Crimson Falls (The Depravity Chronicles) (27 page)

“Yes, Alan, you
freed something,” Anna said into the damp air.

“So what else
can you tell us about the Wendigo?” Matthew asked.

“Once the
Wendigo has possessed its victim, it is able to shapeshift and mimic human
sounds and voices.”

“You mean it can
shapeshift into anything?” Sam asked. “Like into a human?”

“Yes,” Anish
answered. “In fact, it can only shapeshift into other people. Usually into a
person who it has seen before, especially one of its victims.”

“That explains
why Michael heard my voice in the forest,” Anna mused. She turned to Matthew.
“And why we saw your father in the woods tonight.”

“And why I have
seen him since he died,” Matthew added.

“My God,” Anna
gasped. “That means it has been here for more than twenty years. So if Alan was
the one who summoned it, then is Alan the Wendigo?”

“The Wendigo can
only hold a human shape for so long,” Anish said matter-of-factly. “It would
have long since returned to its original form. And if Alan was the demon, then
his body would not be in the morgue. Alan has lived in this town for the past
twenty years. Yes, he was a recluse. But if he were in fact the demon he would
have disappeared. The Wendigo forces the human soul out of the vessel – the
body – so that only evil remains.” Anish had a solemn look on his face.

“So it is nearly
impossible to know who the Wendigo might be,” Matthew said. Anish nodded.

“But we do know
how to kill it,” Anna said in a cool voice. “So I suggest we see where this
tunnel leads us. With any luck it will lead us to this Wendigo creature.”

“And then we can
kill it,” Sam added.

“Do you think
maybe we should stay here?” Amy asked. “This is obviously where the Wendigo
stays.”

“It will know we
are waiting for it, and can bide its time much longer than we can,” Anish
explained.

Suddenly they
heard the sound of splashing water.

“Do you hear that?”
Jake asked. “It sounds like it’s coming from underneath us.”

“Didn’t Tim say
something about a body falling from above them when they were under the wine
cellar?” Anna asked. Sam nodded.

Without warning
Jake sprinted off again and through the opening across the room.

“Shit!” Jake
yelled. Anna heard a large splash, as if Jake had fallen through the floor and
into another tunnel beneath them. She moved as quickly as she could across the
room, with Sam on her heels. They flashed the light ahead and saw a large hole
in the middle of the floor. When they reached it, they looked down and saw Jake
lying in a stream of water.

“I think I broke
my leg,” Jake moaned. He turned his head, as if he had heard something.

“Jake, is there
someone there with you?” Anna asked.

“I don’t know,”
he responded. “But I think I heard something running in the water. Oh, God, my
leg.” He clutched the area around his knee and winced.

“How are we
going to get down there?” Anna asked.

“With this,”
Anish answered from behind. In his hands was a large, thick rope. “Made from
hemp. It is strong.”

“Who is going to
hold it?” Sam asked.

“I already
fastened it to the beams where the chains are,” Anish answered.

“I could use someone
like you on my force,” Anna said with a smile. “Good work. Now quickly, tie
this around my waist. I’m going down.”

When the group
had all been lowered to the stream, Anna kneeled down to try and help Jake
stand.

“I can’t stand,”
Jake said. “I don’t think I can move.”

“That’s simply
not an option. I’m not just going to leave you here.”

“I don’t think
you’ll have to,” Matthew worried. “Look.”

Ahead of them,
they could make out shadows moving closer. Anna wondered if death was quickly
approaching, just like in Anish’s story.

* * * * * *

5

David Styles
slumped into a chair at the large table in the break room at the police
station. He grabbed a slice of pizza, took a large bite, then pulled out his
phone to call his son again.

Voicemail.

“Jason, Jesus
Christ! This is your father again. Where the hell are you? I need your help.”
David ended the call and put the phone back in the front pocket of his shirt.

Michael Mullins
was answering calls with Janet. Although he was still complaining of some pain
in his neck and eye, David figured Michael was doing just fine.

I need to get
out of here
,
David thought to himself. He felt like he was wasting his time. There was
little doubt that a doctor would be needed at the Brickton estate. This wasn’t
over by a long shot, and David wanted a larger piece of the action. Something
strange, supernatural, had arrived in Crimson Falls. And he was not going to
miss out on something that could make him famous.

As he took
another bite of pizza his phone vibrated, startling him. Hoping it was his son,
he didn’t bother to look at who was calling.

“Where the hell
have you been?”

“I’m sorry?” a
soft, female voice said on the other side.

“Who is this?”
David demanded.

“Dr. Styles,
this is Nurse Andrea Myers.”

“Hi, Andrea. I’m
sorry. What can I do for you?” He genuinely liked Andrea. She often assisted
him in autopsies and other miscellaneous cases. In fact, David hoped that if
his son turned out to be a complete failure, he could rely on Andrea, who was
only 28 years old.

“Dr. Styles, I
am not sure how to tell you this, but we have a problem.”

David waited,
but she said nothing. “So this is the part where you tell me what the problem
is.”

“I’m sorry,
there’s just no easy way to say this. And I’m trying to figure out if I’m
wrong.”

“Why didn’t you
take the time to check out whatever it is you think is wrong? I am not
following why you’re talking to me right now, Andrea.”

“Alan Brickton’s
body isn’t in the morgue.”

It took David a
moment to process that information.

“It’s missing,”
Andrea said.

“What do you
mean it’s missing?”

“I mean it was
there earlier today, when everyone was here with Detective Mullins. In all the
commotion I didn’t go into the morgue until just ten minutes ago.”

“Did you check
the drawers?” David asked.

“Of course I
did,” Andrea said curtly. “I wouldn’t have called you if I hadn’t checked the
drawers, other rooms, and the entire freaking hospital.”

“I understand,”
David said. He considered the possibility that someone had stolen the body. But
why would someone do that?

“I checked the
security tape, Dr. Styles, and the video was out.”

“What do you
mean?” he asked.

“Well, the tapes
showed his body, then it went all fuzzy for about two minutes. All of the
videos in the entire hospital went fuzzy. I checked with security. And when the
cameras started working again, the body was gone.”

“Shit,” David
said simply. “Okay, keep me posted.” He hung up the phone before she could
respond.

David racked his
brain trying to figure out why the killer would want the body. Was he going to
try and eat it? Or did he want a trophy that represented his first kill?
Regardless of the reason, he needed to let Anna know about the new development.
He picked up his phone and dialed Anna’s direct number.

Straight to
voicemail.

David walked
over to Janet and asked her to contact Anna.

“Sheriff
Blackwood,” Janet called over the radio. “Sheriff, this is Janet. Come in,
Sheriff.”

All they heard
was static.

“Sheriff
Blackwood,” Janet repeated. She shook her head. “Let me try someone else.”

“Try Tim,” David
said. Michael joined them at Janet’s desk.

“Tim, Tim, come
in, this is Janet.”

“Copy, Janet,
Tim here,” he said.

“I have Dr.
David Styles for you,” Janet said.

“Okay,” Tim
said, confusion in his voice.

“Tim, this is
David Styles. I am trying to reach Sheriff Blackwood.”

“She’s in the
house, probably behind the library at this point. You couldn’t reach her?”

“If I could have
reached her then I would not be talking to you,” David answered. “She did not
answer her cell or her radio.”

“It’s possible
she has no reception anywhere under the house,” Tim responded. “I’m in charge
in her absence. What can I do for you?”

“I have some
troubling news that you need to know. Alan Brickton’s body has disappeared from
the morgue.”

The radio fell
silent.

“Tim, this is
Janet. Did you hear Dr. Styles?” Janet’s voice was filled with concern.

Michael began
pacing around the desk. “I knew it! I knew it! He’s a vampire!”

“For Christ
sake, man!” David yelled at Michael. He grabbed the radio from Janet’s hand.
“Tim, you need to be on the lookout. Whoever took his body is probably not far
from the Brickton estate.”

“Well, doctor, I
think he is already here,” Tim answered. “I’ve gotta go, thanks for the info.”

Static was once
again all they could hear.

“I’m going there
right now!” Michael cried. He walked into a different room, then after a brief
moment returned with his jacket.

When Michael’s
back was to them, David lifted a syringe and stuck it in Michael’s neck,
releasing a powerful tranquilizer.

“Oh my God!”
Janet screamed as Michael collapsed onto the floor. She looked at David, trying
to back away.

“Janet, I’m not
going to hurt you,” David said. “I needed to knock him out so he wouldn’t get
himself killed.”

Janet looked at
him suspiciously, not really buying his story.

“He thinks there
are vampires running around Crimson Falls,” David continued. “All he would do
is get himself killed, and probably someone else in the process. Now, I am
going to put him in a cell and I expect you not to free him. If you do, his
blood will be on your hands.”

David dragged
Michael into lockup and laid him on a bed in one of the open cells. He slammed
the door behind him as he left, making sure it was locked.

“Maybe now
you’ll calm down,” David whispered to the unconscious Michael. As he walked
through the break room he grabbed his jacket and another slice of pizza.
Meanwhile, Janet was still watching him.

“Be careful how
you proceed,” David said. “Just man the phones and keep Michael where he is.
Everything will be okay.”

As David left
the station, he could hear Janet talking to Tim on the radio, warning him that
a crazy doctor was on his way to the Brickton Estate.

1

Tim was
convinced the remaining Lofton brothers were dead. Then, to his simultaneous
relief and dismay, he heard screams in the woods. Then gunshots.

“Oh, God,” Aaron
whispered. “What do we do?”

Another
deafening shriek filled the trees, frightening the dogs and everyone who had
gathered in the yard.

“I’m getting the
hell out of here!” someone yelled from behind them. A large group of people
began walking up the yard toward the driveway.

“Shouldn’t we
stop them?” Aaron asked.

“No, if they
want to go, we can’t keep them here,” Tim said sadly.

“
HELP ME!”
a
voice screamed from the woods. Some of the people walking up the yard turned
around, but most of them continued toward their cars and trucks. The dogs were
still lying in the yard, refusing to move.

“Should we
release the dogs?” Aaron asked.

Tim shook his
head. “They aren’t budging,” he said as he pointed to them. “And they aren’t
going to be able to stop whatever is out there. Only guns can do that.”

Tim turned to
the remaining officers. “I need you guys to escort the citizens back to their
homes. At least as many as you can. Then make your way back here. It will take
you a while, but I want you to make sure they’re all safe before you leave
them. Damian, Ralph, I need you to return to the station and help Janet and
Michael. We need a few more bodies there in case something goes wrong here.”

The group nodded
and then followed the people as they made it to the driveway.

Geraldine was
making her way back into the yard toward Tim and Aaron, pleading with people to
stay as she passed them. But no one returned with her.

“This sucks,”
she said when she joined them. “Everyone’s bailing on us. Can’t say as I blame
them much.”

“Yeah, I
probably wouldn’t stick around either,” Aaron agreed. The few people that
remained joined Tim, Aaron, and Geraldine.

“I think it’s
best we make our way back to the house,” Tim said. “The floodlights will let us
know if someone approaches. Until then, you guys should leave,” he said as he
gestured to the citizens. “The rest of us will join the others in the house.”

Tim was not
surprised when no one argued with him.

“HELP ME!”
another voice
cried from behind them. Tim turned and looked, but saw nothing. His heart sank
as he thought of the suffering the Lofton brothers must be facing. He, and
they, were helpless to do anything but wait.

“There’s nothing
we could have done,” Geraldine said to Tim as they watched the last person
drive away in their Ford pickup. “They made the choice to run into the woods.
If we had followed, we would have died, too.”

“I know, Gerry,”
Tim sighed. “But that doesn’t make any of this easier to swallow.”

“True that,”
Aaron added.

“Tim, come in,
Tim,” Janet’s voice called on the radio.

“This is Tim,
Janet. What’s up?”

“What’s up? I’ll
tell you what’s up. Dr. Styles lost his freaking mind, that’s what’s up.” Janet
was frantic.

“Calm down,
Janet,” Tim said calmly. “What do you mean?”

“He drugged
Michael, put him in a cell, and then jumped in his car. He said he’s on his way
to the house.”

“He
what?
”
Geraldine cried.

“Well, Michael
was kind of losing it, too. He was talking about killing the vampire. It’s like
everyone’s gone mad.”

“Janet, settle
down,” Tim said. “I need you to lock the doors and stay where you are. Try and
make sure the kids are okay, and keep manning the phones. Don’t let anyone in.”

“Check on my
baby!” Geraldine demanded as she grabbed the radio.

“Believe it or
not, she’s still sleeping soundly,” Janet reassured her. “I wish I were at home
sleeping.”

“Janet, I need
you to take charge of the station and keep everyone safe.”

“Okay, Tim. I
will do my best.”

“And Janet?”

“Yes, Tim?”

“Don’t let
Michael out of the cell.”

“I wasn’t
planning on it.”

“Copy that. Over
and out.” Tim put the radio back on his belt as he prepared for David’s
arrival. Just as the radio clicked, they saw headlights coming down the
driveway.

“Looks like the
doctor’s in,” Aaron said with a humorless laugh.

Tim met David as
he climbed out of his car. “What the hell are you doing here?”

David looked
surprised. “What do you mean?”

Tim knew he was
acting. “You know damn well what I mean.”

“Would you like to
explain why you assaulted an officer?” Geraldine grumbled.

“I figured,”
David griped. “The kid had lost his marbles. He was running around screaming
about vampires. Janet was frightened, and in the state Michael was in, he would
have gotten someone killed if I had allowed him to come here.”

“It isn’t your
place to make such decisions,” Aaron hissed.

Tim raised a
hand to calm the situation. “What’s done is done. You’re here, and now you’re
leaving.”

“If you make me
leave, I will just come back once you’ve gone into the house.” David peeked
around them, seeing the empty backyard. “And by the looks of it, you don’t have
much backup.”

“What makes you
think you can help us?” Tim asked.

“I’m brilliant,
and I know more about this than you think.”

“That sounds a
bit suspicious to me, doctor,” Geraldine said.

David ignored
her and made his way up the stairs to the house. When he reached the door, he
turned around and faced them. “Well, are you coming?”

Tim sighed and
followed up the stairs. Aaron and Geraldine followed.

Suddenly they
heard gunshots from under the house.

“Jesus!” Aaron
yelled.

“Where did that
come from?” David asked.

“It came from
that way,” Tim said as he pointed toward the door that led to the wine cellar.
“Looks like we’re making a return visit to Hell.”

“Sweet Jesus,”
Geraldine whispered. “Let’s hope that whoever shot that gun hit its target.”

“Let’s hope the
shooter is on our team,” Aaron said.

“If that
creature has learned to use a gun, then we’re all screwed,” David commented.
They turned and looked at him, shaking their heads.

“Let’s do this,”
Tim said as he made his way toward the cellar door. “Let’s end this.”

* * * * * *

2

“Don’t shoot!”
Anna screamed as Jake lifted his gun to fire at the shadows racing toward them.

“Easy for you to
say,” Jake retorted. “You’re not lying in the water with a broken leg!”

“Stop or we will
shoot!” Anna screamed. She prepared to fire, nervous that whoever was charging
them might not be the Wendigo.

The shadows came
to a halt when she hollered. “Mom?” a voice shouted.

“Trevor?” Anna
cried. “Trevor, is that you?”

“Be careful,
Anna,” Anish warned. “It can mimic human sound.”

The shadows
rushed toward them. When they were within several feet, she recognized both
Trevor and Simon.

“Oh, thank God!”
Anna sighed as she took Trevor in her arms.

“Mom!” he
repeated.

Anna pushed him
back and held his shoulders. “Now just what the hell are you doing down here?
Are you
trying
to get yourself killed?”

“Some serious
shit went down outside,” Simon said. Anna was surprised by his language. She
had never even remotely heard Simon use course language.

“What do you
mean?” Sam asked.

“The Lofton
brothers ran into the woods,” Trevor explained. “And I’m pretty sure they’re
all dead. All of them but Dylan. He made it out.”

“Jesus,” Amy
whispered to herself.

“And we found
Lionel Flowers’ body down there,” Trevor said as he pointed behind them. “I’m
pretty sure he’s dead. His eyes were gone.” Anna shuddered.

“A victim of the
Wendigo,” Anish observed.

“A victim of the
what?” Simon asked.

“The Wendigo,”
Anish repeated.

“Whoa,” Trevor
and Simon said in union. Anna watched as the boys looked at each other with
knowing eyes.

“What’s going
on, Trevor? Do you know what a Wendigo is?”

Trevor nodded to
Simon. “Yeah, we’re familiar with it,” Simon admitted. “We should have known.”

“Should have
known?” Anna repeated.

“Yeah,” Trevor
said with a shrug. “I was so obsessed with it being a werewolf that I didn’t
think of the signs. No wonder it looked like Dad.”

“Oh, Christ on
crutches,” Simon moaned. “You know what that means.”

Trevor lowered
his head and kicked the water.

“Okay, I will
ask. What does that mean?” Anna asked, frustrated.

“It means Dad
was probably killed by it. That’s why it looked like him in the woods. It was
messing with our heads so it could catch us off guard and kill us.”

“Could someone
please get me out of here?” Jake groaned. “You guys have done lost your shit.”

Splash!

Splash!

“Something’s
coming!” Matthew cried.

“Get your guns
ready!” Anna shouted. Everyone in the group prepared to fire. Everyone but
Anish.

“You need a
gun,” Anna said to him.

“I’ll be fine.
There is enough fire power here. I have my own methods.” Anna didn’t doubt it.

The sound was
getting louder.

“Stop where you
are or we
will
shoot you!” Anna cried.

“Anna?” a voice
called. “Anna is that you?”

“Tim?” Anna
said. She took a step forward, then Trevor took her arm.

“Mom, it may not
be Tim. It could be the Wendigo.”

“Anna!” the
voice said, this time closer.

“Anna!” another
voice called, this time she recognized Geraldine’s voice.

“Geraldine!”
Anna called back. She took a few more steps forward, followed by the rest of
the group.

“Help me!” Jake
screamed. Anna pivoted around and watched as Anish was thrown to the ground and
Jake was dragged into the darkness.

“Anish!” Sam
yelled as he leaned down to help him up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he
said. “I didn’t even hear him above us.”

“Above us?” Anna
said.

“Yes, he jumped
down beside me, shoved me, then grabbed Jake and ran off.”

“Shit!” Trevor
shouted.

Tim, Geraldine,
Aaron, and David joined the group, panting. “Jesus Christ, I thought you were
going to shoot us,” Tim breathed.

“We need to help
Jake,” Anna said. “The Wendigo just took him.”

“The what?”
Geraldine asked.

Anna violently
shook her head. “Long story. Short version. Alan Brickton summoned a demon.
It’s here and has been for nearly twenty years. It’s killing people and has its
sights set on killing us.”

Tim, Geraldine,
and Aaron simply looked at each other. David nodded in understanding. He walked
over to Anish.

“So it is as you
feared,” David said. Anish just looked at him.

“Did you know,
all this time, what was happening?” Matthew asked.

“Never mind the
details,” Anna growled. “Right now we need to find Jake.”

Out of the blue,
something landed in the water just in front, splashing them.

“What the hell
was that?” Anna asked. She shined her light on the object, and jumped back in
horror. It was Jake’s severed head.

“Jesus Christ!”
Sam yelled.

“Holy crap!”
Trevor echoed.

Anna could
hardly believe what was happening. Murders, demons, heads literally rolling –
it was almost too much. But she knew she had to gather herself together. She
looked at the group, and even in the dim light she could see that their faces
had turned white.

“Don’t touch
that!” Anna yelled at Sam as he leaned over to touch Jake’s head.

Sam quickly
stood up and looked at her, shaking his head. “We can’t have this sitting here,
looking at us.” Without warning Sam kicked the head into the darkness ahead of
them.

“Dude, what the
hell?” Simon shouted, splashing water as he stomped his foot.

“Now he isn’t
looking at us,” Sam explained.

“He wasn’t
looking at anyone, asshole,” Trevor growled. “Dead men can’t see.”