The Permutation

Homeostasis (Part 1) Albert

Albert, Lisa, and a greasy man Albert vaguely recognized from the time before his sentience all sat in the backseat of the vehicle. The man sat quietly, but watched the group with hungry eyes, looking for an opportunity to strike. It struck Albert that the man resembled a snake waiting in tall grass while Lisa's eyes were transfixed by the elimination of the parasites. Albert was the only one of them to notice the coiled energy in the man. When Albert tried to warn the girl of the danger, he found that he couldn't speak. The mental opening in which he was able to project words was paved over by a mental block with nary a crack in its foundation. However, Albert heard a growl emanating from the depths of his throat. He didn't know how long it had been since he used his actual mouth. The growl had the desired effect, both Vyth and Lisa turned to him with questioning looks on their faces.

When Lisa saw what Albert was growling at, she addressed the man, "Don't think you're going anywhere you slimy piece of shit. I'm going to see to it that you get everything that's coming to you. I only know the tip of the iceberg of all the vile shit you're up to, but you better pray the justice system gets to you first, because if you somehow slip through the cracks, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands. You don't want that. When I'm through with you, dropping the soap would be a pleasant change of pace. We clear?"

"I don't know what you mean sweetheart? I'm an angel," he said with a wink.

A deep growl emanated from Albert's throat, and he felt the hackles of his fur rise, but the man settled back down and started whistling to himself. Although his posture was now relaxed, Albert noticed the watchful expression never left his face. He looked like a wild animal that had been backed into a corner looking for a chance to escape.

An animal is at its most dangerous when it feels like it has nowhere else to go.

"What's wrong boy?" Lisa asked. He couldn't tell if she was being intentionally condescending or not. If Albert could speak, he would have harrumphed and blustered at the perceived insult.

When she realized Albert wasn't going to reply, she turned back to the man and returned his wink. He gave her a greasy smile, and Lisa turned to look out the window. Albert guessed it was so she would not lose her temper on the man. A person like him thrived on that sort of negative attention. Albert could not help staring at the man. The others were so preoccupied with the supernatural threat, it seemed as if they'd forgotten that the average human could be just as dangerous, and he felt powerless to do anything about it.

Tony turned his gaze towards Albert.

"You don't remember me, Albert? I used to bring strips of beef jerky every time I visited."

Albert sensed some truth in that statement, but any association he'd had with this man was from a different life. Albert was sickened by the implication that this human believed they shared any common ground. That was the old Albert, and the new one refused to be associated with this ilk.

Tony reached his hand toward Albert, presumably to pet him, but Albert did not feel like acquiescing to the man's show of intimacy. A breach of Albert's physical space could not be tolerated. He bit down on the skin between the thumb and the index finger as hard as he could. A metallic scent overpowered Albert's nostrils as his teeth sunk deeper into the man's flesh. Albert's teeth ground against bone, and Albert cringed at the noise. The resulting tingling sensation was highly unpleasant.

Albert prided himself on his sense of hygiene, but biting this questionable individual left him feeling soiled.

Tony jerked away from the dog's tenacious bite. The movement dragged Albert's head along with the man's arm. Albert's teeth raked against the man's skin until Albert was finally shook loose.