Bark (The Werewolf Journal's Book 1)

by Sabian Masters

  What if there’s more out there? he thought. What am I supposed to do, go on killing every wolf until I get to the head werewolf? And what good would that do if it didn’t cure Arnie? I can’t just give up, he thought, I have to keep trying. What would I tell Arnie? If I tell him about that other wolf, he’d surely want to give up. Maybe I should just keep that little incident to myself, at least, until he finds out more of what happened.

  Jay looked at his food and tried to eat, but he couldn’t eat more than a couple of bites as he had lost his appetite. Near-death experiences somehow do that to a person. Hopefully that girl was the only other werewolf besides Arnie and the one that bit his friend. He had to find Arnie as soon has he got a ride. He couldn’t risk going back to his truck. He had to come up with a story and report it stolen. He still had a while before he’d get back home. So he would have to think of something to explain the time between him finding it stolen and him reporting it.

  Luckily, Jay got a hold of his cousin, Ricky. It would take Ricky about an hour to arrive. Jay was kind of glad that it would be Rick to come get him. He’s not the type to ask questions; besides, the guy’s got his own problems, Jay thought, looking at his reflection from the bullet that he was spinning in his hand.

  At that moment a song from the jukebox caught his ear: “Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood, you sure are looking good and you’re everything that a big bad wolf could want.” It sounded through the diner. Jay began to laugh, rolling the silver bullet in his hand, thinking how ironic it was for that particular song to be played.

  “What now?” Inspector Rodriguez said, yawning as he walked through the wooded area.

  “Well, Rodriguez, Mr. Rayfine over there,” Roberta said, pointing at a bearded drifter who was being questioned by a black-skinned officer. “He was walking through here and found this girl,” she said, lifting the drape over the body to reveal the girl’s face.

  “Got an ID?” Rodriguez asked.

  “Not yet, but we’re running a DNA check on her,” Roberta replied.

  “She doesn’t look like the rest of them,” Rodriguez noticed.

  “Yeah, as you can tell she was shot,” Roberta replied, referring to the gunshot in the girl’s head.

  “Such a pretty girl. Why would anyone want to kill her?” Rodriguez asked, pulling out his silver lighter out of his brown cotton coat. “I hate this town. Did I tell you that?”

  “Everyday since I started,” Roberta said, covering the girl’s face back up.

  “Well, don’t forget it. Do me a favor. If you find anyone else, you handle it. I’m going to take your advice and go home and get some sleep. I’ll call you when I wake up,” Rodriguez said wearily.

  “Sure thing. Are you sure you don’t want me to call you?”

  “I’m sure. There’s only so much I can take, and I need some sleep before I can take more,” Rodriguez said, waving his hand at her.

  CHAPTER 30

  Arnie’s Journal March 25, 1993

  It’s been a while since I’ve written anything. A lot has happened. More people have died. This time I was involved. A policeman and a couple of paramedics. It’s hard to sleep. Hard to do anything really. That day those people died I woke up drenched in blood. There was meat between my teeth, human meat and flesh between my fingernails. I wanted nothing more than to be dead. The scary thing about all this is the longer this goes on, the less feeling I have for the people that die. It’s like I’m becoming numb to it all. I hate what I’ve become. Feel like my whole life’s gone to hell. Haven’t talked to Sarah in weeks. I really want to but just can’t.

  It’s a miracle Jay and I aren’t in jail considering how many cops were up there in the woods looking for the killer. After I had cleaned myself up in one of the streams, I bumped into a couple of hunters. I told them that some kids from school drove me out there and took my clothes as a prank. Thankfully, they gave me some clothes and drove me to a nearby diner. Of all the luck, Jay happened to be there waiting for his cousin, Rick, to pick him up. He ditched his truck and reported it stolen, knowing the cops would be looking for it. We have to be the luckiest guys in the world because yesterday they returned it to him. I don’t know how we got around the cops without anyone asking us our names but we did. Still haven’t had any luck finding out who the other wolf is except for me and Jay’s short encounter with the bastard.

  Jay looks beat. He must have had a hell of a night yesterday. I can only imagine. I swear he thinks of everything. I would have gotten thrown in jail already if not for his ideas. He’s a good friend. I hope he’s right about this killing the head werewolf thing because we were wrong about werewolves only changing during the full moon. After all, the one that did this to me attacked me during the day.

  I really hope that Jay’s right, because I’m not ready to die. But I know if it comes to it, if that’s the best way to stop people from getting hurt, then it is the only way. Jay just isn’t used to losing and lately, we’ve both lost a lot. Danny is gone and well, if anything happened to me, I can only imagine how he would feel because I know how I would feel if I somehow lost him too in all this.

  Sarah called this morning. She wanted to know how I was doing. I told her I was doing fine but she’s known me long enough to be able to tell if I’m lying. Weird thing is, in the middle of all this, I feel great almost as if I was reborn. Every inch of my body feels alive. I hate myself for feeling that way. I just can’t help it. It’s like when you haven’t eaten anything in a long time and finally eat. I feel so energized. I understand why I feel that way and I don’t want to. The more I think of it, the more I want to get Jay to shoot me.

  All that time I’ve been chained up, I was starving myself. Keeping myself from doing what I need to survive. I’m horrified with myself because part of me is telling me not to let Jay take me out in that meadow and chain me, but I know that it is the only way to stop me from hurting anyone. I hate feeling as good as I do because I know the only way to feel this way again is to feed and to do that would be to let loose the beast I keep inside, but at what point does the beast decide to come out regardless of what I try? At what point does the beast finally win?

  CHAPTER 31

  “You have an I.D. on that girl yet?” Rodriguez asked as Roberta walked up to his desk.

  “No, but I got this,” she said, throwing a piece of plastic that read “Evidence” on his desk with a bullet inside.

  “Silver?” Rodriguez asked.

  “I said the same thing,” Roberta said with a laugh.

  “Who shot her, the Lone Ranger?” Rodriguez said, looking at the smashed bloody bullet.

  “Why would anyone want to use a silver bullet?” Roberta asked

  “Maybe to kill a werewolf?” Rodriguez said jokingly.

  “What if that’s what they want us to believe?”

  “It would explain the animal attacks,” Rodriguez replied.

  “Make it look like something more than plain murders to throw us off,” Roberta said, leaning on Rodriguez’s desk. “Did you find out about that Alvarez kid?”

  “No, but he and his friend, Jay, have become prime suspects to this case,” Rodriguez said.

  “His truck happened to be reported stolen the same night the paramedics and the girl were found. The kid’s story checked out. They were both at home playing Genesis.”

  “They know more than what they are letting on,” Rodriguez said, putting his feet up on his desk. “Although, that Alvarez kid has gone through a lot, seen more than he should, you got to wonder what something like this can do to a kid like him.”

  “He seems like a nice enough kid,” she said, looking at Arnie’s picture.

  “Most killers usually do. That’s what makes them so efficient,” Rodriguez said, spitting a sunflower seed out of his mouth, grabbing a couple more from his glass jar and chewing them in his mouth.

  “You know the canine samples that we found? They weren’t from a dog.”

  “What the hell were they from then?” Ro
driguez asked.

  “A wolf. There were also traces of human DNA in the samples.”

  “It must have gotten mixed up in the murder,” Rodriguez said, rolling his thumbs against each other.

  “That’s what I thought also,” Roberta replied.

  “What’s wrong, Roberta?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been researching these murders, and all of them seem to take place during the full moon except for a couple of them,” she said, not wanting to look into Rodriguez’s eyes.

  “Don’t tell me you’re buying into this crap.”

  “I guess it’s just a little spooky. I know it’s not true, but when you look at the evidence and hear the tapes of the paramedics, it’s hard not to be creeped out.”

  “I bet you saw a lot of horror movies when you were young,” Inspector Rodriguez said with a laugh.

  “Only the good ones.”

  “You can relax. This isn’t a movie. I’ll protect you from the big bad wolf.”

  “Does that mean I can be Little Red Riding Hood?” she said, flirting.

  “Whatever you want,” Rodriguez said, winking.

  “I heard you were a charmer, but I didn’t believe it. You always act like such a hard ass,” Roberta said, smiling.

  “I must be losing my touch,” Rodriguez replied.

  CHAPTER 32

  Arnie’s Journal March 27, 1993

  Spent the day with Sarah today. She seemed distant. I guess all these secrets I’m keeping are really starting to get to her. I can’t blame her; she’s been with me so long that she knows when I’m hiding something from her. Somehow lately I get the feeling that there’s something she’s not telling me. She did tell me though that her father doesn’t want me seeing her. He’s scared that he’s going to lose her. Her father’s never liked me and all this shit that’s happening hasn’t made it any better.

  I had a dream of Danny last night. He was alive in my dream and we were all back at the beach again, except in the dream he was different. There was a sadness in his eyes when he looked at me in a way that I can’t explain. Maybe I should just tell Sarah; maybe she’d understand, but what if she didn’t? I am not going to risk losing her, which wouldn’t be so bad because at least I would know that she was safe. Jay’s gone off playing detective, trying to find out what he can, but each time I change I feel as if I know all I’ll ever need to know. That’s all for now.

  CHAPTER 33

  Jay used a medium-size rock as a hammer to smash the window of the house. He then stuck his hand through the gap in the window, fumbling to unlock it, cutting his hands along the leftover glass as he finally found the tiny lever to open it. Jay crept inside with a tiny flashlight in his mouth. He couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine when he looked around her house, which had pentagrams made from what looked to be old rusty steel. It had been almost a month since Elena died, and the house still reeked of incense. There’s got to be something here, Jay thought, flashing his light toward the room were Arnie said she had been killed. There has to be something, he thought, walking into what appeared to be Elena’s bedroom. Jay opened almost every cabinet in the room, looking hopelessly through endless relics and beads and clothes that looked like curtains.

  He found a bunch of old letters that were from her brother. He could barely make out the writing, but it appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary. Jay walked to the living room, frustrated because he had gone through all the trouble to get into the house only to find nothing.

  Jay then went back up to the window that he had gotten in from and jumped out. As he did he lost his grip and fell on his face. He noticed a pair of snakeskin boots standing before him. He looked up to see who it was. An old-looking Indian stood before him.

  “You couldn’t use the door?” the Indian asked, helping Jay up.

  “Who are you?” Jay asked.

  “The name’s Gulaunt.”

  “I’ve been watching you and your friend,” the Indian said, walking toward his van, which he had parked in front of the house.

  “Watching us, why?” Jay asked as the Indian leaned against his white van.

  “Because I know what you’re going through. Your heart is in the right place, but those good intentions will not help you,” Gulaunt said as he put his hands inside his black leather coat.

  “Kill him, it is the only way,” the Indian said coldly.

  “How could you know unless…” Jay said, trying to think.

  “No, I’m not a werewolf, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Gulaunt replied.

  “I’ve been around for a while. Seen things I wish I never had. Believe me, I know what I’m telling you,” Gulaunt said, looking up at the stars. “Eventually your friend will be gone and all that will remain is the beast. Your friend died the night he was bitten. With each cycle of the moon, your friend loses more and more of what he used to be. If you do not act now, eventually he will kill you and those close to you. No matter how much you and he try, believe me when I tell you that there’s no stopping it. Load that gun you carry with you with those silver bullets of yours and do what has to be done,” Gulaunt said seriously.

  “There’s still a chance if… ” Jay said, but Gulaunt interrupted him.

  “If you kill the one that bit your friend,” Gulaunt replied. “I know about that girl you killed in those woods. She was a wolf, wasn’t she?”

  “How could you know?” Jay asked.

  “I live up in those hills. I know what’s out there, but I also read the papers,” Gulaunt replied. “I’ve been watching you and your friend ever since I read about that boy that died at the courts. I put it together and started trailing ya’ll. I know about the meadow and where you take your friend, and it’s admirable, but it will get you two, nowhere. I know how hard this must be. I’ve watched ya’ll. You two are good friends.”

  Jay stood there listening intently.

  “Look, here’s my address. Bring your friend when the moon isn’t full,” the Indian said, writing on a piece of paper and handing it to Jay. “If I can’t talk sense into you, maybe I can talk some into your friend,” Gulaunt said, stepping into his van.

  CHAPTER 34

  “What‘s wrong, Arnie? What’s happening to you?” Sarah asked, concerned.

  “I don’t know, Sarah. I’m going through a lot right now. Can’t sleep anymore. Always having nightmares,” Arnie replied.

  “That’s not all, Arnie. I know there’s something you’re not telling me,” Sarah said as they walked up to the movie theater.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Sarah.” The teller asked what movie the two

  wanted to see.

  “You still showing The Wolf Pack?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. Next showing’s at ten,” the teller answered.

  “Why don’t we see something else? Arnie said, frustrated by the irony of the situation.

  “C’mon, Arnie, don’t be such a poop. I’ve already seen all the other movies.” Sarah tightened her grip on his arm to persuade him.

  “Okay, give me two for The Wolf Pack,” Arnie said, giving the man his money.

  “What’s wrong? I thought you liked werewolf movies,” Sarah said.

  “If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all,” Arnie said with a sigh.

  “That’s a first.” Sarah replied. “Tell me what’s wrong? Is there somebody else?”

  “No, of course not. It just seems that there’s been a lot of death around me. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I mean after Elena and all . . . ,” Arnie said, pausing. “Listen, did she tell you anything?” Arnie asked. “I mean, she was your friend.”

  “No, why would she have?” Sarah asked, not wanting to tell Arnie the truth. “What were you doing there anyway?”

  “I was looking for you.” Arnie did not want to tell her any more than he felt she needed to know.

  “Look, Arnie, not having me around isn’t going to help. Whatever’s going on I’m sure the police will handle it.” />
  “I don’t know if they can,” Arnie mumbled.

  “What did you say?” Sarah asked.

  “Nothing. Want some popcorn?”