“Benjamin,” Sloan walked over and stood next to Benjamin Clive. She pulled the list Elijah made them with names of all the deceased as well as the eyewitnesses. “This is a list we compiled with all the names of people who have died at the hands of the creature and those who have seen it. How accurate is it?”
“It looks correct. My god. When you see the people you used to know written down like this—I mean, they’re all dead now. They’re just names on a list.”
“Benjamin,” Aareth poured both of them another glass of the dark whisky. “Can you tell us what all these people did for a living? You said that people were being targeted?”
Benjamin nodded slowly and reached into his vest, pulling out a small pen. The man went to work over the paper, writing occupations next to all of the names.
“That’s right. When the attacks happened, people didn’t know what to think. Every possibility has been explored by now. From completely random attacks by a bear all the way to killings from a wolf pack. But it makes the most sense to think the beast was sent as a curse to this town from the Divine.”
“Benjamin,” Sloan let the man finish but couldn’t hold her tongue. “There’s only one God and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t single out small towns and terrorize them by sending demon creatures down to kill people for fun.”
“Well, how do you explain this list?” Benjamin shrugged and handed the parchment back to Sloan. “Everyone that’s dead was either involved with alcohol, drugs, or was corrupted by money or power.”
Sloan gave Benjamin a sideways look before she examined the paper. Benjamin made a dash mark by each name and then commented on their occupation before they died. The list was full of comments like “bar owner,” “drug distributor,” and “prostitute.”
“So,” Aareth leaned over the bar and cocked his head to the side to read along with Sloan, “if we buy into the idea that God—I mean the Divine—has sent some kind of animal to kill certain people, then how do you explain the death of the Mayor, Sheriff, and every police officer that worked in Burrow Den?”
“Everyone is so hush, hush, about this,” Benjamin took a large breath before he took another drink from his mug. “Our Mayor wasn’t the man everyone thought he was. He was corrupt from the inside out. He held the police and sheriff in his pocket. The reason it’s so overlooked is because he was a fair and likable man. But when Dr. Oliver Livingston came from New Hope with all that money—”
“Dr. Livingston was here?” Sloan slammed the paper on the bar and locked Benjamin with a crazy look in her eyes.
“Ummm… yes. He came about a year ago to meet with the Mayor. Only stayed for a day. When we asked the Mayor what the meeting was about, he said the Doctor wanted to keep lines of communication between New Hope and Burrow Den open as a sign of friendship and good faith. That’s one of the reasons why we reached out to New Hope when the attacks spiraled out of control.”
Sloan was still trying to process the new information when Aareth asked, “So what does this have to do with the Mayor being corrupt?”
“After the doctor left, the Mayor suddenly had more money than King Midus. He built himself that huge home, and when pastor Elijah started asking questions, he had the Sheriff and deputies keep him in check.”
Sloan was trying to think back to last year and if she had known of Dr. Livingston making any prolonged trips outside of New Hope. Was it possible the Doctor made the long journey to Burrow Den? But why would he have bothered? What was he planning with the Mayor?
“Crazy, right?” Benjamin asked more to his glass of whiskey than his bar companions.
Aareth was staring into his glass, swishing around the mind numbing liquid when Sloan spoke again. “So we have what looks like a hit list on the not so honorable members of the community, and a meeting between Doctor Livingston and the Mayor of Burrow Den. What do you think, Aareth?”
“I think we have a lot of new information and it’s time to start talking to people who have actually seen whatever it is that’s causing all of these deaths.”
“Benjamin,” Sloan glanced at the short list of people who had seen the animal and lived to talk about it. “There are only three names on the list of people who have seen the animal and lived, who do you think would be the most helpful to us?”
“Well, I wouldn’t rely on any of these people.” Benjamin took the paper again and sucked at his bottom lip as he thought. “Old man Shepherd is blind as a bat and these other two are as reliable as a dull knife. They’re probably just saying they’ve seen the beast for the attention. But maybe I can help.”
“You’ve seen this creature?” Warning signals went off in Sloan’s head. “Why isn’t your name on the list?”
“Oh, I’ve seen it all right. By the Divine One I’ve seen it. I didn’t tell anyone about it because I thought they would laugh. Then as the attacks happened more and more often, well, I got scared. Anyone who claimed to have seen the monster was killed a few days later by the beast itself. Then when the other so called witnesses came forward with conflicting accounts of the animal, I decided to just stay out of it all together.”
Benjamin raised a shaking mug to his mouth as Sloan and Aareth shared another sideways glance.
“Tell us what happened, Benjamin,” Aareth swirled the whiskey in his own glass. “We’ll believe you.”
Benjamin reluctantly put the mug down and started his story.
Jack
“Are we almost there, Elizabeth?” Jack asked.
“Patience, tiny dancer,” Elizabeth said over her shoulder.
Jack, his father, and their guide had been traveling for what seemed like hours. They were off any kind of path and heading deeper and deeper into the woods. Jack could see the side of the mountain that stood as a border to the known land approaching quickly.
The sun was high in the sky and Jack knew it was just past midday. The pace that Elizabeth kept was steady but slow. The young girl almost danced through the forest and around trees. She was a sight to watch, her wild hair flowing behind her and her head nodding to the voices that only she could hear.
Jack began to wonder how Abigail was able to cope with not only the loss of her mother but the fact that she had inherited the responsibility of caring for a sister like Elizabeth.
“We’re here!”
Jack examined the area. They were in a small clearing with trees on three sides and the looming slope of the mountain in front. There was no sign of a building, much less a laboratory.
“Elizabeth, did you take us all the way out here to show us the mountain?” Marcus asked in a gentle tone. “Do you think that mountain is a laboratory?”
“Ummm… No, Jack’s Dad, that would be crazy.” Elizabeth stuck Marcus with a look that said he was an idiot. “The laboratory is obviously inside the mountain. Looky here.”
Elizabeth walked to the side of the mountain that rose up in front of them like the walls of New Hope. She placed a palm on the side of the rough rock surface and pushed. Nothing happened.
Jack glanced at his father with disapproval written across his face. He was about to open his mouth to ask Elizabeth why she had lied when Elizabeth’s hand pulled some kind of trigger on the mountain side. There was a light puff of steam and the low, methodical sound of gears turning.
A door slowly slid from right to left, revealing a cave entrance.
“Elizabeth, how did you find this?” Jack stood, not believing what his eyes told him was very real.
“Oh, you know. I’m a smart cookie. Saw some weird men in the woods one day and followed them here. Crazy, right?”
Jack nodded.
“What till you see all the fancy stuff inside.”
“Elizabeth, wait,” Marcus moved to stand next to her and cautiously peered into the darkness. “We don’t know what’s in there—let Jack and I go first.”
“Are you okay? First you think a mountain is a laboratory, now you’re worried about an empty place? The men left weeks ago.” Elizabeth looked over
at Jack, pointing to Marcus. “You’re a saint to have to deal with this guy.”
Jack had to chuckle, even Marcus smiled at the girl’s comment.
“Well, come on, guys, we have a lot to see,” Elizabeth skipped into the cave’s inky darkness.
“Well, what do you think?” Jack drew his wand letting a green flame dance on its tip. “Into the belly of the beast?”
“Son, we are on the verge of something much bigger than either one of us. Mysterious laboratories in cave walls don’t just happen. Very powerful people are spending a lot of money to make this possible. We have to be ready for anything and stay unwavering in our values, no matter what happens.”
“I know, Dad. Money, machines, weapons, and technology are useless and even dangerous without the right people to wield them.”
“Glad we’re on the same page.” Marcus’s staff also came alive with a green flame sprouting from the top of the stick. “Well, as you said, ‘Into the belly of the beast.’”
Jack took a step inside and then another, and very soon he was swallowed by the darkness.
Sloan
“It was a few months ago, right before the first attacks started,” Benjamin told the story as if he were reliving the event itself. “It was just turning dark. I was working in my shop. Mrs. Jansen was having me fix a pair of her husband’s favorite shoes. The heels were worn through. I heard a thick snapping sound coming from the trees behind my house. Curious as to what could be making such a loud noise, I walked from my shop out to the woods directly behind my home.
“Like I said, it was getting dark, so I had to squint into the light of the fading sun. Through the trees I could see something large moving. At first I though it was unicorn. They are the largest animals in these parts of the woods, but it didn’t move like any unicorn I had ever seen. I’m no hero and I won’t pretend to be even as I’m telling you this story. I was scared, still for some reason my curiosity outweighed my fear and I stayed rooted to that same spot, trying to get a better look at whatever it was that was slowly making its way through the forest.
“There was a patch of ground the creature traveled through that was free from any tree or bush blocking my view. The light shone down at a perfect angle and I was finally able to get a look.”
Benjamin stopped his story to take another long drink from his mug. Sloan was beginning to wonder how coherent their storyteller was as he closed his eyes and steadied himself on his stool. Wiping his mouth with the back of his left sleeve, he picked up the story again. “Listen, I know that there are no dogs or wolves or bears in the forest. What I saw looked like a kind of large canine. It was as big as a bear but long and slender like a wolf. The strangest thing wasn’t just that. It was so unnatural looking. I mean, it looked like a—a creature more made than born. It had a huge upper body and a much smaller lower body. Its mouth was gigantic and its dark short hair made it blend into the forest, almost like camouflage. I was even close enough to see thick muscles ripple beneath the creature’s fur.
“Everything I’m telling you now I saw in a few seconds before the creature moved on into the forest. I’m not sure if it didn’t see me, or maybe it did, and for whatever reason wasn’t interested in me. Whatever the case, it disappeared. I was so shaken trying to figure out what I saw that I kept the information to myself that night. I was going to tell everyone in the morning, but that night is when the first attack happened. I was afraid if I came with information after the murder had taken place, I would be blamed for not saying anything sooner or labeled a lunatic. I mean, after all, what was it that I saw anyway?”
Neither Sloan nor Aareth could answer Benjamin’s question.
“The largest canines that roam this part of the Outland are wolves and they’re no more that sixty to seventy pounds at the largest, “Aareth mused.
“That’s the answer I explored,” Benjamin agreed after another long drink. “But this thing was gigantic. I’ve seen wolves before—they’re no bigger than a large size dog. This thing was massive. Easily four to five times the size of a wolf, and the way it was shaped—I’ve never seen that much muscle on an animal, not to mention the size of its jaws or the way it was colored to blend right into the forest.”
“It’s like it was born to hunt,” Sloan said under her breath. “An apex predator, hard to see, built to kill.”
Benjamin and Aareth looked at Sloan for a further explanation.
“I don’t know,” she said to their questioning glances. “I don’t know if we’re dealing with a new species or something much darker than that. With any luck, Jack and Marcus will have found something that can help us.”
“And if they haven’t?” Aareth asked.
“Either way this thing needs to be killed,” Sloan said. “I’ve never met an enemy, human or animal, that can’t be dealt with by cold hard steel.”
Benjamin mumbled something to himself as he stared out the bar window.
“What was that?” Sloan asked.
“Oh nothing. I’m sorry. I think I’ve had a bit too much to drink. I agree with your plan and comment about blades being able to kill, but what if it’s not of this earth?”
Sloan’s rational mind refused to believe that the animal was either a demon or spirit, still the possibility was there. “Then God help us all.”
Jack
The cave was unlike any Jack had ever seen before. Living the life of a tracking sorcerer, he had been inside his fair share of caves and dens. There was no denying that this one was definitely different. The cave walls had been smoothed on all sides. It was like a machine had come and bored a hall through the mountain. Jack’s right hand caressed the wall as he walked deeper and deeper into the abyss. His left hand held the handle of his wand that illuminated the dark passage with green light.
Even when his eyes did adjust to the darkness, the visibility was slim at best. Come on, don’t be a baby, Jack said to himself. Elizabeth already went in before you and she doesn’t even have a weapon.
Jack continued down the path for a few dozen yards, the light from his wand feeling smaller and smaller by the second. Then his hand hit something metallic. He stopped in his tracks, with Marcus nearly running into him from behind.
“What is it, Jack? Do you see something?”
“There—there’s something here on this wall.”
Jack examined the smooth rock wall able to make out a square box with a lever in place. Jack gripped the handle and flipped the switch. There was a spark and bright light flooded the cave.
Jack threw his arms over his eyes as the inhuman light blinded him. Not knowing what to expect, Jack blinked as fast as he could, willing his eyes to adjust and examine the scene in front of him.
Jack looked in disbelief at what was causing the light and what the light illuminated. The hall they were in opened into a large room. There were mage lights everywhere; strung up on hanging stalactites, mounted on holders and even strung up along the walls like Jack had seen in the Queen’s palace—what felt like weeks ago.
Jack had only a moment to take in and appreciate the mage light because the room the cave opened up into was far more interesting. The room reminded Jack of Edison’s lab in New Hope. This one, however, was set up with beakers and tubes of all shapes and sizes.
“See, I told you guys. Cool, right?”
Jack saw Elizabeth lounging on top of one of the tables, twirling her hair.
“It’s very cool, Elizabeth. Good job. We wouldn’t have found this place without you.”
“Thanks, Jack,” Elizabeth’s face turned red and then a huge smile split her lips. “You can probably imagine with everyone thinking I’m crazy, I don’t receive words of affirmation often.”
“Are you saying you’re not crazy?” Jack stopped in his tracks and looked at Elizabeth.
“No, I’m definitely loony, but it’s nice to hear praise from someone other than my sister.”
Jack walked down a few steps and into the large room to his right. It was a scene straight
out of any mad scientist book Jack had ever read. Ninety percent of the equipment in the room Jack had never seen, others he had only heard about. Glass tubes, burners, magnifying glasses—they were all there—and as Jack traveled deeper and deeper into the room, something else was becoming clear.
Whoever had been in the lab and whatever had been happening didn’t end well. Broken glass began to show up and blood spattering on the floor and walls begged a dozen questions at once.
“Dad, are you seeing this?”
“Yes. It looks like whoever was here took off in a hurry and left almost everything behind. Jack, take a look at this.”
Jack walked to the opposite side of the room where his father was examining a large cage and two tables with straps. The table was covered in gore and the cage looked like it had been bent from the inside out. Memories of the strange unicorn they came across as well as the super human assassin they encountered on the mage locomotive forced themselves to the front of Jack’s mind.
“Do you think—do you think they were doing experiments here?”
“I don’t know.” Marcus took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he tugged at his thick brown beard. “What we can tell from all the blood is that whatever happened here, it didn’t end well.”
Marcus crouched on the floor and reached a hand to a blood spattering. “It’s dry. Between the color of the blood and the thin layer of dust on everything, I’m guessing the place was abandoned a few months ago.”
“A few months ago is when the attacks started,” Jack added.
“Hey, you guys, look at this.”
Jack and Marcus turned and headed over to Elizabeth, who stood staring at a huge pile of books.
What once had been a bookcase full of volumes of scientific research was now a splintered mass of paper and wood.
“Maybe your answers are in there?” Elizabeth pointed to the pile.
House of Wolves: (A Paranormal Urban Fantasy) (The Vampire Project Book 1) Page 14