Sheriff Wolfe had gotten the call as he pulled out from the Old Galleon restaurant. Every Saturday they had a breakfast buffet that Teddy never missed.The fog was still cloying to the hilltops as he pulled off the main highway and headed along the old dirt road near Wolfe Lake State Park.
He pulled into the area designated for camping. Two deputy cruisers, a State Police cruiser, and a DNR Officers truck were already on the scene.
Deputy Hank Collins straightened shakily from beside his cruiser, pale as a ghost. He’d only been on the job two years and the toughest situation he’d been involved in was a shooting between two meth heads.
Deputy Mira Hamilton stood off to the right, a digital camera and a notebook on the hood of the cruiser as she took notes.
A few feet ahead, beside a demolished campsite, stood Trooper Townsend and the DNR Officer.
Sheriff Wolfe stepped out of the vehicle and moved towards Deputy Collins.
“Sheriff.” He said, shakily, the smell of vomit evident.
Teddy laid a hand on his shoulder. “Get a drink of water, son, and some fresh air.”
He walked to Deputy Hamilton. She straightened. “Sheriff. You’ll want to take a look before I say anything, but it’s bad.”
The two walked over to Trooper Townsend and the DNR Officer.
Mike Townsend turned as Teddy came closer. His face was neutral. “Teddy. Good to see you. Sorry it’s under these circumstances. This is Larry Hammond, newest Game Warden.”
“I’d heard we had a new Game Warden. Hadn’t met yet.” Teddy and Larry shook hands.
Townsend gestured towards the campsite, two bodies were covered by white cloth.
“Two campers were found here. Evidence suggests three were camping, so we have one victim missing.”
“I’m thinking bear,” Larry said. “The tracks are from a big predator and somewhat consistent.”
“Bears don’t usually attack people, though, at least not to kill.” Teddy moved towards the campsite and checked under the sheets. “And they don’t usually eat people.”
In his 15 years as Sheriff, he’d never seen this kind of savagery, from man or beast. The closest came from the Helmuth Downs Devil murders, but even those hadn’t been this brutal.
“No, bears usually only attack to defend themselves. They scavenge mostly. They’ll eat anything dead. If they don’t have to exert energy to eat, they won’t.” Larry motioned towards the bodies himself. “This is abnormal for a bear. We’d have had more incidents reported of a bear encroaching on humans before it reached this level of savagery.”
Teddy shook his head. “Theories?”
Townsend had his hands on his hips. “Something drove it mad? Rabies maybe?”
“I doubt it. It’s really rare for bears to carry rabies. I’ve heard of a few cases, but they were unusual circumstances.” Larry crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the surrounding area.
Just as Teddy was about to ask another question his radio squawked to life. “Sheriff. We’ve got a body over here near Glen Cliff Falls.”
“10-4. What’s the scene?”
“It’s a guy, but he’s been ripped to shreds. Missing his head and an arm, too.”
“I’ll be there in 10. Is it near the game trail?”
“Yeah! How’d you know?”
“Our two other bodies are almost exactly opposite your location on the north side of the lake.”
“Shit.”
“You can say that again.”
The M. E. arrived from Morgantown the next day. Her report was unsettling.
“The creature that did this was fast and fierce. The victims were alive when it attacked. Hearts and livers are missing.”
Officer Larry Hammond organized a search for a rogue bear, but the trail ended in the mountains.
“I went with two guys, but we lost the trail. We were out there for hours. Couldn’t find any sign, bear or otherwise.”
Teddy didn’t want to blame a bear and have half or more of the county jumping at shadows and shooting bears wandering the woods and fields, but he didn’t want anyone else to die either.
The evening news quickly picked up the story and soon calls came in from everywhere. Noises in the woods, something in the field spooking cattle, they heard growling out by the old lumber mill.
Every call ended up being deer or someone’s pet on the loose. Or the feral cat that was spooking Tim Lorn’s cattle.
Soon, it all settled.
As soon as August was gone the cold rain settled in over Miller County. They’d had a couple dry overcast days, but it was chilly, unseasonably so.
Teddy sipped his coffee as he drove towards town. Hallows Grove wasn’t huge, but it had old world small town charm going for it. A group of citizens had also taken up the call to revitalize downtown and it was working.
The newest addition was a trendy coffee house. The Wanders Way was a modern place that fit the town of Hallows Grove with art, books, and music on a regular basis.
The coffee there was fancier than the brew from The Old Galleon, or Margharites, but Teddy would stop by each throughout the week. Old Galleon was his go-to for breakfast. The Wanders Way had great sandwiches and a good mid day coffee, and Margharites was a reliable choice for dinner. Sometimes he’d stop by Hallows Grove Inn, a diner style eatery attached to an old lodge motel. Or maybe Little Joe’s, a local pub.
He pulled into the old courthouse that dominated the center of Hallows Grove. He admired the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Teddy was on the Revitalization Committee and had spoken with the Mayor and the City Council about the Courthouse on several occasions.
Once inside he paused to look at the giant map of Miller County on the foyer wall.
His family had lived in Miller County since its founding. Wolfe River and Wolfe Lake State Park were named for his ancestor James Robert Wolfe. The river was a tributary off the Tygart and was renamed when Wolfe and Old Man Miller sold their land to the state forming Miller County.
Hallows Grove now sat as county seat, but it’s past was steeped in blood. Locals still told stories of Abraham Hallows “dark deed”.
He walked into the Sheriff’s Office housed in the Courthouse and wasn’t surprised to see both Deputies sitting at their desks.
The last week had been quiet.
“Hey Sheriff, you ready?” Deputy Collins quipped.
“Ready for what, Hank?”
“Full Moon tonight. All the loonies will be out.” His grin was so wide you’d think this was the one thing he’d been waiting on.
“That’s just a myth.” Mira responds.
“Stop killing my fun, Hamilton!”
“Listen you two, it might be a myth, but ya better be ready. We still haven’t found that bear. I love this town, but weird shit happens sometimes.”
Hamilton didn’t look convinced but Collins continued grinning like an idiot.
“The skeptic and the believer. My very own Mulder and Scully.”
Teddy went into his office. He knew the calm was always before the storm, he just hoped it wasn’t as bad as August.
The full moon was above Beacon Hill, lighting up Brighton University.
Sheila stumbled out of the Alpha Omicron Omega house party.
The fraternity had a 21+ party for the campus Fall Festival. She’d had a little too much to drink, but enough sense to stop and head home before she got too buzzed.
She started down the trail that connected Beacon Hill and Brighton to Hallows Grove. It was only about a half mile walk, and she was sober enough not to fall on her face.
Her phone rang as she ambled down the trail.
“Hey Jennifer! No, I’m good. I just have an exam tomorrow and I want to get enough rest.”
An unclear response came through.
“I know! I miss you too!”
A muffled rustling could be heard among the wet leaves.
“Jen, I’m going to get off here. I heard an animal off the walking path. So I’m going to speed up.”
Sheila didn’t want anyone to know she was scared, but she’d heard about the bear and those campers.
She picked up her pace and pocketed her phone.
A thump landed on the path as a howl broke through the stillness. She started to run without looking back, panic setting in.
She screamed as the beast tackled her and clamped down on her neck. It wrenched it’s head back and forth with a violent shake snapping her spine. It then dragged her off the path into the trees to feast.
Sheila Harris was reported missing when she didn’t show up for three of her exams. Fall break was on the horizon and she had never missed an exam in her three years attending Brighton University.
They’d found her body a day later, partially buried under leaves and soil. She was savagely ripped open.
Teddy felt ill. It was his job to keep the citizens of Hallows Grove and Miller County safe, but this brought back nightmares.
It wasn’t exactly like the Helmuth Downs Devil murders, but the fact that her body had been hidden meant this wasn’t a bear, not so close to town.
Larry Hammond and Mike Townsend were seated in Teddy Wolfes office.
“Not a bear or coyotes. They don’t bury their food. “
“Then what, Larry? Mountain Lion?” Mike was a war vet and old hat as a State Trooper, he’d seen a lot, but shifted in his chair as if unnerved.
“Maybe, but I doubt it. Cougars have been basically driven from West Virginia since the early 1900’s, though sightings persist. But one coming so close to town? Naw.”
“We don’t have many options for theories here. I got the call today that Mike is in charge of the investigation. So what do we do, Mike?”
“First, we enact a curfew. Keep folks indoors at night. Second, we need a forensics team. I called the FBI. They have a team out of Fairmont coming in. Also, we might want to consider a very sick and depraved individual or individuals.”
“The strength needed. Mike that’s insane.”
“Is it, though? This thing is obviously smart. Smarter than an animal.”
Larry stood suddenly. “I’m going to go see if I can find any reports of animals in neighboring counties attacking people or getting too close. I should have done it sooner but I thought this was done.”
He left the office in silence. It was obvious he was blaming himself.
“Let me know what the forensics team finds, Mike.”
“Don’t worry Teddy, We are gonna figure this out.”
“I hope so. People are counting on us.”
Larry watched the moon rise above the trees and shifted nervously in the seat of his truck. It was insane. No one was going to believe his theory.
He opened his laptop and continued reading.
In folklore, a werewolf (Old English: werwulf, “man-wolf”), or occasionally lycanthrope /ˈlaɪkənˌθroʊp/ (Greek: λυκάνθρωπος lukánthrōpos, “wolf-person”), is a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction (often a bite or scratch from another werewolf) with the transformations occurring on the night of a full moon.
A werewolf, really? Larry always had an interest in cryptids. It was one of the reasons he became a Game Warden…but a werewolf?
A howl ripped through the night air. He jumped so violently he reflexively kicked the floorboards, rocking the truck.
He pushed the laptop aside and grabbed the shotgun from the rack.
Jumping out of the truck, he slid on a tactical vest.
He was shaking. He was hunting a beast with 4 dead bodies to its name (that they knew of). He knew he should notify the Sheriff and Trooper Townsend, but he knew they wouldn’t listen.
He could lie. Tell them he’d spotted the bear near town. He almost called them when another howl tore the night asunder and he turned as the beast broke from the brush and charged.
He aimed the shotgun and hit the beast center mass, slowing it slightly. Its trajectory changed and the monster hit Larry in the shoulder.
He went spinning and landed hard. The beast roared and jumped on Larry, teeth sinking into his shoulder.
Larry screamed as he pulled a knife from his vest and shoved it to the hilt in the beasts neck.
The thing released him and roared again. Larry grabbed the shotgun and aimed it with his right hand and fired again, hitting it in the chest once more.
It roared as it retreated into the woods.
Larry, in agony, pulled his phone from his pants pocket and dialed the Sheriffs number.
“Teddy…I’m out by Wilson Heights. I know what’s been attacking people…it just attacked me.”
He couldn’t carry the conversation further as he passed out from the pain.
Teddy whipped his cruiser into the lane that led to the end of the new Wilson Heights development. It was a popular place to build a home on a good suburban lot just outside of Hallows Grove.
He rushed down the lane, and came upon the small park shared by the residents of Wilson Heights. It had a walking trail that led to the river following the length of Hallows Grove.
He could see Larry’s truck with the door ajar and Larry lying prone near the walking path. Teddy grabbed the radio. “Collins, Hamilton, I’ve got him. Get EMS to the park in Wilson Heights.”
Teddy jumped from the car and ran to Larry.
“Oh Jesus, Larry!”
Larry groaned as Teddy checked his pulse.
“EMS is on the way. Just hang in there man.”
“Wo..wol… man.” Larry’s voice was thready as he mumbled out sounds.
“Quiet man. Just stay still. Help is on the way.”
Blue and red lights came to life just down the road as Hamilton and Collins arrived, the ambulance behind them.
Larry was stable. They said whatever had bit him, though, must have had a mouth full of bacteria. By the time he was in the hospital he was already feverish and the shoulder bite was becoming infected.
Larry hadn’t been able to say anything coherent when admitted and was febrile for 3 days. He nearly died from sepsis, but rallied as his vitals held and he slid into a coma.
The State Police and the DNR combed the area finding only trace amounts of blood near the spot where Larry was attacked.
It took nearly a month for Larry to wake up.
Teddy walked into the room as Larry was raised up in the bed. He was still weak, but he could talk. Mike was on his way, too.
“Larry, you scared the shit out of us, man.”
“Teddy…..” His voice had that drug-induced dreamlike quality to it.
“Teddy. Yer gonna think I’m nuts. But I’m not nuts! I saw what I saw!”
“Slow down man. You’ve had a rough month. We can talk when Mike gets here.”
Mike entered the room as Teddy stopped talking.
“Damn Larry, you look pale. When you’re better I’m going to kick your ass.” Mike laughed. “Jesus man, what were you thinking?”
Larry took a breath. “I figured out what it was. The killer. It’s hunting along the river. The campsite was less than 100 yards from the river before it meets the lake. The walking path is about 200 yards above the river and connects to the walkway along the Old Mill Bridge.”
“Okay, so what attacked you?”
Larry looked at Teddy. “I’m not nuts…. It was a werewolf.”
“Oh, for fucks sake.” Mike threw up his hands.
“I’m serious! I saw the damned thing! I hit it twice with my shotgun, too. And stabbed it in the neck. Damn thing barely stopped.”
Teddy looked at Larry. Maybe the drugs were stronger than they thought.
“I told you I’m not nuts. I did the research. I saw it. Did you know it was the last day of the full moon when I got attacked?”
“Larry….”
“Damn it! Listen! We’ve not got time to argue. I asked them what the date was. Tonight is the next full moon. You gotta find it and kill it tonight!”
Teddy was stunned by the conviction in Larry’s voice. He really believed there was a werewolf out there.
“Okay…let’s hop on the crazy train.”
The look on Mike’s face as Teddy responded to Larry was incredulous.
“You can’t be serious. You’re not going to actually entertain this idea, are you?”
“I am. If it turns out to be something else, okay. We have four victims DOA and Larry survived something. Some beast is hunting people Mike, and I’ve seen some stuff in this town. Weird and spooky shit.”
“Get me out of this hospital bed so we can go get this thing, Teddy.”
“Oh no. You are staying right here. You nearly died. We’ll go out and comb along the river. Something moves, we’ll see it.”
“You gotta remember to use silver. It’s the only way to kill a werewolf.”
“What a load of shit.” Mike headed for the door, but something made him stop. “We’ll hunt this thing tonight. Whatever it is, it dies tonight. It’s not a goddamned werewolf though. You hear me?”
Mike left the room before they could respond.
It sounded ridiculous. A werewolf. Teddy sat down in the chair near the window.
“Larry, are you sure about this?”
“Teddy, I know you’ve only known me a few months..I know what I saw. And I know what’s coming. I can feel it.”
That made Teddy stop short. Werewolves made other werewolves by biting their victim….didn’t they?
“Larry…how’s your shoulder?”
Larry’s head hung heavy. “You can’t even hardly tell I was bitten.”
“Then why are you still on the drugs?”
“They said it’s arthritis. My body aches. But that’s not it. It’s the moon. It’s why I woke up. If I start turning, you gotta stop me. Don’t let me become a monster.”
Teddy drove to St. Michael’s Armory. It wasn’t a new store in town, but the guy who owned it was a retired lawman from Arkham, Massachusetts and a well known big game hunter. He’d been out of town since August on safari in Africa and had just returned a few days ago.
Teddy couldn’t think of any place else to even ask about what he was looking for.
As Teddy walked into the store Luther McCoy was behind the counter.
“Teddy! About time you stopped in!”
Teddy smiled at Luther. “Been a long time ya old coot.”
Luther laughed a deep belly laugh.
“What can I do for you?”
Teddy crossed his arms over his chest
“This is gonna sound crazy.”
“I’ve been all over the world, Teddy. I’ve heard it all.”
“I need some silver ammo.”
Luther didn’t even blink double as he stepped up to a cabinet and unlocked it. He pulled out two wooden boxes.
“This one is 12 gauge 2 ¾ inch 1 oz. slugs. That one is .45” He opened the boxes showing Teddy the home loaded rounds.
“Luther….”
“Don’t ask, just take them. Free of charge.”
Teddy closed the boxes. “I don’t understand.”
Teddy was having trouble keeping himself from deciding he was nuts. He knew unexplainable things in this world could happen, and lord knew he’d seen his fair share, but here was a guy with boxes of silver ammo ready to go.
“It’s as if you knew why I was asking for these, Luther….”
Luther didn’t say anything, he just walked over to the door, hung his closed sign and locked the front up.
“I was on a hunting trip a few years ago. Deep in the Carpathian Mountains. The Romani there, they told me stories about a werewolf that plagued a village. We hunted it and killed it. I’m sorry I was not here before now. These deaths could have been prevented.”
“Luther, You know I’ve seen stuff, but this…” Teddy trailed off.
“It gets easier, once you move past the idea that not everything in this world is logical.”
Luther led Teddy into the back of the store. “My standing as an Auxiliary Officer still good?”
Teddy nodded. “Yeah. And we could use your help. We are setting up a hunt tonight. Larry Hammond insists it’s a werewolf, but how do I explain that to others?”
“You don’t. Stick with the rogue bear story. Alert everyone on the hunt that it’s big, dangerous, and to use extreme caution.”
“There isn’t enough silver here for everyone.”
“Partner people up. Silver will kill it, but you can hurt it really bad with regular ammo. Enough to slow it down.”
Luther unlocked his gun safe and pulled out a .308 bolt action rifle.
“This is what I had in the Carpathian Mountains. Even with regular ammo it knocked the beast off its feet.”
“Mike Townsend is setting up a unit to assist.”
“Townsends a good guy. Solid. Though he might not be as flexible of the mind as we may need.”
“He’s already balked at the idea of a werewolf…I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have reacted the same if I hadn’t seen some of the things I’ve seen.”
“Most people won’t be able to handle the idea. We’ve been told all our lives these things aren’t real.”
Luther led Teddy back to the front door. As he passed the counter, Teddy grabbed the two wooden boxes of shells.
“Where do we begin?”
“Larry believes it’s hunting along the river.”
Teddy and Luther agreed to meet at the Old Mill Bridge about 9 pm, near twilight.
Teddy drove up to Beacon Hill Hospital to check on Larry and make sure Hamilton was going to be okay.
Mira Hamilton had been with the Sheriffs Department nearly five years. She was tough and logical. She’d volunteered to be a crime scene photographer and record notes and technical details.
Teddy was amazed at how strong willed she was, too. The local law enforcement scene was usually a boys club but Hamilton had busted that notion right in the jaw. She was a fine law enforcer and he was damned proud to have her with the department.
He’d assigned her to watch over Larry because she’d take whatever happened in stride and deal with it. Collins wouldn’t be able to handle it as well. He couldn’t tell her or Collins that, though, without explaining the werewolf theory and sounding nuts.
She’d worked hard to earn respect and now it looked like Teddy was keeping her from danger while the “men” hunted the beast killing people.
He hated that was what she would think.
Teddy stepped into the room. Hamilton was looking out the window towards the river.
“Hamilton.”
She turned and looked at him and Larry stirred in the bed but didn’t wake.
“Sheriff.”
Damn. That tone meant she thought she should be out there not in here.
“I’ve got my reasons for putting you here. You just gotta trust me.”
“I trust you. I don’t trust that I’m here just to babysit. I want the truth. If you want me to stay here.”
“Has Larry told you anything?”
“Yeah. He said it was a werewolf. I just figured it was from the drugs or the trauma.”
“You’re here in case it’s true.”
She looked at him as if he’d just sprouted a second head.
“A werewolf?”
He shrugged. “I know, I know. The bear theory makes the most sense, except this bear is the smartest and most vicious I’ve ever heard of.”
She gestured for them to go out into the hall. As they stepped out she closed the door.
“So what am I doing here, then?”
“Larry was bitten. He thinks he’s gonna change tonight. If he does, you shoot him.”
“Jesus, you’re serious.”
“I am. If it’s not true, if he’s nuts, then it’s all good, but if it is true, I need someone who won’t flip out like Collins might.”
“So you’re taking him on a hunt for this thing instead?”
“No, I’m sending him back to the station to man the radio and phones.”
Teddy handed her a magazine loaded with the silver ammo Luther had given him.
She took the magazine and switched it with her current one.
“I trust you.”
By the time Teddy left the hospital and made it back down the hill, Luther and Mike were waiting at the small lot where walkers and joggers parked near the trailhead
“Mike, where’s your additional support?”
“Sorry Teddy, they wouldn’t release any personnel for a bear hunt. They said it was DNR’s problem.”
“Shit.”
Teddy pulled out his Remington 870 loaded with silver ammo. His 1911 was already loaded as well.
“My deputies are both covering other things tonight. So I guess it’sus three.”
Mike pointed down the trail. “I’ll go that way, back towards downtown on the opposite side of the river here.”
He pointed at Luther’s rifle then Teddy’s shotgun. “You guys can take the more wooded areas up that way.”
“You’re just taking your sidearm?”
Mike shook his head. “No. I have my hunting rifle.” He pulled out a lever action .30-.30.
“Good enough for a rogue bear, yeah?”
He slung the strap over his shoulder and headed down the path.
Teddy and Luther both started moving in the opposite direction along the walking trail.
Suddenly, a howl pierced the darkness. Teddy’s blood ran cold.
There, less than 100 feet behind them,loomed the werewolf.
It stood nearly seven feet tall. It’s fur was dark brown, and it had teeth that glistened white in the moonlight. It was truly terrifying.
Luther said nothing as he aimed and fired within a span of seconds. The beast moved faster than Teddy could have ever imagined.
It hit Luther dead on, sending him flying into a tree. Teddy heard a loud snap as Luther fell to the ground, unmoving.
Teddy aimed and fired, pumping shell after shell into the beast.
Hamilton laid the black two onto the red three. She was bored.
As she continued to play solitaire Larry groaned loudly. Suddenly all of the monitors blared .
Larry arched his back as a scream escaped his lips. That scream turned into a growl.
Hamilton watched as his body twisted and deformed, only to reform into that of a nightmare. His skin was now black fur and his teeth were long fangs. His black furry hands were tipped in long sharp claws.
He rose to the ceiling and sniffed the air, eyes shifting rapidly to Hamilton.
She reached for her sidearm, but the beast backhanded her. She slammed through the door,landing in the hall.
The sound of shattering glass echoed as a nurse rushed into the room.
Larry Hammond was gone.
Teddy stared where the beast had stood. It had moved so fast that Teddy couldn’t track it.
He started shoving shells into the shotgun.
The wolf burst from the trees and barreled into Teddy, knocking the shotgun away, and tackling him to the ground.
Its teeth snapped at Teddy as he rolled away.
Teddy reached for his sidearm, but he knew it was no use, he was going to die.
As this revelation settled in, something else burst from the trees.
Another werewolf stood there snarling and attacked the first.
The two began clawing and biting at one another.
Teddy was stunned. Two werewolves? And then it dawned on him. One of them was Larry. He’d changed and, somehow, came after the werewolf that changed him.
Teddy now had time to draw his sidearm. The two wolves moved so fast in their fight with one another that Teddy wasn’t sure who to shoot.
Larry’s words came back to Teddy. Don’t let me become a monster.
Teddy aimed and fired four shots. Two hit one wolf, and two hit the other. They were so focused on one another they had dismissed Teddy.
As the bullets hit each beast, they yelped like dogs that had been kicked hard. One immediately jerked and clawed at its back.
Teddy could see the silver had melted and sizzled against its flesh. It crawled weakly and then fell to its side panting.
It started to change back to its human form and there, lay Mike Townsend, dead.
Teddy looked for the other wolf, but it had enough strength to dash away into the trees.
It took Teddy five whole minutes before he lowered his weapon and started to shake.
Luther had survived. His back had been broken, but, luckily, he wasn’t paralyzed. He’d have to relearn to walk, though.
Hamilton had a broken arm, four cracked ribs, and a concussion, but she was determined that wasn’t going to stop her from continuing to do her job.
Teddy insisted she take at least one week off and she had a fit.
Collins was full of questions, most of which Teddy couldn’t answer logically.
He hadn’t been totally useless, though. When calls about shots being fired came in he kept everyone calm and explained that the Sheriff was hunting the rogue bear.
Teddy had a hell of a time explaining what happened to Mike Townsend. The official story went that Mike was a serial killer and covered up his murders by faking animal attacks.
They found wolf furs, bear furs, and claws of all kinds in his possession. Some of them long enough to have easily been used to make wounds similar to those of the victims.
Larry Hammond disappeared. Luther theorized that Teddy just grazed him. Not enough silver to kill him, just weaken him.
A statewide search went out, but after two weeks, he was simply declared missing.
The FBI forensics team out of Fairmont matched their evidence to Mike. Though with the claws having been used, a lot of that was tainted with canine DNA and other contaminants.
Teddy was hailed a hero, having caught two serial killers in his career
E. L. Knight Writes 