The fog of these recent events began to dissipate and she felt the icy fear and urgency fully now. She began to move to keep pace with him as best she could. They ran together frantically for the shelter of the trees. Adrienne glanced over her shoulder again and noticed the crowd continued to advance slowly and methodically, but they weren’t running after them. In fact, they showed no signs that they were in a hurry whatsoever. It looked as if they were in no particular rush to catch up to them, like they knew something that Adrienne and Jack did not. They reached the tree line and plunged wildly into the woods; the branches painfully slashed at their exposed skin as they fled headfirst into the trees. They weren’t dressed properly for this flight, as the uncommonly warm day had given way to a sudden and uncharacteristically mercilessly cold night. Adrienne’s heart pounded fiercely in her chest and she was running short of breath.
“Jack, I have to stop for a second,” she panted, the clouds of breath billowing into the cold night air. Jack nodded and they stopped and stood there, panting as they tried to catch their breath. Jack moved a few paces away, walking back toward the town. He then stood perfectly still, holding a silent vigil. His eyes never stopped staring off through the trees toward the town and toward that slowly advancing crowd. They could barely make out the horde now, which seemed to have now come to a stop just at the edge of the woods, obscured by the trees.
“Jack, what’s going...” Adrienne started to ask, but was immediately cut off by a sound that made her blood run cold. It was the terrifying sound of wolves howling, piercing the night air. She could tell just by the sound of the howls that the wolves were incredibly close nearby and that they were numerous. It wasn’t just the howls that terrified her though. She could hear the sound of branches cracking all around them and she could hear their vicious snarls. She turned toward Jack, her eyes wide with fear. Jack turned back toward her and she could see him reach behind and slowly pull out the gun he had hidden there. His eyes looked into hers and she could see the sorrow there.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. Jack then motioned for her to come forward toward him as he said, in a hushed tone, “Now slowly come to me. Whatever you do, don’t turn around.” Despite his warning, she turned her head ever so slightly and saw what seemed to be hundreds of glowing yellow eyes. Even in the dark, she could make out the horrifying forms of untold dozens of wolves; their fur bristling, their fangs bared and their eyes locked onto her. Unable to help herself, she screamed and the wolves pounced. She felt them latching onto her limbs, tearing away at her flesh as they drove her backwards onto the ground. She felt the pain sear throughout her entire body as their fangs tore into her.
Jack leapt forward and grabbed her hand as the wolves drove her downward, but to his horror her hand and arm pulled off, the tendons snapping grotesquely, as countless wolves swarmed over her. For a moment he stood there in shock, holding the arm and the hand he had wanted to put the engagement ring on, but this shock lasted only for a second. He screamed in fury at the wolves. He clubbed the closest wolf with the severed arm and charged into the fray. He fired his gun repeatedly and directly into the heads of the wolves swarming over Adrienne. In one swift motion he dropped the arm and the gun as it emptied, dropped to his knees and gathered Adrienne up into his arms, kicking at the nearest wolves as he did. Jack quickly jerked himself back to his feet and began to back away from the wolves, readying himself to run, but as he did this the wolves ceased their savage onslaught.
They moved forward, following him slowly as he retreated, baring their now-bloodied fangs, growling ferociously, but they made no move to attack him. He continued to back away and they, in turn, continued their slow, threatening advance, but still they did not pounce. Suddenly, and with great horror, he knew precisely what the wolves were doing. They were herding him back toward the town and to the crowd that waited for them there at the edge of the woods.
Jack knew he couldn’t run fast enough with Adrienne in his arms to escape either that waiting horde or the wolves. He felt the contrast of the still rapidly chilling night air with the warm blood running out of Adrienne and onto his skin. He hung his head and resigned himself to his fate. He turned his back toward the snarling wolves and walked back toward the town. The wolves followed behind him the whole way; the entire vicious pack tracing his every step, ever present, growling just a few steps behind him. When he finally exited the woods, the wolves turned and disappeared back amongst the trees and the darkness from where they had come. Jack steered away from the crowd moving down the street off toward the lake. The crowd followed behind him somberly, at a steady pace, still humming.
As he neared the lake, he lay Adrienne’s shredded body down in a soft patch of grass. She looked up at him. He took her remaining hand as she tried to say something to him, but she was choking on the blood. Whatever it was, she never got a chance to say it; her trembling ceased and she died there in the grass. Jack’s tears fell upon her face, mixing there with the blood. He reached down with a shaking hand and gently closed her eyes. He then slowly reached into his pocket and removed the ring case. Hands still trembling, Jack opened the case and placed the ring in her only remaining hand. He closed her hand tightly and rested it over her now still heart.
Jack stood and faced the gathered crowd, tears still streaming unapologetically down his face. They had massed in the road facing him. Their melodic hum had grown noticeably louder as if building to a crescendo. One figure stepped forward from the crowd and began to move toward him. Jack recognized the man instantly as Sheriff Cane.
The sheriff held a torch in one hand and had a shotgun slung over his shoulder with the other. As he approached, he began to speak. “Well, that certainly is a crying shame, boy; no pun intended, of course. Awful purty lady like that. Shame she got eaten up by those pesky wolves, but that kinda thing is bound to happen when you lose your head like that.”
“Lose my head?” Jack said, glaring at the sheriff angrily.
“Now, I realize this has got to be a mite unsettling for ya and I know now may not be the best of times to talk to ya in any rational sorta way, but I was hoping we could have a little conversation about perhaps you coming back and we all put this unfortunate li’l incident behind us.”
“Unfortunate little incident? Let me tell you something, Sheriff; the only thing unfortunate in this particular situation is that I don’t have another gun right now.”
“Well, actually, believe it or not; that’s quite fortunate indeed and not for my safety, mind you, but for yours. You see, I’m quite the dead shot as it were, that time pun intended. Not that it matters with this here shotgun, but I assure you, I am. Now, if you did have another gun on you there and drew on me; well, I’d be forced to splatter you right here in the thoroughfare. Then it’s all endless paperwork and boy, let me tell you, do I ever hate paperwork. Now, why don’t you just come back with me? We’ll bury your lady friend right and proper and soon enough get right back to normal life, you’ll see.” Jack, completely unable to deal with the absurd nature of the sheriff’s speech, turned around. Waveringly, he walked down the road, the crowd following close behind still humming. “Aw, now see? You’re making the wrong choice again, boy,” the sheriff called out after him.
***
Jack reached the lake at the edge of town and stood at the water’s edge in complete and total disbelief and dismay. On either side of him was the woods, and he could still see the glowing supernatural eyes of the murderous wolves peering out from behind the trees. However, the old stone bridge that led to his escape and salvation over the water was simply nowhere to be seen. Not even a trace of it remained, as if it had merely vanished into thin air. He turned, looking defeated toward the crowd that had gathered, still a few paces behind. A short distance behind them, he could see the massive shape Adrienne had seen back in the town, the one with the glowing red eyes. Jack, however, had seen the thing when it wasn’t shrouded by the darkness and he had no desire to ever look upon it again. So Jack did the on
ly thing he could think to do in that terrible moment. He turned and plunged headfirst into the icy waters of the lake. It was then that heard their song break forth and drift toward him across the water, as he swam desperately for the other side.
We’re so sorry; there was no need for you to run.
In fact, there was no cause for this all to have begun.
But we fear before all this mess can be sung and done.
That you will join your true love fair in doomed oblivion.
For in our town, you could have both attained eternal bliss.
And you could still be there enjoying your true love’s kiss.
But tragically, you have chosen the dark path you are now on.
And sadly you find your one true love is now dead and gone.
Alas we can see your mind has been fatefully made.
And you’re set upon the foolish course you have laid.
Although the demon shall feast upon your soul,
It’s another monster that shall swallow you whole.
But friend there was no need for things to go down this way.
For all we asked for was an insignificant price for you to pay.
Why then have you overreacted, chosen to flee and run away?
Why have you chosen to die, oh, so horribly here this day?
We swear it’s not too late for you to change your mind.
Just turn around now my friend; you’ll find we’ll be kind.
Oh, we’ll gladly welcome you back within our happy fold.
And within our perfect town you’ll never die, nor grow old.
Alas you’ll be forever lost because you’re so afraid.
And you’ve paid no heed to our warning serenade.
Although the demon shall feast upon your soul,
It’s another monster that shall swallow you whole.
Back in our town; there’s no illness, no death or decay.
And you can live and find love again, if only you would stay.
Those painful memories oh, they could be taken all away.
You’ll find they can be gone upon the dawning of the day.
Just turn yourself around now, trust us and you will see.
Oh, just how lovely and wondrous your life can truly be.
We swear to you there will be no pain, no suffering here.
Just come back now, our dear friend; there is nothing to fear.
Alas soon in your own blood your debt will be paid.
And we’re sorry that this grim fate you cannot evade.
Although the demon shall feast upon your soul,
It’s another monster that shall swallow you whole.
Please return; there is no reason this has to be the end.
We promise that one day your broken heart it will mend.
We promise you no evil or harm did we ever intend.
Just come back now; we will welcome you as our friend.
You won’t even remember the dark, the evils of this night.
Just come back to our shore; there is not a reason to fight.
You can still find your peace and happiness in our town.
Please Jack, this does not have to be how this goes down.
Alas, your cruel fate now rests on the edge of the blade.
And you cannot trust, you see only a twisted masquerade.
Although the demon shall feast upon your soul,
It’s another monster that shall swallow you whole.
Oh please listen, stop now, don’t swim out any more.
For you will never be allowed to reach the other shore.
What awaits you here in these waters we do truly dread.
This is your last chance; turn back now, use your head.
But it is now too late; you’ve gone out way too far.
We can no longer help you way out where you are.
It is too late for you; now your fate has been sealed.
And to those bloody hands of fate we reluctantly yield.
Alas, you have finally chosen to play the renegade
And so this is the ending of the sick, brutal charade.
Though the demon shall feast upon your soul
It’s another monster that shall swallow you whole.
Jack continued to swim frantically toward the opposite shore with all his might, ignoring their song and not heeding its ominous warning. He had gone about halfway across the lake when he felt a strange movement churning in the water beneath him; it was as if he had swam into a fast and exceptionally powerful current. He paused for a moment, swimming in place, and looked down into the water. There, in the depths, he could just make out another massive black shape moving and writhing beneath him. Before he even had a moment to wonder what it could possibly be, he saw the moonlight glint across a gigantic mouth full of razor sharp teeth rushing upwards toward him. He felt the teeth sink deep into his torso as that hideous maw snapped shut around him. It all happened so fast that he had no time to process what was happening, as he was pulled violently beneath the waves. He never came back to the surface.
The crowd stood solemnly right on the water’s edge, repeating the haunting final chorus of their song, almost as if in memoriam. As the moonlight shone down upon the ripples that traveled across the center of that once peaceful lake, it illuminated the crimson tinge of the blood that now spread across the waves. The crowd finally ceased their song, turned, and silently headed back into Musicarolina. Sheriff Cane stayed behind and stood alone there by the shore for a moment. He laughed to himself and said, “Well, good; no paperwork for me then.” He, too, then turned and headed back after the crowd. Far above his head, the remains of the van sailed through the air and landed in the middle of the lake, where it sank, never to be seen again.
CHAPTER 1
THE BANK ROBBERS
John sat, alone, in the small back room of the bank. His head was lowered and his eyes looked out thoughtfully from behind the plain, black ski mask that covered his face. His eyes never moved, never wavered; they were seemingly permanently transfixed on the spot where the bodies were stretched out upon the floor before him. The corpses were soaked thoroughly in blood and were missing enormous chunks of flesh from where the shotgun shells had torn through them. They lay on their backs with their faces upturned; their lifeless eyes stared blankly upwards at the ceiling as if looking toward the heavens. It almost appeared that they looked for some form of salvation from above that was not coming, or was clearly much too late.
A grotesque river of blood wormed its way from the door, traveled across the room, and came to its end where the bodies were piled unceremoniously in the corner. A large pool of the blood had begun to seep out from the bodies and slowly spread its way across the tiled floor. The deep crimson hue of the blood was in stark contrast to the clean white walls of the room. Despite this rather macabre scene, if one could have seen John’s face underneath his mask, one could see that despite the faintest trace of lingering sorrow there, his overall countenance was that of steeled determination. It seemed merely as if he were present there, in this repulsive room of blood and death, sitting in judgment of those bloodied, mangled corpses that lay within. It appeared as if he had weighed the cost of what had been done and found the payment to be more than adequate. The sound of footsteps, coming down the hallway behind him, interrupted John’s grim revelry. He did not move from his silent vigil, however. Rather, he sat there; his hands clasped in front of him as if he were saying a final prayer for the lost souls that had departed those wretched shells in the corner. All the while, his shotgun, still warm from their earlier slaying, rested across his lap.
“John, the negotiator is still on the line and we can’t just stall him any longer. He seems more than a little antsy, which I guess, given the circumstances, is understandable. If we don’t give some sort of reasonable explanation for all the shooting sometime very soon, I’d be willing to bet they’ll storm the bank any minute, for sure. Which is handy, because I’ve got a vault full of money to bet. That
’s neither here nor there. So, come on, man; we’re this close to finishing this thing. Let’s not mess it all up now in the homestretch. You know we did what we had to do. The last thing I want right now is to shoot it out with the entire city’s police force over it. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think they brought a few other cities’ forces with them for moral and tactical support as well. Don’t get me wrong, buddy; it’d be epic, shooting it out with them and their overly armed and agitated amigos, but quite frankly, I ain’t feeling it,” Kurt stated calmly.
“All right, I guess we’d better finish this then,” John said with a growl, not hesitating at this disheartening news for even an instant. He stood with grim purpose and exited the room, leaving the mangled corpses and the increasingly foul odor of death behind him. The hideous crimson trail led away from the room and down the hall. He was forced to follow it and he could hear his footsteps as they squished through the blood. John could clearly see the streaks from where the bodies were dragged to their final resting place and he could see his own footsteps leading back to that terrible room stamped in the blood. He shook his head, to put those rather unpleasant recent events out of his mind as best he could, and snapped his focus back to the job at hand. “Well, here we go,” he muttered as he headed into the conference room.
***
John entered the conference room of the bank. It was a large and luxurious room, filled with plants, paintings, and ornate decorations. Even the filing cabinets were made of expensive wood and were intricately carved, the fronts of the drawers accented with golden handles. There was a large wooden desk in the center of the room where the phone lay casually off its cradle. All in all, it would have been an incredibly stunning scene; that is, if it weren’t for the numerous hostages huddled in fear at one side of the room. Their eyes were red from nonstop crying and many held tightly on to one another as they shook uncontrollably with fear.
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