Someone was shouting his name.
It sounded like Barry.
But Barry was dead. His brains were leaking all over the bar, his flesh stripped down to the bone.
No, no, no…the creatures were fading away as he swung around wildly, desperate to fight, and when he snapped at them, his jaws closed on thin air.
Slowly, the vision receded, and he realized he’d tripped over a tree branch, not a chair leg. He was alone in the woods. His heart pounded in his chest as he staggered to his feet, head low to the ground.
Off in the distance, he could hear Barry shouting. “Austin, you dumb motherfucker!”
Yeah, that sounded like Barry.
When he reached the edge of the woods, he saw Barry standing there, looking annoyed. “You left your truck parked in the middle of the road, dumbass. It’s blocking my customers. Move it.” That was Barry’s way of checking up on him without actually admitting that he was checking up on him.
Austin shook himself hard, sucking his fur back into his skin, drawing in his fangs. “Thanks, Barry, I love you too,” he growled, climbing to his feet.
“Say that again, asshole, and I’ll chew your face off, Dominus or no.” Barry turned around and walked away.
The world was back to normal. For now.
