RED HAZE: A Werewolf Story for the 21st Century

by Ian Redman

  “Understood,” Piper replied, nodding his head thoughtfully.

  “I can only close the zones for several seconds at a time Sergeant, otherwise they’ll start getting wise to us, therefore you must move stealthily, but quickly, exactly within the parameters I give you. Again Sergeant,” Piper looked on, “I cannot emphasize enough that I AM IN CHARGE, do you understand?”

  “Of course Nick.”

  “Good, because just one slip up Ash, and you’ll be screwed, and here’s one more reason why.” Another button was pressed as a further section of the warehouse facility lit up, showing an armed guard on each of the rear corners of Building Four. “These guys run a patrol down the rear of the building every twenty minutes, they meet in the centre, then return to their original posts, and as we all know, they are armed.” Nick paused as he manipulated the image, “now, let’s move to the next set of problems shall we, namely these,” the young Canadian pointed the laser at another section of the photograph. “Two sets of razor wire, which you will have to…quietly, cut through.”

  “This looks tough Ash,” whispered Jeanette.

  “I know,” replied Piper, the look on his face one of dire concern.

  Helga Zeist lay on her bed. She was sweating. It was late afternoon as the sun shone radiantly into her room, the beautiful bedroom Otto had carefully chosen for her stay at Feldtberg Castle. Helga sighed. She still felt very sick and weak. The specially hired catering staff would be here in a few minutes she thought, I must get up, they’ll require assistance, I can’t let Otto down!

  A feeling of nausea surged through Helga’s mind as she tried to leave the warmth and comfort of her bed. The room spun crazily. She vomited over the carpet. Oh Otto, she thought, what is happening to me? Unexpectedly, as Helga began to cry, her hands clutched at her stomach. She felt hungry. Very hungry!

  There was a knock at the door and Otto Von Kurst entered. “Helga…” his deep, enigmatic voice fuelled concern as he leaned over her, his hand tenderly pushing away the strands of hair lying bedraggled across Helga’s sweating forehead.

  “Otto,” she whimpered, “I’m frightened!”

  Von Kurst smiled and gently kissed Helga’s cheek, “don’t be my love, for I am with you. Calm yourself.”

  Helga stared lovingly into Von Kurst’s eyes, “how did you know?”

  “I sensed your sickness whilst sat at the Round Table. Unfortunately I could not come to your assistance at the time,” his voice had become gentle, comforting, “but I am here now.” Anxiously, Von Kurst looked down at the vomit-stained carpet, “the change is upon you Helga, your body is becoming,” he gazed at her again, “…different.”

  “I know Otto, I can’t stop shaking…I feel cold.” Helga managed a trace of a smile, which quickly left almost before it appeared, “Otto…I am so afraid.” Von Kurst’s ex lover’s tearful voice was no longer a whisper, but a frightened whimper, her hands shaking uncontrollably, her eyes tear stained, fearful…and slightly bloodshot!

  “Yes, my love…I know.” Von Kurst could not help his feelings. He stood up and walked over to the bedroom’s large bay windows, the golden shards of sunlight drifting in, enveloping him in warm sunshine. “It is the end of a beautiful day Helga,” he turned to face the woman he once loved so passionately, as differing thoughts raced through his mind. Their love affair seemed a lifetime ago, but now the wolf was awakening inside Helga’s body, developing, growing, eventually to become at one with herself and with the others of her kind. Von Kurst turned back and gazed up at the bright sunlight, his eyes closing as he relished the warmth enveloping his body, the warmth of nature, nurturing, giving power, giving…life! He smiled, arms outstretched, as if to envelop the shards of sunlight. Power he thought, yes Helga, I can sense your mind developing, I can sense the alpha female inside you, calling, not only to yourself…but to me as well. Quickly, Von Kurst turned around and faced the tear stricken, frightened woman lying across from him. Yes he thought, Falck and Kempler will help guide you my love, and I will be by your side once again.

  As if sensing power rushing through his veins, the wolf inside his body calling to him, Von Kurst yet again turned back to face the sunlight as the irises of his pupils dilated to slits, the sunlight continuing to warm his body, the magnificent radiance of heat and light bringing the wolf’s senses alive. He growled, slowly, deeply, closing his eyes again. Sunlight he thought, another deep monotone growl leaving his lips, it was so bright, but comforting and so different…to moonlight. “Stay in bed Helga,” Von Kurst continued, his voice deep, penetrating, “the grenadiers are attending to the catering staff. I have ordered them to remove all of their weapons and camo clothing for the moment. A grenadier will also clean up your sickness, now…” he walked slowly back to the bedside with Helga watching, her ex lover’s head tilting inquisitively to the right, just slightly.

  Helga Zeist knew the look emanating from Otto Von Kurst’s slightly bloodshot eyes. It was as if the wolf inside Von Kurst had sighted its own kind, lying dormant in Helga’s body. “Otto, please tell me what is happening here, why are the men in the castle all armed?”

  “At present Helga, that is none of your concern, all you have to do is trust me.” His answer was enough for the moment, for she was tired…and hungry. “I will bring you refreshment, what would you like?” Von Kurst knew what Helga would say; he just needed to hear her say the word, the one word, confirming the change was upon her.

  “Water please Otto,” she whispered, Von Kurst’s enquiring, rugged face staring at her inquisitively.

  “And…?”

  “Meat…plenty of fresh, uncooked meat.”

  Von Kurst smiled, left the bedroom and locked the door.

  “Again, the cutting of the razor wire must coincide with my instructions. If I say FREEZE Sergeant Piper, then you damn well become like ice, you get my drift?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good! Once through the two sets of razor wire, whilst I continuously monitor the guards’ movements, you will sneak to the edge of the surveillance camera perimeter, again under my instructions, then…YOU STOP!”

  “Understood.”

  “Now, this is where things get really tricky. Okay, the next problems of course are the surveillance cameras themselves.” Once again, Nick Lucas’s full attention focused on Piper. “From what I have viewed and from what you can see, these surveillance devices are set on each corner of all four buildings in the facility. However, after close examination of the camera angles being utilised, it seems they do have a blind spot and that, Sergeant Piper, can, and will be used to your advantage.”

  Piper didn’t say a word, he just sat staring at the screen in front of him, his thoughts drifting slightly.

  “Sergeant Piper, hey…Ash,” Nick sounded annoyed as Piper suddenly seemed to be alert again.

  “Are you alright?” Jeanette Descard’s voice took him by surprise.

  “Err, yes…sorry Nick, please…carry on.”

  Nick was not happy, neither was Colonel Mann.

  “Sergeant, are you paying attention,” Charles Mann’s voice hinted frustration.

  “Of course sir.” Nick continued his briefing as Piper’s thoughts started to reel. Why did I suddenly feel so sick he thought, why? Quickly, but with a slight sense of nausea invading his senses, he returned his full concentration to the bespectacled man talking to him.

  “From here on, this will be what I call, a ‘stop-go’ scenario.” Nick was immersed in his planning thought Piper, but he had to admit, the lad had worked hard, his preparation…meticulous. “Again, I cannot stress this point enough, when I say stop, you stop instantly. When I say go, you move again, slowly and carefully, simple as that!”

  Charles Mann interrupted, “the only way you are going to get in that building Sergeant, is by following Nick’s instructions to the letter. There is no room for error, no room for failure,” Colonel Mann paused, his gaze like ice, “we only have one chance Red Haze, and that chance has to work.”


  Piper nodded his head once again. Yes, just the one chance, he thought…just one!

  “Otto, where have you been?” Lana Franke sounded irritated.

  “Why Lana, what’s the matter?”

  The look in Lana’s eyes conveyed a message of quiet distrust. “There’s been serious rioting in Calais and Felixstowe, with many fatalities.”

  “I see.”

  “Several news channels are running the events as they happen, the immigrants are suffering and several buildings have been burnt to the ground.”

  Von Kurst seemed pleased, “excellent!”

  With a wicked smile, Lana beckoned him to follow her, “quickly Otto, this is worth watching. Claude and Jochen are in the Operations Centre, you’ll be pleased with what you see.”

  Von Kurst hesitated, his eyes looking beyond his mistress, down the hallway he stood in, as if focusing on something else.

  “Otto, what is it…what’s the matter?”

  “It is Helga, she is unwell.”

  Lana placed her hands on her hips, the look on her face telling of wanton jealousy. “So what! The grenadiers can take care of her. Quickly my love or we’ll miss the fun.”

  “I will join you in a few minutes Lana; first I must visit the kitchens.” With his face set like stone, Von Kurst turned away from his mistress and walked steadfastly down the hallway.

  At the same time, Lana Franke cursed the name of Helga Zeist.

  Charles Mann took his gaze from the enlarged photograph on the blue screen. “Nick, obviously we will be monitoring Red Haze every inch of the way by satellite, but what concerns me the most is the actual entry into Building Four. My guess is the side door of the building will be electro-magnetically locked. Just one slip-up on the codes to open the door…and that’s it!”

  “Correct sir! I’ll hack into the mainframe again and obtain the codes, they’ll be given to Sergeant Piper at the correct time, i.e. just when he is outside the door.”

  “Very well,” replied the Colonel as Nick continued with his briefing.

  Otto Von Kurst’s right index finger gently traced its way across Lana Franke’s breasts. He leaned down and began sucking at her nipples, gently, sensuously. She began to moan as his tongue ran down her naked, ever so sensual form, licking at her velvet, supple flesh towards the moist dampness between her legs.

  How she enjoyed the grip of his hands and the smell of his body, she thought. She gasped! Otto knew how to please her, every inch of her. And why not? She had pleasured him for over three hours, with the needles…and the new DVD recording. She was pleased with her course of treatment for her lover. She had strapped him outstretched to the corners of the four-poster bed, then worked on him, slowly, assertively. Gently, but firmly she had inserted the needles, one by one, probing his more sensitive areas, just as he always liked! How she had smiled, longingly, passionately…perversely. Oh, the thrill of it all, to have him at her mercy once again. And then there was the recording, the slow, excruciatingly painful castration of her patient. Otto had enjoyed watching him suffer. It was just a pity she couldn’t have tortured the man for several more days and recorded further scenes of his misery and suffering.

  Lana gasped again as Otto’s tongue flicked at her moistness, deeper, deeper…ever deeper. She started to writhe as he gripped her body close to his, her skin now electric with the sexual contact between them. “Oh God Otto, oh GOD, come on…FUCK ME!” She squealed as he hoisted her legs up and began his deep penetration, his thick, blood engorged penis ramming into her damp, moist chasm. “Keep going, keep…GOING!” Now her whole body writhed in sexual ecstasy as he gripped her hair. “What are you doing?” she muttered under her frenzied excitement, “Otto…what the hell?”

  “TURN OVER,” he shouted, his strong hands gripping her roughly by the shoulders, pulling her over onto her stomach. It was the sheer brute force of the manipulation that took Lana Franke by surprise, Von Kurst’s arms pinning her head and neck into the pillow, her moans of pleasure now a series of grunts under the strain of the assault between her legs and the power of the man himself. He penetrated deeper, much deeper, now it was becoming painful, but she couldn’t tell him for her words were muffled, her face slammed deep into the pillow. She started to struggle as he pinned her arms between his, pushing his hands down onto her neck. She grunted again and again, her now sweating body bucking back and forth as she gasped for breath, her continued grunting set to the rhythm of her lover’s thrusting assault. But as the onslaught to her body continued, Lana Franke, for the first time in many years started to feel a hint of fear. Her thoughts raced through her mind at the intensity of the sexual offensive, it was as if her lover was using her to rid himself of violent emotions, using her body as a sexual battering ram. It was as if…no she thought, he wouldn’t, but it did feel like...he was raping her. She squealed in pain, the muscles in her loins begging for mercy, her body bucking like a wild horse being broken by its master. She tried to turn her head towards the clock on the table. Quarter to one in the morning. MY GOD, she thought, OTTO, YOU’RE HURTING ME! She squealed again.

  “SIXTY SECONDS!” Ash Piper acknowledged the information received through his helmet-mounted headset. Moving carefully, he readied himself by the large rear door of the Belgian Air Force C130 Hercules transport plane.

  “Red Haze,” above the loud din inside the aircraft’s cargo hold Colonel Mann’s voice reverberated through Piper’s Com-link, “remember, recon only, no violence! Just follow your colleague’s instructions and get out as fast as you can. We will arrange retrieval as soon as you return to the drop point.”

  “Affirmative Control.” The crewman next to him, wearing a thick, well padded flight suit, helmet and oxygen mask, raised the thumb of his gloved right hand.

  It was the signal; they were ready to go!

  Steadfastly, Piper stood a metre away from the forward ramp of the Hercules’ rear door and braced himself. Even above the droning of the aircraft’s four large propeller driven engines, a loud metallic sound surrounded the cargo bay of the C130. Just for a few seconds a rush of icy wind hammered into Piper’s black clad form, as, at a height of ten thousand metres, the rear ramp slowly began to descend. Piper swiftly glanced at the red light above him, then out into the cold night air.

  “THIRTY SECONDS!”

  Piper nodded. He was ready. Dressed in a black, specially insulated high altitude drop suit and gloves, with a High Altitude Low Opening parachute strapped to his back and his helmet and oxygen mask strapped tightly to his head and face, he prepared for the jump. Deftly, his hands moved across the front of his drop suit as he checked the special equipment carrier bag attached to him, and, at groin height, his reserve parachute. A low hissing sound penetrated his ears as oxygen pumped though his breathing apparatus, a cacophony of sound vibrating through the aircraft’s mainframe as the rear door finished lowering.

  “GOOD LUCK!” shouted the airman as the red light changed to green. “GO, GO, GO!”

  Without a moment’s hesitation Piper leapt out into a cold black void, the din of the Hercules’ engines suddenly drifting away as the frozen night air hissed around him. He was outside in a void of blackness and hurtling towards the Ardennes forest like a speeding bullet. Even though Piper knew the dangers of HALO drops, he still enjoyed the thrill as his legs and arms spread out like a four tentacled octopus, steadying his downward wind speed. Not long now he thought as he carefully checked his altimeter.

  Down he plummeted, ever onwards, nine thousand metres and falling, his breathing heavy with excitement and adrenaline, eight thousand metres…six thousand…three thousand…

  With his thoughts racing, his concentration not leaving his altimeter, Piper prepared to brace himself for the massive jolt that would briefly assault his body upon deployment of his HALO chute. One thousand metres! Down below him, the cold dark outline of the forest could be clearly seen, for this had been a perfect night to drop. Three hundred metres and…Piper’s body jolted back as a massive rush o
f air left his lungs. The Automatic Parachute Deployment Device had worked perfectly. Now, amidst the darkness of night, with his black rectangular chute fully extended he began gliding towards the small clearing where he would land. One hundred metres!

  With a gentle floating sensation enveloping his senses Piper began looking around, the hissing from his helmet mounted oxygen mask still ringing in his ears. As he slowly descended, over in the distance he viewed a floodlit horizon. The VKE warehouse complex, he thought. Suddenly, under the weight of the parachute’s canopy he dropped into the tree line, thick, heavy branches cracking above him as he landed with a soft thump on terra firma.

  With a grunt Piper rolled forward then pulled himself up. As he swiftly unbuckled his HALO chute and removed his helmet and oxygen mask, he prepared to report through his Com-link. Meanwhile, high up above the City of Aachen and the Ardennes Forest, floating high above earth’s atmosphere, a NATO 3 communications satellite prepared to relay transmissions.

  “Red Haze to Control, do you copy?”

  “Loud and clear Red Haze.”

  “Drop successful, bang on target, now going to night vision and preparing to move out, will report back asap.”

  Colonel Mann replied, “understood Red Haze.”

  Piper unbuckled the All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment bag strapped across the front of his body and rechecked its contents. The USP 45 SOCOM with Laser Aiming Module and Suppressor, a small rubber coated grappling hook with ten metres of ultra thin, toughened rope, wire cutters and his night vision/thermal headset. These were all Ash Piper required. After taking his bearings, Piper attached his NV headset over a black bandana covering his dark blonde hair, his face covertly covered with black camo paint. Within the blink of an eye, the forest came alive with an eerie green glow, the wolf inside his body listening to the sounds around him. His spine tingled as his senses reached out to the wildness, for now the wolf was in its natural environment. From seemingly out of nowhere, an owl flew across the broken branches and eerie calls invaded the night. The forest was alive, not just with its inhabitants, but with Piper as well. It was time to move he thought, stealthily and carefully…like a wolf on the hunt.