Lycanthrope

Lycanthrope

“In local news, the alleged Wolf-Man of Cedarview Hills struck again last night. The bodies of thirty-two and thirty-three-year-olds Marcus Vuxh and his fiancé Daria Clees were discovered this morning at the break of dawn by a passerby…”

The anchorwoman’s live crime-scene reporting went mute at the press of a button.

“And I found the Wolf-Man.”

Jackson boasted confidently to his best friend and number one critic, Wayne, from his computer chair.

The former of the two crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

“Suuuuure, Jaxy. You and you alone FOUND the Wolf-Man. Not any of the other hack monster hunters it drew here, or the police, some kid shmuck found him.”

Wayne mocked, raising a finger at each item he listed off. His snark garnered a scowl in response.

“Dude, fuck off.”

“Hey, YOU INVITED ME OVER.”

He’d coyly remind Jax with yet another lazy shrug, sitting on his bed, and folding a leg over the other.

“Which begs the question why?”

He added.

“Because I need backup confronting the Wolf-Man?”

Silence. Wayne stares at his friend for a moment.

“Pft…”

Wayne throws his head back and bursts out laughing.

“So instead of calling the police, who have a literal hotline for this kinda shit, you call my scrawny ass?”

Another silence as embarrassment radiated off of Jackson. He looked down at his jeans and sighed.

“No one else answered and…I’m blocked from calling the hotline.”

He murmured.

Wayne sighed.

“Fine, I’ll help. I’ll go to this ONE spot with you. And when this winds up being a nothing burger you drop all this furry shit. Capishe?”

Jax’s face lit up as he sat upright.

“Thanks, Wayne. I-”

Wayne cut Jax off with a sharp ‘Ah!’ coupled with a finger wag.

“When. This. Doesn’t. Work. Out. You. Stop.”

He spoke slowly as though reprimanding a child. Even got the stern parent scowl too for good measure.

Jax groaned.

“Fine, MOM.”

Wayne smirked.

“Good. Now let’s go. We’re taking my car so I can ditch your ass wherever you take me.”

Jax laughed awkwardly. But Wayne’s smirk lead him to believe his friend wasn’t kidding…

The boys piled into the 2010 Honda.

“O-kaaaaay, where to?”

Wayne asked, pulling his phone out to punch in their coordinates in his GPS.

“According to my calcu-”

“Spit it out, nerd.”

Silence for a moment as Jax festers. He shoots a glare Wayne’s way before sighing.

“Craine’s Pointe. The old  industrial plants.”

Wayne sighed as he punched it in.

“For fuck’s sake, that’s like an hour and a half one way. You owe me gas money for this shit too.”

Wayne grumbled in discontent.

“When we’re rich from the reward money offered up I’ll buy you a new car, dude.”

Jax reassured.

Wayne smirked.

“Suuuuuure you will.”

And they’re off! As they drive the sun slowly but surely recedes down behind the sky. A cool orangish yellow hangs overhead as the sun sets for the day. Wayne begins to speed up as night draws closer. Jax took notice.

“Smart idea. Get there before the moon comes out tonight.”

Wayne nodded worriedly.

“Do you have any clue who this guy is? Or what he looks like?”

“I…no, not really.”

Jax murmured.

“Soooo we’re just gonna fuck around by some supply plants at night hoping to find some random stranger and that some other violent stranger doesn’t find us OR mistake one of us for the Wolf-Man?”

Jax frowned.

“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds really fucking stupid.”

Wayne rolled his eyes as they entered the more industrial part of the town.

“There’s not a lot of people around. I figured more of your monster hunter pals would be here?”

Jax shook his head.

“Nah, a lotta people are thinking he’s by Acid Lake. So they’re on the other side of town.”

“Here’s to hoping they’re right then.”

Jax frowned.

“Why? You scaaaaaared?”

He’d mock Wayne, who glared.

“I can still ditch your nuts ass here and go.”

Jax put his hands up defensively.

“Fine, fine. Let’s go.”

Wayne parks his car a few yards from a security booth and popped his trunk to grab a tire iron for self-defense. Maybe Jax was right about the Wolf-Man? Even if he wasn’t, his concerns over creeps being around garnered a need to protect himself.  Neither boy could notice a security guard at the post. So, they crept up closer on foot. The booth was vacant, so limboing underneath the bar was easy enough. The plant had closed maybe a few hours ago, but there still seemed to be signs of life. Doors were left open accompanied by distant footsteps.

“I…I don’t think we’re alone here.”

Jax murmured.

“Wasn’t that the point of coming here?”

Wayne asked.

“Besides, it’s probably just a security guard or something.”

He continued as they delved deeper into the plant. The moon, for now, hid behind the clouds. They’d be dealing with the man side of the Wolf-Man for now. The boys slinked about the plant as though they owned the place, coming up short at almost every turn. Offices? Nothing. Breakroom? No one. Their luck would take a turn at the shipping yard. Normally the yard is abuzz with trucks dropping off and picking up goods, forklifts on and offloading everything, and union men clamoring about. 

The wide open yard was seemingly taken up all by one person, One, singular, imposing presence. A male’s form, lanky and sickly, sat against one of the massive metal doors. His clothes are viciously disheveled. Torn about akin to rags. He sat slumped over, hiding his head in his hands. His exhausted gaze drifted to them and ebbed to horror.

“No!”

His voice boomed with horror: a commanding tone, a stark juxtaposition to his shoddy appearance.

“Both of you need to get out of here, NOW!”

He commanded. Or was he begging?

Wayne didn’t seem to need much convincing. He began to stagger backward before booking it through the door they came in while Jax took hesitant steps forward.

“We’re…I’m here to help…”

“Help? Help?!”

The man laughed hopelessly, shaking his head in disdain.

“Not even God could help me now, kid…”

The clouds above parted, allowing the moon to peak down on them. The man’s body suddenly tensed before lurching as though he were about to heave. Jax’s eyes widened in horror as his suspicions turned out to be true. The Wolf-Man of Cedarview Hills is here, right in front of him. As the man gives way to the wolf via a repulsive metamorphosis, Jax follows after Wayne with a massive delay. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t make it out alive. After the startling shift, the wolf gave chase, dashing after Jax on all fours. The beast’s speed was unrivaled by the boy. He managed to bite at the back of Jax’s leg, sending him sprawling down to the ground. Jax howled in agony, begging for help and mercy fruitlessly. The wolf claws dug into his chest, killing him instantly before feasting on the corpse.

Jax’s cries echoed through the abandoned plant, permeating the sounds of Wayne’s wheezing and his heart throbbing in his ears as he ran. He’d cleared the booth outside before he heard the wolf gaining on him. 

He shrieked in horror, turning around and nailing the wolf across the snout with the tire iron. With a satisfying sound, it collided, denting the makeshift weapon and draining blood from the wolf’s nose. Wayne kept running, making it to his car. The wolf clawed and scratched at the car door as the vehicle roared to life. Wayne put his car in reverse and booked it backward, making the wolf leap backward. As Wayne shifted to drive, the wolf lunged straight for the windshield. Wayne shrieked and swerved to dodge only to wrap around a tree instead. Mangled metal and glass covered him. His head hit the steering wheel hard, and he could barely breathe in the airbag. He was trapped in a twisted metal coffin. Wayne sobbed softly to himself. His cries were unheard and short-lived. The Wolf-Man’s claws wrapped around his skull, drawing blood and squeezing, snuffing his life out and adding two more bodies to its body count.