The next morning at around noon, Scott woke up and leaned over to look at Jessica. She was still asleep, but had a troubled expression on her face that left him disconcerted. He gently kissed her cheek and then got out of bed to head for the kitchen. Scott put on a pot of coffee and poured two cups, one for him and one for her. He did not know how she took hers, so he left it black and sitting on the counter while he added milk, cream, and sugar to his until it turned a light brown. He gently sipped it and looked out the window, seeing the trees rustle in the light wind and thinking that it was a beautiful day.
Scott checked the mail and found a square wrapped package in with the envelopes. He brought it all in and set the envelopes aside while he opened the package, which was stamped with an address that he recognized as being one of the Shadowgreen Institute's cover addresses. Inside the package was a small sheaf of papers labelled "Blood Sample Report", as well as a couple newspapers. He opened the report and began to read it, also seeing some pictures of the blood cells as taken by a microscopic camera. Amid all the technical jargon, the report said that the Shadowgreen scientists had been unable to match the blood sample directly to any known species on Earth. The conclusion of the report, that the blood actually had a mix of wolf and human DNA had the hair on the back of his neck standing up.
If ever there was proof of real-life werewolves, this was it. However, what had him confused was the blood in the equation. Traditional belief held that werewolves became what they were by being bitten or scratched by someone who also had the disease, and that they would turn into the wild beast during the full moon. While variations on the legend and the effects of the disease varied, not one version of the story mentioned injecting the blood of a werewolf through a hypodermic needle in order to transform. However, just like all of the other versions of the werewolf, there had to be an original source of the disease. Unfortunately, that original source was just outside the scope of what they had, since the human-wolf DNA sample had been very unstable and broken down soon after testing, making them unable to match the human DNA to a person.
Scott put down the report and picked up the newspapers. They were rather unremarkable except for the back pages, which mentioned strange creature sightings at different, mostly rural areas across the United States. Each person interviewed gave a similar story, that they saw a strange human-like figure dashing through the woods outside of their property. One particular farmer took exception and fired at the creature with his twelve-gauge shotgun, though he had not hit anything. When asked for a description, all said that it looked like the legendary werewolf, and some speculated that it might have been the Wolfman or Dogman that was a legend in some of those areas. Overall, it would be easy for most people to dismiss these sightings as related to the Sasquatch sightings, all speculation and no substance.
However, given what Scott knew, he saw it in a chillingly different light. The point behind including the newspapers was to show that there was definitely more than one of these werewolf creatures. It would be impossible to say how many, but wherever they were, the population was in danger. As he set the newspapers aside, he saw two items he had missed the first time. One was a bag with several capped syringes in it, and the other was an envelope stamped with Madame Shadow's seal. He opened the letter and looked over it as he sipped his coffee.
Scott,
The blood sample that you have submitted and the circumstances surrounding the case indicate that a possible werewolf infestation is upon us. The danger this poses to the general public is incalculable. Each of these creatures must possess the blood of the original host, but the disease is so unstable that it breaks down the testing before a proper DNA profile can be created. The only choice we have is to get multiple blood samples from these creatures and use them to piece together a profile. It is dangerous, but we are counting on you to get the samples.
All the best,
Madame Shadow
Scott set down the letter and looked at the bag of syringes. Tracking down these dangerous creatures with only unconfirmed local sightings was not his idea of a good time, but there was little choice. He had seen the power of these creatures himself, and knew well the carnage they could cause on a regular human. He looked toward the bedroom and a sad expression crossed his face. The thought of leaving Jessica now was a painful one, but the thought of taking her with him was a scary one. He sighed and closed his eyes in thought as he sipped his coffee, weighing the pros and cons of each scenario.