Hell Flower

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After everything that had happened that morning, I didn't think there was anything that would shock me.

I was wrong.

Liz now kneeled on all fours in front of me, her body convulsing and ticking like a jolt of electricity was roaring through her. The crunch of bones cracking and clunk of joints popping echoed through the air. Her legs shifted, contorting at the knees as fur grew over her body. It extended from her shoulders and hips down her limbs, forming a glistening coat of white with patches of brown and grey. With a snap, her jaw dislocated as her face extended out to form a snout.

In less than a minute, the human who'd hiked into the woods with me was gone. In her place stood an enormous and elegant wolf. She shook her body, the long fur dancing around her back and shoulders as her tail curled up in the air. The wolf craned her neck around, and two blue eyes caught mine, glowing with an intelligence that was unsettlingly human.

"Liz . . ." My voice trailed off. I suddenly realized I'd been holding my breath for a minute. My heart slammed against my ribs as I got to my feet, my legs shaking beneath me. I took a stumbling step back.

The wolf grinned, revealing black gums and a set of sharp, white teeth coated in a thin sheen of saliva. She winked at me, and in a flash, she darted towards Blake's cold, dead corpse. The sound of her claws cutting into his neck and tearing away his flesh made my stomach turn and clench.

I didn't want to watch, but I also couldn't bring myself to look away. As gruesome as the task was, there was something compassionate about it. The werewolf turned back to face me, blood dripping from her teeth, and the overwhelming feeling of companionship and solidarity washed over me.

I'd just murdered someone. And yet . . . I felt okay.

With a few clinks of bones shifting and a shudder through her entire body, the wolf rose back up to her hind legs. The fur retreated, revealing pale skin detailed with an array of tattoos. Both her arms were covered in sleeves of flowers. They began as daisies and roses at her shoulders, like they were sprouting out of her body. At her elbows, the flowers transitioned to vines and thorns until they reached her hands where they tangled around her wrists.

Liz shook out her blonde hair, just like the wolf form had shaken out its fur.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She smirked at me, smoothing out her shirt and brushing off her jeans.

"How . . . " I started, but I trailed off, unable to form a complete thought.

She tilted her head to the side, waiting for me to continue.

"How are you still wearing clothes?" I finally spat out. It was the only thing I could come up with.

She put her hands up to her mouth, failing at holding in a chuckle. "I just shifted into a wolf, and the logistics you're concerned about are my clothes?"

I nodded.

"Lord, child." She shook her head. "Come on. We've dragged this corpse into the woods far enough. Let's head back to the parking lot." She looked up, and my gaze followed hers. The sky glowed a pale blue as morning set in. "We should get back before Gen F returns from that stupid party and finds out that Blake McRake is dead."

Not his real name, by the way.

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Liz and I were silent the entire walk back—the only sound being the leaves crunching beneath our feet. The gravity of everything that had happened refused to sink in, leaving me numb from the inside out.

We reached the parking lot, the sun lighting up the sky as the crisp morning air burned my nose. Each step was like moving through quicksand. My feet guided me to my own tour bus. I was a zombie walking on autopilot. All I wanted was to climb in the shower, change into clean clothes, curl up in my bunk and disappear.