“What the fuck?” Dweebo breathed.
“Whatisit? Whatisit?” Clancy’s eyes were bugging out again.
“What the hell is going on?” Mike Fenster turned from the door to survey the damage which was taking place right in front of their eyes.
Christine’s eyes widened when she saw a face appear in the hole that had been made in the side of the trailer. It was Roarn and he looked like he had when she’d first seen him—like a wild animal filled with rage. His golden-green eyes had turned red and his mouth was drawn up into a snarl, showing his deadly fangs.
He looked terrifying.
“What’s he doing?” Clancy Fenster demanded. “What’s he doing? What’s he doing? What’s he doing?”
Christine could see well enough what Roarn was doing. The long bone claws that were located in the big Monstrum’s knuckles were unsheathed and he was using them to cut his way into the Fensters’ trailer. The claws must have been incredibly strong and sharp because they were shredding the rusted metal like paper.
“Lookit his claws!” Dweebo shouted. “It’s Wolverine! Wolverine is cutting up our trailer!”
“You dimwit—that ain’t Wolverine! It’s one of them Monstrum Kindred!” Mike Fenster snarled. “In fact…” He pointed a finger at Roarn, who had nearly made a big enough hole to climb through by now. “It’s the tiger man them other Kindred were looking for! Holy shit—he’s fuckin’ huge!”
And fucking enraged as well. Christine bit her lip, wondering what to do. Should she go to Roarn and try to calm him down? But what if he didn’t recognize her in his current state? What if—?
“What are you doing, Mike!? Whatareyoudoing? Whatareyoudoing?” Clancy shouted.
“Gonna shoot the fucker—he’s rippin’ up my trailer!”
To Christine’s dismay, Mike Fenster came striding across the living room, lifting the gun to his shoulder as he did. He was already taking aim at Roarn, sighting down the long double barrel to focus on the big Monstrum’s head through the ruined trailer wall.
“No!” she gasped. Desperately, she launched herself from the chair at Fenster, even though her hands were still bound behind her back. She head-butted him in the side as hard as she could and hoped that the crack she heard was one of his ribs.
“Oof! Get off me, bitch!” he growled. Planting one booted foot in her chest, he kicked her to the ground.
Christine fell and knocked the side of her head against the floor, hard, just as the shotgun roared in Mike Fenster’s hands. This was followed by another angry roar—one that sounded familiar. It was Roarn—she was certain of it. But her vision was fading in and out and she couldn’t tell if the big Monstrum was wounded or hurt.
“Shoot ‘em, Mike! You missed! YoumissedYoumissedYoumissed!” Clancy chanted.
“He’s coming in! Get him, Mike!” Dweebo exclaimed.
At the same time, there was a hollow pounding from the other side of the trailer. After a moment, Christine realized someone was kicking the front door in. It must be Sheriff Wainright, she thought dizzily. He was, as usual, a day late and a dollar short, as her momma would have said.
Someone was standing over her now—legs striped in orange and black were in her field of vision. Looking up, she saw the huge form of Roarn crouched above her.
“Roarn…honey,” she tried to say, but her mouth didn’t want to work and her head spun dizzily when she tried to lift it.
“Gonna shoot it!” Mike Fenster was shouting, raising the gun again. “Gonna shoot the fucking thing!”
“Watch out!” Christine tried to shout, but it came out in a whisper. “Watch ou—”
But just then, Roarn launched himself at the oldest Fenster brother as quickly and gracefully as a tiger pouncing. He landed on the other man, knocking him backwards and Mike Fenster’s arms jerked just as he pulled the trigger.
The shotgun roared again but the shot didn’t hit the big Monstrum—at least, she didn’t think it had, Christine thought dizzily. In fact, she didn’t think it had hit anyone until she saw Clancy Fenster jerk and fall to his knees. He was clutching at his chest and blood was pouring from between his fingers.
“Y’ shot me, Mike,” he moaned, in a high, screamy voice that was barely audible over the ringing in Christine’s ears from the second gunshot. “YoushotmeYoushotmeYou—” And then he slumped over and was abruptly silent.
“No! You fucker—look what you made me do!” Mike Fenster shouted at Roarn. He made as if to point the shotgun at the big Monstrum again, but Christine knew it wouldn’t do any good—he had fired his last shot and he didn’t have any more ammunition. She had several more shotgun shells in the pocket of her jeans, but Fenster hadn’t thought to take them away from her. He had an angry Monstrum Kindred on top of him and no way to defend himself.
Another of her momma’s sayings drifted through her head—Up Shit Creek without a paddle.