Tuesday Night October 17th, 2025. Highway Ninety-six Cattlecove, WI.

  The sirens were louder than the music from any of the cars by a long shot. Too loud, deafening. The lights spun around in inside the truck from the side view mirrors like animals in a rage. They moved quick like the beat of his heart—

  “Hey, Andre, relax.” Cora said as she grabbed his wrist, forcing Andre to look down at his arm.

  The skin darkened and the leopard spots began to appear like a dark rash.

  “Deep breaths. The pulse is the prelude, understand?”

  “No. What the hell does that mean?!” Andre asked.

  “If you let yourself react like you’re at war, the body will follow. If you don’t control your pulse and your temperature, you will shift. Remain calm. When the time for peace is over, you’ll know.” Cora said.

  Andre tried to breathe deep as they pulled over. He fought against the twist of his stomach and the tightening of his skin. He shut his eyes to ignore his vision magnifying, making the police lights blinding rays that burned the back of his eyes.

  “There you go.” Cora said. “Now watch your side view mirror.”

  “What for?” Andre asked as he gazed into the side view mirror, watching the wheels of the police car roll to a stop behind them beside the edge of the highway.

  “The other officer.” Cora replied, “It’s good to always have eyes on who’s approaching you.”

  Andre had no reply.

  The lights continued to spin, reflecting off of the dark and wet street.

  The door swung open and out came an officer from the passenger seat.

  “Description.” Cora said.

  “Uhhh…. six and a half feet tall. Maybe two fifty….. he’s built like that bear. White guy.” Andre said as the titanous policeman eyeballed the back of the car.

  “He’s probably a Leon-Breed. Leon-Breeds are almost always large and imposing. They’re dense too.” Cora said.

  “You really think they’re not regular cops?” Andre asked.

  “How many cops have you seen in good shape?” Cora asked.

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  “But…. they’re cops. Are you telling me the feline shapeshifters aiming to hunt me down aren’t just weirdos in alleys and sewers…?”

  “They’re everywhere here, Azlan. But maybe not here. Just stay calm, ok?”

  The task seemed impossible then.

  The fun was over. The anxiety was on the rise.

  With every step the cops made towards the window, Andre imagined feline monsters ripping into the car.

  He breathed deep and kept his eye on the police officer. The human officer. Large but not a starving grizzly, and maybe not even an Ailouran.

  A knuckle knocked on the window of the driver side door sounding like gunshots.

  Andre jumped as Cora rolled down the window.

  “How we doing tonight, Ma’am?” The officer at her window asked. He sounded old and friendly. He smelled like meat.

  “We’re doing just fine, Officer.” Cora replied.

  “License and registration, please.”

  Cora dug her license out of her pocket.

  The larger officer continued standing idly on Andre’s side of the truck, looking around like he was trying to find something.

  “Cora Adamos….. what a name. Greek?”

  Cora nodded.

  “Well, I guess you’re wondering why I pulled you over, right?”

  “It would be nice to know.” Cora said.

  The officer laughed, “You’ve just got some expired plates and a bolt fell out of your cargo box. Safety hazard. That’s why my partners snooping around on the other side, no need to worry, ok kid?”

  “Without a flashlight?” Andre asked.

  The officer paused.

  Andre felt his stomach twist. His skin would come next—

  The light was on him suddenly, taking his vision from him in an aggressive blast of white light.

  “Officer, what are you doing?” Cora asked in a stern voice as she held Andre’s hand.

  “Getting a good look at the young man in your car.” The officer said. “I’m gonna need his license and registration too.”

  “He’s my son. He doesn’t have a license.” Cora said.

  “Your son looks old enough to be drinking a year ago.”

  “Ever heard of early puberty?” Cora asked.

  The officer ignored her, “Young man.”

  “Yes, officer?” Andre answered as he held his eyes closed.

  “You play ball?”

  Andre nodded.

  “Any good?”

  “No.”

  “…..Too bad.”

  Someone smacked the back of the movers truck.

  The light cut off. Andre looked back to his side view mirror and saw the larger officer walking back to the car.

  “Well, looks like we got your bolt screwed back in. Cora, the DMV opens at six hundred hours tomorrow, get there and renew your license. Consider this your first and final warning, capeesh?”

  “Understood, officer.” Cora said.

  The officer looked at Andre a final time before heading back to his car.

  They drove off almost instantly.

  Andre couldn’t take his eyes off the giant officer. He watched him grab his walkie strapped to his shoulder and speak into it. The object looked like a small rock in his massive hands—

  He was startled to hear the shock of the device activating.

  “Call confirm?—crshhh….”

  The large officer began speaking, voice fading as they drove further away from the officers.

  “White movers truck, two unmarked. Confirmed.”

  Andre paused for a moment, “White movers truck? Confirm what?”

  He turned to his mom in the drivers seat, finally looking away from the side view mirror—

  Lights flashed as they sped down the highway. His mother spun the wheel to the right, attempting to swerve out of the way of the police car driving into them from the other lane.

  Andre gasped and took the impact the only way he could.

  Unexpectedly.

  He didn’t even feel the fall. One moment they were being rammed off the highway, the next they were crashing into the lake below.