Crippling Loss

"NOOO!" Britta screamed, jumping off Kat's back before the latter stopped her gallop.

The girl's loud reaction was justified. She had just noticed that her grandfather lay on his back, seemingly lifeless. The old man had only one arm. Half a dozen holes riddled his muscular torso. Moreover, the corpse had already begun to turn blue.

The great Butch Salvatore was dead. Tyler knelt before his body with a vacant and spaced-out expression. His own clothes were tattered, but no injuries or bruises were visible.

"Thank the primordial gods," Kat muttered to herself, realizing her ex-husband was alive and unharmed. She skidded to a stop and changed into her human form.

The Mayan goddess raced towards Tyler for a much-desired reunion. However, she stopped abruptly on spotting Butch's corpse.

Kat stood motionless, unable to decide whether to hug Tyler out of relief or grieve for Britta's grandfather.