While Tzich spoke, she stared down at her right hand. It twitched, currents of adrenaline still thrumming in her fingers. Whenever she raised her hand for closer inspection, it shook, but from what she could see there was no evidence of the ravenous black talons that had been there before. They were very human. However, the foul odor from permeating the dog’s muscle and skin certainly wasn’t. It smelled like week-old Indian food wrapped in vinegar and old fish. That wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

She was going to ask what had happened, how she could keep it from happening again, but he brought up a much more important point. Her eyes widened and she nearly choked on her own breath.

“What?” she sat forward more and eyed him like the madman he was. “You never fucking mentioned that! Jesus, I just thought you meant ‘Hey, don’t touch that dog, it’s gross.’ And I thought ‘No shit, Sherlock,’ but you neglected to mention the whole venomous thing.”

It was then that she realized that the pack of gum was solid, like a rock. She made a face and picked it up, but her hands weren’t very responsive. Her hand let go as soon as she’d grabbed it, shaking immensely. “What’s with the pack of gum? Better yet, let’s talk cures.”