As Coupard gathered up the remains of the specimen, he could see the goo-covered innards of the bird. The ribs that formed the rib cage were thicker than he expected and segmented the way ribs were not supposed to be. He was no expert on anatomy—the anatomy of humans or birds—but they didn't look like ribs to him at all. The rib cage looked like fingers, complete with knuckles and joints, a hand wrapped around the internal organs to protect them. The bird was large, and the rib cage looked about the size of a small human hand. But there were too many fingers for a human hand.
Nothing inside the bird looked alien, only out of place . . . like this creature was assembled from parts of other creatures. The creature appeared stuck together, like grapes held together with
mold. Indeed, the connecting substance appeared fungal and oozy. It reminded Coupard of cancerous growths he'd seen in medical books.
~~~
Maria took Livingston home and put her to bed. Coupard drank his coffee and watched over Malcolm while he recovered his senses. By the time the sun was setting, Maria had sent word to Coupard that they all should meet up in the morning to take stock of themselves and see how they might go forward . . . if they should go forward.