Sheep's Clothing

by Gary Lewis

  ###

  Terror descended into Pine Bluff once again, stalking the shadows deep in the woods. As if to take the place of the passing storm, it snuck in with the silence that followed. Whether it was drawn to the fear of those who wandered into its lair or had been right there with them the entire time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to hunt them down, its presence was felt as much as heard through the drenched forest. It resurrected a primal panic from the pit of every soul that wandered through the secluded hills that night.

  #Terry#

  "Terry, you sure this leads back to the truck?" Blane asked as they used their phones to light the way down the narrow path that twisted through dense pine growth hugged by thick patches of mountain laurel.

  Terry looked up the steep hill to his right. "I'm not exactly sure where to climb up and check the road,” Terry said. “But Tony told us it was the quickest way back."

  "So, we're lost, you mean?"

  "We have to keep moving, Blane," Terry said as they hurried down the trail. "You heard that behind us. We're going this way."

  From ahead of them, the loud rustle of snapping sticks broke across the trail.

  "Wait!" Terry said, holding his hand behind at his brother and standing in place. They waited, listening closely as a dark form pushed its way through the barely visible brush. Even the insects and frogs went quiet above the pattering of water droplets. Now the forest became dead still.

  A crash broke from the woods ahead as something large and hairy began to come into view. Its arms spread to its sides with slender, talon tipped fingers. Long ears raised at the top of its head.

  "Run!" Terry screamed. "Go! Go! Go!" They both turned to dash back up the trail through the darkness. Blane tripped face first onto the ground. Terry jerked him by the arm back onto his feet. He dragged his little brother along as they huffed with the horror of what pursued them.

  Grabbing Blane hard by the shoulder, Terry placed his finger over his mouth with wide, serious eyes. He tugged Blane into the nearby bushes to the left of the trail and they began to crawl up the steep slope on their bellies. Terry hoped the road would be just beyond the next bush. Their lives depended on it. He watched Blane slowly pull himself up by the base of a dead tree. Below, the crashing of brush sounded and continued quickly past where they left the trail. Terry stopped to wait for a few moments of silence before climbing any further up the steep hillside.

  "What is that?" Blane's hushed whisper came chopped between shaky gasps of air.

  "I don't know," Terry said as he clasped his hands together in silent prayer.

  "We need to go," Blane said a little louder than before.

  As Terry reached for the large rock just above, a feeling came over him. It pulled him back down from the pit of his stomach and he pressed his other hand down onto Blane’s shoulder, holding him in place.

  The dark dirt road above was just in view. Terry peeked between the tightly bound weeds and a couple bushes to see a familiar pile of trees laid beside the pickup they had arrived in. He felt his pocket for the rattle of keys as Tony's words began to speak from his memory. If things get hairy, y'all just ride on outta here and don't look back. Terry contemplated a rush for the truck, but wondered if he could really leave with Tony out there all by himself. What if David and Sarah are also still trapped on the mountain? But he had his little brother to think about and knew he could still bring help for the others.

  Terry squeezed Blaine’s shirt with resolve and bent his knees for a desperate sprint. He noticed a shape on the other side of the pickup. Another truck was parked beside it. Focusing in the darkness at the large, red vehicle he didn't recognize, Terry wondered if he was mistaken. Nobody else came in with them.

  A rapid galloping sound came from above. As Terry halted in place, he looked at Blane crouching silently beside him. The sound abruptly stopped. Absolute quiet settled in the woods around them. Then the sound came again, this time louder and slower. It was approaching along the gravel road just beyond where his hands gripped the steep earthen slope above his head. Terry could feel his arms physically shaking as he tried holding his breath in the humid night air. Long, skinny legs elegantly paced across the road.

  "Deer," Blane whispered with the same relief he also felt.

  Terry gripped the gravel above as he grabbed Blane with his other hand. He bent his knee, preparing to climb to the top where the young doe grazed on the muddy rocks.

  A loud smack hit the deer's hip. It ran into a stumble against the downed trees. Terry held still, holding his gasp of air tight in his lungs. In a dark blur, a hairy creature leapt beside the disoriented deer and chased it down beside Sam's truck. It gripped at the doe's kicking hind leg and jerked the animal back into a swipe that tumbled it onto its side. Blood red gashes sprayed out across the truck as it squirmed in the monster's grasp, attempting to twist into a roll back on its feet. Terry's eyes grew wide as they adjusted to the darkness. The creature stood on two legs, holding the frantically screaming animal in its clawed hand. A long snout angled down toward its prey baring bright teeth below furious, yellow eyes.

  The monster let go and rose into a high stance, stretching its arms wide with claws spread open to let out a rumbling roar. The sound scared the deer back into a tumble as it fumbled to escape, spilling blood into the surrounding puddles. The beast rapidly slashed at the deer's torso with wide left and right swipes. Terry watched silently as tiny wet drops hit his face and the spatter of blood spewed to paint the windows of the truck they came in on.

  The deer finally hopped back up, red with mortal damage. The beast yanked its arm back, pulling feet of intestines from the animal's belly, dragging it backwards. With open jaws, it rammed its face into the back of the deer's neck. Violently shaking and twisting the now quiet sack of hide covered meat, the snarling beast swung it side to side in a ferocious fit of rage. The flailing body slammed repeatedly into the truck just beside it. After a few seconds the ground was drenched red, scattered with pieces of hide and guts that were torn and slung out from the now lifeless body. The deer’s carcass hung limp from the standing creature’s hate filled jaws that clamped down with a menacing growl.

  A final slam against the truck set off the alarm. Lights flashed as the horn blasted continuously. Terry could see clearly the form of what stood less than thirty feet from where they hid in the bushes. It’s a werewolf!

  His sounds now covered by the noisy alarm, Terry tugged downward at Blane's shirt and the two began to slide slowly down the mud-soaked hill. He knew that they had to hurry and gain some distance before the alarm stopped.

  Chapter 7

  The moon drifted slowly across the midnight sky with a red glow that painted the clouds with blood. In the mountainous forests of Pine Bluff, several groups of friends found themselves stranded, determined to find their way back together while something terrible sought to pick them apart.

  ###

  Jake found himself still wandering further up the soggy mountain road, alone in the darkness that seemed to hang just behind his back. A form became visible ahead as it crept closer in his direction before pausing for a moment. He held still, breathing as slowly as possible while he waited.

  It lurked closer from less than half a football field's distance away. Point of no return. If I don't run now... Jake waited as the form became more solid, walking faster toward him. It's now or never.

  "Sarah?" a voice shouted.

  "Hey!" Jake said in a hushed shout. "Tony?"

  The quiet form wandered closer.

  "Tony! Is that you?" Jake repeated louder.

  "No. It's me," the now closer voice that certainly wasn't Tony's said. "David."

  Jake jogged in his direction.

  "It's Jake. Vance's friend from practice.” Jake tried to shout softly as he got closer to David. “Have you seen Tony?"

  "What?" David asked in casual volume as they could finally see one another. "You and Tony came up here?"

  "No. I came with Vance."


  "Alright. I'm confused," David said, swinging his arms to his sides. "What's going on?"

  Jake was just glad to finally be around another human being. Anyone was just fine at this point.

  "I was at the Sunset Diner when the storm blew in," Jake began. "I saw Tony head out to look for you here, so I told Vance." He slung his arm behind, down the muddy dirt road in the direction from which he came. "We checked at Sarah's and Janice's on the way here and nobody was home at Sarah's place, so we came here," Jake said. "Is Sarah with you?"

  "Yeah," David said and then paused. "Well, no. We kind of got split up." David turned his head behind and beside before returning it to look at Jake. "Is Jan alright?"

  "I guess," Jake said with a shrug. "She was home." Jake cocked his head in confusion. What's that got to do with anything?

  Jake looked around the area. "So where did you and Sarah get-" Loud creaking pops cut his words short from the large trees on the hill beside them.

  "Careful. Those things have been falling like bowling pins," David said. "It's a real death trap."

  "Tell me about it. You should've heard whatever was behind me earlier," Jake said, scratching his head. "It's been a hell of a night."

  "Really?" David asked in a higher pitch. "What did it sound like?" The worry was evident in David’s uneasy voice.

  As Jake started to explain the sounds that followed him earlier, a faint, high pitched whine was barely audible through the gully below. "Wait. You hear that?" Jake said.

  "Screams," David said with a higher tone.

  "Definitely,” Jake said. “I think it's Terry and Blane." The screams echoed through the ridges, becoming clearer and more terrifying.

  "Terry and Blane?” David asked. “Pastor Fowler's kids?" He placed his palm onto the back of his shaking head with a roll of his eyes.

  "Yeah. I know. It's a long story," Jake said as he turned and they jogged in the direction of the voices.

  "I think it stopped," David said with a somber voice that despite the warm summer night, still gave Jake the chills. As they slowed to listen, the sounds of the wilderness became louder until a distant honking rang out through the hills.

  "Damn." David turned behind to look back up the road. "My car."

  "No,” Jake said. “That's coming from below, where we're heading," He motioned down the road with his arm. "It doesn't sound like Vance's alarm, so it must be old man Sam's truck."

  "Are you serious?” David swung his palms out. "Sam came too?"

  Jake laughed at the image David conjured into his mind. "No. Like I said, it's a long story. Terry and Blane came up here with Tony in Sam's truck."

  "How long ago did you and Vance split up?" David asked. "Was it before you heard the sounds behind you?"

  "Yeah. It was." Jake said, uncertain what David was getting at. "But Vance can handle himself."

  "Maybe it would be best to stay up here," David said, hanging back several yards behind while Jake slowed to turn to him.

  "What's going on, man?" Jake asked with a brisk turn. "I mean, really."

  Just as David's shoulders slumped and he opened his mouth to speak, a heavy rustle from the bushes startled them both to attention. Branches snapped loudly from the edge of the road to their right. The bushes rustled sharply to the motion of something climbing up the wooded slope. He noticed David stepping slowly back. A thin figure hoisted itself up onto the gravel. Blonde hair shook itself out as a girl stood in dirt covered, wet jeans and a dark t-shirt.

  "Sarah!" David shouted from behind Jake as his footsteps approached.

  "What the hell, David?" Sarah asked, wiping chunks of mud from her light blue jeans. "Just take off and leave me behind, why don't you?"

  "I thought you were just beside me. I swear," David said.

  "One of you want to explain what's really going on out here?" Jake asked.

  "Sure,” Sarah said. “Why not?"

  Jake scowled at her smart tone while David covered his face.

  "We were out here hunting for a werewolf when," Sarah theatrically waved her arms around as she spoke. "All the sudden, this freak storm hit us out of nowhere and we got stuck. Nothing out of the ordinary." She rolled her eyes as David quietly turned away.

  Jake shook his head. Are they serious or is this some kind of joke? "Well, I'm going to go find the others. Y'all are free to come with me or stay here. I don't care anymore." Traveling alone out here doesn't seem so bad after all.

  As Jake walked back toward the bottom, he could hear David explaining to Sarah and their argument faded behind him as he got further. "Fine. I'll go by myself then." Sarah’s now distant voice was barely audible.

  ###

  Some time passed before Jake came to a large bolder that he recognized. "Finally, close to the truck," he said to himself as he walked faster.

  Running steps beat through the mud behind him quickly.

  "Took y'all long enough," Jake said with a turn. A blur of darkness slammed into his side. His body bounced through the mud on his belly. Jake quickly clambered to his feet and turned his head to see where it had come from. He slowly scanned his vision across the edge of the forest, searching for a hint of movement. As he watched with caution, he grabbed a long stick from the ground. Jake walked to the nearest tree and with one swing, cracked it into a sharp, splintery point.

  He paused quietly as he looked to his left and right. The trucks were just visible on the other side of the felled trees. With a huge gasp of air, he dashed for the truck. An impact to his right tackled him with the force of a train. It slammed his body into the slick mud. Jake was overpowered by the heavy mass on top of him. A growling mass of hatred dripped hot drool from above. Pressed into the ground, he tried to turn his head and face his attacker. The weight let up from his body and a vicious bite crushed into his face. The squeezing pressure cracked bones in his skull. It jerked with a tug and all became dark.

  #David#

  The eastern horizon glowed a little brighter, but the stars that surrounded the moon reminded David that the sun wasn't ready to rescue them just yet and his wet surroundings were still shrouded in darkness, making his search all the more difficult.

  "Sarah!" he shouted, cuffing his hands around his mouth. "Where the hell did you go now?" He kicked a pile of rocks into the darkness below the side of the road.

  "Hey!" Sarah's distant shout came from beyond the sharp bend ahead where the muddy drive curved sharply around a rocky outcrop to the right. On the left a steep drop led down to the trickling sound of overflowing mountain springs.

  "Sarah?" David yelled as he approached the slope and glared down into the dark drop. "You down there?" He stepped to the edge, bending his knees as he slowly crouched. Wet boulders, covered in moss, piled against the side of the ravine and dense mountain laurel clustered around to conceal the area below. He took one big breath and shouted downward. "Say something!"

  "Something." Jolting his heart from just behind, Sarah stood with a look of comical confusion. David jumped to his feet and turned around to her covering a snickering mouth.

  "You trying to kill me or what?"

  She laughed even harder. "You should have seen your face. What the hell were you doing down there, anyway?"

  "Where the hell have you been?" David raised his arm toward the car. "I've been up and down this road for..." He paused for a couple seconds. "Must've been over an hour."

  "Well, genius," Sarah said, tightening her lips around her smile. "If it's a straight line and you're going back and forth."

  "What?" David asked, the frustration building in his chest.

  "I'm just saying," she said. "If you'd have kept going, I was sitting right there.” She raised her arm toward the large, weathered rocks piled beside the sharp curve in the muddy road. “You obviously didn't walk very far."

  "What time is it?" David asked, looking at his phone.

  "Forgetting how to read time now, are we?" Sarah said in a tone that set David's face on fire.

  "Signal is
completely out. I got nothing," he said, looking at the watch on Sarah's hand. "Not even the time."

  Sarah huffed. "You know, you can fix that so it doesn't need network to-"

  "What time is it already?" David interrupted loudly.

  "Calm down, princess." She shook her head as she lifted her wrist. "It's 4:16,” she said. “Do you need to know if it's AM or PM?"

  "No,” David said, swinging his arm at the dark sky. “It's obviously midafternoon." He lifted his eyes toward the stars that twinkled between thick, rolling clouds that drifted overhead. Of all the people, why do I get stuck here with her.

  “You know, David…” Sarah said as she continued marching ahead down the dark gravel road.

  “What is it, Sarah?”

  “Just because I never ask,” Sarah said. “Doesn’t mean I don’t wish you could help me with my yard some time.”

  “How was I supposed to know that?” he asked.

  “Really, David? You walk through it all the time,” she said. “Maybe if you paid more attention before you rush inside.”

  David paused to think as he continued following her down the dark, wooded path. “I really want to, it’s just that I’m not sure I would know where to start.”

  “Have you noticed how quiet it’s gotten out here?” David asked.

  Sarah continued silently marching ahead while David followed. He wondered why she even brought up the yard work and why it was a big deal.

  "Maybe we should just take the woods straight toward town and avoid the trails and roads," Sarah said.

  David couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I just love how you're always full of bright ideas," he said. "I really think it'd be best if we stick to the open road for now."

  She walked ahead of him, nodding her head up and down. "Yeah, because werewolves are definitely afraid of roads."

  David really didn't like the idea of heading back down into the woods, especially when it meant leaving Tony and the others behind.

  "Well, there's a forestry service road that runs almost parallel to the Bluff Mountain Trail," David said as he walked faster to keep up. "And it passes near the lake right by town, but there's probably more than a mile of brush and hills between the trail and the road."