INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRESS 1.2

"A werewolf?" I asked with some incredulity. I knew the term from our cultural orientation reviews. Monkey boys seem to have an endless fascination with evil dangers that couldn't possibly exist. Like the vampiress before me. And werewolves, witches, gremlins, ghosts, ghouls and more. And when the occult runs low on new things that go "boo!" they invent more. Manmade horrors, like Frankenstein's monster.
"Yes, " replied Marchell, turning back toward me. "I'd guess an old and powerful one. They can control their shifts."
So was this some random act of violence, or was there a motivation in the murder of Glore? I suspected the latter. I gathered from Marchell's ealier remarks that our scents were easily distinguished from a human's. A beast with supernaturally enhanced senses, like a werewolf, had to know this wasn't a monkey boy he was shredding. Further, this attack took place indoors, targeted, to be sure, and who/what ever it was had turned off the lights and shut the door behimd itself.
Except tha I thought werewolves were pretty much mindless beasts, more like a snarling force of nature, than a creature capable of rational planning.
"I thought werewolves were supposed to be creatures of instinct and low cunning, " I ventured.
"This seems methodical. Savage, but planned."
Marchell shook her head.
"You've been watching too many old movies on satellite. She giggled like that was funny."To be sure weres run on instinct and emotion, but they don't lose their minds when they shift. They know what they are about. They can choose their actions and do retain their human memories.. It's been decades, maybe centuries, since a shifter attacked a human. There are easier prey, after all, and humans have this nasty habit of hunting down and killing things that threaten them. That's why they get pretty much dismissed as legend these days. They've learned to keep their presence secret. "
" So why kill Glore? " The thought was obvious. The wolf knew what he was. And killed him for it. But why? And of more personal concern, did he know about me? About the rest of us studying this world? Was I next on Fang's hit parade? "I need to check in."
I took out my handheld and linked to my computer at home. I forwarded a message that Glore was dead, apparently killed by a local beast. the truth after a fashion, and that a clean up crew was needed. I refrained from mentioning anything about vampires or werewolves. No point in casting any doubts on my credibility by mentioning my first hand contact with creatures of fantasy.
"I'm going to have to find this werewolf," I continued. I directed my destabilizer at Gore's computer and adjusted the settings. A second later it was reduced to portable size. I stuffed it into my pants pocket. " Any ideas?"
Marchell shool here head. " We don't have much contact.But meet me at The Witch's Brewery tomoorow night Eightish. I'll see what I can find out." She took a pen and paper from the desk and wrote down an address. I took the paper and put it in my shirt pocket.
"Well. it's been fun, " she said, "but I really must run. I'm starved and the night isn't getting any younger." She turned toward the sliding door.
"Wait, " I requested. The thought of her leaving and me being alone in this house with the possibility of the werewolf being in the area was not very appealing. "Er. could I drop you anywhere?"
I headed toward the door as well and we left the house together. I turned off the light and closed the door behind me. The drawn curtain would keep the body of Glore concealed until a clean up team arrived and swept the house.
"No. thanks, " she replied. "I think I'll fly. With that her body morphed, shrank, took the form of a bat and was aflight into the dark sky.
I was alone in the night.