Wolf Asylum by Mark Fuson

town’s people were undergoing another abrupt shift was occurring within Marta Foster.
    At that moment, Robbie fell to his knees the first time and growled with fangs forcing their way from his gums.
    Marta took her eyes from her wall.
    Clint was growing his claws in front of a detainee he had locked himself in with inside Special Projects. Clint had been in human form with her for an hour inside the stainless steel room CR1—Culinary Room. His victim knew what was about to happen and Clint enjoyed the tension that was building as his dinner waited for the big show.
    Marta had waited years for her time, and at this moment she jumped to her feet and cracked her neck.
    Tim Waters was behind the wheel of his Mustang trying to drive as long as he could before the change made him crash. His shoes had burst open and his pants had begun to split when he hit the brick wall at the grocery store.
    Marta walked towards her wall.
    Benny Yates and a few of his female companions were skinny dipping at his pool when the change began. The young man and his guests were covered in a thick coat of fur but still passing the beach ball back and forth before their claws popped it, causing the group to howl in laughter.
    Marta uttered her first word in years at that moment.
    â€œDarwin,” she said.
    * * * *
    Darwin sat alone in his childhood home in his bedroom, picking open his old scar from Marta. His change went unnoticed as he sliced open the remnant wound. The more blood he drew the harder he tore through the flesh, ignoring the pain he was causing. He wasn’t sure why he had started to pick at his old pockmark and he would never be able to say how long he had been doing it. He simply did it. Inside was a secret and a mystery but under his skin and muscles he found nothing, but he kept digging, nonetheless.
    Marta charged her wall full force, crashing her skull into the stone. Dazed by the impact, she gathered her balance and again charged the wall, this time with more force. Blood began to leak from her split skull but Marta again stumbled to her feet making one more rush to her holy wall. Her skull impacted and fractured, knocking her out cold at the exact moment Darwin had finished changing. In his wolf form, he continued picking at his scar for many hours, perfectly content.
    * * * *
    Director Kimbel arrived at the emergency room still wearing his pajamas but with a suit jacket thrown overtop. He had received an urgent call from Riverview and was told Marta Foster had to be removed from her cell and taken to an outside medical facility at once. Kimbel had to authorize the escort personally and he knew that security measures would must be extreme to ensure everyone’s safety. He had contemplated the options but knew the kind of immediate treatment she required could not be offered at Riverview. Even knowing that her condition was considered grave, he wanted to be in attendance to ensure Marta could be returned to Riverview at the earliest possible moment.
    â€œCan someone explain to me why this woman, who virtually never moves, suddenly charges the wall, not once, not twice, but three times? Where the hell were the orderlies?” Kimbel demanded.
    â€œWe couldn’t have stopped her. By the time we knew something was going on, it was over. She caught us off-guard,” Orderly Johansen replied.
    â€œYou bet your black ass she caught you off-guard! What the fuck are you paid for? You know goddamn well she’s on continuous watch! Who was watching the CCTV system?”
    â€œThat system is down sir, maintenance has refused to fix it. Some bean counter decided to save the money and leave it broken because we’re closing. The union protested but like all things management seems to ignore our safety.” Johansen poked, “I think it was just the full moon, you know how the crazies get at full moon.”
    Kimbel realized he himself had been that bean counter. He hadn’t realized that freezing