"Mr Perkins, my name is Detective Williams. You've been read your rights, and have waived your right to an attorney. Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
"I'd like to ask a few questions."
"Go ahead, but I can't promise you any answers."
"Is Marco going to be okay? Only, he looked really bad when I saw him, and he ran away after I couldn't change him back."
"We're still looking for him, do you know where he might have gone?"
"No. Well, he was all hunched over and growling, and I think bright light hurt his eyes. I think maybe he, like, went into the sewers or something?"
"That's entirely possible, where did you see him last?"
"At the arcade, I think he lived upstairs."
"Kyle, what was the curse he gave you?"
"I picked dare, and he dared me to turn him normal. But when that didn't work he told me to get even with, with 'that bitch' then he ran away."
"How did Marco know Miss Smith?"
"I've been thinking about that. I don't think she's who he meant, but I couldn't think of any bigger bi- ah, person I wanted to get even with."
"Any other questions?"
"What happens to me now?"
"You're a minor, and Marco's dare will be taken into consideration. If you were an adult you'd be charged with eight counts of premeditated assault."
“Eight? How!?"
"Miss Smith and the women the curse you gave her influenced. As it is, you're in an enviable position; you've experienced the Curse and escaped still human and largely unaffected mentally. As a bonus you're immune to receiving the curse now. A Curse bearer saying 'transform or dare' simply won't affect you. Directly anyway. If someone's curse was something like 'all men named Kyle will obey your every command', similar to the way Ms. Smith's curse affects women around her, then you could still be influenced by another person's Curse."
"That's, oh. Oh! Crap."
I'll let you think a bit about what you did back in your cell.
***
"Detective! We caught another one!"
"Which one?"
"Either Mattson or Krieg, he's become a giant slug thing. We found him in a greenhouse oozing around. Scared the gardener half to death."
"Containment?"
"He'd never seen a banana slug before, psych says he'll be ready to release with a cover story in a few hours."
"Alright. Any progress on Marco Fratternalli?"
"We got guys down every manhole within five blocks of his apartment, no sign of him. Think maybe the opposition caught him first?"
"Lets hear no more of that kind of talk, back to your desk."
"Yessir!"
Glen flipped to the front of his folder and put X's in front of two more names.
Three others were crossed off; dead by their own hands. One was highlighted; Emile Tanner had turned himself in; their first break after they found Wendy Doubson, former curse bearer, bleeding in an alley. She'd told them she was assaulted by a pack of young men, and used the Curse to defend herself.
Tanner ratted out his drinking buddies, he didn't know how Marco knew Wendy had the curse. When she transformed them 'to become whatever pitiful thing they feared most' and dared those few who hadn't answered in time or had chosen dare to kill themselves without passing the curse, Emile had become a servile, effeminate gay man. He'd told the police everything he knew, then quietly choked to death on his wadded up socks.
Glen sighed, then unlocked his bottom draw and pulled out a disposable phone. It only had one number in it, and he'd have to barter to get another after he used this one. While he was contemplating the cost it rang in his hand.
He nearly dropped it before he managed to answer it.