The Original's Return (Book 1)

by David Watkins

  “Katie and Josh aren’t here.”

  Jack started to pull at the braces on his legs. He got one undone before Knowles had really registered what was happening.

  “Jack, stop doing that,” Knowles said, “now.”

  “I need to see my wife!” Jack yelled. “Now!”

  He ripped one of the braces off the bed and fur started to sprout along his arms.

  “Calm down Jack,” Knowles stood, kicking his chair away at the same time. His hand went to his holster.

  Jack’s face was elongating, teeth lengthening. Knowles pulled the gun out and shot him with the tranquiliser dart. He watched as Jack flailed at the huge needle sticking out if his chest.

  The door flew open and two soldiers ran in, guns in front of them. Claire ran in behind them. Jack roared at Knowles, fur appearing on his cheeks now. Knowles shot him again.

  Jack suddenly went limp and crashed to the floor.

  “Fuck,” Knowles said, looking down at the naked man.

  “You ok?” Claire checked Jack’s pulse. “He’s got a good strong pulse, and it’s normal.”

  “We need a stronger dose in these guns,” Knowles said when Claire stood up. He caught a whiff of her perfume, a subtle smell – almost undetectable.

  “What’s that?” he exaggerated the sniff.

  “Its Elle,” she said, blushing. “Giorgio Armani.”

  The two soldiers had relaxed when they saw Stadler on the floor and returned to their posts by the door.

  “It’s nice,” Knowles said. He helped her lift Stadler back onto the bed and retie the straps.

  “Never untie these unless you have someone in the room with you,” Claire scolded as she tightened the last strap.

  “He wasn’t going to hurt me.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Yeah I do. He doesn’t want this, any of it.”

  Claire walked back to the door and paused in the doorway. “You need to be careful, Knowles.”

  “Yes Ma’am,” Knowles said with a smile. “How long will he be out?”

  “Rest of the day probably with those two doses.”

  “Fancy a coffee?”

  “I’d love one.”

  Interlude: Devon

  1

  Katie woke at six am, as she had every day for the last week. Josh’s cries were not loud but they were insistent, like the mewling of a cat. She lifted him out of the cot and he started to feed. Her eyes were heavy and she dozed, letting feelings of love for her baby overwhelm her.

  He finished half an hour later and she changed his nappy, talking to him as she did. She explained everything to him, from wiping with cotton wool and water, drying with a small towel to putting the fresh nappy on. He smiled up at her throughout it all. The health visitor and midwife had said it would be weeks before he could smile and that what she thought was a smile was wind, but she didn’t care. Josh was smiling for her, brightening her day, giving her the strength to carry on.

  She dressed him in a stripy baby grow and carried him downstairs. Ginny came to say hello, sniffed at Josh and then curled up on her bed with a very heavy sigh. Must take her for a walk today. She had breakfast with him on her lap.

  She ate tasteless cornflakes and drank bland tea. She ran a bath and got in with Josh. At some point she cried, but couldn’t remember when. She dried and got dressed, spraying some perfume to make herself feel better.

  It didn’t work.

  2

  She tried to ignore the stares of the people in the shop, but failed. Her cheeks were hot so she kept her gaze fixed firmly ahead, not making eye contact with anyone. On some faces was shock, but on most was that expression of sympathy you get from strangers who know you’ve been through a tragedy but whom it doesn’t affect.

  Josh gurgled and settled into his favourite position: head as close to her neck as possible. His eyes were open and he was staring up at her. He would sometimes look around the shop, wide-eyed with wonder, then return to cuddling into Katie.

  The shop was packed, which was of course typical. Normally, at this time on a work day, you would be lucky to see two people in the place. Not today and not since that night. The locals were all there to buy the North Devon Journal, to get all the scandal featuring their very own village. Of course, now their own superstar – widow, victim, freak - was in the shop with them. Tongues would be wagging in the local tonight.

  Katie put enough food to cook for the next couple of days in her basket and joined the end of the queue. Three people stood in front of her. It seemed to take a lifetime for them to be served. By the time she approached the till, four more were waiting behind her. She felt as though she had two heads.

  “Hi Katie,” Sue said from behind the till, “how are you today?”

  The words were out automatically and Sue turned pale when she realised who she was talking to. “I mean-”

  “I’m fine Sue,” Katie said with a thin smile. She rested her hand on Josh’s thin coating of hair. “Thanks for asking.”

  Sue quickly scanned the items and asked for money. “It’s good to see you out and about.”

  “Yes,” Katie said. “We have to eat, don’t we, munchkin?”

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Good, thanks. Sleeps like a baby.”

  Sue’s mouth opened and closed in what would have been a great goldfish impression in different circumstances.

  “That was a joke,” Katie said.

  Sue laughed, but too little, too late. “Sorry, it’s just-”

  “I know,” Katie said, looking at the others in the shop. “My husband has gone. Life goes on.”

  She walked out of the shop and almost made it to the church before the tears came, yet again.

  3

  Katie sat on the sofa, clutching Josh to her despite the fact that he was fast asleep. She knew she should put him down; that she was creating problems for later, but she needed something to fill the emptiness inside her. The television had been on since she’d returned from the shop, but she couldn’t remember turning it on, let alone what she had watched for the last two hours.

  Her first outing had not gone well. She did not like to be stared at and she liked less being gossiped about. Better get used to it, girl. The main headline of the Journal had been “Village in shock following further deaths.” Her copy had been waiting on the mat when she’d returned from the shop. The whole article was now seared inside her mind and bits of it flashed on the inside of her eyelids whenever she blinked.

  -death toll of savage animal attacks mounts-

  -amongst the dead are a policeman who had, ironically, moved from London to escape violence-

  -local popular teacher, Jack Stadler, the final victim-

  -tragically burned to death whilst attacking the vicious beast-

  She had finally stopped crying. Her eyes were puffy and she felt that if she cried any more it would just be tiny salt crystal tumbling down her cheeks.

  It was the last part of the story that she had most difficulty with. Jack had been in the street when he died – two doors away - and she’d been asleep. He had been alone, burning with that horrible wolf, when he drew his last breath.

  What had he thought about? What had been his final coherent thought? Had he thought about her? Josh? What would Josh grow up to be? A teacher, like his father? A detective? An astronaut? A street cleaner? All things that Jack would now never see. The sense of loss was all powerful and tears came again. Wrong again then –plenty more to come out.

  Detective Wilson had found Jack just outside Huntleigh when he had left her. He had turned round to bring Jack back to his family when – it was believed – they had seen the wolf attacking an unknown man. They had tried to rescue him, but Wilson had been killed. The wolf had attacked Jack, but he had managed to drag the wolf out to the garden where he found a gun and shot at the wolf.

  The bullet had hit a gas canister. The resulting explosion had killed Jack and the wolf outright and the subsequent fire had
consumed a large part of the house.

  The unknown man had been a soldier on leave. A popular theory, reported by the Journal, was that the soldier – still unnamed – had just returned from Afghanistan and was looking to commit suicide. The gun was supposed to have been his, but the army were very tight lipped about how he had a gun with him. The army were not releasing the man’s details as they wanted the man’s memory and honour to remain intact in his family’s eyes.

  Jack and Wilson were being hailed as heroes by the press. They had stopped the mad wolf and now the streets of Huntleigh were safe. The death toll from Barnstaple only helped the impression that the men were heroes.

  Jack. My Jack.

  Katie had a big problem with the reported version of events. From her fractured memory of the hospital, she was sure that Jack had turned into the wolf.

  That made her doubt her sanity.

  Chapter 23

  1

  The sunlight was bright and warming in a way artificial light could only aspire to. Jack squinted and raised his hand to cover his eyes. It was his first time outside since arriving. Well, first time in human form.

  Knowles was standing next to him, hand on the grip of his pistol. In front of Jack, two soldiers were backing away slowly, guns aimed right at him. He turned his head and saw two more watching from the flat roof of the building they were keeping him in. He knew from conversations with Knowles that these were Carruthers and Jones; he also recognised them from Huntleigh even though he had not spoken to them yet.

  A woman came out of the building opposite. Apparently this identical building had been where they’d first kept him, until his break out attempt. Knowles smiled when he first saw her, then seemed to remember where he was and returned to his usual stern expression.

  “Mr Stadler, my name is Claire Biddlestone,” she said formally. “We’ve not actually met before, well not like this.” She blushed. “You know what we’re about to do?”

  Jack scanned his surroundings. He was in a large concrete square. Four identical buildings lined one side of the square, with four more opposite. He had come out of the second building on one side. In the distance, about a half mile away, large trees bordered the entire plot. A single road lead away from the square and they were surrounded by open grass fields. Another set of buildings sat at the end of the road, and another road led to a gatehouse. Trees obscured the view from the outside. People might not even suspect there was an army base here.

  “Call me Jack,” he said with a coolness he did not feel. “Nice perfume. Elle?”

  She ignored him. “Mr Stadler, you are aware of what we would like you to do?”

  He nodded once.

  “Remember, Jack,” Knowles said, “we’ve got you covered, so nothing can go wrong.”

  “But it could.”

  “Trust us, Jack.”

  “I don’t want to kill anyone.”

  “You won’t.” Knowles tapped the butt of his gun.

  The gesture did not fill Jack with confidence. “Let’s get it over with then.”

  Knowles nodded and he and Claire backed away. They disappeared into one of the corner buildings. The two soldiers remained, guns trained on Jack. Both were wearing armour plated versions of the suits dog handlers wore in police videos. They looked like heavily armed American football players. Like that old board game. What was it called again? The guns had two darts in each, and each dart would stop an elephant. Despite this he could smell their fear. Yes, fear has a smell. It’s like crack for people like me.

  Jack kicked his shoes off. No laces, which struck Jack as a bit pointless – from what he’d been told he wouldn’t be able to kill himself anyway. He pulled the standard army issue t-shirt over his head and dropped the trousers. He folded both and put them in a neat pile next to him. Finally he pulled the boxer shorts off and placed them on top of the pile. Why have I done that so neatly? Nice time to develop OCD.

  A breeze made him shiver, goose bumps rising on his arms. He turned on the spot, letting the cameras on the buildings get a good look at him. His hands covered his cock and balls and he was strangely relieved that the events of the last couple of weeks had left him in great shape. He actually had a six pack he hadn’t paid for.

  He stopped turning when the two soldiers came into view again and nodded at them once. “I’m ready,” he said in a voice that suggested he wasn’t.

  Here we go.

  2

  The high pitched whine surprised him, even though he was expecting it. If anything, the anticipation made it louder when it started, like a phone ringing when you’re sat right next to it. He immediately fell to the floor, hands over his ears and curled into a foetal ball, screaming.

  “No! I’ve changed my mind!” Jack screamed. “Don’t make me-”

  The wolf burst out of him, snarling. Its dark coat seemed to absorb the sunlight, making it a cloud of darkness in the courtyard. Its yellow eyes seemed to glow, shining bright.

  Two small red dots immediately played over the wolf’s head as the soldiers took aim. Target locked.

  The wolf stood its ground. It lowered its head and growled at the soldiers. Fur around its neck stood on end and its tail was between its legs. Suddenly it threw back its head and howled. The sound echoed around the square of buildings, the pitch changes making it seem as though many wolves were in the courtyard.

  Both soldiers looked at each other, turned and ran.

  3

  Knowles was in the control room with Major Smith and Claire. He had ignored her admiring gasp when Stadler had removed his clothes, but his stomach had twisted all the same. She had gasped again when Jack had turned into the wolf. Lines of fur had run up his arms and legs before the wolf just appeared.

  “It’s like it burst out of him!” she said.

  “It’s as if he’s some sort of shell and that’s what’s inside,” Smith said.

  “The world’s worst Kinder surprise,” Knowles muttered. Claire suppressed a grin and his stomach untwisted for a moment.

  “It’s magnificent,” Smith said. On the screens, the wolf sank to its haunches and growled. They all flinched when it howled.

  “Shit, don’t run,” Knowles said, as the two soldiers looked at each other. “Whatever you do, don’t run.” He reached over and switched the high frequency transmitter off. His hand hovered over the external tannoy, just as the two soldiers started to run.

  The wolf gave chase.

  4

  It was like trying to run through treacle Adam Salmon would later explain. Try as hard as he could, he just couldn’t get any acceleration. He would never tell anyone that his legs turned to jelly as soon as he saw the wolf. He watched in horror as his friend overtook him. The wolf hit him square in the back, knocking him to the ground.

  “Stop!”

  A voice boomed out from the tannoy system around the courtyard. The wolf looked around wildly, trying to track the source of the noise. Adam was face down in the dirt, hands across the back of his helmet like a rugby player at the bottom of a ruck. He had dropped his gun when he started running and he could see it six metres and a lifetime away.

  “Jack. Stop.”

  The wolf howled then stepped back.

  5

  “Those two want shooting for running away,” Jones said.

  Carruthers bit back a laugh. “I’m up here and I want to run. There’s no shame in it Jonesey.”

  “Maybe. But we’re here to do a job.” Jones looked down the sight of his rifle, red dot on the wolf’s head, letting him know that his aim was true.

  “Not yet,” Carruthers said without taking his eyes off the courtyard below.

  “When?” Jones snorted. “When he takes that lad’s head off?”

  “Not yet,” Carruthers said again as Knowles’ voice came over the tannoy. He couldn’t help smiling as the wolf stepped off the fallen soldier. It stood close enough to be a worry, but it was just snarling.

  “Jesus,” Jones said. “Here doggy, doggy.”
<
br />   “It’s a wolf, you idiot.”

  “Still getting trained though, in it? It’ll be scratching at the door when it wants a shit next.”

  6

  Adam stood up slowly, eyes on the wolf at all times. It sat on its haunches and licked its lips. The fur seemed to be receding back into its body, much like a film running backwards. Eventually, a naked man sat on the floor in front of him.

  “Mr Stadler,” Adam said, voice breaking.

  “Blood Bowl,” Jack started laughing. “The game is called Blood Bowl.” His laugh was genuine for the first time in weeks. He clutched his stomach where it was cramping from the laughter.

  It had worked. He had stopped the wolf.

  Chapter 24

  1

  The first successful attempt came after three unsuccessful ones. Jack Stadler has been on the base for three weeks at the time of writing. We began to suspect that he could control the changes to the Wolf when he failed to attack Captain Biddlestone following his escape from the initial unit (see report JS27072014).

  I suspect that Captain Biddlestone reminds Jack of his wife in some way. Shortly following the attempted escape, I interviewed Jack and he asked repeatedly to see his wife. The most likely explanation is that Katie and Claire share perfume, shower gel or shampoo, although we would have to investigate this initial supposition further.

  The team explained to Jack that we would try to force the Wolf out of him and that he would then try to revert to human form. He agreed – I believe he still thinks we can cure him. Doctor Starky has not yet ruled this out (see report JS25072014) but he can find no evidence of the Wolf in Jack when he is human.

  The first three attempts to get Jack to control the Wolf all ended in failure. Each of those attempts were internal and the destruction the Wolf caused was large, although not to human life. He had to be treated with a heavier dose of our tranquiliser each time, which suggests his immune system has an incredible adaptability rate. Further evidence of this is the healing that Jack can perform (see report JS25072014-A).