Eight

The morning after her night out with Zane, Whisper was told to strip down and wear a hospital green gown. She felt too exposed in the thin cloth, especially since the back was only tied at the neck and was otherwise open for her backside to see. She had never been told to strip and put something like this on. She had never been told to not wear socks. She had never been told to go to room labeled "Emergency Room" and she had never been told to lie down on a bed with machines and tools littering the area around her.

Whisper was scared. Terrified. She wanted Zane to come get her again. She wanted his reassurance that everything would be fine. She had no idea what was happening or why, but she wanted out. As she stared up at the white ceiling, she thought of everything Zane said to her yesterday, of all the little secrets he found out about, of the information he told her about being a wolf.

'Run!' Her wolf was frantic, clawing at her mind to get up and escape, but Whisper didn't think she could make it on her own. She couldn't make it on her own when the world has changed so much. She didn't even know where the forest was from here. Zane only said that it was nearby. 'Run! Run! Run!'

'If I run, they might catch me, then we'd be in worse trouble.'

'Nothing is as bad as what they're about to do to you! To us! Nothing will matter after this! You won't be like this! You won't like Zane! You probably won't remember Zane! Please, try and run! Just don't sit here and act like what they're about to do is going to be good for you!'

'I can't! I'm scared!'

A nurse walked in and gave Whisper a smile laced with venom. "Okay, Whisper. I need you to just relax and close your eyes. I'm going to put an IV in your arm so we can give you medication. Okay?"

'Run!'

"What are you going to do?" Whisper asked softly as the nurse brought a needle towards her.

"Nothing that will hurt you."

'Run! Get off the bed and run for your life!'

'I can't! She'll catch me!'

A sharp sting was felt by Whisper as the nurse put the IV in her arm, near the inside of her elbow. She whimpered a little but stayed still. She watched as the nurse taped the needle down to her skin, then grabbed a syringe filled with clear fluid that she injected into the tube that was flowing into her body through the needle. Immediately, Whisper started to scream.

"Relax, Whisper, It'll be over soon. I just want you to relax," the nurse said and continued to inject the fluid as another woman came in to the room. This woman had on a mask over her face, the only thing that could be seen were her dark eyes that made Whisper's body shudder.

"At least she's responding," said the newcomer. "Mix with Bane then inject the rest. As soon as she's out we'll start the procedure."

"Yes, Doctor."

For a moment, the nurse walked away from Whisper's side and went over to a counter with her back facing Whisper. In her mind, Whisper's wolf was howling out pain and agony. 'Run! Bane will nearly kill us!'

Groaning, Whisper sat up and felt her breakfast start to come up she was so dizzy. Her arm hurt like there was fire inside burning her blood. It was spreading throughout her body, making it hard to breathe.

'Take the damn thing out of your arm! It will stop the flow from more entering the body.' Whisper did as she was told and yanked the IV out, biting her lip to keep from crying out. 'Head for the door!'

"Whisper, what are you doing?" the nurse asked with a sickly sweet voice. Whisper flinched away from her and nearly fell off the bed. The nurse walked over and helped the patient to lie down correctly.

'Hit her! Kick her! Bite her! Do something besides lay there!'

'It hurts and I can't see!'

"And you're bleeding! Really, did you have to do that?" the nurse asked in an exasperated sigh.

'All you need to do is make outside. Just into the sunlight. I'll do the rest. Just make it into the sunlight and you can rest.'

Whisper nodded then sat up again, only to feel hands pushing her back down. "No!" she groaned. "Leave me alone! Go away!"

"Now, Whisper!"

"I said go away!" she snarled, then flung her arm out, backhanding the nurse across the face so she fell backwards, hitting her head on a hard surface and knocking her out.

'Get up!' Whisper's wolf was nudging her mind, encouraging her to move faster. The poor woman was moving as fast as her limbs could carry her, and that was painful enough. 'Just go straight. Right towards the door!'

Stumbling a bit, Whisper obeyed and started forward. She nearly tripped over the nurse, but managed to right herself. After a few more steps, her hands went out to touch metal. Pushing on it, she felt it swing forward and into a white hallway.

'Turn right and run!'

Taking a deep breath, Whisper turned and ran as fast as she could. She heard people calling her name, felt others grabbing for her, saw blurry shapes flash past her line of sight, but she didn't stop moving. She was afraid if she stopped, she'd collapse and never be able to get up.

'Left. Head for the bright light!'

'It's all bright!'

'Yes, but this is the sun we're talking about!'

Her heart skipped a beat at seeing the sun once again. She turned left and gasped at the sight, then used all her strength to escape the lobby, slam into the double doors, and stumble out into the fresh air.

'Alright, I'm out, now what?'

Her wolf hesitated. 'Don't worry. This isn't meant to hurt. I just need to get us out of here, okay?'

'What are you doing?'

'We're going to shift, and I'm going to find us a safe place.'

Whisper had no idea what that meant, but didn't care at the moment. Sensing her fading wits, her wolf took hold and forced her to the ground on all fours. Whisper screamed as cracking noises were heard and different bones shifted beneath her skin. From her backside, she sprouted a tail of gray, black and white. The gown ripped from where it was tied at the back of her neck and her back arched. Her ears elongated as well as her face and nose. Her hands and feet turned into furry paws and fur seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

Someone screamed.

Whisper swung her head around to see multiple nurses watching her with horrified expressions. A low growl of warning came from her before she sprinted into the streets, dodging vehicles and barely missing baby strollers. When she made it to the tree line, she heard gunfire.

Pain shot up her right hind leg and she howled, but didn't stop running. She had no idea why someone would shoot her. What had she done wrong? They were hurting her. It's not like anyone cared. So why shoot?

'We're a wolf,' her voice said.

'I'm not a wolf! I'm human!'

Her wolf chuckled and went to a little stream where she could see her reflection. Instead of being terrified at the sight before her, Whisper was amazed. The top of her head, back, and tail were a dark gray-black color. As you looked down, it faded into a lighter gray, then white near the belly and her paws. Her eyes were a golden color, almost like amber and she cocked her head, gazing at herself with wonder.

'You're a wolf. Like Zane. You're stronger than the average human.'

Another gunshot rang through the air and a second later, something made the dirt jump into the air near her paws. Yelping, she leaped away and started running again, much faster than in human form, faster than she ever thought possible. Her hind leg was bleeding profusely, but they couldn't stop for fear they might find their target the next time.

So, Whisper ran all day and half the night. Her wolf did most of the work, but they both knew they were losing too much blood. By the time the moon was fully up, she was dizzy with blood-loss, hunger, and dehydration. She collapsed near an old tree and closed her eyes, breathing heavily and licking her lips.

'We'll rest here, then set about finding food in the morning,' her wolf said softly.

All Whisper could do was nod. She wasn't in the mood to argue or talk. She closed her eyes and fell right to sleep.

When she woke up, the forest was alive with activity. Whisper gazed around at the small creatures running about, chirping or scuttling about like there was no tomorrow. It made her feel peaceful until she looked at her leg.

It was crusted with blood and looked like something was coming out of it…something green. She gagged and tried to stand, but didn't even make it half way. Whining, Whisper crawled carefully forward until she reached the mushrooms at the base of the tree. She began to nibble on it until her stomach turned over and she let all her guts out.

Whisper sighed, unsure of what to do. She wished Zane were here. The woman wondered if the hospital was still looking for her, or if they figured she was dead. She hoped the latter so she can finally live a normal life, but something told her not to get her hopes high. I'm hungry.