Animal Behavior and Other Tales of Lycanthropy (7 page)

“At the time, there was no guardian here. Some of the survivors tried to rebuild, but . . . when a guardian finally came, I was a man. Like you, I witnessed her push back a demon. She noticed my lack of fear in her presence and she explained what I have to you. I, too, volunteered to help and chose to stay here. It’s my home again.

“The church in New Mexico has been deserted since a priest raped, tortured, and murdered the nuns in the nunnery. He was weak and fell to their influence. At the mine in Texas, a worker, consumed by greed, blasted the mine’s entrance, sealing himself inside. A rescue crew found him eating his coworkers and the mine was closed. As for the cemetery in Wisconsin, well, people are simply scared to go there as they believe it to be haunted.

“Speaking of which, you should go back there. Perhaps make that your new home.”

“I cannot do that until I’ve found and killed Merik. You were going to tell me where I could find him.”

“No, I wasn’t. I have no idea where he is. Vengeance should not be your priority right now.”

“Look . . . . I don’t even know your name.”

“Joel. Joel Walsh.”

“Okay, Joel, as I was about to say, Merik is out there destroying lives. As far as I’m concerned he’s just as much of a threat as the demons.”

“No, he’s not. Yes, it’s tragic that people are dying, but they’re getting to go where they belong. There is more to life than this.” Joel waved his hands in the air, gesturing to their surroundings. “The hereafter is what is important and there are innocent lives being denied that. Nothing is more important than reestablishing the guardians.”

Adam took a minute to process Joel’s words. Though he didn’t want to admit it, he was right.
Wait . . . what was it he said?
“I’m assuming you meant this was the only portal left guarded, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And if I killed three of the four here in the US, then that means Merik . . .”

“Merik was charged with protecting the portal in Great Britain. London. If he’s here, he is far away from his duties and you have to come to terms with the fact that you may never find him.”

No.

“Vengeance will not bring your daughter back.”

“Fine! Then tell me why you think I should go to Wisconsin.”

“Because with the cemetery there, we run the risk of the dead reanimating.”

“Come again.” Adam made peace with werewolves and demons, but zombies? The idea tingled the hairs on the back of his neck.

“Demons aren’t the only things that try to escape Hell. The souls of the wicked attempt to break out as well. Fortunately, on their own they can’t harm the living, but should they possess a corpse they become corporal.”

“Are we talking flesh-eating ghouls like
Night of the Living Dead
here, or just some newly released inmates looking for a good time, who’ll most likely scare the crap out of the populace?”

“Definitely the latter, though some may try to bring an innocent back to bargain with. But evil spirits in this world are rare. They have to get past the demons before crossing through the portal. And much like any prison system, the inmates are kept under scrutinizing eyes.”

Adam breathed heavily through his nose, making a whooshing sound as he sighed.

“I understand your guilt, but there’s no time for it. We need to get you back on the road.”

“Why don’t you come with me?”

“I can’t leave my post. This is something you’ll have to do on your own.”

“How will I know who is worthy of becoming a guardian?”

“Use your instincts and hope for the best.”

Adam caught a faint call for help. It was distant, but distinct. He turned his head to face the direction he heard it from.

“Ignore it,” Joel said, surprising him.

“Why?”

“It’s the tortured screams of the wicked coming from the portal. Your hearing is improving.”

“Now that you mention it” —he flexed his ankle— “the pain’s gone. Can you show me the portal? I’d like to know exactly what I’m dealing with.”

“Sorry, but they’re not visible. In order to know their exact location you’d either have to see a demon pass through one or use your keen sense of smell, which you don’t have yet. I can take you to the spot, though. It’s in that house.” He pointed toward the house off to the left.

“What are we waiting for?” Adam walked over to the house and entered through a hole in the wall.

“Careful,” Joel said, “you’re getting too close.”

“You’re worrying too much. I know what—”

The world disappeared in a wall of fire. Heat like he had never known enveloped him; sweat formed and evaporated. Screams blasted him from every direction. His hands shot upward to cover his ears, but nothing could block the deafening sounds. He dropped to his knees; a trickle of blood ran from his nose. Something grabbed him from behind. He screamed, but was unable to defend himself, afraid that if he removed his hands his head would explode. He was pulled backward out of the pit.

“I tried to tell you. If you’re serious about becoming a guardian you’re going to have to keep your arrogance in check.”

His heart pounded so hard and loud it thumped in his ears. “I’m-I’m sorry. I promise I’ll do b-better.”

“With your senses all out of whack you need to be more careful. Your body will be going through spikes as it learns to control them.”

“I thought I was a goner. It felt as though my brain was pushing on the inside of my skull.”

“Now that you’ve seen Hell, I think it’s time you got going.”

“Yeah, I agree. Though I’m sure the pit is my final destination, I know I deserve it, and I’m ready to give myself to protect the innocent.”

“Glad to hear it. Now let’s go get your van out of that ditch.”

They walked back to the road and their combined strength was enough to push the van back onto the pavement. After a full inspection, Adam surmised the damage wasn’t too bad. The radiator was intact and the tires remained fully inflated. He could drive with a broken windshield and a dented fender.

“Thank you for everything, Joel. Again, I’m sorry.”

“Just make it right.”

“I will. Goodbye.”

Adam started the van and drove away. Joel remained at the edge of the road waving and watching. Slowly he drifted from sight. Considering he had been awake all night and hadn’t had a single cup of coffee, Adam felt invigorated anyway. His reflexes were sharp as adrenaline pumped through his system.

I feel so alive.

He drove through the day and into the night, making even fewer stops than usual. His lack of an appetite disturbed him, but he blamed the changes his body was undergoing. Without eating there was no need to relieve himself so he kept trudging.

Oh!
A sharp, stabbing pain hit him in the chest. His right hand instinctively left the steering wheel and pressed against the source. He looked down at his hand and saw the skin bubbling.
What the—

He pulled the van over and ran into the wooded area. Nothing but darkness. He had seen this phenomenon enough to know the change was upon him and he’d be damned if he was going to risk losing his home during it. He ran as deep as he could before the pain crippled him. He feared a passerby or two would witness the change if he remained too close to the interstate. He went to work taking off his clothes. With few possessions in this world he couldn’t afford them ripping to shreds.

On his knees, his body ignited in pain. Muscles bulged and rippled, skin stretched, bones twisted in impossible directions. Claws made from the sharpest bone lengthened as they sliced through flesh. His teeth fell from their roots as they gave way to powerful canines; he spit them out into his hairy hands.

The pain subsided and the transformation was complete.

With the eyes of the wolf he looked to the sky to see the new moon and howled a song of gratitude to the Lord above. He was given the means for redemption, to right the wrongs he had committed and if he was cunning enough, he’d have lifetimes to achieve it.

The woods were alive with life. He heard the distant breathing of a doe, the heartbeat of a squirrel nestled in the hollowed out trunk twenty yards away. Could smell the markings of a local wolf pack, the asphalt he left behind, and the water from a lake a half a mile away.

The call of the wild beckoned him and he answered. He charged into the night eager to put his new powers to the test.

* * * *

When dawn broke, Adam awoke at the edge of the lake, naked and cold. He looked over his body and noticed his muscles were more defined and fuller than before the change. The beginnings of a beer belly were gone and the stomach muscles were perfectly outlined.

This is amazing. I feel twenty again. Now . . . let’s see if I can bring it on
.

He cleared his mind of all other thoughts and concentrated on the change. He thought about the thrill of running wild and the wind kissing his fur; the power of the beast and its ferociousness.

Wolf out.

Nothing.

Aahwoo!

His thoughts turned to the demons breaking through to our world and taking that which did not belong to them. He thought about his daughter’s body mangled and partially eaten.

The wolf called out to him.

The change came fast. His bones cracked and popped as they reshaped themselves. His teeth fell out, filling his mouth with blood as one-by-one, sharp canine teeth took their place while his jaw extended. A tidal wave rippled across his flesh, blanketing his body in fur. He sniffed the air in search of his clothes; he caught their scent and darted off. Within minutes he found his discarded clothing and concentrated on reversing the transformation. Calm and relaxed, the fur dropped away and his bones realigned themselves in order for him to stand upright. He got dressed and made his way toward the van.

Please let it be there. And please let it be in one piece.

The van was just where he left it and in the same condition. Once inside he checked his map. The cemetery was just sixty miles away, but he was suddenly hungry and decided to stop in town for a bite.

He pulled into a local diner; a classic joint disguised as a train car with ’50s décor and gas pumps out front.

Two birds with one stone
, he thought as he shut off the van.

As he walked into the establishment, the patrons stopped their conversations and glanced his way.
Not one of us. Just like in
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He half-laughed. Though the notion unnerved him, he ignored their piercing stares and sat himself in one of the booths as the sign at the door instructed.

Chatter filled the diner as the conversations continued. At first every voice bled into each other, an unintelligible cacophony, but with a little concentration he managed to single each one out and listen to the variety of topics. He learned Jackie Frink was loose with her morals; Thomas Porter was going to take the blue ribbon in the chili cook off; Daisy May had landed a boyfriend and that Patrick Torres was reported missing last night.

It didn’t take them long to figure out this portal was unguarded, did it?
He drowned out all other conversations and listened intently.

“Are you ready to order?”

Poor timing
. “No, give me another minute, please.”

“Okay, hun.”

The middle-aged waitress walked away and Adam was able to return his attention to the conversation about the young boy.

“I seriously doubt he ran away. That boy has a good head on his shoulders. Too many doors were opening for him.”

“I know it’s a real shame. The world needs more teenagers like him.”

“Don’t I know it? I’d gladly trade both my boys for one like Patrick.”

Adam sat there contemplating on whether he should eat or head out and see if it was too late to save the boy. He knew the chances were slim, but it was his fault.

I may be starving here, but it won’t kill me.

He stood and walked out. He believed he could make better time in wolf form cutting through the woods so he left his van parked where it was. As a hunter he hated the fact the beasts chose such rural locations, the vast woods where he would have to search for them, but now that the roles were reversed, he was happy to have the cover. After undressing, he tucked his clothes into a pile of fallen foliage and thought about the pain of losing his daughter. The transformation was immediate. And painless.

As he charged through the woods, zigzagging around the ancient trees, the tiny woodland creatures foraging sought higher ground, the birds in the tree canopies scattered into the air, and deer bolted off into the opposite direction.

That’s right, make way for the new king
, he thought and chuckled.

There was a faint odor of brimstone in the air and Adam used it as a guide to maneuver through the dense forest. In no time, he found the wrought iron fence that surrounded the perimeter of the cemetery. In the daytime he could see the vines overtaking the metal, the weeds creeping across the walkways, and the crumbling tombstones.

It’s a shame no one takes care of this place anymore. Seems you’ve all been forgotten. Perhaps as guardian I can bring this place back up to par. Wait . . .

He looked around and saw no sign of the woman he murdered.

Someone’s been here
.
Maybe the demons dragged her carcass to Hell to show the others the portal is unguarded. Well, they’re in for a surprise.

He sniffed the air.

Over there.

As he stepped to his right a hand burst through the earth and latched onto his front paw.

What the—

Another hand grabbed hold of him, and then a rotting head broke through the ground. Dirt fell off the sickly-green flesh; maggots writhed inside the rotting skin.

There’s no time for this
.

Adam stared into the dead gaze of the rotting corpse and without wasting any more time; he clamped his powerful jaws onto the head and severed it in a single bite. The hands released their hold and flailed wildly before going limp on the ground. He crushed the head in his maw and spit out the rotten meat, then continued on his way.

The scent emanated from a mausoleum. He leaped over three tombstones that stood between him and his destination. The gate dangled off its upper hinge; he ripped it off the rest of the way as he knew he wouldn’t fit through the opening it created. Inside, the smell of death overwhelmed him. He looked from left to the right, but saw no obvious sign of the portal only the massive concrete coffin in the center of the crypt.

Remember, you simply walked through the last portal without knowing it. Leave no corner unexplored.

As he walked around, a grinding sound broke the silence as stone rubbed against stone.

Now what?

His eyes fixated on the darkness of the crack forming as the lid moved across the coffin, but he could see nothing until a skeletal hand grabbed the edge. With its new leverage, the lid moved quicker and spilled off the top. A loud thud echoed throughout the chamber when it hit the floor.

The decomposed body sat up. Only patches of dried skin and shrunken muscle remained on the old bones. The hair, long and gray, barely clung to the barren skull. The eye sockets were vacant save for an abandoned spider web, and a thin layer of cobwebs covered the corpse’s brown suit. It reached out for Adam and he swatted the hand away, severing it at the wrist.

Decapitating worked before
, he thought,
or did I merely release the soul that possessed the body?

The creature swung a leg over the top of the cement coffin and Adam leaped and pounced on the zombie. The momentum knocked the creature out of the coffin and instead of slamming the zombie against the concrete floor, the zombie was pinned to blackish-red rock.

Brimstone! We passed through the portal.

A screech filled the air and Adam took his attention off the creature under his paws and looked around. A demon fast approached, this one different than the two he had seen in Georgia. Its skin was blackened like the others, but it had four additional arms protruding from its sides and what appeared to be liquid lava for hair. The sight of its sunken and shriveled breasts repulsed him. He had thought all angels and demons were male, then realized demons were masters of deceit and the form before him was most likely a ruse. Then he remembered what Joel had said.

If each portal leads to a different circle of Hell, then it’s quite possible each circle has different inhabitants.

He stood and grabbed hold of the zombie by the midsection then lifted it over his head and tossed it at the female demon. She stopped her advancement and caught the zombie with her lowest set of arms. The other four immediately went to work on pulling the creature apart, stripping the soul of its newfound flesh. Bones lay at her feet as the escaped soul was ripped from the carcass and dragged back into the bowels of Hell.

Guess she figures my being here isn’t a threat. Big mistake.

Without a clue as to where the boy might have been taken, he figured the direction the demon was headed was as good as any, so he followed it at a safe distance. As he walked in the blistering heat, his mouth hung open and his tongue dangled off to the side.

I can’t believe it. I’m panting. So thirsty…

The deeper he went, the narrower the path became and the hotter the temperature. His paws burned and healed. The pain was a constant distraction. Molten lava threatened to swallow the path at any moment, but he pressed on without fear until he came to a fork in the road.

Great. Which way?

He stopped and peered down each path. He listened for a sound. His pointed ear lobe tingled as he strained.

“Get away from me!”

The voice came from the left passage and he bolted toward the voice.

Patrick?

“I don’t belong here. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

The voice was louder. He was getting close.

Hang on, kid. I’m coming.

Adam turned with the bend in the path and saw a teenage boy running toward him, a winged demon hovering above him, taunting him.

“Oh no!” the boy said as he skidded to a halt.

The demon bellowed and flew past the boy, its sights locked on Adam. It descended toward him, its talons extended, ready to tear into his hide. He roared and leapt into the air ready to meet the threat head on.

Their bodies collided and the werewolf’s strength proved to be too much. All of his weight crashed down on the winged beast as its body slammed against the rock. Instantly his claws and teeth tore into the demon’s body; its flesh tasted burnt and bitter, but his attack was relentless. Arms and legs were severed at their joints followed by the creature’s head. The werewolf walked away from the quivering mass of limbs and slowly approached the boy.

“Stay away from me!”

Adam reversed the transformation and stood before him as an equal.

“Dude,” the boy said as he raised his arm to eye level.

Adam knew exactly what was wrong. He remembered how uncomfortable Joel’s nakedness had made him. “I’m sorry, but there’s no time for modesty. We have to get you out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re a monster.”

“But I just . . . ungrateful . . . never mind.” Adam pointed behind the boy. “Just run that way as fast as you can, Patrick, and bear to the right when—”

“How did you know my name?”

“Lucky guess. Just know that I’m a friend and I came here to help. You don’t belong here.”

“This is Hell, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I just need to check something,” he said, extending his right hand toward Patrick’s neck.

Patrick pulled back.

“I just want to check for a pulse. Make sure you’re still alive.”

“All right.” He leaned forward.

Adam felt an erratic thumping under the kid’s sweaty flesh.
So they don’t kill their victims . . . at least not right away. There’s still hope for anyone else they’ve taken.

“Could you please tell me what’s going on?”

“There’s no time for explanations. There are others—”

His ears tingled as he heard a wet movement behind him. He turned around and saw the demon’s limbs reaching toward each other. Veins snaked their way toward each other from the wounds and when latched on, they reconnected and dragged the severed limb back into place.

In Hell, they’re indestructible
. He turned to Patrick. “Run!”

Before the creature’s regeneration was complete, Adam transformed into the wolf and pounced. He severed each limb once more and tossed the body parts in different directions.

That should take you awhile to put yourself back together
.

“AHH!”

I’m coming, Patrick.

He ran on all fours. The boy hadn’t gotten far before he was attacked by two more demons. He was crouched into a ball as the demons circled above him. They swooped down and scratched at his back, but did not try to lift him up and carry him away. Patrick screamed each time a talon tore at his back and shoulders.

These creatures are so arrogant. They toy with their prey a little too much
.

Adam dug down and put on the speed. As he ran by he swiped a claw at one of the demons, severing it in half at the waist. The torso still hovered in the air as its legs fell to the ground.

The creatures screeched, no doubt calling for help, as Adam circled back. He jumped and swiped at the flying torso and the creature’s head and chest joined the rest of its body on the ground. The other latched onto his shoulders and lifted him in the air. The wolf grabbed the legs and yanked with all its might. A pop echoed in his ear as the legs were pulled from their sockets.