Prologue
A golden oldie played softly on the speakers as he nursed his beer. Outside, the dark was pierced by the occasional flash of lightning. Thunder sounded in the distance. The storm would soon cover the entire town and from the looks of the news reports that were barely audible on the wall mounted television in the corner, it looked like it would hose down the entire area for the next few days. He shifted in his seat and turned to look at his surroundings. He was the only patron left in the bar. Another flash of lightning came and it cut the power to the place for a brief second.
Sorry Carter, I m gonna have to make last call a bit early. Wrap it up and let s get you going. She said as she began switching off the music and television. Maria was a gorgeous human woman, at least to him she was. Barely five foot even and a hundred and forty pounds of beautiful with short, bouncy black hair and rich mocha colored skin and chocolate brown eyes.
Yeah, it s cool, I m good. Said Carter. He guzzled down the last bit of his beer and walked the bottle over to the bar. He dug out his wallet and put a twenty on the table. Keep the change Maria, and thanks. He said in a flat tone. He watched her backside briefly as she shuffled about tidying things up. Want me to hang around and uh, walk you to your car? He asked politely, sounding slightly hopeful. Carter Murdock was a typical grey wolf. Tall, well built and muscled. He was perfectly suited for working the fishing fleet in town.
If you don t mind, that d be great. I m almost done anyway and I hate walking alone at night. A warm smile crossed her softly featured face as she replied. As far as guys went, Carter wasn t a bad guy. Aside from being in this place every single evening and drinking the same shitty beer, she never thought badly of him as a person and actually found him quite cute, especially for one of them.
I ll hit the head then. I ll be right out. Carter stood and wandered into the back of the bar and down the short hall to the restrooms. The wall that held the urinals had a small but long window at about head height. He unzipped and began to relieve himself. He sniffed and cleared his throat, placing a large paw on the wall and clicking his claws on the window sill. The lights in the place dimmed and he brought his gaze up to look out the window. Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, briefly turning night into day and illuminating everything in a flash of white and blue. He couldn t be sure, but in the flash, he thought he saw something crouched in the tree line close to his car. Staring at him. When another streak of lightning came, he focused intensely on the same spot but saw nothing. He chalked it up to one beer too many and him being tired. He zipped up, washed his hands and walked back out to find Maria waiting for him by the door.
Thanks for being so nice Carter. I really appreciate it. She said.
Anytime gorgeous. I mean it. Anytime. He smiled down to her as they reached her car which was parked closer to the water s edge. He helped her put her stuff in the trunk and then closed her door for her after she sat. So uh, would you ever... but he didn t get a chance to finish.
Absolutely. She said flirtatiously. Dinner. Movie. Breakfast. I m up for anything.
He grinned wide and said, I guess that means I ll have to get some eggs. I ll pick you up this Thursday then. He tapped the roof of her car and watched as she started up and slowly drove out of the parking lot. Wow. Easier than I thought. He thought to himself. He took a deep breath and began walking to his truck, parked clear across the lot away from the water and closer to the tree line that lined the edges of the Multnomah Channel. It was another flash of lightning that illuminated the tree line once more that made him stop dead in his tracks just a few feet away from the covered bed of his pickup. He saw something, but couldn t be sure what. But it was big. A breeze whipped up and drifted through the trees and blew over him and that s when he caught the scent. He knew it well. That metallic, coppery smell. It was blood, dried and old and rotting. His eyes narrowed and he slowly reached behind his back, drawing out the large hunting knife from its sheath. He unlocked his truck with the clicker and slowly made his way to the driver s side, his eyes never leaving the tree line. When more lightning flashed, whatever was there, was gone. The scent subsided and he relaxed a bit, but still being cautious. As he opened the door, turned on the headlights and began to sit inside, his truck rocked violently and a loud thud on the roof made him step halfway back out. And that was his one and only mistake. He wasn t fast enough to react. As another bolt of lightning came, all he saw was a massive black figure crouched on top of his truck, and its massive maw hung open, exposing rows of razor sharp fangs and teeth. Before he could react, a huge paw shot down and wrapped its fingers easily around his thick neck. Helpless, he felt himself lifted up off the ground and was suddenly staring into a pair of yellow, orange-ish eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. He felt an immense pressure next as the creature s vice like grip tightened around his neck. He could hear bones pop in his ears and he struggled to breathe, clawing futilely at the creature s paw. It brought his face close to its own and inhaled deeply with several long sniffs at his cheek and muzzle. He could hear the creature s growls and other sounds as it studied him. Without warning, he felt weightless as it turned in one swift motion with an ear piercing howling shriek and launched him into a nearby tree. His back smashed into the hard bark and he slid down to the soft earth, landing with a dull thud. Gasping for air and trying to stand up, searching blindly for his knife or for anything he could use to defend himself, Carter felt for the first time in his life an intense fear. Behind him, he heard branches snap, and the low growls and sniffs of the beast grew closer. It would be on him at any moment. He stood quickly, but became lightheaded and dizzy, falling back onto one knee. He tried to stand again and briefly found his bearings, adrenaline began coursing through his body, initiating fight or flight and his first instinct was flight. He took a few shaky steps forward as the sounds of the monster grew closer. But he didn t even make it back onto the pavement before the grip returned on the back of his neck this time, and he was once more lifted off his feet and flung into the open parking lot. His head hit the concrete hard and he saw stars again. His body skid several feet and then rolled to a stop. He felt a warmth rushing down the back of his head and neck and knew he was bleeding out. Fear took over and he struggled back to his feet, marshaling every last bit of strength he had to get him back up and moving. His mind was on auto pilot and he thought that if he could make it to the water, he would be safe. He stumbled forward and his legs carried him on as best they could. His heart was pounding in his head and the warm flow of gushing blood from various cuts and scrapes could be felt everywhere on his body. He knew it was behind him. Toying with him. He could hear the heavy steps on the loose gravel of the lot, hear the bestial growls getting closer. Only a few feet more. He felt his boots squish into the muddy embankment of the channel and knew in a few feet he would make it to safety. But it came without warning and in an instant, all hope had vanished. Suddenly, a searing pain ripped into his back right side as the creature sunk its claws into his waist, ripping him open. He coughed and puked from the pain, spun and found himself lying on his back, wide eyed with terror and absolutely weak. His blood mixed into the mud and he groaned and sputtered. His breaths were weak, slow and ragged. He could hear the wetness in his lungs as they slowly filled with his blood. Then the pressure returned in his chest. It was immense and the weight was enough to crush his ribs and force the air out of him and push his body into the mud. He couldn t scream and as big as he was, he was powerless against his attacker. In the dark, he felt claws dig into his shoulders and lift him off the ground in one swift motion. In the inky abyss, what little light was available helped him make out a large figure with powerful arms and legs and a thick tail that swished back and forth in slow motion. In its grasp, he was limp and he had no strength of any kind. The initial attack had left him utterly defenseless with its speed and ferocity. A menacing, low and guttural growl vibrated in his chest and he could smell the rotting flesh on the creature s breath once again. Another flash of lightning came and the last thing he saw were those yellow and orange eyes staring at him with a burning hunger, and those razor sharp teeth in a maw that was black as night slowly moving down. He knew his life was over. He felt the stabbing pain in his throat, chest and shoulder all at once and he screamed. But it was cut short when the creature bit completely down, almost through him and tore out a huge chunk of his flesh while also ripping his left arm off, effectively turning the scream into a muted, bubbling gurgle.
An otherworldly howl bellowed through the night and the creature began its noisy feast on the dark bank of the channel. When it had its fill, it vanished into the trees and into the night.
The next afternoon when Maria came back for her shift. She was surprised to find Carter s truck still in the lot. As she drove closer, she saw that the lights were on and the driver s door was open but her friend was no where to be found. The roof was dented in and the windshield slightly shattered. Carter s knife and keys lay on the loose gravel by the door. She jumped out of her car and reached for her cell phone, dialing 911. As she explained her findings to the dispatch girl on the other end of the call, she looked around. It took her a moment but she could see blood on one of the nearby trees, halfway up its thick trunk. As she followed the signs, she became shocked and frightened when she found massive bloody paw prints and other signs of a struggle. Her mind feared the worst and she went back out onto the lot. Still talking to the woman from dispatch, she fumbled around in her glove compartment and found her .45 pistol in its holster which she drew and cocked. She frantically searched around more, describing what she was finding when she noticed shreds of Carter s jacket leading away across the lot. She followed the trail and found more blood, droplets leading away and heading towards the channel. She prayed he was okay and ran towards the bank. But the grizzly scene that greeted her eyes made her scream and she dropped the phone.