Wolf Asylum

by Mark Fuson

  “Which part? The killing of unborn children or working at an all you can eat buffet and be starving while you’re doing it?”

  “Honestly, the buffet part,” was all Steve could say as his own stomach began to rumble.

  The breeding program was too kind a term to describe what existed in sector B. In the cool dark coal shaft was a hundred or more woman who all appeared to be in one stage of pregnancy or another. The eyes were sunken along with their cheeks but that was barely noticeable compared to the rib cages where every bone was obvious.

  Subjects of the inhumane program stumbled to their feet like a pack of dogs that heard the can opener, only they moved like the walking dead. The occasional woman was clothed, but most paraded around in the nude.

  “Who wants to go?” Steve asked, attempting to remain civil, new to the traditions of Special Handling.

  A young girl staggered her way forward volunteering. She looked no older than fourteen and through the magic of malnourishment she may have been much older. Steve put his arm around the frail frame and brought her in close, rushing her down the tunnel away from prying eyes.

  “We’ll get you some place warm, something to eat and maybe a hot bath? Does that sound like a good start?” Steve asked softly as he stroked the child’s face.

  Like a vicious dog the girl clamped down on Steve’s hand and tussled, tearing away his skin. She growled and snapped more animal than either Teddy or Steve had; her actions catching them both off-guard. The searing pain from her bite finally forced Steve into action and allowing gravity to pull her off, as he swung his arm.

  The girl landed a few feet away and grinned with blood trickling down her lips. She smirked and gulped with satisfaction.

  “I’m like you now,” she said in delight.

  “Fuck!” Steve yelled. “Teddy kill her!” he demanded, passing him the knife.

  “What about the babies?” he asked, holding the dagger with a quake.

  “Gotta be sure, gut her and terminate whatever she carries,” Steve instructed as he watched his hand heal.

  Teddy poised himself with the knife in hand ready to kill. He could already see the girl was looking healthier than before but she still had a crazed look in her eye. He jostled to the left and then back to the right hoping to keep her distracted. She watched as the novice hesitated and with each second he waited her body became more lycan and her ability to resist increased.

  “Do it Teddy!”

  “I’m sorry,” he said as he lunged underhand sliding the silver blade into her bulbous belly. Teddy found the girl clawing at his face, struggling against the assault; yet, even she seemed surprised. Teddy kept his eyes on her the entire time as he watched her life spark out of existence. Instinctively, he had forced the knife through her womb underneath her rib cage into her heart. He did it as a natural move with perfection.

  “Okay, this might be harder than I thought. They’re no good to us if they infect themselves! We must come up with a plan so they can’t keep doing that.” Steve looked down at the three chunks of material falling out from the girl.

  “Are you going to eat that?” Teddy asked with some slobber leaking from the crux of his mouth.

  “We probably shouldn’t, the babies could be lycan and at the very least she may be toxic from the silver. We might have to try that magic now. They’re frail enough I think we can handle it,” Steve said as a bead of sweat traversed his face.

  A half hour later, Steve and Teddy returned to the women, this time dressed up in military wares with proper padding and shielding. The duo looked like members of an elite emergency response team wearing all black with helmets, slick leather boots with the pants tucked into the top. On their arms and legs were shields of hard plastic that could have easily been intended for a lacrosse player. Ready for battle, they re-entered the arena without their blood lust.

  The change in approach was noticed immediately when the killers returned. No one could be certain what had happened to the last girl but they were smart enough to know the pleasantries were over.

  “Stick to the plan…slash ’em and move on to the next. When it’s done…we’ll get what need. Ready?” Steve whispered.

  Teddy shook his head. “Is this right?”

  Steve looked at him with the most callus look and chose not to respond. Steve ran up to the first woman and began his decent into Hell. For a moment Teddy hesitated then eventually sided with the plan, no matter how barbaric it was.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Darwin had announced a town celebration, which he called the Harvest Festival. It was not uncommon for New Haven to throw a celebratory bash. In recent months the town had hosted fewer events because of dwindling stock at Special Handling. Darwin knew with the lure of food at the Harvest Festival, every werewolf would show up with their ever increasing appetite.

  The Guardians were asked to work outside of their normal lunar calendar and shut New Haven off from outsiders for the evening of festivities. Festivities were to begin at six that night, the bigger challenge being keeping security tight surrounding the actual harvest. If anyone in town learned of the location of the dessert course, it was conceivable they could have a riot on their hands. Even the harvesters had found it a challenge to control themselves and much like an alcoholic falling off the wagon now and then, it was inevitable.

  Preparing for the evening’s events was proving difficult. Darwin was used to having Tim at his side handling much of the details. Now with only Teddy and Steve, Darwin felt very much on his own. With both the good and bad of his life at his side, Darwin only asked Steve and Teddy to focus on keeping the harvest safe. He wanted to assign more tasks, and at the same time he didn’t want Steve or Teddy to be seen by the rest of town.

  For Darwin, a new feeling was growing inside of him. Watching the former bully talk with Steve was in one sense making him feel happy—it was a form of closure to years of abuse. The more they talked, the more it was clear they both had similar attitudes and views of the world. Darwin wanted to find a reason for Teddy and Steve to not be together in the lead up to the final act. As hard as he thought, he could find no legitimate excuse to break the two apart. His gut twisted every time he left their sight, and he wasn’t sure why.

  The town square was abuzz with locals doing their part to make the event look as Rockwellian as possible. A Harvest Festival at the beginning of summer was hard to decorate for, yet Terri and Caroline had managed to organize the a team that could create an effective blend of harvest and summer.

  White Christmas lights were resurrected to decorate every tree in the park. There weren’t enough lights to do the whole town like Darwin would have preferred, though if they were to keep with the theme, they couldn’t intermix with other holiday colors.

  The tables in the park were all decorated with red and white checkered table cloths. Steel wash bins filled with ice and more beer than an entire frat house could consume were staggered every few feet. A series of grills were set up that were ready to do some serious roasting on a spit.

  The coals were hot and the air smelt of a preheating barbecue. The remnant of the previous meal remained glued to the heating lines. A piece at a time, they began to char away to nothing more than cremations.

  It had been suggested that games be brought in for the younger generations. At Christmas they had snowman making contests which surprised everyone how good the craftsmanship really was.

  In the spring, to celebrate the good fortune that had befallen New Haven, another gala was held. For the children, three detainees were provided as a game. Any New Haven pup who wished to partake could be locked inside the old hospital before it became Hadamar. Once inside, they were allowed to play hide and go seek, with an emphasis on the seeking part.

  Jim Baker had suggested a simple activity for the children, but Darwin had to turn him down with the promise they would have an entire contest surrounding the idea at Halloween. Darwin insisted that the entire town would want to be present for the big surp
rise, even the children—bobbing for babies would have to wait.

  At five that day Darwin went to see Teddy and Steve one last time before the big show. He had them set up inside the old train station at the end of town that was more or less abandoned. Strewn across the station floor was reminders of the previous Christmas when Darwin began the round up and deportation of everything he hated. A bag of chestnuts, a Santa hat, a child’s baby blanket; the story was still there, waiting to be judged.

  Steve and Teddy were inside with a vat of red slime and meat chunks that Teddy was trying to funnel into small bottles. If Darwin hadn’t ordered them to do it, he might not have known what was in the vat that Teddy was now looking into blankly.

  “How are you feeling? Did it work?” Darwin asked both his friends as he entered the candy factory.

  Teddy didn’t even lift his head and kept his focus on the grim task. In slow methodical sweeps, he pushed the sludge through, stopping now and then to break up the larger bits.

  “Almost human,” Steve chuckled with a forced component to it.

  Darwin went over to him and gave him a hug. “In a few more hours this will all be over,” Darwin said softly, releasing him again.

  “Then what?” Teddy asked.

  “This is only the first step, Teddy. After today, we have more we must do to make sure this truly is over,” Darwin reminded him.

  “At what cost? There’s a price to pay for the things we’ve done…when do we pay up?”

  “We pay everyday. That feeling you have inside of you; that’s your humanity. It reminds us of who we are. We might not be able to afford it, but we keep paying just the same,” Darwin insisted.

  “I can’t live like this! I want it back!” Teddy shouted.

  “I’m not going to argue morals and ethics! We all agreed this had to end. There was no other way! We don’t have the luxury of picking how the battle is won. We’ve got one shot to close the gate and prevent Marta and whatever she’s got inside of her from coming back! I’ve asked you to do things that you’ll carry with you for as long as you live, I’m sorry for that. I’m also certain putting this right might absolve us of our crimes,” Darwin said.

  “Your crimes you mean?” Teddy answered continuing to fill bottles. “You created this! Not Steve! Not Me! You! So, here we are cleaning up your mess in the hopes that gives you absolution! Where’s the justice in that?”

  “A few more hours; after that you can do whatever you want,” Darwin replied, turning to leave barely able to control his own raging hunger.

  “Dar!” Steve shouted, chasing after him. On the platform next to the empty railway tracks, Steve grabbed Darwin by the arm, “it’s not easy for him. You know that!”

  “Steve, please,” Darwin answered, refusing to look at Steve. “Remember what I am—who you are. I can’t be around it.”

  “I know, a few more hours,” Steve surrendered. “We can finally be together.”

  Darwin shook Steve off his arm and walked away.

  “We’ll be there just after six!” Steve said to the empty train platform.

  Chapter Forty

  “Darwin! Darwin Foster!” Terri exclaimed from halfway across the park. The little woman began a quick sprint towards her maker with Caroline Lutz in tow.

  Darwin knew he had to make appearances in his role and as much as it pained him to say his good-byes, he also knew there was no better ending for the people he had cursed.

  “Terri!” Darwin said as he approached the excitable woman. He extended his arms and gave her a big hug, lifting her from the ground and giving her a twirl.

  “My, that’s a big hug for you! Are you feeling all right?” she joked. “Where the Sam-Hell did you go?” the feisty thrift diva asked.

  “I had to go to Hell,” Darwin said with a smile. “It was something I couldn’t do with anyone else, and I couldn’t have people following me.”

  “Oh, my! How did you manage that? What was it like? Oh, I have so many questions!” she said excitedly.

  Darwin smiled and gave her another hug. “That’s part of the big news tonight. We’ll have our celebration dinner, followed by the harvest dessert and then I’ll bring everyone up to speed.”

  “Did you find Marta, or was it Mary?” Caroline asked.

  “It was Marta, and no, I didn’t find her. I did find someone who was able to help, a witch of all people. Look I don’t want spoil the surprise, it will all be explained after dessert, I promise!” Darwin pledged, trying to move away from the growing crowd.

  “Where’s Tim?” Terri asked.

  Darwin stopped and looked back at Terri. All he could do was shake his head. “Oh, by the way…” he said, changing the subject quickly, “have you seen Tara?”

  “I think she’s still with Mister Slade at city hall,” Caroline answered. “Should I go get her?”

  Darwin thought about it for a moment and decided it wasn’t that important. “No that’s fine…she knows we start at six, right?”

  Caroline shook her head with confidence. “She wouldn’t miss it for the world! Who would?”

  Darwin asked, “Can I leave the rest of the set-up with you two? I want to go a look over my speech notes.”

  “Since when do you take notes for giving a speech?” Terri jabbed.

  “Just for tonight. I want to make sure I say everything just right. We have some important issues to discuss, and some of them are a bit complicated,” Darwin told truthfully.

  “You got a minute?” Terri asked politely as she ran to his side and began walking with him, not giving him a choice in whether he had time or not.

  “You know you always have my ear.”

  “What I wanted to ask you is kind of sensitive; maybe not the best conversation to have outside,” she said, looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

  “Okay, let’s go sit in my car. My speech notes can wait,” Darwin offered which was kindly accepted.

  Darwin unlocked the doors remotely and both he and Terri got inside. It was already pushing half past five and the hour was approaching for the big show. Darwin was beginning to feel his nerves heighten.

  “I want to know how much food we have left,” Terri said bluntly.

  “You know as well as anyone Terri,” Darwin replied, “you work with Clint; you send new arrivals to him. I think you’ve been privy to most of the logistics of Special Handling…I don’t understand where you’re going with this.”

  Terri huffed a bit. “Enough with the bullshit, Darwin! I’m not the only one, I know it.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I’ve been stealing food, as it arrives,” Terri admitted. “I don’t know why I do it. The hunger is only a slight nuisance but I give in to it faster and faster. Our appetite is growing, but our food stores aren’t.”

  Darwin was waiting for the final accusation, but Terri stopped short.

  He asked, “Who else do you think is stealing food?”

  “It’s not stealing, but it’s getting food from the outside. I see those two guys at the Pump and Save taking apart cars everyday, but the cars look very familiar, like they had been there getting gas earlier in the day. Two boys went missing in the next county last week around the same time our men’s bowling team went shopping there. I counted five women going into the abortion clinic; yet, when I checked with Doctor Gagnon later that day, she only had four samples.” She finished with her observations and then asked the big question, “Are we going hungry?”

  “I think that’s a bit over the top, don’t you?”

  “It’s all I think about any more, I can’t stop,” Terri said as her eyes looked beyond the glass into nothingness.

  Darwin understood what Terri was saying. In his privileged position he was able to get food whenever he wanted. He had never allowed his hunger get to him in any significant way. The only decision he had to make was who and how much. If he wanted younglings then that is what he would have. Darwin at that moment realized New Haven would end with or
without him. Everyone in town could not eat like he did, but everyone was trying to. Everyone needed to. The desire for meat and in the inability to quench the fire inside of them was growing daily. Every time they ate, the addiction grew. Darwin knew it was true.

  “There’s none left, Terri,” he admitted.

  “Then why the Harvest Festival? Why would we cook up the rest of our food if there’s a food shortage!” Terri yelled.

  “Are you happy as a werewolf, Terri?” Darwin asked, hoping to make his options easier.

  “There’s seven billion cattle on this planet! Food shouldn’t be our problem! We must eat and if you’re not going to feed us maybe Tara or Slade will!” she barked out, reaching for the handle to exit the vehicle.

  Darwin quickly pulled the knife from his coat pocket with his right hand and rammed the blade into her chest. In one motion he pulled her body towards him and smothered her mouth with his left hand and dragged her from the view of the park. She trembled and looked into his eyes as Hell came for her.

  “I’m sorry, Terri. I never meant for this to happen,” Darwin said as he stroked her face.

  In one last breath she smiled with a trickle of blood from her mouth, “I forgive you.” With that, the New Haven Thrift Store closed forever.

  Darwin sat there only for another minute, out of respect for the woman who had brought him so many laughs over the tough years. Now it was business. In a normal murder Darwin would begin the clean up right away, but the show had to go on.

  He looked at his phone and realized he was out of time. The park was filling rapidly and the smoke that billowed from the barbeque area signaled that dinner was near. The masses were coming and there was no backing out. Darwin sent off a text to Steve and Teddy to get over to the park as soon as they could. The details of his meeting with Terri were omitted.

  He was committed to the plan now. Three people from the family were now dead, and it would only be a matter of time before others noticed the disappearances. He had painted himself into a corner; he worked best under pressure, he thought. The hard part would be convincing the rest of town he was anything but guilty.