Wolf Asylum

by Mark Fuson

  The park was deserted but the picnic shelter contained many scents. Darwin could smell other members of his community who had been there earlier in the day. A strong odor of a lamb-like meat hung thick near the grill. In the center of the shelter was a fire pit and chimney. The brick tower was closed by a large cast-iron door. His prey could have gone only one place. He strolled over to the chimney, huffing and licking his fangs as his hind claws raked the ground. She was inside the chimney; a clever spot, but not clever enough. Her smell had become masked by the burnt flesh of others, but her blood still hung in the air strong enough for him to detect.

  Darwin stood on his hind legs and reached out with his claw and tore open the iron door but found nothing. Frustrated and energized, he shoved his head inside the brick tube and looked up into the blackness. Soot trickled down into his colored orbs causing him to flinch and howl in anger. The stack was clear. His prey had managed to evade him, but she had been here.

  Darwin cleared his watered eyes and moved on. The smells from the shelter fanned out over the grounds like a cloak. Finding Nancy had become a little more challenging than he anticipated, but she was out there. Her smell was fresh; unique. It would only take a little extra time for Darwin to find her. His gut told him that she would be making her way towards the lake. At the lake she could swim or perhaps find a boat. Darwin’s heart raced with the possibilities. His prey knew how to thrill him.

  He charged down the gravel path seeing the lake in the distance. There was still no sign of his dinner and her aroma was becoming masked with new smells. She had used the ash and soot of the barbeque pit—he was certain of it. The smell of fear was gone but the lingering scent of her sweet, candied blood and charcoal remained. Her tactic had slowed him, but only for a moment.

  On the shore of Silver Lake Darwin had lost the blood scent again, instead finding her prints imbedded in the beach sand leading into the water. From the shore he could see the clouds of silt rising from the lake bottom where her feet had impacted. The plumes of debris illuminated her path better than her scent ever could. What was more helpful was Darwin knew the water would slow her down and the chill of the lake could cause her to become hypothermic. Moving parallel with the lake, Darwin followed the submerged trail. He was impressed how long Nancy had remained in the water. It appeared to Darwin she never attempted to swim, but only to wade in hip-deep water as though she knew masking her scent was her only hope for survival.

  Darwin could barely contain himself knowing his prey couldn’t be much further ahead of him. Nancy would exit the water soon—she would have no choice. Her pace had been slowed and the cold would certainly be killing her. Perhaps the chill would kill her faster than Darwin. Surely she would have know that.

  Darwin recognized the sound that was coming; at first starting as something beyond the trees but grew in size as he approached it. He had reached the headwaters of the Thompson River, the mouth of the river that started at Silver Lake. The spring snow melt meant the lake was high and the river was running strong. The silt footprints in the lake were being sucked into the Thompson like a draining bathtub. The river swallowed her path completely along with any remaining scent. Nancy was gone, washed down river.

  Darwin stopped in shock. He watched as the river flowed away from the lake like a highway. It was carrying away his prey from him at high speed and with no smell to follow, he would be left to his instincts. Would she wash down stream until death took her? Or would she attempt to crawl on shore and continue her flight…Darwin knew what the river was capable of and her frail, mortal body would not stand up long to the currents of nature.

  Darwin began charging along side the river moving deeper into McCarran Park—the river would not release its secrets—at a foot bridge, Darwin stood center span overlooking the river. Neither up stream or down stream could he see or hear any sign of his beloved prey. He was left with a decision.

  If I were her, how long would I stay in the water? Which side would I exit from? I know where I am…where would be the best place to escape to?

  Standing on the bridge he considered his limited options. Women fared better in cold water and it was possible she could stay in the river for a long-time. That was of course, assuming the river itself did not eat her. Darwin began to realize his prey may have escaped and with her she took knowledge.

  Darwin raced down the embankment beginning his blind search. He would have to be fast and systematic, checking as much of the river as fast as he could. He would no longer be looking for charcoal or fear. He knew even the blood would be all but gone. Now he would be hoping to pick up the smell of wet dog or something similar. In reality, he knew anything out of the ordinary would have to be investigated. Darwin attempted to clear his mind of any preconceived ideas but his animal mind was easy to distract. His mind kept drifting back to what he knew; the trail he had known. Before it had been easy, but now he felt like he was looking for prey that never existed. With each passing minute he knew the challenge was growing larger. In his heart he knew this was becoming a security breach and an embarrassment. Darwin was responsible for it, and it would bode badly for him.

  He searched one side of the river for several miles before crossing and running back on the opposite side. At no time did he find any evidence of Nancy or any other human activity.

  She was gone.

  After miles of running, Darwin finished his hunt back at the bridge. He stood up on his hind legs and began to revert to his human form; his frame shrank and his hair receded. The razor claws for Nancy retreated back into the finger tips of his hands. His ears lowered and the bloodless fangs subsided. Darwin stood naked in the night air looking at the river that had beaten him and helped one of his undesirables to escape. In human form but with his eyes still colored with the wolf, Darwin now wondered what he should do. He supposed he could come back in the morning…continue his search down stream in the hopes of finding her corpse. He could call out search and rescue right now, but that would expose his mistake.

  She’s dead, Darwin convinced himself. The cold, the prison, her physical condition…she couldn’t keep running and she couldn’t stay in the water.

  Darwin left the bridge and wandered the grounds of the park. He knew a secret was being kept from him. The owl in the tree tops hooted to Darwin mockingly.

  “What do you know, Hootie? Something, I bet,” Darwin said. “Tell that fucking cunt if you see her she’s going to wish she was dead.”

  “Whoooo!” the owl replied.

  “Darwin that was fucking awesome!” Caroline shouted running towards him in her birthday suit. She embraced him in joy and thanks, kissing him on the cheek, “I never thought I could be so alive!”

  “I told you that you would like it,” Darwin stated, trying to put on a happy face.

  “What’s the matter?” Caroline asked.

  “She hit her head on a rock. I ate her but she was already dead. It’s not really the same thing.” Darwin lied—yet again.

  “That’s horrible! We can always get you another one,” Caroline suggested.

  “I think I’ve had my fill for today, thanks though.” Another lie.

  Caroline held her warm body against Darwin’s own. “We were starting to worry about you. You’d been gone for a long time.”

  “I thought you would have gone back by now. I know the way home, you didn’t have to wait.”

  “We’re family, of course we wait,” she replied with a smile of sincerity.

  Darwin felt better for a moment. His lies drifted from his mind. This problem would go away in time. As Darwin looked into Caroline’s eyes she moved in and began kissing him. The act caught Darwin off-guard. With his tongue massaging hers, he found himself content in the role, and he played along. Soon enough, the two were on the grass fucking like animals where they continued until dawn.

  Chapter Five

  “How would you like to become a werewolf tonight?” Darwin asked his loyal Guardian.

  “I pledge my entire exist
ence to you!” Robbie replied, bowing his head slightly.

  “That’s good Robbie. I need someone I can trust for a very difficult job. If I give you the gift, then you must use that power to complete a mission. I can’t ask anyone else to do it. I need someone like you who has something to prove,” Darwin stated to Robbie as they walked through a deserted McCarran Park.

  “What do you need me to do?” Robbie asked.

  Darwin lay a hand on his portly shoulder gently. “As a Guardian, your role is to keep humans out of New Haven during the full moons. I must expand your job description. Someone from the outside got in and they saw me change. I need you to find them, and kill them.”

  “How did they get away? If you know they saw you why didn’t you stop them?”

  Darwin continued with his half truths, “I made a mistake. I knew they were there and I let them watch me change. I was fucking another werewolf at the time. There was a thrill in it, knowing I had been caught. I assumed I could catch them after I was done…I was wrong and I lost them. If I could leave town to look for them I would but tonight is the first full moon and I am needed here. You will must find her scent and continue the hunt. I will help you find the trail, but you will have to follow it on your own. Most importantly, I need this kept between you and me. It’s an embarrassment—you understand?”

  The podgy young man nodded his head in agreement without saying anything. Darwin had his full attention and would have his undying loyalty for the foreseeable future. Robbie, like any other Guardian, wanted nothing more than to become a creature of the night. Robbie was the ideal candidate for conversion. Young, nerdy, bitter at the world—and dying for some payback. Robbie had stood out more than other Guardians for the simple fact he wasn’t an ass-kisser. All Guardians were eager to please which made telling them apart very difficult. They were after all, nothing more than human; a sub-species who happened to know a God when they saw one…and like all idolizations, they wanted the power of God, as well. If for no other reason than to command the respect they had always longed for.

  Darwin noted two months earlier that the young man followed orders to the letter without back talk—or any talk for that matter. Darwin was most impressed that around the werewolves, Robbie knew his role and he didn’t offer his flawed human perspectives on the issues brought up. Robbie merely followed the directions that were given to him and it was through this loyalty that brought him to the front of Darwin’s list for blessing.

  “It’s time,” Darwin said. “Give me your hand.”

  Robbie hesitated, asking one question before giving himself over.

  “I know you normally make the person feed from you to make the change happen right away…I was wondering if we could skip that. The full moon is in a few hours and I’d love to have my first transformation the natural way.”

  Darwin looked on the fat human blankly but he understood what was being asked.

  Darwin grabbed Robbie’s hand and raised it to his salivating mouth. He snapped his iron jaw down onto the meaty flesh of the hand breaking several bones even before the flesh had been torn open. His canines grew, puncturing the flesh and releasing a torrent of salty life fluid. The iron river flowed from the wound into Darwin’s mouth and he lapped it up like a dog on a hot summer’s day. Robbie sighed in pleasure with Darwin’s fangs imbedded in his skin and the pain was welcomed.

  Darwin could see flashes of Robbie’s past. A large man who smelt like cigarettes was near the forefront. Darwin watched as the man beat Robbie for no reason other than to quell his own rage.

  Robbie’s blood pained Darwin. Another lost soul had been saved and freed to find his revenge.

  Darwin released and looked at Robbie who seemed lost in his infection. Through Darwin’s wolf eyes he thought about eating the massive swine before him. The smell of blood infected the air and for a brief moment Darwin leaned in for another bite before stopping himself. Robbie must live, he thought.

  He brought himself back under control, reverting to a more human condition. The hair on his face and inhuman teeth receded before Robbie even took notice. The fat man held his hand and began to laugh uncontrollably as the curse he had long sought was now freely floating in his veins, replicating and turning him into something else.

  “You took that well,” Darwin complimented. “Are you sure you want to wait for the moon to rise? I can partially turn you right now. The choice is yours, but your chances of finding her are much better if we bring out the strength now.”

  “I know. It would mean a lot to me if we could wait. I’ll find her; I have human skills for tracking!” Robbie reassured. “She’s traveling in hostile territory and she must know it, why else would she be in McCarran Park sneaking around? I think she’s going to be keeping a low profile, and moving carefully until she’s beyond the borders of New Haven. I don’t think she’d go north. If she’s a local, she knows the dangers of the northern woods. South would take her to town, a place she would know to avoid. West would take her past Special Handling. Even if she made it past the camp she’d be looking at a long hike to anywhere,” Robbie paused and stared in the night air.

  “I’m certain she’ll make her way east; the question is, how long will it take her to realize where she is and what direction she must go? What time was it when she saw you?”

  “Dawn,” Darwin answered.

  “Did you get a good look at her?”

  Darwin nodded as he continued the lie, “she was crouched in those bushes over there. From what I could see, she was a female in her mid twenties, brunette hair, and in decent shape.”

  “No idea who she was or where she came from?” Robbie asked as his new confidence rushed through his body.

  “It looked like Nancy Betmin. I couldn’t be sure of it, but she looked similar. Nancy was a local until she moved away for school,” Darwin said.

  “Why would this Nancy be lurking in the woods?”

  “That’s for you to find out,” Darwin replied hoping to get Robbie off on the search without lying further. Darwin sealed his lips choosing to let Robbie take the lead. The bushes would be a waste of time and Darwin was well aware of it. The trail for Nancy would be as cold as it was when Darwin was minutes behind her.

  “The girl must be spry as a squirrel. Not a single branch broken or even a blade of grass bent. You’re sure these are the bushes?” Robbie pressed as he crouched down to investigate.

  “Who the hell are you, MacGyver?” Darwin asked, growing more annoyed.

  “Who?” Robbie asked but not waiting for an answer. “I did some work with the Seton County Search and Rescue a few years back. I know a few things about tracking; it’s pretty easy when you know what to look for. I just don’t see any evidence over here. Mind you the smell from that outhouse is pretty distracting, maybe I’m missing something…is that my new senses or does it just stink?”

  “It just stinks,” Darwin replied, looking at the lone wooden structure nestled in the trees.

  “Hell, if she had that smell on her, she’d be real easy to follow!” Robbie replied.

  Darwin immediately realized his mistake at that moment. “And real easy to overlook if she had been hiding there.” Darwin raced over to the outhouse and flung the door nearly off its hinges.

  A trail of filth covered the seat and floor of the outhouse. Shit hand prints covered the door and walls. The toilet paper had all been used up and the cardboard roll was covered in fecal matter. Nancy had attempted to clean herself up but nothing could have helped her eliminate the odor. Her hiding place had bought her time but it was the same hiding place that would lead the young pup to her.

  Robbie looked over Darwin’s shoulder to find the starting point of his search. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air, attempting to dissect the pungent aroma. In his mind he could see the odors separating into different categories. The smell of shit was paramount, but hidden underneath that stench were two other distinct colors. His mind searched for a description of what he sensed. What existed in the ai
r was scarce but he was beginning to create a picture in his mind of what her scent was. He distinctly found the smell of bad hygiene, both underarm and feminine. The more he focused on the stink, the stronger and more apparent it became. Another smell existed; one he could not pinpoint. It was unique and uncommon, but without more to go on Robbie could not name the last identifier.

  “My hand is healing,” Robbie said, grinning at his scarred skin. “And my nose is working differently; I smell things I don’t think I should be able to smell.”

  “Oh, yeah, like what?” Darwin asked.

  Robbie replied, amazing himself, “this woman is a dirty little whore. I don’t mean the shit; I mean she was just rank; dirty, like she never bathed. There’s another smell too…I’m sure it’s her but I can’t say what it is. It’s like dust—when I think about it I want to cough or sneeze—but I don’t recognize it.”

  “Coal dust?” Darwin suggested without thinking.

  “Maybe, yeah actually that’s pretty close, charcoal! She must’ve rubbed some of it on her from the barbeque area. Ha ha! This bitch thinks she’s so clever, but she’s just giving me more to follow! I think this will be easy, Boss!”

  Darwin was growing heated. “Don’t get cocky. She got away from me, and I’m a cold-blooded killer.”

  Unafraid, Robbie continued to explain, “but now we know what the smell is, and we also know she likes to change it up. So, if I lose the trail I’ll know to find a new smell nearby. I think she’ll get comfortable though as the day goes on, she might get careless.”

  “It’s a full moon tonight. She knows what I am. She’ll want to get the hell out of here,” Darwin said.

  “If she does get out?”

  “Our story can’t get out. Stop her anyway you can. Kill her and anyone she might tell. Use your best judgment and protect our secret; it’s your only priority!” Darwin commanded.