Bitesize 4.1

Bitesize 4.1

Nerves were niggling at Ed's conscience as they drove towards Gollanfield, Inverness. This had been pretty easy. Almost too easy. Whether Crowley would find this guy hinged on a few possibilities. Ed wondered whether Crowley knew the names of those he sought, or whether that was why he wanted Raddick so badly. He couldn't shake the fact too that Crowley's having Raddick was definitely a bad thing. Raddick had escaped from the base before. He knew its weak points, knew where its guards were. He also had to wonder to what extent Crowley had powers over the mirrors. He knew he could pull people through, but could he pass through them himself? If so they were never going to be able to race him to find all these men. And what of this current guy? Jean Fredericq? Did he know yet what lurked within him. Had it woken? Ed doubted it. The guy had a facebook page and a gaming profile suggesting long hours spent alone, fragging people on Halo. Just a regular Joe, he could even be Ed himself. No, chances were this guy was still himself. Ed couldn't picture Raddick doing anything like that. He looked over at Katia on his left, she was tucking a gun into her waistband and staring intently ahead. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Grace. He still couldn't believe how calm and complacent she was. He'd expected the T-alpha to be full of rage and anger. Perhaps the werewolves weren't so far from humanity after all. She still seemed to have her own personality. He couldn't help but ponder whether werewolves had been painted in a bad light by the actions of just a handful of them. Both Grace and Dennis seemed so... normal. Maybe the personality of the human side was the important factor. It would only take one like Raddick after all to build them up a reputation as a killer. Just like modern racism he thought. You see one black man on the news branded a killer and it snowballs on from there. Just one Muslim flies a plane into a building and they're all branded fanatics. He recalled something Katia had said about awareness in the wolves. How initially they have no idea that they are one. That their violent behaviour stems from that unawareness, from the animal instinct of a wolf. A hunter. And once they gained control... well, the Bureau did have a werewolf before. That was before Ed's time though, before his father too.
A signpost for Gollanfield pulled him from his reverie and he took the turning. Almost there.


Just a short while later Ed pulled up beside a detached house on a quiet road. It stood alone, the nearest house some distance away. A set of rusted disused railway tracks cut across the road beside it and the front lawn, wild and overgrown was encompassed by a battered wooden fence, its white paint faded and chipped.
"Looks quiet." said Katia as they got out of the car.
"I can't say I'm surprised." said Ed.
Katia had drawn her gun and he did the same as he made for the gate. He flipped the latch and went into the garden and walked up to the front door. The glass was frosted and he tried to peer through but couldn't make anything out. The windows on either side had thick curtains blocking the view. Feeling somewhat awkward Ed reached up and rapped on the door. A few seconds passed in deathly silence. Ed rapped again, harder, expecting the door to be flung open at any second, but it didn't happen.
"Maybe he's not home." said Katia.
"I doubt it." said Ed, "All this guy does is play Halo."
He tried the handle cautiously but the door was locked.
"I don't like this." said Ed, "Let's try the back."
They made their way round the rear of the house to the back door. The glass here wasn't frosted and Ed looked through the grubby pane at the kitchen beyond. He spied the sink and the washboard. A plastic rack sat atop it holding a couple of plates and some cutlery.
"Well he's been here recently I guess." said Ed. He tried the handle but again it was locked. He rapped again, loud on the glass but there was still no sign of life. Confusion was rapidly giving way to fear for Ed. He looked at Grace.
"We're going in."
She nodded, udnerstanding immediately and as Ed took a few paces back from the door Grace transformed. It took a matter of seconds though it seemed so much longer, watching her grow impossibly before his eyes, almost instantaneously sprouting hair and claws, the skull cracking and reshaping. Ed couldn't help but shudder as he stared into Grace's wolf eyes. She looked over the door and with speed that took Ed by surprise she launched a powerful kick with her hind leg. The clawed foot connected with the door and it shifted under the blow. She kicked again, harder and the lock gave way, torn from its housing as the door caved inward. It swang back hard, slamming into a cupboard, the glass pane cracking under the impact. Ed held his gun up and went inside. Grace followed him, with Katia bringing up the rear. There was a door at the rear of the kitchen and Ed opened it tentatively and peeked through. The room beyond was a small dining room slash office. A high end Alienware computer took up a desk on the right wall. It sat in standby mode, the keyboard glowing a soft blue, ready to awake at the touch of a button. Ed ignored it, walking toward the next door as quietly as he could. He tugged the handle with one hand, holding the gun in his left as he pulled the door open. It was the staircase to his left and immediately in front, another door that lead presumably into the living room. The door in front had no handle and Ed pushed it. Silently it swung open...