“Heidi’s not part of the team, she’s my fiancé,” Robert told her.
“Oh!” That was fast, she thought to herself. “So, you and Robert found the children yesterday? We only got the call a few hours ago.”
“No, I was alone,” Heidi replied, “I found them by accident.”
“Maybe I should check you out as well.” Shannon continued to check the kids while she talked to Heidi. “What were you doing out here alone?”
“I was looking for the children.”
She lied, but she didn’t know this woman.
“Robert went to look for the parents.”
“But you said you found them by accident.”
“Yes, I did. I found shelter in a cave for the night and they were there.”
“And where are the parents?”
She looked at Robert. He shook his head and glanced at the kids.
“Our parents are dead,” the young girl spoke up, “hunters killed them. My dad told us to run and hide when we heard shooting.”
“I’m so sorry. Shot by hunters? I don’t understand. Were they murdered?”
The young boy named Colin started to cry and ran to Heidi.
“I don’t like that lady, Miss Heidi. I don’t want to go with her. I want to stay with you.”
“It’s alright, Colin. You’re not going anywhere with that lady.”
“I think my boss will have something to say about that.” Shannon looked to Robert for his support.
“The children are staying with Search and Rescue.”
Shannon’s boss had walked up and heard the previous exchange.
“They will make the arrangements for foster parents until a permanent home can be found. Stevens, could I speak to you for a moment?”
Gary wasn’t happy. Shannon and her boss walked off some distance, so they wouldn’t be heard.
“Stevens, what is the matter with you. You know better than to talk in front of victims, especially children.”
“The children claim their parents were killed by hunters. What is that about? Gary, what’s going on? First, the farmhand, and now this?”
“I’ll explain everything to you when we get back.”
Gary was afraid something like this would happen. The conversation he had been dreading couldn’t be avoided any longer, they had to tell her everything when they got back to base.
“Are you done here?”
“Almost, I was just finishing up. I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to Robert McCormick and the lady.” She was embarrassed.
“McCormick? The same McCormick that took you to lunch a while back?” Shannon nodded. “All right, but when we get back, we have to talk.”
“Yes sir. I need to finish my exam.”
Shannon returned to finish checking the children. She apologized to Robert and Heidi for her behavior.
“The children are fine. Nothing more than a little dirt and grime. Nothing a good bath and a hot meal can’t fix.”
“Thank you, Shannon.” Robert shook her hand. Shannon packed up her equipment and headed for the helicopter.
Robert walked over to talk to her boss.
“Captain Morris, is she alright?”
“Hello McCormick, I didn’t recognize you at first. She’ll be fine. She’s been under some pressure lately. Can I ask you to keep this between us?”
“Yeah, sure. Hope she feels better.”
“Your boss gave us all the info we needed for our report. Good luck with those kids.”
They shook hands and the crew boarded the helicopter. They were in the air and gone in no time at all.
*****
It was a long ride home. All Gary could think about was how he was going to explain everything to Stevens. Maybe he should take Captain Miller up on his offer of helping explain things.
“Hey, Captain, everything okay up there?” Stan asked over the com line.
Normally they would be discussing the rescue. Gary signaled to Stan to use the private button so no one else could hear what they were saying.
“What’s up, Cap?”
“Those kids were shifters; their parents were killed by poachers.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
“So did Stevens.”
“Oh, shit!”
“No kidding. That conversation we talked about. It can’t wait any longer,” Gary told him. They had to tell her something, and soon.
“How are you going to tell her?”
“I’m not sure. One of us is going to have to shift. I think it should be you. No offense, but you’re smaller than Kenney and me. You won’t be as scary.”
“No offense taken. I think you’re right; you two ugly bears would scare the hell out of her. How do you want to do it?”
“I don’t know.” Gary let out a long sigh.
“I have an idea, let’s tell her first and see what she says. You know she’s going to think we’re nuts.”
“Yeah, but it will give her something to think about.”
Both deep in thought, neither one of them said much the rest of the way home.
Once they were back on the ground, Gary announced that there would be a meeting after dinner. All were expected to attend.
Shannon didn’t say much, she kept thinking about the strange goings on. She hoped she would finally get some answers. If she didn’t, she needed to decide what she would do next.
While the gear was being inventoried for the next departure, Gary called Frank Miller. Unfortunately, he was out of the office.
“Shit, I really need Frank here,” Gary thought to himself.
It was his night to cook so he may as well get started. As he walked towards their break room, there was a loud crash.
“What the hell is going on!” he yelled as he ran to see what happened.
One of the cross supports on a large pallet rack, used to store supplies, had crashed to the ground. When everyone ran to see what happened, they found Shannon standing near the rack, as white as a sheet; the rack had just missed her.
“Shannon, are you alright?” Kenney asked. “Did you get hit?”
“No, I’m okay. I had just put something away when I heard a noise,” she whispered, a bit shaken.
The rack was located at the back of the shop.
“What kind of noise?”
“Like someone was back there.”
Just then, something ran past them and Shannon screamed. Gary arrived just in time to see a wolf run out the door. Without even thinking, Gary shifted to his bear and ran after the wolf. No one said a word; Shannon saw the whole thing. A pile of torn clothing lay on the floor where Gary had stood.
“Excuse me,” Stan grabbed a pair of coveralls and ran outside. When he returned a short time later, Gary was with him, wearing the same coveralls.
“What just happened?” Shannon whispered and then fainted.
Chapter 9
Gary ran to Shannon when he saw her fall to the floor.
“Stevens! Stevens!” Gary was trying to revive her. “Shit! What happened?”
“For starters, she saw the wolf,” Kenney replied
“And?”
“I think she saw you shift.”
“Fucking shit! I was afraid of that. Well, there’s no getting around it now. We have to tell her what she saw.”
“It’s about fucking time!” Frank Miller walked into the hanger.
“You didn’t happen to see a wolf when you drove up?” Gary asked.
“Nope. Did she see it?”
“Afraid so. And she saw me shift,” Gary replied.
“How the hell did that happen?”
Frank had become a kind of adviser to the local shifters, even though he wasn’t a shifter himself.
“The wolf tried to kill her; my bear just took over.”
“Well, there is nothing that can be done about it now. Is she alright?”
“I think so. She only fainted.”
*****
“Where am I?” she asked.
“Angels Hos
pital. NY General was maxed out, they were really swamped.”
“What did you say your name was?”
“Dr. Myers.”
“Thank you, Dr. Myers. Was I in an accident?” She hadn’t noticed before, but there was a police officer outside in the hall. “Am I under arrest?”
“Arrest?” She pointed to the door. “Oh, no. That’s for your protection.”
“My protection?” The words echoed through her brain.
“Stevens, wake up. Stevens, it’s Gary; wake up.” Shannon could hear his voice in her foggy mind.
*****
“Stevens, wake up.” She could finally hear him clearly.
“Why are the police here?” Shannon asked in a daze.
Gary looked around. Slowly, Shannon started to come around.
“Where am I? What happened?” Suddenly, she tried to back away from her boss. “I saw you. You turned into a monster, just like him.”
“Him? Who are you talking about?”
“That man, the one I saw before. He was in the back, but he turned into a monster. Then I saw you.” Shannon started to cry. “I don’t understand, I must be losing my mind?”
“Come on, let’s get you up on your feet.”
Captain Miller helped her up.
“Let’s go into the break room. Stan, could you get Shannon a drink of water, please.”
“Yeah, sure.” Frank helped her to a seat.
“Would someone please tell me what is going on. What was that out there?” Shannon asked.
“What you saw out there was a shifter. A human that is also an animal. You’ve seen werewolves in the movies,” Shannon nodded, “well, it’s something like that, but it’s real.”
“I may not remember part of my past, but I’m not stupid. There is no such thing as a werewolf, that’s only in the movies.”
“Did you see your boss turn into a bear?”
“Yes, but that was my mind playing tricks on me.”
“And the wolf? What was that?” Frank asked.
“I don’t know.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I don’t know,” she sobbed, placing her face in her hands.
“Shannon, listen to me,” Frank got her attention. “They can prove what I say is true.”
“They?”
“Your team members.”
“All of them?”
Shannon looked up at her teammates and they all gave her a somber nod. She didn’t know what to say.
“Stevens, the man at the farmhouse was killed by the wolf,” Gary told her. “The same wolf that was here tonight, and the same one you saw the day of the school tour.”
“Why? Why was it here?” Shannon asked.
“We think it’s after you. We think it is your ex-boyfriend; the one you can’t remember.”
Shannon stared in disbelief.
“The only thing we can figure is; he’s here to finish what he started.”
“What do you mean; finish what he started?” She was beginning to panic.
“Shannon,” Frank said quietly, trying to calm her, “he tried to kill you. We think your boyfriend will try again.”
“But I don’t remember having a boyfriend!” Shannon screamed.
“Calm down - Calm down.” Frank spoke to her in a quiet voice. “We know you can’t remember, but he remembers you. Let’s take care of one thing at a time. I want everyone to relax and take a breather. Get something to eat. Gary, what’s for dinner?”
“Enchiladas. Would you care to join us?”
“Love to, thanks for asking. You know I can never pass up your enchiladas. I’ll have to call the station, I’m sure they can handle things without me for a little while.”
Frank stepped into the shop to make his call. When he was done, he went to investigate the storage rack that collapsed. On close inspection, he found the hooks at the end of the support beam had been cut. He inspected the support above and saw that it had been compromised as well. He turned to go back to the break room when his boot kicked something on the floor. He reached down and picked it up; it was a chain and locket. He headed back to the break room.
“Shannon, is this yours? I found it on the floor near the rack.”
Shannon looked at the locket.
“No, it isn't mine. It's beautiful, but I've never seen it before.”
“Gary, do you know someone by the name Sally Ann? The name is engraved on the back.” Frank handed him the chain and locket.
Gary looked at the locket and shook his head.
“Do any of you know a Sally Ann?” he asked his crew.
Stan and Kenney shook their heads.
“Stevens, do you know someone by that name?”
“No, I'm sorry, the name isn't familiar to me. What does that have to do with this man, or wolf, whatever he is.”
“I don't know. That is what we will have to figure out,” Gary told her. “He must have dropped this when he ran out of the building.”
Gary ran his thumb over the beautiful rose engraved on the locket, then placed the chain and locket in his pocket.
“Dinner is ready, come and eat.”
Everyone sat down and helped themselves.
“I suggest everyone stay away from the storage rack until it can be unloaded and repaired. The supports were cut so the rack would fail at any time. He must have been working on the racks while you were gone and didn’t expect you to return so soon,” Frank remarked.
“Normally, we wouldn’t have been back so soon, but the rescue turned out to be nothing more than a checkup. Some lost kids. Their parents were killed by poachers.”
“They were shifters?” Frank asked.
“Twin boys and a girl, couldn’t be more than five and ten years of age.”
“Poor kids.” Frank shook his head.
Gary watched Shannon’s reaction to what he had just professed.
“They went with the SAR team,” Gary continued, “they’re going to take care of the foster family arrangements.”
“That’s why that girl said her parents were killed by hunters. Oh my god!”
Shannon wasn’t sure what she was hearing.
“I feel like I’ve stepped into the twilight zone. I don’t believe any of this.”
“Gary, I think it’s time you showed Shannon your bear,” Frank announced.
“No! No one is going to show me anything.” Shannon told them. “If it isn’t required for the job, then I’m fine with how things stand. I don’t want to know.”
“Are you sure?” Frank questioned.
“Yes, for now. If I change my mind, I’ll let them know.” She looked at her teammates. “May I ask? Are you all bears?” They all nodded. “And you won’t hurt me, if you change?”
“No, we would never harm you,” Stan told her in a quiet voice. “We will protect you with our lives.”
“I hope you don’t have to go that far,” she replied nervously.
“That is just the way we are,” Kenney told her. “You are part of our family now and we won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, I’m going to call it a night,” Frank announced. “I need to get back to the station. Thank you for dinner. Shannon, if you need to talk to someone besides these three, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you, Capt. Miller,” Shannon replied.
*****
Gary walked Frank out to his car. “Thanks, Frank.”
“Don’t force it, Gary. When she’s ready, she’ll let you know.”
“I hope so. What are we going to do about the wolf?”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait until he makes his next move,” Frank told him. “Let’s just hope we can catch him before he gets his hands-on Shannon.”
“Catch him? How? We have no idea who we’re looking for.”
“Yeah, I know. I followed a lead that took me to a local hotel, but it was a dead end. The man had already left. The name and address he used were false.”
“I’m not surpri
sed,” Gary remarked. “Did the hotel have a surveillance camera?”
“Apparently it mal-functioned. The hotel manager claimed it worked fine before. My guys checked it out, everything looked normal. I’d like Stan to take a look at it, see if someone tampered with the camera. I’ll make arrangements with the hotel manager so Stan can check the surveillance system. Let’s hope we find something soon.”
Frank looked up at the night sky and shivered.
“Looks like it’s going to snow.”
He got in his car and rolled down the window.
“She’s a strong woman, and she’s been through a lot. She’ll make it through this.”
They said good night.
Chapter 10
Gary returned to the hangar. He walked over to inspect the storage rack. Just as Frank had said, the cross beams had been weakened. Someone had cut the ends that held the racks in place on the uprights. He found their saws-all amongst the debris. It was too dangerous to leave things as they were. Gary walked over to their forklift and started it up.
As soon as Stan and Kenney heard the sound, they went to find out what was going on.
“Hey, boss. What’s up?” Stan asked.
“We can’t leave it like this, someone might get hurt. If you’re not busy, I could use some help.”
“Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
Stan returned to the kitchen to tell Shannon.
“Do you mind being on your own for a while? Looks like the boss needs some help.”
“You two go ahead, I'm alright,” Shannon told him. “I’ll clean up here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I think I can do a few dishes on my own,” she responded with a chuckle. She wasn’t sure what to think of everything she had been told, but at least, now, she knew what they had been hiding from her. Whether she believed it or not, was something else again. She felt she had seen enough to believe part of it. When she finished cleaning up, she fixed a fresh pot of coffee, and set out a tin of homemade cookies. She knew they would want a snack when they were done.
It was getting late. Shannon made her way to her room. The rest of the team didn’t notice her go up the stairs. When they finished dismantling the rack, they called it a night. The coffee and cookies were definitely appreciated.
Haunted by the Wolf- Shannon Page 5