11.a

Chapter 11.a:

A chorus of guttural howls rips through the flooded streets, a symphony of monstrous sound. Bitch, grinning wildly, rides atop Bentley, her transformed, monstrous dog, his excitement mirrored in her own. She relishes the chaos, the power coursing through her and her pack. She assigns her underlings, Barker and Biter, menial tasks – grooming, feeding, and cleaning up after her growing number of dogs, many rescued from neglected kennels. She anticipates their complaints, their expectation of leadership roles due to their powers. This is her chance to assert dominance, to weed out the weak, and to be alone with her dogs, the only company she truly needs.

Lucy, another transformed dog, joins Bentley, her bark a strange, excited sound. The pack expands with Ink, Magic, Roxy, Buddy, Bruno, and Socks, their first run together. Bitch revels in her newfound freedom, her territory, where she can be dirty, hurt those who challenge her, and experiment with her powers without consequence. Anyone who doesn’t get the message deserves what they get.

The pack reaches Sirius, his mournful howl echoing through the night. Bitch commands her dogs, testing their obedience. “Sit,” “Stay,” simple commands, yet crucial for control. She plans to terrorize, not maim, the people within the building. She whistles, and her dogs retreat, no blood on them besides their own.

A distant howl startles her – Angelica, her largest and most powerful dog. Bitch urges her pack onward, a sense of unity with Bentley as she rides. Why, she wonders, are the others – Taylor, Brian, Lisa, Alec – happier than her? Memories flood her mind: her neglectful mother, the abusive foster homes, the cruelty she endured. She screams, a primal release of bottled-up pain, a fraction of what she wants to express.

Her third foster home, the breaking point. A strict disciplinarian foster-mother, quick to punish, always with a stick, never a carrot. Rachel, unequipped for school or manners, fights back, earning harsher punishments. Rollo, a mangy puppy, becomes her solace, hidden from her foster-mother. She sacrifices her lunches to feed him, her sleep to play with him. But Rollo, agitated and confined, escapes his chain and falls into the pool. Her foster-mother, aware of the forbidden dog, begins to close the pool cover, trapping him. Rachel’s screams are ignored as Rollo drowns.

In that moment of despair, her power awakens. Rollo, empowered, tears through the cover and kills her foster-mother and siblings. Rachel, losing the closest thing she had to a family, runs. She shakes away the tears, the memories she wishes to purge. She’s unhappy, she realizes, because humans are pack animals. Taylor, Lisa, and Brian have their pack, their family. Alec, a loner, still has Brian. She’s not part of their dynamic, not truly.

She tried to be close to Taylor, only to discover it was a ploy. Now, forgiven by the others, Taylor is fawned over. Bitch, knowing they’d choose Taylor over her, did something she regrets, betraying Taylor in a way that haunts her more than any past violence.

Gunshots shatter her thoughts. Her pack arrives, facing armed resistance. Angelica, flinching from the bullets, is attacked. Bitch, enraged, orders her dogs to attack, retrieving captives. She confronts the man who shot Angelica, kicking him brutally. He pleads, claiming ignorance, having a family. Bitch, unmoved, orders Angelica to crush him, to take his legs.

“Why can’t you fuckers get it through your skulls?” she demands. “This is my territory!”

“We didn’t know,” a woman cries, clutching a bloody arm.

“Are you retarded or something? It’s obvious,” Bitch retorts. “The howling. If you can hear the howling, you’re too fucking close. Leave.”

Brandish and Glory Girl, from New Wave, arrive, ordering Bitch to stop. Bitch, remembering her capture by the ABB, attacks without hesitation. Brandish, forming light swords, then a protective ball, is struck by the dogs. Glory Girl, calling for backup, is attacked by Bruno. Glory Girl targets Bitch, but Angelica defends her. Bitch empowers Magic, Lucy, and Roxy, driving Glory Girl back.

“Run!” Brandish shouts, facing similar pressure. Glory Girl, attempting to retrieve the injured man, hesitates upon seeing a strange woman standing over him. She abandons him and flees.

The woman, naked and marked like a zebra, her eyes glowing, calmly mutilates the man’s eyes. Bitch confronts her, demanding answers.

“Siberian,” the woman whispers. “I just wanted to talk.”

“Go,” Bitch orders, unimpressed by more talking. Siberian remains, watching the man suffer. Bitch, ordering Lucy to attack, watches as Siberian effortlessly withstands the dog’s powerful jaws.

“Beautiful,” Siberian whispers, kissing Lucy. She demands Lucy’s release, her tone leaving no room for doubt. Bitch complies.

Siberian approaches Bitch, her movements graceful, her eyes shining. “What do you want?” Bitch asks, regretting her words.

“You,” Siberian replies. “They told me to pick someone. I want you on our team.”

“Team?”

“The Nine. We have only eight, not enough. I picked you.” Siberian embraces Bitch, whispering, “Aren’t you tired of pretending?”

Bitch, unable to break free, denies understanding. Siberian, however, sees through her, understanding her in a way few others do.

“You’re an animal, Bitch,” Siberian says, not as an insult. “We’re all animals. Some more than others. You and I, more than others.”

“Philosophy shit?”

“Philosophy shit. Yes,” Siberian agrees. “Join me. Stop pretending to be like them.”

“I’m fine where I am.”

“Maybe for now,” Siberian counters. “But you’re still in a cage they made, following their rules.”

“As opposed to what?”

“Being wild. Being free. Truly free,” Siberian breathes.

Siberian offers Bitch two gifts. One awaits her at her den. The second, a treasure for a kindred spirit, is delivered as Siberian forces Bitch underwater, holding her down.

“As of this moment, you’re the only one to hear me speak and live afterwards,” Siberian whispers, kissing Bitch’s forehead before disappearing.

Bitch, shaken, returns to her den, finding her henchmen injured, her dogs unharmed but cowering. A box, marked with blood, contains a wolf pup and a card: “Are you a wolf?”

She should call Coil, inform him. But what is she holding on to? Who is she protecting? Not wanting to betray her team, but unable to articulate her thoughts, she puts the phone away. She’ll see what this test is about, but she’ll decide her own path.

She orders the injured man to seek medical help, but not from Coil. She studies the wolf pup, a “little bastard,” and uses her power on it, a small amount, yet it works quickly, easily. What does it mean?