Suprise package pt.6

-Sooo... didn't expect this did ya?- The little voice in my head says as I fall to my knees beside my mom.

-Shut up- I think to it

-Mak... oh wait you can, alright... I shuttta the f**k up, but before that, congrats and consider yourself lucky...- The voice goes silent as I stare at my mom... what had she been thinking? I realize that she didn't know that the vial also drove humans insane and killed them. My heart was pounding away as I release a held breath... she was alive, unconscious, and had been turned into a dragon. She was pure white... so much that the light danced across her scales, creating a small rainbow effect, there was plates closely similar to mine that started just below the collarbone and went all the way down... I stand up and grab a blanket off the couch and put it over her, She had a single horn that made more of a ridge than a actual horn, three claw feet and five finger hands and the claws of which were all white like her scales. Her ears were webbed and had a light gray membrane, just like her wings. She had to be around 7 and a half feet tall and her tail had a single edge at the tip that ran similar to her horn.

I turn and look for the vial, I spot it easily laying a few feet away and I walk over to pick it up... I crouch down with my knees cracking audibly and take a closer look, there was a tiny bit left, knowing my mom she probably dropped it when she found out it was blood, but what is this? I see a tiny smear at the lip of the tube... your f***ing kidding...  apparently someone felt left out, namely Bullet. I had no idea what this stuff could do to a dog so I prepare for the worst and keep my claws tensed and at the ready as I searched the house for her.

I take a look outside and see no sign of my dad or Bullet, I clear the rest of the first floor and don't find anything so I climb the stairs and take slow steady steps. My parent's bedroom door was closed... yet mine was open a crack, I advance on the door and slowly push it open... my god, this is almost like a freaking horror movie I think as I take a look around my bedroom, the center was clear then I turn my eyes upon my bed... Oh look I found Bullet.

-Guess it's not just humans huh?-

-Can't you stay quiet for at least ten d**n minutes?-

-Oh come on, you missed me and my witty comments.-

-Witty? The f**k you thinking? Just shut up again until I have time to figure out where the hell you came from.-

The voice is oddly silent as I turn back to Bullet, the dragon version. She was bigger that much was clear, she would now probably reach my knee at full standing position. Her scales were as black as her fur, which now was mainly in the form of a mane that ran from the base of her skull to the tail tip where a white spike pushed it's way out of the tip, fur edged the back of her legs and jaw, bird-like wings where on her back and were a lighter black than her scales, a trio of horns were set upon her skull all of which drew back along her head, and her ears were pointed. Four claws per paw and the claws were black in color. Her head was turned away from me so I couldn't se... whoa.

-Wow... even I didn't expect this.-

-This is...- I start

-New...- he finishes for me

Bullet had turned her head towards me as four sets of eyes opened to stare at me. The bottom set was where you would normally find a set of eyes while the top set was a few inches higher a further spaced apart, all the eyes had draconic slits and were yellow in  color. She lets out a yip, gets up and streches before hopping off the bed and walking up to me.

"Well, Bullet... you seem to be still you."

She let's out a small roar and sits in front of me with believe it or not a draconic grin on her face. I crouch down and use my knuckle to scratch behind her ear, she absolutely loved it as her back leg started kicking. I remember my mom was downstairs and I stop, Bullet seemed dissapointed but I could pet her later.

"Bullet, keep an eye on my mom and let me know if she starts to wake up okay?"

She just nods and heads downstairs. I check my parents bedroom and find it empty... where was my dad? The Honda was still in the driveway so where had he gone? This plauged my mind as I head downstairs and into the kitchen, if previous transformations were anything to go by my mom would wake up starving and thirsty and confused or feral like Tyler did. I think about what to make... something that was quick fill would work, I didn't have much time so I start making simple peanut butter sandwitches. I could make something more since my dad had taught me how to cook, but since I didn't know when mom would wake speed was needed, sandwitches could easily sate hunger and were easy to make.\

Six sandwitches later I hear Bullet roar... looks like mom is getting up. I toss the food onto a plate and grab the gallon jug of water I had pulled out of the fridge and head into the living room. Bullet was sitting on the couch looking at my mom with interest, my mom was backed up against the recliner staring at me through green eyes that had a heavy haze on them.

"Eat." I order her while I hand her the plate, her movement speed was slow and uncoordinated but she was still able to grab the plate and eat. I see her strength come back rapidly as the sandwitches dissapear faster and faster. Just as she finishes the last one I pop the top on the jug and hand it to her, she grabs it and takes a long draught from it before she lowers it and starts to say something.

I hold up a finger and say "No, we'll talk later after I find where dad went... you get to stay here with Bullet." I point out Bullet who was sitting on the couch still. I head up to the front door... oops, when I had busted through I had broken the door frame and left a dent in the wood where my shoulder had hit the door. Good thing my mom was to out of it to notice...

"Shane..." I hear my mom call from the living room and I head back in.

"Yeah?"

"You probably won't find him."

"I can still try."

"He walked out right before I took the vial, he's out there walking with his."
Strange... dad never went on walks, even when he was stressed, he usually just worked on something or compusively cleaned the sig if he was stressed.

"Do you know why?"

"He just said he needed to think."

I sigh and go over to the door, shut it to the best of my ability and head back into the living room.

"Are you ready for the b****ing out I'm about to give you?" I say as I sit on the couch.

"Huh? Let me get up first..." She manages to stand and immediately sits in the recliner.

"What are you talking about?" She asks as she tries to get her wings into a comfortable position, which meant she had to lean forward instead of against the back.
I explain in a calm tone what Ray had said, which also explained the reason why I had rushed home, bashed the door open and more.

"Now do you see why? I'd go to hell and back for you, but there are some places I can't go... I don't think I could handle you dying."

She stares at the ground and says "I can't believe that it could kill people also."
"Looks like the government was at least halfway right..." I was cut off by the sound of  a roar that came from far off but it was deep... maybe a full dragon.

My mom looks at me "Do you think?"

"Yes... I think that it killed some dragon's parent." I stand up and start pacing like I normally do when I'm stressed or thinking.

"Shane, what are we going to do?"

"Dad will probably be home soon... if not I'll go look for him. For now you stay here and get used to being a dragon and get something more to eat while I look through the internet."

She agrees and I turn to head to the stairs.

"Shane, is that blood on your wings?" S***
"Can I tell you later?"

"NO! I want to know right now!" She suddenly became more intimidating.

I tell her about the attack and subsequent run across a city block.
"Do you just become a target for someone everywhere you go?!"

"At least I wasn't hurt!"

"No, but you were shot at and cornered by several people..." She sighs, that was a sign that she was about to forgive me.

"Shane, I'm sorry but it's just every time I let you out of my sight since you changed somone gets closer to killing you. I know it isn't your fault for being attacked..."

"I know mom, I'll try to keep a better eye out in the future for things like this."

She nods and I head up to my bedroom and wake the computer after using the shower to rinse off my wings. The update had finished so I reboot and wait for the login screen to pop up... hmmm, I pull open the drawer to my left and pull out a USB connector for my phone and hook it up. The login screen pops up and I get past that and get the phone's music data onto the hardrive, I turn on my speakers and start one of my playlists, "Broken Sunday" by Saliva begins playing and I turn the volume down to a bearable level... after my ears stop ringing I click on the IE9 icon and start hunting through the web for info. Apparently there was a chart that had been made that measured the amount of dragon percentages...

Anthro/drake- 46%
Full/quad- 28%
Taur-12%
Flammie&Hydra-9%
Halfling-5%

Halfling? What the hell... must be half dragon n' half human. I keep looking and find a counter to dragonkind in countries across the globe. I check America and find out around 80 million are now dragons, I check the world population and sit there shocked at the total dragon population... 3 and a half billion people were dragons now and that number was increasing rapidly. I sit there thinking for a long time until "Tonight the world dies" by A7X starts playing and I figure out what to do next...

-Now we can talk... so start explaining.-

-Took you long enough. I guess you already know that i'm you?-

-No s*** sherlock.- Then I remember some of the stories I had read on DA.

-I know what your thinking a**hole.- Oh, this is just awsome... he can read my mind.

-So... you here to try and take over my mind?-

-Wish I could... oh wait, i CAN!-

I brace for some kind of mental battle but don't feel anything. Thats when I hear him laughing...

-You thought! I can though... but only when your beserk." He says it kind of sad like, like a kid who got a RC car only to find out it doesn't have any batteries.

-Beserk?-

-Yeah pain always sent you inta a rage right? Well your part beserker boy, and I get to drive when your in said state. Next question!-
-Where did you come from?-

-I've always been here...-

-Then why am I only hearing you now that I am a dragon?-

-Already ahead of you, humans only use 10% of their brain, dragons? They use 15%... that extra five percent is where i reside. Other's minds just expand into the empty space, for you however your dark side got itself his new home.-
-Greeeaaaat... instead of psychic powers I get a voice in my head that just happens to be my evil side.-

-Really? I never said I was evil you SOB I just said I was dark. Besides i'm way better than telekineisis. Saved your a** didn't i? Plus i get to voice my opinions.-

-At least telekineisis doesn't talk annoyingly.-

He would have responded hadn't a roar came from the backyard... and it was ground shaking.
-What the f*** was that!?- we both thought at the same time. I rush down the stairs and jump the last eight steps and stop when I could see what was out back.

-Jesus! He's a big one...-

There was a massive dragon in the backyard along with my mom and Bullet. I walk outside as the dragon's head turns and stares me down with crimson eyes. He was at least 25 feet tall and over 40 feet in length... his tail which had a mace like object on it which he had taken out the back fence with. His scales were pitch black with golden scutes, his ears were pointed and there was two ridged horns that ran along his skull that were bone white in color, three skpikes jutted from his jaw and another two pointed outward from his chin, more spikes ran from between his horns down to his wings where they split off and ran along the arm of the wings. The wings themselves were black with a white membrane, lastly there were blades that started at the elbow before stopping a few feet above the wrist and they gleamed in the light.

"Dad?"

"The f*** you think?" His voice was much deeper and I also note that he was obviously pissed.

"Um... may I ask why you sound like killing someone?"

"Think on it, what would i lose if I was a d*** quadroped dragon?"

I get to thinking and...

-It's his job moron!-

S*** he was right... Dad worked at a local processing plant as the head maintanance director, he couldn't do his job if he couldn't fit in the door. No job means no income...

"Oh... well that's not good"

"Understatement of the year, Shane." he grumbles as he settles down, blades cutting into the dirt easily.

"Could be worse, you could be dead..." My mom says.

"What are you talking about?"

I recap everything except the near fight and the ambush, and he gets a little wide-eyed at the detail of the vial causing insanity and fatality.

"Guess i am lucky." He says as another roar come from the distance.

"More so it seems..."

"So what do we do now?" My dad asks... Am I having to take charge every time now?
"Well the news will probably have something but..." I look over to the window, his head wasn't going to fit. "It looks like you won't be able to see it."

"Hmph, i'm not deaf you know."

"Okay, that problem solved... somewhat."

Me and mom head back inside and she turns on the tv while I open the windows and dad lays his head down as close he can get it without taking out the fence or house. I head into the kitchen as the news came on talking about how the vials where causing death. I grab a bottle of sprite and a bottle of that dark berry mountain dew. I walk back into the living room and hand the sprite to my mom before sitting down on the couch with my wings moved to the side to keep from laying back on them. I take a sip of the soda and set it down on the coffee table. The news was going on about this new development and were calling in "experts" left and right to explain how this could happen... not a one revealed what was in the vial besides blood, d*** government censorship. I quickly get bored when I realize they aren't going to address the issue on hand... or paw for some.

-You know we couldn't finish our conversation earlier.- The voice rings out from my head.

-Alright then what are you wanting to talk about, cuz' I really don't give a sh**.-

-So hostile! And here I was thinking we'd be best buds. I was just thinking how you never asked for my name.-
-Oh really? And just why do you think I didn't ask? Maybe its 'cause you are me and I don't think I'm going to be calling you by name... or maybe it's because I don't really care?-
-Yep, ya hate me already, and just think you'll have to deal with me for the rest of your life! Name's Zael by the way.-

-Well Zed, your going to have to put up with me being in control.-

-It's Zael jacka**, and by the way I'll only have to deal with it for now...- His ominous words ring as he goes silent.

Timing again seems to be perfect as a new development occurs, The anchorman held his fingers to his earpiece as something is said to the guy. He keeps a streight poker face as he says...

"A video was just received from the person who sent out both waves of the vials, this video has been sent out to all news stations across the world. The video contains disturbing information however we are being allowed to show the video..."
The screen goes to a dark room, the person of the video had complete shadow coverage so that he couldn't be seen... but it was obvious that he was not human. He starts speaking in an light oxford accent...

"As you know the vials that have been sent out have physical changing properties, however the reason why still remains a mystery to you and even your "government". The reason these have been sent out is to prevent a disaster of apocalyptic porportions from happening..."

I was drawn in to the prospect of hard answers, a little box appears in the top left of the screen... it looked similar to a virus and it was in the process of infecting a cell.
"A recent virus has arisen, not even your government is aware of this new virus and it is completely different from most viruses..." The virus finishes getting into the cell and something wierd happens, the cell immediately starts dividing... that part could be considered normal for a virus, but when this cell divided I saw a swarm of more viruses spread out from the division... that's not supposed to happen.

"As you can see this virus both changes the cell AND creates more viruses at the same time, the effect of this virus is not noticable until two to four days after infection. Some of you have seen the reports of humans going insane and attacking the changed... this virus causes said insanity by increasing the violence and reducing the concept of morality in the host, causing unbrideled rage, violence, and brutality within the victim."

Well, that's... actually the most logical and believable reason I've heard... but that doesn't explain how we became dragons...
"The virus has that effect on humans only, but it also has a secondary effect... genetic rewrite. This virus is cabable of succsesfully changing existing cells in a short amount of time without killing the host..."

I didn't like where this was going...

"We tried to create a cure for the virus... however the only cure was the one that was in the vials, and it only worked with those who had the correct genetic patterns for the rewrite. I know your asking "Why are we dragons and not something else?" This is because nothing else had immunity after the transformation. We had discovered what maybe the only dragon fossil in existance, we had discovered the fossil before the virus and went to examining it... only later did we discover that we unearthed the virus as well. Most of my team went insane while i was working on a cure... DNA from the dragon went into contact with the virus and both bonded and through an accident, i came into contact with the tainted sample. Needless to say, i became a dragon. The virus could not be contained forever and i decided this cure must be given to the world."

Ooookay? Somethings not right...

"Thus went out the first shipment of the vials, they went out to people who had the correct genetic sequencing to have the change take effect, they were all under 25 because they are more responsive to change. However in giving the cure i also let loose the virus. Those who ingest the liquid in the vial who don't have the correct genes are given a "supercharged" version of the virus that causes a even more brutal reaction that ends in death within a day."

Still feeling that somethings not right... he's saving the worst for last...

"Unfourtunately, While dragons are immune to the virus... they are also carriers of the base version..."

F***! That's even worse than what I thought! If we're carriers to the virus we have been infecting people! His voice starts cracking up now...it's seems he knows what's going to happen.

"The virus only transmits in the air, and only in short distances. Most of humanity will fall soon to this virus. I believe that the world will soon fall into chaos from my actions... but now there is hope of surviving it." The video cuts off and it returns to the studio.

I stand up and start rubbing my neck... If I thought there would be a panic before, now this was going to be a riot. Mom was sitting there speechless and dad was staring through the window with a worried look in his eye.

"Things just got a hell of a lot worse..." I mutter as Zael kicks back up again...

-And that's how the world ends, wonder hy he didn't explain more... like how he managed to get enough of this blood to 3 BILLION PEOPLE!-

-Why do you think? Maybe he just wanted to say we are now a walking biohazard that was going to drive most of humanity insane...-

-Well at least we now know about that "fate worse than death" crap. But I'll get back to you later... you've got stuff to tend to.-

I snap out of it as dad says "Looks like a job is now the least of our worries." He had a suprised tone in his voice... but that would be expected wouldn't it?

I look out the window into his eye and say " A scientist just announced the apocalypse... by a zombie virus at that! Hell, I even expected the world to end... but not after all this."

"Zombies? The dead aren't rising Shane, And we already knew your thoughts on the whole world ending BS that was supposed to happen last year!" Dad would laugh about my theories for 2012... looks like I was right to a degree, kudos to me.
"Zombies actually exist... wait, I'm not going to waste my time explaining zombie dichotomy and history to you, we've got stuff to do." He just uffs and shuffles away from the house. I look back at my mom, she was still in shock. I walk up to her and crouch down...
"Mom?"
She looks at me with disbelief in her eyes.
"Shane, can this really happen?"
I nod my head and was about to say something but Zael butts in again.

-Aren't you forgetting something about the virus?-

I think for a second on it before I realize something... My parent's had been infected and if they hadn't taken that vial...D***.

"We have more luck than we thought..." I say to her and she get's a confused look on her face. "You were both infected..." Her eyes widen as this tidbit of information sinks in.
"Dear God..."  She says as she stands up.

"There will be time for prayer later... now's the time that we use to possably save our lives. We'll have to leave in a hurry so we need the basics to be round up."

"Where would we go? I don't see a lot of options." Dad calls from oustide...

"Heh, I don't know... Gov's likely to decend into chaos, but before that they are going to try to isolate us from the humans, beyond that the wilds would be the best bet... but we should wait as long as possable before leaving."

-Well, when the norm goes crazy you seem to become a lot livlier, not to mention have better leadership.-

-Did you just compliment me? Cause I don't have time for this.-

-Fine then, you welcome and don't forget about your new friends...-  Why does he have to point out everything I'm not thinking about?

-Because i'm your other half idiota!- he says the last part with a perfect spanish accent and it just served to distract me more.

My mom was calling my name... I hated zoning out like this.

"Yeah, sorry, lost in thought."

"What should we get?"

"Mom could you get some of the emergancy supplies and put them on the kitchen counter?"
She nods and heads to the basement.

"Dad, you know I'm not going to have anything for you to do right?"

"Oh sure, i'll just sit out here and wait to get mobbed by psycho-lunatics..." I think he'd enjoy that happening. He gets up and paces the yard.

I walk upstairs and get the gun case out and unlock it, I load both the primary and the secondary clips and load the first one into the gun, I take the ammo box and place it along with the gun on the kitchen table.

-Need I repeat myself?- He just doesn't shut up!

-No, go away now.-

I whip out my phone and call Marcus first.

"Hello?"

"Hey Marcus... did you see the news?"

"Yeah... um, can I call you back? I'm in the processsss of getting my important ssssstuff away and off to a ssssafe place."

"Ok... sure, just makin' sure you weren't in the dark."

I hear him hang up and I call Alex next....

"Hey Shane! What's up?" Okay... marking him as in the dark...

"You didn't see the news did you?"

"No, why?"

I tell him how it is and it becomes a major buzz-kill.

"Man..." I hear him talking to someone  but I couldn't make out who it was.

"Alex!"

"Yeah?"

"Who's with you?"

"Uh, heh... it's Tyler. I went along with him."

I almost dropped the phone, I recover and say...

"Tyler's there? Does he know about..."

"Yeah I just told him..."

"What I didn't tell you was that there was another wave of those vials... this time directed at parents and people over 25." I brace for the reaction...

"WHAT!" I hear Tyler's voice roar through the phone and I almost drop it again.

"Sorry!" Alex voices through, "I should have told you I put it on speakerphone."

"D*** streight you should have! And before you ask Ty, I do not know about your family..."

Tyler says "Then why haven't you called and checked up on them!?"

"Because I was expecting only Alex on the phone! you can call them after I hang up... Where are you anyway?"

Alex replies with "We're at a little pavilion outside a testing center, why?"

"Is there a lot of humans there?"

"Yeah, most of them got a wierd recall message and went inside about half an hour ago." This was serious...

"You guys be ready to run on a moment's notice alright? This virus takes 2-4 days to take full effect so you'll be okay from the crazies... but the people on capitol hill might make some rough decisions, so be prepared for anything."
They thank me and hang up. Last up was Kate...

"Hello?" She sounded like she had been crying... not a good sign.

"I take it you already know?"

"Yeah..."

"Did-"

She cuts me off quickly "I don't want to talk about it"

"That makes it unhealthy... If it's that bad, you need someone there with you, not going through it by yourself."

She sniffs and says "I'm fine..." It was the most pitiful lie I ever heard.

"No, you aren't." I hang up as mom comes in with a duffel bag filled with canned foods.

"Mom, take my jacket and pack it in another bag along with those clothes I bought... oh and see if some fit you." She realizes that she was "naked", plates covered everything so she technicaly wasn't naked but still, appearances count. I hand her the jacket and tell her I was going across the street.

"Why?"

"To check up on a friend... don't worry, she's alright... except for maybe her parents. Understanding dawns on her face and she nods as I walk outside and jog across the street to her house.

*Ding dong* I stand out of view of the door's peephole and wait for an answer.

-Normally you wouldn't have bothered with something like this...you've changed.-

I don't reply to Zael as I hear the thud of footsteps approched the door.

"Who's there?" I hear after a few seconds.

"The friggin' therapist, open the door Kate."

"Go away."

"I'm not going to... I've already kicked down one door today, I can do it again."

I hear a chain and deadbolt being drawn back as Kate unlocks the door.

She opens the door and I see  her with a red t-shirt on that holes ripped for her second set of arms, also there was several ragged cuts on it and I could see scratches across her scales from under the cuts... easy to guess what happened.

"Can I come in?"

She doesn't even make eye contact "Sure." And she heads inside...

I follow and shut the door, most of the house was the same in design to my house but with a small entrance area instead of heading streight into the living room or kitchen and I guessed that the bedrooms were in the back where the back door on my house would be. She had went into the kitchen and sat in an old oak chair. I take a step away from the door and I smell fresh blood in the air... Guess I was right about her parents.

I walk into the kitchen and see a kitchen knife embedded in the wall on the far side and a blood puddle on the floor under it... it was a fatal amount and there was some distortion from where a body would be.

I sit across from her, she had one set covering her snout while the bottom set was fidgeting with a rubics cube... she already solved it once and now was doing it again.
"Alright..." She pauses and looks up at me... "Start from the beginning."

"No."

"If you don't this will haunt you forever, always dragging you down like a curse. Holding it to yourself acomplishes nothing... So tell me before I start guessing." I had my arms folded across my chest as she decides on whether or not to tell me... most wouldn't, these are painfull memories that would most likely cause her to start crying again. But keeping it to herself will guarantee the pain wouldn't fade... making sure she never recovered and got on with her life... if the world didn't end.

-Guess that pshychology book you read will come in handy huh?-
-I'm not figuring out or predicting her, so it's worthless, I'm here as emotional support... Not like you'd do the same.-

-Your right, I wouldn't... People must deal with their own problems, else they begin to rely on others for constant support, making them incabable of fending for themselves.-

-When the f*** did I have that idea?-

-You didn't.-

"Alright..." Kate said, getting me out of that little chaotic nutshell that was my mind.

"Okay, start at the beginning..."

Kates's point of view--------->

"Mom?" I say as I walk through the front door... she had called me and told me about the vial that had been sent to her and that she was about to take it. I had rode home on my Suzuki GSX1250 sport bike that I had lucked out to get when my brother had lost an arm during active duty in Afganistan. He was now living in Texas with his wife.

"Mom?" I say again as I head into the living room, something wasn't right... a chill crawls it's way up my tail and spine and I wrap my four arms around and shiver. I take off my hoodie and lay it on the arm of the couch, I walk over into my moms room and finding that she's not there I walk out and head to the kitchen for something to drink.

"Where could she of gone?" I ask myself as enter the kitchen and see an empty vial sitting on the counter... I wonder if she turned and went to get some clothes from that store... no wait, she had plenty of loose fitting clothes that she could modify, so why haven't I seen her yet? I pull a V8 out of the fridge and was about to open it when I sense someone entering the kitchen. I close the door and see my mom there... and she was human, with tons of scratches and cuts on her. A kitchen knife was clutched in her right hand. I place the v8 on the counter and...

"Mom! What happ-" I stop when she twitches... every nerve in my body was screaming "RUN!" and a feeling of fear gripped me, I finaly look into her eyes and gasp at the sight of her pupils being near fully dialated and the fact she had a snarl on her face.

"Blood...Come here Katie, mommy needs something from you.."

I back away as she starts advancing towards me with the knife ever so slowly raising.

"Mom what are you talking about!"

She doesn't answer but instead lunges forward and slashes at me with the knife! I don't move fast enough and the blade cuts easily through the shirt and I feel a tug on my scales... I look down and see a long scratch across the scales on my left abdomen. She lunges again and scores another hit, this time across my right side. She tried an overhead slash and I roll past her to get out of the way.

"Stay Still! N..nnn...no reward if you keep moving!" A wave of twitching comes over her and she almost drops the knife. Suddenly it stops and she rips open the knife droor and pulls out a meat cleaver!

"MOM STOP!" What in the name of god was wrong with her!?

She lunges forward with the knife again and nicks me as I hop away, she follows up with an overhead slash with the meat cleaver and it connects with my collarbone... I still feel the tug but it was much harder, it must have dug alot deeper. I shove her back with all four arms and scream...

"MOM PLEASE STOP!"

She doesn't but screams like a banshee and hurls the knife at me. I dodge and it thuds into the wall, I look back as she charges and slams me into the wall and raises the cleaver to drive it into my skull. Adrenaline andfear surge through me and I feel my tail move lightning fast and stab her through the heart. She jerks and the fatal swing misses and slices along my right shoulder, I realize what I had done and pull out the arrow-headed tip with a sickening sound and she crumples, the cleaver spinning away across the floor.

I felt sick as shock and horror kept their iron grip on me as I saw the insanity and life leave her eyes. I stumble over to the chair as tears began to flow... I sit and begin sobbing uncontrollably... I had killed my mother! The fact bored into my brain even though I knew she had tried to kill me. I sit there sobbing and crying for the next 30 minutes or so, I didn't know what time it was and I didn't care... I didn't want to think on it so instead l kept thinking on how this could have happened, what could cau... I turn and look at the vial, it had to be that... it was the only thing possable. What kind of sick, sadistic person would send out these things if they did this? My mind goes blank so I decide on something else. I stand and walk over to my moms body and pick her up and carry her into her bedroom and lay her on the bed. The phone rings and I pull it out and answer...

Back to me------------

She finishes the recap and I felt heavily depressed... having you mom die is one thing, but having to kill her yourself is a lot worse.

"Kate I-"

"Save it!" The outburst knocked me off-guard...

"Kate,-"

She slams her bottom set of arms on the table "NO! I'm not going to listen to you say "i'm so sorry." from you or that there was no other way! I just want to be alone!" Tears had started to form under her eyes.

-D***, way to go on "emotional support"...  got anything for this dumba***?- That annoying f***er.

I stand and stare out the window, thinking on what to say... I come up with something but it would be capitalizing on her no other way words.

I plant my hands on the counter next to the sink "You realize that she was already infected right? If she had not taken the vial she would've went crazy anyway... less so but still, murderously insane."

"What? how?" So she didn't see the video then... explains some things.

I tell her about the video, not about what was said in it but that it shown up on the news.

"Go watch it... I'm not cut out for this."

-THERE'S the Shane i know!-

Kate looks at me "Wait your actually not staying?"

I turn toward her and say "No, you wanted to be alone right? I'll let someone else do this, *Sigh* I can at least say that I tried." I twist my neck and hear a cascade of pops, I then start walking towards the door...

"Wait... for what it's worth, thanks."

"Don't... I haven't solved anything." I say as I open and walk out the door.
I was halfway across the street when my phone alerts me to a text message. I flip out the phone without breaking stride.


From: Alex
On way back, sent home by gov. Tyler got himself a new toy. Can you give us sitrep?

I chuckle at his use of military lingo. I stop on the sidewalk and look as the neighbor opens his door. He was mid-50's with balding, grey hair. He begins to step outside but when he sees me his eyes widen and he hops back inside before slamming and locking the door... well I guess I am an outcast now, to humans anyway. Looking back at my phone's screen and remember something that could help.


Situation normal private... except for the fact that Kates mom infected/insane/dead.

I send it... I've seen the way they look at each other, she might not want me around but him? Chance that I'm willing to take. I didn't expect a reply so I pocket the phone and head inside. I see my mom in the kitchen, she had taken one of my grey cargo shorts and one of the larger blue t-shirts and put them on. On the counter was two canvas bags and three backpacks, all packed. The sig was still on the counter.

"You work fast." I say as I enter the kitchen.

She just nods her head as I see what was packed, food was mostly in the backpacks along with some maps and one of them held a first-aid kit, the duffel obviously had the clothes plus something else... I pull out a grey shirt that had an inch-wide strip across the chest with eastern dragons weaving between japanese letters for the elements and put it on. I check the last bag and see that it had been re-packed with jugs of water.

I felt the question before she said it.

"How'd it go?" I sigh and look away.

"She's really down, I'm not sure what I did worked... hopefully Alex can help her better than I did."

The sun was setting outside and the red glow had a menace to it now instead of a mesmerising beauty. I don't hear my mom reply to my comment so I turn and look at her, she was staring at the table.

"Mom." She doesn't look up...

"Mom?" I say it quite a bit louder and it snaps her out of the daze.

"Yes?"

"Go get some sleep, you need it." That was one reason I said it... the other was because she was still reeling from the fact of the virus, She was philanthropist and hated any kind of suffering and this virus was going to cause a lot of it.

She trudges upstairs and I wait 'till i hear the door shut, then I open the freezer and see what I was looking for... a mostly full gallon carton of neopolitan ice cream. I take it out, open it, grab a spoon and walked outside into the backyard while eating it, I hear the slither of scales across the ground and see dad open his eye and stare at me.
He stands up abruptly...

"YOU DID NOT just start eating ice cream infront of me!' Oh, and if you're wondering why he's mad... it's his ice cream, oops.

"Ummmm, here?" There's only one rule with my dad when he's mad... DON'T taunt him.
He snatches the carton out of my hand, which is kinda hard to do without impaling somone on those foot-long claws, but he does it easily and scoops the rest out and into his mouth with said claws.

He tosses the now empty carton way off behind him "You knew it was mine... so before I flay you alive tell me..." He suddenly lightens up, "How your little trip across the street went." I let out a held breath, mom must've told him about going across... but not the why... So I tell him.

He was silent for a time before saying "Well, you tried... it was pathetic but you tried. That story would be labeled as a serious depressor." He turns and curls up on the ground again.

"Your sleeping out here?" I said before I could stop myself...

"Where else am I going to sleep?" He said with annoyance in his voice.

I just shrug my shoulders and turn to head back inside.

"Shane, why haven't we left yet?" Dad said before I could get past the door.

I turn and look at him "Because, we need to see how bad it gets.. the politicians could try to have us killed, we could end up escaping to the wilds that could about to be fire-bombed, there's a lot of stuff we have to see so that we don't end up in a position worse than we are now a.k.a dead." He stays silent as I head back inside.

Bullet plods up to me as I toss the spoon in the sink.

"I take it your tired?" I say as she yawns, exposing razor-sharp teeth.

"I'll take that as a yes... go sleep on the couch." She heads off and I almost head upstairs when I remember the front door.

-Yeah, probably should block that.- He sounded bored, no anger or arrogance or sarcasm in his voice.-

I pull a chair from the dining table and brace it under the knob, wouldn't stop someone who really wanted to get in... but at least we would know they were there.

I grab the sig and take it up with me into my bedroom, I lay the sig down on the center and head back to the entrance, turn and face the other end and strech my right wing, a few bones pop and the slight burning made me feel more tired, I step over to the right side and do the same with my left wing... man it felt good to let them move some. I flip my phone out and put it on the dresser before laying down on my stomach and slowly fall into a dream.