Howling After Midnight

The moon was full. Trees swayed in the wind. The wind made an eerie sound like a squeaky door opening slowly. Peter and Jennifer huddled together in a tent. They could hear something large walking near their tent. A creature was breathing heavily. Jennifer hid under the crook of Peter’s arm, trembling. They had camped in the same area for many years. This was the first time something scary happened. Coyotes were howling in the background. A coyote yelped like something hurt him. The coyotes stopped howling. An eerie quiet blanketed the campsite. All of a sudden, the tent was clawed at violently. Jennifer screamed. That was the last sound that came from her lips.

            “A wild animal made these claw marks,” said Deputy Alan Jones.

            “Do you see the claw marks on the tent. It was torn to shreds,” said Deputy Tom Smith.

            “I didn’t think animals that could do these kind of things existed in this area. Coyotes have been sighted but they usually don’t bother humans. I don’t think bears hang out around here. Wolves have been sighted 30 miles from here. What could have done this?” asked Alan Jones.

            “This looks like a wolf attack. Probably a pack of wolves. These people didn’t stand a chance,” said Tom Smith.

            An Indian man approached them and he said “There was full moon last night. These monsters that are human during the day, change into wolf monsters at night especially during a full moon.”

            Tom and Alan looked at the man and shook their heads in disbelief.

            “I don’t believe things like that exist,” said Alan.

            “Think what you want to think. You are going to see that there are going to be more people dying in the same brutal manner these poor people died,” said the man. He walked away with a limp and a scowl on his face. He did not look back.

            “It is strange that last night there was a full moon and then we find these people torn to shreds,” said Tom.

            “I don’t think it’s strange at all. When animals are hungry, they are going to do what it takes to fill their bellies,” said Alan.

            “You may be right,” replied Tom.

            The coroner pulled up to the campsite. The dead bodies were loaded into large plastic body bags. Alan and Tom retrieved the dead woman’s purse and the dead man’s wallet.

            “They were so young. In their twenties. What a shame,” said Alan. He was looking at their driver’s licenses. He was pushing 40 this year.

             A howl was heard off in the distance. Alan and Tom looked at one another.

            “Let’s get the hell out of here. This place is giving me the creeps,” said Tom.

            “Right behind you,” said Alan. He looked towards the area where the howling came from. He couldn’t wait to get into the car and head out of the rustic camping area. Tom looked a little spooked, too.

            “What happened today, Tom?” asked Tom’s wife, Samantha.

            “I saw people who met a horrible death. I am a little shaken. I think it was wild animals. Let’s make sure the doors and windows are locked tonight,” said Tom.

            “That bad,” said Samantha.

            “Yes, it was that bad. This Indian man stopped by and told us it may be people who turn into monsters during the full moon,” said Tom.

            “That sounds ridiculous,” said Samantha.

            “I didn’t believe it when he first told us. Then Greg and I heard howling and we got a little spooked and could not wait to get away from that campsite.  It was like we were being warned,” said Tom.

            “Let’s watch something funny tonight to get our minds off that horrible thing you witnessed,” said Samantha.

            “That sounds like a plan.”

            Samantha walked into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on their dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, one of Tom’s favorite meals. She put the spaghetti into the boiling water and turned on the heat under the spaghetti sauce. The meatballs were being kept warm in the oven. She shucked corn on the cob. Samantha knew Tom was going to love the meal. She loved cooking for Tom. He appreciated her efforts.

            Tom mowed the grass after dinner while Samantha cleaned up the kitchen.

            They settled down to a humorous movie “What About Bob?” and drank a few glasses of wine. Samantha yawned so they headed to bed.

           

            Samantha and Tom woke up to a sunny spring day.

            She put on coffee and made French toast for Tom.

            He walked outside to get the newspaper and turned to walk back into their home when he saw the three large claw marks on the front door. The claw marks were deep into the solid oak door. Three large claw marks. He was alarmed.

            “You look like you saw a ghost,” said Samantha.

            He led her out to the front door. She was shocked to see the claw marks.

            “I will drop you off at work and pick you up, today. You are not going to go anywhere by yourself,” said Tom.

            “I agree.”

           

            “I spotted a lot of wolf tracks today in the field by the campsite where the two people met their demise,” said Harold, the Indian man who tried to warn Alan and Tom.

            “I made some silver bullets to defend our settlement,” said Terrance.

            “I think that’s a good idea,” said Harold.

            “I know those monsters killed Sierra and Reynold last year.”

            “I know they did,” said Harold.

            “They were torn to pieces,” said Terrance.

            “Clarence and his crew mean business when they are seeking to take over what they feel should be their territory. We have been reduced to a small plot of land. There has been a discussion about moving our settlement away from those monsters,” said Harold.

            “I think we should move. Those monsters may be living in many other places,” said Terrance.

            “We have sent scouts out to find another location for us but they haven’t returned. They were sent out a couple of weeks ago.”

            “What could have happened to them? asked Terrance.”

            “They may have been caught by the wolf monsters because they know about them or they may have settled at some place safe and don’t want to return to this dangerous location.”

            “When they are found out about, they can get really ugly,” said Terrance.

            “We have been dealing with those awful creatures for many generations. They know we know about them. Some of them have converted our people into one of them. It’s been terrible dealing with the werewolves,” said Harold.

            “I don’t want to lose any more of our people to those monsters,” said Terrance.

 

            “It’s time to call this meeting to order,” said Samuel.

            “We have had our sights on the property of Harold’s homestead for quite some time,” said George.

            “The gold we discovered in one of the caves near their homes is just waiting to be mined. We need them to move post haste,” said Samuel.

            “I will have many of the young males surround their homestead and howl late into the early morning,” said George.

            “I also have another idea. I am going to ask Jennifer and Anne to get dolled up and go into town to persuade some unsuspecting young males to come to their lair. We need more converts,” said Samuel.

            “Does anyone else have any ideas?” asked Samuel.

            “I want to add that the people we fed on last night left a taste in my mouth that I want to duplicate. They were delicious,” said Timothy.

            “Sometimes our tasty snacks fall right into our laps,” said Daryl.

            “I left a warning on one of the officer’s doors that were here yesterday. Just in case he wants to come looking for us,” said Timothy.

            “Tom Smith is the deputy you scared last night,” said Samuel.

            “How do you know Tom?” asked Daryl.

            “His father killed my uncle some time ago,” said Samuel.

            “Perhaps I should have broken in and killed them, too,” said Timothy.

            “There will be plenty of opportunity to get rid of Tom,” said Samuel.

            “I heard they may be getting a large group of men together to find what killed the two campers,” said Daryl.

            “How do you know that?” asked Samuel.

            “I was at the diner having coffee this morning and overheard a group of men talking about what they were going to do about the dead campers.  I sat in on their conversation to find out more,” said Daryl.

            “What did you learn?” asked Samuel.

            “The group is forming tomorrow afternoon. I think there will be about 20 men. They will be armed and will have hunting dogs to sniff out any strange smells,” said Daryl.

            Nightfall was fast approaching.

            Jennifer and Anne dressed in black and red short dresses that fit snugly against their supple bodies. The dresses were cut low. Samuel had them model their clothes in front of the males in their group. They approved of what the women were wearing. The older women shook their heads in disgust.

            “It looks like you are going to turn a lot of heads tonight. Only settle for the strongest of the males you encounter. We need strong men,” said Samuel.

            “We will do our best Uncle Sam,” said Jennifer.

            Jennifer and Anne were brought to their group as young women and converted into werewolves by some of the younger men. Samuel decided they would refer to him as their uncle. Samuel and his wife, Issabelle, took them in and prepared them for their new role as werewolves. They have served the group well by recruiting other young men to join their group.

            The sky was a crimson color with purple stripes running through the clouds that were quickly disappearing as nighttime approached. There was a slight breeze. It was a warm night.

            Jennifer and Anne drove into town to visit one of the local establishments. The weather was getting warmer so many people were out on the busy warm Friday evening. When they walked into the bar on the corner that appeared to have the most patrons, all heads turned in their direction. They were stunning.

Jennifer had long slender legs that were tanned. Her hair was long and black and flowed down her back. Her perky breasts peeked above the cloth with her nipples barely covered. She even had the attention of the women.

            Anne on the other hand had creamy colored skin and her hair was long and blond. Her breasts were large and full, almost spilling over the top of her dress. The men stared at Anne, especially at her chest.

            Anne and Jennifer sat at a table near the bar. Their dresses rode up their legs and exposed the shapeliness of their legs. They crossed their legs seductively.

            Soon after they sat down, they were asked what they wanted to drink and were told that two men at the end of the bar wanted to buy them drinks. The men were tall and had broad shoulders. They could not see their faces.

            “That didn’t take long,” said Jennifer.

            “We will have white wine spritzers with a twist of lime,” said Anne.

            Jennifer bent down to pick up a napkin that she dropped on the floor. When she bent down, the low neckline of her dress opened forward and fully exposed her breasts. She stayed bent down for a little while until many of the patrons facing her saw her breasts.

            “I am glad we decided not to wear a bra or underwear. It makes me feel naughty,” whispered Jennifer.

            “Me, too,” replied Anne.

            “Can we join you?” asked one of the men who bought them a drink.

            “Yes, you can,” said Anne. She smiled coyly at them.

            The men were handsome. One was dark like Jennifer and one was pale like Anne. Anne gravitated toward the man with lighter skin.

            They had a few drinks and then convinced the men to come with them to their home. They gladly agreed.  Their names were John and Dan. Samuel’s men were waiting in another room when they entered Samuel’s home.

            Dan said, “You have a nice home.”

            “Thanks,” replied Jennifer.

            “I am going to get us something to drink,” said Anne.

            Anne and Jennifer left the room and returned with four glasses of white wine.

            Jennifer and Anne put on music and started dancing seductively in front of their guests. The men were dreamily stared at them. Timothy, Daryl and a couple of other men crept quietly behind the unsuspecting men and grabbed them. They did not know what was going on. Their hands were tied behind their backs and they were hauled to a room with beds in them. They were stripped of most of their clothing and thrown on the beds and the door was locked. They were left alone in the room to sleep off the drug they were given. Jennifer and Anne drugged the men so they did not know what was happening to them.

            The next day, they woke up to find men standing above their bed.

            Daryl said, “We are looking for new recruits. We plan on converting you into one of us. This is going to hurt because you are going to be bitten.”

            “Do you want the women who brought you here to bite you or do you want one of us?” asked Samuel.

            “Do we have to be bitten. We have families that we were visiting. They are expecting us,” said Dan.

            “You are going to have a new family. Trust me. You are going to like your new family,” said Samuel.

            “Do we have a choice about being bitten?” asked John.

            “No, you don’t,” answered Samuel.

            “I would prefer the women who took us here,” said John.

            “Jennifer and Anne come in here,” ordered Samuel.

            Jennifer and Anne were wearing short robes.

            Jennifer straddled John and kissed him on the lips. “There will be more of that after you change over,” she said. John could not help but get slightly aroused. Jennifer bit his arm. He cried out in pain.

            Anne did the same to Dan.

            They were left alone.

            “I don’t know what is going to happen to us but I am a little concerned that we are not going to feel comfortable with the changes,” said Dan.

            “I just want to sleep,” replied John. He was discouraged and felt beaten into submission even though no one beat him.

           

            Harold said, “The townsfolk are planning on hitting the woods where the couple were attacked. This is happening this afternoon. They want to find the monsters.”

            “I think there is more safety in numbers. Let’s help them,” said Terrance.

            “While they are attacking the humans from town, let’s attack them from behind. Take them totally by surprise,” said Harold.

            “They won’t see it coming,” replied Terrance.

            “How many silver bullets did you make?” asked Harold.

            “I had help. We made over 200 bullets,” said Terrance.

            “That ought to make a dent in the monster population,” said Harold.

           

            “We have 25 men who agreed to go to the woods with us to hunt the animals that attacked that couple,” said Tom.

            “That should be enough,” said Alan.

            The men climbed into trucks and headed towards the wooded camping area. The werewolves were waiting for them in the woods. The men left the trucks, grabbed their rifles and hand guns and started walking in several lines with their guns pointed forward into the woods near the campsite where the couple lost their lives.

            They stopped when the dogs started barking loudly and started running towards the woods. The werewolves left their hiding spots and ran towards the armed men, bypassing the dogs.

            The men were shocked to see the large wolves. There were at least 20 wolves. They faced the men and growled. They lunged toward the men. In mid air some of the wolves were shot. They fell to the ground. Only a few of the townsmen shot their guns.  They missed their targets because their hands were trembling. The wolves fell to the ground that were shot and turned back into their human form. At least half were shot. The werewolves turned towards where the shots were fired and more shots were fired. Five more wolves fell to the ground and turned back to their human selves. The Indian men left their hiding spots and surrounded the werewolves and shot the rest of the wolves. All the wolves were dead. The townsmen stood watching in awe.

            Harold walked over to the men and said, “You need to use silver bullets to kill these monsters. Your guns would have just wounded them, but not kill them. They would have killed you before you knew what hit you.”

            Tom stepped forward and reached out his hand to shake Harold’s hand. “I don’t know what to say.”

            “You can start by saying thank you.  We saved your lives.”

            “We discovered their homestead,” said Terrance. Terrance stepped in front of Harold. Tom stood back and let him in.

            “You want to attack while the iron is hot,” said Harold.

            “Yes, let’s attack them tonight,” said Terrance. He had a glint in his eye.

            “I think we should burn down their homestead,” said Harold.

            “That sounds like a plan,” replied Terrance.

Rags covered in gasoline were placed in large bottles. Some of the townsmen decided to join the Indian men to torch the werewolves’ homes.

Screams could be heard from inside the homes while they were set on fire and when they tried to leave their domicile, they were shot with silver bullets.

The monsters at the homestead were killed that evening. While a few of the townsmen were killed by the werewolves. Tom was one of the men who lost his life. Samuel went specifically after Tom before he was shot.

Dan and John were still locked in the room when the building went down in flames. None of the monsters escaped. They were either burned alive or shot.

The townsmen and Indian men stood watching the homes burn to ashes.

Daylight was peaking through the clouds.

“I don’t know about you, but I am really hungry right now and I could go for a stack of Mary Joe’s pancakes,” said Harold.

“Me, too,” said Terrance.

Alan said, “I am very sad and angry about what happened to my buddy.”

“Losses are hard but it could have been a lot worse if we hadn’t showed up when we did,” said Terrance.

“I know. Tom was a good man. One of the best,” said Alan. Alan wiped a tear from his eye.

“He probably was. Who was Tom’s father?” asked Harold.

“His father’s name was Anthony, Anthony Smith,” replied Alan.

“Tom’s father was known around these parts because he helped my father kill some of these monsters years ago. I think that is why one of them targeted Tom,” said Terrance.

“Tom never mentioned that to me,” said Alan.

           

            Some of the townsmen joined Harold and other Indian people around the campfire at their settlement that evening. Harold passed around a ceremonial pipe for his people to smoke. Some of the white men joined in on the ceremony.

            The sky was beginning to turn gray. Dusk was falling upon them. A slight breeze moved the flames from side to side. Bright orange and blue sparks jumped from the flames. The spring air was giving off a chill. The men sat closer to the fire.

            “First of all, I want to thank the Creator for helping us fight the monsters,” said Harold.

            Everyone shouted loudly and raised their right hand in the air. It appeared that the townsmen knew what to do and followed suit.

            “A long time ago, these creatures came to our land. They were hungry for our blood and the blood of our animals. They have come from evil origins. Possibly a witch’s curse or some other connection to the evil entities. Wolves, according to us, are considered sacred. The monsters that attacked your friend Tom and those unsuspecting people who were camping, are not the creatures we honor. Most cultures including ours have stories of people shape shifting into animals. Usually out of necessity. We have a legend that involved a man who turned into a bear. He was from the bear clan. We heard of a man turning into a deer so he could run faster away from predators. The monsters that were eliminated last evening were not from anywhere we are aware of. We have been fighting them for quite some time, for generations. They know we know about them and how to get rid of them so naturally we are going to be targets,” said Harold.

            “I found a book on Tom’s shelf called Werewolf. There was actually a term lycanthropy which refers to a person turning into an animal in the book. Two famous people, Ed and Lorraine Warren, helped with the writing of the book,” said Alan.

            “I have heard of people shape shifting into animals,” said Greg, one of the townsmen.

            “We all saw the monsters that were shot turn back into humans,” said Terrance.

            “We have seen it many times for a long time,” said Troy, an older Indian man.

            “Let’s hope we have seen the last of them around these parts,” said Alan.