Page 22

Story: Bad Opinion

“I understand what needs to be done, but I'm not sure what my part in that will be.”

“You'll have to give me some energy, and after that, we are both going to be really hungry," Harry explained.

Sally had done that before, so she didn’t worry about that. Being able to eat a big meal without worrying about gaining weight wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She would have to be careful so that she did not give Harry so much energy that she had none left. It was a shame that the guys were not hanging around nearby because it sounded like a massive undertaking, and Harry might need more energy than Sally had available to give. They checked out the menus on the side of the refrigerator first and ordered a huge amount of food. They decided to have both Chinese food and a pizza party, which was exceptional. There were a lot of drinks in the house, so she didn't worry about those, although she would have Harry check them out before they were drinking any. Being in this position had made her very nervous.

They finished eating, and it was time to get to work. Sally didn't look forward to it. Harry led the way to the backyard. "This is where most of the bodies are usually buried," Harry admitted.

Sally gave Harry her hand, and she could feel the energy moving from her to Harry as skeletons began to pile up. Harry took a break.

“I thought you said this one wasn't as bad as the last one," Sally observed.

“It's not even close. Bodies were everywhere. This may look like a lot, but it's only five, and I don't believe there are many more. Let's take a break and eat a little food to get our energy back up. We need to have this done by tomorrow when the wardens come. They understand it might not be done until the afternoon. The sad thing is some of these families havemissed their loved ones for years, and we're not sure what happened to them.”

“You're right. A little food might give me more energy, and I know without a doubt that it will do it for you. I wish we had a couple more people for you to pull energy from, but maybe the guys disappeared on purpose. This is not a job that anyone can feel happy about having to do.”

“That may be true, but someone has to do it, and I have the right abilities. As the new pack bitch, you get to help. We've got most of the bodies in the back so that part will be done soon. Then we'll go to the front and try to get any bodies that are on the other sides to the front," Harry admitted.

They headed to the kitchen, where Sally went through everything and found some food she could heat up in the freezer. She suspected these readymade meals had been placed here for the alpha to prepare for himself when no one else was available. He liked his privacy, and she thought that was probably because of the dark deeds he had done, and he wanted no one to see them occurring.

“This is filling but not overly delicious. We need to get some things from town so that you can do some real cooking. I love your cooking.” Harry observed.

“I have to agree with you. This is good for someone who is hungry and has no other options, but it is not what I would call good food. There is something here for food deliveries, and we can place an order, which they will then send to us. Maybe we could go through one of these things while we are eating?”

“That's a big thing at home, and I use it often because I'm too lazy to get out there and buy groceries when I've had a hard day.”

“It's not something I've ever used before, but I am curious to try it while an expert is here to assist me.” Sally smiled, and Harry giggled.

Harry had already checked the food, so they knew it was safe to eat even if it wasn't all that good. It was a cheap brand of what could be called TV dinners, showing that the alpha Elias hadn't really cared what he'd eaten because his attention was elsewhere. Maybe that was why his wolf had looked mangy and underfed. Sally had thought it was the evil eating him up from the inside out. It could also be a combination of both, as he looked more than underfed. Much time would pass before she would be able to look at this place as anything other than his home. Every change that she made would take her closer to that point, and hopefully, it would bring the rest of the pack closer to it.

Those people with whom he had been most closely associated had all run. That left the council to deal with them, and she was glad of that because they had enough to deal with. She'd been told that all the others that had taken these alpha challenges had a harder time than what they were left with, but she couldn't imagine making it through much more than what was ahead of them. It was possible that she wasn't as strong as those other pack bitches. Time will tell if she could even handle this job at all.

“Stop thinking so hard. I can see the worry all over your face, and you're going to get fine lines.” Harry observed.

“Do wolves even get those?”

“Wolves can get anything, and you saw that when you saw Elias. The evil of his ways was stamped on his face.”

Sally couldn't deny it. She set up the iPad, and they began placing their order. Apparently, everything was set up toautomatically bill the pack and send the food. It would arrive this afternoon in time for her to cook a large meal for their guests coming for supper. She wasn't sure why Damon didn't just tell them who it was, but he wanted to surprise them. Whatever that meant. They finished their meal, and it had dealt with their appetite, and she could see that Harry was now recharged. It was time for them to get back to work. On the detective shows she had watched, it hadn't seemed quite so grisly, but maybe that was because she knew those weren't real bodies and real people. What they were dealing with now was that they were lives that had been ended before their time by an evil male who had no respect for life and didn't value it.

She stood next to Harry with less energy than she had woken up with. This might not take the energy the first time had since Harry said there were less left than they had pulled free. Harry did her magic, and two more bodies floated up to be added to the pile.

“This part is done. It was so much less than it could have been, but we still have the front and the two sides. Maybe we should rest and have a snack before we start on that?” Harry suggested.

“You know more about this, so we'll do it your way.”

They headed back into the house, and this time, they looked for dessert, finding a frozen pie. It was a cherry cheesecake and not terribly bad, so they ate it with coffee. No talking was needed, and they concentrated on their food.

“I wish we had time for a nap now.”

“You and me too, sister!” Sally declared.

“Let's get back to it because it is hanging over my head like a dark cloud. I think there will be less than there were in the back. It is rare to bury in the front lawn.”

“But not the sides?”

“The front is usually visible to other buildings of some sort. The sides are typically used only when the back is full. I know that something is there, but not what or how much.” Harry admitted.

Harry began to work again, and Sally felt a little bit lightheaded, and Harry let go of her. From the three sides, all she could find was 2 bodies.