The air outside the gym was cold, and the wind unforgiving as it swept down the mostly empty urban street and out across the quiet harbor. The local weather had been surprisingly mild for much of the now passed fall, and the temperature was only now beginning to feel the effects of a coming cold front. Past two large, glass doors, Trace, a grey wolf, turned and waved a large paw at two male cheetahs standing by the front desk. As was his usual routine, Trace had been at the gym for the past few hours, sweating and training with his friends Aaron and James, whom he had known since his days as a high school basketball player. Since then, the boys had been through most of their college days together and were right on the edge of graduating.
As a business major, Trace didn’t have quite as much time for competitive athletics, but was always adamant about staying in shape. He certainly looked the part, of course. He was well-built, strong, and tall, all qualities which had served him well in basketball. In addition to this, he had a liking for tattoos, which he showed in the form of various ink on his arms and legs. While his girlfriend wasn’t too fond of the tattoos, she always said they could be worse. Granted, every time he mentioned getting a new tattoo, she always disagreed.
Trace made his way out the doors and into the biting wind, clenching a bit at the unexpected chill against his somewhat damp fur. While he had been waiting for the first real sign of winter, he hadn’t planned on it arriving tonight, or he might have brought a jacket. Determined to keep warm and get out of this damnable cold, he set off down the street at a brisk jog, holding the small towel in his paw close to help fight the wind.
The streets around him were all dark, save for the periodical street light or porch light for some small business or house along the road. Now and then, a car or truck would rumble by on its way home from some errand or job, the occupants obscured by the darkness. Fortunately for Trace, his small apartment was relatively close by, and he would be home in no time at all.
Soon, the small apartment block came into view, with its brick walls and plain black shingle roof standing amongst a cluster of other buildings of various purposes. The place was far from pretty or ideal, but as a college student, Trace didn’t have too much in the way of choices in this small city, and any apartment beat living in a smelly dorm room with some stranger. At least this way he had the entire space to himself. After climbing up a couple flights of metal stairs, he made it to his door and retrieved his keys from his pocket to unlock the door. Once it was open, he darted inside and shut it back, relishing the return to a warm room and no wind nipping at him constantly. After a warm shower and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, he flopped down into his comfortable plaid armchair and flipped the television on to see what was showing. As it was a Thursday night, he expected there to be very little of interest on, but it never hurt to look.
As he was changing channels, however, the screen and lights around the room began to flicker, causing him to look up and around at what might be causing it. Suddenly, the lights just went off altogether, plunging the entire apartment into the dark. With a sigh, Trace stood up and began feeling his way toward the cabinets of the kitchen, where he kept his flashlights handy. Along the way, he groaned as his foot clipped the edge of a doorway, making his toes throb in pain as he bit down the urge to swear. At last, he found his prize, and a broad beam of light pierced through the black.
Looking around the room, Trace didn’t see anything abnormal about his place, so he made his way over to his bedroom to retrieve a jacket and headed outside. Once out on the balcony of his apartment, he cast a glance over the entire apartment complex. From the looks of things, he wasn’t the only person experiencing the problem. Half his row was either standing outside looking around with him, or they were inside attempting to find light still. Perhaps it was simply a busted transformer or power line issue. In either case, it didn’t help that tonight was the coldest it had been all winter.
Trace headed back inside with another sigh, a bit annoyed that such inconveniences had to happen now. Fortunately, he at least had a warm bed and plenty of blankets to keep him comfortable through the night. With any luck, the power would be back on in the morning. After going through his usual evening routine, he laid down for the night and curled up under a pile of soft sheets and blankets, falling asleep quickly.
Morning came quickly, and Trace was awoken to the sound of knocking at his front door. Groaning, he pulled himself out of bed and quickly noticed the power was indeed back, evident by the soft breeze of warm air from the heater. Going to the door, he peeked through the peep hole to see a medium-sized, male cougar standing outside with an electric company uniform on and clipboard in his paw. Trace opened the door and looked at him.
“Can I help you?” He looked the man over curiously.
“Hi. I was just coming around to everyone to let them know the power is back and there shouldn’t be any more problems,” the cougar replied. “Simple transformer issue, nothing to worry about.”
Trace nodded and smiled, thanking him before he headed down the row to the next apartment. After closing the door, he rubbed his eyes and went to get dressed, making sure he was ready for the cold this time. Once ready, he headed out onto the street to go run his errands and eventually meet up with his girlfriend, Reyna, for lunch.
The ground was slippery in some places as he walked to his car, an old, beat-up Honda Civic. No doubt someone had accidentally left a water hose on and let the water freeze overnight in the parking lot. After making his way to the car with minimal slipping, he got in and headed down the street toward the nearby supermarket, a list of groceries in his pocket. After parking and spending what seemed like forever inside standing in a check-out line, he managed to fight his way out and back to his car. He did notice, however, that even the parking lot here was slick as well, making him wonder if it had rained or something. Regardless, he knew he would need to be careful.
As he drew near to his car, Trace heard what sounded like a truck attempting to slam on its brakes behind him. With a quick turn of his head, he watched as the large, black Dodge swerving toward him, its wheels failing to grip against the icy asphalt. There was barely any time to react, but Trace did his best to jump out of the way of the vehicle, managing to avoid being crushed by the machine. However, his success was short-lived, as the rear of the truck collided with an adjacent car and sent it skidding right into the wolf to pin him to the car behind him. Massive stabs of pain shot through Trace’s body as he realized he was trapped and bleeding profusely from his midsection, unable to force the car away to free himself. He could barely even breathe, much less yell out for help, and he could slowly feel the effects of blood loss and lack of oxygen set in. As he saw several people running over to help, his vision darkened, and soon he felt nothing at all. Just as he felt the sudden and unexpected accident had claimed his life, his mind felt the warm pull of something. Something unfamiliar and alien to anything he had ever known or felt. A cold, raspy voice soon filled his head, whispering to him.
That which would end you this day shall only make you stronger…should you only say yes…
◊◊◊◊◊
Trace woke slowly to a bright light overhead, the glare hurting his eyes and making him squint. Nearby, he could hear the faint beep of machines. Where was he? And why did his body ache so badly? As he managed to look around the room, he realized where he was. The beeping was a heart monitor, and the light was the bulb of a hospital room light. All at once, he remembered what had happened, how the truck had smashed him between two cars, and the strange voice he had heard in his head right before passing out. Before he could even begin to wonder what the voice had been, he heard another voice, a male near the bed he was on.
“Guys, look! He’s waking up!”
“Trace!”
The second voice was clearly feminine, and very familiar to him. Looking up, he spotted the two cheetah brothers from the gym, Aaron and James, along with a female wolf with reddish fur he recognized as Reyna. She appeared as though she had been crying recently, but her face was now full of pure joy at seeing him awake again.
“We were so worried we might have lost you. The doctors were sure you weren’t going to make it until yesterday, but then they told us you had somehow managed to stabilize.”
“Yeah, you’ve been surprising the doctors, it seems.” One of the cheetahs, the one with slightly darker spots named Aaron, had pulled up a few chairs and was smiling at Trace as they sat down. “At this rate, you should be alright soon.”
The three looked up as the door opened, and a nurse walked in.
“I’m sorry, guys, but your visit has been long enou…”
The nurse, a slender female huskey, paused as she looked over at Trace and realized he was awake. Turning, she called for a doctor and quickly ushered the group out of the room. Reyna waved at Trace with a huge smile before disappearing, only to be replaced by a male badger dressed in his doctor uniform.
“Well,” he said, “didn’t take you too long to wake up, did it?”
He sat down beside the bed and looked over the diagnostic machines, making sure things were all in order. He had a puzzled look on his face, as if he had not expected Trace to be awake at all. He had been nearly crushed by two cars, after all.
“Do you feel any pain anywhere, Trace? And can you point it out to me?”
To Trace, this seemed to be a very ridiculous question. Of course he would be hurting after what he had been through. Then again, it could be just a question to see how well his head was functioning, or to make sure any drugs in his system were doing their job. Thinking about it, Trace shook his head.
“I don’t think so. I feel…fine, as odd as that sounds.”
The doctor smiled at him, though the look of surprise hardly faded from his expression. Something in Trace’s mind began telling him to try to stand, but Trace knew it wasn’t likely a good idea. However, the more he thought about it, the more nagging the thought became, as if something really wanted him to stand up. Slowly, he began moving his legs and sat up, turning his body so that his feet hung down toward the floor. The nurse and doctor both went wide-eyed, suddenly reaching out to stop him and make him lay back down.
“As ‘fine’ as you may feel, I think it’s best that you continue to lay there and rest. We don’t want you straining yourself or reopening any wounds, and we would like to watch and monitor you for a bit, if you don’t mind.”
The doctor gave a relieved sigh as Trace reluctantly laid back down, entirely confused. This wolf should be bed-ridden and be unable to move after what he had gone through. Suddenly he wanted to go walking off down the hall as if nothing happened. It was beyond anything he had seen before in his career.
Once the doctor and nurse were gone, Trace laid in his bed looking up at the ceiling. What was going on with him that he was so eager to get up? What was telling him to do that? He decided it wasn’t worth thinking about at the moment, as he could begin to feel the effects of some new medication being put into his body that made him drowsy. Within no time, he was asleep again.
◊◊◊◊◊
While waking up alive had been a comfort, his sleep only served to confuse him more and more. Rather than waking up in the same hospital bed, Trace found himself floating in a dark room, standing straight up and looking forward. It took him no time at all to realize he was naked, but his body was also how it had been just before the accident. There were no cuts, no bruises, no broken bones. He was fine and healthy.
As he stood there wondering what was happening, he became suddenly aware of something else around him. It was the same feeling he had received from the voice in his mind, with its same alien presence, and cold, raspy voice.
So you are ready to accept my offer, are you not?
The question struck Trace as odd. What offer?
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He spoke out into the darkness, looking around for whatever was speaking to him and hoping it could hear him as well.
My offer of a second chance. A second life. One that does not end in the cold grip of metal and death. You have but to say yes, and this second chance will be given to you.
Trace blinked at the offer. Wasn’t he already alive and breathing back in the hospital? As if able to tell what he was thinking, the voice continued.
What you have seen so far is only the beginning. With my help, you have amazed the doctors with a quick recovery, and can continue to do so should you accept. Should you say no…
Without warning, cuts and large gashes began appearing across Trace’s stomach and back, making him grip his body in the pain he felt at the crash. Blood began pouring from his wounds, and he suddenly felt short of breath, sure he had a collapsed lung or two. At this rate, he would last only a mere minute or two before succumbing to his injuries. Before things got any worse, the pain and gore vanished instantly, leaving him gasping and coughing in shock. What was this thing? He slowly looked up and spotted it, or him, rather, standing several feet away.
The male was a wolf like him, black furred and with eyes that gleamed red in the darkness. At closer inspection, his eyes appeared as many gears turning like a clock behind a glass, heat rising and causing the image to blur slightly. The rest of his body was clad in a dusty, torn worker’s uniform that appeared way out of date for today’s styles. In truth, the man looked more like he belonged to the Victorian era.
In short, all the progress you have made in recovering would be lost. Your wounds will return, the pain with it, and you will die slowly and in agony. But I can give you back your life, and much more, for only a small price.
Trace looked at him, a bit worried by this man and his motives.
“And what price are you asking, out of curiosity?”
The figure smiled, revealing a set of teeth that looked as if they were made of steel.
Only the permission to go with you and experience your world. Experience what it feels like to be…alive again.
Trace paused at the request. What exactly did he mean by this? What sort of side-effects would something like this have? The more he thought about it, the more it made him think that he could be saying yes to some sort of possession by a spirit. However, as he thought about it, he felt a sense of calm, something reassuring him that all would be alright, and that he might actually enjoy what this creature had to offer. And besides, nothing could be worse than dying a painful death, right? With a deep, nervous breath, Trace slowly nodded.
Immediately, the wolf walked up to him, reaching into his pocket to retrieve something. What he pulled out and offered to Trace was a simple gold ring. Trace took the ring and looked at it curiously, wondering what sort of significance it had. He looked at the creature with a puzzled look.
Now then, once you are free of the hospital, seek out others like you. You will know them by the trinkets they carry, and the pull you feel on your soul. They will help you learn what it means to be one of the Bound. To be a Sin-Eater…but for now, wake up…
To be continued...