Chapter 17
Clark didn't wake up where he had fallen asleep. Instead, he awoke in the woods, well away from the town that he'd be taken to last night. This made him wonder: had it all just been a dream?
"Good, you're awake," murmured a voice from behind.
Clark whirled around to find himself face-to-face with a werewolf, calmly sipping a mug of hot chocolate that had been warmed up by a nearby fire. Instantly alarmed, Clark took a few steps back.
The werewolf was different from all the others he'd seen. He had long legs that ended with wolf paws. His arms were flexible and ended with clawed hands. He had a gray mane and ears at the top of his head. His eyes were sharp and showed cunning. You could truly lose yourself staring at those black coal eyes. He had a sort of a half-snout that looked like a snout except shorter, but allowed for human speech.
"Don't worry. I won't harm you," said the wolf. "Just don't make any fast movements. My reflexes are dangerously quick. I may snap your neck in half by accident."
"Accident? Wait, how can you talk?" asked Clark.
"I just can," he answered. "Sit down, Clark."
"How do you know my name?"
The wolf reached over to the fire and shuffled around several leaves. He found a Verizon Wireless cell phone and held it up for Clark to see. The screen showed the date, time, and Clark's name. "This is yours, isn't it? Aren't you Clark Kent?"
Clark nodded, slowly.
"My name's Lance. I've been like this for thirty years now. You're probably wondering how you got here. I found you dumped just outside the gates, unconscious."
Clark thought about that for a second. It was virtually impossible to knock him out, unless it was the result of a fight. He didn't remember anything since he fell asleep in the apartment above the bar. He couldn't be drugged and he was a pretty light sleeper.
"I knew I couldn't get you back into the town," continued Lance. "But it was too dangerous for you to be out in the open like that. So, I brought you here to my little part of the woods. The other wolves don't bother me here just so long as I don't go and bother them or step on their territory."
"Nice arrangement."
Lance nodded. "Mm-hmm. Now come on. We got to go find food."
* * *
Breakfast was cooked squirrels that Lance caught after fifteen minutes of patient waiting and stalking. Though he almost lost his appetite, Clark gave into hunger and gobbled up his squirrel, heating it up when Lance wasn't looking.
"What do you do in the day?" asked Clark when breakfast was over.
"I hunt for more food. But right now I'm doing pretty well. I have some carcasses stored up in that tree over there, and I've still got some traps out. Come, let me show you the countryside."
After an hour-long hike, they were out of the woods and standing on top of a hill that overlooked the countryside, presenting them with a magnificent view. When Clark saw a field of wild flowers, he remembered what he was in Ireland for. "Lance, do you know where I can find this flower I'm looking for? It's purple with these really strange leaves."
Lance grunted. "I know of the flower of which you speak. There's only one field that grows them, and it's own by Wayne Enterprises."
"Are you sure? That's the only field with that flower?"
Lance nodded. "Unless you were to go to Scotland."
* * *
The hooded man returned to the helicopter in the morning. Lionel was furious. "Where the hell did you go last night?"
"Ahh... I had business to attend to. But now, if your men are ready, we can go get the flower. Sound good?" asked the hooded man.
Lionel nodded. "All right, men! Let's go get those flowers!"
Every soldier carried either a rifle or a handgun and all of them carried a ridiculously heavy backpack. Lionel chuckled, "No, you won't need all that. Take only what you need. The backpacks are a good idea, but... heh... empty them out first. This is just a recovery mission."
The blonde soldier who had mocked Lionel last night spoke up. "We prefer to be prepared."
"That's fine, but for God's sake, why do you need a gun?"
Willows tapped Lionel on the soldier. "Let them take their guns." To the troops she said, "Men, we're going to need room to bring back as many plants as we can, so empty out your bags! Take the lightest guns you can!"
"Why do they have guns with them?" mumbled Lionel.
"It never hurts to be prepared, Lionel." She walked over to the man with blonde hair, who emptied out his bag but held on to his M-16. "I said the lightest gun, Jack, that's a friggin' M-16! Take a Berretta!"
"Who knows what's in those woods," murmured Jack. "I'd like at least one of us to have some heavy firepower along."
Willows sighed. "Fine. Let me make sure everyone's accounted for. Robinson!"
An African-American man with glasses raised his hand.
"Derrick!"
Another African-American, this one much shorter than all of the troops, raised his hand.
"Tom!"
The skinniest (which wasn't very skinny, but he stood out from the rest) man with brown hair raised his hand.
"Omar!"
A Mexican man with short, dark hair raised his hand. He was notably taller than the rest.
"And, lastly, Jack!"
The blonde didn't even bother to raise his hand.
The hooded man stepped up. "So are we ready, then?"
Willows nodded, so he led the way.
* * *
Lance pointed at a large cave in the distance, nestled inside the woods. "You see that place?"
Clark nodded.
"Don't ever go near there. That's where the wolves sleep at day. I've counted twenty of them coming out at night; each of them deadly."
Clark hesitated, but finally asked the question that was burning in his mind. "Lance... how did you...?"
Lance knew what he was talking about. "As far as I know, I was born like this. Until I was eight, I changed regularly every night, full moon or no. Then, one night, I took a life and tasted human blood. My soul was condemned and I was damned. At least, that's what my parents told me is what happened. I'm not sure about the soul part. I killed them in anger."
Clark was shocked and failed to hide it from his expression.
"I've never tasted human blood again. I only kill to survive. And as far as I know, I'm the only wolf man who can talk and is fully capable of making decisions that aren't based on instinct."
"I know how that feels."
"Do you? After I was damned, I didn't change back, not even in the day. I tried taking the flower you're looking for but it doesn't work, at least not for me."
"But you lead a life. That's something."
"Maybe. But it's a lonely life. And no matter how different you are, it's always important to have someone to talk to. Companionship."
Clark backed away, feeling uncomfortable, but didn't run off at super speed like he was tempted to. "I, uh, well..."
"It's alright. Over the years I've met people who don't run away, who try to be my friend. I usually save them, like I saved you. But they always want to get home. And I find a... a good feeling in helping someone. So I help them home. This is the life I lead, and looking back at it like I am now, maybe it's not so bad."
* * *
"You're sure this is it?" asked Lionel.
"Yes," insisted the hooded man. "The field is inaccessible unless you go through that cave. It's only maybe a half-mile walk. There's lots of leg room; you'll be there soon, I promise."
"Very well," decided Lionel. "Onward!"
Willows interrupted. "I give the orders. Onward!"
The troops followed her into the cave.
They had walked for about ten minutes before it got too dark to see and they had to turn on their flashlights. For another ten minutes, they walked. Then another. It was clear that the cave was more than half of a mile long.
They arrived at a large area about the size of a high school cafeteria, which appeared to be empty. Willows instructed the men to keep going, but they were stopped by dozens of pairs of red eyes.
"We're surrounded," realized Jack.
Instinctively, all of the troops pulled out their handguns. Willows whispered her orders, "Wait until we're sure they're hostile."
The pairs of eyes began to bark.
"I'm sure. Are you guys sure?" asked Omar.
The red eyes drew closer.
"Oh yeah, if my soggy pants are any indication, I'm sure."
"So am I," declared Willows, deciding to ignore his remark. "Open fire!"
And the battle began.
Clark didn't wake up where he had fallen asleep. Instead, he awoke in the woods, well away from the town that he'd be taken to last night. This made him wonder: had it all just been a dream?
"Good, you're awake," murmured a voice from behind.
Clark whirled around to find himself face-to-face with a werewolf, calmly sipping a mug of hot chocolate that had been warmed up by a nearby fire. Instantly alarmed, Clark took a few steps back.
The werewolf was different from all the others he'd seen. He had long legs that ended with wolf paws. His arms were flexible and ended with clawed hands. He had a gray mane and ears at the top of his head. His eyes were sharp and showed cunning. You could truly lose yourself staring at those black coal eyes. He had a sort of a half-snout that looked like a snout except shorter, but allowed for human speech.
"Don't worry. I won't harm you," said the wolf. "Just don't make any fast movements. My reflexes are dangerously quick. I may snap your neck in half by accident."
"Accident? Wait, how can you talk?" asked Clark.
"I just can," he answered. "Sit down, Clark."
"How do you know my name?"
The wolf reached over to the fire and shuffled around several leaves. He found a Verizon Wireless cell phone and held it up for Clark to see. The screen showed the date, time, and Clark's name. "This is yours, isn't it? Aren't you Clark Kent?"
Clark nodded, slowly.
"My name's Lance. I've been like this for thirty years now. You're probably wondering how you got here. I found you dumped just outside the gates, unconscious."
Clark thought about that for a second. It was virtually impossible to knock him out, unless it was the result of a fight. He didn't remember anything since he fell asleep in the apartment above the bar. He couldn't be drugged and he was a pretty light sleeper.
"I knew I couldn't get you back into the town," continued Lance. "But it was too dangerous for you to be out in the open like that. So, I brought you here to my little part of the woods. The other wolves don't bother me here just so long as I don't go and bother them or step on their territory."
"Nice arrangement."
Lance nodded. "Mm-hmm. Now come on. We got to go find food."
* * *
Breakfast was cooked squirrels that Lance caught after fifteen minutes of patient waiting and stalking. Though he almost lost his appetite, Clark gave into hunger and gobbled up his squirrel, heating it up when Lance wasn't looking.
"What do you do in the day?" asked Clark when breakfast was over.
"I hunt for more food. But right now I'm doing pretty well. I have some carcasses stored up in that tree over there, and I've still got some traps out. Come, let me show you the countryside."
After an hour-long hike, they were out of the woods and standing on top of a hill that overlooked the countryside, presenting them with a magnificent view. When Clark saw a field of wild flowers, he remembered what he was in Ireland for. "Lance, do you know where I can find this flower I'm looking for? It's purple with these really strange leaves."
Lance grunted. "I know of the flower of which you speak. There's only one field that grows them, and it's own by Wayne Enterprises."
"Are you sure? That's the only field with that flower?"
Lance nodded. "Unless you were to go to Scotland."
* * *
The hooded man returned to the helicopter in the morning. Lionel was furious. "Where the hell did you go last night?"
"Ahh... I had business to attend to. But now, if your men are ready, we can go get the flower. Sound good?" asked the hooded man.
Lionel nodded. "All right, men! Let's go get those flowers!"
Every soldier carried either a rifle or a handgun and all of them carried a ridiculously heavy backpack. Lionel chuckled, "No, you won't need all that. Take only what you need. The backpacks are a good idea, but... heh... empty them out first. This is just a recovery mission."
The blonde soldier who had mocked Lionel last night spoke up. "We prefer to be prepared."
"That's fine, but for God's sake, why do you need a gun?"
Willows tapped Lionel on the soldier. "Let them take their guns." To the troops she said, "Men, we're going to need room to bring back as many plants as we can, so empty out your bags! Take the lightest guns you can!"
"Why do they have guns with them?" mumbled Lionel.
"It never hurts to be prepared, Lionel." She walked over to the man with blonde hair, who emptied out his bag but held on to his M-16. "I said the lightest gun, Jack, that's a friggin' M-16! Take a Berretta!"
"Who knows what's in those woods," murmured Jack. "I'd like at least one of us to have some heavy firepower along."
Willows sighed. "Fine. Let me make sure everyone's accounted for. Robinson!"
An African-American man with glasses raised his hand.
"Derrick!"
Another African-American, this one much shorter than all of the troops, raised his hand.
"Tom!"
The skinniest (which wasn't very skinny, but he stood out from the rest) man with brown hair raised his hand.
"Omar!"
A Mexican man with short, dark hair raised his hand. He was notably taller than the rest.
"And, lastly, Jack!"
The blonde didn't even bother to raise his hand.
The hooded man stepped up. "So are we ready, then?"
Willows nodded, so he led the way.
* * *
Lance pointed at a large cave in the distance, nestled inside the woods. "You see that place?"
Clark nodded.
"Don't ever go near there. That's where the wolves sleep at day. I've counted twenty of them coming out at night; each of them deadly."
Clark hesitated, but finally asked the question that was burning in his mind. "Lance... how did you...?"
Lance knew what he was talking about. "As far as I know, I was born like this. Until I was eight, I changed regularly every night, full moon or no. Then, one night, I took a life and tasted human blood. My soul was condemned and I was damned. At least, that's what my parents told me is what happened. I'm not sure about the soul part. I killed them in anger."
Clark was shocked and failed to hide it from his expression.
"I've never tasted human blood again. I only kill to survive. And as far as I know, I'm the only wolf man who can talk and is fully capable of making decisions that aren't based on instinct."
"I know how that feels."
"Do you? After I was damned, I didn't change back, not even in the day. I tried taking the flower you're looking for but it doesn't work, at least not for me."
"But you lead a life. That's something."
"Maybe. But it's a lonely life. And no matter how different you are, it's always important to have someone to talk to. Companionship."
Clark backed away, feeling uncomfortable, but didn't run off at super speed like he was tempted to. "I, uh, well..."
"It's alright. Over the years I've met people who don't run away, who try to be my friend. I usually save them, like I saved you. But they always want to get home. And I find a... a good feeling in helping someone. So I help them home. This is the life I lead, and looking back at it like I am now, maybe it's not so bad."
* * *
"You're sure this is it?" asked Lionel.
"Yes," insisted the hooded man. "The field is inaccessible unless you go through that cave. It's only maybe a half-mile walk. There's lots of leg room; you'll be there soon, I promise."
"Very well," decided Lionel. "Onward!"
Willows interrupted. "I give the orders. Onward!"
The troops followed her into the cave.
They had walked for about ten minutes before it got too dark to see and they had to turn on their flashlights. For another ten minutes, they walked. Then another. It was clear that the cave was more than half of a mile long.
They arrived at a large area about the size of a high school cafeteria, which appeared to be empty. Willows instructed the men to keep going, but they were stopped by dozens of pairs of red eyes.
"We're surrounded," realized Jack.
Instinctively, all of the troops pulled out their handguns. Willows whispered her orders, "Wait until we're sure they're hostile."
The pairs of eyes began to bark.
"I'm sure. Are you guys sure?" asked Omar.
The red eyes drew closer.
"Oh yeah, if my soggy pants are any indication, I'm sure."
"So am I," declared Willows, deciding to ignore his remark. "Open fire!"
And the battle began.