Pumpkin Spice

by James Rasile

  The teenagers raced to Colton’s father’s body shop. Colton knew the key-code for the front entrance. “My dad is gonna kill me.” He cried, “Only if we get caught.” Allison smirked, “And we won’t be getting caught.” Evan assured Colton as he gave him a pat on the back.

  Colton turned the lights on in the body shop. There were three classic cars, and one newer model. Evan was stunned at the beauty of the classics. "So, you wanna tell me what we’re doing here?” Colton asked. Allison didn’t have to say a word, she picked up a blow torch, “Hand me the silver.” She said as she slid a welding mask over her face.

  Melting silver took longer than any of the thirteen-year-olds had thought. As Allison melted the last piece of silver, she looked over at Evan and Colton who would mold them in a jewelry modeling kit Allison got for her seventh birthday, and smiled. This was the most excitement she had ever been a part of. Several of the molds were sharp and resembled arrows. The young teenagers all suspected these molds would work with Colton’s uncle’s arrows. “Sun’s coming up.” Evan said. “Mold the last piece and let’s get out of here.”

  The three agreed to meet in the park that afternoon to discuss their plan for the evening. The final night of the devil’s eye, when the werewolves come out to play.

  That afternoon they broke into Colton’s uncle’s house and took two of his compound bows, and his crossbow.

  As soon as the sun set it was time for action. The creatures would morph into their true forms as werewolves, and the fate of mankind would be on the shoulders of Evan, Allison, and Colton. They felt they were up for it. But first, target practice!

  There was still three hours left of daylight. The teenaged friends found an uncommon piece of land in the Hilton Woods. Colton nailed a target to a tree. Evan was the first one to take a shot. He missed. Horribly. Allison was next. Her shot was a tad worse than Evan’s. Colton on the other hand hit a bullseye his first shot. Evan and Allison looked at him with disbelief in their eyes, “What?” he smirked, “My uncle taught me a few things.” Clearly Colton didn’t need target practice. But they stayed in the woods until both Evan and Allison hit the target, their plan initially was a bullseye each, but it took so long for either of them to just hit the tree let alone the target, they decided anywhere on the target would be satisfactory.

  Late that afternoon the young teenagers went back to their respective houses. It was time to get into costume, but not the lame ones they wore to school. Now they were werewolf hunters. Colton dressed as a terminator, Allison a ghostbuster. and Colton stayed dressed as a mad scientist, his mother wouldn’t get him another costume, but he was OK with is.

  Night fell on the town. Allison looked up at the sunset, “This is it don’t get scared now.” She said to herself. Evan grabbed a few arrows and stuffed them in the back of his shirt. “So how are we going to do this? Split up or do it together?” He asked. “We do it together.” Colton wasn’t waiting for Allison, who wholeheartedly agreed.

  The first stop was Prams Chinese. Inside they saw their first wolf. His hair was dark, his nails long and sharp, and teeth that could cut through a steel fence with ease. The teen’s hearts sank in their stomachs. “I’ve really got a bad feeling about this.” Colton whispered. Evan and Allison didn’t disagree, but they knew they had no choice. “What’s he doing in there?” Colton asked, Evan looked in. The wolf was sitting calmly at a table. The staff were all terrified hiding behind counters and walls. But the wolf himself seemed calm, and not dangerous whatsoever. In fact, the creature was sitting and eating a bowl of Beef Chow Mein. “It’s… it’s eating.” Evan described “Eating what?” Colton was horrified at what Evan’s response would be, “Looks like Chow Mein or something.” Colton couldn’t believe what Evan said so he had to see for himself. Colton gathered some strength and looked through the window. And there it was the werewolf eating a bowl of Beef Chow Mein. It picked the bowl up and slurped the last bit into his mouth. Then, very aggressively, threw the table aside and rushed after a staff member and began eating him. “Holy shit!” Colton jumped. Allison, without hesitation used her compound bow to shoot at the wolf three times. Once in the gut, once in the heart, and once in the neck. She was not aiming for any of those places, but she was OK with where they landed. The teens raced in; Allison grabbed her three arrows out of the dead wolf. “Call 9-1-1!” Evan shouted at the living staff members. “I love hunting season!” Allison cheered.

  The rest of the night was filled with the teens finding wolves in random places. Beauty salons, movie theatres, comic shops. They all started innocently but would end with a wolf viciously murdering an unsuspecting victim. The three did the best they could to stop as many deaths as possible. The night was growing long and was coming to an end. The wolves were not quitting. With every death of a werewolf it seemed as though one, two, three or more would appear. They were fighting an endless battle. Allison asked if there was anything Evan’s grandfather said that would help end it. “My grandfather didn’t. The diary mentions something about a Luna’s life ending, but nothing…” His voice trailed off. “What is it?” Allison was concerned, Evan fell to the ground. Something took the wind from him. The answer had been staring at him his entire life. He didn’t want to see it, but he knew what it would take to not only put a stop to the night, but end the curse of the devil’s eye once and for all. “I know how to break the curse.” His voice cracked as he spoke. “No female Aarles. Only the men. The curse can’t be lifted until the Luna’s life ends.” Colton and Allison looked at each other, “What’s a Luna life?” Colton asked curiously, “My mother.” Evan said without any emotion. “What? What do you mean your mother?”

  “I mean it’s the curse. Only male Aarles can hunt, it’s because the women are wolves. Every female born an Aarles has been born a wolf. I should have known; it was there all along. My Mom. Mary-Anne Luna Fletcher. It’s why she’s allergic to silver. It was all there right in front of me.” Evan’s friends sat next to him. Allison cradled him in a hug. “We don’t have to break the curse. We just have to manage it.” Allison told her cursed friend. Evan shook his head, “Then each year it would be the same. How many more innocent people will die? The greed of the Aarles blood is what’s kept this curse going. No father would kill his daughter, and no son would kill his mother.” Evan stood up. “That ends tonight.”

  It was three in the morning when the teens walked back to Evan’s house. Evan stared at the front door then looked over to his friends, “You two should go home.” Allison and Colton disagreed; Evan begged them. Allison and Colton were getting teary eyed. Allison shook her head “Evan, you don’t have to do this.”

  “I don’t have a choice. The curse must end.” Colton put his arm on Evan’s shoulder “Tonight was fun. I could do it again next year.” Colton begged, “Mrs. Fletcher is your mom and you love her, and she’s pretty awesome for a mom.” Colton cried. Evan raised his compound bow and shook his head “You two need to go home. I have work to do.” Allison threw herself in front of Evan, “Evan, you sure?” Evan nodded “I know what I have to do.”

  Evan entered his house alone. It was cold and dark inside. The kitchen wreaked of rotten meat. Dishes were shattered all over the floor. The room was empty. Evan made his way to the living room, empty and clean, no one had been there for quite some time. He walked up the stairs slowly. The master bedroom door was slightly ajar. He peaked in and could see his father sleeping in his bed. He took a sigh of relief before turning back to the stairs. “Evan.” He heard his name spoken from a familiar voice. He looked and saw his mother standing at the top of the stairs with a glass of water in her hand. “What’re you doing up?” She noticed the compound bow “And with a bow and arrow? Evan, are you sleep walking?” Evan raised the bow, “Evan?” She was confused by what her son was doing. “I know mom. I know what you are.” He pulled the bow string back. “What I am? I’m your mother.” Evan remained silent. He didn’t want her to talk him out of it. On the other hand, there she was
, human form and not a wolf. The moon was still full and it was not yet morning. “Grandpa told me everything.” Evan remained focused on his mother. “Told you everything about what? Those foolish wolf stories of his? He used to tell me those when I was your age. They’re stories, nothing more.” She laughed it off. “Then how do you explain all the werewolves I killed tonight, huh, mom? How do you explain that?” His mother shrugged her shoulders “You sure you weren’t dreaming?” Evan nodded “Positive.” The bedroom door creaked open. Evan’s father, still half asleep, came out. “What’s going on?” He looked at his wife then his son holding a compound bow aimed at his wife, “Evan what’re you doing with that? That’s dangerous.” He tried to reach for it but Evan pulled away. When he pulled away, he got closer to the wall next to the upstairs window. The window, he thought. “Dad, I have something I need to show you.” Evan’s father stood next to his mother. He pulled the blinds up revealing the night sky. Evan was expecting to see his mother transform into her true form. Into the wolf. Nothing happened. “What do you want to show me, Evan?” His father asked. Evan had no response, nothing to say. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe something else was causing this curse. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.” His father said as he reached forward for the bow, the clouds began to part and the moon appeared, and as it had been the entire night was full. That was when it happened. That was when Evan and his father witnessed the transformation. Evan’s mother began to transform into her wolf form. He ears pointy, her teeth sharp, her nails like knives. Her clothes were ripping apart. She was screaming in pain. The transition was painful, she was calling or help. As the beast took shape, it took control of the woman’s life and looked up at Evan. He raised the bow and closed his eyes “I love you Mom.” Evan pulled the bow string back; he took a breath before releasing the arrow. The beast lunged forward, he let go. The arrow impacted the beast directly in the throat. It fell back on the floor. As the life left its body Evan’s mother’s physical form returned. He witnessed his mother crying in pain, begging for help. Evan’s father stood stunned and silent. Evan walked up to his mother’s dying body. He quickly pulled the arrow out of her throat. “I’m sorry.” He said as he drove it through her heart, killing her instantly.

  That Monday at school the three friends stayed distant. They all knew what they did Hallowe’en night, they knew it was for the greater good of the town and the world, but they also knew they took away the lives of real living people who were not responsible for their curses, including Evan’s mother: The keeper of the curse. They felt a guilt they would never get over. The only thing keeping their heads high was knowing if another threat came to them, if the devil’s eye were to ever return, they would be ready. And they would fight.

  SELF-WAIT

  He opened his eyes.

  Darkness.

  Where was he? Why was he there? The last thing he could remember was… his mind drew a blank. He did his best to recall a memory, but nothing. No thoughts. Not even a name.

  Who was he?

  The lights turned on.

  The man’s eyes adjusted to the light. He was in a room, some sort of lab, his hands and legs tied to the arms of the chair. The people entering were both wearing white lab coats. The first was a female with green scrubs underneath, the other a male in his late forties wearing a collared shirt.

  “Mr. McKoul, you’re up. Good to see you.” The doctor with the collared shirt said as he looked at a paper on his clipboard.

  My name’s McKoul? He thought to himself. “Where… where am I?” McKoul asked. The doctor looked to his associate and nodded. Immediately the woman prepped a needle. Liquid squirted from the tip. Terrified, McKoul struggled in his chair. Suddenly, blood hit the wall. McKoul looked over and watched as the doctor fell dead on the floor. Thud! Blood draining from his head and staining his pristine collared shirt.

  He had been shot.

  The other doctor looked over at McKoul in shock, but she quickly fell to the floor dead. At the door stood a woman in her twenties, her hair was a luscious red. “McKoul!” She called out before running over to the man and untying him. “You’re alive. That’s a relief.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Call me Red. We don’t have much time.” She untied the last rope releasing McKould from the chair.

  Red slid the door open slightly, she looked out then waved at McKoul to follow her. He did as she asked. “Two men, one fifty, one sixty, both with stellar aim, both instructed to shoot to kill. You ever use a gun before?” Truth be told he had no idea if he had ever used a gun before, the last thing he could remember was waking up in the dark, but he felt it unwise to tell Red this information, so he nodded. “Great.” She pulled a gun out of her shoe and tossed it to McKoul. “Let’s get a move on it.”

  She kicked the door wide open, and almost as if in slow motion she fired her gun, shooting the sixty-year-old square between the eyes. The fifty-year-old raised his gun, Red looked over at McKoul as if it was his turn to shoot. He looked at his gun and pulled down on the trigger.

  Nothing.

  Nothing happened. The fifty-year-old fired his gun at Red, she ducked below the bullet, raised herself up and fired at the man, hitting him in the chest. Blood squirted out of his mouth as his body ricocheted against the wall, he slid do to the ground and raised his gun to shoot Red, but before he had a chance, she let off another shot, hitting him in the mouth. The fifty-year-old was dead. McKoul was breathing heavily, he looked over at Red. “That was...” he caught his breath, “that was intense.”

  “It would be less intense if you told me the truth.” Red walked over, grabbed McKoul’s gun, “Safety off is a good way to start. Another good way to start is to be honest with me. If you’re honest with me I can get you out of here alive. Got that?” McKoul nodded, “Yeah, got it.”

  The sound of a dozen footsteps were heard from the south corridor. “The Mangolds.” Red hissed. “Let me see your cufflinks.”

  The Mangolds? What are Mangolds? Why on earth does she want to see my cufflinks?

  Without hesitation she grabbed McKoul’s cufflinks. She pressed down on his left arm, “Smoke gas” then his right, “hydrogen bomb.”

  “In my cufflinks?”

  “Yes. The Mangold’s will be coming for you. If they catch you, use the hydrogen bomb. Don’t let them take you alive again.”

  “Again?”

  Red slapped McKoul across the face and then ran off. McKoul tried to catch up with her. The lights in the hallway went dark.

  “Darkness, again! This is not my day.” He made his way in the direction he believed Red went. The door opened; a flash of yellow light was suddenly visible. McKoul aimed his gun and fired. He waited a moment, and then…

  “Did I get you?”

  Silence.

  He slowly made his way towards the door. As he was about to turn the knob and open it three loud bangs were heard on the other side. McKoul was unsure how to respond. Three more loud bangs. Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “Who… Who’s there?” His voice lifted to a heavy bravado in the hopes whoever was on the other side would be intimidated. McKoul, not knowing who he was or where he came from, had no idea what his physical appearance was, but he was beginning to suspect he was not intimidating. “We are the Mangolds, Mr. McKoul. We only want to help you.” Red said they were the Mangold’s, but who were the Mangolds? “Help me how?” McKoul figured he should get as much information out of them as he could. “You’re quite sick, Mr. McKoul. We are the ones who found you, who cared for you. You need immediate medical attention.”

  “What kind…” he stopped; his bravado wasn’t up to snuff. He cleared his throat, upped his bravado, and continued, “What kind of illness do I have?” There was a long pause before he received an answer, this time from a different voice. A softer voice, a strangely familiar voice. “A bad one.”

  A bad one? What does that mean? His thoughts shifted from his supposed illness to the voice behind the door.

  I know that voice
…

  “Red?”

  Silence for a moment before a response. “Yes, it’s me.”

  “You told me not to trust the Mangolds.”

  “I said they’d be coming for you.”

  “And if they caught me, I should use my hydrogen bomb.” Momentary silence. “Yes, but I was wrong.” McKoul found himself, once again, confused. “How do you mean you were wrong?”

  “I mean I was wrong about the Mangolds. You can absolutely trust them.”

  “I don’t even know who the Mangolds are.”

  “You don’t need to; just know you should trust them. I made a mistake. We all make mistakes McKoul, we all deserve a second chance.” Red made a good point. People, most people, did deserve a second chance. It was just unfortunate that McKoul had no recollection of anything prior to this day. He had never met Red before, not that he knew of. She seemed friendly and nice enough, and she saved his life twice, but she did warn him about the Mangold’s, her instructions were very clear. He could not trust them, and if he were captured by them, he would have to kill them and himself. McKoul was not a fan of this option. There was only one way out of this: He was going to have to kill every single one of the Mangold’s. He would even kill Red if he had too. “Ok!” He shouted much louder than he had meant to. “I’m coming out!” He took a breath, “as long as this isn’t some sort of trick.”