Free The Last Flight of the Argus by E. R. Torre Page A

its hinges. Her petite body was transformed into a hulking, muscular monster. Her face was bloated and distorted. Engorged veins ran across her forehead and the blood within them beat wildly against her hideously stretched skin. Her eyes were likewise swollen and wild. Her body, with the exception of her left hand, which hung limp at her side, appeared supercharged. Blood from a fusion gun blast dripped down the length of the limp arm.
    The monster that was once Gail Griffen tore into the living room with lightning speed. Her good hand reached out and, before Shepherd could react, locked around the police officer’s neck. Gail Griffen let out a guttural roar and twisted Shepherd’s head to the right and left. His body flailed about as if it were a child’s doll.
    There followed a grotesque crack and Shepherd’s body went limp. His service revolver tumbled to the ground. Though he was dead, the being that was once Gail Griffen continued shaking the officer. The flesh that held the dead man’s head to his body ripped away. Shepherd’s headless body tumbled to the ground while his head remained in Gail’s monstrous right hand.
    B’taav fired his gun over and over and over again. The blasts tore into the woman, producing five gaping holes in her chest. From each spewed a fountain of blood.
    The creature roared once again. She slammed Shepherd’s head to the ground and moved toward B’taav. But her movements were sluggish. The blood flowing out of her body was too much, even for this monster.
    B’taav ran back to the bedroom and slammed the door shut. It was the only barrier he had between himself and that creature.
    If it holds .
    The creature pounded against the door, splintering panels just inches from B'taav’s face. B’taav held the door tight while the creature continued pounding. Her blows grew weaker, until they finally stopped.
    B’taav waited a few more moments before inching the shattered remains of door open. Gail Griffen lay on the floor, her body no longer bloated and muscular. In death her features were serene. All traces of the monster that killed Orlando Echo, Carlo Giny, and Officer Shepherd were gone. All around her and sprayed against the wall and floor was a thick layer of her blood.
    In the end, it was the blood loss that killed her.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    The sixty-third floor of the Tropic Hotel was tightly cordoned off and filled with police and crime scene technicians.
    B’taav was led to the room next door to Gail Griffen's. It was the same room Shepherd and he rented several nights before. The Independent was told to sit there with three fresh-faced Ferro City Police Officers. He was asked no questions during that initial wait. Through the door leading out into the hallway B'taav spotted a small army of technicians pacing back and forth. Photograph flashes went off at a steady clip. Another technician walked very slowly past his room. In his hand was a three-dimensional holograph quality Vid Camera. He talked into it as he panned the instrument back and forth. The three-dimensional imaging would offer anyone interested a virtual walkthrough of the crime scene.
    After a half-hour, B’taav got to his feet. The police officers said nothing, though one of them momentarily tensed. B’taav slowed down. There was no need to alarm his babysitters. He walked to the room’s window. A mob had formed outside the hotel. They were held back by at least twenty police cars and a plethora of officers.
    “ It’s crazy down there.”
    The voice came from the entrance to the room. Though calm in tone, there was a discernable edge to it.
    Len Herbert, the Commissioner of the Ferro City Police, stood at the doorway. He wore a dull gray trench coat and smoked a thin white cigar. The lines on his face were pronounced. There was a genuine sadness in his eyes.
    “ I’ve taken a look around next door,” he said. “Care to tell me what the hell happened?”
    B’taav pulled out the vial labeled Ac2 and the