Crimson Falls (The Depravity Chronicles)

by Joshua Grove

  “I just talked to Dean. He and the others are on their way from the church. They had a finance committee meeting. He said that Father Matthew had left, not feeling well.”

  “Did you tell him that he ended up over here with Pastor Amy?”

  “Yeah, I filled him in. He was shocked, to say the least,” Janet said with a chuckle.

  “I bet he was,” Lisa added.

  “Have you seen Trevor?” Sam asked, looking around the station.

  “Yeah, he walked by here a while ago,” Janet said, nodding toward the break room behind her. “I imagine he’s gorging himself on pizza, as young boys tend to do.”

  “About how long ago was that?” Sam asked.

  Lisa’s smile faded.

  “I’m not sure,” Janet said, looking at Lisa’s face. “Do you remember?”

  “No, but it must have been a while ago,” Lisa said. “Why, Sam? What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Sam said as he shook his head. “I just haven’t seen him and wanted to make sure he was okay.”

  “Sure thing,” Janet said. “Oh, by the way, Sheriff Blackwood and the others are on their way back from the hospital.”

  “How’s Michael?” Sam asked.

  “He’s okay, just rattled,” Lisa answered. “He’s apparently coming back with them. Dr. Styles is tagging along to take care of him. Apparently Michael doesn’t want to miss any of the action.”

  “Neither did I,” Sam pointed out. “After what he’s been through, I don’t think he will be lying around in a hospital bed waiting for reports from the frontlines.”

  “Naturally,” Lisa said sarcastically, but smiled. Sam studied her expression and felt lucky to be married to such a strong woman. He knew she worried about him, but she gave him the latitude to do what he loved.

  “When did the sheriff leave?” he asked.

  “She will be back any minute,” Janet said. “Do you want me to call her?”

  “No, that’s not necessary. I will just talk to her when she gets back. Until then, I’ll check on Trevor.”

  When Sam turned around to go to the break room, Anna walked through the doors, followed by the tall Native American he had seen when Damien was showing him videos, then by Dr. Styles, and several cops.

  “Sam!” Jake said as he walked in behind Father Matthew. “Good to see you in one piece,” he said as he shook his hand.

  “And you as well,” Sam said, returning Jake’s welcome.

  “It’s been a hell of a night,” Jake said. “Have you heard?”

  “Yeah, I’m officially out of the hospital and in the loop,” Sam said with a grin.

  As the group moved toward Anna’s office, Sam went to the break room to see if Trevor was there. When he was nowhere to be found, he figured he was probably still outside where Sam had last talked to him. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to make sure Trevor was okay.

  Should I look for him? Should I tell Anna? Sam had learned to trust his instincts, so he walked outside to find him. Again, no sign of Trevor. He circled the station, hoping to find Trevor hanging out. Shit, even smoking a cigarette or something. Anything would be better than Trevor going missing.

  “Damn,” he growled. He didn’t want to have to tell Anna that her son was missing. Although Sam was confident that the shadow hadn’t come to the station or abducted Trevor, that didn’t mean that Trevor hadn’t wandered off and gotten himself in trouble. He saw the lights of the stadium at the high school.

  Could he have gone to the game? After what he had seen earlier, why would he have risked walking down the path in the dark? Sam looked up at the sky, dimly lit by the moon. He turned around and headed toward Anna’s office. He smiled at Tommy and Trisha who had joined Janet and Lisa at the front desk.

  “…vampires!” Michael was shouting as Sam approached. Sam closed the door behind him.

  “Vampires?” Sam repeated. Anna looked flabbergasted and irritated.

  Michael stared at Sam. “Yes, Sam. Vampires. I heard you were attacked, too. Did you see it?”

  “I saw a shadow running through the woods beside the cruiser,” he admitted.

  “And your ankles are black and blue?” Michael asked, noticing that Sam had a slight limp when he walked.

  “Yep, black and blue,” Sam said.

  “And did you think it was human?” Michael asked, almost in an accusatory tone.

  “Did I think it was human?” Sam knew he kept repeating what Michael was saying, but he had to weigh his responses so Michael wouldn’t grow more hysterical than he already was.

  “Michael!” Anna shouted. “Listen to me. I understand how you feel, but you losing your shit does not help us. Vampire or no vampire, if you can’t pull yourself together then I’m going to lock your ass up in a cell and you can freak out there.” Everyone stared at her, and Sam nodded at her to express his support.

  “I don’t know what it was, Michael, and we cannot be sure of a definitive answer at this point,” Sam said.

  “I agree,” the tall Native American commented.

  “I’m Sam,” Sam said as he walked up to introduce himself.

  “Anish, nice to meet you,” Anish said affably. “Michael, I am not saying you are wrong.” He scanned the faces gathered in the room. “There are many things in this world that cannot be explained by science or reason.”

  Sam looked at Jake, who he was sure would have something to say. But Jake remained silent, staring at his shoes. George was rolling his eyes, but George was the town idiot.

  “Sheriff!” a voice yelled from the other side of the door. Tim burst through the door with Geraldine, Aaron, and Ralph. Immediately following them were the three remaining officers on the force, Dean Lofton, his brother Dylan, and Peter Shoemaker. The sheriff’s office was getting crowded.

  Sam listened with growing alarm as Tim relayed the story of what had happened in the wine cellar. Jake then shared what had happened in the secret tunnel behind the library, and Damien explained what they had seen on the cameras, with occasional interruptions from Jake, who had actually experienced it.

  “Holy shit!” Dean exclaimed, while Dylan and Peter shook their heads. “And to think we were stuck at a finance meeting,” he said as he looked at Father Matthew, who winked and smiled.

  “Okay, now that everyone is on the same page, here’s what’s going to happen,” Anna shouted. “We have to return to the Brickton estate. That seems to be the epicenter of activity. We need to stock up on weapons and anything else that might come in handy.” Anna looked around the room. “Jake, Ralph, Damien, go to the closet and load up the Berettas and Winchesters. Grab everything. And I do mean everything.” Damien nodded and they left the room. Sam knew that something unspoken had just occurred between Anna and Damien. Sam made a mental note to ask Anna what that was about.

  “Sheriff, if I may?” Sam offered. She gestured to give him the floor. “I think we need to gather civilians and form a perimeter around the Brickton house.”

  Anna looked at the floor, deep in thought.

  “I think that is a good idea,” Tim added. “Many of us have brothers and cousins who can come armed and ready to help.”

  “And sisters,” Geraldine added defiantly. “My sister can kick your ass!” she said to Tim. A few people chuckled.

  “Okay, but we need to keep this as quiet as we can,” Anna said. She knew, as did Sam, that keeping something on the down low in a small town was next to impossible.

  “Make sure to tell them that if they tell anyone what’s happening, and people start to congregate around the woods, then dead bodies will start piling up,” Anna continued. “It may sound dismal, but it will keep most everyone quiet. And if you drive that point home, I think their first instinct will be to protect their families.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement. Sam was pleased that Anna was coming into her own as sheriff. Nothing shows what you’re made of better than a crisis, he mused.

  “Make the calls,” Anna sa
id. “But only call two people you know can defend themselves, and make sure they’re people you can trust. If something goes wrong, or word gets out, I will find out who did it and there will be hell to pay.” Sounds of agreement and understanding filled the room. “Tim, go tell Janet and let her know she may be manning the phones for a while. Also let Damien and the others know. They’ll have a few people they can call. Have everyone come to the Brickton estate. Damien will stay here to man the cameras. It will be good to have those eyes. We will post a few of you outside in the driveway with the dogs to make sure we get people out of their cars safely.”

  “Tell Damien to call Stan and have him bring some floodlights,” Sam said to Tim. “I know him well. He has more than enough light so we can make it as bright as day in the yard. That way nothing is going to get past us, not if there are three dozen of us.” Anna nodded to Tim.

  “Michael, I need you to stay here with David,” Anna said firmly. Sam knew he wouldn’t like that order.

  “Sheriff, I’m coming,” Michael declared.

  “No, you’re not. I need you to stay here with Janet and take care of the phones. I am sure there will be some hype about this, so I need you to be my eyes and ears at the station.” Sam flinched when Anna said ‘eyes,’ considering Michael only had one good eye left.

  “But Sheriff,” Michael insisted, but Anna remained firm.

  “This conversation is over, Michael. If you disobey and I hear that you’ve left Janet here alone, then you can start looking for another job. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Michael said, defeated.

  “Now, go see Janet and have her forward some of the lines to the backup switchboard.” Michael left without further argument with David following close behind.

  “Sheriff, what should we do?” Dean Lofton asked, standing beside his brother and Peter.

  “Go help the others load the cruisers with the weapons and the dogs. When everything is ready to go, come back and let me know and we’ll get going.”

  “Sounds good,” Dean said.

  Anna turned to Matthew, Amy, and Anish. She threw Matthew her keys. “Go ahead and get in my cruiser. I’ll be there in a minute.” They left without saying a word.

  Once everyone had left, leaving only Sam and Anna, he spoke. “Sheriff, if I could speak with you for a moment,” Sam said.

  “What’s up?” Anna said.

  “I don’t want to alarm you, boss, but I think Trevor may have left the station.”

  “What?” Anna said, panic in her voice. “Son of a bitch!” she yelled. “Tommy!”

  Tommy ran into the office. “What?” he said, also panic-stricken.

  “Where’s your brother?”

  “I think he’s in the break room,” Tommy said.

  “No, he isn’t. Sam said he isn’t anywhere in the building or outside.”

  Tommy looked in all directions, as if he expected to find Trevor hiding in the corner.

  “Oh, God, Mom. I’m so sorry!”

  “It’s not your fault,” Sam said.

  “Not at all, honey,” Anna agreed. “You aren’t your brother’s keeper. I’m sure he’s around. He’ll be fine. I need you and your sister to come in here and get back to your homework.”

  “But I’m done my homework, Mom, and so is Trisha.”

  Anna was flustered. “Then read your book, Thomas. I need you guys here and I need to know you’re safe.”

  “You got it,” Tommy said as he went to fetch Trisha. Damien passed him as he entered the office.

  “Sheriff, we have a problem,” he alerted her.

  “What now?” Anna huffed.

  “There are some things missing from the closet,” he said.

  Anna sprinted across her office to her desk. She opened the drawer, rooted through it, and slammed it so hard it splintered. “My keys are gone.”

  “Anna,” Sam said. He knew Trevor must have stolen the keys, confiscated weapons, and left to become a hero.

  “There’s more,” Damien continued.

  “Of course there is,” Anna said as she shook her head.

  “Our, uh, our bullets are also missing.” Surprise, shock, and anger flashed across Anna’s face.

  “What bullets?” Sam asked. He figured this was what Damien and Anna were thinking about a moment earlier.

  “Silver bullets,” Anna confided. Now it was Sam’s turn to have shock dance across his face.

  “Silver bullets?” he repeated. “Are you shitting me?”

  “Sheriff Kelly,” Damien said. “They’ve been here for going on twenty years now.”

  “Ron Kelly had a lot of superstitions ever since the killings of 1990,” Anna said.

  “Superstitions like what? Werewolves?” Sam asked, almost embarrassed by his own question. He thought of Trevor and his question when they had been standing outside.

  “Do you know what else a silver bullet would be for?” Damien asked.

  “Vampires, for one,” Michael said as he came back into the room. “At least that’s what happens on HBO. It doesn’t kill them, but it sure as hell slows them down.”

  “This is madness!” Anna cried. “Are all the bullets gone?”

  “No, but about half of them are,” Damien said.

  “He took 400 rounds?” Anna shouted.

  “He? Who’s he?” Damien asked.

  “Trevor,” Anna sighed.

  “Well, there is one piece of news that could be positive,” Damien said as he walked toward Anna.

  “And what would that be?”

  “He also took two radios with him. So if he has them, and they’re turned on, we can reach him.”

  “Okay, keep packing up the closet and bring it with us. Bring it all, even the hand grenades.”

  “Good God!” Sam cried. “You have grenades? Surely you mean smoke bombs.”

  “If we have silver bullets, are you really surprised that we have grenades?” Anna asked. “We’re not your typical small town. And Sam, I think you knew that when you came here.”

  It was true, Sam did know. His ancestors came from Crimson Falls. Sam was, after all, half Chippewa. Or, as they are also known, Ojibwe.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Family Matters

  1

  “How are we going to track its blood when we can’t see shit in the dark?” Simon asked. “Plus, we don’t even know what werewolf blood really looks like.”

  “”Then let’s find out,” Trevor said, walking toward the spot where the shadow had been standing when they shot it. He pulled a flashlight from the bag and shined it around the area.

  “I’m keeping watch,” Simon said, both guns still drawn.

  Trevor continued to search for drops or puddles of blood but found nothing.

  Didn’t we hit it? I know we did. He was confused why it hadn’t bled.

  “Uh, we do know that werewolves bleed, right?” Trevor asked.

  “Of course they do,” Simon said matter-of-factly.

  “And we hit it at least once, right?”

  “There’s no way we could’ve missed at that range, especially considering it didn’t move.”

  “Well, there’s no sign of any freaking blood. Nowhere.”

  “That can’t be possible,” Simon said.

  “You wanna look yourself?” Trevor snapped.

  “It’s not that I don’t believe you, dude,” he shot back. “I’ve just never heard of a werewolf not bleeding. I mean, I know their blood clots faster than ours, so it doesn’t lose nearly as much blood.”

  “And if you hit him with the Beretta, then the silver should’ve at least hurt him more,” Trevor pointed out.

  “Yeah, but if we didn’t hit it in the heart or the head then it may hurt like a bitch, but doesn’t really phase him as far as bleeding goes.”

  Trevor nodded in agreement. Then he made a somewhat frightening realization. “Shit, dude. If it’s a vampire we’re screwed. Silver apparently doesn’t work, and we don’t have wooden bullets or stakes. No cro
sses, no holy water. No garlic.”

  “Okay, vampire encyclopedia,” Simon interrupted. He paused, then had nothing to say.

  “Yeah? You were saying?” Trevor shrugged.

  “Then I guess you’re right,” Simon confessed. “We’re screwed.”

  “That’s helpful,” Trevor groaned.

  “You’re the one that said it, dumbass.” Simon put the flare gun in the front of his pants and crossed his arms.

  “Nice watch keeping there, Simon,” Trevor joked.

  “What do you think we should do?” Simon asked.

  “I think we need to think for a minute.”

  “You know, I would prefer to not get killed while we sit and chat about the thousand ways we are totally fudged right now,” Simon quipped.

  “Fudged?” Trevor laughed.

  “Whatever.”

  “Dude!” Trevor cried. “I can’t think when you keep bitching!”

  “I say we turn around. Like, right now,” Simon pleaded.

  As he turned to leave, the shadow dropped from the tree above them and landed in front of Simon. Trevor watched as he fell on his ass. He pulled the Winchester into position as quickly as he could, but it had already disappeared.

  “Flare!” Trevor yelled. Simon immediately pulled out his flare gun while Trevor prepared to fire at anything that moved. “Try and shoot at least five flares into the trees. Open your bag and get more. I’ve got you covered.”

  As Simon shot the first flare, then the second, Trevor waited for the beast to charge them. After Simon had shot six flares, the immediate area where they were standing had become bright with fire.

  “There!” Simon yelled, shooting the flare gun toward a shadow that was moving outside of the light. He then pulled the Beretta as Trevor took another shot then picked up the second Winchester.

  Boom!

  Pow!

  Pow/Boom!

  Pow!

  Boom!

  Whoosh!

  “Shoot your flares!” Simon yelled. Trevor pulled the gun and shot a flare in the same direction.

  Whoosh! He reloaded.

  Whoosh!

  The light from the first flares had begun to fade.