I can’t tell which one of those fools that is, and he could be carrying a Barbie Doll for all I know.”
Elliot didn’t reply, his attention fully on the screen. That’s when Carlisle saw it.
“What the fucking fuck is that?” She grabbed the remote control from Elliot, jamming a thumb onto the pause button. The image froze, the creature clearly visible. It was holding up one of the thugs by one hand, the CCTV catching a full view of it. It was humanoid, standing taller than the thugs around it. If it’d been a man, Carlisle would have said it was over four hundred and fifty pounds of lean muscle — not something to get in the ring with. Shaggy hair draped its body. But it wasn’t — it can’t be! — a man. No man looked like that. Unbidden, the vagrant’s words came back to him from this morning. A wild man, he’d said.
“Thank God.” Some of the tension seemed to blow out of Elliot. “I was… I was sure I was going mad.” He took another drag from his cigarette. “Even so — I’m not sure what’s worse. Going mad, or having to work out what that —” and he waved his cup at the screen “— is.”
Carlisle leaned closer to the screen. “It’s some kind of animal.”
“That’s what I said at first. What kind of animal is it?”
“I. Um.” Carlisle stood up. “A wolf?”
“Right. It’s the head that makes you think that, right?”
“Right.”
“How many wolves you seen with fucking hands, girl? It’s got fucking hands!” Coffee sloshed out of the sides of the cup as Elliot gestured, some of it running down his fingers. “I had a friend once, owned a dog. Cleverest fucking dog you’ve ever seen, could open a beer fridge and bring him a cold frosty. He trained that dog to do all kinds of tricks. One of them was to walk on its hind legs. It could do a few steps before it would fall back over. Dog’s got no toes, right? So just remember your wolf theory when you see the rest of it.” He took the remote back from Carlisle, clicking a button.
They watched the rest of it in silence. Saw the creature tear through the thugs, the ferocity of it clear even through the stilted images of the CCTV. It was impossibly strong, impossibly fast. Carlisle gestured for the remote. “Lemme see that.”
Elliot handed it over. “I’ve been through this thing frame by frame. It’s not a trick, not some guy in a suit.”
“No, it’s not that.” Carlisle fiddled with the remote for a few seconds until she found the rewind function. “Just a hunch. Bear with me.”
“Sure, whatever. I’m going to get another coffee. You want one?”
“What? Oh. Yeah.” Carlisle hit the pause button, then turned to Elliot. “Vince.”
“I know.” Elliot was looking at his shoes. “We probably shouldn’t talk to anyone about this.”
Carlisle nodded. “Not just yet. We want to find out what the fuck that thing is. A story like this, without some evidence better than this Blair Witch shaky cam? We’ll get busted back to walking a beat. Also, you’ve probably had enough coffee.” Elliot nodded, shuffling out. The light streaming in through the open door seemed to be from another place — a reminder of just ten minutes earlier, before the world turned crazy.
Pulling a chair in front of the monitor, Carlisle skipped the video back until she found what she was after. She played the segment through three times to be sure. The creature had killed all the thugs without a qualm, that was clear. The really curious part was how it had sniffed Miles’ unconscious body on the ground. Carlisle froze the video again at that point. She could see the creature clearly crouched over Miles, but it wasn’t attacking him.
“What the actual fuck.” The idea was crazy — as crazy as anything in the last few minutes.
Elliot didn’t reply, his attention fully on the screen. That’s when Carlisle saw it.
“What the fucking fuck is that?” She grabbed the remote control from Elliot, jamming a thumb onto the pause button. The image froze, the creature clearly visible. It was holding up one of the thugs by one hand, the CCTV catching a full view of it. It was humanoid, standing taller than the thugs around it. If it’d been a man, Carlisle would have said it was over four hundred and fifty pounds of lean muscle — not something to get in the ring with. Shaggy hair draped its body. But it wasn’t — it can’t be! — a man. No man looked like that. Unbidden, the vagrant’s words came back to him from this morning. A wild man, he’d said.
“Thank God.” Some of the tension seemed to blow out of Elliot. “I was… I was sure I was going mad.” He took another drag from his cigarette. “Even so — I’m not sure what’s worse. Going mad, or having to work out what that —” and he waved his cup at the screen “— is.”
Carlisle leaned closer to the screen. “It’s some kind of animal.”
“That’s what I said at first. What kind of animal is it?”
“I. Um.” Carlisle stood up. “A wolf?”
“Right. It’s the head that makes you think that, right?”
“Right.”
“How many wolves you seen with fucking hands, girl? It’s got fucking hands!” Coffee sloshed out of the sides of the cup as Elliot gestured, some of it running down his fingers. “I had a friend once, owned a dog. Cleverest fucking dog you’ve ever seen, could open a beer fridge and bring him a cold frosty. He trained that dog to do all kinds of tricks. One of them was to walk on its hind legs. It could do a few steps before it would fall back over. Dog’s got no toes, right? So just remember your wolf theory when you see the rest of it.” He took the remote back from Carlisle, clicking a button.
They watched the rest of it in silence. Saw the creature tear through the thugs, the ferocity of it clear even through the stilted images of the CCTV. It was impossibly strong, impossibly fast. Carlisle gestured for the remote. “Lemme see that.”
Elliot handed it over. “I’ve been through this thing frame by frame. It’s not a trick, not some guy in a suit.”
“No, it’s not that.” Carlisle fiddled with the remote for a few seconds until she found the rewind function. “Just a hunch. Bear with me.”
“Sure, whatever. I’m going to get another coffee. You want one?”
“What? Oh. Yeah.” Carlisle hit the pause button, then turned to Elliot. “Vince.”
“I know.” Elliot was looking at his shoes. “We probably shouldn’t talk to anyone about this.”
Carlisle nodded. “Not just yet. We want to find out what the fuck that thing is. A story like this, without some evidence better than this Blair Witch shaky cam? We’ll get busted back to walking a beat. Also, you’ve probably had enough coffee.” Elliot nodded, shuffling out. The light streaming in through the open door seemed to be from another place — a reminder of just ten minutes earlier, before the world turned crazy.
Pulling a chair in front of the monitor, Carlisle skipped the video back until she found what she was after. She played the segment through three times to be sure. The creature had killed all the thugs without a qualm, that was clear. The really curious part was how it had sniffed Miles’ unconscious body on the ground. Carlisle froze the video again at that point. She could see the creature clearly crouched over Miles, but it wasn’t attacking him.
“What the actual fuck.” The idea was crazy — as crazy as anything in the last few minutes.
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