By George Woodruff

Part 5

Karen had sublet Susan's apartment and had her move in with her for the duration of her outpatient recovery. Susan had objected at first, but Karen insisted.

"After all, you need someone around to watch over you, I'm not working right now, Brian and Jessica would love to see you. Besides, this will give us a chance to catch up on the past, I haven't seen that much of you since you went away to college," her sister chided her. Susan smiled, a fond memory of their times together before she had gone away to college giving her a nostalgic feeling.

So when her release date came, she rode to the curb in the wheel chair, climbed into Steven's van and had a pleasant ride to her sister's house. Even though she was enjoying the ride, she noticed that Steven seemed distant. She realised that she might be in part responsible for this as she sensed tenseness about him in regards to her personally.

"So... how have you been Steven?" She decided to open pleasantly if she could.

"Not bad," he partially lied. "I've been working and well, I guess that about sums it up." He sighed. She nodded, and then as they pulled up to a stoplight, she asked him.

"We never did have that date, did we?" Steven's heart did a trip hammer action at her blasé mention of their unconsummated rendezvous.

"Well, um, no, now that you mention it..." he stammered, "what with you being in the hospital and all."

"Well we should do something about that." She smiled as he stared at her. "Light's green," she added. He looked up and seeing the intersection clearing, stepped on the gas and then backed off, causing his van to rock.

"Steven!" she laughed. "You haven't got one of those lewd bumper stickers on this crate have you?" she teased.

"Huh? What... how do you mean?" he asked as he concentrated on driving.

"You know, 'If This Van's A Rocking Don't Come A Knocking!'" she said straight faced and then laughed as he hit the brakes to avoid running the next set of lights.

"No... I swear... hey... you're teasing me!" he exclaimed as he realised that she was having fun with him. Well, it wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind, but he liked her like this. Switching mental gears he added "Never found one in a colour that I could stand. And the 'Ass, Gas, or Grass, No One Rides for Free!' one had to go, cops were questioning me too often thinking I was a dope fiend."

Susan clutched her sides, tears streaming down her face as she began to laugh uncontrollably. Steven watched her out of the corner of his eye as he continued to drive to her sister's place.

"Are you going to be okay?" he finally asked after a moment when it seemed that she might actually be having trouble. Giggling and gasping she managed to nod.

"Honest, ow, my ribs hurt, I'm fine!" she managed between gasps and ended with a short bout of hiccoughs. After these subsided, they talked about several things, faintly dancing around the topic of a date until she finally acceded and set a date.

"I probably should settle in first, so next Saturday?" she asked.

"Okay," he said, "where would you like to go?"

"Right now I think dinner and a show will have to do for now, I don't want to do any dancing just yet until I get the go ahead from the doctor," she decided.

"Well that makes sense, is that the address?" he asked. She looked over at her sister's house.

"Oh, yes that's it, pull in to the driveway."

The next thing she knew her sister, niece and nephew and their dog were mugging her. Steven smiled and unloaded her things. They got her moved in to the house and into the guest room that her sister had customised with her personal effects. She settled in and then had some lunch with her sister and her kids. Steven was invited but left early, as he had to get back to work. Karen smiled as he drove away.

"So, tell me about him?" Karen teased.

"Steven, he's the contract IT guy, when he comes in, he works in the cubicle next to me at work, a very nice guy who finally got up the nerve to ask me out the day of my attack." Karen's eyes darkened at the mention of that fateful day. Susan pretended not to notice. "Seeing as our plans were interrupted, we've rescheduled for next Saturday. Dinner and a show this time instead of dancing." Karen muttered something and Susan replied "It was not his fault that I was attacked, so stop with that line of thought. Now if you don't mind I would like to go and have a nap, I am still feeling a bit under the weather." She left her sister standing open mouthed at the door and retired to her room. Sleep found her in seconds and she missed out on a classic fight with her sister who didn't have the heart to disturb her once she saw how restful she was.

She walked down a long corridor, in a strange house. There was a sense of familiarity about it, as if she were experiencing déjà vu, but she was certain she had never been there before. She walked into a parlour, dark wood panelling, hung with draperies and lit by a fire burning in an immense hearth. She strode across the hard wood floors and ancient area rugs from distant lands, looking about her. Here and there were portraits up the walls, and bookshelves cluttered with leather bound tomes and an odd assortment of curios.

She was about to approach one of the paintings when she heard a sound behind her. There in the doorway stood her dream lover. Something about him though didn't seem right. She couldn't quite place what it was until he was right up close to her. His features seemed misshapen as if he were someone else wearing her lover's skin as a costume, somewhat ill fitting at that.

"Who is he?" The words came out in a guttural voice as this simulacrum of her paramour grabbed hold of her arms with fierce and angry hands.

"What? Who?" she started to say, but the grip was powerful and she winced at his touch. "Hey, be careful, you're hurting me!" she declared.

"I will know who he is and what he means to you!" he demanded, giving her a rough shake. Anger replaced confusion in her mind and she lashed out at him. Her knee drove into his groin and he growled as the pain caused him to release her. Fast as thought she reached out with her aching arms and clutched the sides of his head with her claws. Pulling him in towards her knee again, she smashed his face upon her racing joint. There was a sickening sound of snapping cartilage and the gush of blood. She ripped his pointed ears from the sides of his head and kicked him for good measure in the chest.

"Don't ever talk to me like that again, don't ever touch me like that again or I will kill you!" she growled. He lay on the floor, breath struggling through the blood on his face. "Now go!" she roared at him and then realising that this was not her place she turned and stalked out on all four legs. As she trotted nonchalantly down the corridor, she realised that the hall seemed to have grown larger. She passed by a mirror and stopped. Backing up to look at it she realised that in her dream, she had become a wolf. She looked at herself, golden eyes winked at her, her coat was a glossy black and thick and full too. She heard the whimper of the male back in the parlour and sniffed, then proceeded out of the tunnel and into the open air.

She looked about and realised she had just woken from her dream. She was sitting hunched up on her hands and feet at the edge of the bed, staring out the window at the ravine behind the house. She sat back and laughed silently to herself. She hugged herself and stopped laughing, her arms hurt and as she inspected them she noticed that they were bruised. She was about to call for her sister when she noticed the smear of blood on her knee.

"Karen! Call Detective Henderson!" she screamed.