The Chronicles of Beast and Man

by J. Charles Ralston

  -

  Matthew was satisfied with the way his small confrontation with Rod Truex had gone. Rod had looked like a joke. Now Matthew felt more prepared to handle Rod in another form. On his way home, his thoughts of how he would deal with Rod became increasingly stronger. Matthew wanted their next confrontation to be a surprise. It wouldn’t be like the surprise that Matthew got when he discovered the relationship Rod was having with his wife. This surprise was going to have to be much more shocking and physically painful. It was then that Matthew thought of a possible opportunity to rid himself of Rod Truex.

  During the next full moon, as the man hunt was in full swing, he might be able to find a chance. If it were just he and Rod he could aim his rifle at Rod’s head and take him out with ease. It would have to be precise and exact, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to do so. There could be some sort of legal punishment to deal with afterward, but he more than likely could get out of it. He would just say that he thought something in the darkness was about to attack him. He would say he was afraid for his life and shot without thinking. It might not have been the greatest plan ever hatched, but Matthew had not been thinking very clearly as of late. His mind was completely consumed with thoughts of revenge.

  “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”

  -- Edgar Allan Poe

  PART THREE

  Rod glanced inside through a window and could see that a reading lamp was still on. Either someone was still awake or they had fallen asleep sitting up. He did not want to wake anyone at this late hour. He had no interest in bothering them. On the other hand, he had driven all the way there, and still felt the need for support.

  Rod made a fist and knocked on the door loudly.

  It wasn’t long before Anne Murray answered the door. She had to adjust her large glasses a little bit before she realized who he was.

  “Rodney? Rodney Truex?”

  “Yeah Anne, it is me.”

  Anne was thrilled to see him; she hadn’t in such a long time. She began to ask him how his family was, and if he was dating anyone now. When he told her no she said that she didn’t understand how a handsome young man like himself could be single. She continued to ramble for a long drawn out moment, until she stopped herself, and rushed away to go and get Hank. She told him that she knew better than to think he had come over just to see her.

  It took a little bit of time but finally Hank walked in stiff-legged, bobbing his head with each stride. He was dressed in bib overalls and a blue flannel shirt tucked underneath.

  “Oh my, Anne told me we had a late-night surprise guest but I never expected to see you!”

  “It has been a long time.” Rod said as they vigorously shook hands

  “Too long.”

  The two men spoke as if they hadn’t seen one another in what felt like forever. Rod told him the little ways the police department and the town had changed. Hank told Rod about how much he had enjoyed retirement and about his daughter Eve getting married; she had recently given birth to Hank and Anne’s first grandchild. At one point Hank signaled to walk out back to the patio behind the house.

  “Okay Rod why don’t we stop fooling around here. Why the late night visit?” Hank asked even though Rod was sure that Hank could probably guess.

  “I know you already know what is going on.”

  “Yes, I do.” Hank answered quickly.

  “Hank, tell me what happened before… Why did you retire?”

  “I retired because it was my time to do it.”

  “Seriously, Hank I know better than that.” Rod said sternly.

  Rod continued on to explain that he had his doubts about the answer. He had respected Hank as a mentor and as an officer of the law. He went on to tell him that he himself felt that there was something more, something that Hank was not telling him.

  Hank looked out across the darkness which consumed the fields that lay behind his home. He rubbed his forehead intensely and groaned slightly. His silence was a clue to just how personal and serious this all was.

  “Hank, I know there is something that you are holding back.”

  “Rodney, if I tell you this you have to promise never to repeat it ever again.” Hank’s words were bold and unforgiving.

  “You know…”

  Hank stopped Rod off before he could finish his sentence. “Listen to me; I know I can trust you. I know what you are up against, but I need you to listen to me and promise me that you will never repeat a word I am about to say.”

  Rod then swore on the life of his own mother that he would never share a single detail with anyone else. With great confidence he spoke each word which meant more than any other word he had ever spoken. Rod understand that what was to come would be gut wrenching and painful. It was important that Hank valued him as a trustworthy friend.

  “Okay Rodney, I want to start by telling you about a night that I have lived to regret. You might not think much of me after I tell you it either…”

  As Hank spoke he told a story of lies and deceit. He explained that on the night of July 16th 2000, he found a dead body beside the highway just outside of town. The sight of the body frightened him so much that he lost control of the situation. What followed afterwords he only explain as panic. Carefully he loaded the body up into the trunk of his car and drove out into the country. He drove out of McDonough County and into Hancock County. He found a dark quiet dirt road and dumped the body. It took everything for Hank to admit this to his friend, he choked back tears of shame and explained that he simply hadn’t been prepared for the situation.

  Rod could not believe what he was hearing, he could feel the respect that he felt for this man slowly depleting. This had all started earlier than anyone in the department realized. The investigations could have started much sooner. He could not help but blame some of this on the man standing in front of him. Yes, there was no guarantee that this would have changed things all that much, but what if it had been? What if this were the thing that changed everything? No one would ever no now.

  Hank paused and exhaled a breath of relief and continued speaking

  “After that boy was found, I felt terrible. I wanted to make it stop, I was willing to do anything. I investigated all sorts of crazy leads, if someone heard a twig snap I would have investigated it. I don’t know if you remember, but I was obsessed. I lived and breathed that goddamn case. One night I was walking along 1800th road beside the timber with a flash light; a flash light that I didn’t even need because of the bright full moon that was out. I was looking for any sort of clue anything that might even give me a hint to solving the Hester murder. I can’t tell you how far I had walked when suddenly I felt a presence. I looked all around but at first I saw nothing. I was sure that something was there. I lowered down and continued to look. It was then that I saw a deer running through a clearing. It couldn’t have been more than twenty feet away from me. It was a splendid sight, I did not want to make a sound; afraid I might scare it off. I moved down into the brush and continued to watch. Suddenly a huge wolf the size of a bear ran after the deer. It was unbelievably fast and it ran on two legs. The massive thing tackled the deer and took it down fast. I watched it move furiously as it ripped and tore at the deer’s flesh. It was a bloody mess, but then all of a sudden it stopped. It began sniffing the air, then it turned and it looked at me. With its evil blood thirsty red eyes, I swear it looked at me. It had a half-human, half-wolf face covered in hair. I will never forget the look that was in its eyes. Those eyes were so deep and full of anger and rage. I sat as still as I could, I was afraid that if I might move, it would attack. I stayed completely still and watched it, I watched as it dug its snout into the belly of the deer and began to feast. Then it lifted itself up and howled into the night opening its jaws wide revealing its bloody wolf fangs, I turned away and ran off into the darkness.”

  Rod did not know how to respond to Hank’s words, but Rod th
en knew that his instincts were correct. Hank had confirmed to him that there was something beyond human committing the terrible murders in and around Medusa.

  “Werewolf?”

  “Call it what you want Rodney, all I know is, it is an unstoppable killing machine.”

  “But why did it stop?”

  “For five years? I have no idea, I didn’t question that after I retired, I was just happy that it had stopped. Once I laid eyes on it I was scared, I couldn’t get the image of that thing out of my mind. Even today I see it in my nightmares, even more now that it has started killing again.”

  There was a long moment of silence, while Rod tried to take everything in. Rod was going to have to find a way to destroy this thing. He was going to have to take on the unknown. He was also going to need help, that is, unless he could figure out who this werewolf was. That is, if the mythology of the werewolf were true.

  “I can’t help you kill this thing, I am too old and I know I wouldn’t be of any use. I can tell you what I think though… If I were in your shoes I would try and take this thing head on. I would enlist as many men as possible and make sure each one of them has a shot gun in hand. I would not take this thing on with anything less.”

  Hank then began to tell Rod exactly who he would enlist and methods he would use to track this thing. Rod was listening and making mental notes, but Rod slipped away from the conversation fairly easily. He wondered how in the world things had turned out this way. Werewolves aren’t real… It felt as if fiction and reality had weaved themselves together. If something this sinister could exist what other creatures in folk lore and myth could be real as well? The very fabric of his world felt as if it had been ripped in two. Rod was not about to give this too much thought. He usually would not take the time to question such things, but he usually did not have to prepare for battle with a fabled beast either.

  -

  After Rod finished talking with Hank he drove back to the police station. It was a very long ride; his thoughts had become a large cloud of complexity. Before the murders began things made sense. Police work was simple, and the answers were always simple. You had a hunch about something, you were usually right. Yes, he had a feeling that this was something more, something supernatural. But he hadn’t actually wanted that to be true. He assumed that it was more than he could handle, but he was going to have to do everything he could to make it stop. He could not hang up his badge, the same way his predecessor had. He was much younger than Hank was when he retired, and he was better prepared (or at least he thought he was).

  When he arrived, he glanced down at his watch to see that it was then twelve minutes after midnight. He knew that he should be at home in bed, but after speaking with Hank he knew he would not be able to sleep. Rod walked into the station to see Officer Clancy manning the phones and radio.

  Clancy was of course surprised to see Rod at that late hour, and greeted him nervously. He became slightly calmer when Rod told him that he was only stopping by for a minute and would be back out the door. Clancy told him that he didn’t care, and that Rod could be there as long as he wanted to be. Clancy then informed Rod of a piece of mail that had arrived earlier in the day and no one had remembered to give it to him.

  A large yellow envelope rested on Rod’s desk. Rod opened it up to find the autopsy report on Gabrielle Parker.

  Finally Rod thought. He began reading, he skimmed though it, already knowing most of the details. Then he found what he was looking for “ANIMAL ATTACK” had been listed as the cause of death. The report described the tearing of the flesh as being done by claws and sharp teeth. It also stated that gnawing on bones had been revealed as well. The autopsy could not confirm what animal it was that committed the murder, but that was not important anymore. Rod had already found that answer.

  Suddenly the large plate glass window at the front of the station shattered into a million pieces. Something had violently slammed through it. Both Rod and Clancy braced for impact, but the only thing that hit them were tiny shards of glass. Rod sprang to his feet to find a brick with a piece of paper duct taped to it. Rod did not take the time to look at the paper; he instantly ran out of the building, pistol drawn, he hoped that he would find the person who threw the brick. Unfortunately all he found was the cold dark empty streets of Medusa. Rod walked around the block hoping to find the suspect, but he found no one. He went back to the station to see if Clancy had read the paper that was attached to the brick.

  Rod walked in and Clancy handed the note to him. The note was simple and to the point it read: “GO FUCK YOURSELF.”

  At First Rod thought it could have been done by Matthew Russell, if it were true that Matthew knew about his affair with Marcy. Rod quickly changed his mind, Matthew Russell seemed to be smarter than this; if he had wanted revenge he would find another way. It would be much more creative than a brick through a window.

  Daniel Montvale!

  It had to of been him. Rod had a feeling that Daniel was going to be a large source of his problems. It was then that another wild idea crossed his mind, it was a strange idea, but in a way it made sense…

  -

  The night had grown cold, and dark. The only light that gave him any vision was a dismal street light that kept flickering off and on. He looked up toward the bleak black night sky.

  He looked down. No shoes? No wonder his feet were so cold.

  He looked around to see the empty silent streets of Medusa, but something was different. There was a gloom emitting from the darkness of the nocturnal city and transformed everything. From out of the darkness a young girl in a long blue dress ran by fleeing with a look of terror upon her face. He wanted to reach out and grab her, stop her from running, and find out what was wrong. His feet would not move, he was stuck in place and he could do no more than watch her run. A chill then crept up his back. Something was approaching from within the darkness. It was moving closer and closer, it would not be long. A man covered in hair, dressed in a tattered shirt and slacks appeared under a faraway street light. It was running toward him; everything slowed down. Rod still could not move, he could only watch as it came forward. But, it had no interest in him, when it got to him, it continued to run in the direction of the young girl. Rod had to stop this thing, and perhaps he could figure out who this thing was as well. When it had been approaching him a moment ago he had turned away in fear.

  To his surprise, his feet were suddenly free. Rod began running after the wolf-man, he had to find out who it was. By now Rod had realized that he was dreaming, but maybe seeing its face would unlock the secret of who was generating the chaos that gripped his fine town.

  All of a sudden his legs were working at full capability, immediately he began running after them. He could hear the young girl scream. She wasn’t real, she was the least of his concerns, he had to see the wolf-man’s face.

  It was not long before the two of them came to a dead end and the girl had disappeared. She was nowhere to be seen. Rod had caught the killer, even if it was just a dream. He was going to discover the answer now; he would understand everything in less than a minute.

  The wolf-man turned to look at Rod. The wolf’s face was his own. He was shocked at first and then frustrated, he had expected to uncover the mystery, but it hadn’t worked

  Rod woke up, the dream was over.

  Three Days Later

  There was a calmness in the air that morning that Rod had not been prepared for. It was almost as if the world had slowed down all of a sudden. The sun seemed to be shining brighter, the air smelled sweeter. Rod thought that this might be nothing more than just the calm before the storm. As if it were a simple stillness giving a warning to horrible things yet to come. Things seemed different, and Rod felt better about the situation in Medusa then he had in a long time. He had a hunch and was ready to test it, hopefully it wouldn’t fall through. Rod definitely didn’t think it was going to; it seemed that all the pieces of the puzzles were coming together.

  Rod went int
o the police station early that morning to see that more than twenty-some people had signed up for the man hunt that night. Rod was glad that the people of Medusa were willing to try and help put a stop to the insanity. Rod asked Clara to call each person on the list and instruct them where to meet and to be sure to bring all their registration information and only registered firearms. Clara was not overly excited at the idea, but agreed to help.

  Rod strolled out of the station with a renewed sense of assurance. He felt prepared to take on the entire town single handedly. He fired up the engine and drove to the east side of town, he turned down Ludlum road and stopped in front of the Montvale home.

  Rod walked to the front door and knocked loudly, he was prepared for anything. Daniel Montvale had proved to be full of unexpected surprises. Katey Montvale answered the door, dressed in a long black t-shirt and a pair of tight blue shorts that did not fit her plump body.

  “Ma’am, I need to speak with your son.” Rod said as calmly as he could. He had very little respect for Miss Montvale, but he was not about to disrespect her as a mother.

  “What’n the goddamn hell did he do now?” Katey complained before taking a drag from her cigarette.

  “He is suspected in a serious crime ma’am. This would be much easier if you’d just tell me where he is.”

  Katey then shrugged her shoulders and began to guide him through the house. Rod was amazed at what an unbelievable mess the house was in. There was trash scattered throughout the house, newspapers on the table, and on the floor. The floor did not appear to have been vacuumed in years and the scent of cats was incredible. Rod was ready to grab a hold of Daniel and get the hell out of there.