3 Steps In Catching A Werewolf

 (#1. PREPARE SUPPLIES)

“In my dream, the road had been far more desolate.”

The road was not even close to half-packed. Blue and black motorcycles whipped between the static cars, forming a bruise-like blur. Horns flared as people yelled at each other through windows, threatening violence as if they would dare stand from their seats. And, it was summer. There were many half-opened windows lead the way for the smell of gasoline and the disgusting ocean breeze.

Amongst the chaos was a gorgeous silver SUV.

Five people barely squished in. In the right backseat, was a young lady with sunburnt limbs like branches of a tree. She called herself Pen. In the left, was a strawberry blonde who grew more uncomfortable as each second passed. He introduced himself under the name Rhett.

“So, this is all because of a dream?” Rhett asked when he finally built up the nerve.

In the front, was a stocky man called Oli and an old lady named Nana Mildew. Out of them all, Rhett expected Nana was the only truthful one.

Perhaps she just lived long enough to stop caring.

A motorcycle drove by, its smoke sneaking in as Pen coughs. Oli passes her an elegantly embroidered handkerchief. She cries from the heat and Rhett became infatuated with Oli's seat.

"Dreams are far beyond your comprehension.” Nana warned, “It would make no difference whether I explain or not.”

She huffed, gentle hands snapping to crochet a new ball of string. Well, it seemed to be a ball of string. That was the closest thing to it that Rhett could think of. And the closest thing to this humid, compact hell was eternal damnation to being scolded by elders.

“Well, what else was in it then, ma’am?”

Nana sighed. She put her tools down and drank from a flask that resembled the SUV's color. The summer heat must’ve been getting to her.

“I can’t seem to remember.”

“—Pen wrote it down but,” Traffic finally started to clear. “We’ll show you that after we make the preparations.”

He almost continued but the radio turned up just as Oli sped through the rest of the bridge. It was playing some rock song that drilled itself into Rhett’s head. He just closed his eyes and had a quiet sigh. Why had he agreed to let them drive him home?

Oh, yeah, he didn’t have money to pay for a cab.

The next time he opened his eyes, a nightly breeze passed over his face. How did it take that long? 

“Hey, you’re home!” Oli yelled, startling Rhett from his half-awake peace. Rhett grumbled as grabbed vaguely to his left to find an open door. A hand already opened it and pulled him from the car.

That same hand was shaking his frantically as Rhett blunk the world into existence. “You got what it takes, kid.”

“...Huh?”

“You just slept in a stranger’s car in a trip that took way too long to be the route you usually take. Gullible and persuaded by money—just my type of person.” His grin was far too wide to be human but what else could he have been?

He paused. “Did—did you just call me a pushover?”

“If I did, would you have a problem with it?”

“…No, sir.”

“Good,” He threw a card at Rhett. “See you on Saturday!”

The SUV sped off into the moonlight with a mysterious ballad on the radio. Its haunting notes echoed the street. Rhett entered the apartment building. Perhaps he was exhausted out of his mind, perhaps he was still blinking away sleep, but he was definitely too agitated to sleep any time soon.

“I'm not gonna take that job.” He said when he opened the door to his empty apartment. “Those people are crazy.”

The next morning, he almost forgot all about them. He went to his job as a grocery worker, got harassed by customers all day, and went home in the pouring rain.

The card… Rhett grabbed it from the kitchen counter and took a closer look at it. Paper, but it felt weighted. That man he’d met handled the card recklessly yet it was smooth, almost silky. It was grey with emerald rose vines enclosing text: Oli No-Last-Name | Call me at (415 *** ***)!

It was simple yet painstakingly elegant. Nothing he’d expect from a man like Oli.

Rhett stared at it longer as he rubbed along the indentation on its back. Indentation? He brought it closer to the flickering light of his bathroom. A reminder of his looming bills. Well…

He did need the money. Besides, the job sparked something within him. Being a private investigator fresh out of school didn’t lead to many acceptances. That wasn't good enough of a reason though.

But when he looked closer. A rose?

He took the job.

***

Unfortunately, they were still crazy.                

They met back at the fancy restaurant on Saturday. This time Rhett prepared some cash for the bus home. Good thing too because those three were the oddest people he’d ever met. Oli kept a knife with him everywhere (he saw in a passing glint under Oli’s white suit), Pen looked almost starving despite eating three courses, and Nana eyed him with motive.

Now, a few months later, he was back in the backseat of the SUV, five hours in a drive. Well. What he suspected was 5 hours, the road was so long and winding that it could’ve been 5 minutes or an entire day. Oli, Pen, and Nana were buying supplies, leaving him in the car remembering just how he got there.

(“Christmas? I’m sorry but—“  

“We will increase the price.”

“…how much?”

Oli butted in, “Your rent, kid?”

“For a month?”

“Nah, a year.”)

Their add-on was so ridiculous he thought it a scam. Unfortunately, the scam would’ve been the worst of his problems. After Christmas, he’d be homeless.

So three hours later, he asked, “Oli, sir, where will we be staying?”

A snort. “Don’t worry, kid, we’ll pay. Even for your room.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Rhett huffed and looked from his window to the front. He wanted to ask for specific details. Instead, he gasped.

It was a fortress of electric fences and neon lights. Pen made a shushing noise as Oli entered the single gate available. It had three locks. One seemed to be a regular bolt chain, the most recent one it seemed. The other two were bizarrely shaped and rusting. He was pretty sure there were bite marks on it but didn’t have time to stare as they entered the hotel’s fences. Familiar.

Then they turned a corner and Rhett could hardly believe his eyes. He blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Yet the glowing red sign in front of him didn’t change nor disappear.

Vampire’s Den

YOU WILL WANT TO STAY FOR ETERNITY!

Rhett could hear a distant yell. “That’s… reassuring.”

“Indeed,” Nana replied, “the font is quite enjoyable, don’t you agree?”

Oli snickered. “Makes the colors pop.”

The lobby was deserted and so was the diner. It made Rhett check his phone only to realize it wasn’t charged. The No-Last-Name trio had expensive cars and flasks and clothing but hadn’t even heard of a power bank. 

Only a lady who looked like a great-great-grandmother helped them with their luggage. She had several bald spots with a toothless frown. Her eyes were almost red in the overhead lights, only staring at him. Housekeeping, she said she was. Crept Rhett down to the bone.

When he was assigned a room, he hadn’t even bothered turning on the light. He reached his bed and passed out.    

(#2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY)

Perhaps Vampire’s Den wasn't as scary in the daytime, but he hadn't bothered looking for any assistance. All the hallways were deadly quiet. Breathing echoed against the peeling wallpaper. Entirely empty.

Save for the housekeeping lady that doubled as the restaurant staff. There also was a startling boy that couldn’t have been more than 15. He kept his head down as he cleaned the tables.

No one else had gone in there besides them, Rhett was pretty sure. Why was the boy wiping so frantically?

Then there was the old lady again, except she was chatting with Nana. No, that wasn’t right. She was talking at Nana, who seemed to be dozing off. Meanwhile, Oli had gone to the diner for breakfast at 5 AM. Like a psychopath. 

Rhett was forced to come along and almost fell asleep into his pancakes. The butter looked like a fluffy pillow. It didn’t even melt in the last 2 minutes. It was cold to the touch. Everything here was.

Of course, Oli, the psychopath, enjoyed the breakfast.

“—Here’s the plan: I’m gonna search the area for clues, Pen’s gonna research, Nana is gonna sit here while you, kid—“

“That’s not my name.“ Rhett groaned.

Oli took an obnoxious bite of his bacon. “I know and I don’t care. But you have to investigate Nana’s dream.”

“What, what do you mean?”

“Nana’s dream had the clues to find it. Now shoo!" Oli pushed him away, stealing his pancakes. Rude.

He put on his backpack and sighed. Then someone tapped his shoulder and he almost jumped.

It was Pen. She had been so quiet he'd forgotten she was there. She held a small red notepad and a stack of money. When Rhett raised an eyebrow, she winked and pointed her shoulder behind. Towards—Oli. Huh.

“…Thanks,” He said and took the items. Pen nodded in acknowledgment and continued eating. He walked outside and took a closer look at it.

Even the notepad was high-quality but unkempt. Rhett laughed to himself. That could describe the family. He opened it.

NANA’S DREAM

Pond. Coins in a pile. Rusty. Morning.

Woods. Pine tree. Sigil (?). Afternoon.

Howl. Golden eyes. Midnight.

“Pond,” He clicked his tongue. “that’s a start.”

***

A full day later, Rhett had nothing.

He had asked around for nearby ponds under the pretense of a tourist and want to a grove of maple trees. 

Packed, despite the cold or early morn. He took out a camera and took pictures from almost all possible angles he could take. The autumn season had brought a golden orange palette. It burnt the leaves until they looked almost rusty.

Perfect.

However, when he returned and showed the pictures, Nana turned them all down.

Rhett tried again until he was two towns over and there was still no pond that matched the description nor Nana’s dream. His knees were bloodied and his stomach so grumpy it sounded like a scolding mother. He laughed to himself. Oh, how his mother would yell if she saw him now.

“You okay there, man?” A passing stranger tapped Rhett on the shoulder.

“Hmm?”

 “You looked starved to death.”

“I’m—I’m okay, thanks for…” He lost his train of thought to the storm in his midsection. “Do you have any money for food, sir?”

“Me?” The brown-eyed stranger let out a large laugh. “No, no.”

“Oh.”

“But hey, you could get a couple coins from the fountain. There’s a dollar store nearby.”

And with that, before a fumbling Rhett could finish. He was left on his lonesome. Starved. And exhausted. So he did the most rational thing he could do. He walked over to the fountain, rolled up his sleeves, and grabbed a pile—not minding the stares he was getting.

He pulled the pile into a spare scarf he had and bought lunch at the nearest convenience store.

“Excuse me,” The cashier said, “This one coin can’t be used to buy food. Do you have an extra?”

Rhett nodded and passed a coin to the cashier just as she gave him back the weird-looking coin. His eyes widened. It had a picture of a wolf.

***

“Weird, right?”

Oli stroked his chin. “I suppose…”

“This mutton pie is quite scrumptious.” Nana said, “Might you wanna try it, child?”

Rhett offered a polite smile. “No thanks, I’ve sworn off meat.”

Pen raised an eyebrow but said nothing per usual. Oli, on the other hand—nearly jumped from his feet. His mouth was set agape, which was not an attractive sight in the least with his half-eaten burger. He turned to Pen with a dumbstruck look. “It—they were vegetarian, right?”

“Sit down, you’re causing a scene,” Nana said admonishingly.

But Pen was nodding frantically back as she stood up. There was the flicker of idea in their eyes.

“What are you guys worrying about?”

“Nine years. They need to have been fasting for 9 years to be able to turn back—out of the three choices we have, that is the most viable out of them. It’ll be 9 tomorrow.”

Oli’s eyes widened. “At midnight.”

(#3. HUNT THEM.)

It was all coming back to him.

Rhett felt sick. The acid bubbled to the top of his throat and he ran out of the restaurant before he could even think about it. He could hear the faint sound of Oli yelling after him but he needed to run. He had to run before his past caught up with him.

He lost his shoe around the 3rd block but kept going even through the groups of bewildered onlookers. The road ahead of him seemed to go on for ages, despite not having a destination.

He stole an hour until, sitting cross-legged on the floor, he came to. Just as Oli barged in.

“Get out!”

“Why did you run?”

These two sentences were said in tandem, both brash and loud. It startled them both. They fell into silence. Oli bringing the tip of his shoe across the floor as Rhett grumbled.

“You—how could I not? You guys are looking for a werewolf!”

Oli raised an eyebrow. An infuriating eyebrow

“What?” Rhett almost screamed, ”Why—don't just stare at me! Say something!”

“I never said it was a werewolf.”

Oh. 

“My mistake—“ 

“She was right then.” Oli sighed. “You were the kid.”

“What?”

Oli pulled out a chair from the room’s vanity with a glare. “Spill.”

***

Rhett had another name once. Lincoln. Didn’t like it. It didn’t feel like his.

But as Lincoln, he and his mother lived under the thumb of a tyrant: his father. That man would kick them out every few months. Why? Rhett never knew. He could only remember the scowl that warned them. Then, they would take refuge in the Vampire’s Den before it was called that. Its own alias: The Rose’s Thorn. 

The Rose’s Thorn wasn’t the cheapest nor the most comfortable option but his mother chose it. If only because she had come across a wolf. It never followed them home, but it always waited under a tree. A tree, that his mother eventually marked.

Over the years, it grew larger than a regular wolf. They couldn't afford to care for it anymore. 

It was on their day last day feeding it when his father found them. They ran and ran from his anger. Until they made it to the tree. 

It pounced quickly onto his father. Too quick to notice that his mother had also jumped in the way. Despite that…

Lincoln, keep it alive. 

***

“Those… those were her last words.”

Somewhere during his storytelling, Pen and Nana had entered along with Oli. Their eyes were moist by the time he finished.

“What happened afterward?“

 “Oh, do stop torturing the poor boy,” Nana said as she straightened her posture. Her eyes were different. There was something there Rhett didn’t spot earlier. “You might have to increase the payment must you keep reminding him. He shouldn’t have been forced along.”

Then she continued on, except she didn’t seem to be talking to Rhett at all. She turned away from him and spoke in a hushed tone. Nana mentioned this was far too selfish of us and talked about someone in the past tense far too often than he would’ve liked for a comprehensive discussion.

“I have long forgiven you both.” She said, “but their… their feelings are their own.”

It must have been a personal moment. Much too personal. Pen was shaking even more than usual, a tree in a storm. Her usually slicked hair was undone and falling over her shoulders like lava. Oli looked uncharacteristically solemn. So, Rhett took advantage of that. He ran back into the woods.

He was getting paid.

There he let his memories guide him, the flickering streetlight, and the marking on a tree. A rose. He supposed he would always return here unless he finally dealt with what plagued him all these years. The death of his mother… and then a flash.

He was on his knees, eyes fluttering shut.

His mother’s face, whispering.

Passed out.

***

“…Rhett!”

Where was he?

He awoke and looked up to see—

A wolf. No—the wolf. Golden eyes, with crimson blood laced within. Twice his size and towering over him with a snarl. It smelled like the sewers near Rhett’s apartment. Gross. He hadn’t felt fear like this since the first time he’d ever watched a horror movie. That, being the first and last time.

But…

It didn’t attack him nor even howl.

“PENELOPE!” Oli’s words rumbled through the forest, just as Pen ran to him.

“Please,“ A hoarse, unused, voice whispered.

The wolf paused, tripping and laying almost prone under Pen’s—Penelope?—bloody grip. She strained, obviously out of breath. Despite that, she opened her mouth instead of doing anything sensible like running away.

 Then, it pounced.

Rhett tried to get up, despite his bleeding leg and the distant headache. Only to fall over a tree stump. This drew the wolf’s attention though.

“Kari, Kari—“

A storm seemed to have come up in the distance. Trees were pulled by their leaves until they nearly touched the ground. Winds flew and screamed until Rhett could barely hear anything. He could only hear the last sentence.

“Kari, come home.”