The vampire swung his arms, cutting and slashing as he felt metal sink into flesh. Hearing their howls of agony, Rick knew the blades had struck home but still the monsters kept coming. He fell to one knee, arm thrust forward as one of the creatures dove at him. Sharp teeth snapped loudly, narrowly missing his face as he lunged to the side, plunging the dagger deep into the monsters chest bringing it crashing down on top of him. Throwing the bloodied carcass aside, Rick rolled—over and over—jumping quickly to his feet as he heard the other beast running towards him.
Briefly the vampire caught a glimpse of Roy ripping the head from a straggly grey beast. The red wolf howled in triumph just as the last of the werewolves bore down upon Rick. The vampire began to spin in a circle, faster and faster until he was nothing but a blur. The blades of the daggers held upright in Rick’s hands became like the blades of a saw slicing the creature in two as the demon wolf attacked him. When it was all over, there was nothing left to the creature but a mound of fur, flesh and gore.
Rick himself was covered in blood but, thankfully, none was his own. As he surveyed the scene around him a howl of pain shattered the deadly quiet surrounding wolf and vampire. Roy, his fur matted and covered in gashes, had come to stand beside Rick. Upon hearing the cry of his fellow pack member, the red wolf turned on its heels, its long snout sniffing the air before it uttered its own mournful howl.
Rick needed no words to tell him the first howl had come from Jaclyn—and that she was in trouble. He dashed into the woods, the red wolf close on his heels. Please let us reach her in time—please God, he thought as he continued to run, stopping only once to sniff the air to make sure he was headed in the right direction. Another howl reached his ears and he knew instinctively that they were going to be too late.
* * * * *
Ricketts Glen State Park was crisscrossed with hundreds of trails and streams and other wonders of nature. A favorite among the tourists was a place known as Waters Meet where two streams from Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh connect to form what’s known as Kitchen Creek. On a wooden bridge connecting the two areas, Jaclyn’s golden wolf fought valiantly to stay alive as her friends tried desperately to reach her in time. The once clear water below the bridge now ran red with the blood of two large carcasses—large creatures one could barley call wolves—that Jaclyn had taken out herself before it had come to end the battle—and her life.
Her wolf laid, blood flowing from a long gash in its side, directly in the middle of the bridge. Standing above her as she struggled to rise, its large snout pulled back in an evil sneer, its yellow eyes glowing with hatred, was a monstrous hound, the creation of Hell itself. It reared up on hind legs to tower above the injured wolf.
“Howl all you want to my little wolf,” the beast growled, leaning down close to sniff at Jaclyn’s wounded hide. “Your pack will not reach you in time. Already your life’s blood is flowing out of you and it smells—delicious.” The creature said as its black tongue flicked out to lick the blood from Jaclyn’s face. The golden wolf realized she was dying but her survival instinct was still alive. She moved, the demon roaring in pain as the she-wolf painfully raised an injured paw to bury razor-like claws deep into the hideous face hovering above her. With its own massive paw, the creature swung, knocking Jaclyn’s injured body halfway across the bridge.
“You have guts, my lady—yes, an alpha to be proud of. But—you are still going to die.” The shaggy brown beast watched with admiration as Jaclyn struggled to rise again. “It’s a shame your—disposition—isn’t more suited to those that my master covets. You would make a wonderful addition to our little group. But, alas, that’s not to be. Come my dear, be brave. As a reward for fighting so fiercely I promise to end your life quickly but, because of who —and what —you are I cannot promise that it won’t be brutal. After all, destroying a direct descendant of the Wolf Mother requires a little—finesse.”
“Jaclyn—where are you?” came a shout in the distance followed by a long, desperate howling. A number of answering howls, approaching the bridge from all directions, could be heard as well.
“Or perhaps you think your new vampire friend will be the one to save you.” The beast sneered as he heard Rick’s shout. “He will be of no help to you. The time for his destruction is coming soon, as well, and you can both meet again in whatever sort of afterlife your kind has. Now, my dear, I’m afraid we must end this conversation for it seems I’m surrounded by your pack.”The beast growled as it fell on all fours, stalking towards Jaclyn as she tried desperately to drag her injured body backwards to the end of the bridge where, she knew instinctively, help was coming.
The massive head of the beast jerked to the right as it caught the scent of something approaching through the woods. With a roar it struck swiftly, its dagger-like claws slashing downward towards the golden body now lying directly beneath it. With a howl of pain, Jaclyn realized the beast had severed her back leg. Before she could even attempt to raise her own claws in defense, the creature tore off first one front leg then the other, tossing both limbs into the stream below. Then, with a fierce growl, the beast thrust a clawed fist directly into the chest of the smaller wolf. With a jerk it pulled the fist free, the tiny heart of the golden wolf still beating wildly in the palm of its clawed hand, Jaclyn’s life’s blood flowing down over the long black nails.
“Nooo!” came the anguished cry as Rick exited the woods just in time to witness Jaclyn’s destruction. With a burst of speed, the vampire dashed towards the bridge just as Roy, as well as at least ten other pack members, followed him.
“You’ll not taste victory today, vampire, but never fear. We will meet again—that I promise you.” The hellhound growled then turned and ran, jumping over three of Jaclyn’s wolves as it dashed into the woods. The trio turned and followed but quickly returned when they realized the beast had disappeared.
Rick reached the bridge just as the crippled body of the golden wolf shimmered and turned back into the torn and ravaged body of Jaclyn. “No—not this, please,” he whispered as he fell to his knees beside the body of his friend. He slid his arm beneath her neck, his left hand smoothing her long hair away from her beautiful face. Those strange golden eyes stared at nothing—glassy and lifeless as Rick pulled Jaclyn’s body to his chest. “I’m so sorry, Jaclyn. I never should have come here,” he told her as he rocked her body back and forth, his despair overwhelming. “Why did you allow this?” he asked as he raised his tear filled eyes to the heavens, “It’s me they wanted. I would have gone with them willingly if you would have spared her life. This entire nightmare is my fault,” he whispered and his voice caught in his throat. Never in his undead existence had he felt so defeated. What good were any of my powers if I couldn’t save her? But then the memory of Jaclyn’s words broke through the torment in his mind.
“You’re a fool and a hypocrite, Rick Ferrante. You pride yourself on being a man of faith—well, where’s your faith now? Take the gifts your transformation has given you and use them wisely.”As he stared into her lifeless eyes his grief was suddenly replaced by an intense anger that was all consuming. “They’ll pay for this, Jaclyn, every last one of them. I promise you I’ll go into Hell itself to track them down and destroy them all.”
“We promise her.” Rick heard a voice say as Roy and the rest of the wolves surrounded them.
A chorus of howls filled the night as the pack mourned the loss of their alpha. This went on for several minutes until Rick felt a decidedly human hand on his shoulder. “Give her to me, vampire.” Roy said as he stood, tall and naked, beside Rick. As the vampire turned to Jaclyn’s second in command he could see the grief in the rust colored eyes—along with anger—barely under control. Rick realized that the pack, Roy especially, would probably hold him responsible for Jaclyn’s death and how could he blame them?”
“Her body must be purified…”Roy explained, “… rid of every trace of the demon dog that killed
her.”
Rick lifted his head, “What will you do with her?” he asked as he stood, watching the pack members warily.
“What business is it of yours, nightwalker?” A big man with long hair shouted as he charged at Rick.
“Josh—stop,” Roy ordered, stopping the man before he could get to the vampire. “She…” he said as he indicated Jaclyn, “…wouldn’t have wanted the vampire hurt.”
“But it’s his fault she’s dead. If he hadn’t…”
“Look, man, I know how you feel but you can’t do this. I order you to step back.”Roy said then, casting a sidelong glance at Rick who stood motionless, not raising a finger to defend himself, he informed the pack, “I think we’re all in agreement on the subject of the nightwalker but—I have to tell you that he fought bravely tonight. He took down three of the newborns himself—and without his help Jaclyn and I would both be dead. Jaclyn saw something in this man that seems to have escaped us. As our alpha she’s never been wrong. So, because of who and what she was, we will all respect her wishes. The vampire will not be harmed and, if he wishes to stay he can do so. Is that understood?”
Once again the entire pack knelt before Roy, bowing their heads and baring their necks as a sign of submission to the new pack leader. “I am not your alpha but as second in command I will be in charge until that position is filled. Now…” he said turning back to Rick, “…to answer your question, Jaclyn’s remains will be cremated. There’s a spot near the cottage where an old barn once stood. All that’s left there now are some stones from the barn’s foundation—and a large gravel patch where we used to build bonfires. It was a favorite spot of hers. We’ll take her there. ” Roy’s voice broke and he fell silent as he reached for Jaclyn.
After placing a light kiss on the forehead of the woman who, in a short amount of time, had become his friend, Rick passed Jaclyn’s body to the other man. Roy took her and turned to go, the wolves of the pack following closely behind him. When he reached the woods, he turned to look back at Rick. “I won’t stop you if you want to come to the ceremony. Given your former profession it might be descent if you said a few words for her.”
“No—I can’t do that— even for her. I’m no longer a priest—and what I’ve become would only make a mockery of that profession.”
“As you wish. Look Ferrante—I may not like you and I certainly don’t trust you…”Roy said casting his eyes down at the woman he held in his arms, “…but I meant what I said a moment ago— you fought bravely today. If it’s any consolation— she would have been proud of you.”
The tears welled up in Rick’s eyes but he refused to let them flow. Clearing his throat he told Roy, “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I want to make sure those bastards are all gone—or dead.”
“They’re gone from this area but the newborns are nearby—I can feel them. This is far from over but the hellhound is gone and, without a leader, his creations are directionless. We’ll round up the rest of them after we’ve taken Jaclyn home.” Roy said. “I’ve directed a few of my wolves to gather the carcasses of the enemy and take them as far away from our territory as possible. I won’t have their blood polluting our—her—land.”
“How can you be so sure the hellhound is gone?”
“The stench of the beast is no longer in the area—and he accomplished one of the things he came here to do. He took out our leader—in the cruelest way possible. This mutilation…” Roy said indicating Jaclyn’s torn and bleeding body, “…is the way the Mongols destroyed their enemies. He wanted her—all of us— to know he came from the same origins. Trust me when I say he would’ve killed you as well, but he heard us coming. That’s when he realized the rest of the pack would fight alongside of you. Even he didn’t want to take on the entire pack for one vampire. He went to gather reinforcements,” he told Rick. “When he has a strong enough army he’ll return for all of us. As Jaclyn said, it’s not just about you anymore, vampire. It’s about destroying the clan of the Wolf Mother as well. So—it would seem you have a decision to make. You can stay and fight alongside of us—help us to avenge her death—or you can leave to fight another day.”
Rick thought about what Roy had said. He looked into the strange eyes of the acting pack leader and nodded. “I’ll see this thing through to the end but I’ll do it for her sake—not you or the pack. When it’s all over I’m out of here.”
“Suit yourself, nightwalker.” Roy responded as he stepped onto the wooded trail.
Rick hung back for a moment before following behind the rest of the pack as they made their way back to the cottage. Roy took Jaclyn’s body to the spot he’d told Rick about. Funny how I never really noticed this place before, Rick thought. To him it just looked like another pile of old rocks but, as he looked closer, he saw the stones were piled neatly to form a long, straight wall.
He continued to watch as Roy lay Jaclyn’s body down upon a bed of small, precisely cut logs that had been spread upon the gravel floor. As the rest of the pack formed a circle around their fallen leader, they each dropped a handful of small twigs and branches onto the funeral pyre. Roy retrieved a long taper from the top of a nearby stone. After finding some matches, he lit the taper, setting the flame to the twigs beneath Jaclyn’s body.
In a matter of seconds the twigs were ablaze, the flames licking and crackling as they consumed the body of Jaclyn Duvall. Roy transformed back into the red wolf followed quickly by the other members of the pack. He led a chorus of mournful howls as they said their goodbyes to the woman who’d been their leader—and their inspiration—for so many years.
Rick once again found himself fighting tears. He stood, watching and listening, until he could take it no longer. His sorrow was soon replaced by a rage so fierce he thought he would explode. Turning, he ran towards the woods. He ran far and he ran hard destroying anything that got in his way as the grief he felt consumed him. A small fir tree stood directly in his path but he didn’t deviate from his course. Instead he bore down upon the tree knocking it out of his way with his shoulder, splintering the limbs and trunk into a hundred tiny pieces as he screamed in anguish. “Ahhhh!”
He kept on running until exhaustion, and hunger, finally slowed him down. He came to a stop, hands on his hips, body hunched over as he tried to slow his breathing to a more normal pace. Lifting his head slightly, he could just make out the first signs of the dawn approaching on the horizon. I should stay here—meet the sun as it comes up. Maybe then the pain would stop. Maybe then innocent lives would not be lost on my account, he thought in anguish as the sadness of Jaclyn’s loss overwhelmed him. But no, you can’t do it. You’re too much of a coward—or too guilt-ridden to take the easy way out, he told himself. “My God—why have you deserted me!” he screamed as he fell to his knees.
“Why—why is this happening to me?” he shouted to the heavens. “What evil have I committed that condemns me to live this Hell on earth? I’ve always tried to put your wishes before my own. I even buried my love for Adri…” but he never finished what he was about to say as the anger boiling up inside of him reached the surface. “Alright…” he said as he stood, hands clenched at his side. “…if it’s a monster you want then it’s a monster you’ll get,” he shouted as he drew himself up to his full height. With a burst of speed he dashed back the way he’d just come. He made it back to the cabin just as the first rays of the sunlight glistened on the small lake behind the tiny cottage.
Everyone had gone. All that was left of the funeral pyre was a small trickle of smoke rising from the spot where Jaclyn had lain. Did they leave her ashes there to seep into the ground with the next rain shower or did they retrieve them to be buried somewhere a little more private? It was then that he realized he really didn’t know anything about the nature of the Loupe Garou or any of their rituals and customs. There wasn’t enough time to really get to know her, he thought and now it was too late.
Wit
h a deep sigh he entered the cottage where he proceeded to cover the windows before heading into the kitchen. Rick was weak from the fight and emotionally drained from all that had transpired during the night. Going to the refrigerator, he pulled out a bag of blood. He drained it in a matter of seconds. Tonight I’ll hunt. I need live food if I’m to have the strength for what’s coming my way. He’d made a promise—to Jaclyn and to himself. Those bastard hounds would pay for what they did to her and the innocent locals of this community. After he rested he’d hunt—then his search would begin and he wouldn’t stop until that hound from Hell and all his newborns were dead—or he himself breathed his last.
As Rick succumbed to the sleep of the undead he was unaware of the dark, shapeless shadow hovering above his bed—watching—waiting. As the vampire lay defenseless—unprotected—the shadow drifted downward, taking on human form as it settled beside the large bed. Lucifer stood there, dressed in his designer suit, hair pulled back into his signature pony tail, watching his sleeping victim. “I could destroy you in a heartbeat, Rick Ferrante, and no-one would be the wiser. But, alas, my brother Michael would be upset—and I’d have to get my own hands dirty and that just will not do, so I’ll leave your demise up to the others.”
Leaning over Rick’s lifeless body, Lucifer whispered softly, “You are a brave one, vampire but I realized that when you sacrificed yourself for your friends back in Winwood. You may have saved Reynolds and his lady love then but you weren’t as lucky this time. You failed to protect the she-wolf so you’ll put yourself in harm’s way again to fight for her pack. It’s like watching an Oscar winning movie. I can hardly wait to see what the outcome will be. My demons have done well. The Wolf Mother is gone and they are coming for you. I wonder if my lovely Lilly will be able to pull this whole thing off. But—make no mistake my vampire priest—whether she is successful or not your soul, and those of your friends, will be mine again—one way or another. My hounds are searching as we speakkkkk.” Lucifer’s voice drifted away, his red eyes shimmering as his human façade began to fade. After a few seconds, the only sign that something had been in the room was the faint echo of demonic laughter as the Prince of Darkness left this earthly realm.
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