Crimson Falls (The Depravity Chronicles) (20 page)

“These might
come in handy,” he said. He knew that in some werewolf lore they were
frightened of fire. He grabbed four guns plus twenty flares, and opened the bag
with the Winchesters. He laid them down carefully and smiled. It was time to
get this party started.

As he reached
for the door, he noticed several radios sitting on a shelf.

“I might need
these,” he said, grabbing two of them. He clipped them on his belt and opened
the door. It made a creaking sound as he tried to close it, wincing at the
sound and hoping no one had heard him. Relieved that there was a side exit, he
slipped out the door and into the lot reserved for cruisers. He briefly
considered stealing one, but knew it would be better if he just walked to the
high school. By the time anyone realized he was gone, he would already be with
Simon.

Trevor followed
the beaten path between the police station and the high school. Since there was
an active DARE program in the school, sometimes officers would stroll back and
forth between the buildings. Trevor figured they were just trying to scare kids
and keep them from smoking weed. Drugs never really interested him, but he
still felt it was unnecessary to worry about such stupid shit. Tonight,
however, he was grateful for the government’s paranoia and war on drugs. This
way no one would see him. At least no human would see him…

Fear and
excitement filled his belly, and he quickly dropped his bags so he could pull
out one of the Berettas. He fumbled with the ammunition, keeping an eye out for
any movement in the small clumps of trees and bushes that sporadically lined
the path to the school.

“I’m ready for
you, mother fucker,” he said between clenched teeth, holding the loaded gun in
his hands. He aimed it into the trees for good measure and, feeling good about
his chances, continued his journey. The sounds of the football game were
gradually getting louder, a sign that the home team was winning and the game
was about to end. The band began playing the fight song, this time faster and
louder, and more cheers erupted. The game was over and he still had a quarter
mile to walk. Trevor started to jog, the weight of the bags making him breathe
heavily and sweat through his jacket, even though it was probably only 45
degrees outside.

As he reached
the school he exhaled deeply and bent over, putting his hands on his knees to
catch his breath. He had made it in time. Several cars were pulling out of the
parking lot, horns honking and people cursing. Usually a cop would be there to
manage the traffic, but tonight they were otherwise occupied. Trevor watched as
people tried to leave, ignorant of the murders and evil that lurked all around
them in Crimson Falls. He hid behind a tree and waited. When he saw the silver,
2004 Honda Accord Coupe pulling into the line to exit, he sprinted to it.

“Christ on
crutches!” Simon yelled as Trevor banged on the passenger window.

“Let me in,
asshole!” he screamed. Simon unlocked the car and Trevor threw the bags into
the backseat. When he climbed into the passenger side and slammed the door,
still panting slightly, Simon just stared at him in disbelief.

“Dude, you are a
freak!” he laughed. “What the hell are you doing? You scared the living shit
out of me.”

“Sorry,” Trevor
said with a grin.

“Where have you
been? I thought you were coming to the game tonight?”

“Some serious
shit is going down tonight, man,” Trevor said. His voice was teeming with raw
vigor and stimulation.

“What have you
done now?” Simon said with a sigh.

“It’s not what
I’ve done, dude. It’s what
we
are
going
to do.”

“Like hell we
are,” Simon said as he raised his hand in the air. A horn honked behind them,
reminding Simon to move his car forward to stay in line. “I’m not getting
involved in another one of your schemes. Remember the last time I agreed to go
along with one?”

Trevor huffed
and rolled his eyes. “I told you I was sorry. I didn’t mean for the car to
explode.”

“What the hell
did you think would happen when you threw a lit firework into a friggin’ gas
tank?” Simon laughed, but with very little humor.

“It’s nothing
like that,” Trevor said. “So you know how we’re always talking about werewolves
and shit?”

“Uh, yeah,”
Simon stuttered, obviously wondering where Trevor’s train of thought was
headed.

“Well, there’s a
werewolf in Crimson Falls, and it killed old Acorn Alan.”

Simon said
nothing.

“Dude, did you
hear me? It’s real, Simon. It’s real. I saw it.”

“Whatever,
Trev,” Simon said, shaking his head.

“Check it out,”
Trevor said as he pulled the Beretta from his pants.

Simon gasped.
“What the hell? Where did you get that?”

“From the
station. And the bag back there has three more of them, along with some
Winchesters.”

Simon stared at
Trevor, unsure what to think and how to handle it.

“Dude, I
saw
it.”

“Saw what?”
Simon asked, exasperated.

“I saw the
werewolf. And it almost killed me and Sam.”

“You’re full of
shit!” Simon yelled, uncomfortable with the arsenal in his car.

“No, dude,
listen.” Trevor relayed the events of the night as the Honda crept toward the
exit. By the time they were able to leave the parking lot, he had fully briefed
Simon on what had happened and what he was planning to do next.

Simon shook his
head again.

“You don’t
understand, man. They have silver bullets! Why would cops have silver bullets?”

“So if they have
silver bullets, then they know what they’re doing,” Simon retorted. “How would
we stand a better chance than them?”

“I doubt my mom
or dad ever knew about that. Sheriff Kelly was cool, but he was into some
pretty weird shit. I think he believed. But without him, you know, since he’s
lying dead in the woods, it falls on us to take this beast out.”

“This isn’t a
Stephen King novel,” Simon pointed out. “And we’re a far cry from Van Helsing. How
do you think this is going to pan out for us? We either die or become
werewolves, too. We’ll end up killing our families while they sleep.”

Trevor smiled.

“Why are you
smiling?”

“Because you
believe me.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yeah, you do,”
Trevor insisted. “If you didn’t believe me you wouldn’t have said we are going
to end up turning into werewolves. You know it’s true, dude. You’ve always
believed. That’s why we’re best friends.”

“We’re best
friends because you’re cool and I’m a total dork,” Simon argued.

“No, I’m a dork
who has style,” Trevor corrected, laughing. “And if anyone knows more about
this shit than I do, it’s you. Shit, dude, you’ve written short stories about
this kind of stuff. I can’t do it without you.”

“I don’t know,
dude. This is pretty far out there.”

“Well, look at
it this way. If I’m full of shit and there really isn’t anything out there to
kill with our silver bullets, we’ll have a good time running around and
shooting at stuff.”

Simon didn’t say
anything, but Trevor could tell he was making headway at getting him to agree.
They drove toward McDonald’s so Sam could have his ritual double cheeseburger
after game night.

“Simon, listen.
I don’t ask for much. Ever since Dad left, you know, I’ve been a little messed
up.” He looked out the window, trying to avoid eye contact. Trevor had always
been uncomfortable with sharing his feelings.

“I know, man,”
Simon said.

“So I’m asking
you now. I need your help. I want you by my side when we take this werewolf
out. This can be the beginning of a whole new life for us. Partners in werewolf
hunting. We can be like Sam and Dean Winchester on
Supernatural
, only
cooler.”

Simon laughed as
he pulled into McDonald’s. He turned off the engine and stared at the many
people making their way in and out of the restaurant.

“So, what do you
say. Partners?” Trevor asked as he pushed his hand toward his best friend.

“Partners,”
Simon groaned. “I hope I don’t regret this.”

“You won’t!”
Trevor howled with excitement. “Now, let’s get something to eat. That will give
us time to talk strategy. Get me whatever you’re getting.”

“You’re not
coming in?” Simon asked.

“No, I think
it’s best that no one sees me right now.”

“I don’t even
want to know why that is,” Simon laughed. “I’ll be right back.”

Trevor smiled as
he watched Simon greeting people and making his way toward the long line. He
felt frightened, thrilled, and a little nauseous. The time had finally come for
him to embrace his destiny.

The party he
started at the station had now officially begun.

1

Anna stood in
the small, makeshift hospital room outside of the morgue where two doctors were
bandaging Michael’s neck wound after having put a patch over his right eye.

“I’m telling
you, I heard your voice in the woods!” Michael yelled. “You were there!” He was
angry, trying to understand why Anna wasn’t admitting to being in the woods.

“I promise you,
Michael, I have been at the station. You know I wouldn’t lie to you.” Anna was
deeply concerned about what Michael had experienced. Who had been in the woods,
imitating her voice and pretending to be her? She had known Michael since the
day he joined the force nearly five years ago. Only 27 years old, he was
bright, strong, and stable. She did not doubt his clarity or his sincerity.

“And you’re
saying that the man who attacked you, and who held you hostage and tortured
you, was Alan Brickton.”

“Yes, Sheriff.
I’ve already told you that. He’s not dead. Bastard must have faked it.”

Anna was having
a difficult time trying to reconcile her trust in Michael’s clarity and the
impossible nature of his claims.

“Michael, I’m
sorry to have to tell you this, but Alan Brickton is dead,” Anna said.

“No,” Michael
insisted, shaking his head and frustrating the doctors who were tending to him.

“I give you my
word, Michael, that Alan’s body is in the next room. At the morgue. I just saw
it not ten minutes ago.”

“But how is that
possible?” Michael said, tears streaming down the left side of his face from
the combination of rage, pain, and fear.

“I don’t know,
Michael, but with God as my witness we are going to find out.”

Anna knew
Michael trusted and liked her, so she hoped that he would remember that and
attempt to calm himself. He closed his eyes, trying to breathe more slowly.

Anna noticed
Anish standing in the corner of the room, a solemn look on his face. She smiled
at Michael and joined Anish.

“What do you
think?” Anna asked softly, trying to avoid anyone hearing their conversation.

“He seems to
believe that a vampire has found its way to Crimson Falls,” he said. Anna
studied his face and couldn’t tell if he actually believed in vampires.

“You’re hard to
read,” Anna said with a smile. She wasn’t sure how to ask Anish if he believed
in vampires. So she decided to say nothing and wait for him to talk first.

“He’s been
through quite an ordeal,” Anish finally said.

“Do you think
he’s delusional?” she asked, thinking perhaps her choice of words may have been
a bit off the mark.

“I do not,” he
said simply.

“But how could
he be in his right mind? Certainly you don’t expect me to believe vampires are
real.”

Anish snorted.
“Whether or not you believe in something does not determine its existence.”

“What do you
mean?” Anna asked.

“Do you believe
in God?” he asked her.

“Of course I
do.”

“Does your
belief in God make God real?”

Anna had to
think for a moment. She had always believed in God, but had never really given
it much critical analysis. “I suppose not,” she admitted.

“So your not
believing in vampires does not negate their existence,” he said.

“I suppose
that’s true as well,” Anna confessed. “Do you believe in vampires?” She almost
laughed at her question.
What’s next?
She thought to herself.
Do you
believe in Sana Claus?

“I do not
believe, but I do not disbelieve, either,” he informed her. “I have found it
more fruitful to keep an open mind. In other words, I think most anything is
possible.”

“Okay,” she said
cautiously.

“We must look at
the evidence that has been put before us,” Anish said in a deadly serious tone.
“And we have not yet seen all there is to see.”

“So, in your
opinion, what would be the next logical step in figuring out who’s behind all
this?” Just as Anna finished the question, her cell phone rang. It was Aaron
Peterson.

“Hello?” Anna
gestured to Anish that they would return to the conversation after she spoke
with Aaron. Figuring he might have more distressful news, she walked out of the
room and then exited the building. She noticed Father Matthew and Pastor Amy
were standing nearby, lost in conversation.

“What’s up?” Anna
asked.

“I didn’t want to
contact you over the radio,” Aaron said.

“Okay,” she
said.

“Lionel has
been, well, he’s been taken.”

Anna was
confused. “Taken?” she repeated.

“Yes, and we
found a dead body under the wine cellar.”

“Whoa,” Anna
said sharply. “Who’s we and what body?”

“I’m in Geraldine’s
cruiser with her, Tim, and Ralph. We’re on our way back to the station to
regroup. We need you there.”

Anna put her
free hand over her face and exhaled deeply. “Is Lionel alive?”

“We don’t know,”
Aaron said. Anna could hear someone trying to take Aaron’s phone in the
background.

“Sheriff?” Tim’s
voice said loudly.

“Tim, yes. Talk
to me.”

“It’s unlikely
that Lionel is alive, but if he is then he’s probably tied up like Michael was.
We tried to go down into the tunnel after him, but we were attacked by…” He
paused. “By some sort of shadow man.”

“Shadow man?”
Anna repeated, still not sure what to make of it. First the vampire
conversation and now this. Things were getting downright weird.

“I can’t explain
it over the phone,” Tim urged. “Is there any way you could meet us back at the
station? How’s Michael? What’s he saying?”

“First, yes, I
am heading back to the station momentarily. Second, Michael is in good hands.”

“What’s he
saying?” he asked again. Anna considered whether or not she should tell him,
then decided to do what Tim had done.

“We’ll talk
about it when I get there,” she said, and hung up the phone. She turned around
and was face to face with Father Matthew.

“Some
interesting turn of events?” Matthew observed.

“Yes, I’m sorry
I haven’t been able to talk to you yet,” Anna said.

“There are some
things you need to know, Anna,” he said.

“I am sure there
are, but right now we need to head back to the station.”

“We?” he asked,
surprised.

“Yes, we. For
better or worse, you’re in this now. And I would imagine that I might need you again
at some point.”

“We’re here for
you, Sheriff,” Amy said as she joined them.

“Wait here,”
Anna said. “I’ll get the others.”

Anna walked back
into the room where the others were still chattering. Jake met her in the
doorway.

“Anna, what the
hell is going on?” he asked. “And since when do we allow professors and priests
to join the force?”

Anna’s face
became hard and stern. “We will talk about this when we get back to the
station. And you will refrain from questioning my judgment.”

Jake flinched.
“Of course,” he said. Anna knew he was only agreeing because he had his own
aspirations and didn’t want to rock the boat unless it scored him points.

“We need to get
back to the station,” Anna announced to the room.

“I’m coming with
you,” Michael said forcefully.

“I think it’s
best that you stay here,” Anna suggested.

“There’s no way
in hell I am sitting here like a damn invalid,” Michael shouted. “I’ve got a
score to settle.”

“Yes, I know,”
Anna said. “That’s why I can’t have you losing your temper and putting people
in danger.”

Michael pursed
his lips, arguing with himself about what to say next. Before he could speak,
Anna put her hand up.

“Listen. You can
come back to the station with us. You’re probably safer there anyway.” She
looked at the doctors. “Is he okay to be released?”

“He’s lost a lot
of blood, but he’s stable. I don’t recommend it, but…” the doctor was cut off
by David.

“I can take care
of him,” David said to Anna.

“Fine,” she
said. “Now let’s get going. We still have a lot to do. The football game is
probably over by now and that means there are people outside and they could be
in danger.”

No one dared challenge
her. They waited patiently as David saw to Michael’s wounds and loaded his bag
with medical supplies.

A few moments
later, as a group, they left the hospital and loaded into the cruisers. As Anna
drove David, Anish, Matthew, and Amy toward the station, she wondered what the
night was going to bring. She got the feeling that everything she believed in
was about to be challenged. They drove in uncomfortable silence. At least it
was uncomfortable for Anna. There were many questions she wanted to ask her
passengers, knowing they were more informed about these sorts of things than
she.

Sam might have
some insight
,
she thought to herself. He was quite intelligent, had vast experience, and
handled himself well. Fear, anticipation, and a glimmer of excitement swam in
her stomach like a school of fish.

“Are we there
yet?” Matthew hollered, acting like an impatient child. Everyone laughed,
lifting some of the tension that had been building since the insanity began.

There was a
small part of Anna that wished they would never arrive at the station. If only
she could keep driving. Keep driving to a faraway place where she could relax
by a swimming pool with a glass of wine. A place where perhaps she could be
reunited with her missing husband.

* * * * * *

2

When Simon
returned with food in hand, Trevor shifted in his seat and faced him.

“Thanks,” he
said as Simon tossed him a double cheeseburger. Trevor took his large soda and
gulped almost half of it in one sitting.

“Damn, dude,”
Simon laughed.

“It was a long
walk to the school,” Trevor complained. He took a gigantic bite of his burger
and washed it down with another quarter of his drink.

“So what’s the
plan, bro?” Simon asked. Trevor noticed a sparkle in his eye, and his
excitement grew to epic proportions.

“Well, I think
we should start by going to the Laundromat.”

“What?” Simon
asked, baffled.

“It’s close to
the Brickton estate and we can park there without anyone noticing us. There are
probably still cops crawling around the old mansion, so we will want to steer
clear of them as best we can.”

“That makes
sense. So when we get to the Laundromat, then what?”

“Well, then we
make our way into the woods.”

“Wait,” Simon
said, holding up his cheeseburger in protest. “You mean the same woods where
that cop was taken? The same woods where Sheriff Kelly’s body was thrown at a
bunch of cops?”

“Yeah, Simon.
Where did you think we were going?”

“I don’t know,”
he admitted. “I guess I just didn’t think about it.”

“We’ve gone
hunting together with my dad,” Trevor reminded him. “We are good shots, and we
know how to do it. Why would we go hunting where there isn’t any game to kill?”

“I suppose,” Simon
said as he looked at Trevor cautiously. Trevor trusted in Simon’s cautious
nature. It had saved him a few times before, and this time it might just save
his life.

“Look, we’ll be
fine. We have everything we need.”

“Let’s see
what’s in those bags,” Simon said, the sparkle returning. He started to reach
behind his seat, but Trevor pulled his arm back.

“Jesus!” Trevor
said. “Not here. There’s tons of people around. It’ll be safer at the
Laundromat. Let’s go.”

“Can I finish my
burger?” Simon asked, irritated by Trevor rushing him.

“We’re about to
embark on an epic werewolf hunt, and you’re worried about burgers?”

“Some of us
weren’t sitting around on our asses at the police station,” Simon reminded him
as a piece of burger fell from his lips. They both laughed. “What? I was
hungry.”

“Then eat while
we drive,” Trevor demanded. Simon turned the ignition and they headed toward
the outskirts of town.

“What are you
looking at?” Simon asked once they had been driving for a few minutes.

“I’m looking for
the shadow, of course,” Trevor declared.

“Shadow?” Simon
repeated.

“The werewolf,
dumbass.”

“Right. Hey, maybe
you could try not being a douche while we’re hunting tonight?”

“Sorry,” Trevor
said. He always had fun with Simon, who was both smarter and funnier than
Trevor.