Thunderbirds Are Go!
Halloween Specials 2021 Edition
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. I do not own Thunderbirds or any affiliated characters with the show.
Was it a Werewolf?
By Lady Penelope
It was a night that I could hardly forget. A night that changed the way I looked at my surroundings. A night that made me realise that my home wasn't safe at all. See, my stately home is situated in an idea and isolated spot deep within the English countryside, but on the night of Halloween, it was targeted by an intruder, the likes I had never seen before. It was 2.45 in the morning as the night approached the famed witching hour. I was fast asleep after a long and strenuous mission. We had a nice quiet evening, free from trick or treaters and pranksters alike. Parker was the last to bed, as he stayed up to watch one of his terrible low budget horror films. He offered me to stay up and watch it with him, but I can't stomach those crude and ghastly films, so instead, I retired to bed, sent a goodnight message to Gordon on Tracy Island and slowly sank into a deep sleep.
When the clock struck 3, I began to stir in my bed. It was a clear night as the moonlight lit up the contours of my bedroom, but a fierce wind got up and rustled the trees outside my window. It was awfully loud, but I told my mind to ignore it. By this time, Parker had retired to bed himself. I could hear his clumsy footsteps thud up the main staircase and across the landing. He was a man of many talents, but silence wasn't one of them. After a while, he began to settle down and the ambience of the house settled down once again. As I tried to drift off again, I could hear another heavy sound. It was loud enough that I could hear it pierce the loud howls of the wind. It was loud enough to snatch me from my slumber. I sat upright in bed and rubbed my heavy eyes, half expecting it to be Parker again. But what was he doing downstairs? And how come I didn't hear him leave his room?
The sounds continued for several minutes as my senses returned to me. Someone appeared to be moving within the vicinity of the kitchen. Whoever it was had made enough noise to shake the floorboards from under my feet. Suspicious of a potential burglary, I reached for the closed-circuit radio in my compact and called Parker. Within seconds, his rugged, dishevelled face stared back at mine as his holographic figure floated above the compact's receiver.
"What's the matter, M'lady?" he moaned, as he stifled a yawn,
"Parker, I want you to open your door and tell me if you hear anything," I replied. "I think someone has broken into the house."
Parker sighed and opened the door to his room. His eyes widened as he too heard the ominous sounds echoing from below. He placed on his dress robe and crept his way across the landing to my room. I unlocked the latch to my door and let him in, trying hard not to alert the intruder. We believed in the element of surprise. Parker sat on the end of my bed while I placed on my dress robe. We didn't keep guns in the house, because we believed in a non-violent solution when it came to dealing with dangerous people, but that didn't mean that weren't able to defend ourselves. I pulled out my umbrella from its stand to use it as a club. Parker was a skilled brawler and knew how to throw a punch or two. The noises persisted as we made our way towards the main staircase.
"It sounds as if he has moved into the drawing-room, M'lady," said Parker as he led the way. "I'd strongly advise you to wait here while I take a look."
"Don't be stupid, Parker," I replied. "I won't have you go in there alone. We'll take this intruder together."
I couldn't tell through the dark, but I could feel Parker roll his eyes with a defined huff.
"Very well, M'lady," he said.
A strong breeze flowed through the house from the kitchen window. We could feel it as we made it towards the hallway. We agreed to split up so we could search the house a lot quicker. Parker headed for the drawing-room while I searched for the intruder's point of entry. I peered through the doorway into the kitchen to see a broken window. My floor had been peppered in glass shards that reflected the light from the Moon. The oak dining room table where Parker would eat his dinner had been thrown on its side, pots and pans laid strewn across the floor. The wind caught the latch to a cabinet door and swung it open. As it did so, I could see that the varnished wood had been lashed by four distinct claw marks. Four, distinct, sharp claw marks like that of a wolf or a bear. Hesitantly, I crept forward to inspect the cabinet. The rational part of my brain desperately searched for an explanation. Perhaps an animal had broken in through the kitchen window?
Cautiously, I kicked the glass shards to one side with my slippered foot, trying hard not to cut myself. The window itself had been smashed from the outside like something had charged through it with full force. No person could have done it without hurting themselves, yet I saw no traces of blood around the window or on the sharp jagged pieces. A deaf stillness swept over me like a shroud, luring me into a false sense of security if you will. It was as if my body was trying to assure me that whatever it was had now gone. The problem was that I didn't buy that for a second. The silence rattled me. It was disturbing. I couldn't hear the noises anymore, nor could I hear Parker. That's what it dawned on me that something could have happened to him. I let him investigate the drawing-room on his own. Why did I do that!?
Suddenly, a wave of terror swept over me when I noticed a second set of claw marks, rip up the floor below. They headed towards the drawing-room. Whatever it was had gone in there minutes before Parker decided to go check it out. I feared that it had got him. Suppressing the panic was a challenge in itself as I called out for him from the darkened hallway.
"Parker! Parker are you there!? Can you hear me? Parker!?"
There was nothing, but I could hear something shift within the stillness. Gripping the umbrella firmly, I advanced towards the drawing-room, ready to take on whatever lurked inside. As I cross the hall towards the room, I could see the shape of a body across the floor. It was Parker. He lay there in a heap on the floor. His face had been scratched by the same claw marks, his dress robe and pyjamas were left in tatters. I knelt beside him and felt around for a pulse. He was alive, but he needed medical attention. Pushing the present threat to one side, I dragged Parker's dead weight out of the drawing-room and towards the pantry which had a heavy bolt at the top of the door. I figured he would be safe in there until the danger had passed. As I sat him inside the small dwelling, I deduced that whatever attacked him, hit him fast before he could muster a yell. As I turned to leave him, I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I turned around to hear something run up the main staircase towards my room. A wave of anger swept over me. This intruder had caused enough damage already!
I grabbed my umbrella and charged after thing, ascending the main staircase faster than Thunderbird One. I didn't feel my feet touch the steps as the adrenaline kicked in. I breathed heavily, determined to take on the intruder, It attacked my loyal chauffeur and friend, the only family I had left and I wasn't going to let it get away. When I reached the landing, I saw it. The light of the moon revealed the outline of what I could only describe as a bipedal wolf-like creature. It stood on its hind legs as its ears twitched in the moonlight. Its yellow, animalistic eyes glared at me. I couldn't make out the rest of its features, but I could hear its claws scrape the wall to my right. It was an intimidation tactic. It was trying to scare me, but I was too angry to let it do so. I suppose if Parker was with me, I would be terrified, but I wasn't. Here I was, alone, staring down this beast, unable to ascertain its next move.
I could feel its hot, rancid breath beat upon my face as it snarled. My mind mapped out where its teeth were through the darkness. I raised my umbrella, aimed its sharp tip at the beast and screamed;
"Get out of my house! You are not welcome here!"
The beast grunted in response as if it understood me. It look as if it was trying to figure me out. I guess it didn't expect me to antagonise it. At that moment, I felt the floorboards creak as the beast took a step towards me. I swung the umbrella about with a snarl, attempting to ward it off. The creature stopped and snarled again.
"I said leave!" I growled. "Leave right now or I'll...I'll kill you! I'm not bluffing!"
This time, the beast hesitated as it diverted its gaze towards the object in my hand. The silver-tipped umbrella gleamed in the night's sky. The beast had become fearful of it for some reason. I then realised that I could use it to my advantage. I swung the umbrella again and again like a crazed madwoman, forcing the beast to stumble back towards the upper landing window. I charged towards it and watched as it tumbled backwards and smashed itself through the window like a ton of bricks. It let out a deathly shriek as it fell into the grounds. I peered out of the empty window frame to see it slip away out of the grounds and into the dark trees beyond the property. Whatever it was got the message and left swiftly. I propped my body up against the door to my room when the adrenaline left my system. Thankfully I wasn't hurt, but the ordeal left me with two broken windows, a destroyed kitchen and an injured chauffeur who needed to go to the hospital.
"Oh no! Parker!" I exclaimed as I hurried down the staircase towards the pantry where I left him. "I've got to get him to a hospital!"
Within the next 15 minutes, I managed to get Parker inside FAB One which sat outside the garage. Making him comfortable in the passenger seat, I started up the Rolls and headed for the dark countryside. Before we could reach the gate, however, I had a sudden compulsion to look at the countryside to my right. As I slowly turned my head, I could see those two yellow eyes cut through the darkness of the trees. Within seconds, the wolf-like shape scaled a small grass mound that sat over the horizon. It raised itself on its hind legs and let out a howl that disrupted the night ambience.
AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Then, it slipped away into the night, never to be seen again. As I took the main road towards London, I tried to piece together the events. I didn't want to admit it, for my rational side wouldn't let me, but I was sure that I had encountered a werewolf. I know it sounds a little far fetched, but it didn't move like a human, nor did it act like one. I put the theories to one side when I eventually arrived outside the Kings College Hospital building. A team of paramedics removed Parker from the car and whisked him into A&E. They hooked him up to an oxygen mask and...I can't begin to explain what sort of tests they ran on on him. The doctors found a weird chemical substance in his bloodstream that they were able to destroy with experimental drugs. He received several stitches to his face and rib cage. Needless to say, I was scared he was going to die. It would be some weeks before I could see him again and on the day he returned home, I hugged him tighter than I ever did before.
The encounter soon went viral as paranormal investigators, news crews and scientific experts turned up to the home to interview me. I just wanted to bury the story, focussing my attention on Parker's recovery. I didn't want to be the centre of a media circus. The papers misquoted me, saying that I had a werewolf in my house. I didn't say that at all, but the thought had crossed my mind. A week after the incident, Jeff Tracy, along with Brains and Gordon arrived at the house. Concerned by what had happened, the three of them helped me fix the damage to the house. Gordon helped me with Parker, comforting me in the process. When it was time for them to leave, Gordon decided to stay behind. Despite my assurance that I would be alright, he insisted on staying with me. That night as Parker went to sleep, we sat alone in the study by the fire. I opened up to Gordon, sharing my theories with him on what had happened. His warm, affectionate smile breathed confidence.
"I honestly think it was a Werewolf, but I don't believe in such things," I said as he took my hand and squeezed it gently. "I just know it wasn't a man."
"I believe you," he replied calmly. "I believe that you something that wasn't human."
I looked up at him with a faint smile. "You...you do?"
"Penny, you're a good judge of character, and you're not one to fabricate these things." He added. "I saw the claw marks on the cabinet as well as the floor. We all did. It even stumped Brains. Whatever broke in, wasn't a human, but a large animal. Perhaps it was a Werewolf? Who's to say that they don't exist?"
Hearing that helped me come to terms with my ordeal, but it didn't fill me with confidence. The fact that another encounter like this one should happen, left me on edge. Thankfully, as the months passed, nothing happened. I don't know if Werewolves exist or not, but whatever it was that broke into my house and ruthlessly attacked Parker, will forever stain my memories and my dreams.