The Lycan Chronicles

by Schroeder, Brent

  They listened, as the sound came closer. Something was banging its way down the metal staircase and it was getting louder.

  ‘Cling!’ ‘Clang!’ ‘Cling!’ ‘Clang!’ ‘CLING!’ ‘CLANG!’

  They realized that whatever it was… it wasn’t good.

  “JD, you fucking bastard!” Mason growled, as his senses alerted him, that his end was near.

  “What are we gonna do?” Jason stammered, in a state of panic.

  “It’s over… I can already feel it,” Mason said, accepting his fate. “Just face it, boy! Have some dignity and take it! Don’t be such a puss!”

  “Fuck you!” Jason argued, throwing his bag aside and heading straight for the vat of Sunlife, jumping into boiling liquid.

  Mason just stood there, waiting with his hands extended up towards the sky, welcoming his final death. He’d already been around for thousands of years and for a split second more, he was able to embrace the thought of death taking over, not understanding that he was about to be dragged down into the most dreaded caverns of hell, deep in the bowels of the eternal lake of fire.

  ‘KABOOM!!!’

  The incinerate grenades went off, blowing up the lab and setting off a chain reaction of explosions, increasing the degree of heat and destruction. JD and Nate had already closed the secret entrance and they braced themselves for the quaking explosion that shook everything around them.

  “I think we got ‘em!” said Nate, laughing crazily. “I can feel the heat through the bricks!”

  “They may have been bulletproof, but nothing could’ve survived that! Not even Superman!” JD remarked.

  “Well, what about Flash Gordon?” Nate shouted over the rumbling, with a smile.

  “Enough, already!” JD yelled back, covering his face from the fumes escaping through the bricks. “But, a good one!”

  “Well, I want confirmation that they’re dead, before me and Ross leave town,” David threw in, as the dust around them began to settle. “We’re not leaving, until we know for sure.”

  “Nothing could’ve made it through that blast,” Nate said confidently. “Those grenades will melt anything, on contact. Nothing below could’ve survived, trust me… its scorched earth and nothing more.”

  “Alright then, let’s get the hell out of here. I suppose our job is done,” Ross said. “It’s time for us to go home.”

  “You’re right,” replied David. “It’s time to take dad home and bury him next to mom. That’s what he would’ve wanted.”

  The group started towards the exit and Ross spoke. “You’re alright in my book, JD. If you ever need any more backup, just call us and we’ll be here as soon as we can.”

  “Your father was right, after all,” the sheriff said to the boys. “I thought you guys were useless slobs… and you are, without a doubt, slobs,” JD laughed. “But, when crunch time came along, you were far from useless… you’re welcome in my town anytime. And, your offer of help is accepted and the gesture is returned. Just call us, if you need anything. Just no more farts, please!”

  Everyone laughed, as they made their way through the club and back up to the world above.

  “From now on, why don’t we just kill the new Vampire they send us, right away?” Nate suggested. “That way this doesn’t happen again. It seems to me, that a high-ranking Vampire can most definitely NOT be trusted.”

  “That makes sense, actually,” replied JD. “I’m insisting that they leave Leon in charge. He’ll make a good leader and we can trust him… maybe.”

  The men got out of their vehicles and walked up the steps to the police station; everything was still a mess. Both of the black vans that the Vampires had driven were taken to the local junkyard and crushed into a bale scrap, but the damage from the fight left the station in shambles… there was still plenty of work left to be done.

  JD had instructed his family to wait at the station, under the guard of a few members of the Pack, while Mason was tracked down and taken care of.

  “We’re back!” JD yelled at the building. “Don’t shoot, it’s us!”

  Brad, Wayne and Tony appeared first and they began to clap. Then, Wendy, Sarah, Moonflower, Sebastian and Brittney soon followed; coming out of hiding with weapons in hand, ready to shoot.

  “Brittney!” JD shouted. “Have you changed back? How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied, “but, I’m going to need someone to help me peel this Sunlife crap off my skin… it’s starting to itch. Does someone want to give me a hand? I don’t think I can do it by myself.”

  “I’ll help you,” Sarah volunteered. “Let’s go to the back bathroom and get you stripped down and we’ll go from there. Wendy, want to give us a hand?”

  “Lead the way. So, Brittney, how does it feel to be alive and human again?”

  “I still feel kind of weird… and, I’m starving! Does anyone have anything to eat, as in real food? The thought of blood makes me sick… I can’t believe the cravings I had!”

  “I’ll get you something,” JD assured her. “And, seeing that you’re human again, tells me that we most definitely killed Mason Rockwell, otherwise you’d still be a Vampire.”

  JD reached over and tore a huge piece of Sunlife off of Brittney’s arm, using his fingertip; he held it up and tossed it into a trashcan that had a few dozen-bullet holes punched through it. “All of this over some fake skin,” he said, in amazement. “The Vampires are already immortal, but I guess that’s just not enough.”

  He stopped, then added, “I bet Donald Trump is one of those bastards, too. Same with Dick Cheney. Bush is too stupid, but his father has to be….”

  JD and Sebastian walked deep into the Boone County Woods, with Nanook trailing behind, guided by the full moon above, until they reached a clearing. It was almost midnight and it was about to be Sebastian’s birthday… the time of his awakening.

  “Are you ready, Sebastian?”

  “I’m ready to be part of the Pack,” he answered his father. “I’ve already killed my first Vampire and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

  “It won’t be your last, son,” JD said to him. “Just remember, you can never trust a Vampire and don’t ever forget that.”

  The animals that lived in the woods took off in every direction, as the two made their way to the edge of a clearing in the trees. Under the moonlight, they both took off their shirts and shoes, setting them next to an old oak tree, where Nanook had found a spot to lie down. JD dropped his pants and stepped out underneath the shining moonlight, rapidly transforming into his Lycan form. Sebastian followed his father’s example and stepped up next to him, staring up at the full moon above. His body began to change… and naturally, he fought it.

  The first change was always the most painful, as the bones cracked and reshaped, while the hair sprouted, covering the young Lycan’s body. Sebastian became covered in sweat, as he did everything he could to hold back his screams. The minutes passed slowly and JD put his paw on his son’s shoulder, to let him know he was there. Sebastian tried not to cry, but it was too much and he began throwing up from the overwhelming feeling of his bones crunching and snapping, in and out of place. The hair on his body grew out a few inches and Sebastian fell to the ground, screaming in agonizing pain.

  After a few moments had passed and Sebastian started quieting down, he stood firmly on his hind legs, letting out a furious howl. He turned his head to the moon high above and let out one more long, echoing howl, for the second time… as a true Lycan.

  The two Lycans, father and son, took off running through the woods, on all fours, without another care in the world; Nanook did his best to keep up, lagging behind, as they were much bigger and had much larger strides. They tore through the trees, jumping logs and running through the creek banks, living and loving the moment. They chased a group of deer, just for fun, not killing any of them; this was Sebastian’s first test, to see if he could control the wild inside of himself. JD had been preparing him for years and had already burne
d the secret symbol into his chest. It was becoming apparent, that the preparation to contain the wild beast inside of Sebastian’s soul was successful.

  After a few hours of romping through the woods, the two returned back to the clearing, where they had started. JD transformed back, first, before talking his son through the change back to his human form, teaching him how to use and control his new powers. Without the teaching, he would’ve just been a wild animal, out of control, like the Lycans of the past. But, Sebastian would prove to be strong and follow in JD’s footsteps, to eventually become the next leader of the Pack. Sebastian’s time would come soon enough and it would still take years of training, to be able to make the transformation without the full moon. And, by the time he would turn eighteen, his second heart would be fully developed, enabling him to transform at will.

  ___________________________________________________

  Chapter Forty

  ~Alnwick Castle, home of the ruling class Vampires of England~ A messenger entered the chambers of Baron Valvasor, the most ruthless Vampire of all times and leader of the covenant. The Baron waved his hands for his servants to leave the room.

  “I have word from America,” said the messenger. “Leon has called with bad news.”

  “Spit it out, then! What has transpired?”

  “Mason Rockwell has been killed, along with a hundred other Vampires.”

  The Baron slammed his fist on the arm of his chair and he stood up. “How did this happen? Did the Lycans do this?”

  His eyes stared with furious anger at the frightened messenger.

  “Leon said it was some Vampire Hunters and that Mason Rockwell had broken the Blood Law. It is apparent that he was involved in other illegal activities and he almost destroyed the entire town. I guess Mason picked up right where Donovan left off and they’ve been able to produce the Sunlife,” the messenger reported. “He was using it line to his own pockets and he wasn’t kicking any of the earnings back here. He did as he pleased, with no regards as to keeping away any unwanted attention from Wolf Creek.”

  “Who has the Book of Blood?” the Baron demanded to know. “Do the Lycans have it?”

  “Leon believes that the book was destroyed, when the laboratory below the Vampire club was blown to pieces… along with Rockwell,” the messenger carefully answered.

  “Damn you, Mason Rockwell… I groomed him, damn it!” the Baron shouted. “First, Jack Donovan and now Mason? Summon the council and summon Ouija! I want justice… and I want those LYCANS!!!”

  The messenger turned and hurried out of Baron Valvasor’s chambers, following his orders and also watching over his shoulder, for the Baron had been known to kill the bearer of bad news. He moved quickly and was actually surprised that the Baron didn’t rip his heart out.

  The messenger delivered the Baron’s request and the council met to decide that, once again, that the Lycans were in the right and that Mason had acted foolishly. But, the Baron was still not happy and he wanted justice.

  “Great, you believe the Lycans,” said the Baron, with a sneer. “Then which one of you wants to run Wolf Creek? Come on now, don’t be shy. Step forward,” he coaxed. “I’m not finished with this investigation and I want revenge! I’m overriding your votes of approval! I am the master here and of the entire human race… you’re all just for show!” he roared. “Meeting ADJOURNED!”

  A 757 jumbo jet is taxiing the runway in London, the red eye flight. Terrence Armstrong is sitting in first class dressed in a black suit and tie and wearing dark sunglasses over his pale complexion. He occupies two seats and has made it perfectly clear that he wishes to speak to no one. Terrence is of royal descent and he’s on his way to America, to visit a town by the name of Wolf Creek. He’s not very happy about being sent, in fact, he’s pretty angry. Baron Valvasor has sent him and he’ll be the fourth replacement, since Mason Rockwell’s death.

  It’s been five years since that Halloween, when the police station was almost leveled to the ground in the gun battle and the rulingclass of Vampires were extremely suspicious of Sheriff John Davidson and his Lycan brothers, the Pack. Leon has repeatedly assured the elite Vampires, that he was fully capable of taking care of business, but they wouldn’t listen. Instead, they continued to sending over much older and more sinister, Vampires to head the community.

  This latest edition of Vampire had a mission and that was to make contact with Leon and to figure out what was happening to the Vampires who were being sent to Wolf Creek. Terrence was to see if Leon was telling the truth, or if he was in some way covering up for the Lycans. Terrence’s specialty was being an expert truth-seeker; he could not be lied to. Leon understood this and he knew why Terrence was being sent from England; he let JD know.

  The plane left the runway and flew into the sky, under a heavy rainstorm. High winds whipped across the ocean, as the jumbo jet soared high above, making its way across the great Atlantic sea. The plane would be landing in New York, before Terrance would board another flight into Indianapolis. Sitting in first class, Terrance knows that everything must go as planned with the flight times… he must arrive at his destination before sunrise. He should be landing by two in the morning and his people would be waiting for him at the Indianapolis International Airport, giving him plenty of time to get indoors before the morning light.

  ~The day before the arrival of Terrance Armstrong~ JD and Nate are in his back office, conversing about what to do with the new Vampire, being sent by the Baron and his council. They knew the replacement was highly skilled and that the truth would be discovered. The Pack had been getting rid of the new Vampires, who were being sent over to Wolf Creek, before they had the chance to stir up trouble.

  “How are we going to handle his one?” JD asked Nate. “I’m getting really sick of dealing with these relentless bastards. Every single one of them always has to pull some kind of bullshit, resulting in an exorbitant death toll. I wish we would’ve never gotten involved with Donovan and the Vampires, what was it, one hundred and sixty five years now? Not to mention that fucking Book of Blood,” he said, taking a look out his office window. “Damn it, I hope that book was burned up in the blast… who knows if there are hidden copies, just lying in wait for some other evil bastard to find. Skinny Limpkins has never been located, maybe that little rat has it.”

  “If the book was under the club, with Jason and Mason, when those incinerate grenades went off, then it’s gone for good. Anything that was down there, disintegrated… trust me. We both looked and saw for ourselves. I think we should just handle this Vampire like the last one,” Nate said.

  “I’m sure they’ll be on guard, so we’ll have to work smart,” JD replied. “I might have a good idea. And, if all goes as planned, I think it might work, rather well.”

  “After this one disappears,” Nate answered back with a smile. “Maybe they’ll just leave Leon in charge. You would think they’d stop sending their high-ranking members… it must be tiring losing so many. I just hope it doesn’t start a war,” he said. “At least if that happens, we’ll have the home advantage.”

  “Don’t worry about my plan, it should work like a charm,” JD told him. “The Vampire will be arriving tonight, at around two in the morning and his people will be waiting at the airport to escort him to their secret location. We’ll strike, between the airport and their destination… it has to work.”

  He rolled out a map of the city of Indianapolis and marked a few coordinates where he wanted to attack.

  “I’ll have everyone in place, JD. Tony will be waiting at the crossroads with the semi-truck and the rest will be up to us,” said Nate, as he rolled the map back up.

  “It’s gonna be bloody,” JD said gravely. “But, hopefully this’ll be the last one they send out. Do you think, maybe they’ll get the message this time?”

  “I doubt it, but one can only hope. I don’t know how we got in bed with these monsters to start with,” Nate wondered. “It sounded like a good idea at the time. Were we drinking,
or something?”

  “No,” JD said, cracking a smile. “It really was a great idea at the time and if the Vampires would stop breaking the Blood Law, it would still be great. They’re the ones that put this town together in the first place and it was us they put in charge to keep everyone in line,” he recounted.

  The men had a couple hours to burn, so they took a drive in JD’s new sheriff’s truck down to Dave’s Grill, to grab a bite to eat. They entered the restaurant and took seats on the barstools by the front counter.

  “What you boys havin’?” Dave asked when he appeared, always glad to serve them. “The ribs are out of sight tonight, rare and juicy. Straight off the cow and as fresh as it gets… they’re almost still mooing.”

  “That sounds amazing,” said JD, closing his menu. “Give me the whole rack of ribs and a double scotch, forget the rocks. And, I’ll take a beer chaser, along with your vow of silence,” he requested. “No really, please, don’t say a word to my wife.”

  Nate and Dave both laughed.

  “Some tough guy,” said Dave, with a smile. “I see you’re still scared of the little Miss Wendy?”

  “Are you kidding? She scares the hell out of me sometimes!” JD shot back. “You wouldn’t believe the beast in her, when she gets worked up! When her temper blows, I literally run for the hills, with my tail tucked between my legs.”

  They all had a good laugh at this, because they all understood the issues involved in the married life… and, the thought of ‘JD the Werewolf’ running scared from the house, was just too funny.

  “I still got the wood-chipper out back,” Dave offered.

  All three married men laughed, before Dave got back to the order.

  “And, Nate, what will you have to eat? The ribs are that good, trust me.”

  “Alight, I’ll have the ribs, but give me two icy cold beers and a shot of Jack.”

  “You know what, Dave,” said JD. “Throw in a rare burger for Nanook, he’s outside. I’m sure he’ll love it.”