Crimson Falls (The Depravity Chronicles)

by Joshua Grove

  “Hello?” Anna gestured to Anish that they would return to the conversation after she spoke with Aaron. Figuring he might have more distressful news, she walked out of the room and then exited the building. She noticed Father Matthew and Pastor Amy were standing nearby, lost in conversation.

  “What’s up?” Anna asked.

  “I didn’t want to contact you over the radio,” Aaron said.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Lionel has been, well, he’s been taken.”

  Anna was confused. “Taken?” she repeated.

  “Yes, and we found a dead body under the wine cellar.”

  “Whoa,” Anna said sharply. “Who’s we and what body?”

  “I’m in Geraldine’s cruiser with her, Tim, and Ralph. We’re on our way back to the station to regroup. We need you there.”

  Anna put her free hand over her face and exhaled deeply. “Is Lionel alive?”

  “We don’t know,” Aaron said. Anna could hear someone trying to take Aaron’s phone in the background.

  “Sheriff?” Tim’s voice said loudly.

  “Tim, yes. Talk to me.”

  “It’s unlikely that Lionel is alive, but if he is then he’s probably tied up like Michael was. We tried to go down into the tunnel after him, but we were attacked by…” He paused. “By some sort of shadow man.”

  “Shadow man?” Anna repeated, still not sure what to make of it. First the vampire conversation and now this. Things were getting downright weird.

  “I can’t explain it over the phone,” Tim urged. “Is there any way you could meet us back at the station? How’s Michael? What’s he saying?”

  “First, yes, I am heading back to the station momentarily. Second, Michael is in good hands.”

  “What’s he saying?” he asked again. Anna considered whether or not she should tell him, then decided to do what Tim had done.

  “We’ll talk about it when I get there,” she said, and hung up the phone. She turned around and was face to face with Father Matthew.

  “Some interesting turn of events?” Matthew observed.

  “Yes, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you yet,” Anna said.

  “There are some things you need to know, Anna,” he said.

  “I am sure there are, but right now we need to head back to the station.”

  “We?” he asked, surprised.

  “Yes, we. For better or worse, you’re in this now. And I would imagine that I might need you again at some point.”

  “We’re here for you, Sheriff,” Amy said as she joined them.

  “Wait here,” Anna said. “I’ll get the others.”

  Anna walked back into the room where the others were still chattering. Jake met her in the doorway.

  “Anna, what the hell is going on?” he asked. “And since when do we allow professors and priests to join the force?”

  Anna’s face became hard and stern. “We will talk about this when we get back to the station. And you will refrain from questioning my judgment.”

  Jake flinched. “Of course,” he said. Anna knew he was only agreeing because he had his own aspirations and didn’t want to rock the boat unless it scored him points.

  “We need to get back to the station,” Anna announced to the room.

  “I’m coming with you,” Michael said forcefully.

  “I think it’s best that you stay here,” Anna suggested.

  “There’s no way in hell I am sitting here like a damn invalid,” Michael shouted. “I’ve got a score to settle.”

  “Yes, I know,” Anna said. “That’s why I can’t have you losing your temper and putting people in danger.”

  Michael pursed his lips, arguing with himself about what to say next. Before he could speak, Anna put her hand up.

  “Listen. You can come back to the station with us. You’re probably safer there anyway.” She looked at the doctors. “Is he okay to be released?”

  “He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s stable. I don’t recommend it, but…” the doctor was cut off by David.

  “I can take care of him,” David said to Anna.

  “Fine,” she said. “Now let’s get going. We still have a lot to do. The football game is probably over by now and that means there are people outside and they could be in danger.”

  No one dared challenge her. They waited patiently as David saw to Michael’s wounds and loaded his bag with medical supplies.

  A few moments later, as a group, they left the hospital and loaded into the cruisers. As Anna drove David, Anish, Matthew, and Amy toward the station, she wondered what the night was going to bring. She got the feeling that everything she believed in was about to be challenged. They drove in uncomfortable silence. At least it was uncomfortable for Anna. There were many questions she wanted to ask her passengers, knowing they were more informed about these sorts of things than she.

  Sam might have some insight, she thought to herself. He was quite intelligent, had vast experience, and handled himself well. Fear, anticipation, and a glimmer of excitement swam in her stomach like a school of fish.

  “Are we there yet?” Matthew hollered, acting like an impatient child. Everyone laughed, lifting some of the tension that had been building since the insanity began.

  There was a small part of Anna that wished they would never arrive at the station. If only she could keep driving. Keep driving to a faraway place where she could relax by a swimming pool with a glass of wine. A place where perhaps she could be reunited with her missing husband.

  * * * * * *

  2

  When Simon returned with food in hand, Trevor shifted in his seat and faced him.

  “Thanks,” he said as Simon tossed him a double cheeseburger. Trevor took his large soda and gulped almost half of it in one sitting.

  “Damn, dude,” Simon laughed.

  “It was a long walk to the school,” Trevor complained. He took a gigantic bite of his burger and washed it down with another quarter of his drink.

  “So what’s the plan, bro?” Simon asked. Trevor noticed a sparkle in his eye, and his excitement grew to epic proportions.

  “Well, I think we should start by going to the Laundromat.”

  “What?” Simon asked, baffled.

  “It’s close to the Brickton estate and we can park there without anyone noticing us. There are probably still cops crawling around the old mansion, so we will want to steer clear of them as best we can.”

  “That makes sense. So when we get to the Laundromat, then what?”

  “Well, then we make our way into the woods.”

  “Wait,” Simon said, holding up his cheeseburger in protest. “You mean the same woods where that cop was taken? The same woods where Sheriff Kelly’s body was thrown at a bunch of cops?”

  “Yeah, Simon. Where did you think we were going?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I just didn’t think about it.”

  “We’ve gone hunting together with my dad,” Trevor reminded him. “We are good shots, and we know how to do it. Why would we go hunting where there isn’t any game to kill?”

  “I suppose,” Simon said as he looked at Trevor cautiously. Trevor trusted in Simon’s cautious nature. It had saved him a few times before, and this time it might just save his life.

  “Look, we’ll be fine. We have everything we need.”

  “Let’s see what’s in those bags,” Simon said, the sparkle returning. He started to reach behind his seat, but Trevor pulled his arm back.

  “Jesus!” Trevor said. “Not here. There’s tons of people around. It’ll be safer at the Laundromat. Let’s go.”

  “Can I finish my burger?” Simon asked, irritated by Trevor rushing him.

  “We’re about to embark on an epic werewolf hunt, and you’re worried about burgers?”

  “Some of us weren’t sitting around on our asses at the police station,” Simon reminded him as a piece of burger fell from his lips. They both laughed. “What? I was hungry.”<
br />
  “Then eat while we drive,” Trevor demanded. Simon turned the ignition and they headed toward the outskirts of town.

  “What are you looking at?” Simon asked once they had been driving for a few minutes.

  “I’m looking for the shadow, of course,” Trevor declared.

  “Shadow?” Simon repeated.

  “The werewolf, dumbass.”

  “Right. Hey, maybe you could try not being a douche while we’re hunting tonight?”

  “Sorry,” Trevor said. He always had fun with Simon, who was both smarter and funnier than Trevor.

  They drove for another few moments in silence.

  “Well, do you see anything?” Simon asked, excitement in his voice.

  “Nah, nothing yet. I think he’s probably in the woods close to the house.”

  After what seemed like an eternity, but was really no more than ten minutes, they arrived at the Laundromat.

  “I’ll park behind the deli where the delivery truck goes,” Simon said as he pulled into the parking lot.

  “Good thinking.”

  After they parked, the two teenagers climbed into the backseat so Simon could check out the weapons.

  “Flare guns!” Simon cried. “Good thinking. Let’s hope the shadow is afraid of fire.”

  “Right? And check this out. Silver bullets.”

  Simon’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit!” He took one of the bullets out of the box and rolled it around in his fingers. “Whoa.”

  Trevor unzipped the bag with the Winchesters. “Now, check this out.”

  “Dude!” Simon picked one up and studied it.

  “Put that down!” Trevor whispered as he pushed Simon’s hands down. “Someone might see us.”

  “Oh, and we won’t look suspicious getting out of the car with duffle bags and wandering into the woods.”

  “We’re teenagers,” Trevor said with a wink. “They won’t think anything of it. They’ll just think we’re hiking or something.”

  “Or something,” Simon said as he rolled his eyes. “Okay, let’s close these up and get moving.”

  “I like it when you take charge,” Trevor said in a mocking tone.

  “Shut up, dick,” Simon shot back. “I’ll take the lighter one since you think you’re so friggin’ tough.”

  “As if you could handle the load,” Trevor grinned.

  “I will shoot you so fast you’ll wish the werewolf had gotten you first. Now give me a Beretta before we get out. Do you still have the one in your pants?”

  Both boys laughed, as only teenagers can.

  “I forgot to ask, what’s with the radio?” Simon asked.

  “Just in case we need to call my mom.”

  Simon laughed. “That’s rich.”

  “Well, she is the sheriff.”

  “True that,” Simon acknowledged.

  They trudged down the length of the connected buildings and stood at the opening of the woods.

  “It’s really dark,” Simon said in a hush.

  “That’s because it’s nighttime.”

  Simon sniffed. “Oh, is it? I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Well, it’s now or never,” Trevor said.

  Simon pulled his Beretta from the back of his pants. Trevor pulled his from the front. Simon rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing you didn’t shoot your dick off.”

  “Well, you’re the sharpshooter.” They laughed nervously, trying to fill the silence of the forest with crude jokes. After about a minute, both boys stopped and knelt to the ground.

  “Here,” Simon said, thrusting a flare gun and two flares into Trevor’s hands. “Put this down your pants and remember not to hurt yourself.”

  “Hey, this was supposed to be my hunting trip,” Trevor griped. “I am the older brother in this storyline.”

  Simon grabbed a Winchester, loaded two shells, pumped it, and smiled at Trevor. “In your dreams.” He handed his Beretta to Trevor. “You take both of these. They each have ten silver bullets in the chambers.”

  “I know how many it holds!” Trevor yelled. “And I will keep the Winchester. You couldn’t shoot a mountain with that shotgun.”

  “I do just fine,” Simon disagreed. “But you are the better shot with bigger guns.” He laid the shotgun down in front of Trevor and took the Berettas. “Safety off?”

  “Yeah,” Trevor said. He picked up the Winchester. “Here,” he said as he pointed toward the bag with the remaining flares. “Take one of these, too. Just in case I can’t use mine.”

  “Good idea,” Simon agreed. They stood up, each taking a bag and throwing it across their shoulders.

  “You ready?” Trevor asked eagerly.

  “Let’s do it.”

  The forest was strangely quieter than usual. Trevor was positive that the werewolf had spooked the woodland creatures. With each step they took, twigs snapped and leaves crunched.

  “I wish they would invent shoes that didn’t make sound,” Simon said.

  “I think gravity is the problem, not our shoes,” Trevor said.

  Suddenly they heard something moving through the trees about twenty feet ahead of them. Trevor raised the Winchester and Simon held a flare gun in one hand and a Beretta in the other. They stood their ground and waited for the werewolf to charge them. The movement abruptly ceased, and silence again reigned in the forest.

  “What do you think?” Simon whispered.

  Trevor shook his head wildly. “It can hear us, and understand us. We don’t want to tip our hand.”

  Out of the darkness a shadow walked toward them.

  Pow!

  The shot from the Beretta sang through the trees and several things happened at once. Whatever Simon had shot tried to turn and run, but collapsed onto the ground. Twigs began snapping all around them and leaves fell from the tree above them.

  “What the hell, dude?” Trevor shouted.

  Whoosh!

  The flare sailed straight across their field of vision and got stuck in the branches of a tree. Under the light emanating from the fire they could see what Simon had shot. It was a large doe.

  “That’s great if we wanted some deer meat,” Trevor complained. “Now it knows where we are.”

  Out of the blue they heard something moving in the trees above them.

  “There’s no way that’s a squirrel or raccoon,” Simon said as he looked above them. “Should I use another flare?”

  “No! By the time we find the werewolf we won’t have any flares or silver bullets left. And werewolves are good tree climbers.”

  Trevor was frustrated, but it was understandable. After all, he almost wasted one of the shotgun shells on that doe. Simon was just the first to flinch.

  “Didn’t you say that the sheriff’s body fell out of the trees?”

  “Yeah. Maybe you’re right. We should shoot a flare.”

  “Don’t need to tell me twice,” Simon said as he raised the flare gun. He fired into the air above them. What it revealed made them both shriek. The shadow was perched on a branch not thirty feet above their heads. When it saw the flare it screeched and leapt onto the ground in front of them.

  Boom!

  Boom!

  The Winchester thundered as it kicked back against Trevor’s arm. Again, the shadow shrieked.

  Pow!

  Pow!

  As Simon shot the Beretta, the shadow fell to its knees.

  “I hit it! I hit it!” Simon shouted.

  “Shoot it again!” Trevor yelled.

  Boom!

  Pow!

  Boom/Pow!

  Whoosh! The flare barely missed the shadow. It stood back up and everyone froze. Both Trevor and Simon could hear its heavy, labored breathing. As quickly as the episode began, it was over. The shadow vanished into the woods. They could hear its sounds fading as it ran into the distance.

  “Holy shit! Jesus Christ!” Trevor screamed. “Did you see that?”

  “No, I wasn’t paying attention. Of course I saw it!” Simon hollered with excitem
ent and fear. “Did you get a good look at it?”

  “A little,” Trevor said. “But not long enough to really see what it looked like. But I know one thing. It was huge, like maybe almost seven feet tall.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Simon said. “But when I shot the flare I swear to God I saw huge, red eyes. And, like, a big mouth.”

  “So you think it was a werewolf?” Trevor asked.

  “Not sure, but I know one thing for sure. It wasn’t human.”

  “No way, couldn’t be human,” Trevor agreed. “I can’t believe it. We almost killed it. Like, I know we must have hit it at least once!”

  “We’ve done something that those cops weren’t able to do. And we didn’t even run.” Simon was now as invested in the hunt as Trevor.

  “That’s because we have something they don’t,” Trevor said proudly.

  “What’s that?”

  Knowledge of dark creatures.”

  “True that,” Simon sang.

  “Let’s kill this bastard.”

  Together they prowled through the woods, trying to find the trail of blood that would lead to the shadow’s lair.

  * * * * * *

  3

  When Sam had finished watching the video and was brought up to speed, he slapped Damien’s back and sighed.

  “Well, that’s not something you see every day.”

  “Unbelievable,” Damien said. “But I guess we have no choice but to believe it.”

  “I’m going to find out what’s going on outside,” Sam said as he walked into Anna’s office. “Hey guys,” he said to Tommy and Trisha.

  “Hi, Sam,” Tommy said, putting his book on the table. “So what do you think?”

  “Good question,” Sam replied. “It’s hard to say at this point.” Sam didn’t want to say too much to them, concerned they might become frightened for their mother, or themselves. “Where’s Trevor?”

  “Who knows,” Tommy said, shrugging his shoulders. “He can’t stay still too long. He gets bored.” Sam nodded, wondering what kind of trouble Trevor’s boredom could cause.

  I hope he didn’t do something stupid, he thought to himself. Sam approached Janet, who looked up and smiled.

  “Have you managed to get in touch with the other guys?” he asked, leaning on her desk and smiling at Lisa.