Read Caged View (An Urban Fantasy Collection of Short Stories) (Habitat .5 Series) Page 3

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  The tram dropped us off in front of the factory and then sped off with a wobbling back wheel that made a clanking noise.

  Blood coated every air molecule within a three-block radius of Linderman’s Blood Factory. I would have suffocated on the stench if not for La La’s lavender scent wafting from her pores.

  We’d both maintained a thick silence between us the whole tram ride, lost in our own thoughts.

  Linderman’s Blood Factory had been in business since the first year of the habitat. The huge facility produced blood products, everything from medical to beauty. They were the habitat’s top exports to the Humans living outside of Santeria.

  If a Pureblooded supe needed to make some extra money, all he had to do was drain some of his blood into a cup and take it to the factory. Linderman officials handed out cash without any questions. Other more desperate and unethical Supes simply attacked unsuspecting people, drained them, and dumped their bodies behind the factory. Bloodless supe corpses packed the dumpsters in the factory’s alleyway.

  If Joe murdered my mom, he’d most likely snack on her until she wasn’t fresh, and then drain the rest to give to Linderman’s. It was the most logical thing to do for a cold-blooded killer in the habitat. It was why La La and I were heading toward the dumpsters.

  “I still think you should let me search first,” she insisted, breaking the quiet.

  “So somebody can jump out of the shadows and take you, too?” I passed Linderman’s on my left, heading to its alleyway.

  “We don’t even know if Fiona is dead.” La La shook her head. “Truthfully, she’s probably hiding or—”

  My mom’s scent hit me before I even turned the corner, fresh maple syrup poured over warmed ginger. I sniffed some more. It was her scent, but not completely. It had a stale after effect, like it had been left out on the counter all night, decaying.

  I halted, shivering with fear. My feet planted themselves to the pavement as if they’d been covered in cement and had completely dried. I couldn’t move forward. Every cell in my body cried out in agony.

  She’s gone.

  “Mom,” I whispered.

  Tears dripped down my face in hot lines. My throat instantly became hoarse.

  La La rushed into the alley.

  A bang sounded, maybe the lid of a dumpster as it hit the brick wall. I don’t know. I was frozen. I could barely think.

  Silence passed for a few minutes, and then I heard a faint cry escape La La’s lips.

  She muffled it somehow, but the noise still managed to echo off the alley’s walls and reach my ears.

  My legs collapsed under me. I stumbled to the ground and stayed there.

  La La approached, sat down next to me, and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Tears streamed down La La’s cheeks and dripped to her shoulder.

  “I saw her,” she said.

  I have to do something.

  I gently moved her away. “Not now. Your body will only distract me.”

  She inched away, but her eyes remained focused on me.

  I rested my elbows on my knees and put my head in my hands.

  So many thoughts and scenarios ran through my mind, but none of them brought my mom back or would take away the suffering. The only thing that I kept coming back to was that I could kill Joe.

  Something about that option lifted my spirits a little. To watch his breath leave his body would definitely be satisfying, at least for a few moments.

  “Go home, La La.” I roused my cheetah from his slumber. He’d been napping since the tram ride.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “Just leave.” I ripped my shirt off.

  Yes? My beast asked and then he caught our mom’s scent of death and came to the realization that she was gone.

  A primal yowl erupted from my lips.

  He tore apart my flesh, pushing through and claiming my body as his.

  La La backed away. “No, MeShack. Don’t—”

  I dropped to the littered ground and screamed as my bones broke in each arm and leg, and then reshaped in seconds. My clothes shredded and scattered to the ground. New muscles formed around the new bones. A burning sensation pulsed through me. My heart changed position within my chest. My neck cracked backward, stealing my breath, as it transformed into my cheetah’s neck, stronger and more durable for impact. Claws ripped through my fingers and toes. Tan and black fur sprouted from every pore, spreading across my entire body.

  When it was all over, the cheetah licked our paw.

  I peered at La La from his eyes. They gave me an amber view. I could make out every detail around me.

  He cleaned us to his satisfaction and then stalked around La La.

  “Can you shift back so we can discuss this?” She held out her hands in front of her, slowly edging back. Her eyes flickered to an orange gleam and brightened against the darkening sky.

  “I can’t let you do this,” she said as fire formed around her hands.

  My beast pushed out our own flames from our mouth. They seared the pavement, leaving black marks and steam. The power to create fire was a present from La La’s father. I’d gone through a lot of pain to get it, but was glad he did it.

  She simply waved her hands to extinguish the blaze. “MeShack, the Vamp could hurt you.”

  I took control of the cheetah body and snarled at her.

  Calm down, the beast said. This is our mate.

  She formed two fireballs in front of her.

  I leaped away and increased my speed, knowing she couldn’t catch or keep up with us. No one could, except Mom.

  Another howl ripped from my throat.

  “MeShack!” La La yelled from behind us, and then she was gone.

  Nothing but miles lay between as I raced back to The Castle.