Misery County

Chapter 14 - Part 3

Cassie sat in the passenger seat of Eric's car as they fled in the opposite direction of where the sheriffs were coming from.

"Eric, I –" she tried to say.

"Don't say anything," Eric responded from behind the driver's wheel.

"Eric, that was a complete fuck-up."

"I know."

"Well, do you have anything to say about that?"

"What would I have to say, Cassie? Neither of us could act when we needed to."

"Well, I –"

"I couldn't get the werewolves from my nest," Eric interrupted, "and you couldn't get through the door."

"Eric, I told you. I was attacked by an alpha in the –"

"We all get to obstacles. It's how we overcome them that defines who we are as people, as soldiers."

"Soldiers? Look, Eric, I was ambushed. None of us could have predicted that, and God knows I had no cover back there."

"Was your earpiece on?"

"What?"

"Was the microphone on your earpiece on? I ask because I heard nothing of your supposed troubles."

"I turned it off when you said that –"

"You turned it off, of course," Eric said with little sympathy.

"Look, you were hassling me about my breathing, and how was I to know that an alpha fucking werewolf was going to disguise himself as a bum in order to ambush me just before the operation?"

"You keep using the word 'ambush,' but I'm not entirely sure you're appreciating the definition of it."

"Well then what do you think happened, partner? How would you describe it?"

"I wouldn't know. I wasn't there."

"So what now?" Cassie said. "Are you doubting my recollection of events?"

"Don't know. Wasn't there," Eric repeated.

"Real mature, Eric. Real mature. So tell me then, what do you think I was doing?"

Eric only drove on in silence.

"Yeah, I thought so," Cassie said. "You wanna talk about things, Eric? Let's talk about Jerry's death."

"What about it?"

"You don't seem particularly stressed about it, for starters."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that you knew exactly what you were setting him up for, and you just didn't give a damn."

"Them's fighting words, Cassie. Be careful when you say things like that."

"I'm only calling 'em as I see 'em, partner. You set Jerry up, didn't you? Yeah, sure, maybe you didn't mean for things to go as bad as they did, but you knew what he was walking into, and you didn't care."

"Watch it. You're treading a fine line here."

"Well so fucking be it!" Cassie exclaimed. "You're the one putting lives on the line. You're the one sending good men to their deaths."

"Listen here –"

"No, you listen here. You're treating us all like pawns in your big game, aren't you? You think we're all just disposable 'soldiers,' as you put it, in your big fight against the monsters of Missouri County. Well that ain't how it is. We're people, Eric. We're living people with our own lives and dreams, and I pray to God that you begin to see that in due time."

"You think I don't know that?" Eric shouted, any hint of composure gone. "Do you honestly believe I sent Jerry to his death on purpose?"

"It sure looks like it, partner."

"Oh bull-fucking-shit! You know whose fault this all is? It's Jerry's own fault for getting herded to exactly where I told him not to end up."

"Wow, blaming the dead – you're a class act, Eric."

"Does his death mean that I have to shoulder the blame for his actions? Is that a rule we have now?" The veins in Eric's temple were bulging.

"Is it Jerry's fault that your plan was shit and had a giant hole in it?"

"The plan wasn't shit! You know what the plan was? I take out the attackers with my rifle, scattering them, and you get the stragglers from the side door. I couldn't do that because Jerry shuffled his dumb ass to behind the only wall that was in my way. So what's your excuse? Where were you when I told you to go in?"

"Oh my fucking God, how many times do we have to go through this?" Cassie was now holding onto her head with both hands.

"Oh yeah, you were 'attacked' by a mystery alpha werewolf who somehow knew where you were going to be and was dressed up like a hobo for fuck-only-knows what reason."

"So you really don't believe me then?"

"And, might I add," Eric continued, "an alpha that I could neither see nor hear."

"I was on the other side of the building, you dunce! How would you have seen him?"

"Yes, conveniently out of view. So very conveniently out of –"

"I was exactly where you told me to be, you imbecile!"

"Oh yeah, just like I told you to conveniently turn the microphone on your earpiece off exactly before the supposed –"

"I swear to God, Eric, if you use the word 'conveniently' one more time, I'm going to reach over and strangle you, and I don't even give a shit if you crash this car and kill us both."

"Fucking do it then. I welcome the sweet embrace of death if only to not have to be around you anymore."