by Chris Hechtl
“Welcome to the Santa Brigade then,” Nick said with a chuckle as he shook Charles's hand. “Happy Birthday.”
“Best birthday ever,” Charles replied with a grin.
The End
The Pack
Shirley Pride: Protagonist, deputy sheriff
Matt: Fiancé of Shirley, son of the sheriff
Sandra Waltz: Doctor of genetic engineering at the Preserve
Richard Branch: Giles County Sheriff, Virginia
Betty: The sheriff's wife and Matt's mother
Sadnir Bouchard: Head of security at the Preserve
Norris: Preserve outer perimeter security guard, retired cop
Bobby Thorn: Mousy female forensic tech
Earl: Deputy sheriff near retirement, laid back, pot belly
Molly: Lab tech
Eddie: Dispatcher
Jessie: Twin brother to Jerry, junior deputy sheriff, also junior animal control officer
Jerry: Twin brother to Jessie, junior deputy sheriff.
Phillip Fitzroy: Great white hunter
Jack Tate: Expert hunter, mustache, British as well, assistant to Fitzroy
Doctor Aaliyah Rowland: Ornithologist, female friend of Matt
Monica: Female dispatcher.
Mister Calvin Wallace: Chief Warden, chief game warden of the Preserve
Chuck: Animal control officer, on vacation
Brenda: Coroner
Jed: Tow truck driver, gas station owner
Dr. Smitley: Local elderly doctor
Prologue
They were running out of time. The alpha male knew it; the hunters were the hunted. Two of their number had been cut down in the last ambush. They had stopped to get a drink of water and think. That had been the undoing of two of their number; the alpha had forgotten that a watering hole was the best place to hunt. He was unused to being the hunted.
He looked around trying to understand the tailless soft skinned ones, how they thought. Somehow they were being tracked. He could scent them on the wind; some were behind but others were attempting to circle around. He slowed his stride, and the others did the same. His nostrils flared in the air, scenting for the hunters. Finally he determined that the tailless ones were coming from upwind. He shook himself then clacked his jaws as he changed direction. That was pathetic form for a predator.
When they got to a puddle at the top of a muddy slope, he stopped for a moment to think and drink. His mate bent to drink from the puddle. Her long tongue lapped at the muddy water. She shifted about to allow others of the pack in to drink as well. Her leg slipped on the slippery mud slope, and the band around her leg jiggled.
The alpha's eye caught it like a magnet and held on. He cocked his head this way and that, studying the band then looked down to the one around his own leg. He could sense a faint something coming from it. From others as well. He lifted his foot and nuzzled the thing with the tip of his nose. Then he turned his long head to the others in the pack.
Each of them had them, bands of dark material around their right or left leg. They had them since birth, and he'd forgotten them. For the most part, it was taken for granted that they were there and therefore ignored, until now. He tried to touch his but couldn't quite reach, even with his claws and leg extended.
His mate looked up as he came over and touched her band with his claw. She moved her leg away after a moment of feeling uncomfortable. He gently stroked her muzzle with his, then touched the band once more. She danced away but a clack of his jaw and soft clucking sound of a reprimand made her stop. Gently he extended a claw. A few flicks with the claw was all it took to get the thing off.
He extended his leg, and she cocked her head at him. He rumbled, then touched her band with his toe claw, now in the leaves and mud of the shoreline, then he extended his leg once more. She cocked her head but got the message. Her claws flicked, and the band was off.
One by one the pack removed the bands. The omega female was reluctant, but a sharp cuff and reprimand made her cower to the ground in full submission. She extended her leg, and the alpha female cut it off. She looked up in concern, but he ignored her.
With the bands on the ground, they turned to the sounds of brush moving. The tables had turned. Now the hunters were the hunted.
The hated tailless ones didn't know that. At least … not yet. The alpha signaled for them to move into the bush once more.
Chapter 1
Deputy Sheriff Shirley Pride smiled as her right hand fingered the ring on a chain between her breasts. She drove carefully mindful of the many potholes along route 613's side trails and roads. The county really should do something about these sometime she thought, then as always forgot about it. Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror then back to the road ahead.
Her right hand dropped to her side and then her lap. Her partner, Earl, was snoozing in his truck when she pulled up. She shook her head ruefully at the sight, not that it wasn't expected. He even had his boots propped up on the passenger side of the dashboard. He didn't even tip his hat up to look as her tires crunched nearby.
She shook her head once more in resignation and fought a grin. Earl, he always found out-of-the-way places to snooze when he should be on duty. She leaned out the truck window and tapped his.
“Yeah? What’d ‘ya want, Shirley?” he asked. She snorted. So much for being asleep apparently, she thought. Score one for Earl.
“I was wondering if you'd swap with me next week.”
“No can do, girly. I'm booked solid.” He tipped his head back, then his hat with one thumb. He took the cowboy hat off and ran his hand through the thin silver. “Boss man said no more overtime, remember?”
“I'm not talking about a … oh, never mind.” She waved it off feeling the disappointment. She'd picked out a short black leather miniskirt to go to the club. For now it would have to remain in the back of her closet. Out of sight, out of mind, she thought briefly.
“Anything happening?” she asked, turning to business.
“Nope. Quiet as a tomb,” Earl said.
“Just the way you like it,” Shirley teased, chuckling.
“Aye-yup,” Earl replied with a nod. “I like to keep it that way. Another three months and I'm retired.”
Shirley snorted. “You old goat, I thought you were going to fossilize in that seat.”
“Hardly. Damned thing needs new padding or something,” Earl said, squirming a bit. “I got me a fishing hole all staked out. Been building a retirement cabin nearby during my vacation time.”
“Oh,” Shirley shrugged it off. “Well, three months isn't bad I suppose. At least it's not three years,” she said.
Earl shook his head. “Tell me about it.”
Shirley had been a marine right out of high school. She'd bought the whole “we'll send you to college if you take five years with us. No combat tour needed.” Instead, she'd done three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan before she'd had her fill of the sandbox.
They'd tried to keep her on, crap about retention, but she'd made it clear she'd wanted out. It's kind of hard to get a criminal degree when you're getting shot at on the other side of the world.
Working as an MP had been an interesting experience. Now ten years later she had no regrets about getting out. She'd returned to her old stomping grounds and signed on to the community college two years ago. She'd taken her courses but had met Matt in the process. Matt and his father, Richard Branch, the Giles county sheriff, had needed female deputies so she'd signed up. Well, after Matt had taken his time to court and convince her to see reason. She'd held out for a while just to see what … incitements he'd use to get her to follow his lead.
Truly, Matt had been the reason she'd become a deputy sheriff. She wanted to be with him, and she'd wanted some sort of job in justice. She'd been resigned to the idea of being a bailiff or correctional officer until he had come alone. Soon he would be her husband. And more, she thought as she rubbed her tummy once.
“Been up near the Preserve late
ly?” she asked carefully. The Preserve was a walled-off slice of prime forest real estate. There was some rumors of some strange goings-on there. Private parties she knew about. And they were occasionally called to chase away the teens who liked to party out there.
“Nope,” Earl drawled. He eyed her. “Let sleeping dogs lie, Shirley. Surely you know that by now,” he told her with a shake of his head as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and got comfortable once more.
“Cute.”
“Huh? Oh.” Earl shook his head.
“All right, you old fart, I'll go hit the high road. See you in a bit.”
Earl saluted her with two fingers, then drove off the way she had come. She shook her head and went off on patrol. Earl could be counted on for some things, but she had to question herself about whether he'd done a recent patrol or not.
As she bumped around the roads, she thought about the past.
Matt was a great guy. They'd dated briefly in high school, but when they'd broken it off over a stupid teenage tiff, she'd run away from town with the marines. Now things had changed.
He was going to have to shit or get off the pot now, she thought to herself. Two years for an engagement was plenty long enough. Damned plenty long enough, she wasn't going to wait forever! She wanted to settle down, she thought wryly. And with what she found out that morning ….
She blushed, one hand drifting to her tummy before a rock made her grab the wheel with both hands again. It was his father's fault really. He'd kept them apart on opposite shifts and opposite patrols since he heard they were dating. He always had an eye on one or the other of them. The only time they’d been able to hook up last week had been all to brief, if intense. She grinned. Matt still had the scratches and bite marks. He liked to complain about them, but she knew he was pulling her leg. All guys liked them. Battle scars they called it.
She blushed a little, smiling. She fingered the cuffs on her hip. It had been fun though, kinky fun near the end. Maybe she could arrange a safety stop on him sometime in retaliation, she thought to herself with a grin. Traffic stops now had a whole new meaning for her. This time he was going to be on the receiving end though.
<)>~^^~<(>/
Vanessa knew Pete was trying to get into her pants but didn't care. She liked the guy. He'd helped her with her algebra, and she wanted to keep him away from Gloria. The bitch always went after any guy Vanessa had staked out for herself.
The other teens were having a noisy party around the bonfire. They loved to torment the prick assholes in the Preserve. Besides, the trails leading to the Preserve were the best to drive on. Pete grinned at her and led her off to the bushes. They fell in a giggling tangle, rolling about before she got up and led him on a merry chase. He grinned wickedly when she stuck her tongue out at him and followed.
She hugged the side of the Preserve wall, staying in its shadows. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Pete cajoled, hunting her. She grinned, ready to turn the tables on him. All she needed to do is get behind him, and she'd pounce on his back. She frowned. She could of course let him catch her, but what fun was that? It was a lot more fun to show him he wasn't in charge of the situation.
She slowed when she heard voices on the other side of the wall. She climbed a nearby tree, as much as to see what was going on in the oh-so-secret Preserve as to hide from Pete. She saw flashlights on the other side of the Preserve wall. One light illuminated a body. She gasped and nearly fell out of the tree. She sat up and stared as she saw the bodies. Then she looked about her, suddenly intent on getting out of there before the people saw her. She took out her camera and took some photos and video. She wasn't sure if it would come out in the dark though. She heard some birds nearby. She looked about nervously. Suddenly she didn't want to be alone. Pete had to be near; she had to get down before he wandered too far away.
She almost fell on her way down. Pete pounced on her, making her scream in surprise.
“Gotcha!” He laughed, wrapping his arms around her.
She shivered. He caught her changed mood and looked at her. “What?”
“Something's going on,” she said, voice shaky.
“Oh come on,” he whined, thinking it was some sort of excuse.
She shook her head. “I'm serious, Pete. We need to call the cops.”
“The cops? Why?”
“Because a bunch of bodies are right on the other side of the wall. Some people got torn apart,” she said, voice quivering with fear. “And if we're not careful, we'll be next,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket. He scowled at her. When he opened his mouth to object, she shoved the phone under his nose. He practically went cross-eyed when he saw the dark image.
“Crap,” he murmured.
“Let's get out of here,” Vanessa said, tugging him away.
“Hell with that. I'll call it in. You call the media,” Pete said. Vanessa bit her lip. “You want to be famous, right?” he demanded. She shivered.
“I'd rather be alive and far from here, Pete,” she murmured.
“Get on it,” he said, waving a hand to her. “I'll protect you,” he said, patting his belt knife with his hand. You didn't go out into the bush unarmed, not near the mountains. The area was cougar and bear country.
“What do you think happened?”
“I think the animals they have turned on them,” Pete said. She shivered again. He scowled at his phone, then put it in his pocket. “Come on, we've got to get to the road.”
“Why?” she asked, looking around nervously.
“No reception,” he said. “The trees are blocking it out,” he replied, taking the lead.
<)>~^^~<(>/
The squawk of the radio startled Shirley. She looked down at it just as Eddy, the dispatcher on duty, came over it. “Breaker breaker, Shirley, come in, girl; where are you.”
“Right here, Eddy, what's up?” Shirley asked, picking up the mike.
“We got ourselves a situation. Big hullabaloo at the Preserve. Since the sheriff is out at that conference in the capital ….”
“And the others are out on patrol, I take it?” Shirley asked, wrinkling her nose. The Preserve was a private reservation with some serious guards, many of them ex-military. They didn't like trespassers. Did they shoot someone?
“It's in your neck of the woods actually. I'm dispatching whoever's available nearest the scene as soon as possible; you know, protocol—Joel maybe or one of the twins when they come on shift in an hour. Till then you're in charge, you lucky gal.”
Shirley grunted and turned the ignition key. The truck started up. “Care to tell me what I'm getting into?” she asked as she shifted the truck into drive.
“We've got bodies, the human kind.”
“Crap,” Shirley grimaced.
<)>~^^~<(>/
The police from neighboring town of Taleen arrived before the county sheriffs and assessed the situation. The first cop on scene didn't see anything the kids did even though they showed him the photos. He broke the party up though. They stubbornly refused to leave. At first he thought it was a prank, but they convinced him to go with them to check it out.
They led him to the tree and then up to see over the wall. When he saw the blood and body parts strewn around the clearing, he gasped. He fought his gorge as he called it in. His dispatcher thought it was a prank, so he took an image with his phone and then uploaded it to him. That got him off his ass to call the deputy sheriff since it was their jurisdiction.
The Preserve's security guards arrived on the scene when they noted the commotion outside the wall. They tried to stonewall the cop, but he stubbornly explained that the evidence of a crime trumps everything. They followed him to the gate, then helplessly followed the grim cop into the Preserve. “Don't get in the way, or you will be arrested,” the cop said, brushing past them grimly.
“He's right,” Norris said with a shake of his head. He had retired as a cop years ago and knew better than to tangle with his brothers-in-blue.
&nb
sp; “If you let them get away with this, you'll get fired. I'll get fired!” his partner hissed at him.
Norris shrugged such considerations off grimly. “So be it then. Where do you need us?”
“Secure the perimeter,” the cop said, coughing. He waved a hand in front of his face. “I've never seen anything like that.”
“Yeah.”
Norris saw Sadnir and the game warden coming and grimaced. “Fuck, not our day,” he said.
“Our day? You're on your own,” his partner said, distancing himself from Norris.
“Thanks a bunch, asshole,” Norris muttered.
<)>~^^~<(>/
Shirley met up with Bobby Thorn, the forensics' tech, on the road to the Preserve. The girl was hauling ass up the dirt road, bouncing along. The deputy sheriff shook her head. The truck was full of gear. The shocks were probably overloaded, but Bobby was too excited to care. The mousy woman had her own SUV tricked out with the latest gear for her trade. She followed Shirley in as they arrived at the crime scene.
Shirley escorted the forensics lady passed the sullen guards. “What was that about?” Bobby asked over the radio.
“Someone isn't willing to play nice,” Shirley replied, giving them a cheery smile and a finger wave in passing. “Pissing contest I bet. Too bad for them. I figured this would happen sooner or later,” she said as they stopped near the cop. The cop on scene was gray as he sat on the bumper waving a hat in his face. He shook his head when she looked over to him. “Bad I take it?” Bobby asked as she climbed out of her SUV and slammed the door.