Ebon Moon

by McDonald, Dennis

  His heart swelled at the prospect as he pulled out of the drive to his house.

  * * * *

  Roxie’s Roadhouse was dark and empty when Sheriff Sutton let himself in. The major light source came from the dim neon glow of the jukebox in the corner. Crossing to the bar, he tossed the baseball bat upon the wooden countertop, making a loud clattering.

  Roxie stepped out of the back room wearing nothing but a T-shirt and bikini underwear over her lithe body.

  “Quiet,” she hissed. “Collin’s still asleep.”

  “I bet,” Sheriff Sutton replied, fighting back the anger in his voice. “He was busy last night.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Sheriff Sutton pointed to the bat on the bar. “I found this at the farm where Jessica and her daughter are staying.”

  “A baseball bat?”

  “This one’s got Collin’s teeth marks on it.”

  She picked up the bat and her nostrils flared. He knew she identified her brother’s scent as the perpetrator of the bite marks.

  “So what?” Roxie asked.

  “Is that all you can say?” He reached across the bar and took her hand. “What’s going on, Rox? We had a good thing set up here, but Collin is throwing it all away. I’ve kept you two safe and hidden from those who would do you harm. I’ve provided good kills over the last two years. We were making it work and now everything has gone to shit. Those teenage boys are passing around flyers warning of a werewolf in the area. I got OHP officers snooping around and asking questions. It might have been Jess’s husband that Collin bit at the farm last night.”

  Roxie’s eyebrows arched. “Jess’s husband?”

  “I think he’s the one that clubbed Brody from behind. After that, he followed Jess home and ran into Collin. It’s the only person I can think of who would be stalking her. He’s a cop from Chicago and may have tracked her to Hope Springs.”

  “We’ll just have to deal with it. If he survives the bite, he will seek us out to join the Pack. With Dominic’s death, we have an opening for a new member.”

  “Not this one. I checked with Chicago. The man is already wanted for arson and the murder of a stripper. He’s very dangerous and unstable.”

  “If he refuses to join and serve us, then Collin will kill him.”

  Sheriff Sutton shook his head. “Very risky. It’s only a matter of time before the police will find him here. We should dispose of him now.”

  “We’re preparing to disappear after the Ebon Moon. The buy is in the works for our new home in Alaska. We just have to keep up this ruse until then. If the new Bitten isn’t controllable, Collin will dispose of him before we leave.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Collin stood naked from the waist up at the entrance to the back room. His muscular frame highlighted the various tribal tattoos across his chest. “What’s the situation?”

  “You bit someone last night?” Sheriff Sutton asked.

  “I got shot in the chest and lost it for a bit. A human was watching the farm as well.” Collin stepped into the room and pulled a cold beer from under the bar. He glanced down at the baseball bat. “He had that.”

  “Dale thinks it was Jess’s husband,” Roxie stated.

  “So?” Collin popped the top from the bottle with a church key. “He may not even survive the transformation, and if he does, he will learn to serve the Pack.”

  “His name is Blake Lobato and is a felon wanted for murder and arson in Chicago,” Sheriff Sutton replied. “He’s also an abusive asshole and very dangerous.”

  “We need someone strong to join the Pack. This Blake sounds like he fits the bill.” Collin took a sip from the longneck. “We’re preparing to move away and leave Oklahoma nothing but a bad memory behind us for our new hunting grounds in the north. We will take the new Bitten with us.”

  “I’ll agree to this under one condition.” Sheriff Sutton picked up the bat. “You spare Jess and Megan. I’ve got somebody else for the Feast of the Ebon Moon tomorrow night.”

  “Who?” Collin asked.

  “Those two teenage punks out of Morris. They’re causing trouble again by spreading rumors about werewolves in the area.”

  “The same ones responsible for the death of our beloved Dominic,” Roxie interjected.

  Collin nodded. “Very well, I will agree but only because they helped kill Dominic. They need to pay with their flesh and blood.”

  “I’ll bring them to you for the feast.” Sheriff Sutton walked toward the door. “I promise.”

  Collin put down his bottle. “If you don’t, then Jess and her daughter will take their place. Understand?”

  “Very well,” Sheriff Sutton answered before closing the door behind him.

  * * * *

  After the sheriff left, Roxie turned to Collin.

  “You’re feeling generous this morning,” she said with a smile. “Allowing someone else for the feast besides Jess and Megan.”

  “I lied.” Collin took her into his arms.

  “Why?”

  “To keep him busy while we continue with our plans to capture Jess and her daughter.”

  “And what happens when the sheriff finds out we’ve taken his precious human mother and daughter?”

  Collin put his forehead against hers and looked deep in his sister’s eyes. “Reveca, I’m afraid our sheriff has outlived his usefulness to us. We have a new Bitten to join our Pack. I’ve sensed that he has survived the transformation. He will replace the sheriff and won’t have any problem with killing and devouring Jess and Megan.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  “There’s something bothering Sam,” Nelda said softly.

  “What do you think it is?” Jessica asked while pouring another cup of hot tea. The two women sat in patio chairs on the back porch of the farmhouse while Sam and Megan tended to Princess in the stock pen. Since the morning’s frost, the sun had done little to heat up the day.

  “It’s not anything I can put my finger on. It’s just after so many years of marriage, I know the man.” Nelda picked up a sugar cube from a saucer on the patio table and plopped it into her tea. “You get a sense about things.”

  “I understand.” Jessica nodded.

  “It’s something to do with what scared Megan last night. I think it scared Sam, too. The strange thing is that I’ve never seen him afraid of anything.”

  Megan left petting Princess and ran up to the back porch. Her cheeks were nearly as red as her new coat bought at the Dollar Store yesterday.

  “Can I have some more sugar cubes, Aunt Nel?” she asked breathlessly, her eyes wide with excitement.

  “Sure you can, sweat pea.” Nelda picked out a few sugar cubes from the saucer and put them in her hands.

  “Princess loves these,” Megan said and took off running back down to the pen.

  “I wish I had her energy.” Nelda laughed.

  “Don’t we all. That reminds me. Roxie called and wants me to come back to work at the bar. I told her I didn’t think I could leave Megan, especially after what happened last night. She said to bring her along and she’ll put her up in the back room so I can work and watch her at the same time.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t want to take Megan there, but she offered me ten dollars an hour.” Jessica put her cup down on the table. “I do need the money. I owe you.”

  Nelda touched her arm. “Normally, dear, I’d tell you to forget paying me the money, and I would mean it. In this case, I don’t get the impression charity is what you’re looking for. I think you want to prove to yourself that you can make it on your own. If you want to go back to work, feel free, is what I say.”

  “Thanks, Nel.”

  The phone rang from inside the kitchen.

  “Lord sakes, again?” Nelda rose from the patio chair. “Now who could it be?”

  She entered the house as Jessica turned her attention to Sam and Megan. Love swelled in her chest at the sight of her beautiful daughter feeding the
horse sugar cubes. She was growing up so fast, and the farm was much better for her than the stress-filled home they left. Sipping on the hot tea, she whispered a silent prayer of thanks.

  Nelda stepped back out on the patio. “Sam!” she called out.

  Sam looked up. “Yes?”

  “It’s the nursing home calling about your mother,” Nelda answered with a worried look on her face.

  “Coming,” Sam replied, hurrying toward the patio.

  “Is something wrong?” Jessica asked as Sam entered the house.

  Nelda gave her a nervous look. “Sam’s mother is in an extended-care nursing home in Bartlesville. She’s eighty-two years old.”

  Jessica sipped at her tea and waited in silence. Nelda stood in the door and stepped aside to let Sam back out.

  “What’s wrong, dear?” Nelda asked upon seeing the sad face of her husband.

  “My mother’s had some sort of stroke. She’s been rushed to the hospital.”

  “We have to go see her,” Nelda stated.

  Sam nodded his head. “As soon as possible. I’ve already fed the livestock this morning and I’ll call Chuck Ramsey to come over and check on the farm until I get back.”

  “Can I help?” Jessica asked, standing to her feet.

  “I’m just going to throw a few things in a suitcase and go,” Nelda replied. “Jess, I hate leaving you and Megan alone on the farm like this.”

  “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be all right.”

  “If you don’t want to sleep in the trailer, you’re welcome to stay here in the house while we’re gone.”

  “I’ll be fine, Nel. I’ll have Sheriff Sutton come by and check on us.”

  “Very well.” Nelda rushed into the house to pack for the trip.

  Megan left feeding Princess to join her on the patio. “Is something wrong, Mommy?”

  Jessica put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Sam’s mother is very sick. They’ve got to go out of town to see her in the hospital.”

  “Is she going to die, Mommy?”

  “I don’t know, baby.”

  * * * *

  Within a half an hour, the Olsons were ready to leave. Jessica waited in the drive with Megan by her side as Sam threw a suitcase in the truck bed and turned toward them with a concerned look. He attempted a warm smile at Megan.

  “You take good care of your mother while I’m gone, Meg,” Sam said.

  She ran forward and gave him a hug. “I will, I promise.”

  “I’ll see you when I get back.” Sam returned the hug before sliding behind the wheel of the truck.

  Jessica stepped up to the open passenger window to speak to Nelda, already sitting in the truck.

  “I’m going to miss you guys.”

  “We will probably be gone overnight and back in the morning,” Nelda replied. “Hopefully, you’ll be fine out here for one night.”

  Jessica nodded. “We’ll be all right. You worry about Sam’s mother now.”

  “I will.”

  Sam started the truck.

  “Got any special instructions for me?” Jessica asked.

  “I’ve got a man coming over in the morning to feed the livestock, so don’t be surprised if he’s around for a while. Oh, and I almost forgot, those teenage boys, Terry and Sid, are going to drop by tonight for some hunting. They might show up around dark.”

  “I’ll probably be working at the bar when they’re here,” Jess commented.

  “Okay.”

  “Good-bye.” Jessica stepped back from the truck as Sam put it in reverse. With Megan by her side, they waved one last time as the truck pulled out of the yard and onto the road. A dull fear settled in Jessica’s stomach watching the truck disappear. She walked toward the trailer, realizing tonight she would be alone with Megan on the farm.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Blake Lobato opened his eyes to find he was still in the motel room.

  Above him the ceiling fan revolved in its continuous cycle to the tune of the Mexican music playing next door. This time, though, it was much louder and clearer than before. Other sounds drifted in from outside: the roar of a truck on the highway, a man and woman arguing in Spanish somewhere in the motel parking lot, and a television on in some other room. His sense of hearing seemed more acute and sensitive to his surroundings.

  He sat up in the bed and looked back. The blood stain had dried into a crusty reddish brown blot upon the sheets where he had slept. The crude bandage on his shoulder was equally dried. Removing the cloth, he stared in disbelief.

  The bite was completely healed. Only the scar left by tooth marks remained in his flesh.

  How long have I been asleep?

  A late afternoon sun lit the curtained front window. He had slept through most of the day and barely remembered the haunted events of the previous night. Feeling energized and alive, he slid off the bed to stand on strong legs. Gone was the wracking fever and disorientation. Naked from the waist down, he studied his physique. The hair across his chest was thicker and darker. His muscles were more defined and tighter, complete down to a washboard six-pack of abs that he could never accomplish before, no matter how hard he worked in the police gym. He tested his speed and reflexes by throwing a few shadow punches. The air reverberated by the power of his quick jabs.

  He was not only healed, but improved.

  Rushing to the bathroom, he switched on the dirty light bulb, sending roaches scurrying across the floor. Blake studied his reflection in the mirror. He was a changed man. Gone from his pallor were the ravages of years of cocaine abuse. His complexion was youthful and clearer, the dark circles under his eyes no longer present. Running his tongue over his teeth, he felt two sharp points. He lifted his lip to study his canines in the mirror. They were much sharper and prominent.

  Am I a werewolf? he asked his reflection.

  His stomach rolled with a deep hunger, and he had no recollection of his last meal. Another pang wracked his body, almost causing him to double over. He needed badly to eat. He threw on the long duster jacket over his bare torso and buttoned it in the front. The one shirt he brought with him was too blood-stained and ripped to wear in public. He would have to go out like that. Lastly, he slid on his black sunglasses before stepping outside.

  With his sense of hearing much more acute and clear, he heard every sound in sharp detail. A cacophony of noise assaulted him when he left the motel room into the afternoon sun. As he stood in front of his room door, he realized his sense of smell had also undergone the same upgrade. Blake sniffed the air, detecting odors from various sources: an oil spot beneath a parked car, a bag of rotting trash placed outside a door several rooms down, and the body odor of a Mexican man talking on a pay phone at the corner of the lot. The most prominent was that of meat cooking. He turned toward the smell and noticed a barbeque diner in a strip mall on the other side of the highway. The name of the place was Lou’s Pig Shack.

  Deciding to walk instead of taking the Harley, he started across the highway and stopped in the middle of the road. His attention was suddenly drawn back down the two-lane blacktop toward Hope Springs.

  Jess was back there.

  His hatred returned again. Tonight he would find and kill her.

  A slight smile played across his lips. What will she think of the new me?

  Continuing to the barbeque place, he found the small diner almost empty when he entered. One couple sat at a table, and he guessed they were regular customers since both were well in excess of three hundred pounds. The layout of the place was similar to a deli with patrons choosing their meat selections from behind a glass counter. Blake spotted an entire rack of ribs broiling beneath a heat lamp.

  “Can I help you?” a teenage girl asked from behind the counter.

  “How much is the rack of ribs?”

  “Fourteen dollars,” she replied.

  “I’ll take it to go.” He stomach twisted again, causing him to wince. “Now.”

  “Sure.”

  She cut th
e ribs apart and stacked them into a Styrofoam container. “You get coleslaw and baked beans with that.”

  “Just the ribs, please.”

  The girl started to ring up the purchase. Blake placed a fifty-dollar bill on the counter.

  “Keep the change.”

  He took the container and rushed out the door with the hunger tearing at his insides. Unable to wait until he returned to the hotel room, he squatted in a parking space and placed the Styrofoam container on the tarmac. Opening the lid, he devoured the stack of cooked ribs with his new set of canines. In less than a minute, he had finished the meal, leaving bones scattered about. Meat juice covered his chin and bare hands.

  He sensed someone watching him and glanced back at the diner. The obese couple along with the teenage girl stood staring through the front window. Deciding he was drawing too much attention, Blake ran back across the highway to the motel.

  The rest of the afternoon he paced the small room as nervous anticipation grew with every passing minute. There was a full moon tonight, and he had no idea what to expect. At one point, he pulled out the bag of coke and contemplated snorting a line but flushed it down the toilet instead. He didn’t need coke anymore. He had found something better. Repeatedly, he pulled aside the curtains of the one window to watch the setting sun only to return to pacing back and forth. As the afternoon wore on, his agitation grew to the point the blaring music next door became unbearable. He pounded his fist against the wall.

  “Shut that shit off!” he shouted at the top of his voice, but the music continued unabated.

  The hunger also returned, and this time he knew it was going to take more than a tray of ribs to appease it. A lot more. As the sun slipped toward the horizon, he stripped off the rest of his clothes and pounded again on the wall for the music to stop, but to no avail. Every nerve tingled with energy as his breathing and heart rate increased. Sweat broke out in beads across his naked flesh. Stepping once more to the window, he pushed aside the curtain to stare at the skyline above the last light of sunset. A huge golden full moon hovered in the sky above the horizon, and as he looked upon it, his body began to transform.