Get Bent!

by Rick Gualtieri

  Jerry tried to claw at me again, but I caught his arm this time and forced it down. “I said, I’m trying to help.”

  In response, he threw back his head and howled – long and loud – a mournful sound that echoed across the clearing and probably far beyond.

  At first, I thought it was because of the pain, but then it kept going and I realized he wasn’t screaming in agony so much as calling for help.

  Shit! “Hey, knock that off.”

  He snarled at me. Then he pulled back his lips in what could only be called a gross mockery of a smile, lifted his head, and did it again.

  “I said, stop that!”

  Despite the howls, those whispers rose up inside my head again, almost like a swarm of mosquitoes in my skull. It was making it hard to form coherent thoughts. Fuck it. I could take some Advil later. For now, I needed to shut Jerry up.

  I tried to cover his muzzle with my hands, force him to quiet down, but he fought me, drawing me closer until my face was within reach for him to...

  Enough!

  I grabbed Jerry on either side of his head and twisted his jaws away from me with everything I had, not realizing just how angry I was. There came the sickening CRACK of bone breaking and then his head fell limply to the side, his tongue rolling out of his mouth.

  Oh no! “Jerry?”

  There was no response.

  “Um ... Jerry, are you okay?”

  I felt like a complete idiot asking it. Of course he wasn’t okay. Despite the shock of what I’d done, it was painfully obvious what had happened. I’d snapped his neck like a toothpick, killing him instantly.

  “Oh, shit,” I muttered backing away. The guy was an ass, but I hadn’t meant to kill him. “Shit!”

  This couldn’t have ended in a worse way had I tried.

  But then, a moment later, as I continued to watch Jerry in the hopes that maybe his werewolf DNA would pull a Lazarus, I realized how wrong I was.

  The buzzing in my head became higher-pitched, sounding like a dentist’s drill had been shoved into my brain. But then, just as it reached a level where I was sure it would drive me mad, it abruptly stopped. In that moment, the clearing, still slightly aglow despite the setting sun, put to rest the thought that I’d been imagining things. It was as if someone turned a blue spotlight on the place, illuminating it from the ground up.

  What in the name of...?

  The weirdness wasn’t done yet, though. The strange, ghostly illumination began to change. It wasn’t all at once, but gradual, like the blue aura of light was slowly being drowned out by a darker shade – the color of blood.

  I looked up and saw the moon. It was full and beginning to take on the reddish tinge that gave it its name, the same color that was now beginning to suffuse the glade.

  Certain I was losing my mind, I glanced back down at Jerry and saw something that made the revelation that monsters were real seem like a minor blip in comparison.

  The blood that had pooled beneath his body had taken on a strange hue, almost as if someone had taken a picture, loaded it into Photoshop, and turned the contrast up to maximum. It stood out against the grass in bas relief then, as I watched, it was sucked into the ground.

  I’m not talking about draining into the dirt or mixing with the soil. I mean sucked, as if the very Earth itself had gotten a taste and now wanted the rest, leaving nothing behind.

  Within moments, even the grass, stained red by Jerry’s impalement, was fresh and green again. It was only then that I realized the color of the light in the glade was changing in proportion to how much of Jerry’s blood was being lapped up.

  As the last drop was pulled into the ground, the clearing lit up in an angry shade of crimson and that humming began again, this time cranked up to eleven. It was like being right in front of the speaker array at a rock concert. Every bone in my body vibrated painfully until I was certain they’d shatter from within, leaving me a quivering heap of flesh on the forest floor.

  That would have been a hell of a way to be found. Jerry dead – impaled but bloodless – and me next to him, my skeleton pulverized into powder. I didn’t pretend to know the finer nuances of either werewolf or Draío ... witch culture, but I had to imagine that would be weird even by their standards.

  But then, rising above the buzzing in my head, even if just barely, I heard the howls – low and distant at first, but rising in pitch as more and more voices joined in. The pack. Jerry had been calling to them in his final moments, and they’d heard him.

  I shook my head, clearing whatever hold this freaky-ass grove had over me and began to back away – all while making myself a promise to listen the next time my parents told me to stay the hell out of the hollows.

  The moment my foot stepped down outside the edge of the glade, it was as if someone turned off a circuit breaker. One second the entire place had been nearly ablaze with crimson light. The next, it was no different than the rest of the forest – just a small clearing bathed in shadow. It was the same with the strange whispers in my mind. They too fell instantly silent, as if they’d never been anything more than my imagination.

  That was way too fucking weird.

  I glanced once more toward where Jerry’s body lay. I hadn’t wanted this, felt sick to my stomach at what I’d been forced to do. But at the same time, I couldn’t lie to myself and pretend it would’ve played out different had I been given a second chance. The threat against Riva was too much for me to take. My loved ones were my personal line in the sand, and he’d crossed it.

  “I’m sorry.”

  A moment passed and I was about to turn away, but then movement caught my eye. Jerry... In the gloom, his body appeared to be shrinking in on himself. I blinked several times, but couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light, him reverting back to his human form, or if something else was happening.

  Just before I stepped back into the clearing to check for certain, those howls began again – closer this time – and I forced myself to look away.

  The pack was coming, and once they saw what I’d done, it would only get worse from there.

  I needed to get out of these cursed woods, make it back home, and warn the people I loved before hell was unleashed upon them.

  CHAPTER 25

  I considered heading back to the car. That would have been the most logical move, but perhaps not the smartest. Mind you, neither logic nor acting smart held much sway right then.

  There was no telling how far away the howls I’d heard were. They definitely carried some distance. That said, it didn’t strike me as the best course of action to step foot back into Morganberg now that the sun had set. Sure, not all of them were werewolves, but I had a feeling enough were. And, considering what had happened at the diner last month, I’d have to be an idiot to assume they’d have any qualms about changing into their monstrous forms within the city limits.

  At the same time, I had no intention of staying in these woods a second longer than I needed to. Every shadow was a potential monster in hiding, every breaking branch a probable enemy in pursuit. Between these woods and knowing what I’d done to Jerry – that I’d crossed a line and become a killer – it took all of my effort to focus.

  I couldn’t afford either grief or panic, not when I needed to get back to High Moon and warn the people there. Okay, first I’d need to figure out a way to convince them I wasn’t a fucking loon, but I had a feeling that would be less of an issue once a pack of bipedal wolves started rampaging through the streets.

  My talk with Jerry had convinced me that’s where they’d be headed, whether or not I was there. Uncle Craig was proving to be a spiteful son of a bitch, and if he had more willing foot soldiers, monsters ready to kill at his command, then it was going to be bad.

  As for the innocent people who just happened to live there because it was a quiet place to raise a family, well, talk about accidentally building your home atop a minefield.

  Rather than give in to the fear that threatened to consume me, I focused on all
the lives that would be lost if I couldn’t keep my shit together.

  I raced through the darkening forest as quickly as my legs would carry me, trying to backtrack from that freaky glade, but it still wasn’t fast enough. Damp leaves, roots, branches, all of it served as a veritable obstacle course, each one determined to dump me on my ass and slow me down.

  Somehow, whether it was dumb luck or some guardian angel giving me a chance to fix the clusterfuck I’d set in motion, I managed to head in the right direction. I heard the sound of wheels on pavement and a rumbling engine from somewhere off to my left. Crossed Pine Road! I could have wept with joy at the sight of its bumpy, pothole-riddled surface, but there was no time to spare.

  I’d never been much of a sprinter. My legs were muscular, the result of years of sports, but they weren’t the long graceful limbs of a runner. Of course, up until recently I hadn’t known that I was about as strong as the average bulldozer.

  There were a lot of things I hadn’t tested regarding my newfound powers – speed and endurance being two of them. My warning to High Moon wouldn’t be much use if I died of a heart attack before reaching the city limits, but it was pretty much a case of now or never.

  More howls rose up from somewhere behind me. These were different in pitch. I didn’t pretend to speak werewolf, but could have sworn I detected an undertone of anger.

  Call me a pessimist, but if I had to make a guess, I’d have put my money that some of Jerry’s pack buddies had found him.

  More howls answered in response, these coming from different parts of the forest. They sounded equally as pissed. I had a feeling that Google Translate would have come back with something along the lines of “Get that bitch!”

  Whatever head start I had given myself was about to run out. If ever there was a time to test out the true limits of my power, it was now.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  The sign proclaiming I’d reached the border of High Moon came up sooner than expected. Thank Goodness!

  While I couldn’t pretend I had gotten there faster than by car, I’d been moving at a good clip, enough to make me think any speed traps in the area would have probably registered me as an offender.

  Amazingly enough, I felt pretty good too – physically anyway – like I’d just warmed up for practice.

  Sadly, a warm-up was just what I needed if Craig’s wolves were hot on my trail. I hadn’t heard anymore howling since that last angry volley, but that didn’t mean anything. I sincerely doubted they were going home to have a nice quiet wake in Jerry’s honor – especially tonight. I glanced up and, sure enough, saw a reddish glow shining down from high over the trees. The blood moon had risen.

  I stopped at an intersection and considered my next move. Dad was over in... Shit! My dad! What would he think once he found out about Jerry? Craig was the alpha and he the second-in-command. Would he heed his brother’s orders to ravage High Moon? If he refused, would they turn on him?

  Despite how much shit I’d given him this summer, he was still my father. So far as I knew he’d never hurt a fly. But then again, according to what he’d told me, once upon a time he was considered something of a badass. What if that was his true nature – something he kept in check for the benefit of his family, but always lurking right below the surface?

  Argh! If I continued with this train of thought, I’d end up standing in place all night while the werewolf brigade blew past me and tore my town to pieces. That wouldn’t help anyone.

  I had to trust Dad was okay and would do what he felt was the right thing. There wasn’t much I could do about it otherwise.

  As for the rest of my family, Mom had made certain Chris was out of town. He was safe, or as safe as a normal kid could be among a coven of ridiculously powerful witches. Hopefully she was with him, as opposed to zapping him into stasis and leaving him in a closet somewhere. Mind you, that option worked, too.

  Either way, that made the choice a bit easier. Though a part of me wanted to run home, lock the doors, and turn on the TV loud enough so that I could pretend nothing was amiss, I instead turned right and headed toward Riva’s house.

  She wasn’t a part of this and I needed to make sure it stayed that way.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  My subconscious was kind enough to torture me with all sorts of unpleasant thoughts along the way ... most of them involving finding my friend and her family being eaten alive on their own front lawn.

  Did werewolves actually eat people or just tear them limb from limb? At some point I really should’ve asked my dad if he was a cannibal. That was probably an important detail to know, but I filed it away for later as more images of slaughter invaded my mind.

  By the time I reached Riva’s cul-de-sac I was in such a panic that I nearly collapsed in tears upon seeing that everything looked normal. Garbage cans had been moved to the curb in anticipation of pickup tomorrow. Front porch lights were on. The street lights were aglow, and people could be seen through windows going about their evening.

  That normalcy wouldn’t last, however. My uncle had promised that much.

  Rather than stand there and play voyeur, I headed straight to Riva’s place. Everyone here needed to be warned, if possible, but call me selfish. I needed to make sure my best friend was safe first. Once that was out of the way, then I could do what was necessary for everyone else.

  I walked up to their front door, rang the bell, and waited. A pack of angry monsters was probably on their way even now, yet some habits died harder than others.

  “I got it!” a voice cried from inside, followed a moment later by Riva opening up, a look of surprise on her face. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting married right now?”

  “Change of plans.”

  “Don’t tell me you left Wartboy standing at the altar.”

  I smiled sheepishly. “Something like that, except he wasn’t exactly standing.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Riva stood there, a blank look on her face as she apparently tried to process what I had just told her. “Are you saying that you...”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow. Holy shit. I mean, how did it happen?”

  I shrugged. “Impaled him on a tree branch and then kinda snapped his neck.”

  “Whoa,” she muttered. “So that was the ace up your sleeve? Kill him if he said...?”

  “No!” I quickly lowered my voice. “I didn’t plan on it ending that way. It was ... some of the things he said. Stuff which we really need to talk about.”

  “Who’s at the door?” a slightly accented voice asked from further in the house – Riva’s father.

  I instinctively answered, “It’s just me, Mr. Kale.”

  “Oh. Come in, Tamara,” he called back. “Why are you standing out there like some stranger?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. While Riva’s mom could be a bit standoffish at times, her father had always been nothing but welcoming to me. Pity this wasn’t a social call.

  Riva automatically led the way toward the stairs heading up to her room, but I stopped as we passed the living room, where her parents were busy watching some reality show.

  “C’mon, Bent,” she said in a hushed voice. Her parents weren’t overly fond of that nickname. “Sounds like we need to...”

  “There’s no time,” I interrupted, realizing I was falling into our normal routine far too easily. And why not? Everything was as it should be. It required no effort to pretend that death wasn’t even now racing toward us. Heck, I almost wished I could’ve fooled myself into thinking I’d imagined it all, but I couldn’t. “I need you and your family to leave High Moon tonight ... now, as a matter of fact.”

  I’d purposely raised my voice so it would be heard by her parents. There was little time for beating around the bush. The sound of the TV muted in response.

  Riva gave me a questioning look, but I simply nodded to her and stepped into the living room.

  “Did you just say we needed to leave town?” her father asked, the expression on his face sugge
sting he was certain he’d heard wrong.

  I slowly nodded, the two sides of my brain at war with one another. A part of me didn’t want to sound like some maniac, but the rest realized that playing it safe could cost them their lives.

  Screw it, I went for broke.

  “My uncle is leading an army of werewolves here from Morganberg. I was supposed to marry one tonight, but I sort of accidentally ended up killing him instead, and now they’re coming to murder everyone in town, starting with your family.”

  There came a beat of silence, long enough for me to register just how batshit crazy I sounded. Then Mrs. Kale stood up with a sigh. “I’ll go make some tea.”

  “But...”

  “It’s okay, Tamara.” Riva’s dad stood, too. He was a short man with dark skin, a mustache, and rapidly thinning hair on top of his head. That was offset by bright eyes and a welcoming smile, a smile that didn’t leave his face even as he spoke to what he surely thought was his daughter’s best friend gone nuts.

  “Dad, she’s telling the...”

  Mr. Kale held up a hand. “It’s okay, Riva. I understand.”

  I glanced back at her then toward him. “You do?”

  “Yes, I do. Have a seat, child.”

  “There isn’t...”

  “Please, I insist.” He gestured toward the couch, and both I and Riva automatically planted our butts in it. “Now, you two may find this hard to believe, but I was young once.”

  Again, I and my friend shared a glance. Somehow, I had a feeling that what he was about to say didn’t involve supernatural creatures, but stranger things had happened this summer.

  “I went to college, I experimented,” he continued. “Why, there was this one time, back at the University of Calcutta. I ate some mushrooms and then spent the entire afternoon having an enlightening conversation with Ganesh before realizing I’d been talking to nothing more than a lawn ornament.”