Flies circled Arnie’s lifeless body hanging on the tree. Jay got in his truck, driving it underneath Arnie’s body. He then got out, jumping onto the bed of his truck and covered his mouth in disgust as he approached his friend’s body. Jay grabbed on to Arnie’s shoulders, closing his eyes as he began to pull on his friends wounded body, pulling him off the nails that bound him. Arnie’s body collapsed on top of Jay onto the bed of Jay’s truck. Jay then grabbed a blanket from inside his truck to cover Arnie’s body. Arnie’s eyes opened, his eyes meeting Jay’s. Jay leaned against his truck, looking down on Arnie.
“What happened?” Arnie asked.
“I’d say you lost,” Jay replied.
“What?” Arnie asked, confused. “What happened to me?” Arnie asked, looking at his hands, seeing the holes dug in them that were beginning to heal.
“I don’t know, but by the looks of it, you were crucified.”
“I thought you were dead,” Arnie said, lifting himself up out of the truck.
“So did I,” Jay replied. “There’s some clothes in the front and wet towels so you can clean up. I can’t leave with you looking the way you are. There’s too many roadblocks on the way back to town. Here, take my bandanna,” Jay continued, taking off the blue rag he had on his head. “Got to hide the holes in your head until they heal.”
“What now?” Arnie asked.
“I don’t know,” Jay replied. “I just don’t know.”
The next day Arnie stood before his parents’ coffins as the priest read from his Bible. Sarah held Arnie’s hand tightly as Jay and his father stood behind him. Arnie’s eyes watered in sadness, looking on to his parents’ brown wooden coffins being lowered into the black hole made in the ground. Arnie tried to hide his anger as he watched the workers pile dirt on top of his parents’ coffins. His anger deepened with each thud of dirt against the wood of the coffin. Arnie stood there as each stranger said their respects, shaking his hand until; finally, there were only Jay and Sarah. Jay’s father waited patiently in the car as his son and friend said their respects. Jay looked at his friend, wishing that they could have done more to prevent what had happened but also knowing that it could very well be him. Arnie’s parents were like a second family to Jay. Arnie’s mom cooked for him and took him to the movies just, like his father had done with Arnie.
The funeral was a closed casket. Arnie couldn’t even look at his parents to say his last goodbyes. He had to look at a box of wood knowing that his parents were inside, knowing who had done it. Jay knew there was nothing good to say, nothing that would make Arnie feel better; so he just stood by Arnie’s side as Sarah hugged his friend.
“Sarah, can you wait in the car? I need to talk to Jay,” Arnie asked.
“Sure. If you need me, I’ll be in the car,” Sarah replied with hesitation, a little jealous that Arnie chose to speak to Jay and not to her.
“I want you to get out of here. Get away from this town. I want you to take Sarah and your father with you,” Arnie said as he kept his sights on his parents’ grave.
“What am I supposed to tell Sarah?” Jay asked.
“I’ll tell her and you tell your father that you think ya’ll are in danger,” Arnie said, turning to look at Jay. “Do this for me, Jay. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Sarah.”
“What are you going to do?” Jay asked.
“I’ll find him,” Arnie replied.
“You’re going to need my help during the full moon to get to the meadow,” Jay said, concerned.
“There’s not going to be any chains,” Arnie said, looking at Jay.
“You know what you’re saying?” Jay replied in disbelief.
“I know, and I don’t care.”
“How can you say that?”
“All that matters is that you and Sarah are safe.” Arnie placed his hands on Jay’s shoulders for assurance.
“You know that if you do this, you can’t control it. You will kill people,” Jay said,
pushing Arnie’s hands away.
“I know, Jay, but I can’t think of any other way to find this guy.”
“Just give it time, we’ll find him,” Jay begged Arnie.
“I can’t risk losing anymore people that I love. I’ve lost Danny and Sarah’s lost Elena. Now my parents. I can’t do this to ya’ll anymore. It’s my problem and the truth is, Jay, lately, I’ve been getting these feelings,” Arnie said hesitantly.
“What kind of feelings? Jay asked, concerned.
“That night that we didn’t make it to the meadow, I killed people. I had their flesh between my fingernails and I could taste their blood,” Arnie said, shaking his head. “You couldn’t help that we didn’t get to the meadow on time. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Don’t blame yourself for things that you cannot help,” Jay replied.
“If I had just ended it when all this began, none of this would have happened,” Arnie said angrily.
“You can’t know that, Arnie.”
“You don’t understand. I can’t be trusted.”
“I know you and I trust you more than anyone.”
“I tell you that I can’t be trusted because that night that I killed those people, I liked what I felt, and every time I try to tell myself that I didn’t, I think about it and how bad I want it again. I don’t know how to explain how I felt but it was intoxicating.” Jay looked at Arnie with a newfound horror. “Go, Jay, for your own good,” Arnie replied.
“Give me one week, and if we don’t find anything, then I’ll go and I’ll take Sarah.”
“Okay.” A tear slid down Arnie’s face.
CHAPTER 41
Jay’s father knocked on Jay’s door walking into his son’s room. “Hey, son, you doing okay?”
“Yeah, Dad, just a lot’s happened over the last few months,” Jay said, lowering his radio, which was playing an old Guns ‘n’ Roses song.
“Where’s Arnie?” his father asked.
“He went to Sarah’s.”
“You think he should be going out with everything going on? I mean, the cops have been asking a lot of questions about the both of you; and if there is somebody out there killing people, maybe it’s better you stay indoors or at least be around a group of people when you two go out. I’ve been thinking of maybe taking that job in San Antonio. You know, maybe I can take Arnie with us, get you two out of this crazy town.” Jay’s dad ran his hand through his beard.
“Sounds good, Dad, but maybe you should let us finish out the school year.” Jay then jumped into his bed, lying down.
“You know, son, if you ever need to talk, no matter what it is, I’ll understand.”
“I know, Dad.”
“You still think about your friend Danny, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I was so used to him knocking on my window every morning to wake me up for school.”
“Or trying to sneak you out at night,” Jay’s father said with a laugh. “I’d call Danny’s parents, and then we’d call Arnie’s parents, and there all of us were looking for you three boys at all hours of the night.”
“Danny didn’t like to be home; his parents were always fighting. Even when Arnie and I would go over, they would be arguing,” Jay replied. “A lot of times we snuck out just to cruise around and give Danny company.” Jay adjusted the pillow that he was lying on.
“I got to admit, I miss that kid. No matter how much trouble he got you into, he always knew how to talk ya’ll out of it. He was a good kid and a good friend to you. I’m sure he’s in a better place. How’s Arnie dealing with what happened to his parents?”
“He’s not doing too good, Dad. I mean he’s gone through a lot. He’s become real
distant,” Jay said with a sigh.
“I can’t blame the poor kid. I still can’t believe his parents are gone too. We used to plan birthday parties together. I got along with his father really well whenever he was in town. It feels bad that you all have to go through this. I wish there was something I could do to mak
e things better. Don’t worry, son. Arnie will come around.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re feeling, but if it’s any consolation, I remember when your mom left us, and I saw her with that other man. It felt like the woman I loved had died even though she was still alive. It took years before I got over your mother. I would think of her all the time. It got to a point where it affected everything I did. Until one day I saw your mother again at a restaurant with that other man. She had gone on. She looked happy, and I was miserable. That’s when I decided to go on myself because no matter how we lose the people we love, life goes on. Life doesn’t wait for us to catch up. You get what I mean?” Jay’s father asked.
“I do, Dad.”
Jay’s father messed up his son’s hair with his hands. “So now that we got this out of the way, why don’t we try to clean up this room?” his dad said, walking out.
Jay hadn’t had a heart-to-heart with his dad in a while. The last one they had was when his mom left them. Dad’s a good man. It’s too bad he hasn’t found a good woman. It’s been almost seven years now, he thought, hoping one day his father would find someone to make him happy. If only I could find a way to make everything right with Arnie. Jay stared at the ceiling.
CHAPTER 42
“I gotta get going,” Sarah said. “Have an appointment. Take care, Jay, and take care of Arnie. “Goodbye, Mr. Krinard.”
“Don’t forget the eclipse. It’s in about five minutes,” the teacher said cheerfully.
“I won’t,” Sarah said, leaving.
Jay sat there for a moment knowing that it had come – time to head back to the woods with Arnie. There’d be a full moon tonight, he thought. His teacher’s word, eclipse, echoed through his mind. Jay’s eyes widened as he rushed out of class, realizing what was about to happen. How could we have overlooked this? he thought as his teacher rushed after him.
Arnie’s eyes scanned through the books as he walked the aisle of the library. He came across a book that read The Beast Within. An unbearable feeling of heat rushed through his body. He struggled to the corner of the library, realizing what was about to happen. His bone began to creak and pop as he stumbled to a nearby rest room. Arnie looked into the mirror in horror as his face began to painfully stretch. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t fight what was happening. How could I let this happen? His muscles began to tighten. It’ll be a massacre, Arnie thought with his last bit of consciousness.
Jay ran through the hallway as a security guard tackled him. “Where do you think you’re going, kid?” the black security guard asked him.
“Look, I got to get out of here. I’m not feeling well,” Jay replied.
“That’s what the nurse is for,” the security guard replied.
“You don’t understand. I forgot my medicine at home. I need it.”
“All right, kid, get going. But if you’re not back in an hour, I’ll go looking for you.
“Thanks,” Jay said, running toward the library.
CHAPTER 43
Screams filled the air as students ran out of the library. Jay pushed and shoved his way through the crowd. Jay looked up, covering his eyes as the eclipse finally came to an end.
“He killed them all,” a girl cried fanatically.
Jay rushed into the library, covering his mouth in disgust as students and teachers alike lay slaughtered like animals. There were bodies everywhere. Blood seeped from one girl’s cracked skull onto her algebra homework. Another kid’s head had been ripped open, revealing his cranium. Teachers he knew lay on the floor, blood seeping out of their chests. Jay had to pause momentarily and stop himself from throwing up as he stepped through the puddles of blood creating red footsteps. The fire alarm sounded loudly as he looked through the aisles searching for Arnie. He could hear the doors to the library slamming open. Police rushed in as horrified survivors screamed outside.
Jay finally came upon an aisle where his friend lay naked on top of another boy. His body was stained with blood as his fingers perforated the boy’s eyes. Meat from the boy’s body hung from Arnie’s mouth.
The policemen shoved Jay out of the way as they kicked Arnie off the dead boy’s body. “Sick son of a bitch,” one officer said as another hit Arnie in the head with a nightstick, not caring that he was unconscious.
“Leave him alone. He’s sick,” Jay yelled as two officers escorted him out. Jay struggled to stay behind with his friend, but he knew there was nothing he could do to hide what had just happened. Jay stood outside as passing students tried to get a look at what had happened. Jay looked around as a girl cried, struggling to clean the blood off her face. Jay made sure that no one had been bitten as he made his way through the crowd. He had to make sure that everyone that had survived hadn’t gotten infected or the town would have a far bigger problem. Thankfully, everyone that survived seemed to have gotten away with just a few bumps and bruises.
A large crowd had amassed outside the library doors as they waited to see the one responsible for the massacre. The doors swung open as they shoved Arnie through the crowd. Students threw books and trash at him, and the officers tried desperately to control the situation. The teens cursed Arnie as they made their way through the crowd. Jay spotted Arnie through the crowd and could tell that the officers had beaten him up even more. Arnie’s left eye was shut, swollen. Arnie looked at Jay as the officers pushed him through the doors to the front of the school and shook his head in disbelief as he looked on at television cameras and reporters waiting outside. The officers covered
his face with a jacket as they led him to a patrol car. They put Arnie in, and the car drove away.
This is bad, Jay thought as a student shoved him to the floor. Four more students surrounded Jay.
“That friend of yours killed my sister,” one student shouted at him.
“He’s sick,” Jay replied, trying to get up as another student kicked him in the stomach.
“Sick in the head is what he is,” a student yelled. The four boys began punching Jay as he covered his face with his arms. He could feel boots and fists pounding against his body until finally security separated the boys from him.
Jay spit out a bloody tooth to the floor, looking at the boys that had jumped on him in anger. “None of you know what he’s going through. He’s sick. He can’t help what’s happening to him!”
“He’s a murderer!” a voice yelled a security guard escorted Jay to the office.
CHAPTER 44
“Have you been able to get a hold of Inspector Rodriguez?” Detective Roberta asked.
“Yeah. He said he’ll be in tonight to question the alleged. It doesn’t make sense; that boy couldn’t have killed all those people himself. What’s the body count so far?” the older-looking officer who was balding asked.
“Fifteen students, including four teachers,” Roberta replied. “Witnesses said there was an animal in the library. Nobody really got a good look, and those that did are dead.”
“So then what’s the story on the kid?”
“He’s involved – there’s no question. The only question is, where’s the animal that’s been helping him do all the killings? There’s no way he could have done all that with his bare hands,” Roberta said, leaning against the soda machine in the hallway of the precinct.
Jay sped down the highway, adjusting his rearview mirror. Shit has hit the fan. It’ll take a miracle to get Arnie out of jail. Maybe if they keep him locked up and he changes, then someone could help. Not likely though, Jay thought, knowing full well what would happen if he did. They would turn Arnie into some kind of lab rat. Even if Jay did find the other wolf, Arnie was fucked. He’d spend the rest of his life in jail or executed, which wasn’t so bad if that happened. He could go dig Arnie up and get the fuck out of the city. A fucking eclipse! Who would have thought? Jay’s phone rang.
“Hello,” the voice on the other end said. It was Arnie.
“Hey, how you hanging in there?”
“I’m hanging,” Arnie answe
red back. “Look, man, you got to get me out before tonight.”
“I know, but there’s not much I can do. I went through some of Elena’s stuff, and she has a brother. Maybe he knows something. I’m heading over to his house.”
“Jay, have you talked to Sarah?” Arnie asked.
No. Not since today. Just before the eclipse she took off, Jay thought with a slight
pause.
“I know what you’re thinking, Jay. It can’t be,” Arnie said, refusing to hear what Jay was about to say.
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