city proper did a lot to soothe his still rattled nerves; he passed the few small farms that lay east of town, the fairgrounds and storage sheds, and finally the truck stop that marked the separation of rural Raccoon from urban. Something about know– ing that he was going to be patrolling those back roads before long, keeping them safe, gave him a surprising sense of well-being and not a little pride. The early autumn air from the open window was pleasantly brisk, and the rising moon bathed everything he saw in a silvery glow. He wasn't going to be late after all; within the hour, he'd officially become one of Rac– coon's finest. As Leon turned the Jeep down Bybee, heading for one of the main north-south streets that would take him to the RPD building, he got his first hint that something was very wrong. In the first few blocks, he was mildly surprised; by the fifth, he found himself slipping toward a state of shock. It wasn't just strange, it was… well, it was impossible. Bybee was the first real city street, coming from the east, where buildings outnumbered empty lots. There were several espresso bars and cheap diners, as well as a bargain movie theater that never seemed to run anything but horror movies and sexy comedies – and was therefore the most popular hangout for the youth of Raccoon. There were even a few generically hip taverns that served microbrew and hot rum drinks for the winter college-student ski crowd. At quarter to nine on a Saturday night, Bybee should have been teeming with life.
But of the mostly single or two-story brick shops and restaurants that lined the street, Leon saw that almost all were dark and in the few that still boasted some light, it didn't look like there was anyone inside. There were plenty of cars parked along the narrow street, and yet not one person that he could see; Bybee, the hangout for cruising teens and college students, was totally deserted.
Where the hell is everybody?
His mind grasped for answers as he crept down the silent street, searching desperately for a reason – and for some way to alleviate the sweaty anxiety that had once again settled over him. Maybe there was some kind of an event going on, a church function, like a spaghetti feed. Or perhaps Raccoon had decided to take up Oktoberfest and tonight was the big kickoff.
Yeah, but everybody at the same time? It'd have to be one hell of a party.
It was then that Leon realized he also hadn't seen a single car on the road since he'd had the scare with the dog ten miles out of town. Not one. And with that thoroughly unsettling realization came the next – less dramatic, but distinctly more immediate. Something smelled bad. In fact, something smelled like shit.
Jeez, dead skunk. And apparently it threw up on itself before dying.
He'd already slowed the Jeep to a crawl and had planned to take a left on Powell, just a block ahead, but that horrible smell and the total absence of life were giving him a serious case of the creeps. Maybe he should stop and check things out, look around for some sign of life.
'Oh, hey!'
Leon grinned, relief flooding through his confusion. There were a couple of people standing at the corner, practically right in front of him; the streetlight was out on their side, but he could see them in silhouette clear enough – a couple, a woman in a skirt and a big man wearing work boots. As he got closer he could see by the way they moved, heading south on Powell, that they had to be monumentally drunk. Both of them staggered into the shadows cast by an office supply store and out of sight; but he was going in that direction anyway – no harm in stopping to ask what was going on, was there? Must've come out of O'Kelly's. A pint or two too many, but as long as they're not driving anywhere, fine by me. Am I going to feel stupid when they tell me that tonight's the big free concert or the all-you-can-eat town barbecue…
Almost giddy with relief, Leon turned the corner and squinted into the heavy shadows, looking for the pair. He didn't see them, but there was an alley tucked between the supply store and a jewelry shop. Maybe his two drunk friends had ducked in for a bathroom break or something even less legal…
'Shit!'
Leon slammed on the brake as a half-dozen dark shapes fluttered up from the street, caught in the Jeep's headlights like giant whirling leaves. Startled, it took him a second to realize he was seeing birds; they didn't cry out, although he was close enough to hear the brushing of dry wings as they took to the air. Crows, enjoying a late night feast of roadkill, what looked like…
Oh, my God.
There was a human body in the middle of the road, twenty feet in front of the Jeep. Face down, but it looked like a woman and judging from the liquid red stains that covered most of the once-white blouse, it wasn't some beer-happy college student who'd decided to take a nap in the wrong place.
Hit-and-run. Some bastard hit her and then drove away, Jesus what a mess…
Leon killed the engine and was half out the door before his racing thoughts caught him up. He hesi– tated, one foot on the asphalt, the stench of death heavy in the cool still air. His mind had latched on to an idea that he didn't want to consider, but knew he had better; this wasn't some training exercise, this was his life.
What if it's not a hit-and-run? What if there's no one around because some psycho gunman decided on a little target practice? Everyone could be inside, laying low – maybe the RPD's on the way, and maybe those drunks weren 't drunk, they could've been shot and were trying to get help…
He leaned back into the Jeep and fumbled under the passenger seat for his graduation gift, a Desert Eagle.50AE Magnum with a custom ten-inch barrel, Israeli export. His father and uncle – both cops – had gone in together on it. Not standard issue for the RPD, in fact much more powerful; as Leon grabbed a clip from the glovebox and slapped it in, feeling the solid weight of the weapon in his slightly unsteady hands, he decided it was the best present he'd ever received. He stuffed two more clips into a belt pouch on general principle; each only held six rounds. Pointing the loaded Magnum at the ground, he stepped out of the Jeep and took a quick look at his surroundings. He wasn't all that familiar with Rac– coon at night, but he knew that it shouldn't be as dark as it was. Several of the streetlights farther along Powell were either shot out or simply not on, and the shadows past the blood-soaked body were thick; if not for the Jeep's headlights, he wouldn't have even been able to see that. He edged forward, feeling horribly exposed as he left the relative cover of the Jeep, but aware that she could still be alive; it didn't seem likely, but he had to at least check. A few steps closer, and he could see that it was definitely a young woman. Lank red hair obscured the face, but the clothes were right, denim pedal-pushers and flats. The wounds were mostly hidden by the bloody shirt, but there seemed to be dozens – ragged holes in the wet cloth exposed torn, glistening flesh and the crimson of muscle beneath. Swallowing heavily, Leon quickly switched the gun to his left hand and crouched down next to her. The cool, clammy skin yielded easily beneath his finger– tips as he touched her throat, pressing his first two fingers against the carotid. A few seconds passed, seconds that made him feel horribly young and afraid as he tried to remember the procedure for CPR and prayed, at the same time, that he would feel a pulse.
Five compressions, two short breaths, keep my el-bows locked and come on please don't be dead…
He couldn't find it, and didn't want to wait one more second. He tucked the Magnum into his belt and grabbed her shoulders to turn her over, to check for breathing, but as he started to lift, he saw some– thing that made him lay her down again, his heart a twisting knot in his chest. The victim's shirt had pulled out of her pants enough for him to see that her spine and part of her ribcage were exposed, the still-fleshy knobs of verte– brae shining and red, the narrow, curving ribs disap-pearing into masses of shredded tissue. It was like she'd been knocked down and… chewed on. Infor– mation that Leon had disregarded as unimportant suddenly registered, and even as the few facts he had clicked into place, he felt the first inky tendrils of real fear slither into his mind.
The crows couldn't have done this, would've taken them hours, and who the hell ever heard of crows flocking after dark to eat? And that shit-smell, it's not coming from her, she died recently, and… Cannibal. Murders. No. No way. For that to happen, for a person to have been killed and then partially-devoured on a city street with no one to stop it…
… and with enough time to pass for scavengers to come – for that to happen, the killers would have had to slaughter most if not all of the population. Doesn't seem likely? Fine. Then what's that smell? And where is everyone?
Behind Leon, there was a low, soft groan. A shuf-fling footstep, and another sound. A wet sound. It took him barely a second to stand and turn, hand instinctively snatching for the Magnum. It was the couple, the drunks, staggering toward him, and they'd been joined by a third, a beefy-looking guy with… with blood all over his shirt and his hands. And dripping out of his mouth, a rubbery red mouth set into his pasty, rotting face like an open sore. The other man, the big man with the work boots and suspenders, looked much the same and the vee of the blond woman's pink blouse revealed cleavage that was spotted with darkness, with what appeared to be mold. The trio stumbled toward him, past his Jeep, rais– ing pale hands as they emitted moaning, hungry wails. Some dark fluid
