming to enjoy the show?"

"More like a show and tell if you ask me, but no, I need some info."

He sighed and then the woman picked up her clothes and walked out.

"Things haven't changed much sense you last came, Dom, and I don't have anything you don't already know."

"That much I know, you had a research hospital just an hour away, Luke and you said you knew nothing about them last time, so how is that?"

He looked a little nervous.

"I have a business to run, Dom, I won't expose my people to those assholes."

"Fine, let's just hope, we find something before they figure you out, so go back to having fun, enjoy it while it lasts."

I said then walked out, Luke really was a business type, not really a warrior, so I guess I'd have to find Josh, he was in the nicer part of the city. I found Tonia she was covering her ears.

"You okay?"

"How can you stand the noise?"

"I learned to block it out, come on?"

I pulled her out to the street again and we headed deeper into the city. I kept hearing her stomach growl but she didn't complain for say anything, but I knew she needed the food, so we found a burger place and I ordered five burgers, to go. We sat down for a minute, and she looked tired, but it was the change she hasn't gone through it completely, her body was still adjusting. I handed her a burger and she reluctantly took it, but once she started eating you could see her hunger. she ate three burgers, and thanked me.

"If I eat anymore I'm going to fall asleep, so I'll eat more later."

"I'll take, come on we're close to our next informant, he might even give us a chance to rest."

We got moving.