by Remy Marie
“If that is the case, why did you come to the party tonight? I would imagine it would have been awkward. You know, with you being here with Kyle after your break up. Watch your step over this log,” Jason said as he made it over a large log in the trail.
He held out his hand, and Trini smiled at Jason. She grabbed Jason’s hand and tenderly made her way over the log. She winced in pain as landed on her injured leg. Jason looked at her with caution, but she returned a smiled instead.
“I’m okay. I came to this party because of you. I was going to tell you how I felt about you tonight. I planned on dragging you away from the party to tell you how I felt. Then fucking werewolves ruined my romantic gesture. They didn’t add that in the romantic handbook,” Trini realized her sarcastic humor was impolite, at the moment, but she knew the deaths tonight was too much to think about at the time.
Trini looked up at Jason’s face. It was serious as he stared forward. Oh, I hope I haven’t ruined our moment with my shitty humor. What are you thinking about Mr.Barton? As if Jason heard Trini thoughts, he spoke up once more.
“I wonder where that other werewolf in white fur went. You didn’t kill him. You just gave him a good smack with the torch.”
“I beg to differ, that was a homerun swing.”
Jason ignored Trini’s inappropriate humor and continued to theorize, “Plus the werewolf in the brown fur disappeared as well. I thought for sure, the cowboy killed him. Where did they both run?” Jason questioned.
Classic Jason, that’s my man for you. More focused on the theory and the what- if scenarios, than the moment. I need to get used to this in our new relationship. Trini sighed and gently rubbed Jason’s hand.
“I’m not sure, but I really don’t care. Let’s just get the fuck out of here.
“Yeah, I’m done with his shit as well.”
Chapter 10
As they made their way through the clearing, Jason could see the blue police emergency lights.
“It looks like one of the partygoers tipped off the local police. That’s good; we could both use some medical assistance,” Jason said as he looked at both their wounds.
“I hope you’re going to do the talking. I hate talking to the police.” Trini inhaled deeply as she looked forward at one of the police cruisers. Jason could tell she was out of breath.
“Sure as long as you buy dinner on the first date.” Jason gave Trini a big smile, and her expressions changed from worried to tranquil. Trini then showed Jason her signature smile.
“Deal,” Trini grinned.
A younger female deputy in brunette hair noticed Trini and Jason emerge from the woods. She looked over at an older gentleman in his late fifties with a long grey beard.
“Sheriff Millhouse! We got more survivors!” she shouted in a southern accent. The sheriff tipped up his hat and looked up from the police cruiser he was leaning on. The small deputy ran to help Jason and Trini. The sheriff stretched and got off the police cruiser he was leaning on. He then took a large puff from his cigar as he stared at the couple leaving the woods.
“Well, I’ll be...” The older sheriff growled in a thick southern accent. The sheriff exhaled white smoke from his cigar and then replaced the cigar in his mouth.
Jason and Trini slowly emerged from the forest. Once they were at the tree line, a deputy in a tan sheriff’s outfit helped Jason and Trini into the makeshift parking lot. Jason looked around and could tell that the scene was chaotic. There were multiple police officers running about, shouting orders at each other. He could barely see in front of him because he was blinded by so many emergency lights. Jason’s attention from the area was broken when the female deputy spoke up.
“I’m Deputy Green,” the younger brunette said to Jason and Trini. “Are you two okay? Any injuries?” she asked as she wrapped a wool blanket around Trini. Jason stared at the police officer that was helping them. The police officer had a slender face and green eyes. She had multiple freckles on her face and a long distance runner’s frame. The tan hat on top of her head looked to be a size too big as it engulfed part of her forehead. The deputy appeared to be around Jason and Trini’s age.
Jason thought it was queer for someone who looked fresh out of the police academy to handle themselves so well. To Jason, she acted like she had been a police officer for the last twenty years.
“My arm was scratched pretty badly, and my friend Trini has her leg gashed open,” Jason said to the officer.
My friend! Jason thought as the words left his lips. Were they just friends or something else now? Their confessions in the woods changed that, Jason argued in his thoughts. He looked to Trini to see how she responded, but she seemed more focused on Deputy Green.
“We received a 911 call from one of the witnesses from this party. They said there was some sort of wolf attack?” Deputy Green asked.
“Yeah it was, it was pretty intense,” Jason replied. “We lost two of our friends during the attack, and there are dozens of other people killed in the forest. We managed to kill one of the creatures. I think they were werewolves. The other werewolves are still out there.” Jason gently placed Trini down on the hood of the police cruiser, then looked back at Deputy Green. She raised an eyebrow at Jason as she listened to his story.
“Does one of them have white fur?” Deputy Green asked.
“Yes,” Jason responded with curiosity.
How did she know one of them had white fur? What was really unsettling was the fact she didn’t flinch or correct him when he mentioned werewolves. Jason thought as he stared at the young officer.
She smiled at Jason and said “Everything is going to be alright. You stay here with the sheriff. He may have some additional questions for y’all. When the ambulance gets back from the hospital, it will take you and your friend to the hospital to get fixed up. So far, we found two other survivors. I’ll see y’all soon.” She then looked back at the two other officers behind her. “Murphy! O’Neal!” Deputy Green shouted.
Officer Murphy was the first to arrive next to Deputy Green. He had a body like a professional linebacker and looked to be in his upper thirties. Along with blonde scruff on his face, he had cropped blonde hair. As he waited for his partner, his tan tie on this uniform blew in the wind.
Officer Roy O’Neal was the last to arrive. He had a clean-cut face and a youthful look. A tan sheriff’s officer’s hat covered his shaggy brunette hair as he stood in attention. Jason noticed that out of all the cops in the area, he was the only one with a ketchup stain on his shirt.
He must be a slob, Jason concluded after viewing the ketchup on the officer’s shirt.
Once the two officers arrived at full attention, Deputy Green nodded, “Alright guys, let’s go hunting.”
It’s strange that they don’t have their guns drawn. Jason watched the officers prepare to run into the forest. Deputy Green then hand motioned the two officers towards the forest. Quickly, the three officers disappeared into the forest.
A few moments later, Jason and Trini heard several familiar werewolf howls once more. Jason and Trini looked at each in hesitation.
Did they find the white fur werewolf that fast? However, the howls sounded so close. Almost as if the werewolf was just outside the trees. Jason thoughts were interrupted by the sheriff as he moved closer to the couple.
“I guess y’all were having a party in the woods huh?” Sheriff Millhouse asked as he removed a fresh cigar from his pocket. If it wasn’t for the large gut that hanged over the sheriff’s gun belt, the sheriff would be a physical specimen for his age. He had broad shoulders, and his arms were well defined. Millhouse towered over Trini and Jason as he stared at the two looking towards the woods. Trini and Jason’s attention was drawn away from the sounds of the forest and looked at the sheriff.
“Yes, we were celebrating the end of the school year,” Jason told the sheriff.
“Huh, so why not party in the city? You don’t look to be from around here?” The sheriff asked as he sniffed the new cigar with fascination.
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“We wanted to go camping,” Jason replied.
The sheriff laughed and shook his head, and then took out a cigar cutter from his breast pocket. He cut the cigar quietly and lit the cigar with a match. He inhaled the cigar smoke, then blew the smoke out.
“Any drugs?” The sheriff finally asked, breaking the silence. Jason and Trini looked at each other.
Jason replied with a simple “No.” Sheriff Millhouse nodded and sat down on the trunk of the police cruiser and looked at the group.
“Do either of you have any priors?” Sheriff Millhouse asked.
“I don’t,” Jason replied.
“What about you over there. The quiet gothic chick, do you have any priors?”
“No, sir,” Trini responded intimidated.
A large smile spread across his face as he stared at the couple. “Okay, I can hear the ambulance coming now. You two will be taken to the county hospital. Once you get there, your wounds will be stitched up and y’all would be treated for any other problems. How did y’all get those wounds again?” Millhouse asked as he pointed to Jason’s arm.
“One of the werewolves scratched me.” The sheriff narrowed his eyebrows and nodded and looked at Trini.
“What about you miss? How did you get your wound on your leg?” the sheriff asked pointing at Trini’s leg.
“Same as Jason, the werewolf got me.”
The sheriff nodded and took another puff of smoke from his cigar and chuckled. He got up from the car and straightened his belt, then looked at the two. “You do know there is no such thing as werewolves’ right?”
“Well, they were-“Jason started to say before Millhouse interrupted him.
“I’m going to stop you right there. I know you are lying to me about the drugs. We found a whole bunch of drugs in the abandoned cars. Not to mention one of the survivors, you may know him, the Indian fella. He said his name was Mohinder. He claimed there were drugs at the party as well.”
Jason’s heart seemed to skip a beat. He missed what the officer said about the drugs. Did he just hear that Mohinder was alive? Jason wanted to ask more about Mohinder, but his body was in shock.
“What was Mohinder’s condition?” Trini asked. Jason looked at Trini and smiled. She must have felt the same joy he felt.
The officer took another puff of his cigar and blew the smoke to his left shoulder.
“He was critical when he left for the hospital nearly bleeding out when we found him. He was crawling out of the forest when we arrived. The doctors at county are going to have a handful. He was losing a lot of blood from the multiple bite wounds he had. Plus, he was blind in one eye. One tough motherfucker, if you ask me. He managed to answer all of my questions before passing out. He was very concerned about you two. You have one hell of a friend.”
Millhouse stroked his long beard and looked at the two. Jason could tell that Millhouse knew they were excited about their friend. However, it looked like he was about to change the conversation to a more serious tone. Jason watched as the sheriff narrowed his brow and stopped smoking.
“Listen here, I’m glad about your friend, and you can go see him when you get to county. However, now you’re going to do something for me. I know that there were drugs at this party. You flat out lied to me when I asked you. I’m willing to look to the other way if, you follow my instructions.”
Millhouse smiled as he pointed to the two with his cigar in between his two fingers.
Jason hoped it wasn’t anything weird as he watched Millhouse say his next words.
“You’re going to have to have to lie to everyone what happened here.”
Jason and Trini gave a confused look when Millhouse spoke. When the sheriff realized the look the two gave him, he chuckled.
“You two and the other two are the only survivors of a wolf attack. Just a plain Jane animal attack, you can’t say anything else. There were no werewolves killing anyone. Yah hear?” The sheriff’s voice changed, and his voice grew more serious. “If I hear about you two talking about werewolves to anyone other than the Meekins sheriffs, then I will tell everyone you lied to an officer of the law, consumed drugs, and attempted to sell. I would then say that the werewolves were made up due to the count of you taking the drugs. I would throw both of your asses in jail before you would even know it. Do I make myself clear?” Sheriff Millhouse threatened.
The couple nodded at the sheriff. A smile broke on the sheriff’s face, and he resumed his horrible smoking habit.
“Alright then.”
The ambulance pulled into the empty space, and the EMT crew left the van to gather the two.
“David and Harry, it’s good to see you,” Officer Millhouse said.
“Likewise,” Harry replied. Harry was a tall and slender male. His long blonde hair was fixed in a tight ponytail. He had a large scar on his left cheek, along with freckles on his right side. His partner David was shorter than Harry and was African-American. He had a large muscular shape. At the top of his bald head, he had two large black lightning bolts tattooed to his head.
It’s strange to see an EMT with tattoos on his head. However, I shouldn’t judge. Imagine if Trini was an EMT, she has the same amount of tattoos as this guy, Jason concluded as he watched the EMT effortlessly remove the gurney from the ambulance.
“You guys got more two injured here. Injuries are not critical, just looks like they need more stitches. I’m going to head to the forest and check on my deputies. Call me on the radio if the media arrives.”
Sheriff Millhouse threw the remaining cigar butt on the ground and watched the two EMTs. The two EMTs nodded and helped Trini onto the gurney. They helped Trini onto the ambulance first, then turned and helped Jason into the ambulance. Before the EMT could close the door, the sheriff spoke once more.
“You two, remember our deal.”
Sheriff winked at Jason as he was helped into the ambulance. The EMT then shut the door, and the siren of the ambulance rung once more in the night. As the ambulance siren sung, Jason could have sworn he heard another werewolf howl as the ambulance made its way back to the county hospital. Once in the ambulance, Jason held Trini’s hand. His opposite hand slowly pushed back Trini’s black hair behind her ear. She smiled at him as she watched his actions.
“How are you feeling,” Jason asked as he rubbed Trini’s forehead to check her temperature.
“I’m doing better now since I know that Mohinder is alive. I thought you said he died,” Trini said looking into Jason’s eyes.
“I thought so as well. I was sure the were-“ Jason stopped what he was saying and looked at the EMT who was checking Trini’s vitals. “The wolf in black fur tackled Mohinder, and I heard him scream. I didn’t wait to see what happened to Mohinder after that. I just ran. I should have stayed and helped. I didn’t know Mohinder was still alive after the wolf tackled him,” Jason told Trini, feeling ashamed.
Trini smiled and grabbed Jason’s chin. She gently rubbed his square chin and looked into his brown eyes.
“You did what you could.”
Trini then took her finger and motioned for Jason to get closer. Jason followed her command, and she kissed him once more. As Jason pulled away, Trini smiled at Jason. Jason smiled back until Trini’s facial expression changed. Her face went purple, and her body shook. Her eyes rolled back into her head. The EMT turned and realized Trini’s situation.
“Shit! She is going into cardiac shock. David, move your ass!” shouted the EMT to the driver up front. The EMT moved Trini on her side.
“What’s happening to her?” Jason yelled at the EMT.
“Just stay back sir, let me do my job.”
Jason sat on the ambulance bench, frozen in fear. I have read about cardiac shock in my anatomy class. I even wrote an essay about it, but I have never witnessed it firsthand. Not to mention it was happening to Trini. Please don’t die, Trini. We just managed to find each other in this new phase of our relationship.
Jason watched the heart monitor as it franti
cally moved up and down. His heart matched the monitor’s pace as he developed a cold sweat. He felt the urge to touch her, to comfort her. Jason moved closer and outstretched a hand.
“Don’t touch her!” Harry growled. “She’s in shock. You do more damage if you touch her.”
“What’s our ETA, David?” The EMT yelled out to the driver.
“Twenty-five minutes, Harry!”
“Shit, hold on,” Harry grabbed a syringe and filled it with medicine from a vial. “This should help with her seizure.” Harry connected the syringe to the IV connected to Trini’s arm and unleashed the contents. Once the medicine was in her system, Trini’s body relaxed. Jason calmed down after he noticed Trini’s body wasn’t as tense. Harry checked her pulse and quietly counted to himself with his eyes closed. He double checked the IV, then looked back at Jason with a small smile.
“She should be fine now, Jason. David, she’s sedated. Let’s double time it to the hospital though.”
Jason could not believe what had happened in the last couple of minutes. He had never seen anyone have a seizure before. Jason’s head exploded with thoughts about the medical implications that could happen after a seizure. The more he thought about Trini and her seizure and future implications, the faster his heart seemed to pump.
As his heart pumped faster, a sharp pain grew in Jason’s chest. It felt as if the devil himself squeezed his heart. Jason gripped his shirt as the sharp pain continued. Jason lied down on the red cushion he was sitting on in the ambulance, producing a cold sweat. He struggled to breathe as he looked at Harry to get his attention. Trying to grasp for air he managed to say “Harry.”
Harry looked up, noticed Jason’s state and cursed once more.
“What the fuck! Your vitals were fine.” Harry said as he got up from the opposite end of the ambulance to get to Jason.
The ambulance grew darker as Jason stared at Harry as his body fell to the bottom of the ambulance. Jason’s body shook with intensity as he went into shock.
“Shit, he’s going into shock as well,” Harry growled as he prepared an IV drip for Jason.
