get her and bring her to the club. She’s over at the Richard’s house. Here’s a little extra courage,” Donovan said, handing Jason a small handgun. “I’d do it myself, but I have a bus to catch. A mayor’s duties are never finished,” he said, looking down at his watch. “And, don’t fuck this up, Jason. Don’t forget that I have some papers that could very easily fuck your life inside out. You’re awfully young to spend the rest of your life in prison… or dead,” Donovan threatened. “I want her there by the time I get back from the game tonight.”
Jason turned to say something, but when he did, Donovan was already gone. Only a thin cloud of mist was left where he once stood.
After he’d tried calling Wendy’s cellphone, JD waiting for his deputies to arrive at the Wolf Creek Police Station, pacing back and forth. He wasn’t completely sure what was going on, but he was afraid that the one they called ‘Stew’ was already dead. Their friend, being an outsider, would attract unwanted and unneeded, attention to JD’s secretive town; he knew he couldn’t let that happen. JD knew he had to enforce the Blood Law and protect the deep secrets of Wolf Creek… at any and all costs.
Without asking, Sam had gone outside to the van to get his MP3 player. He only made it two steps across the threshold, before a winged creature swooped down from above and snatched him up into the sky. He screamed, as he was being whisked away… and then he was gone, without a trace in the snow-filled night sky.
Reggy was following behind, seeing what Sam was up to and the last thing he saw was Sam’s terrified expression and his outstretched arms, reaching for help, as he was ripped away into the darkness.
“What the hell!” Reggy yelled out, slamming the door. “Did you see that, JD? Sam is fucking gone! Don’t tell that was an eagle, or some other bullshit!”
“You said, we’d be safe in here!” Mary screeched. “I told you kids not to go outside for any reason!” JD shouted at everyone. “Damn it!”
“It’s time you tell us what the fuck is going on around here!” Tom demanded of the sheriff.
“Yeah, this is fucking bullshit!” Reggy said stepping away from a window that he’d suddenly became very aware of. “You know more than what you’re telling us! Stop playing dumb, for the love of Christ!”
Except for Joy and Mary’s sobs, the station was silent, everyone waiting for an answer from JD… all eyes locked on him.
“Keep that door shut and do not open it again,” JD growled, in his hardest, human voice. “There’s nothing we can do for your friend now. Trust me… if I could help him, I would. But, I can’t.”
“Tell us what’s going on,” Matt said, his anger rising as he spoke. “Our friend, Stew, disappeared in those woods. I suppose he’s dead, too? And then, we ran over some kind of fucking monster on the way here and it got back up and flew away. It got up and FLEW THE FUCK AWAY! What the FUCK!” he shouted, understanding how ridiculous the words coming out his own mouth sounded. “Just what kind of twisted place is this?”
“What the hell grabbed Sam?” Mary asked, trembling as she spoke. “He’s… he’s dead?”
Tom reached out and wrapped Mary in his arms and she buried her head, deep in his chest.
Suddenly, there were three loud knocks at the front door. Everyone jumped in surprise, looking to where the knocking had come from. Then they looked to JD, who was shaking his head ‘no.’
“I’ll get it,” he said, pulling out his 44 Magnum and heading towards the source of the sounds.
Nanook was growling at the door, with all of the hairs on his back standing on end.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, I got away! Let me in, I’m freezing my ass off!” a voice called back.
“Thank God!” Mary rejoiced. “Let him in, hurry up!”
“Sam!” Lia called out.
“It’s bullshit!” JD shouted to them. “We are not opening that fucking door!”
“Why the hell not?” Tom yelled, not believing what his ears were hearing.
“Open the goddamn door!” Reggy exclaimed. “What’s wrong with you?”
“That’s not Sam out there!” JD shouted back. “I don’t care what you think! Don’t even listen to what he tells you, it’s not him!”
Reggy and Matt caught JD off guard and shoved him out of the way and Tom quickly swung open the door to see Sam standing there in front of him. His shirt was covered in blood, but oddly, he was smiling.
Tom stepped out onto the front steps, grabbing Sam, giving his friend a big hug. “I thought you were dead, buddy!” he shouted. “How in the hell did you get away?”
“I didn’t get away… I’m dead,” Sam whispered back, his voice turning sinister. “And, now… so are you.”
Fangs suddenly jabbed out of Sam’s gum line, ripping into Tom’s neck; the blood sprayed everywhere, as the girls screamed out in horror.
“Oh, my God!” Mary screamed to JD. “Do something!”
Taking the butt-end of his gun, JD smashed it into Sam’s face and the freshly-turned Vampire immediately released his grip on Tom’s gushing neck, both of them falling to the pavement just outside the front door. Reggy stepped out and fired two shots into Sam’s chest, but Sam only smiled back. He was about to pop off another round, when another Vampire swept down from the sky, sinking his claws into Reggy’s back and carrying him off into the cold, wintery night.
JD slammed the door and quickly locked it, motioning for everyone to move away. “I told you not to open the fucking door!” he yelled. “You kids better listen to me, if any of you want to make it through the night! Got it? I can’t help you, if you don’t listen!”
“What the hell is happening?” Matt demanded. “Tell us everything! The TRUTH!”
“Your friends are dead,” JD bluntly stated. “Got it, genius? If Reggy, Sam, or Tom knocks on that front door, it’s not them anymore. They’re part of the undead now.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Lia asked, through a river of tears.
JD, Nate and Sarah exchanged looks, figuring it was time to come clean.
“We’re under attack by Vampires,” JD finally revealed. “We think they’re after Mary.”
“Mary?” Matt spat out. “What’s so special about Mary?”
“Mary’s a virgin,” JD informed him. “I don’t know why that matters, but they seem to be drawn to her. They’ve just broken a one hundred and sixty year truce… the Blood Law,” he further explained. “The good news is they cannot enter this station, unless they are invited in. So, do not, under any circumstances, let those people out there convince you that they’re alright.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, still in a state of shock from seeing their friends being attacked like they were; it was a lot to take in all at once.
“But, Vampires?” Lia asked. “They’re not real… right? I thought Vampires were supposed to be more romantic. You know, all charming and seductive?”
“What do you think that thing was out there?” JD snapped. “The fucking flying nun? Don’t let those stupid Twilight movies confuse you, most Vampires don’t look like male models,” he told her. “And, crosses are pretty much against them… try one and you’ll find yourself bent over faster than you can scream, while they’re cramming it where the sun don’t shine.”
Lia had become silent, only staring forward and blinking with huge eyes.
“Sorry, Lia,” JD said, noting his own harshness, before carrying on explaining a few rules. “Listen to me, you have to remove their heads or tear their hearts out I don’t even try messing with the wooden stakes, although that does work,” he said to a quiet crowd. “And, do not… I repeat! Do NOT… step outside of that front door, until that sun rises.”
“How do they know I’m a virgin?” Mary wondered aloud.
“Because, they can smell you,” JD said, flat out.
Mary returned the answer in the form of a disgusted look on her face.
There was another knock at the door and everyone in the room jumped.
&nb
sp; JD held up his hand and waved everyone back. “Who is it?” he yelled, approaching the door.
“Let me in!” Reggy’s voice drifted in. “It’s cold out here! I’m freezing my ass off!”
“I’m bleeding badly, I need help!” Tom’s voice chimed in. “Sam’s gone!”
“Go the fuck away!” Matt yelled back through the door. “We know what you are, you fucking bastards! You’re not getting in here, so fuck you!”
“Matt, come on, dude!” Reggy whined. “We’ve been friends for a long time, man! You want us to die out here… by ourselves? Please, let us in!”
JD looked at the kids, shaking his head, as the Vampires continued banging and scratching from the outside; it sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
“Everyone, step away from the door,” JD said soothingly, realizing how upsetting this must be. “Plug your ears, if you have to, but don’t listen to a single word they say. Sorry, I know it’s hard, but those are no longer your friends out there,” he regrettably had to say. “There’s nothing you can do for them.”
There was an eerie laughter heard, coming from outside the police station’s front door and the sounds of scratching nails echoed throughout the entire building; it was driving the kids crazy... the whole idea was all too new to them.
Everyone in the station looked to Nate and JD, after hearing the sound of engines approaching the station. Two car doors slammed, followed by the sounds of howling and deep, rumbling growls. A few screams pierced the air, before everything fell silent outside of the building. After a long minute had passed, there was another rapping at the entryway.
“Who is it?” JD called out.
“It’s me, Tony and the other guys! We have the situation under control out here! Open up, it’s fucking cold as hell!”
“Go the fuck away!” Matt yelled out in fear, leaning his body up against the door.
“Wait,” JD said to him, “I got this handled. Step away from the door.”
“But, you said not to open the door!” the young voices shouted in harmony.
“That’s my backup. Now, step aside, boy,” JD said, opening the door to a grisly scene of body parts that were scattered across the station’s front sidewalks.
“Two of the fresh ones got away,” Tony informed JD and Nate. “As for the other one… well,” he said, gesturing to the bloody limbs that were laying in the snow.
JD and Nate stepped back to let Brad, Tony, Wayne and Wilson come in, all of them stomping the snow off of their boots. Nanook wagged his tail at the sight of his familiar friends, making his rounds and licking everyone’s hands… until he came to Tony. He could smell the Vampire blood on Tony’s hands and he started barking and growling, taking a few steps back.
“It’s okay, Nanook,” Tony said, trying to calm him. “They’re all gone now. Chill out, boy.”
“Why are there Vampires attacking the police station, JD?” Brad asked.
“There’s a virgin here,” Wayne said. “Can’t you smell her?”
Mary looked mortified, putting a hand up to her mouth.
Matt was beginning to lose it; deciding to offer a few words. “I’ve got a solution to this problem,” he said. “Mary, drop your jeans and bend over the desk. Or, if you prefer, we can go into one of those cells back there.”
“God, Matt!” Mary said, bawling now. “Fuck off!”
“Fine, then. I vote we throw you outside. You’re the one they want.”
“Shut up, kid!” JD interjected, “no one’s going to do anything. We’ve got this situation under control. Just step back and let us take care of the problem,” he said, getting irritated. “Just pick a cell and go get some rest.”
“You’re not locking me up, like a cow waiting to be slaughtered!” Matt voice rang out. “No fucking way!”
“Listen to me, what’s your name? Matt?” JD sternly asked.
“Yeah,” he answered, using a little less emphasis.
“Matt, listen up,” JD said. “This is a Vampire-free zone. They can’t get in, unless one of us lets them. Which means, we’re protected. Are you listening?”
Matt looked away and nodded in silence.
“Stay inside and you won’t have any problems. I’ll leave the cells open, if it makes you feel any better.”
Off in the corner, Brad was whispering to Wayne and Tony.
“We can’t let these kids leave town, they know too much. We can’t have them out running their mouths to outsiders, which will most certainly happen after all of this. Think about it, some of their friends were turned into Vampires, for Christ sakes.”
“Sarah,” JD called. “Settle our guests in, please. Gentlemen, my office.”
Sarah went to the cupboard to grab a stack of blankets and headed back to the cells, with the kids trailing behind her. “We have a lot of beds to choose from,” she pointed out. “We haven’t had any prisoners, in quite some time. As a matter of fact, you guys will be the first ones to stay the night in any of the cells,” she said, before catching herself. “Well, except for when JD has a bit too much to drink,” she whispered with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
JD and his deputies retreated into his office and closed the door, where he took a seat behind his huge desk, as the rest of the Pack waited to hear what he had to say.
“Have any of you seen Donovan?”
“No,” Brad answered. “He’s not at the club. We did a check, on our way here.”
“We have to figure out what the hell is going on. I can’t think of any reason why the Vampires would want a virgin so badly,” JD said, looking for some help from his team. “If anyone here can think of anything at all, please speak up.”
An extended member of the Pack showed up by special request spoke. “Well,” Wilson answered, “it’s usually the Satan worshipers who use the virgins, right? I’ve never heard of the bloodsuckers wanting them for anything special and Mary’s not the only virgin in town.”
“We’re missing something, here,” JD said, frowning. “There has to be a piece of the puzzle that will tie all of this together. Why would they be breaking the truce, after one hundred and sixty years of peace?” he asked, deep in thought. “It just doesn’t make any sense. Why is one girl worth upsetting our entire balance of order?”
______________________________________________________
Chapter Twenty-One
It was snowy, dark and quiet outside of the Richard’s home, located off by itself in a somewhat wooded area. After many hours of consoling her friend, Wendy slipped into the front seat of her car. She shut the door and began sobbing uncontrollably. After a couple minutes, she regained her emotions and was digging through her purse for some tissue, when a loud tapping on the driver’s side window startled her, nearly jumping out of her skin. She looked out to see Jason Cross standing in the snow, with his hands behind his back… and she could see a rope clutched tightly in his fist. He appeared distressed and extremely anxious, with beads of sweat running down his forehead, like maybe he’d been running, or something.
“Mrs. Davidson?” Wendy rolled her window down just a crack. “Jason? What are you doing here?”
“Can you come out here for a minute,” Jason asked, as he was catching his breath. “I’m having a problem… can you please help me out?”
There was a moment of silence between the two of the man. Jason looked intently into Wendy’s eyes. She could sense that something wasn’t right with him, thinking immediately of Jacob; his murderer could be anyone. And, what was Jason doing here, she thought? He lived all the way on the other side of town. Wendy didn’t like the way he was looking at her and decided that she wasn’t getting out of her car. “What is it?”
“Can you get out of the car, please?”
“No, I’m in an awful hurry, Jason. What is it?”
“It won’t take long,” he said, then changing his request. “Do you think, you could you give me a ride, please?”
“I’m sorry, Jason, no. I need to get home… I’m already
very late.”
“Is Sheriff Davidson around?” he asked, as he reached for the car door.
Wendy quickly hit the power locks and rolled up her window and Jason responded by banging on the window with both of his fists, the rope still swinging from his hands. His eyes had become frantic, as he tried breaking the glass, smashing his fists with everything he had. Wendy flipped the key and threw the car into reverse, flooring the gas and barking the tires on the pavement. Jason dropped the rope in the snow and kept banging on the windshield, running alongside of the car, as she was backing up. He pulled out a gun that Donovan had given him, even though he really had no idea how to use it.
“Mrs. Davidson! Wait… Mrs. Davidson!”
Wendy whipped the car into drive and floored it again, just barely missing Jason, as she flew past him and down the street. In the rearview mirror, she could still see him chasing after her, as she sped away, but he was soon out of sight.
Heading straight for the police station to find JD, Wendy pulled into the small parking lot, parked her car and ran straight to the front doors. With the cruel, winter winds blowing snow in her face, she realized that the station was locked and she started beating on it as hard as she could, yelling, “Open the door! Sarah! Open the damn door!”
JD and his men could hear the racket coming from the front of the station, so they ran out of the office to see what was up.
“Who’s out there?” Nate yelled, reaching the front of the station before anyone else.
“It’s Wendy! Let me in, hurry up!”
“How do we know it’s you?”
“When I put my foot in your ass, you’ll know it’s me!” Wendy yelled back. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Open the door!”
“Without question, that’s my wife,” JD said, waving for him to open up.
Nate quickly flipped the lock and Wendy rushed in; the deputies stood on alert, just in case. She ran directly to JD, wrapping her arms around him.
“Honey,” said JD, seeing that she was very upset. “What happened, are you okay?”
The Lycan Chronicles Page 16
