Bark (The Werewolf Journal's Book 1) (5 page)

“Elena, what did you want?  You tell me to come over, and I’m out there knocking and you don’t even come to the door.  Now what did you want to talk to me about?”

Still there was no reply.  “Elena what kind of joke is this?” Arnie asked, annoyed, grabbing her recliner and turning it to face him.

“Jesus!” Arnie said, jumping back.  A pair of scissors perforated the middle of Elena’s eyes.  Dark red blood flowed down her face.  In her right hand, she held a card with a skeleton and small letters at the bottom of it that spelled death.  On the other hand was her tongue, and all Arnie could do was ask himself why him.

Inspector Rodriguez stepped out of his car and walked over to the porch were Arnie’s mother and father sat, trying to comfort their son.  Rodriguez held his hand out to Arnie’s father to introduce himself.  Arnie’s father, on the other hand, was in no greeting mood.

“What the fuck’s up with this town!  My son’s friend was killed, and I read in the paper the other day that two more kids were killed.  And now this shit!  I pay my taxes for what?  For ya’ll fucks to sit around and do nothing?” Arnie’s father cried out in anger.

“We’re trying to do everything we can, Sir,” Rodriguez replied.

“Bullshit!  Ya’ll fucks are never around when you’re needed.  Maybe if you cops try spending a little more time trying to catch the killer and a little less time at Dunkin’ fucking Donuts, just maybe you would catch this son of a bitch!”

“I understand how you must feel,” Rodriguez said, trying to keep himself from going off on Arnie’s father.

“Understand?  You people don’t understand shit!” Arnie’s father said in anger.

“Shut up, Nathan!” Arnie’s mom said angrily.  “Let’s hear what the man has to say.”

“Thank you, Miss.” Rodriguez replied.  “Well, Mrs. Alvarez, we’re doing everything we can, but this murder simply does not match up.  Pardon my language when I say that I want to see this son of a bitch responsible for all these murders fried as bad as everybody else in this town.  I’m going to be truthful with you, Mr. and Mrs. Alvarez.  Right now we have nothing.  Nothing except your son.”

“You’re not trying to say that I did this?” Arnie reacted.

“I’m not saying that; it’s just whoever is doing the killing is playing some kind of sick game with you.  Are you sure you don’t have any enemies?”

“None that I would know of,” Arnie replied.

“Listen to me, Arnie.  The night you were attacked, do you remember what attacked you?” Rodriguez asked.

“It was a bear.  I thought I answered these questions back at the hospital?” Arnie

said in frustration.

“I know you did.  I was just hoping that maybe you might have left something out.  You still don’t remember who attacked you and your friend, right?” Rodriguez told Arnie.

“Right, I told you… I blacked out.”

“All right, can you at least tell me what you were doing here at Elenore Boswingtin’s house?”

“Elena called me and told me that she needed to talk to me, that it was important, which was unusual because I only knew her because she was my girlfriend Sarah’s friend.  I would think she would be the last person she would want to talk to.  I got here and knocked on the door and no one answered.  So I checked to see if the door was open, and to my surprise it was.  And then that’s when I found her,” Arnie said, looking at Rodriguez.

“I’m guessing and it’s only a guess, that whoever killed Elena was trying to keep her from telling you whatever it is she called you for,” Rodriguez said, reaching for a cigar.

“So what makes you think Elena’s having to talk to my son has anything to do

with her death?” Arnie’s mom asked.

“I don’t, Mrs. Alvarez, but I have one hell of a hunch that it did.  Now if you will excuse me,” Rodriguez said politely as he walked into the house to examine the body. He knelt down to inspect it as he nodded his head in disgust; he noticed the tongue

in Elena’s hand and the death card in the other.

“Isn’t that a bitch?” Rodriguez cried out.

“What is it, Inspector?” Talley asked.

“I’m willing to bet my life that whoever did this is the same damn person that’s been doing all the killing.”

“It can’t be.  This one’s different, Rodriguez,” Officer Talley replied.

“This guy has the same sense of humor, Talley.”

“Sense of humor?” Talley asked.

“Back at the park the couple that was murdered, their heads were removed and placed under the feet of the cupid back at the fountain.  You got to think what is going through the heads of these nutcases.  Since they were lovers the killer placed their heads under the cupid, the Angel of Love.  It’s the killer’s way of poking fun at what he is doing,” Rodriguez told Talley.

The younger officer answered his radio. “Okay, I’ll tell him. What you got?” Talley asked.

“The DNA tests on all the bodies are all a match. There were K-9 traces in all the blood.

“This just keeps getting better and better,” Rodriguez told the officer, spitting his cigar out of his mouth.

CHAPTER 11

Arnie’s Journal   Febuary 14,1993

I’m done thinking things will get better.  Just as it seems like things are looking up, things get worse.  Elena was killed today.  Inspector Shithead says he thinks it has something to do with what she was going to tell me.  That’s just his hunch.  I think he thinks I’m the killer.  All he’s waiting for is the right moment to pin it all on me.  I’m just tired of all this shit.  I really don’t know what to do anymore.  If somebody is after me, I wish they would just hurry up and get it over with.  I’m tired of seeing people die.  If I’m next on this killer’s list, I just hope he kills me and no one that I love.  The thing that gets to me if this killer is after me is, why doesn’t he just kill me and stop toying with me?  Instead it insists on making my life a torment.  I can’t think of anyone who might have anything against me.  Then there’s the question that makes me wonder what the hell Elena wanted to talk to me about.  I never really believed in any of that witchcraft stuff but something inside keeps telling me that she saw something that day.  I think that’s what she was going to tell me but before she could she was killed. There are so many questions I have unanswered.  It’s pathetic.  Who knows?  Who ever really knows?  For now I got to go.  I’m going to stay the night at Jay’s.  Need to get my mind off things.

CHAPTER 12

“The 30, the 20, the 10, touchdown!  Dallas 21, San Francisco 3.  I tell you, Arnie, I’m the best at this damn video game.  You may be hot shit on the pool table, but in the electronic world, I’m all that.  C’mon, Arnie, don’t let everything that’s been happening get you down; you gotta roll with the punches, man.  Be suavisito like me.  You see, that’s why, my friend, I get all the chicks and you get one.  You’re not smooth or good-looking,” Jay said, looking at himself, flexing his muscles in front of the mirror.

“Maybe this will get your mind off everything or at least loosen you up,” Jay added,

throwing a little plastic bag filled with marijuana.

“I’m not in the mood,” Arnie replied.

“Well, get in the mood.  I didn’t buy that shit to get all Chinese eyes by myself.  Forget about everything, at least for one night ’cause believe me, if I have to, I know a couple of chicks that will wake you up.  Of course, after I’m done with them,” Jay said jokingly.  “Look, we’re going to smoke a joint, but you’ll have to wait because nature calls.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I must leave you with the herb of life.  Guard it well, my friend, for when I return, we shall smoke,” Jay continued in a playful tone as he walked out of the room.

Good old Jay, always trying to cheer me up, he thought tossing the sack Jay had given him to Jay’s bed.  Arnie knew why Jay was acting so goofy; he had been his friend for too long not to know.

He also knew Jay was trying to avoid talking about Danny, especially because the funeral was moved to Austin, Texas, where Danny and half his family were from.  Neither of them would get to say their final goodbyes to their friend who was almost like a brother, Arnie thought.  Suddenly his body filled with extreme pain as the temperature in his body began to rise.  His bones then started to crack and pop, and his body once again began to change.  He felt his last bit of consciousness leaving him, and as it did, he crashed through Jay’s window, screaming in horrific agony.  Jay ran out of the rest room after hearing the commotion to see what was wrong, and as he entered his room, he stood in shock as shattered glass lay scattered all across his floor.  He looked out the window in disbelief as a vicious-looking creature he had only read about in stories scampered off into the woods.

“What the hell’s going on around here?” Jay’s father yelled angrily, entering the

room.

“Nothing, Dad.”

“Don’t give me this ‘nothing Dad’ shit.  Your windows all shot to hell and you tell me nothing?”

“Arnie and I got in a little fight.”

“I really don’t care; that window is coming out of your allowance, and I’m calling Arnie’s mother ’cause he’s going help you pay for that window,” Jay’s father said and slammed the door furiously, stomping away.

Jay then picked up a shirt that lay ripped to shreds.  He held it in his hands as he looked out the window.  It was Arnie’s AC/DC shirt – the same shirt Arnie was wearing just before he disappeared.  A howling in the distance filled the air.  Chills filled Jay’s body as he realized just what it was that had attacked Arnie in the woods.

CHAPTER 13

“Hello, is Arnie there?” Jay said over the phone.

“Yeah, this is he,” Arnie said, noticing he was no longer in Jay’s room.

“Listen, this is Jay,” Jay said.

“I know, butt face.  I’ve heard your voice for thirteen years.  Wouldn’t you think I’d know that?  Hey, did we smoke that shit last night?  Because if we did, it was good because I don’t remember ever coming home.”

“You don’t,” Jay said suspiciously.

“No, I don’t,” Arnie answered.

“Listen, Arnie, my dad’s calling me.  I’ll call you back,” Jay hung up.  Jay rubbed his eyes, thinking back to an old horror film he had seen.  He couldn’t remember who said it or exactly how it went, but he did remember part of the saying, ‘Even a man that’s pure of heart shall become a werewolf when the wolf bane blooms . . .’  That line used to sound so corny to him, but now the line made perfect sense.  Jay thought lifting his mattress, reaching underneath it and pulling out a small .22 revolver.  Jay just looked at it knowing he could not, would not, allow himself to do anything to Arnie unless it was a matter of life and death.  He knew if he was going to try and help Arnie, he’d have to prove it to him.  How to do that was another question.  Maybe he could videotape Arnie changing into this monster.  Even if he did that, how the hell was he going to accomplish that without getting himself killed?  Suddenly he was struck with an idea.  It was crazy, but it had to work, he thought, as he picked up the phone and called Arnie.