The White Wolf’s Curse
By
Nicole Ash
© copyright by Nicole Ash, May 2009
Cover Art by Alex DeShanks, May 2009
ISBN 978-1-60394-312-3
New Concepts Publishing
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
Chapter One
“Are you sure you can cover for me?”
“It’s fine Erica. I don’t mind. Hell, you’ve covered fo’ me a lot. Just returnin’ the favor.”
Erica still felt bad about it. Normally she wouldn’t have dreamed of asking anyone to cover for her. She was usually the one that did the covering! Not like I have much of a life of my own outside work, just a few house plants waiting for me at home. Tonight was different, though. Tonight was the first night of the Horror Flick marathon she had been dying all week to catch. She tried not to feel guilty about shirking her responsibilities. It wasn’t working.
“You’re positive?”
“Damn it girl, go on! I said I’d do it. What, are you tryin’ ta talk me out of it now? Go on, go home, watch some T.V. and relax. You know you’ll more’n pay me back for this come Christmas. I insist, now get goin’ ‘for I throw somethin’ at ya.”
Erica hugged her neck. I can always count on Christine for a favor. Of course, she was joking about the Christmas thing. It wasn’t like Erica had anyone she could spend hers with, so why not get some extra money working overtime? Christine had tried for years to convince her to spend it with her and her family, but Erica always came up with an excuse not to go. Being single, holidays were depressing and she just couldn’t bring herself to be cheerful about them.
Grabbing her purse, she walked out the door.
“You’re sure you’re sure?” Erica ducked away as the phone book came flying at her and slammed into the doorframe. “All right, I’ll see you Monday! Don’t forget to lock up.”
Looking at the door to the stairwell, she decided on the elevator. While she normally took the stairs, the heels she had chosen to wear today had started pinching halfway to lunch and hadn’t let up. Since Mr. Hiroshi frowned on it if either of his secretaries took off their shoes during work hours, she simply had to suffer through it. Now, she felt almost crippled.
When the doors opened up, Erica stepped on and went down to the bottom floor, cursing under her breath when she got there. She had left the car at the shop and forgotten all about it!
“Well, there go those first few episodes. Guess I’ll have to take the tram.” She really didn’t want to. I hate the tram. There are always crazy people on it, even in the daytime. At night, she had the disturbing sensation that she was the only sane person left alive. There had been a time that she’d had to take it frequently, before she got her car. Since then, it had become more of a sporadic thing, just every month or so for about a week at the time when she had to take her car to the shop for repairs. I’ll get a new car one day.
Poor Christine had to take the tram every night.
She walked as quickly as she could to the station and sat under a light to wait. It was fifteen minutes before it arrived. Fifteen excruciating minutes during which Erica tried her best not to look at the people around her. It’s surprising how hard it is not to stare when the people around you keep talking to themselves. At one time only crazy people did that. With that new phone accessory out, though, it was hard to tell when someone was talking to themselves and when they actually had a blue tooth on and were holding an honest to God conversation. She kept telling herself that there were other sane people about, that she couldn’t possibly be the only one, but she didn’t honestly believe a word of it.
When the tram finally arrived, she noticed that only a few people got on. Most of them continued to sit or stand where they were, talking, twitching and trying not to look at each other. She was glad most of them stayed where they were. She had always had lunatic magnetism.
Erica hurried through the nearest doors and onto the tram. A man was sitting on one end, so she sat at the other end near the doors that lead to the next car. The tram started off with a jerk that almost sent her out of her seat, but she threw out her feet and managed to stay in place. She noticed that the man had turned to look her way and now sat staring. She tried hard to ignore it, but he got up and moved to the middle of the car.
Don’t make eye contact, don’t make eye contact! They see that as a welcome, try not to look. It was impossible not to the way he was staring at her. Specifically, he was looking at her legs. She unconsciously closed them, sorry now she had worn the short black skirt instead of the long black slacks. Damn fashion and all the shit it gets you into!
He stayed where he was and after a few minutes, she dared to rest her eyes and tried to sit as straight and rigid as she could. The temptation to lean her head against the back of the seat persisted, of course, but she knew she shouldn’t do that in a public place. It was nasty. There’s really no telling how many people have already done that. How many of them had lice? The windows had head and hand grease all over them. The seats smelt like piss and stale sweat.
Erica’s mind started wandering and she knew she was starting to nod off, in spite of her best intentions. The rhythmic movement of the tram always did that to her. She started awake, though, when she felt something at her arm.
She turned sharply to her right just as the man who had been at the other end of the train plopped down beside her, muttering to himself. She could tell he was a homeless man. I feel bad for people in that situation, I really do, I just don’t want to sit beside people like that. They tend to be crazy, amongst other things.
The man reeked of cheap beer, but he probably would have stunk anyway. She could tell by the filthy clothes he wore that he had not bathed in a very long time. His stench was so overwhelming it brought tears to her eyes. She turned away and covered her nose with the collar of her shirt, breathing in deeply and trying her best to hold it.
Maybe he’ll get off at the next stop. She looked up at the map, looked down at her watch, and figured the time difference in her head. Only three more minutes. Maybe he just moved over here so he could get off more easily. People do that sometimes.
Erica covered her mouth and nose with the back of her hand, trying without success to breath through the pores in her flesh and fighting the blackness that was already seeping in at the corners of her vision. The tram stopped, and the hope that at first leapt into her heart that the homeless guy would get up and go so she could breathe and not have to move, died a slow death. No one got into the car she was sitting in. The man beside her didn’t move to get off. The doors closed and when the tram moved again, the jarring motion of it sent the homeless guy right into her side before slamming her into him. She felt sick at her stomach. No way around it. I have to get up and move.
Erica hated that, too, of course. Aside from hating to seem rude, it always seemed to further draw their attention when she got up and moved. Sometimes, they would follow her no matter where she went and she ended up having to get off the tram and wait for the next one to come along. It was so late now, though, that she knew she couldn’t do that. No, maybe he’ll stay here. Maybe he won’t follow me into the next car.
It seemed like they had territories, like there was a rule against them going into each other’s cars. Many of them would stay in the car she found them in, even if they had followed her all over it. The problem was she never knew if the maniac in the next car was better or worse than the one she was currently dealing with and sh
e hated having to risk it.
It’s impossible to get up and leave a tram car without being obvious about the fact that you just don’t want to be near the only other person in it. There was just no valid excuse to comfort herself with. Erica felt guilty about doing it, even as she got up and pushed the button so the doors would open and set her free, but the air in the next car over seemed so much easier to breathe! Better yet, a quick look around assured her that there was no one else in it. A private car. Thank God.
She sat down in about the middle of the car so that if the bum followed her, she could more easily move up another car. She kept glancing at the shut doors and praying they wouldn’t open again.
God, I am such a bitch! Maybe he just wanted a little human contact. Just because he was staring at my legs doesn’t mean he was planning anything. For some reason, the newscast she had watched earlier about the most recent woman to disappear from the city came to mind. They didn’t even know exactly when she’d gone missing. The same went for all of the other women in the recent string of disappearances. No one had noticed. They were mostly either single women without families, or just plain poor. She wasn’t sure which was sadder, the fact that no one cared enough about any of those poor women to notice when they were gone, or that she was in that boat, as well.
No. I’m not in that boat, not any more. Christine would notice. Maybe not today, or any time this weekend, but she’d notice Monday, right? Yes, she would have to notice then. I always come in to work, even when I’m sick. It was comforting to know she had someone who cared and she tried hard to relax.
The tram jerked and squealed as it came to a stop. Oh thank God. Just one more stop and I’m home! No one got on, but a man walked into her car from the car she’d just vacated and sat three seats down from her. He wore a black suit with a white dress shirt and a red tie. A normal man. I guess he had to work late, too. Relief flooded her at that thought. Another normal person? What are the odds? He’s actually kind of cute, too. No ring on his finger, so he isn’t taken. A workaholic perhaps? Could be. He’s awful late at the office. Maybe he doesn’t have anyone waiting for him either? Erica tried hard not to stare at the muscles his shirt did nothing to hide. He doesn’t really look like he belongs in a shirt and tie….
“Hi.”
That startled her and she wondered how long she had been staring. She hadn’t even noticed when the tram started moving again. Did he notice? Of course he noticed! Oh my God, is that drool in the corner of my mouth? I’ve been drooling! He must think he’s the only sane person here! Erica struggled to find something intelligible to say and settled with a weak ‘hi’.
“First time on the tram?”
“Umm, no. I ride it sometimes.”
The man nodded and looked somewhat uncomfortable. Idiot. No way he’ll want to talk to you now. She tried to think of something to stir the conversation back up but kept coming up empty-handed so it startled her when he spoke again.
“So, where are you off to this time of night?”
“Oh, I was just on my way home from the office. Looking forward to the weekend.”
“Ah, so you like to party?” He turned a bit in his seat to face her. He really doesn’t look like he belongs in that suit….
“Um, not really the social type. I’m a bit of a homebody. I thought I’d watch some old movies. You know, that sort of thing.”
“That so? Well, I guess if your husband doesn’t mind….”
He’s hitting on me! She turned a bit in her seat, crossing her legs neatly and trying hard to look demure. It had been months since her last date and this man looked like a fairly good candidate. Still, she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that something was wrong with this whole scenario. It’s the tram. Everyone seems crazy when you’re on the tram at night.
“I’m not married.”
“Boyfriend?”
“No, no boyfriend.” She smiled.
“So then you live all alone.”
That sent warning buzzers going off in her head. Why does he care so much about where I’m going and who’s waiting for me to get there? She thought again about all those women who had been disappearing. Did a man like this one approach them, talking to them to gain their confidence, only to tote them off and kill them? The guy seemed fairly harmless, but didn’t Bundy seem that way, too? Then she realized what was wrong. He was very tan and his hands were callused. The tan could be explained away, but a businessman didn’t generally do things to cause that kind of long term callusing on the hands. He doesn’t look like he belongs in that suite because he doesn’t!
Erica slipped off her heels, reached down and grabbed them, then tried to move back away from him in her seat without being obvious about it. The man moved to follow her.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. My brother’s waiting for me in the next car over.” She jumped out of her seat and took several steps backward.
Chapter Two
“Really? So why weren’t you riding with him to start with? Hey, where are you going? I thought you wanted to talk. You’re not planning on leaving me all alone in here, are you?” He grabbed at her hand as he stood but she tore it away from him, throwing her shoes in his face before turning and making a run for it.
Please, oh please god may there be someone in the next car, anyone at all. Erica tried to scream past the lump of fear that threatened to choke her, but all she could make was a strangled gasp. She slammed her hand against the button that opened the doors, shoved them out of her way and stumbled into the next car. Relief flooded over her as she entered the next car. A man! A man in a suit sat halfway down the car.
“Sir! Oh my god, sir, a man, in the other car—” Erica ran toward him, only stopping when she was close to him. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the mad-man had indeed followed her into the car. She turned back to her savior when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.
“Please, that man is following me—”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! I don’t know why, but we were talking and he seemed interested in stuff he shouldn’t have cared anything about and now he’s following me and—”
He fixed the man behind her with an icy glare.
“You idiot. Sloppy fucking work Jordan. All you had to do was find the girl and snatch her. This one isn’t even the right one! Does she look black to you? Is it really so fucking hard to do what you’re told? How the hell did you even let this one get away? You know what would happen if anyone found out what we’re doing? You remember we’re the ones that’d take the fall, right? Those rich bastards wouldn’t even bat an eye and we’d be in jail the rest of our lives.”
Erica felt the blood in her veins grow cold and her heart thudded so hard in her chest it hurt. Oh… my… god! He’s… in on it?
“Shit, I couldn’t help it. She got suspicious. I forgot about the color thing. Hell, as many as we’ve taken recently, you expect me to remember which ones are supposed to be what color? Doesn’t really matter anyway. I saw which office she came out of! It’s still one of his secretaries. No harm, no foul.”
She tried to jerk away, but the man tightened his grip on her shoulders. The mad-man she now knew as Jordan grabbed her around the waist. Erica screamed, but the man in front of her slapped her across the face. She glared at him through the tears of pain, a million different things running through her mind.
“I found out all we need to know. She’s alone. She’s pretty enough. Bet she’d look good tied up. I figure she’ll do.”
This is it. It’s over. They’re going to take me off and rape and kill me and I can’t get away. No one will ever even notice that I’m gone. She fought panic and screamed again. This time, Jordan grabbed at her mouth, covering it with a funny smelling white rag. She held her breath and tried to get away, dropping her weight and trying to fall out of their grasp, but the two men held her in place.
“Thanks to your carelessness, she’ll have to do. Damn it, we had all fucking night to do this and you have to
grab the first chick you see? This is sloppy work. We’ll be damned lucky if they don’t can us for this. From now on, you do back up, I’ll talk to them. We can’t afford to make any more mistakes.”
Erica tried to knee the man in front, but he moved his leg in her way before she could. She settled for kicking Jordan in the shin and he tightened his grip around her face. Don’t cry. He probably wants to see you cry, damn it Erica don’t cry! She felt hot tears run down her cheeks and cursed herself for being too weak to save her own life. This is it. It’s over. It’s all over. No one will even miss me. It’ll be days before Christine notices I’m gone and who’s to say she won’t just assume I quit?
“Hurry it up. Just punch her in the gut so she’ll breathe. We’re almost to the stop.”
Jordan moved his arm, grabbing one of her breasts and squeezing. She kicked at
him again, but this time he kneed her hard in the back.
The man in front punched her in the ribs and in spite of herself, she gasped, breathing in the fumes from the cloth. The world swam and grew dark at the edges. Hold on. Just a little longer. Someone will see all of it if I can make it to the next stop. Someone would have to see then. They continued to talk, but she couldn’t make any sense of it. Erica realized with horror that she was going in and out of consciousness and at any moment she might lose her grasp entirely. She fought hard to hold on. Have to listen. Have to know what they’re going to do with me.
Erica’s last disjointed thought as the darkness crept in was that Christine was really going to be pissed off about having to work this Christmas.
* * * *
The night was clear and crisp with a good stiff breeze, the moon a bright white eye in the sky, watching them from above. By it’s light Fador could see everything, but he regretted having such a good view of it. What he saw, what he smelled disgusted him.
Before him, a large, dark building was situated among the island trees. Bright lights lit almost every window, casting shadows that danced as the wind blew the branches of the trees and the weeds that had been left in place to camouflage the location of that dread building.
The White Wolfs Curse Page 1
