Moonlight Mist: A Limited Edition Collection of Fantasy & Paranormal)

by Nicole Morgan

  Thumbing my way through my record collection, I stopped when I came to Boston, Third Stage. It’s an album that I can put on, let play the whole way through. I gently removed the black disc from its cover and placed it on the turn table. Hearing a knock at the door, I turned to look at the large clock on the kitchen wall. 5:49.

  “He’s early,” I said, smiling. I ran my hand down the length of my long, red hair to smooth away any strays and moved to the door. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the handle, and pulled it open. “You’re early.” My smile quickly faded, realizing the man standing before me wasn’t Warren. It was Officer Tucker.

  “Well,” he said, stealing my smile as his own, “if I had known you were expecting me, I would have shown up a long time ago.”

  “Of course, I’m not expecting you,” I said. “So, what are you doing here? And how did you get my address?”

  Officer Turner chuckled. “I’m a cop. How do I think I got it? And I needed to talk to you about a few things, to follow up, tie up some loose ends.”

  “And you had to come here to do that?” I was starting to get frustrated. I really needed him to leave.

  “I can’t seem to catch you at the hospital, and you won’t call me back. I saw this as the only logical solution. I just need a few minutes.”

  “Normally it wouldn’t be a problem,” I said. “But now really isn’t a good time.”

  “Right,” Officer Turner tucked his hands in his pockets and nodded his head slowly. “You’re expecting someone.” He looked me up and down for a moment. “A date, I’m assuming. You look very nice by the way.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “And yes. It’s a date.” I heard a car drive up and peered past Officer Turner. “And there he is so if you don’t mind.” Warren got out of his car and walked to the passenger side.

  “Just tell me when to come back and I’ll be on my way,” Officer Turner said, smirking. I needed to get him out of there before he ruined the whole night.

  “Tuesday,” I said without thinking. “Come back Tuesday evening and we’ll talk about whatever it is you need to talk about.” Warren walked up the path carrying a large take out bag in each hand.

  “Hello,” he said. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “No,” I responded quickly, not giving Officer Turner a chance. “Warren, this is Officer Turner. He’s the officer who questioned me about the attacks and escorted me back from Bartley.” I reached out and took one of the bags from his hand. “Officer Turner, this is Warren Keller.”

  Warren and Officer Turner shook hands. I turned and quickly took the bag inside and placed it on the table. Hurrying back to the front door, Officer Turner was standing with his back to me. I stepped to the side and the expression I saw on Warren’s face was shock, confusion, and fear.

  “Warren?” I pushed my way past Officer Turner. “Warren, what’s wrong?” I grabbed his arm. “What is it?” I turned back to look at Officer Turner and he shrugged. “What did you do?” I asked him. “What did you say?”

  “What makes you think I did or said anything?” Officer Turner snapped.

  “I was gone two minutes,” I snapped back. “What else could have happened?”

  “I’m sorry, Rose.” Warren pulled from my grip and started backing away. “I gotta go. I just remembered something I gotta take care of.” I followed him towards his car. “I’m sorry.”

  “Wait, Warren, what is it?” I called out insistently. “What happened? Tell me.” I continued to follow him until he jumped into his car, started the engine, and pulling away so quickly the tires of his car screeched against the asphalt.

  I stood on the sidewalk, stunned. What the fuck just happened? I turned back to look at the house and Officer Turner was still standing beside the open front door. What the fuck did he do? Storming back to the house, I glared at him the entire way.

  “What the hell did you say to him?” I demanded an answer.

  “Maybe he just can’t handle a little bit of competition,” Officer Turner said, chuckling. “Must not be too confident in his abilities.” He continued to smirk. I wanted to smack it off his face, but even as angry as I was, I knew hitting a cop would only end with me in jail. “It seems you’re free now,” he said, taking a step closer. “You want to talk now. We could stay here, or I could take you to dinner. Or …” Officer Turner bent down and picked up the second bag that Warren and left sitting on the stoop. “It seems we have dinner right here. We could eat while we talked.”

  My anger began to boil over. I snatched the bag from his hand and moved back inside.

  “You are not his competition.” My words were stern and spoken through gritted teeth. “And I do not want to go with you. Not now. Not ever. So, please stop asking.”

  “Why? Because of him? He’s a loser!” I watched Officer Turner morph into a different man. Brash. Vulgar. Mean. “He will always be a loser.”

  “You don’t even know him,” I said. I put one hand on the door, ready to slam it in his face if I need be. “You don’t know anything about him.”

  “I don’t need to,” Officer Turner said. “I know his type. Bu you know what? I can wait. You’ll come around.” I scoffed. “You will. You’ll see.”

  “I think you need to leave now,” I said. He didn’t move. “Now.” I repeated myself.

  “Or what? You’ll call the cops.” He laughed at himself, turned around, and walked away. “You’ll come around,” he said, not looking back. “Then you’ll be begging me to come over and spend time with you.”

  I didn’t wait any longer. I closed the door, locked the key lock, the deadbolt, and latched the chain. I leaned against the door and slid to the floor. I woke up this morning feeling wonderful, thinking I was going to spend the evening with the man I loved, having a great night. Instead, I learned that the man who I allowed to protect me is a stalking lunatic.

  What the fuck was that?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Blending into the crowd near the police station, I nervously put my hand at the base of my neck. In just two days, news of the attacks had spread faster than the common cold, and people had gathered to hear the latest update. My hands trembled slightly, unsure of what the police captain was going to announce. I needed unrestricted access to Bartley. Doing the whole police escort bullshit wasn’t working for me. There were times when I had to make several visits in one day, unscheduled visits, emergency visits. My patients needed me when they needed me.

  The chattering of the crowd didn’t help my anxiety. People spoke of rumors and hearsay and what so-and-so and said or who heard what from this person or that. It was driving me insane.

  “Beverley said that they were going were going to put up a fence to keep the monsters in until they could trap them.”

  “I heard that they’re going to have to evacuate Bartley and move all those people to the shelter up in Madison.”

  “No, they won’t evacuate Bartley. They’d have to bring them through the trees, straight to the creatures. They’ll just isolate them ‘til they hunt them all down.”

  I wanted to tell them all to shut up. To stop talking because they didn’t know what the fuck they were talking about. But, instead, I just moved away, worming my way through the people to a different area of the crowd.

  As the temperature rose, I pushed my long hair back off my face and pulled it tight at the base of my skull. Separating it into three sections, I braided the long auburn tresses to hang over my shoulder, pulling one of the ever-present hair ties out of my pocket to secure it at the end.

  Hearing the screech of a mega phone, I looked up to see the police captain standing in the back of a pick-up truck. His large stature made for quite a presence. Everyone turned to look at him, moving closer, creating a large semi-circle around the truck.

  “Good morning, y’all,” he spoke through the megaphone. “Okay, just real quick. It seems the wolves or whatever they were have moved on.” The crowd buzzed in response. “We’ve had officers, patrolmen, and lots of trap
pers out here combing the woods for the last two days. They haven’t found a sign of any of them. But, just to be safe, we’ve set some traps and snares, so if you venture in, please, please, please, stay on the marked paths. We don’t want to have to come out and rescue you ‘cause you gone and got yourself trapped.” A rolling chuckle rose from the crowd.

  I turned and headed back to my car. I heard what I needed. The rest of it was just fluff and him listening to his own voice. Not much happened around here, so this was probably the most excitement he’s had in years. I had to get on with my day.

  “If you see anything unusual, odd, or just plain weird, be sure you let us know.” I could still hear him talking as I made my way down the sidewalk. “We don’t want no weird around here so be sure to report anything you see.” I would be calling you every ten minutes if I reported all the weird I saw around here. I chuckled at myself.

  “Excuse me, Rose,” I felt a hand on my arm, jerking me to a stop. I turned to see Officer Turner standing at my side, reaching out, gripping my bicep. “Sorry, Doctor Decker. Can I talk to you for a minute?” I looked around to see people walking back and forth past us. I didn’t want to make a scene.

  “Sure,” I said, looking down at his hand. “If you let go of my arm.” He quickly retracted his hand and put up his hand.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean –”

  “It’s okay.” I took a step back. “What did you want to talk about?”

  Officer Turner cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. “I just wanted to apologize,” he said. “I was a real ass… a real jerk the other day and I’m sorry.”

  “Yes, you were,” I replied. I wasn’t going to lie or let him off the hook. “You came to my house, chased off my boyfriend. And you were extremely inappropriate.” The least he could do was apologize.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you or come on too strong,” he said. “And I didn’t mean to seem like such a stalker or a psycho. I just like you. I’d hoped that we could get to know each other better.”

  “I appreciate that but –”

  “And I will back off.” He interrupted me, speaking as if he’d rehearsed his words. Maybe my speaking risked breaking his concentration. “I’ll back off until you tell me otherwise.”

  That would be a long wait until never. I waited before responding, to make sure he was finished with his speech. After a few seconds of silence, I spoke up.

  “Thank you, Officer Turner. I know how much it must it have taken for you to say all that and I really appreciate it.”

  “I do hope we can be friends,” he said. He smiled. It was a much sweeter smile than he had ever shown before. “And please, you can call me Charlie.”

  “Okay,” I scoffed. I leaned in just slightly without moving any closer to him. “But not while you’re in uniform.”

  “Okay then,” Officer Turner said. “You have a great day, and I hope to see sometime soon.”

  “You, too … Charlie.” Officer Turner stood tall and a large toothy smile covered his face. I regretted calling him by his first name as soon as it left my tongue. My insides buckled, feeling like I had just been punched. But I couldn’t take it back. Feeling very uneasy, I waved and turned and hurried to my car.

  I wasn’t sure why Officer Turner apologized to me. I wasn’t sure if he had some type of agenda. I wasn’t sure if he was genuine, or simply up to something. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about him scared me more than the wolves.

  Well, that was fucking weird. I’m supposed to report anything weird. Maybe I call the captain? Again, I chuckled at myself.

  The drive to the abandoned Crane Creek Mining operation seemed to whiz by. Pulling into the vacant lot, I didn’t remember most of the trip. My mind wandered from one topic to the next. The song on the radio. The little girl in room 311. The feel of Warren’s hands on my body. What happened between Warren and Charlie that made Warren leave so fast? Why did I call him Charlie? Where did I put that blue dress that makes my ass look so good? Would Warren like me in that dress? I need to get laid.

  The walk from my car to the town was like the drive. It wasn’t until I crossed the bridge that I realized I needed to get my mind in the game. Dammit! Get it together! You’re going to see patients. Pay attention before you hurt someone! I took a few deep breaths and knocked on the door of the first patient on my agenda. It wasn’t long before I found my groove.

  My mood and confidence soared as I rapped on the door to Matthew’s house. I missed seeing him the last time I was here because he was visiting his mother. I was eager to see his progress, hoping he was doing well.

  “Hi Doc,” Matthew said as he opened the door. He looked well. “Come on in.”

  “Hello, Matthew,” I said. Walking through the door, I looked him over. His color was good. He seemed to be in good spirits. And he was moving his arm well, too. “How you doing?”

  “Really good,” he said. “Definitely a lot better than before. I think I’m healed.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” I laughed. “Sit down and let me have a look at you.” We walked to the small living room and Matthew sat on the couch. I knelt in front of him, gently lifting his sleeve to reveal the area of his wound. My eyebrows lifted, and my eyes widened at what I saw. He was healed. His wound was fully healed. Completely, absolutely, and totally healed. In a week. All that remained was a deep pink bite mark shaped scar.

  “See doc,” Matthew said. He looked down at his arm. “Told you. I’m healed.”

  “I see that,” I said. “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anyone heal so quickly.” I put my hand to the side of his face, his neck, and his forehead. “And no more fever?”

  “Nope.” He smiled. “I did everything you said to do. I’m a good patient, huh, doc?”

  “Yes, you are,” I chuckled, standing up and picking up my bag. “One of my best.” I moved to the door and turned back to Matthew. “Tell your Dad I’m sorry I missed him.”

  “I will,” Matthew smiled and picked up his cell phone. I watched him for a moment as he plopped onto the couch and began to move his thumbs quickly over the keys. His recovery was remarkable. And I had no explanation for it.

  Making my way to Nana Kay’s, I began running through any type of rationales for how Matthew’s wound could heal in only a week. Nothing made sense. I needed more time.

  Nana Kay helped to distract me, at least somewhat. She, too, was doing much better.

  “I’ve just been doin’ what you told me to,” she said. “I check my sugar three times every day. I give myself the injections if it’s too high. And I haven’t been eatin’ too much of the sweets.”

  “That’s great,” I said, hugging her. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Can you stay for lunch?” she asked me, taking a step toward the kitchen.

  “I wish I could,” I said regretfully. “I have a hundred and one things to do at the hospital and I haven’t cleaned my house in over a week.”

  “Hire yous a maid,” Nana Kay laughed. “With all that moneys you make, you can ‘ford one. And as hard as you work, you need one.”

  “Maybe I should,” I said. Thinking about it for a moment, I realized Nana Kay made a good point. As much as I work, having someone to help clean the house would be nice. “I hugged her again and made my way to the door.”

  “And I’ll tell Warren you said ‘hey’ when I see him,” Nana Kay said, walking me toward the door. “He should be home tomorrow morning sometime.”

  “Tomorrow morning?” I asked, surprised. He didn’t say anything about being gone so long.

  “Uh, huh. He said he had some business to attend to and he’d be back tomorrow morning sometime. And not to worry.” I nodded. That wasn’t good enough for me. I needed more information. I’d have to ask him about it when I saw him next.

  “Okay, Nana, I gotta go.” I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. “Call me if you need me, okay?”

  “Go on now,” she shooed me with the back of her hands. “You got
real sick people to tend to.” She blew me a kiss and shut the door behind me.

  I love that woman. She’s a bit bonkers, but I love her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  As I was leaving, I spotted one of the elderly men of the village siting on his porch. He yelled out to me, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  “What was that?” I said. He repeated himself, but still, I couldn’t make out his words. I walked toward him, standing on the path in front of his porch.

  “Hi,” I said, “I’m Rose. I don’t think we’ve met.”

  “I’m Angus,” he said. His voice was deep and burly, and he spoke with a tinge of a southern accent.

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear what you were saying.”

  “He’s comin’ back,” he said. Angus tilted back in his chair, the wooden back leaning against the house. He interlaced his fingers and rested his hands in his lap. “The demon wolf. He’s comin’ back.”

  I glanced at his arm and saw a large bite scar similar to the one that was now on Matthew’s skin.

  “Were you –”

  “Yes, I was,” his voice was absent of emotion. “Just like lots of young men in this village. It’s our curse. And that’s why it keeps comin’ back. ‘Cause it’s from here.”

  “I don’t understand.” I know he’s trying to tell me something. What is he trying to tell me?

  “I killed the one that bit me, so my curse is over. But there are others. Some you know,” Angus turned and looked me in the eye, pausing his words. “Some you don’t. And that young man, Matthew. His curse has just begun.”

  Suddenly, a much younger man exited the house. “Grandpa, are you telling stories again?” He helped Angus up from his chair. Angus locked eyes with me as he was escorted into the house. His grandson flashed me a fake smile as he closed the door behind them.