Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 2: Pt 2

"Egon." He tried again, quieter this time. "I need you to speak to me."

"We should take him to the hospital," Cai said, appearing behind Oscar. Under his shoes, the debris of an early wave of fall snapped and crunched. "Samiya's still there. She can give him a check-up."

"He's not injured," Oscar noted, his eyes scanning Egon's frame.

"Physically, perhaps not. But mentally?" Cai scowled. "Egon's hardly a man, Oscar. He just joined the army. He knows nothing of bloodshed and violence."

"I blame Cathy," Oscar muttered, evoking the name of Egon's heavyset, domineering mother. The mere mention of her iron fist sent another bout of shivers passing through Egon, who finally stirred and blinked.

"A-Alpha?" He stammered, his eyes regaining focus. His gaze shifted nervously between Oscar and Cai and then slid down his own body. Horror corrupted his thin features and he yelped, jumping up. "B-Blood...?"

"Not yours," Oscar assured him quickly. He tightened his hands over Egon's shoulders and brought the boy to his feet in a gentle, reassuring manner. "Did you touch the bodies? Or have any contact with them at all?"

"O-Only when inspecting them," Egon murmured. His lips quivered as he spoke and his gaze was shifty, unable to meet Oscar's. He rubbed his wrist and sighed. "T-They're over here..." He turned and adopted a quick pace, one that was unusual for him, and led Oscar and Cai through the dense part of the southern border. In a dark grove populated by a swarm of glowing lanternflies, Egon crossed over a mossy, damp patch and uncovered a lump that was placed perfectly at the center.

The scene that met Oscar through his illuminated gaze brought a bout of nausea that tossed through his system. He'd never seen anything so gruesome in his life, and that was rare for an Alpha in their thirties.

Two people were lying in the grove, and upon further inspection, Oscar realized that they were two young adults, most likely in their college years. Their bodies were pale and mangled, woven with the vines and leaves that populated the forest area floor. It was hard to tell which limb belonged to whom. Every part of their body had a slit in it except for their stomachs, which were torn open and emptied of their contents. The eerie part, Oscar decided, was the serene expression that each had on their face like they had died doing the thing they enjoyed the most. The woman's face was untouched, a figure of beauty and grace. Her cheeks, albeit pale, were full and painted in red which made it seem she was blushing. Her eyes were open, staring at the sky, lost in the mystical wonders of the universe. Perhaps she was contemplating her new life?

The man, on the other hand, was completely unrecognizable. His face was similar to his body, in the sense that they had both been cut in several places. What was left of his face was only the empty sockets of his eyes and the pieces of shredded skin on his lips.

Egon was quiet, twisting his wrist, and rubbing his pulse in a nervous frenzy. Oscar and Cai were still beside him, absorbing the cruel, beautiful scene painted before their eyes. Finally, Oscar took a step toward the nearest limb - the arm of the woman. He peeled the watch dangling from her wrist but found nothing else to take.

"They're human," Cai murmured, inspecting the body of the man. "Lovers, I'd assume."

"Why lovers?" Oscar questioned. "They could have any other relationship."

"This bruise on the woman's neck is new, and the width seems to match the teeth of the man," Cai explained, opening the jaws of the man.

Oscar scowled. "It could have been a case of domestic violence. Don't make assumptions, Cai."

Cai scowled. "Yeah, yeah. But I doubt they're siblings. They look nothing alike."

"Their bodies are severely mutilated. I can hardly classify them as human." He stood and brushed his pants. "Well, there's no doubt about their living status, though, so we don't need to wake Samiya up."

Egon continued to wring his wrist and rub his pulse. "S-So...what do we do?" He whispered. "D-Do we know who did this?"

Oscar frowned. "No." He shook his head. "My senses are nullified because someone wanted to be careless and go to a bar instead of work." He shot a glare at Cai.

The Beta shrugged. "You were being a sourpuss anyway. Besides, you only drank one glass. You should be okay."

"One glass does enough for me. My alcohol tolerance is limited," Oscar muttered. He stood. "We'll get the General here and some of our emergency personnel. The morgue will have our inspection report in a day or two, so until then..." he trailed off, a grimace twisting his already tired expression.

"Until then?" Cai questioned, standing. He fixed the loose hem of his pants and glanced at Oscar. "What do we do?"

"We'll have to file a report and do all the fucking paperwork," Oscar growled, his mind spinning at the thought of opening the murder report cabinet. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the crickets fill his overstimulated brain for a minute or so, calming the rapid tempo of his heart. "We'll also have to bar the area and warn the wolves of our murderer. Schools will also be put on temporary lockdown."

"Will you tell the Alpha King?" Cai asked.

"D-Does he need to know?" Egon questioned. "I-Is this within his bounds?"

Oscar's lips pursed in thought. "I'm not sure. Usually, pack murders fall under that certain pack's jurisdiction, so I don't think I have to tell Jackson about this. However..." he faltered. "These aren't werewolves or any other supernatural race. These are...humans." He sighed. "They're a complicated anecdote."

"Okay...so then what?" Cai crossed his arms. "We already have a shitton of paperwork to do now, and on top of that, we have extra rules? What's next?" He growled in annoyance.

Oscar gritted his teeth together. "You're not going to like this..."

"What could be worse?"

The Alpha sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well, since it's humans who have been killed...we'll have to involve the human government."

--()--()--()--

Hey guys!

So, looks like we're going to involve the humans, but will everyone be happy with that? What about the victims? What about the wolves? What do you think of Cai, Oscar, and Egon? Specifically, what do you think of Cai and Oscar?