FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter Eleven

Joseph drove back to the station and listened to the police scammer light up with calls

"5150 the EDP identified as a male in mid forties 6'2" brown hair and eyes LSW Green shirt and blue jeans. Reported 240-242 IFO..." The dispatcher frantically stated. This was the sixteenth call in the last thirty minutes. The descriptions and locations varied for each call but the codes were the same all describing a mentall ill person committing assault and battery.

Everytime the officer arrived at the location the person was gone but the victim would describe how they knew the person and they would bite the victim after grabbing them aggressively. Once bitten the aggressor would disappear leaving the victim alone.

After a few more minutes the calls stopped and whatever caused the people to try and bite their friends and neighbors created a lull but the scanner was still ablaze with reports of officers trying to find the perpetrators. There seemed to be no commonality between them because they were various ages, genders, and locations. This added more chaos because some attacks were miles apart and it felt as if an officer was dealing with one attack when another sprang up.

The officers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as the chaos finally ended. The next task was to capture the people that committed the assault and battery by biting their victims. There were at least sixteen BOLOs circulating as more information was gathered from the victims and made ready to begin conducting manhunts.

Joseph finally returned to his desk and looked at a blank search engine on his computer after turning it on. He kept thinking about how would he prove that parasites could be what is causing the strange behaviors. He did a search of parasites to see what he could come up with because he knew nothing about them other than they were worms that live inside a person.

"So we found his body laying in his yard but his leg was completely gone." Joseph heard two officers say as they were walking near his desk. He stopped what he was doing to listen in.

"So his wife says he had been acting strangely then out of the blue he tries to bite her?" the second officer asked

"Excuse me, was he found with his head looking like it exploded?" Joseph asked

"Yeah exactly just like half a dozen others of these attackers were found. You got one too?" the first officer asked.

"Yeah an elderly woman went to a a fortune teller and bit her." Joseph said

"Husband and Wife goes by the last name Hawkins are outside in their front yard. The Husband Steve Hawkins suddenly grabs his wife, Donna, and bites her brutally on her arm. Donna runs and calls 911. We show up and find him dead with his head exploded as you said. She claims it wasn't her and says their family dog named Dutchess died the same way a day or two after she bit Steve." the first officer said

"So what if the dog had a parasite or disease and passed it to the guy and now he passed it to her. Maybe she should get checked out by a doctor?!" Joseph said the other two officers shrugged.

"I dunno never heard of people passing parasites or diseases by biting another person." the second officer replied

"Are you serious? Don't you know the human mouth is filthy! A dog's mouth is way cleaner so it's better for a dog to bite you than a person." the first officer said and the two walked off discussing the matter.

Joseph returned to his search on parasites and he could not believe the number of known parasites there were and how they were not simply worms. Some were spores, some were insects, some were viruses, and some were even animals.

He found a site that was made by the BBC that had listed ten parasites that would control the minds of the victims they infected. One was called the Zombie Ant Fungus, where a spore would infect an ant's body and live off of it. Once the spore was fully mature, it made the ant wander away from the ant colony to a nearby tree and make the ant climb the tree where the spores would burst out of the body of the ant and settle nearby to infect another ant and start the process all over again.

There was a Toxoplasmosis parasite that would infect mice and rats and would take away their fear of cats and even make the rats attracted to the smell of cats. The cats would eat them and become infected but Bill quickly stopped reading. This one hit too close to home and he was afraid to think of this infecting Marms.

Rabies and influenza were considered parasites, which completely stunned Bill. He knew they were viruses but never considered them a parasite. The site explained why they were considered a parasite and how they took over the body and affected the mind of the victims.

He found a couple of wasps that were considered parasites because their sting would paralyze their victim and they would lay an egg on the host and the offspring would eat the host alive. The more he researched this, the more overwhelmed he felt. There was a whole frightening world out there that he had never considered.

His research turned to how to fight these creatures. This could be a problem depending on where in the world you lived. If infected you needed immediate medical treatment because the longer they lived in or on you the more damage they did. Certain parasites had no known cures and some, like malaria, were very drug resistant. Parasites had a clever way to avoid being attacked by the host's immune system by hiding out in certain locations. A tape worm would hide in the intestine of the host and safely eat there or a heart worm would live in the organ so the white blood cells could not reach it.

Learning this had again made Joseph wonder if the security guard had some sort of immunity or a way to fight the parasites and he was killed because of this. This parasite seemed to take over and control the mind of the host and make it either bite or kill others. He remembered that the killer had shown signs that his skull was destroyed, probably by the parasite, but they never found any parasites in his remains.

Joseph realized he needed to consult an expert on parasites because there was just too much he did not know and if he could get an expert to help him it might be more believable to people that parasites could be involved. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard several other officers talking about the cases of people biting other people.

This was the third time Joseph nearly tripped over Marms since he returned home. He had the next two days off and made plans to have George come over and watch the game so he was trying to check to make sure he had enough snacks to last them. Marms was busy trying to not be ignored that he kept getting in the way.

"Not under my feet!" Joseph kept yelling at Marms and he was sure he was understood but Marms, like all kitties, felt the need to ignore their hooman slaves. He would run a few steps then turn and was then trying to rub himself against Joseph's legs. Finally Joseph picked him up and carried him around. This brought on a wave of purring and thus proved to Joseph he had fallen for Marm's trap.

"Health Officials are warning that a new outbreak of Mad Cow Disease is the reason for the latest attacks. What started as pets biting their owners as led to the spread of the disease and it had been causes people to attack and even bite other people." the newscaster said and as soon as Joseph heard this he rushed towards the television while still holding a purring Marms.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Joseph said as he listened to the report. "The got it all wrong Marms, where did they come up with this? Are they just trying to make up an answer for the attacks?" Joseph told Marms as he stood there dumbfounded by what he had just heard.

"The cause was believed to be contaminated pet food and the virus spread to humans through bites from the infected pets."

"They are close but that's not the whole truth." Joseph said.

"While there is no cure for the disease with proper treatment a person can live a long and happy life."

"This is gonna make things harder now because the false information they are spreading will detract the real cause and allow the parasites to spread." Joseph sighed and took out his phone to do a quick search on Mad Cow Disease. It could easily explain some of the symptoms the parasites were causing but the news was wrong about the pet bites spreading it. It seems it needs to be ingested by contaminated meat.

"Right now we are enacting safety measures to ensure public safety. Canned pet food will be taken off the shelves until we can properly test it to see if there is any trace of the BSE contaminant inside. I urge the public to report any and all abnormal behavior to your local police be it people or pets. We need to stop this from spreading to ensure all of our safety." the mayor said, making a statement to the news crew. Joseph saw he looked worn and tired so he guessed the mayor's office must have gotten numerous complaints.

Joseph feared the public reaction to the news because stories like this always caused more panic. People would be reporting everything they see thinking they are helping when they are actually doing the opposite. Sending officers on wild goose chases would detract from actually finding and stopping infected people. Even the hospitals will now have to deal with hypochondriacs rushing in because they think they are infected.

"So much for my weekend off, huh Marms." Joseph said to the tiny kitty he held. Marms had his eyes closed enjoying himself unaware that his hooman was dreading being called in.

The old man had called him back to their base and the younger man tried to not let his agitation show. He had managed to lull the old fool into believing he had the upper hand but little did he know the younger held all the cards.

"So I released the story to the press as you instructed."

"Good. That should keep the city busy. While they chase after ghosts and false leads we can get rid of a few loose ends and end this charade." The old man said as he swiveled his chair and looked at the younger. He had his hands placed up near his face with his fingers touching each other.

"So what's left to take care of?"

"That detective has become more troubling." The old man turned and used the monitors to bring up search results and camera footage of the detective. The younger saw he had been searching parasites and he stood there wondering how he had figured out they were involved.

"Parasites? He was investigating parasites?"

"Yes. I told you that little stunt of yours would tip him off. He doesn't seem as stupid as he appears." the old man said as he kept his back to him and watched the screens.

"Now that everyone thinks it's Mad Cow Disease he'll give up and move on. You know cops, they get bored easily." The younger man replied

"When I searched his record I found him to be more driven than most cops are. He seems more interested in the truth and finding answers than merely trying to brush off his investigations quickly."

"So what are you suggesting?"

"Eliminate him but make it look like an accident. We don't need any of his friends trying to avenge him and they get involved with the case as well." the older man said

"I'll see what I can do but that may be tricky."

Rachael sat at her desk shuffling her tarot cards but no matter how hard she tried to focus her thoughts kept returning to Joseph. She felt she needed guidance but she just could not concentrate no matter how hard she tried.

She put down her cards and took a bottle of aspirin out of her pocket. Her headache was back and she swallowed two pills after she chewed them to a fine powder. She was becoming used to the bitter aftertaste but at least they seemed to ease the pain. The headaches came and went in irregular patterns so she never knew when and if they would be coming on.

Her thoughts of Joseph seemed to give her relief but often they also gave her a sense of guilt. Since she had last spoken to him he had not stopped by or even called. He was treating her like a complete stranger! She was the one who had suggested they spend time apart but he, like always, took it to the extreme.

She spread her cards out and moved her left hand over them until she felt a card call to her to pick it. Once she had drawn eight cards shje set them up according to the spread she designed. The remaining cards she gathered together and kissed them before putting the deck aside.

The first card, which represented the present, was a two of pentacles reversed. The card had a man dressed as a jester and he held a figure eight turned on its side to make the infinity symbol while two pentacles were lodged inside it. She knew immediately that this card talked about her life being out of balance. She knew the card was right because everything seemed upside down and out of focus. Even when she tried to confess her feelings for him somehow it felt like it came out all wrong.

Her second card in the table position was the four of pentacles reversed which had a man that appeared wealthy hoarding the four pentacles around him. Reversed it meant being generous and caring and Rachael knew that described her perfectly. She knew how humble and loving and caring she was. Joseph would be the right side up version of being selfish and greedy. The card reminded her that she needs to be herself and not let the complications of her relationship to Joseph stop her from being the kind generous person she is.

Her third card was the chariot and it had a rider in a chariot being pulled by two sphinxes, one black and one white. It was in her past and it reminded her of the car crash she was in years ago. She was having a hard time remembering much about it other than it was when she learned she could read the tarot. It was when she had met Meggie and... what was her name? Sandy? She thought. Then she recalled someone named Rob and she thought he might be a police officer. Was he the one that saved her? Suddenly it became clear to her! Joseph and herself were in the car accident and the officer named Rob had saved them. Joseph was so impressed and grateful that he became an officer. Rob had taken him under his wing and helped make him a detective then retired and she had not heard from him again.

She wondered why the cards were reminding her of the accident because she thought she had put all that behind her long ago. Was there a lesson from the past that she needed to learn? Were the cards trying to tell her something? She knew they were but she could not understand what it was. Eventually she just gave up trying to understand it and moved on to the card in the immediate future position.

The fourth card was the lovers card that had a man and woman holding hands as a giant angel stood over them blessing them. Rachael knew this card was talking about Joseph and her love for each other. This must be a sign that they were destined to be together and that their relationship would mend itself. Soon it would be like old times when Joseph would come over and Cosma would lay her head in his lap.

She had not seen Cosma in a few days and guessed she must be sulking because Joseph had not been over in a while. Rachael looked over at the food dish and saw the kibble she placed in it had not been touched. She felt a pang of concern because if Cosma did not eat something soon then she would get sick.

"Cosma? Cosma! Here girl, wanna go outside?" Rachael shouted but as she looked around and there was still no sign of Cosma. Her headache was bothering her again and she reached up to rub her temple as all thought of Cosma vanished from her thoughts. Her only concern now was that she wanted to be near Joseph.

"I love you Joseph." she said as she picked up the lovers tarot card and kissed it. She knew their love was so powerful that it was the only thing that seemed to dull the pain. Aspirins did little compared to her thoughts of him. She felt a longing to go to him but when she looked down at the cards it seemed to snap her out of it. It felt like a driving force to turn the others over and see what secrets they told.

The next card was the two of swords and it had a woman sitting and holding two swords crossed in front of her while she wore a blindfold. This card was telling her that there was some kind of battle that she was blind to but this was in the fear spot of the spread. It seemed strange because she could not think of any struggle or difficulty that she was afraid of. The blindfold made sense then but why was this in the fear spot?

The sixth card was the queen of pentacles and Rachael jumped realizing she had gotten another pentacle card. This reading was filled with them so the message here must really be important. Pentacles usually represent money or finances but she felt that they were representing her future here. There was something they were trying to tell her in order for her to succeed.

The queen of pentacles was in the ally spot of the spread so there was someone trying to help her but she was not sure who. Because a woman was on the card does not necessarily mean it needs to be a female, it could be a male. Maybe Rob had gotten in contact with Joseph and he was trying to get them back together again. It would make sense why the chariot card was in the reading and why the lovers were in the future spot. It suddenly made sense to her! Rob was trying to get them back together and with his help their relationship looked like it was going to be fixed.

The five of pentacles came next and this was in the hopes and dreams spot. This card had poor people outside in a snowstorm and they passed a stained glass window that had the five pentacles in it. Since it was in this spot it means that she hopes to have an end to the struggles she is currently facing. It made sense to her because she wanted these headaches to end and Joseph to come back into her life.

The last card was the nine of pentacles and this card had a woman watching the pentacles growing on a bush. This card represented good fortune or a good harvest. Seeing the rewards of the fruits of your labors. This card was a clear omen that everything would turn out alright and her wishes and dreams would come true.

She picked up the card and kissed it and held it gleefully as she thought about being reunited with her love. She pictured Joseph and herself walking Cosma on the beach as they held hands. The sun lowered below the horizon as they kissed while Cosma jumped and played in the ocean. She remembered that date and how Joseph had removed his shirt and she pressed herself against his rippling muscles.

She rose from the tables and went into her living room. When she entered she knocked a romance novel off a table and quickly picked it up and replaced it back where it was. The cover had a shirtless man with bulging muscles standing at a beach at sunset. An attractive young lady clung to his chest and a german shepherd was busy playing in the ocean in the background. She made a mental note that she would have to find time to finish reading it.