by Warren Smith
It didn’t take long for H.H. Holmes to return with his favorite set of carving knives and a length of rope. He figured that thirty minutes was a good enough time to have his new guest feeling pretty bad. When he entered the small room he found Gabriel shaking and foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog, it was just what he wanted to see.
“Looks like you aren’t doing too good friend, maybe it’s something that you ate! Your corpse is going to earn me some rather good money over at the medical school! I’m going to make this time that we are about to spend together last quite a long time, hence the knives and rope. Well I guess we should get started, I do have a very busy day tomorrow!” He laughed at his own joke as he approached the sickly Gabriel. Before he knew what the hell at happened he was staring at a pair of golden eyes and the longest teeth that he’d ever seen in his entire life. Holmes dropped everything that he was holding and attempted to run. His woman like screams fell on deaf ears as there was nobody in the building but him and the monster that had grabbed him by one arm.
“What the hell are you? Please don’t kill me, I’ll give you whatever you want! Oh my god!” Holmes squirmed for a bit but then froze in terror when Gabriel growled in his face giving him an up close view of his dagger like fangs. He growled one more time and that made Holmes want to give up his murderous ways and go to church. He figured that god didn’t answer prayers from men like him so he didn’t even try. He stood there with his eyes closed waiting to get his throat ripped out, but Gabriel had other plans for him.
“Shut up and listen! I should kill you right now for what you tried to do to me and If you say something that I don’t like I will! The way that I see it is you owe me and I intend to collect in full. If you do what I say you might just live and if not, you’ll never be seen again.” Holmes was a man that liked to murder, not get murdered. So if all that he had to do was shut up and listen in order to live that’s what he was going to do. Gabriel fangs had retracted but his eyes still glowed.
“You have this one chance to save yourself so if I were you I’d really consider the offer that I’m about make you. I am a rare breed of Lycanthrope, In all of history there is only one other like me, my father. This place of death may be the final resting place of countless others but I assure you that it will not be mine. Instead this place will become my salvation, the first step to becoming a god! My bloodline is the only breed of werewolf that can absorb the life force of what we kill, and this is were you come in. I need you to keep luring people into this place just as you have been doing, but I do the killing not you. In return I will offer you the bite and bring you into my pack as a beta, you will be the first. You will never have to worry about growing old and weak, or becoming some invalid who can’t control his own bodily functions. You will be Immortal and at the top of the food chain.”
Holmes pretended to think about the offer for a few seconds but on the inside he was happier than a convict who had just been free’d after ten years of imprisonment. What idiot would choose to live a short fragile life that could end at any moment when they could live forever? A nervous smile crept across Holmes’s face and he breathed a sigh of relief when he knew that his head was going to be staying put.
“You have yourself a deal Mr. Fouche! It would be an honor and a pleasure to become the first beta of your new pack but I do have one question.....when do I get the bite?” As soon as he asked the question he saw Gabriel’s facial expression change immediately.
“You get the bite when you earn it! So until then I suggest you do your job and leave the rest to me, are we clear?” Holmes nodded and ran out of the room to get started, otherwise his mouth would get him killed before he could enjoy eternity. The years had begun to roll by and Holmes proved himself to be a pure genius when it came to luring in the victims. Gabriel had become quite powerful, very powerful. Nothing Last’s forever and on May 7, 1896, Holmes found himself at Moyamensing Prison waiting to be hanged. His shady dealings over the years had finally caught up with the murder hotel owner. Luckily for Holmes, Gabriel Fouche had made other arrangements for him.
Gabriel had made some powerful political connections during the time that he had spent in Philadelphia while Holmes was on trial. When the day had finally come for his star pupil to be hanged, he called in every favor that he was owed. That morning while Holmes waited in his cell he was visited by the prison warden and the hangman. Both men had also received the bite from Gabriel nearly two months before and had now come to repay the favor. The warden walked in Holmes’s cell with a disgusted look on his face.
“The very sight of you makes me overwhelmingly nauseated and you deserve to hang for the crimes that you’ve committed, but sadly that won’t be today. We’ll put on one hell of a show to satisfy the publics need for justice but that’s all. When you get out of this place, I don’t ever want to see your sorry face again. Trust me when I tell you this, the next time that we meet you will hang for real! Be sure to tell Mr. Fouche that all debts are paid and to never contact me again.”
Holmes smiled so wide that his face began to hurt when he heard the news. He had come to the cold hard conclusion that today would be his last on earth, especially since he hadn’t heard from Gabriel in months. The blood thirsty bastard had really come through for him. The hangman spent the next twenty minutes fitting Holmes with an upper body harness that could be attached to the noose that would go around his neck. The plan was to place a sack over Holmes’s head so that it would not be seen during the staged hanging.
When the time had come for Holmes to be escorted to his hanging, it was reported that he looked as calm as ever with no signs of fear or depression. He stepped on the the stage slowly with his head held up high as the hangman slipped the noose around his neck and put the sack over his head. He then secretly attached the noose to the body harness and seconds later, the floor dropped from under Holmes’s his feet.
What happened next was probably one of the longest hangings in American history. For fifteen long minutes Holmes kicked, grunted and gurgled like a damn idiot. What was supposed to be a quick drop and a neck break turned out to be a drawn out, overacted and somewhat comical performance. When he was finally still, his body was immediately taken down and carried away. Holmes was brought to a private location where he was promptly stomped, kicked and punched until he passed out from the pain. The beating was in retaliation for his over performed hanging that nearly got everyone involved caught.
Just over an hour later Holmes was slapped awake by a pissed off Gabriel Fouche who was already regretting the decision to keep him alive. Both of his eyes had been beaten shut and he had three cracked ribs¸ but he was alive. As he struggled to look into the face of his savior, Holmes started to wonder if all bets were off and he was about to be killed.
“You stupid idiot! Your crowd pleasing antics almost got us figured out. The next time that you feel the need to be an actor please take courses first! I’m very much tempted to give you the bite right now but not the one that you think. I should tear a hole in that skinny little throat of yours!” Gabriel’s eyes flickered gold with anger and he knew that he had to calm himself down before he made good on his threat. He counted backwards from ten in his mind and when he got to one, Gabriel snatched Holmes to his feet and bit him deeply on his right shoulder.
“Oh god, what are you doing? Please stop, I promise that it won’t-----” Gabriel flung Holmes to the floor before he could finish pleading for his life. He wasn’t going to kill him but he got one hell of a kick out of it making him think that he was. Holmes’s heart pounded in his chest as he escaped death for the millionth time since meeting the crazed lycan, the pair had become inseperable ever since. So many years had passed since then and Gabriel had to admit, the little murdering bastard was one hell of a beta. He moved through the forest silently and could see the firelight of a campfire just ahead. It had been nearly seventeen years since he had last seen Lisette Leblanc, and she was still as beautiful as the day they had met.
Chap
ter 8
Lisette Leblanc threw a log into the campfire and then looked around at her pack. They were all good people but they were weak and she knew it. There wasn’t one pack member that was over fifty years of age, and the only reason that they had survived this long was because of her own masterful knowledge of Voodoo. Lisette had a bum squad, she felt like one of those major league baseball teams that never made it to the world series. She took a deep breath as she prepared to tell her son Antoine just who he was.
“Back in the 12th century our species took it’s first evolutionary jump that has only been replicated three times. I know the story very well, but nobody knows the name of the first 3-form alpha but one man. He was said to be the child of a viking explorer father and a Native American mother. In those days America was all wilderness and probably one of the most dangerous places in the world with all of the tribal wars that were going on at the time. Most people today don’t even know that almost all of those tribes were shape shifters in one form or the other.” Antoine stared at his mother looking amazed, and so did the rest of the pack.
“So mom, how long has the werewolf in general been around? We’re talking over eight hundred years and god knows how long the natives were shifting before that!”
“We are of an ancient primal race and nobody knows our true beginnings. I have heard a few stories but we’ll leave that for another time. When the viking explorers first settled in what’s known as America now, they had no idea that they would be nearly wiped out. Almost as soon as they got here they were viciously attacked by what they thought were just ordinary jungle animals. A small settlement was overran by a pack of werewolves, they murdered every man, woman and child that they could find. Out of the whole settlement only one man escaped, but he too was soon caught and enslaved. The chief of the tribe gave his daughter the task of keeping the viking explorer alive. She fed and bathed him daily. He was kept in some of the worst conditions imaginable and everyone was surprised when he made it through the harsh winter. Months had passed and the viking prisoner had started to become ill. He had lost a great deal of weight and most days he didn’t even have the strength to stand up. It was around this time that the chiefs daughter started to find it hard to watch the once powerful man wasting away to skin and bones. She had become rather fond of the young man and she marveled at the courage he possessed. On a few occasions he even spoke to the beautiful tribal woman. She didn’t understand his language but by the look in his eyes she thought him to be sincere in whatever it was he was trying to say.” A noise was heard in the distance and everyone around the camp fire looked into the forrest but Lisette. She already knew what and who was out there, she continued to speak.
“The next night had come and this time when the chief’s daughter went to check on her prisoner he was barely conscious and burning up with fever. Right then and there she did something unexpected, something that would change her life forever, she bit him. He was so weak that he couldn’t even scream, he just lay there moaning. She knew that most likely she would be killed for betraying the pack, even if she was the chief’s daughter. The tribal woman left her prisoner to his fate but at least he had a chance now. It was three days after when she returned to check on the young viking and when she did, she was filled with joy and horrified at the same time. He was gone and there was nothing left behind but shreds of hemp rope and her angry father who stared at her unflinchingly. In those days the change happened faster, the bloodline was more pure and not watered down like it is today.” A voice that was strange to everyone else but more than familiar to Lisette rang out over the silence. The voice was cocky and full of arrogance.
“Allow me to finish this story for you my dear! It’s been ages, why I haven’t seen you since you ditched me in Baltimore Maryland!” Gabriel Fouche stepped out of the darkness and circled the small gathering of so called werewolves. There was one werewolf that caught his eye almost immediately because of the power that he could feel building up in the kid. He could tell that he was much stronger than the rest of them.
“I was wondering when you were going to show up Gabriel. Where’s your little murderous lap dog Holmes at? Gabriel smiled and continued to circle the bunch of rag tag werewolves. He wanted to murder every one of them but Lisette’s annoying wards made him unable to breach they’re circle.
“Oh he’ll be along in a few days, he’s handling something for me in Baltimore at the moment. I see that your still using those pain in the ass wards that Marie taught you. How long do you honestly think that you can protect this lower than mediocre pack of yours? A woman of your caliber should be surrounded with ancients, not a bunch of charity cases! Don’t worry everyone, the big bad wolf can’t get you unless you leave the protected area that Lisette has so generously saved your asses with! But I must warn you, I am one hell of a patient man with nothing to do at the moment!” Lisette stood up and walked to the border of the protected area with both hands on her hips.
“Why are you here Gabriel? I know you didn’t come all of this way to make fun of my pack and then eat them now did you? Spit it out!” Gabriel looked genuinely appalled at her statement, he looked at Lisette’s sorry bunch of half-assed killers and sucked his teeth.
“Oh please don’t flatter yourself! Your pack would be nothing more than a mere snack. The only ones worth anything at all are you and the boy! So if you don’t have anymore smart ass remarks I’d like to finish the story that has taken you all day tell. Unlike you I get straight to the point, there’s no need for some long winded dramatic tale of the good old days.” Marty Heffner shot to his feet and began to growl. He didn’t know who the rude and obnoxious stranger was but he had heard just about enough from him. There was no way that he was going to let this asshole insult his pack and walk away in one piece.
“Why don’t you get the hell out of here before I come over there and tear off your face!” Marty was all puffed up with anger, his eyes glowing a fierce red as he paced back and forth. Gabriel was becoming tired of being interrupted, especially by a wolf that was so low on the food chain.
“Your just a goddamn pup compared to me! Now shut the fuck up until I’m done telling my story. If your still feeling tough by the time I’m done, feel free to step outside of the boundary bitch!” Marty leapt forward only to be grabbed by the throat and slammed to the ground hard on his back. Lisette stood over him snarling with her fangs bared in a show of power.
“Unless your looking to get yourself ripped apart in a matter of seconds, I’d stay inside the protection area. Trust me, you don’t want to go out there with him, your not ready!” Lisette took her hand from around Marty’s throat and eased away from him. She hated embarrassing him like that in front of the pack but it was better then letting him get himself killed. Marty sat upright with his eyes still blazing red and his pride nowhere to be found.
“Now, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted! When the viking escaped after being bitten by the chief’s daughter she was immediately seized. The penalty for that kind of betrayal was absolute death. The chief knew what he was supposed to do and he himself was supposed to carry out the punishment. But as the time grew near he knew that he couldn’t murder his only daughter and as soon as no one was around, he set her free. Eventually the chief’s daughter and the viking found one another and fell in love, not long after she became pregnant and bared his child. This union that should have never happened in the first place gave birth to the first 3-form alpha in Lycanthrope history, my father. In our world we call ordinary humans 1-form and werewolves 2-form because they can shift between there human and wolf form. 3-form alphas have the ability to change from human, man wolf, and full werewolf form almost immediately. We can also absorb the life force from whatever we kill which makes us very bloodthirsty predators. You should know how the rest of the story goes and if you don’t your just as stupid as you all look! But, for the sake of understanding I’ll give you a quick rundown. My father spent the first four hundred years of his life perfectin
g who he was, becoming the most deadliest predator on the planet! During his travels he eventually met a beautiful woman whose name is unimportant but she did end up giving birth to yours truly! I myself am over four hundred years old and like my father, I too met a beautiful woman. I was never afforded the opportunity to meet my son because his mother fled from me in the middle of the night while pregnant. It took me nearly seventeen years to find her and my son. Antoine my boy, come and give your father a hug!”
Chapter 9
H.H. Holmes walked the streets of Baltimore Maryland looking for a rather troublesome werewolf with the knack for pissing off everyone that he’d ever met. He was a lone omega werewolf that actually preferred it that way. He also preferred his alcoholic drinks with no ice and his opium any way that he could get it. Holmes was just about to give up searching for the day when he spotted a small crowd surrounding a man who was standing on a park bench. Even when he was falling down drunk and high as a kite on drugs, Edgar Allan Poe was still a very dangerous werewolf.
These days Poe sported a shaved head and dawned a full beard but it was no doubt him, Holmes could tell by the broad forehead and the scary eyes. Plus the fact that he was reciting his poem “The Raven” was a dead giveaway also. He had a melancholy air about him that seemed to follow him for his entire life, something that the bite had not been able to cure. The small crowd applauded when he finished his poem and he gave them a bow. He looked up to see H.H. Holmes watching him and just for a split second a flash of bright red ran across his eyes. Poe jumped off of the park bench and began to chase Holmes through the park. The two werewolves carried out the same cat and mouse routine every time that Holmes came to visit the famed poet.