Page 65 of Wild Wolf
“There was another attack,” Daniels said. “I need you two at the cemetery, pronto.”
“We’re on our way,” I said with a sigh.
Jack cranked up the engine, and we sped across town to the city of the dead.
Patrol cars flickered red and blue. A small crowd had gathered by the wrought-iron gate. Deputies kept pedestrians at bay.
An ambulance pulled out, lights flashing just before Jack pulled in through the gate. We followed the asphalt road to more patrol cars and the ME’s van.
Jack parked, and we hopped out and hurried to the scene.
The dappled rays of moonlight pierced through the oak trees. Moss hung from branches, and there was an eerie mist on the ground. Above-ground tombs and mausoleums created a haunting necropolis. It was everything you wanted a spooky cemetery to be at midnight near Halloween. Something straight out of a horror film.
We found the sheriff, who was talking to a frazzled kid. He was maybe 17 or 18. His raven hair fell into his eyes like a mop. He was skinny with a narrow face and an angularnose. Dressed in all black with a cape and pale face paint that had faded, he wasn't a convincing vampire.
"Is Avery going to be okay?” he asked the sheriff, his worried eyes darting between the three of us.
"I don't know," Daniels responded.
"I want to go to the hospital. I want to see her. Now!”
"There’s nothing you can do for her right now. The trauma team will evaluate her and take her into surgery immediately. It may be a few hours before she's out. I’ll have deputies take you to the hospital after we’re finished here. These two are Special Crimes. I need you to tell them everything you told me.”
The kid looked at us, and I made introductions.
Cameron’s impatient eyes surveyed us. "You don’t look like cops.”
"They're the best in the department," Daniels said, trying to reassure the kid. I was surprised the words came out of his mouth. "Start at the beginning.”
"Avery wanted to come to the cemetery. I know, I know, it's trespassing, but everybody does it. She said it was hot and spooky, and she wanted, you know…"
It was not uncommon to catch people engaging in lewd and lascivious acts in the cemetery around Halloween at midnight.
"We were fooling around right over there," he said, pointing to a raised tomb that now had speckles of fresh blood on it. His eyes grew wide with panic as he relived the moment. “That's when it attacked. It just came out of nowhere.”
"Describeit," I said, full of doubt.
"It stood about 9 feet tall. It had the face of a wolf and glowing amber eyes. It slashed at Avery with razor-sharp claws, cutting across her abdomen. I took off running, but it charged at me. I grabbed a branch that had fallen and whacked the fucker over the head. It shied away and took off, running toward the exit. The fucking thing was fast. I called 911, and the EMTs arrived a few minutes later. I did everything I could to stop the bleeding.” Tears filled his eyes, and he trembled with fear. His shaky hands were covered in crimson. "There was so much blood.”
It was all over a nearby gravestone.
I shared a look with the sheriff. He didn't believe it any more than I did.
"How much have you had to drink tonight?" I asked.
The kid’s face wrinkled with anger. "I saw what I saw.”
"How much?”
Cam shrugged. "Not much. I don't know. Maybe a six-pack.”
"Anything else?”
"Dude, I'm not tripping on shrooms or anything!”
"What else did you take?”
He hesitated for a long moment. "Am I going to get in trouble?”
