The Original's Return (Book 1)

by David Watkins

  Jones.

  Starky.

  Seeing the bodies was like a hammer blow to his gut. Where the hell is Smith? The courtyard was a mess. It seemed that not an inch of the area had been spared the gore. Smith is here somewhere, mixed in with this lot. The helicopters had been indiscriminate and wanton in their destruction. Who gave this order?

  Knowles crossed the courtyard and reached Starky’s corpse first. Whilst he had not seen eye to eye with the man, he would not have wished death on him. His skull looked like it had been licked clean. He looked at Jones next, and sank to the floor. The way he was holding the gun, the way his head was angled. Oh, Jonesey, what did you do?

  Scarlet. Meyers. Carruthers. Jones.

  It was an op in Devon – how exactly had this happened? He heard a crunch behind him, and spun, raising the weapon. Jack held his hands up, face pale.

  “Motherfuckers,” Knowles spat, aiming the gun at the spot between Jack’s eyes. “He was right. None of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for you.”

  Jack stared at the ground, hoping that by avoiding eye contact, Knowles’ would calm down. He didn’t speak as Knowles continued to rage.

  “We went to Afghanistan. Iraq. They were my friends. What the fuck happened here? What the fuck are you, Jack, you piece of shit? Are you better than them? Better than my friends? Claire, you bastard, why the fuck did they kill her? She, she-”

  Knowles stopped as a sob escaped his lips. He lowered the gun, but kept both hands wrapped around it. His finger had not moved from the trigger.

  Jack continued to look at the ground, afraid to make eye contact. A piece of paper fluttered in the breeze and landed on Jones. Amongst all the destruction, the solitary piece looked wrong: pristine white but with four red smudges on the back. Fingerprints. Someone has held that and thrown it away. The paper flipped over and he saw the thumb print on the other side. He picked it up.

  In the distance came the steady thump thump of the helicopters returning. Knowles turned the other body over, regarded Starky’s horrified expression for a second then reached down and closed the dead man’s eyes.

  Knowles watched the helicopters approaching. They were slowing down, looking to land. “Don’t move Jack, and put your hands up.”

  “Knowles.” Jack’s voice was too quiet over the increasing volume of the helicopters. He spoke again, louder this time.

  “Shut up, Jack, just shut the fuck up.” Knowles stood and started waving at the helicopters.

  “Knowles!” Jack screamed.

  Knowles turned to glare at him, raising the gun again. “Put your fucking hands up, I said.”

  Jack held up the piece of paper. “It’s my address.”

  “Jack-”

  “Why is it out here?” Jack’s eyes were wild, full of desperation. “They know.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “They know where Katie and Josh are.”

  Chapter 29

  1

  “You’re being a little paranoid,” Knowles said.

  “No,” Jack insisted. “They know. This is the only piece of paper out here.”

  “Look at the mess. Anyone could have brought that out. Hell, the wind could’ve blown it out.”

  “I don’t know,” Jack said. “Maybe. But I’m worried, Knowles. Please. You have to help.”

  Knowles lowered the gun but his finger remained on the trigger. He was about to say more but the engine noise from the helicopters stopped him. Dust flew into the air as the helicopters started to land. Knowles turned, shielding his eyes to watch.

  Soldiers jumped out of the helicopters, weapons ready. A perimeter rapidly formed and the helicopters took off again, circling the base. One of the soldiers stepped forward, weapon trained on Knowles with a tiny red dot in line with his heart, showing that his aim was true. Knowles raised his hands and glared at Jack until he did the same.

  “Who is in charge?” the soldier demanded.

  “Me, I guess,” Knowles said. “Everyone else is either dead or missing.”

  “And you are?”

  Knowles rattled off his name and number. The soldier repeated the info back into a radio then waited. Jack felt cold sweat drip down his back and he felt sick to the pit of his stomach. Katie. Josh. Every time he blinked he saw huge teeth biting down onto a tiny vulnerable neck.

  “What happened here, Sergeant?”

  “I’m going to need ID and clearance before I tell you that, mate.”

  2

  It was all taking too long. Jack sat against one of the few intact buildings. Someone had given him a cup of tea, but it had gone cold before he thought to take a sip. He threw it away. The sick feeling in his stomach was getting worse. Knowles was deep in conversation with two men who had arrived in the second wave of helicopters. He seemed calmer now, the professional soldier taking over.

  About half an hour after the helicopters had first turned up, three more had arrived. These had been chunkier, troop carrying machines. All three had held more troops than Jack had thought possible and now the base was crawling with men. The original two helicopters were out of sight now, scouring the landscape for any sign of the wolves.

  Adrenaline had worn off ages ago leaving him weary, but Jack had lost all sense of time. It was getting dark, slowly but surely, which meant that if someone had started driving to Devon, they would probably be there by now.

  Knowles saluted the two men, then came over to Jack.

  “It’s not every day you meet a general,” he said. “They want you in custody.”

  “Custody? Knowles, please, Katie’s in trouble.”

  “I told them that,” Knowles said. “I also told them that you knew the wolves were coming here before we did. They’re quite interested in that.”

  “Fuck them all Knowles, my wife is in trouble!” He only realised how loud he’d shouted when the General looked over at him. “You gave me your word. You said you’d get me home. Remember?”

  Knowles nodded. “I did. I’ve got us a ride.”

  3

  Stealing the car was easy. Steve and Anton had retrieved their clothes from the woods, ignoring the scent of other former clan members. They had stayed under cover of the trees when they heard helicopters overhead. Once fully dressed, they had started to hitch hike. Anton killed the first driver that stopped and they took the car. Driving to Devon took a long time, especially as they had stopped twice to change drivers and once to steal a different car.

  Now, he sat in the dark in the garden of the house where Katie Stadler lived. He hadn’t moved for nearly an hour, all his attention on the house. A light was on – he could see the faint glow through the kitchen window, although the kitchen itself was dark. The light was coming from under the door to what he presumed was the living room. They had a simple plan: wait for her to go to bed, more surprise that way, then kill her.

  Or at least that had been the plan. Katie Stadler was a lot prettier than her picture made out. Could have a bit of fun first. Maybe create a new mate. Could do with a pretty bitch to go with my new status as leader of this pack. A tiny pack granted, bit his pack all the same.

  Oh yes.

  4

  Steve didn’t register the downstairs light going off at first. The darkness in the garden was absolute, but his eyes were so good that he took a moment to realise the golden glow had gone. An upstairs light snapped on.

  It’s time.

  Steve stood up and walked slowly to the back door.

  The dog started barking.

  5

  Katie climbed the stairs with heavy legs. Every limb felt lined with lead and her head sagged on her neck, causing her to stoop. Please sleep through tonight. She put the sleeping Josh into his cot. He gurgled once and she held her breath, afraid to move. He didn’t make another sound. She relaxed and sank to the bed.

  Even though she knew it was a mistake, she put her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Her mind started whirling with all the things she hadn
’t done that day. When did you last do the hoovering? The dishes from breakfast are still on the side. Ginny hasn’t had a walk today.

  On cue, Ginny started barking and her eyes snapped back open.

  Don’t wake him. Please, Ginny, shut up! Bloody dog. She didn’t stop barking; if anything her barks were getting louder and louder. That meant only one thing: someone was at the door.

  6

  Steve kicked the back door as hard as he could, and felt his leg change as he connected with the wood. The door burst off its hinges, flying across the kitchen. Cool. He grinned. So Callum’s not the only one who can do that now. His pride in his own achievement passed quickly as a dog leapt at him.

  He caught it in mid-air, snapped its neck and tossed it aside, like a child throwing away an old toy. The dog yelped once, then was still. He heard a crash from the front of the house and knew that Anton was in.

  He ran through the kitchen and dining room and met Anton at the bottom of the stairs. Anton was in wolf form already, so Steve stripped off quickly and changed – completely this time.

  Both wolves growled at the same time and started up the stairs.

  7

  The helicopter ride was fast. The ground blurred beneath them. Jack clung onto his harness, knuckles white. His hands and feet were bound tightly, wrists in handcuffs and legs in manacles. A thick chain ran between the bindings of both. Five men sat around him, three opposite all holding guns and two next to him holding pistols. Jack knew the handguns were loaded with the tranquiliser dart from the base.

  Knowles sat next to the pilot and wasn’t talking to Jack. He had shown the team an aerial view of the house and pointed out various locations around it. Jack hadn’t listened, but he knew that they were tactical positions to cover the whole house. Then he had spoken to the pilot, giving him a grid reference. Knowles did not speak again for the rest of the journey.

  Suddenly the engines changed pitch and the world outside tipped onto its side. Vertigo came and went as the helicopter started to descend. It was very quiet, some sort of stealth mode, Jack assumed. They landed in a field, and Jack realised that it was the field he had first woken in all those weeks ago. Frank’s field, where I ate his sheep.

  As the wheels hit the grass, they all heard it, loud and clear in the still night.

  A shotgun blast.

  8

  Katie heard Ginny’s awful yelping noise and knew they’d come back.

  The wolves are here.

  Josh was still asleep as she crossed to the wardrobe and opened the doors. She took out the shotgun and went to the door. She opened it a crack and saw two wolves moving on the stairs.

  A low growl came from the front one and the threat it contained seemed to be a physical presence between them. Its teeth were very white in the dark and its eyes shone a terrifying yellow.

  She raised the shotgun to her shoulder, holding it tight the way Frank had shown her, and fired once. The wolf’s head erupted in a mess of dark blood and white bone. A thicker mass of flesh splattered onto the wall behind it.

  Its brains. I just blew its brains out.

  The other one paused for only a second. It opened its mouth wider and snarled. She aimed and fired again, but it jumped forward. The shot spread into the wall, plaster exploded showering the hall with dust. Katie screamed and slammed the bedroom door shut.

  She scuttled backward across the bedroom floor until her back hit the cot. Josh suddenly cried out, making her jump. She lifted him out of the cot and sank back to the floor, tears streaming down her face. The cartridges are downstairs. Why did I leave the cartridges downstairs?

  She held the shotgun like a club in one hand and her son in the other.

  The wolf nudged the door open with its nose.

  9

  The helicopter had only just touched the ground when the men moved. They jumped out, spreading out around the machine with weapons ready. Knowles leapt out into the middle of the semicircle they had created.

  “Move now, tactical positions, go.” Two men stood and sprinted across the field, heading for the gate barely visible in the gloom. “You,” Knowles pointed at two of the men, one with a rifle, the other with a pistol, “watch him.”

  Knowles started to run across the field, heading to the neighbour’s lower hedge. Another shotgun blast ricocheted around the buildings. Jack snapped his harness in standing up so quickly. He jumped out of the helicopter, as the two men turned to face him. It had not yet been a full second since Knowles had spoken and Jack caught them by surprise. He swung his chained hands and caught the first man in the side of his head. The man grunted and staggered into his colleague. Jack’s limbs changed and the chains shattered as the Wolf burst out of him.

  “Holy fuck,” said the pilot. The two men Jack had pushed stared open mouthed, weapons dangling impotently by their sides. The Wolf sprinted past Knowles and leapt at the thick hedge leading to the Stadlers’ house. It left a large hole in its wake, but did not break his stride. “Get after it!” Knowles roared. He looked back at his men, seeing their expressions and swearing. I am the only person alive who has seen that happen before.

  Knowles jumped through the hole, followed closely by one of the rifleman. He sprinted towards the house, seeing the Wolf push itself through the back door. This is bad, really bad.

  10

  The Wolf was instantly assailed by familiar scents. Images of a woman and a baby filled its mind. Happy scenes, mostly filled with the woman smiling at it. One memory overrode all others: a baby boy gurgling. Other smells hit it then, still familiar, but these were wolf scents. The Wolf snarled and ran through the house, following the trail.

  11

  A wolf was nosing open the bedroom door. Katie could see its snout and teeth, could see the eyes full of hate. She pushed herself further into the corner of the bedroom, trying to force herself into the walls themselves. Josh was clutched tight to her breast, wailing a plaintive cry. She tried to shield him but knew it was futile. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to quieten him.

  The wolf snarled before opening its mouth and roaring. Suddenly another wolf hit it from behind. They skidded across the bedroom floor, smashing into the chest of drawers next to Katie. The new wolf was enormous, nearly double the size of the first, and there was something horribly, deadly familiar about it.

  She screamed as the wolves fought. They rolled into the cot, crushing it and sending pieces of wood flying through the air. Katie felt splinters embed themselves in her face, which galvanised her into action. She ran for the door as the larger wolf rolled the other onto its back. She heard bones cracking, and a cry of pain.

  Ginny had once impaled herself on a stick by jumping into a pool of muddy water. Her cries then were similar to these. She heard more whimpers and cries, followed by a large crack and then silence.

  At the bottom of the stairs was a man with a gun. He was yelling at her.

  She turned back to the wolves. The larger wolf had bitten through most of the neck of the other. It sat on its haunches, holding the dead wolf limply, like a dog with a rabbit.

  The large wolf didn’t move. She stared at it, looking straight into its eyes. Josh had stopped crying and was also staring at the wolf with wide eyes. He gurgled, a noise she had always associated with a laugh. The wolf dropped the corpse and padded over to her. It sniffed her, huge muzzle filling her vision.

  She didn’t acknowledge the man behind her with the gun; she couldn’t take her eyes off the wolf. Memories of the hospital filled her mind. It seemed to be staring at her. Its head angled to one side and its gaze shifted. She realised it was now looking at Josh. She hugged him tighter to her, but he craned his head round to return the wolf’s stare. His mouth was open in a perfect O. The wolf’s head shifted again until it was staring at her. She started to shake and silent tears coursed down her face.

  “Mrs Stadler,” the man with the gun said. “I’m Sergeant Knowles, British Army. Please don’t move.”

  The wolf snarled wh
en the man spoke. Its teeth bared, saliva dripping from its enormous mouth. It looked at Katie again, then Josh and back to Knowles.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Knowles said, but now Katie didn’t know who he was talking to.

  The wolf was looking around the room again. Its gaze settled on the corpse, Josh and Knowles in turn. Katie looked into its eyes again, unable to move. The wolf raised its head and unleashed a plaintive whine.

  “Jack-” Knowles said, and winced.

  “Jack?” Katie said, a touch of hysteria in her voice.

  In two large bounds, the wolf jumped on the bed and then leapt at the window. It shattered, glass raining out into the street beyond. Knowles heard the familiar pop of rifles being fired and heard the wolf yelp.

  He ran to the window, weapon ready but the wolf was nowhere to be seen.

  “Shit,” he said. Now what am I going to do?

  Epilogue

  The Wolf ran and ran. Pain throbbed in its side where the bullets had hit, but even that was already fading. It felt strength and power coursing through its limbs and it pushed on faster and faster. A deer broke from undergrowth and fled, terror clear in her scent. The Wolf ignored her. For now it wanted to just run and run until it could run no more.

  Maybe then it would forget that it had once been a man.

  Acknowledgments

  Any novel is not written by just one person. The words might be, but the effort required needs the help and support of other people. So my thanks go to:

  Tinú – for unswerving faith and support. Excellent editorial advice, even if I didn’t always listen.