Blood and Rain (18 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

Randy Hines had been lost in an inner battle for his sanity, and he felt like he was getting his ass kicked. He hated himself for being so weak, so pathetic, so inept, especially at such a critical time. He saw his father's belt swinging down, felt the sharp snap of the old leather, heard his mother being pummeled then left crying. Later, he left his helpless mother to drown in a bottle while he ran away to college, and then returned to Gilson Creek, only to just about shit himself while watching the werewolf murder Deputy Curry.

Now, here he was, the scared little boy versus the cop trying to stand up and do the right thing, both struggling to win out.

He stared blindly into the wicked night past his windshield. The ghost of Deputy Brett Curry—his throat torn out, his blood-covered uniform—fell to the ground on a mental loop.

Thinking of that night, Randy gripped the wheel.

A dark car passed by. Alex McKinney's Camaro.

“I can't believe that they didn't ride with us,” Sonya said. “I mean, I know Heath's leaving, and that they will probably break up when he does, but Kim's been… I'm sorry, I should just be happy we're hanging out tonight, huh?”

“No, I think you have a valid complaint,” Alex said. “I mean, it's not like they don't spend eighty percent of their time locked away in her room, or making out during movies. Then again, I'd hate it if it were us in that position.”

“You would?”

“Well yeah, but in our case it'd be you going off to college, leaving me with my brother and this boring fucking shithole town.”

“Aww.”

“It's true. It'd break my heart,” Alex said.

Sonya's eyes welled up as she reached over and took his free hand. “You know what?”

“What?”

“I think we'll be fine without them,” she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Yeah?”

She leaned toward him and kissed him on his cheek. “I love you.”

Alex had never felt his heart yearn for someone more than it did at this very moment. “I love you t—”

Something was standing in the middle of the road.

“What the fuck is that?” Sonya said.

“Hold on!” Alex said.

He slammed on the brakes. The vehicle skidded closer and closer to the animal standing on the center line.

His heart begged to stop. His mind reeled as if trying to catch its balance, standing at the precipice of irrational possibilities.

“Alex!”

Sonya had her hands braced upon the dashboard as they approached the thing.

The creature launched itself into the air. The backside of the Camaro fishtailed and spun to the shoulder of the road before coming to a complete stop. They watched as the creature, which had landed a good distance away, spun around.

“What the fuck is that?” Sonya said.

Alex focused his line of vision on the hulking beast. It had to be at least seven feet tall. It was covered in black fur and had an elongated snout that flashed a set of deadly looking teeth in their direction. The thing looked as though it were harboring the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger beneath its fur.

Sonya's petrified voice interrupted his examination of the beast, “Alex?”

Alex could only manage four words in response, “That's a fucking werewolf.”

“Dwayne?”

“Yeah, Rita.”

“Melanie Murdock's on line one for you.”

“Thanks, Rita.”

Dwayne Clarke smiled over at Deputy Shelly Glescoe and picked up the phone.

“Hey, Mel, you ready to head home?”

“Yeah, ready as I'll ever be, I guess. Vinnie's closing up tonight. I'm just in the way over here.”

“Home it is.”

“Well…could you take me to the sheriff's house?”

“The sheriff's?”

“He told me last night that his daughter would be home if I needed someone to stay with.”

Shelly brought her hands up and mouthed, “What?”

Dwayne put his hand up and motioned for her to wait a minute.

“Yeah, okay. Just let me call it in to him. Then I'll come get you. Okay?”

“That would be great. I just don't feel comfortable, being alone and all.”

“No worries, Mel. Let me take care of it. I'll be over in a couple minutes.”

“Thanks, Dwayne.”

He hung up the phone and slapped his hands down on his upper thighs. “Well, well, well…”

“What?” Shelly said.

Dwayne stood, picking his hat off the desk and placing it upon his head. He walked over and sat on the corner of her desk. “Looks like the sheriff might have a little muffin of his own on the side.”

Shelly looked at him with confusion in her eyes. She shook her head. “What? For Christ's sake, Dwayne, what are you talking about?”

He smiled at her and leaned down to her ear so that Rita wouldn't overhear him. “I think Joe's got something going on with Mel.”

Shelly pulled back from him. “No.”

“Yep, she sounded hesitant to go home, and who can blame her? She asked if I could take her to the sheriff's house.”

“I guess if he was going to be with anyone, it would have to be Mel. I mean, they seem perfect for each other.”

“Maybe I'll have to unofficially question her about her love life.” Dwayne smiled.

“Dwayne.”

“I better get going.”

Dwayne pushed through the station door. Thunder rolled across the sky. All thoughts of love and life were squashed. His insides dropped a level. The sheriff's voice in his head reminded him:
“A werewolf.”

“Randy.”

“Go ahead, Sheriff.”

“Are you out on Old Gilson Creek?”

“Yes, sir. I think—”

“Have you seen Alex McKinney's Camaro pass by yet?”

“Actually, that's what I was just about to mention. I thought I saw it pass by me a minute ago.”

“Randy, you go stop those two fools right now!”

“Sir?”

“Do it right fucking now, Randy. That's an order! My little girl's in that car. I don't want them out on that road.”

“Right away, Sheriff.”

“I'm on my way. I'll be right behind you.”

Joe's stomach felt as if it were at the bottom of the deepest, darkest sea. He turned on his siren and lights, and shoved the gas pedal to the floor.

The monstrous creature stood in the headlights illuminating the road before them. Raindrops pelted the windshield. In the lights, Alex could see it perfectly. He wished he could forget it. It was just standing there, staring, breathing and daring them to make a move. Alex's car was still running. He looked into the yellow eyes of the creature, meeting its challenge, and pushed the pedal to the floor.

“Alex? What the hell are you doing? Are you fucking crazy?” Sonya gripped the dashboard.

The car shot forward until it was aimed directly at the beast in the road. The monster jumped, disappearing from sight. Before Alex could stop, there was a loud thump at the back of the vehicle. The car's front wheels lost contact with the asphalt. It was as if a gigantic stone had fallen from the night sky and landed directly on the back of his car. The front end of the vehicle went up in the air as the car came to a dead stop.

“Oh shit, oh shit…” Sonya was scrambling around in her seat, trying to find the monster.

The car sailed off the road. Alex tried to get it moving again, but just as he did, the werewolf landed on the hood. The front of the car crumpled beneath its weight. The car stalled.

Alex stared in disbelief.
As fucking if.

The werewolf lowered its face down to the windshield, staring him down. Its yellow eyes bled with a devious hunger that paralyzed Alex. The beast unleashed a long howl into the night. The depth and suddenness of the sound curdled Alex's blood.

Sonya screamed.

The beast turned its full attention to her. Pulling back its black lips until taut, it revealed a large set of daggerlike teeth. It furrowed its brow and growled. The beast hauled its massive arm back and threw it toward Sonya. Its clawed hand smashed through the glass windshield.

Sonya twisted to the passenger door just in time, the claws of the creature scraped the side of her head, drawing blood and taking a chunk of her long blonde hair with it.

Alex pulled out the switchblade he kept in his jacket pocket and jammed the blade into the creature's forearm.

The werewolf let out a half howl, half cry. It yanked its bleeding arm back, pulling the entire windshield with it. It struck the knife that lay embedded in its muscle, sending it spinning to the ground.

Alex's jeans were soaked from the rain coming through the newly vacated window. It was his turn to scream as the beast reached for him through the open space.

Its powerful, clawed hands grabbed ahold of the wide notch lapels of Alex's leather jacket and shoved him back, pinning him into the driver's seat, knocking the air out from his lungs. He felt something snap in his chest, but managed to latch on to the hair of the beast's arms and pull with all of the strength he had left.

The werewolf ignored the annoying tugging of its fur and yanked Alex McKinney through the opening, throwing him toward the middle of the road. It launched itself, landing atop Alex's body just after the boy's back made impact with the blacktop.

Sonya managed to climb into the back of the dead car, duck behind the seats and watch in horror at the nightmare unfolding before her. She stared as the beast brought its right arm up and slashed it down across Alex's face. She heard Alex cry out and saw the blood where the wolf's claws had scraped across his cheek. The monster raised its other arm, repeating the strike.

It's toying with him.

Sonya watched as the beast threw its head back, and heard Alex cry out, “No, God no!”

The beast drove its mouth full of daggers down into Alex's throat. Sonya couldn't see, over its massive shoulders, exactly what it was doing to her boyfriend, but she could hear it. She heard the monster growling and grunting. She heard the wet, gnawing sounds as the thing ripped her boyfriend's throat apart.

Deputy Randy Hines could make out a vehicle up ahead. He reached for his radio. “Sheriff, Sheriff.”

“Go ahead, Randy.”

“I'm closing in quick on some taillights off the side of the road. Looks like the Camaro.” Then he saw the thing stand up in the center of the road. “Holy shit, holy shit…”

“Hines, what is it? What the hell is it?”

“It's… it's the… the…” He dropped the radio from his hand and let off the gas.

Joe Fischer knew all too well what it was. “I'm coming, honey. Hold on. Daddy's coming.”

“Clarke? Glescoe?”

“Go ahead, Sheriff.”

“Dwayne, where are you?”

“On my way to pick Mel up from the café. She wants me to take her to your house, is that okay?”

“Forget about that right now. Have Glescoe pick her up. She can take Mel to my house, that's fine. We have a major situation. I need you to haul ass out to Old Gilson Creek Road right now.”

“Sir?”

“Never mind, Dwayne, just get your ass out there! And make sure you've got your guns loaded with tonight's ammo.”

“Is it the, the…?”

“I don't know. All I know is my daughter's out there being stupid. I don't have time to explain, just get out there.”

“Right away, Sheriff,” Dwayne said.

Joe stomped the gas pedal to the floorboards.

Hines slammed on the brakes.

The wolf turned toward the lights and sounds of the patrol car.

Randy Hines wanted to disappear. Even the policeman within his mind sought to run back home like a little boy. He reached for the 12-gauge shotgun sitting on the seat next to him, held it in both hands and stared at the adversary in all of its illuminated glory in the headlights of the cruiser. It was bigger and angrier than he remembered.

Not this time.

He threw open the driver-side door, stepped out of the cruiser and aimed the shotgun at the beast. Randy Hines caught a glimpse of the bloody carcass lying at its feet. He saw Deputy Brett Curry lying there, instead of the body of Alex McKinney.

“Fuck you!” he said.

He aimed at the beast as it came snarling at him. He managed to squeeze off one shot at the blur of wet fur and muscle as it leaped through the air and smashed into him. His feet came free from the earth that had always bound them. The wind was knocked from his lungs before he even hit the ground.

He felt the full weight and power of the beast from his nightmares. He smelled its wet fur. The stench was sickening. He looked up into its face and saw nothing but rage. There was a humanlike animosity within its ugly yellow eyes.

The creature that had been Nick Bruce latched hold of the deputy's arm that held the weapon and ripped the appendage completely free of the body. As the man screamed, the beast slammed a clawed hand down into his face, crushing the skull onto the road beneath.

Sirens and lights came blaring from farther down the road. The beast rose up, arched its back and howled into the pouring rain. It welcomed the confrontation as another opportunity to explore. The approaching vehicles were still a ways away. There was enough time to have a little more fun.

It returned its attention to the stalled and battered car sitting at the roadside, and the girl inside.

Sonya could see that the shot fired had connected with the beast's shoulder. There was a huge chunk of meat and fur missing. The flashing lights seemed too far away. Tears barreled down her cheeks.

The monster bounded back toward her. She ducked her head down to the floor, praying to God for something, someone to save her.

The werewolf landed on the roof of the Camaro. She watched the ceiling close in above her.

Joe Fischer saw the werewolf leap onto the roof of the stalled car. He surveyed the scene laid out before him. In an instant, he saw Hines's cruiser and the two tattered bodies lying motionless in the road. Tears filled his eyes at the thought that one of them could be Sonya.