General Population by Eddie Jakes Read Free Book Online

Granted, the lack of memory enabled such pride in him.  
    The smell of the wrapped meals in his hands tempted him as he walked down the street. He wanted just to grab a tiny bite of the delicious game but thought the better of it. Tara was waiting for dinner as well, so he wanted to get back as soon as possible. They both had a tendency to get a little cranky when they were hungry, and two cranky overseers trying to solve a mystery could end badly.
    Muffled growling and thumping interrupted Maddix's empty stomach. He stopped and glanced around, but there wasn't any activity in the streets to explain what he had heard. He did his best to pinpoint from where the sounds were coming. Guttural groaning and slurping replaced the muffled noises, and Maddix looked to the building above him. Something was flopping around on the roof erratically like a dead fish. He couldn't get a good look at what it was, but it appeared to have long hair, whatever it was.
    He approached the building with trepidation, slowly moving his hand toward his pistol just inside his jacket. His fingers began to slide around the smooth grip when heard a loud crack followed by silence. The mysterious figure on the roof had gone still. Perhaps it was dead? He walked closer to the building with one hand still on his gun and the other holding the warm deer meat.
    A few seconds went by with no movement and so Maddix relaxed the grip on his gun. Figuring it to be someone drunk and passed out on the roof, he turned to leave. That's when it leapt out at him and pinned him to the ground. The night's dinner flew from his hand and spilled all over the street. Whatever had jumped him, it was big, furry, and smelled like dog. Maddix opened his eyes to see the large jaw of his attacker filled with a collection of shiny white teeth and deadly looking fangs. Its mouth was foaming profusely, and its eyes were clouded over like a zombie.
    Maddix wanted to reach for his pistol but the werewolf was strong, and he could barely hold its head back with both hands. The situation was inconceivable to Maddix. Why was this werewolf able to attack him like this? It was just like the constables with the zombie attack. A wave of adrenaline surged through him, and Maddix managed to secure both hands around the creature's neck and jaw, giving him just the leverage he needed to push it back far enough to use his legs. With one sharp kick with his knee, he knocked the hindquarters off his midsection. He was now able to roll out from under the beast and go for his weapon.
    Taking a quick second to look his opponent over, Maddix watched as the rabid wolf twitched and convulsed. Something was wrong with this one. Could it be a sickness? It didn't seem possible considering their contained environment. Whatever was going on, he was going to have to put this man down and figure it out later. Maddix reached into his pocket and drew his weapon at the crazed animal.  
    "Oh fuck," exclaimed Maddix as he drew his wooden stake from his coat. In the rush, he had reached for his weapon with the wrong hand. A split second went by, and the werewolf was on top of him again.
    Reactively, Maddix jammed the stake as hard and deep into the gut of the wolf as he could. It gave no resistance and slid into the monster like it was melted butter. Wooden stakes wouldn't kill a werewolf but it would certainly cause a great deal of pain and the creature backed off him, jerking around and howling in pain.
    Barely able to catch even half a breath, Maddix could see the wound was already beginning to heal, and the stake was being pushed out as the surrounding tissues repaired themselves. The healing abilities of werewolf were rapid and soon it was back on its feet. Maddix had already drawn his gun and pulled the slide back before it could even see what was about to happen. He fired three successful shots to the chest, dropping the monstrosity where it stood.
    The yelping and howling slowly changed to the cries of a dying man