"Does anyone wanna tell me what the Hell that thing was?" Nick grunted as he trudged through the water of the swamp.

"It looked like a damn werewolf," Francis said irritably, "I hate werewolves."

"Rougarou," Coach muttered blankly. The others turned their heads to look at his solemn face. He hadn't spoken since the attack.

"What?" asked Louis.

"A Rougarou," repeated Coach, "That's what it was." He sighed as he sat down on a fallen log. "Nothin' makes sense anymore."

"Guys," Nick said, "Not to be mean or anything, but we have to go find Ellis before he gets himself killed." But the others were still looking at Coach, as though they were expecting him to continue explaining.

"Coach," breathed Rochelle, "You've been acting weird all day. What's going on?" Coach looked her directly in the eye.

"I know who Bokor Renard is."

"Care for a drink?" Renard asked as he poured himself a glass of rum. Zoey looked at her rotting captor. He had lit an ancient kerosene lantern on the table. The dim, flickering light cast eerie shadows about his face, as well as the rest of the shack. She shook her head in response to he question. Renard looked at the dusty bottle. The faded, yellowed label was peeling off.

"It's from Haiti," he said, "Just a little somethin' to remind me of home." His neck creaked as he tossed his head back and emptied the glass down his throat. Zoey heard it trickling noisily down his dusty esophagus. Renard's lipless face somehow managed to smile at her. "Is there anythin' I can do to make you more comfortable?" Again, Zoey shook her head, even though the rope around her wrists was digging into her skin. The creature shrugged and sat down. A scratching came from the outside window. Zoey turned and looked at the hideous faces of the infected as they peered into the shack. Among them was the fox-like muzzle of the creature that had abducted her. She could hardly believe what she was looking at. It called to mind a time when people still believed in ghosts and demons that stalked the night; fears that were so old that they predated civilization.

"So what you're saying is that this Renard guy is a wizard?" Nick asked dubiously.

"A Bokor," said Coach, "Someone who uses Voodoo for evil."

"And he's also a Zombie?" continued Nick, "An actual Zombie?"

"That's what my Aunt said."

"Are you aware of how crazy you sound?"

"I know it sounds crazy," snapped Coach as he stood up from the log, "Don't you think I know that?"

"Everyone stop it!" Rochelle said as she stepped in-between the two, "Arguing won't get Zoey or Ellis back!"

"I'm betting on Coach," Francis muttered to Louis, "That Bokor guy has a werewolf."

"Look, let's just find Ellis and get out of here," said Nick.

"What about Zoey?" Louis asked. Nick frowned grimly, but his eyes remained cold.

"I'm sorry about your friend," he said quietly, "But we both know-"

"Know what?" Francis said as he angrily made his way over to Nick, "That she's dead?"

"That thing took her off to God-knows-where-"

"You listen here," snarled Francis, "I don't know who the Hell you think you are, but we don't leave anyone behind!"

"Do you think I want to do this?" Nick cried as he threw his arms up in the air, "I don't! I feel just as bad as you do! But there's nothing we can do to bring her back!"

"There is something," said Coach. Both Nick and Francis turned to look at the aging athlete. "We can go after her."

"How do you even know she's alive?" Nick asked, "How do any of you know?"

"That thing," began Coach, "Could've killed us all if it wanted to. But it didn't. It just kicked our asses and took Zoey."

"So what does that prove?" Nick said angrily.

"It means Renard wants her alive," Coach said, then added grimly, "But I don't know if he plans to keep her that way."

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Francis as he picked up a large, heavy branch.

Ellis was still kneeling on the ground when he heard the soggy footsteps behind him. He looked around quickly expecting to an infected or something even worse. Instead he saw his friends, all of them holding large, heavy sticks.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ellis asked bitterly.

"We're going after Zoey," said Rochelle. She could tell by the red around Ellis's eyes that he had been crying. Probably everyone could, but nobody said anything. Nick helped Ellis to his feet.

"I saw it go that way," Ellis said as he pointed a finger to the south, "It just kept goin' strait."

"Then that's the way we're going," said Louis. He handed Ellis a stick.