Wolf's Tale (Necon Modern Horror Book 25)

by Dan Foley

  “No, just ghosts.”

  “Where’s Lil Wolf?” Grandmere asked once dinner was on the table.

  Charlotte glanced at Wolf before answering. “I’ve got him.”

  “Who’s idea was that?”

  “Mose’s,” Wolf answered. “He said that if Charlotte was going to be with me there might be people who might want to use her against me.”

  “What people?” Grandmere demanded.

  “People like us, people with power like ours,” Wolf answered.

  Grandmere looked thoughtful, and then said, “There be …”

  Charlotte broke in, shook her head “no”, before Grandmere could finish. “Mose said Melvin has to deal with Old Ben before we worry about anything else.”

  The exchange flew right over Wolf’s head, but Grandmere caught it and quickly changed the subject. “You still set on goin’ after that old haint? That foolish. Why don’t you just leave that old spook alone?”

  “Because the bayou’s not safe for me until he’s gone. I need to meet him on my terms, not his. Once I’ve dealt with him, I ... we, can go on with our lives.”

  “You think you ready?”

  Charlotte answered before Wolf could. “After what he did in New Orleans, he’s ready.”

  Grandmere grasped one of Wolf hands in both of hers. “What happened up there?” she demanded.

  “I fought a ghost who almost beat me the last time I was there. Mose had to save me then. This time I beat it.”

  Grandmere looked to Charlotte for confirmation. “It’s true. I watched him do it.”

  “You seen that ghost? You seen Melvin beat it?”

  “I didn’t see the ghost, but I watched Melvin while he fought with it. So did Mose. We were across the street at Café Du Monde. Melvin was in Jackson Square. Mose said Melvin had to face the ghost on his own, and he did.”

  “Tell me ‘bout this ghost. Maybe I know it.”

  “He was huge, at least seven feet tall. His hair was long and he had a black beard that covered most of his face.”

  “I ‘member that one. He one mean haint. If you beat that old ghost, then you prob’ly is ready for Old Ben. When you plannin’ on facin’ him?”

  “Tomorrow,” Wolf answered.

  “You can’t do it tomorrow, I’m working tomorrow,” Charlotte burst out when she heard that.

  “Why not? You can’t go with me.”

  “Do you think I’d be able to concentrate on work if I knew you were out there fighting that ghost? I’d be a nervous wreck.”

  “Well, when’s your next day off?”

  “Not until Wednesday.”

  “That’s four days. I can’t wait that long. I’m ready to do this now.”

  “Maybe I can trade a shift with somebody. We can stop in at the store on our way home.”

  Home. Not her place anymore, but home, Wolf thought, and it felt good.

  Then he realized what Grandmere had said, I ‘member that one. “What do you mean, you remember that one. When did you see that ghost?”

  “What, you think you da only one spent time with Mose up in da Quarter? I grew up there. Mose take me in when my power came. He take me out, show me all them ghosts. He show me how to protect myself. But I din want to be like him ... or you. I left that place and came here. Been right here ever since.”

  “And you’ve never been bothered by ghosts?” Wolf asked.

  “Ain’t no ghosts here except Old Ben. He don’t leave that swamp, and I don’t go in it.”

  She was right, Wolf realized. He could not remember ever seeing her more than a mile from this cabin.

  “Would you like to leave once in a while? How about a trip up to the Quarter to see Mose?” Wolf asked.

  The question seemed to fluster her. “Maybe, I got to think about it,” but Wolf could tell she wasn’t thrilled by the idea.

  “Why wouldn’t she want to visit Mose?” Wolf asked Charlotte as they drove back to her place.

  “Think about it. She’s been here ever since she left. This is a safe place. If she leaves, she’ll be going back to a world she left behind. A world full of ghosts and old memories she might not want to relive. She told you, she doesn’t want to be like you or Mose.”

  “But I’d be there to protect her.”

  “Only from the ghosts, not from her fear. If she wants to go back, she’ll tell you. Don’t push her on this.”

  “I guess,” Wolf conceded, but it was obvious he wasn’t happy about it.

  “Why are we stopping here?” Charlotte asked when Wolf pulled in to the Seven-Eleven.

  “So you can ask about changing shifts tomorrow.”

  “Right,” Charlotte answered, and this time she was the one who didn’t sound too happy about it.

  “Well?” Wolf asked when she came back to the car.

  “It’s done. I still have to work the three to eleven shift tomorrow, but I managed to get the day off.”

  “Good. You can spend the day at Grandmere’s while I deal with Ben.”

  23 – Skeeter

  When Skeeter pulled up in front of Stella’s catfish shack in Bubba’s truck, now riding on the stolen tire, Bubba was absent from his usual seat at the picnic table. He was considering leaving when Stella stuck her head out the door and waved for him to come inside.

  “What’s up?” he asked, and then stopped dead when he saw Bubba sitting on the floor next to the beer cooler.

  Stella gave Bubba a disgusted look and then turned to Skeeter. “Get him out of here. He smells like death warmed over and he won’t stop crying. He says you’re going to take him to a doctor.”

  He doesn’t just smell like death warmed over, he looks like it too, Skeeter thought as he watched Bubba try to get up. The man made it as far as his knees before falling back down. His right arm was black past the shoulder and the color was spreading into his chest and neck. Skeeter couldn’t imagine riding in the same pickup with him all the way to a hospital. Before he could decide what to do, Stella’s phone rang.

  Skeeter was trying to help the big man up when Stella tapped him on the shoulder and drew him aside. “That was Renee La Pierre. She says to leave Bubba where he is and to wait for her. She’ll be here soon.”

  Skeeter was both relieved and worried. He didn’t want to have to haul Bubba to the hospital, but he sure as hell didn’t want to see Renee La Pierre again. “I need a beer,” he told Stella, and went to the cooler to snag one. Then he went outside to get away from the smell of Bubba. He wasn’t surprised when Stella joined him. They sat in silence at the table while they waited for the witch.

  Skeeter cringed every time he heard a car coming. Three passed before Renee La Pierre pulled into Stella’s parking lot. Stella got up to leave, but Renee froze her with a stare. “Sit still, the both of you. I want you to see this.” The she turned and said, “Bubba, come out here.”

  Good luck with that, Skeeter thought. That boy can’t even get up on his own. To his surprise, Bubba staggered out of the catfish shack a few minutes later. His face was distorted by a grimace of pain and his right arm dangled uselessly at his side.

  “Sit” she commanded when Bubba reached the table. The big man fell, more than sat, on the ground next to the table. He looked from Stella to Skeeter as if pleading for them to help him.

  “This boy tried to defy me. I want you to see what would happen if either of you think of doing that.” Then she turned to Bubba. “Make a fist for me, boy.” The blacked hand immediately curled into a fist. “Now I want you to choke yourself with that hand.”

  Bubba strained not to do as she commanded, but the hand opened and grabbed his throat. A terrified whimper escaped Bubba’s lips when the fingers began to contract. It squeezed until the cords on his neck stood out like ropes. His left hand struggled with the right to pull it away from his throat, but the blacked hand refused to release its prize. Skeeter and Stella sat in stunned silence as Bubba’s face turned blue and he passed
out. His left hand released its grasp when he lost consciousness. The right continued to squeeze until Renee La Pierre said, “Enough, I may find a use for you yet.”

  Then she turned to Skeeter. “Don’t you have something to do?”

  Skeeter took that as his cue to get the hell out of there. “Yes, Ma’am,” he answered and headed toward Bubba’s truck. As he drove away he watched Renee La Pierre and Stella walk into the catfish shack. Bubba was still lying unmoving on the ground. Skeeter wasn’t sure if he was alive, or not.

  It shouldn’t be hard to find Lobo, Skeeter thought when he reached Bayou La Pointe. That red car of his should stick out like a sore thumb. I’ll just cruise through town until I find it. After driving down every street in Bayou La Pointe, Skeeter realized the task wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought it might be. He had no way of knowing that the car he was looking for was in New Orleans with Wolf and Charlotte.

  That’s it, I need something to eat and a beer, he thought, so he pulled into the Seven-Eleven. What the hell is a Seven-Eleven even doing in a town this small? The answer hit him when he went inside. They sold milk, eggs, bread, all sorts of shit besides beer and soda. They probably made a killing off folks who didn’t want to drive thirty miles to a Piggly Wiggly. It was just his luck that Wolf and Charlotte drove by while he was paying for his six-pack of beer and a grinder. When he left the store, their taillights had already disappeared in the distance. Fuck this, he thought as he sat in the Seven-Eleven’s parking lot. I’m done driving all over this fucking town looking for this guy. I’m just going to sit in this parking lot and wait for him to drive by. Ninty minutes later he was still there, working on his fourth beer, when the Torino pulled into the lot.

  Skeeter couldn’t believe his luck. After riding all over this town all day, Lobo pulls into the Seven-Eleven like an answer to a prayer. Gotcha, you prick. Then a chick got out of the car from the passenger side. Renee La Pierre’s gonna want know about this. Now I just have to follow them and find out where they both live. He didn’t have long to wait. The broad was back in less than five minutes. When Lobo pulled out of the lot, Skeeter pulled out after him. A few minutes later the Torino pulled into a side street. Skeeter didn’t follow. He could check that out tomorrow. Now he was going home with something to report to the witch — thank God. There was no way he wanted to end up like Bubba.

  24 – Old Ben

  Charlotte lay in bed pretending to be asleep while Melvin was in the bathroom. She could hear the shower running and she needed to pee, but the sooner she was up, the sooner he was going to want to head out to face Old Ben. Finally, when she could hold it no longer, she got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. She grabbed the doorknob and stopped. She was only wearing a T-shirt, but that didn’t bother her. Hell, they had slept naked last night. It was the thought of sitting on the toilet with Melvin in the same room that embarrassed her. And now the water had stopped and she could hear him getting out of the shower. She was going to have to force herself to wait.

  Five minutes later she couldn’t hold it any longer. “Melvin, I need to use the bathroom.”

  “Okay, be out in a minute,” he called back.

  “Melvin, I need to use it now.”

  “Oh, okay,” he answered, and emerged a minute later with shaving cream on his face and a towel wrapped around his waist. Collette barreled past him as soon as he cleared the door. She almost plopped down on the porcelain bowl before she noticed the seat was up. We’re going to have to make some rules about the bathroom, she thought as she lowered it.

  When she came back out, Melvin was already dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. The towel that had been wrapped around his waist was lying on the bed. Charlotte frowned and realized there was going to be more to this living together thing than she had imagined. It had been a long time since she had shared a house with a man. But that was a conversation that could wait for later — after the thing with Old Ben was over.

  “Let’s make the bed, then why don’t you make breakfast while I shower and get dressed?” she told him.

  “You go ahead and shower, I’ll make the bed. And you know Grandmere’s going to insist on making you breakfast when we get there.”

  “Oh, right. Well, how about just making some coffee. I can’t face another cup of hers.”

  “Good idea. I only drink it to keep her happy.”

  He’s going to make the bed. I wonder how that’s going to work out? She thought as she showered.

  When she came back out to the bedroom, she was amazed to find a perfectly made bed. The covers were tight, the corners squared and the pillows fluffed. Wow, if the Navy taught him that, I’m all for it.

  When Charlotte walked into the kitchen, the smell of coffee was definitely not filling the room. “What happened to the coffee?”

  “I thought we could stop at the Seven-Eleven and each get a large one to go. That way we won’t have to make excuses when we get to Grandmere’s.”

  “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

  “Oh, yeah. You know it.”

  When Wolf pulled into the Seven-Eleven, Charlotte started to get out. “That’s okay, I’ll get it. Black with one sugar, right?” Charlotte was surprised he remembered and nodded her head in agreement.

  When he came out, Wolf was carrying two large cups of coffee. A large glazed coffee roll was balanced on top of one of them. “What’s that for?” she asked when he handed her the cups.

  “Me. I’m going to need some extra energy today. Sugar and caffeine ... does it every time.”

  “What about breakfast at your grandmeres?”

  “Oh, I’ll have that too. This is just a starter.”

  “Well, you’d better finish it before we get there or she’ll be insulted.”

  “Don’t worry, I intend to.” He inhaled it in four bites on the drive over and, except for a few crumbs and bits of glaze clinging to his shirt, the entire thing was gone.

  “Come here, you’re a mess,” Charlotte said when they climbed out of the car at Grandmere’s. “Hold the coffee while I brush you off.” When she was satisfied most of the remains of the coffee role were gone, she turned and led him to the door. She was about to knock when Grandmere opened it and stood aside for them to enter.

  “Come in, come in. I got coffee …” Grandmere started to say, and then frowned when she saw the cups Wolf was carrying. “That’s awright — I drink it” she huffed “You want breakfast, or did you eat that too?”

  Charlotte answered with a smile. “Of course we want breakfast. We just stopped for coffee because I’m not fit to live with until I have my caffeine in the morning.”

  “Okay, then, go sit on da porch and I’ll get to cookin.”

  Charlotte’s heart sank when she saw the jon boat tied up on the bank below them. It drove home the fact that Melvin was actually going to ride off into the swamp to face Old Ben. Watching him fight the ghost in New Orleans had been bad enough, sitting here with his grandmere while he was out there was going to be horrible. She did her best to hide her fears, but Wolf either saw something in her face, or read something in her body language.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

  “I know you will,” she lied. “But don’t tell me not to worry. Of course I’m going to worry. I love you, you idiot. When are you going?”

  “Right after breakfast. I’ve waited too long already. I want to get this over with so we can get on with our lives.”

  Until I have to tell you about Renee La Pierre. She was rescued from dwelling on that thought when Grandmere appeared with two plates of scrambled eggs with peppers, onions and grits.

  “I’d have some catfish to go with this if someone would get me some,” she huffed when she set down the plates.

  “You’re joining us, aren’t you?” Charlotte asked.

  “Course I am. I just got to get mine.”

  Charlotte sat back to wait for her, but Wolf was already digging into his before s
he was back. “Melvin, where’s your manners, wait for you grandmere.”

  Chastised, he put down his fork. “I’m just anxious to get going.”

  “Ben will wait. Right now we’re all having a nice breakfast together.”

  He was about to answer when Grandmere came back onto the porch with her plate and a basket of buttermilk biscuits. “These was always Melvin’s favorites. I made them this mornin’, so they still nice and warm. I got sausage and gravy to go with them too.”

  Charlotte took one biscuit, but passed on the gravy. “I couldn’t possibly eat that much. Normally I just have a cup of coffee for breakfast.”

  Wolf had no problem adding two biscuits covered with gravy to his plate. “People up north don’t eat biscuits and gravy. Grits either. Fools.”

  Grandmere was shocked. “What do they eat if they don’t biscuits and gravy or grits?”

  “Home fries. Those are potatoes cooked on the grill. They’re good with grilled onions.”

  “Well, they don’t know what they is missin’.”

  “Agreed, but they have lobster, so it sort of evens out.”

  Charlotte was enjoying the conversation until Grandmere spoiled it. “How you gonna find that old haint.”

  Wolf glanced out over the bayou. “I think he’ll find me. It didn’t seem to be a problem the last time I was out there.”

  The talk of Old Ben ruined Charlotte’s appetite and she pushed her plate away. “If you’re going to do this, I guess you’d better get at it.”

  Wolf looked at her in surprise before pushing his plate away and standing up. “Right,” he answered.

  When he was gone, Charlotte turned to Grandmere. “Please tell me he’s going to be all right.”

  “That boy is strong, but so is that old haint. Melvin got a fight on his hands, that for sure. But if Mose say he ready, then he be ready. All we can do is wait here and pray for him.”

  Charlotte didn’t answer, she just watched Wolf get into his jon boat and head out into the bayou.