FSE

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"Are you...you sure that this is okay?"

Jerald sighed as he continued to fidget with the constricting chains. "Bendis and I talked about it. You've been down here long enough, don't you think?"

Kannan looked down at the human being and nodded. "Yes...I-I suppose it is getting a bit stuffy down here...and cramped."

Jerald unlocked the second shackle around the werebeast's left ankle, at which point Kannan reached down and rubbed his sore foot, wincing. Jerald still remained cautious, stepping back a few feet in case the reptile had another breakdown and tried to tackle him. Kannan grunted after rubbing his foot before he looked at his wrists. He rubbed them as well, flexing his fingers and breathing heavily, glad that he was finally free. Kannan blinked as he looked at Jerald, who was scratching his head awkwardly.

"So, um, Bendis is upstairs watching TV in the living room. Maybe, uh, you could possibly join us? I doubt you wanna--"

Jerald found himself groaning after Kannan charged forward and swiped him up into his arms, hugging him so hard that Jerald thought his spine was about to break. Kannan released a soft growling noise as he squeezed Jerald hard and smiled. The alligator ran his rough hands down the human being's back as they embraced. Kannan lowered his chin onto Jerald's scalp while Jerald grunted and tried to pry himself away.

"Thank you...thank you for this..."

"C...Kannan...I can't breathe..."

Kannan's eyes grew wide. He let go of the human being and watched as he fell to the floor and took a huge breath. The alligator smiled meekly as he wagged his thick tail.

"Sorry 'bout that. Just--"

"Hey, it's all right. At least you don't turn into a whoopee cushion when I hug you, unlike that bear upstairs."

Kannan blinked. "What?"

"Never mind. C'mon, let's get out of here."

Kannan nodded and followed Jerald as he headed for the stairs. The human being walked up the creaky stairs slowly, looking up at the open door that provided more light for the basement. The weregator couldn't help but smile as he saw the open door. He knew he was still a strange abomination living in some stranger's house, but Jerald's change in attitude was lifting his spirits. Kannan knew that nothing was ever easy in life, that nothing ever changed with the snap of his fingers. Sure, he was a massive weregator and the only two people he stumbled across weren't aware of how to change him back. But Kannan just had to be patient. He kept telling himself that things like this take time and he needed to relax until a cure was found for whatever disease or illness he was suffering from. That was all he could do: wait until a cure presented itself, or something he could use to become human again. Until then, all Kannan could do was try to enjoy his life, considering the circumstances. Jerald and Kannan walked into the corridor of their house before heading into the living room, where they saw Bendis sitting on the couch eating popcorn and watching TV.

"Now what are you doin' up here, Kannan? Did Jerald want a taste of your dick too?"

Jerald scowled. "You know we both agreed that I was gonna let him go today. I don't think he'll harm anyone if we just sit here and watch a few TV shows."

Bendis snickered and ate more popcorn. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Take a seat guys! I think they're doing a marathon of that awesome zombie show again!"

"The Walking Dead?"

Bendis frowned. "I said awesome, not boring."

Jerald sat down beside the panda bear while Kannan looked around the living room and spotted the recliner that Bendis usually slept in. The giant beast walked over to the chair and turned around to sit, at which point the panda bear snorted.

"Out," he barked.

Kannan stopped himself before he sat down. "What?"

"That's my special recliner. I've sat and farted in that thing so many times that the smell of my ass is glued into the fabric. We have a special bond, that recliner and I."

"It's a ratty old chair. Why do you care if someone else sits on it?" asked Jerald.

Bendis blinked. "Why don't you sit over here with us? The couch is more comfortable than my 'ratty old chair,' right, Jerald?"

Kannan blinked. "All right then."

The giant weregator walked over to the couch and sat down in-between Bendis and Jerald after they scooted away to give him more room. The second he sat down, the couch sank and creaked as it had to endure the reptile's vast weight. Jerald tried not to scowl as he sat so close to the aromatic beast while Kannan simply leaned back against the couch and relaxed himself. He exhaled, scratching at his sides before he lifted his legs and planted his feet on the table. Jerald looked at the alligator's immense feet and flared his nostrils.

"Uh, Kannan?"

"Hmm?" Kannan looked down at his legs and chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, sorry. You...um, I take it you guys don't like...feet on the table?"

Bendis chuckled and elbowed the weregator. "Leave 'em up, buddy! You're a guest here! Relax! Don't worry about Jerald and his prissy attitude!"

"I'm not being prissy, Bendis! I just don't like it when people put their stinky feet on the same table I occasionally eat at."

Kannan slowly removed his feet from the table and chuckled. "My bad."

The three creatures stayed silent after that, with Bendis occasionally flipping through channels to check and see what was on. The panda bear found the apocalypse show he was desperately searching for and started to laugh with popcorn in his mouth, marveling at the obvious CGI and tawdry dialogue. Jerald sat on the couch with his arms folded as he watched the television show, whereas Kannan flicked his eyes at Bendis and Jerald, before staring lovingly at all the blood and gore he saw flying around on the screen. The weregator smiled very slowly before he licked his teeth and swallowed hard. Jerald heard the reptile's stomach grumble, but he told himself to remain calm.

"Whatcha think zombie blood tastes like?"

Bendis snorted. "Like a recently-used tampon someone left in the dumpster during the summer."

Kannan looked at all the blood flying across the screen and forced himself not to retch at the thought of tasting blood so disgusting. Jerald groaned with exasperation before he rubbed his face and shut his eyes.

"Can you please change the channel? I'd rather watch the news than suffer through this corny bullshit!" shouted Jerald.

"But you hate the news."

"I hate this show even more!"

Bendis scoffed. "Fine then."

The second Bendis flipped the channel, the trio had a front-row seat to another breaking news story.

"...burned to death. Investigators say that the victim was on his way home from school when he was abducted by the same lynch mob responsible for the string of serial killings in the city. His body was found tied to a chair, the corpse mutilated beyond recognition..."

Jerald tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling as he sank into the couch. "Auuuuuuugh! I changed my mind--turn it back!"

Bendis grinned. "Nope! You said you'd rather watch the news than my cheesy-ass zombie show, so now you have to suffer through it!"

Kannan turned his head and looked at Bendis and his wry grin before looking at Jerald and the pitiful frown on his face. The weregator started to scowl and growled deeply.

"This isn't something you 'suffer' through. Don't you two pay attention to some of the things happening in...in this city? Some asshole burned a young pup to death for no fuckin' reason!"

Bendis frowned. "We know...but, what can we do about it? We deliver soda for a living; we're not superheroes or the police. The cops will find him...eventually."

Kannan started to make a fist with his right hand. "They'd better not...I wouldn't mind getting my hands on him first--him and this entire lynch mob that's been going around slaughtering all of these anthros!"

Jerald glanced at the growling weregator as he snorted harder than a bull and looked like he was about to flip the table over out of blind rage. He was about to gesture for Bendis to change the channel again when another, much more important news story appeared on the TV screen.

"Kannan Rogers is still missing after his family reported his disappearance over a week ago. No other friends or family members have seen him since or reported his last whereabouts. Police are still investigating, but they believe that the chances of him turning up alive are rapidly decreasing. If anyone has seen or knows about Kannan Rogers or where he's located, please call 1-800-593-4490. Once again, the number is 1-800-593-4490."

"Thanks, Judy. A bank robbery was foiled yesterday due to a security guard's heroic actions..."

The trio stopped listening to the news story and focused more on the phone number, along with the image the news story showed depicting Kannan and his wife and daughter. He could see them both now, the young red-headed girl and the woman whose red hair went far down her back. All three of them were smiling as they took a picture together in front of a cabin in a serene part of the woods. Bendis stopped eating his popcorn while Jerald frowned and gradually lowered his arms, turning to face the giant beast. Kannan could only stare at the TV, breathing heavily and whimpering, his eyes watering. Kannan let out a short, cut-off gasp and started to laugh quietly.

"It's them...my family..." the reptile said, his voice cracking.

"Um...I-I'll go get my cell phone," said Jerald.

"Please hurry..."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

She knew she should be sleeping. She had to go to work in the morning after dropping her daughter off at school. But instead, she was sitting at the dining room table, letting her glass of coffee grow cold as she tried to relax in her blue bathrobe. The woman closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, on the verge of passing out despite her mind wanting to stay wide awake. He was still out there somewhere, probably hurt or dying; she couldn't do anything about it either but wait. Wait for a miracle to happen. Wait for her husband to wander back home. Wait for the police to come by her home, let her know that her husband's dead, his body mutilated and left in a ditch. The woman huffed and was about to drink her coffee when someone banged on her front door. She gasped and dropped the mug, jumping out of her chair and rushing over to the door. She looked through the peephole and frowned. A bald-headed police officer was standing outside, his badge pinned to his suit. The woman closed her eyes slowly and huffed, reaching for the doorknob and twisting it. She sniffled and pulled open the door, and the officer outside smiled at the woman as he adjusted his suit.

"Hi! My name's--"

"He's dead, isn't he? Kannan I mean. That-that's why you're here, isn't it?"

The man chuckled. "It's quite the opposite, ma'am. Your husband is very much alive."

The woman's eyes grew wide. "What? But I thought...wh-where is he? Did you find him yet? Is he still okay?"

"Perhaps we should talk a bit more inside, Mrs. Rogers. It's quite chilly out here."

"Right, right, sorry. Come in."

Mrs. Rogers stepped out of the man's way, and he calmly stepped into the woman's house as she began to close the door. Mrs. Rogers cleared her throat as she headed back to the table, suddenly overwhelmed with relief.

"So...it's not true? He's not dead like everyone's been saying?"

The bald-headed detective stayed silent at first before he gestured towards the chair. "I think you should sit down for this..."

Mrs. Rogers took a short breath before she pulled back one of the chairs and sat down in front of the table. The detective sat down in the chair beside Mrs. Rogers' seat and sighed heavily as he got comfortable, adjusting his tie and making sure that the safety on his gun was off in case anyone tried to break into the house.

"You just said my husband's still alive."

The detective nodded. "That's right."

"Then why do you sound melancholic?"

Mrs. Rogers glanced at the man as he scratched his head, revealing a few ominous tattoos around his arms and hand. The detective suddenly grinned widely as he stared at the woman.

"Because he's going to die. He's turned into a horrific beast and needs to be put down. It's my--err, our duty to cleanse this city of all those fur, feather, or scale-covered beasts. He transformed into a monster, and now I must eliminate him before he hurts anyone else. Figured I should give you a heads up before we come to your door bringing you the bad news."

Mrs. Rogers stared at the man again and blinked slowly. She looked at the man's suit, his bald head and tattooed skin before staring at his badge. The woman felt suspicious of the detective and blinked again.

"So you're a police officer?"

"That's correct, ma'am. Now, once we find him, I'll be sure--"

"What's your badge number?"

The man paused. "Excuse me?"

"I couldn't help but notice that your badge has no number on it."

Kinley looked down at his badge and noticed that the number was absent. He blinked and chuckled softly, while Mrs. Rogers slowly slid her hand down beside her robe's pocket and slowly began to reach for her cell phone. Kinley chuckled.

"Drat! Numbers must've rubbed off in the rain and from...you know, all the heated action of the day."

Mrs. Rogers played along, smiling at the fake detective as she casually began to press a couple of numbers on her phone while it was still in her pocket.

"I'm sure. It's a common mistake that happens to all police officers, correct?"

"No, you stupid bitch. It's fake."

Mrs. Rogers was just about to hit the talk button on her phone when she heard a swift sound slicing through the air. She didn't know what happened at first; she only felt a sudden stinging sensation in her chest. Mrs. Rogers let go of her phone and coughed twice. She struggled to breathe, wheezing and trying to stand up. The woman looked forward and could see that Kinley was holding a suppressed handgun in his hand with a small trail of steam coming out of the barrel. Mrs. Rogers coughed again and whimpered upon realizing that blood was running down her chest.

"This gun, however, is real. The bullets within this gun, are also real. And that pain you're feeling...well, no need to answer that."

Kinley put his gun on the table and reached forward, taking Mrs. Rogers' mug of coffee so he could drink from it instead. The man set the glass down and licked his lips as he adjusted his tie again.

"I wasn't lying about your husband, you know. He really is a monster. And I am going to kill him. I was gonna wait, let you decide how you should die tonight. But those retards who made me this fake badge forgot to put a goddamn number on it." Kinley shrugged. "Ah well! There's nothing wrong with speeding up the process beforehand!"

Kinley was about to drink more coffee when he looked inside the mug and realized that the glass was empty. The man huffed as he got out of his chair and walked over to the coffee machine to pour himself another glass. As Mrs. Rogers continued to bleed out, Kinley started to walk around the kitchen, examining all the features and details of the woman's appliance-filled kitchen.

"What kinda blender is that? The Z9000?"

Kinley sipped his coffee before he mumbled to himself that he planned on stealing it. As Mrs. Rogers slowly began to fade away, she mustered all the strength she could find to pull out her cell phone. She tried to dial the number for the police again, but Kinley effortlessly removed the phone from her hand and pressed down on the End button. Kinley snorted before he drank more coffee and nodded.

"This is a nice house, y'know? I like the whole fung-shway or whatever the fuck you call it going on here. And let me tell ya, you really do make a fantastic pot of coffee! What coffee grounds you use? Not that bitter-ass Bartlett's House brand? Please tell me that isn't what this is."

"...My daughter--"

"--will be with you shortly. After I kill you, a 'friend' of mine is gonna come in here and rip her to shreds. But don't worry; you'll be dead so you won't be able to see any of it."

Mrs. Rogers whimpered as her eyes became watery and her vision continued to fade. "Don't..."

Kinley heard the woman breathing quietly and coughing as she slouched near the table. Then the bald-headed man sighed as he set the mug down and licked his lips.

"Yeah, tastes like that Bartlett's House shit. Fuck it. Let's get this over with."

Mrs. Rogers grunted and started to groan when Kinley wrapped one of his thick arms around her throat. The woman groaned again as she reached up and tried to pry his thick arm away. It felt as though a humongous snake had wrapped itself around her neck and was slowly tightening its body, applying so much pressure that Mrs. Rogers thought she heard a few bones popping. Kinley looked down at the woman with a bored expression as he tightened his grip even more, the woman gagging as she was slowly choked. Mrs. Rogers squealed, still trying to pry the man's deadly arm away. But no matter what she did, Kinley wouldn't budge. The man blinked twice before he grabbed the back of her head with his other hand and quickly jerked Mrs. Rogers' head forward. Kinley heard a couple of subtle cracks, and Mrs. Rogers stopped moving. Kinley sighed as he removed his arm from her neck and watched as Mrs. Rogers' body slouched over and collapsed onto the floor. The man walked over to the front door and opened it up before he whistled. A few seconds later, a slobbering, feral-looking beast slurped as he stomped his way towards the doorframe. Kinley stepped out of the creature's way and let the wolf inside.

"Meat! I-I smell it! Where is it?!"

"Yeah, and I can smell your filthy armpits, but you don't see me having an orgasm over it."

"WHERE?!"

Kinley stared at the oversized gray wolf with dark yellow eyes and a saliva-coated maw. He knew it wasn't wise to test the creature's patience, so he gestured over towards the corridor inside the house leading to the bedrooms.

"Down there. In one of the bedrooms. Feel free to make as big as a mess as you want."

The giant werewolf snarled as he shoved Kinley out of his way. He sniffed the air several times, picking up another human being's scent. He started off by opening the doors to the bathroom and broom closet before he crouched down and sniffed at one of the doorknobs. The gray werewolf shook his tail before he grabbed the doorknob and twisted it slowly. Upon opening the door, he found himself blasted with various fragrances, some of which were from feminine products. He blinked and saw a few toys and dolls resting on the floor, along with some trophies sitting on a shelf depicting various soccer awards. The closet and dresser drawers were closed, and a music box was resting beside the lamp on the nightstand. The werewolf blinked again and grinned widely, taking note of the young girl sleeping in her bed. He took two steps inside, kicking away two dolls on the floor and crushing a small doll house beneath his left footpaw. The young girl stirred from the crunching sound, along with the light coming into her room from the hallway. She opened her eyes and mumbled, still half-asleep.

"...Mom?"

The young girl screamed after she turned her head and saw the behemoth of an anthro looking down at her, his yellow eyes almost glowing inside her dark room. She hopped out of bed only wearing her pajamas and sprinted for the window. The werewolf easily sprinted towards her just as she was about to pull the blinds down. He grabbed her by the back of her head and smashed her face into the wall, shortly before he tossed her body over towards her nightstand. The young girl had nowhere to go. The wall was to her left. Her mattress was to her right. And the giant beast in front of her was way too large to try and slip past. She started to cry and whimper as the werewolf stepped closer to her.

"Did you think I would be in the closet, girl? Did you think I would be under your bed?"

The werewolf stepped even closer to the girl and chuckled as he bent over, snorting in her face.

"No, not at all, little one. We monsters have no need for hiding anymore! We've been right here all along, in plain sight, right in front of your faces!"

The girl covered her ears and shut her eyes as tears started to run down her cheeks. "Get away...GO AWAY!!"

The anthro snarled, his spittle hitting the girl in the face. "I really do love children. Your skin is...it's so soft and smooth. Your flesh is very tender. And your organs..."

The giant werewolf licked his lips as he got even closer to the child.

"SO JUICY!"

The werewolf wasted no time lunging at the girl and biting down on her throat, ripping out a large chunk of flesh before feeling her warm blood splashing against his face. As the girl started to bleed out, she moaned quietly and tried to grab her neck to stop the bleeding. But by then, the werewolf had already swallowed the flesh he removed from her, and he proceeded to sink his teeth into her tender flesh yet again...

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You sure this is the place?"

Bendis and Kannan were both standing in front of a light green house located in a cul-de-sac several miles from where Bendis and Jerald lived. The neighborhood Kannan's family lived in seemed quiet and peaceful, short of the one building they passed that housed a group of rowdy creatures practicing for an upcoming concert. The weregator blinked as he looked at the driveway, his house's cut lawn, and the mailbox that was "redesigned" by his daughter. The sprinkler systems were off, his wife's gray sedan was still in the driveway, and the lights inside his home were still turned on with the blinds closed.

"It's gotta be. This was the address they gave us. Plus, your last name is on the mailbox."

Kannan glanced at the mailbox and smiled as he wagged his thick tail. "Forgot about that. I think, uh...after my daughter got this paint set, she got a little carried away. She's quite fond of blue."

The panda bear chuckled. "I see that. Well, no point in making them wait any longer, right?"

Bendis started to walk towards Kannan's house, but the giant weregator couldn't find it in him to move his legs on his own. He stood in the driveway, rubbing his head and shaking. Bendis looked over his shoulder when he noticed that the reptile wasn't following him and frowned.

"What's up?"

"I...look at me, Bendis. They won't--"

"--care. They've been worried for the past week now thinking that you're dead. Who cares what kind of shape you're in?"

"They won't even recognize me...I'm-I'm not human. I don't even sound the way I used to. How do I explain this?"

Bendis shrugged. "Just tell them you got into an accident."

"...What if they don't want me anymore? What if...if I'm just a monster now?"

"Isn't knowing better than staying out here twiddling your thumbs? Maybe they'll be uncomfortable at first--you're a fuckin' gargantuan alligator, Kannan. Anyone would be wary of you. But they're still your family, and you're still a husband and a father."

Kannan huffed. "I guess so...fine then. Let's...let's get this over with."

"Now you're talkin'!"

Bendis and Kannan walked over to the front door of Kannan's house. Kannan took a huge breath while the panda bear lifted his arm and knocked on the door four times. Bendis and Kannan waited for a few seconds, only to receive no response. Bendis knocked on the door again and waited in front of the weregator. Kannan was still nervous, thinking that his wife or daughter saw him from one of the windows and was hiding until he went away. Bendis scratched his head and put his paws in his pockets.

"Maybe they're sleeping. It's past midnight after all," suggested Kannan.

"They can't be; all the lights are still on."

Bendis made a fist and pounded on the door more roughly, growing impatient now.

"There's no need for all that."

"How else am I gonna get their attention other than by breaking the window?"

Kannan sighed. "Perhaps my wife left the door unlocked. Sometimes she'd see me walking up the sidewalk and unlock the door for me so I wouldn't waste time fussing with my keys in the dark."

Bendis chuckled and grabbed the doorknob. "You seriously expect me--"

The panda bear shut his mouth when he twisted the doorknob and the door creaked open.

"...Huh. I guess she did leave it open."

Bendis stepped inside first, pushing open the door slowly and placing his footpaws inside the house. Then he screamed and grunted as he slipped on a pool of blood and fell on his back. Kannan flared his nostrils and frowned once he noticed the thick scent of blood.

"Oh no..."

Kannan pushed the front door open and stormed inside. And then he hollered as he saw the grisly scene inside the living room and kitchen. Bendis groaned as he slowly got back onto his footpaws, grunting and trying not to slip on all the crimson again. He heard a somber, feral noise, as if a wild creature was dying and crying for help. The panda bear looked at Kannan and could see the alligator shaking as he slowly walked around the kitchen and living room, whimpering as he looked at all the fluids and chunks of flesh everywhere.

"Oh God..."

"K-Kannan, it...yo-you--it might not be their blood. They might--"

Kannan ignored Bendis and started to walk down the corridor, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. In the back of his mind, he knew. He was aware of what he would see, of what he already knew was true. But his feet kept moving forward to his daughter's room, to her door that had been left ajar. Bendis started to follow Kannan, hoping to stop the weregator before he got too far. But he kicked open the door before Bendis reached him, at which point the panda bear stopped. He stood in the hallway for a moment, and then he heard a bellowing cry that nearly deafened him. He didn't know someone with such a deep voice could scream so vocally. Bendis wasn't sure when the beast stopped screaming, but when he did, all he could hear was more guttural sobs and feral whimpering. Kannan couldn't even figure out what parts were left. Her dolls were splattered with blood, some fingers were resting beside the nightstand, a few bones with the flesh still attached to them were lying near the closet, strands of hair and part of the scalp was beside the door--everything was a mess. Kannan didn't even know what to cradle--there wasn't anything big enough to qualify as a body.

Bendis peeked inside the room and spotted Kannan on his knees, still crying his eyes out as he reached forward and tried to grab a few organs, hysterically piling some of the blood and flesh together as he attempted to cradle it. But when he picked up the soggy mess, it all fell apart in his arms and plopped onto the floor. Kannan sobbed a few more times before he shut his eyes and resumed wailing again.

"Jesus Christ...what..."

Kannan slowly turned and faced Bendis, mucus coming out of his nostrils as his eyes started to become red. He tried to speak or say something coherent, but whenever he opened his mouth, all Bendis heard was jumbled blubbering and gasps. Kannan sobbed and sniffled twice as he pointed at the bed, still trying to make out words. But thinking about how his daughter was ripped apart near her own bed resulted in the weregator sobbing once again. Bendis backed away from Kannan's daughter's bedroom and stepped out into the corridor. Breathing heavily, he took out his cell phone and immediately dialed 911. His paws shaking, the panda bear held the phone up to his ear as he listened.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"U-um..." Bendis paused and let out a shaky breath. "Th-there's, um...there's been a murder...yeah, in the...um, Culver's Community. House 2066. Just...just get here..."

Bendis hug up the phone, too shocked to say any other words. Bendis wanted to walk into the room again to try and comfort the weregator, but he was too repulsed and horrified at the scene around him. Kannan was still inside the room, still on his knees, his back turned to the closet. Kinley saw the opportunity and he took it. He stepped out of the closet and shot Kannan in the back of the neck with a small dart. Kannan grunted and felt a small sting. He sobbed a few more times before his vision started to fade. The weregator took a few heavy breaths before he lifted a hand and tried to grasp his neck. But the sedative acted quickly, and Kannan was having trouble focusing. He grunted twice and blinked as he collapsed to the floor, his face planted against part of his daughter's exposed ribcage. As Kannan passed out, Bendis sniffled and leaned against the wall beside the main bathroom. He smelled the air and gagged, trying to keep his bile inside his stomach. The panda bear shook and whimpered as he took out his cell phone again. The bear was starting to press down on a few numbers when he heard the bathroom door creak.

"Wha--"

It all happened before Bendis could react. One of Kinley's thugs walked out of the bathroom with a Taser and held it up to his throat. Bendis emitted a gurgled moan as the thug activated the weapon and the sound of the electricity tickering filled the corridor. It was only a few seconds before Bendis was on the floor, unconscious. The thug took out his handgun and pointed it at the panda bear's head.

"Not yet."

The thug sighed heavily and turned around, watching as Kinley walked out of the blood-drenched bedroom.

"We shouldn't kill him yet."

"Why not?"

Kinley stared at the panda bear and started to grin. "I think I found my next victim...but let's have some fun first. Then we'll kill him."

"Orders?"

"Take him back to the hideout. Both of 'em. And hurry up--I think he just called the cops. Let's go!"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another long day without his partner. Another frustrating day of working late at night and having to do double the work since the heavyset bear wasn't alongside him lifting the soda crates. But he got the job done, and all the regular clients had paid him all the money he earned. Jerald was rubbing his eyes with one hand and driving with the other, steering his truck along the road as he headed home. He was hoping he wouldn't stumble on Bendis naked with another one of his sex partners. He was hoping that Kannan hadn't snapped after he left for work and murdered Bendis--or one of his neighbors for that matter. He was starting to wonder if he should've headed to Kannan's house with them, just to be sure that they made it there safely. But Sasha called out sick again, so there was nothing Jerald could do about it. As Jerald entered his subdivision, he didn't see any police cars or fire trucks, no news helicopters or vans. It was only the same sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and the ugly yellow van that was missing two of its rims. Jerald turned into the driveway and parked the truck, sighing as he turned off the truck's engine and began to open the door.

Jerald got outside the red pickup truck, locked the doors, and walked over to the front door. He grumbled as he fiddled with the keys, eventually finding the right one after searching for a few seconds. The moment Jerald stepped inside his home, he turned on the living room lights and shut the front door, sighing again. No weregators defecating on the front law, no panda bears passing gas or having noisy sex, no giant beasts snarling and slobbering over massive piles of meat. It was all silent, short of the air conditioning machine quietly functioning in the background. Jerald stayed perfectly still, letting his body relax and wind down. After the man took a breather, he started to walk towards his room, flicking on another light before he sat down on his mattress. Jerald slowly removed his boots with his feet before he curled his toes and let his socked feet air out. Jerald rubbed his head again before he took out his cell phone and dialed Bendis' number. But all the human being got was his answering machine.

"Hey buddy. Guess you decided to stay at Makky's place tonight. Look, just call me in the morning; I had a rough day at work. And let me know what happened with Kannan--you got him back with his family, right? ...Eh, just tell me all about it tomorrow. By the time you get this, I'm probably gonna be sleep. I'll call you back later."

Jerald hung up the phone and tossed it on his mattress. Then he lied down on the bed and started to get comfortable, his eyelids becoming heavy as he tried to enter a deep sleep. But before he could pass out, Jerald heard a subtle noise in the background. He blinked a few times and ignored the noise--it was probably just the neighbors. So Jerald closed his eyes again, only to gasp and sit straight up when he heard footsteps. The human being quickly hopped out of bed and peeked into the corridor. A shadow appeared on one of the walls in the hallway. Jerald froze. The shadow moved, accompanied with audible footsteps. Jerald swore quietly and immediately flicked the light switch in his room. Whoever was inside the house was thinking the same way, because Jerald heard a faint click as the lights for the living room went out too. Panting, Jerald backed up towards his nightstand and crouched down, forcing himself to breathe softer than a mouse.

And then Jerald held his breath entirely when the intruder entered his room carrying a gun...