BEWARE THE MOON
By FAH3
SiX:
A broad smile was on Jonathan and Miriam's face as they slept in John's bed while holding each other closely. They didn't know how long they had spent the rest of the previous day in the bedroom and they could care less. This was a moment that they had wanted and only dreamt about for so long. Now, they were in no rush to end it. They felt content and just basked in the glow of the previous day. John, reluctantly, opened his eyes and took a deep and very content breath as he looked at the sun shining through the window. He then looked down at Miriam and saw that she was giving him a similar look a cat would have after it had just eaten an annoying canary.
"Why do I have a feeling that I've created a monster?" he asked her with a smirk.
"I guess there's only one way to find out." Miriam replied with a sly grin of her own as she moved upward and kissed John several times on the lips.
John was enjoying the moment with Miriam in his bed as he began to rub his hands along her back. His hands stopped when John turned his head as he heard a noise from outside.
"John, what's wrong?"
"I hear horses coming." He said.
Mim used her right hand to keep the top sheet clutched to her chest as she sat and moved off of the mattress while using her left hand to keep the lower half of the sheet closed to conceal her backside as she walked to the window. She saw two riders on horseback ride directly up to the house. They stayed on their horses while they talked to Fritz and two other hands. As soon as they were done, Fritz pointed towards the barn and then ran into the house while the other two hands made a made dash towards the barn.
"You're right. I think something must have happened." Mim said as she turned to John.
"We better find out." John said and rubbed his chest.
"Are you all right?" Mim asked as she fetched her dress from the floor and placed it on the bed.
"My chest." John said.
"Let me see." Mim said as she brought her left arm to his chest and saw, where the amulet rested, the skin was bright pink and irritated. It was almost as if he had been rubbing the one spot for some time.
"You're not allergic to silver, are you?"
"Not that I'm aware of. Why?"
"It's probably nothing. Come on, we've got to get dressed." Mim said as she dropped the sheet and began to dress herself.
As soon as John and Mim were dressed, they immediately headed down the stairs. They were just in time to see Tim head out the door with Fritz coming not too far behind. His face looked like he was very worried about something.
"Fritz, what's happening?" Mim asked him.
"There was an attack in town last night." Fritz said.
"Who was it?" John asked.
"It was the school teacher."
"Sarah?!" Mim asked, shocked at hearing the news. "I-is she okay?"
"She's dead, Mim. The damn thing ripped her apart." Fritz said.
Mim paled and looked like she was about to pass out. John quickly moved in close and put his arms around Mim to keep her straight as he turned his attention back to Fritz.
"Where was Tim going?"
"Into town. Right now, everyone's demanding answers and calling for the sheriff's blood. Slim is riding ahead to try and keep a lid on things before they get out of hand."
"Is there anything we can do?" Mim asked.
"I imagine Wagner needs all the help he can get right now."
Fritz, Miriam, and Jonathan rode into Blackmoor on horse back and saw that quite an angry crowd had gathered outside the sheriff's office. The roar of the crowd was almost defining as they made it as far as the general store and lashed their horses to a hitching post to prevent them from wondering away. As they tried to make their way through the crowd of angry townspeople, they could see Tim in front of the door to the sheriff's office, standing next to Sheriff Wagner, in an effort to try and calm the crowd. The only landowners that were standing with him were Landis and Baker. Talbot was off to the side, standing neither with Tim or the crowd, with his eldest son by his side whom had a looked rather pale as an air of guilt for leaving his brother could be clearly seen on his face. Bellamy's children were one of the protesters in the front demanding answers.
"People, calm down! Calm down, please!" Tim called out with only some of the yells and shouts subsiding. "I know you're scared. You have every right to be, but violence isn't going to solve anything."
"What's the sheriff going to do about this? His stupid curfew was supposed to protect us, and it hadn't done shit!" one man shouted.
"We're doing everything that we can. All we know is that what killed the school teacher appears to be the same thing that killed Mr. Bellamy and his men." Sheriff Wagner said.
"So no one's safe, is that it?" a woman called out.
"I didn't say that." The Sheriff said.
"So what are you saying? Cause right now, it looks like you can't tell the difference between a hole in the ground and your own asshole!" a rather scruffy looking farmer said.
"The landowners and I have agreed to form local armed nightly patrols around the town. We'll have men posted on all sides to make sure this thing doesn't hurt anyone else."
"What a loud of bullshit." The same farmer uttered under his breath.
"What are we supposed to do? Just act like nothing is wrong?"
"Just go about your lives and be on the lookout. That's the only thing we can suggest for now." The Sheriff said.
"Can we at least protect ourselves?"
"No one is allowed to carry a gun while in town." The sheriff said, causing the people to start shouting their complaints once more. "Given the situation and how tense everyone is, there's too great a chance that a citizen could be shot by accident."
"My children, please!" Father Wagner said as he stepped up beside his brother with his arms raised. "My children, I beg of you to hear me out! I know we are afraid. I implore you to listen to reason and not give in to hate. If the Sheriff agrees, I will gladly allow people sanctuary in the church tonight. Those who do not feel safe in their homes will be more than welcomed to find shelter and comfort in the house of the Lord."
"Raymond, what do you think?" Tim asked the sheriff.
"I'll allow it. When we start patrols tonight, I'll have a few men posted out front to guard the church."
"You heard them. Besides new patrols, the Father is will allow people to stay in the church with an armed guard out front. Does that sound reasonable for now?" Tim asked with more than half of the crowd agreeing. "Now we'll need volunteers." Tim started again, but John's attention was drawn to something else. He had noticed out of the corner of his eye and turned to see who was moving away from the crowd.
"If he keeps handling this, we're all going to wind up dead. I say we go out and kill that thing tonight." The farmer said as he broke away from the crowd with several others.
"Look what happened to that fat old fart and the men he took." Another said.
"They were a bunch of hired hands and a rich snob. We know how to hunt and track wild animals. We'll meet at my house tonight then head out. Start looking for anyone that wants to tag along." The farmer said before they left.
"This is getting bad." John said; overhearing everything.
"Slim knows what he's doing, and everyone trusts him." Fritz said.
"That's not what I'm worried about." John said as he told Mim and Fritz what he overheard.
"They're going to get themselves killed." Mim said.
"No shit." Fritz said.
"There's got to be something we can do." Mim said.
"Lock me up." John said, making Fritz and Mim look at him like he had just started to grow a second head.
"What?" Miriam asked.
"Lock me up, just to be safe."
"Aren't you over reacting?" Mim asked him. John was about to answer when he looked over her shoulder and saw a sight that chilled him to the core.
Behind a very shocked and grieving Joseph Mankey was the school teacher, Sarah. Her skin was deathly pale, a large chunk of her forearm was missing, and her throat had been completely ripped and gnawed away with several deep claw marks along the left side of her face. She looked up briefly at John and Mim with tears in her eyes. John quickly looked away and faced Fritz and Miriam.
"No, I don't think I am." John said.
"Neither do I." an older woman said as she approached the gathered trio.
"Maleva?" Fritz asked as she approached Jonathan.
"Mr. Stoppable, did you wear the medallion I gave you?"
"Yes. I'm wearing it right now." He said to her.
"Let me see." She said.
John opened his shirt to reveal the silver medallion hanging from the leather strap around his neck and pressed against his chest. Maleva lifted the medallion and looked at John's skin underneath. She saw the circular pink mark where the skin look irritated and felt it with her fingers. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that what she was seeing wasn't make-up.
"The amulet is working. It wasn't you that attacked last night. Your idea is probably a sound one. We have to make sure that its power is working." Maleva said.
"What happens if he doesn't change?" Mim asked.
"Then it means the wolf that bit him is still among us. Before, it stayed away from the town. It is getting bolder and widening its hunting grounds. You must find out who it is."
"How? Not even Joss knows who it is." John said.
"Joss?" Fritz asked.
"Long story." Mim said. "Where do we even begin? Are there any other ways to find out if someone's a werewolf?"
"I'm not sure. The changes can be subtle at best." Maleva said.
"So what do we do now?" John asked.
"Slim might want us to bunker down in the church with the other tonight. If he does, Miriam can go with him. I'll stay at the ranch with a few others to bunker down the animals and find some place to stash John for the night."
"What if Tim asks where I am?"
"I'll just tell him you're helping me."
"Then we have a plan. I'll go see what all I can do to help Uncle Tim and Father Wagner set the church up for everyone. You two get back to the ranch." Mim said.
"Then hurry. The moon will be full tonight." Maleva warned.
"All right. And John?" Mim asked.
"Yes?" John asked as she pulled John in close to her and kissed him deeply on the lips. "Be careful." She whispered as soon as they parted.
"You too." John said. There was a lot to do, and little time to do it.
"Miss Possible?" Maleva asked, grasping her by the wrist.
"What is it?" Mim asked.
"Mr. Stoppable. Do you love him?"
Mim opened her mouth for a moment, but thought hard about that question. After only a short moment or two, her lips turned upward into a smile as she looked at the woman.
"I do love him. I've loved him for a long time." She said.
"Then I must tell you that there is no cure for his condition. The amulet will work for a while, but it is not a permanent solution. Eventually, the beast will have its day. When the time comes, are you willing to do what is necessary to set him free?"
"Set him – you mean kill? You expect me to kill John?"
"Eventually, it may be the only thing you can do for him. To not just save his life, but your own life and the lives of others. Be prepared." She said as she turned and began to walk back to her house. The only thing Mim could do was watch as the information Maleva had just told her weighed heavily on her mind.
John and Fritz arrived back to the ranch in time for Tim to recruit a handful of the hands to help him get things ready back in town with the church. A skeleton crew was left behind to make sure the livestock everything else was secured and for the night since there wouldn't be that many people there. After a quick change of clothes, John did everything he could to help the others. In town, Mim was making sure there were enough blankets and spare cots moved into the sanctuary. Once she was done with that, she began to assist Vee and a few others with cooking a hearty supper for everyone that was going to sleep in the church. With the people that already started to arrive, it looked like the majority of the town was going to be there. In the end, it became a town gathering to honor the victims of these animal attacks and their families.
The sun was beginning to descend and the sky start to fade into various glows of orange and shades of violet. The remaining ranch hands made several last minute checks before going to their bunk house and locking the doors and windows. John was growing worried as he watched the sun start to set when Fritz padded him on the shoulder.
"It's time to get you someplace safe." Fritz said.
"Where am I going to be sleeping?" John asked.
"The stables."
"The stables? What about the horses?"
"John, those stables have iron bars and are built out of the redwoods around here. I don't think anything short of a grizzly could break out of there." Fritz told him.
"What if you're wrong?"
"Then at least you get a good meal. And ol' Slim finally has a reason to get those new stallions he's had an eye on."
"That's not funny." John said as they began to walk.
"Well, you can't say I didn't try to find some silver lining."
Every stall in the stable was made out of thick pieces of wood and were lined up side by side on each side. Where the wood ended, several thick iron bars stretched up the rest of the way, almost to the very ceiling itself where they were attached to cross beams. As soon as John set foot in the stables, the horses began to grow rather restless. They could sense what he was and what wanted to come out as soon as the sun had was escorting John down the long dirt pathway with several horses rearing up on their hind legs and almost shouting neighs, like they were trying to make John go away or warn Fritz what was with them. Fritz took John to three empty stables that were side by side and across from the stables that were occupied by some of Tim's finest stallions. Fritz escorted Jonathan to middle vacant stale where a fresh hay had been laid out and a small set of blankets and a pillow. There was also a basket filled with leftovers from last night's supper and two large jars filled with drinking water. There was also a rather large bucket in the far corner that John raised and eyebrow at. John stepped inside his temporary quarters and looked at the bucket as Fritz closed the door and locked it with a thick and sturdy lock.
"Fritz? What's with the bucket?" John asked him.
"In case you need to go to the bathroom. If you hadn't noticed, there isn't any plumbing in here." the ranch hand answered.
"Eww." John said as he backed away from the bucket.
"I'll see you in the morning, John." Fritz said as he began to leave, but stopped before looking at John again. "I hope that trinket Maleva gave you is working. You're a good man, John. I'd really hate it if I have to kill ya." Fritz said and walked away.
"I guess now I just sit here and wait." John said as he unbuttoned his shirt and scratched his chest. Where the medallion rested, his skin began to feel slightly itchy and started to become a darker pink. As he took a seat, he noticed that the stables started to feel oddly warmer than it had only seconds before.
The moon was now high in the night sky, long changed from shades of violets to a combination of blacks and navy blues. The church windows were aglow with soft light from inside its walls while two men stood guard outside its closed wooden doors. Both men held a rifle firmly within their hands as they kept their eyes peeled. It was clear to see that they were nervous, but they did their best to keep calm and a cool head on their shoulders. They would only be out here for another hour or so before two others would come outside to relieve them of their posts so they could go in and get some sleep as well. As they kept glancing from side to side at the nearly deserted town, they heard the sound of footsteps drawing near. The closest to the noise quickly raised his rifle and aimed in the direction he though he heard the noised while the other kept his at the ready. Both breathed relief when they saw two men approaching armed with pistols and holding a lantern, the sheriff's deputies, as they finished another patrol of the town.
"I'm guessing your nerves are getting the better of you?" one deputy asked.
"You could say that. I keep expecting to get my face chewed off every time I turn around. How long is it until sun rise?"
"It's not even midnight yet."
"Shit!"
The two deputies chuckled as they began to walk away and headed back to the sheriff's office. They were halfway back to the office when they paused and made sure they were out of sight of the men guarding the church when they walked behind the hotel and raised the lantern they were holding. Behind the hotel were a group of five men holding the reigns of their horses as they looked up.
"The coast is clear. If you still want to hunt this thing, you better leave now."
"We're going." One man said as the two deputies left. The man turned to the men behind him as he mounted his horse. "You all ready?" he asked them and received a few low yeses and nods.
"What about you, Mankey? Are you ready?"
"I'm ready. Let's go." Joseph said as he made sure his rifle was secured and mounted his own horse.
John was sitting in the horse's stall, breathing heavily as a thin coat of sweat covered his body. It felt like his body heat had increased beyond a human being's natural limits as his chest heaved and panted heavily. Every single one of his muscles were aching with the levels in pain coming and ebbing in waves. It felt like every part of his anatomy was on the verge of an enormous muscle cramp while the sweat poured down his face, his arms, and his back. A guttural growl escaped his throat as he moaned in overwhelming discomfort. As he sat, he tore open his shirt and began to claw at his bare chest. The amulet around his neck felt like it was burning him as it sat pressed against him.
He kept trying to move it away, but the leather strap around his neck kept the amulet from being flung away and still rest against his skin every time he tried to move it. No matter where it would land, it felt like it was burning him like a branding iron. While he tossed and turned in discomfort, he couldn't help but notice how it also felt like something inside of him was stuck. The only other experience in his life that he could compare the sensation to was when a belch had refused to escape his esophagus. This feeling was deeper inside of him and felt larger. The sensation was not only physically, but emotionally as well. It was like a desperate and deep longing to be outside and to be free.
Maleva closed the book she had been glancing through and placed it with the small stack that was on her dinning room table. She had gone through so many manuscripts and books that were a combination of folk lore from her people and other cultures. She hadn't looked at these in years and almost forgot that she had them. With the recent events of not one, but two wolves and her impending fate from the tuberculosis, she felt like reading more on her people's culture and beliefs to try and find some comfort. She had been reading for so long that she felt like her eyes were going to cross. As she groaned from her weariness, she started to cough and quickly grasped her handkerchief that was at her side. She placed it against her lips as her coughing became worse and quickly evolved into a small fit. Each cough that escaped her lips felt like she was scraping the inside of her own throat with a shaving razor and a burning inside of her lungs.
After what seemed like endless minutes, or a small eternity, she was finally to quit her cough and slow it down. Her breathing was normal even though it was rather raspy as she looked at the cloth in her hands. Her free hand balled into a fist as she saw the rather large stains of blood and could still taste a small hint of copper in her mouth. She put the handkerchief away as she looked through the stack of books. There were so many stories and legends of werewolves. So far, everything that she had read each told of different signs and warnings. There were many different incidents and events that was believed to have supposedly caused by a man turning into a wolf. Yet she was looking for something that she remembered from her childhood. She remembered when she was young that one of their own had been stricken with this curse. Her grandmother had consulted a manuscript that listed several herbs which when combined would help him control the beast. The only problem was what she had told Miriam earlier. One could only suppress the wolf for so long. Eventually, the beast would find a way to be free. Despite her search, she couldn't find the recipe she was looking for. The only thing that she could find was the one thing that all the legends and stories agreed upon. The only true way to stop a werewolf was to kill them with silver.
Maleva stood to her feet as she decided to fix herself something to drink. As she made her way to her kitchen, she noticed that the back door was slightly opened. She normally left her doors unlocked, but that was during the day. As soon as it was dusk, she always locked everything. She had started doing that in the early years of her marriage when someone had broken into their home and stolen several of their possessions. Maleva became uneasy as she looked around her home. She walked to the door and took a look at it and saw that not only was the knob broken, but there were a few claw marks surrounding it.
"Shit." She whispered to herself.
As she began to close the door, she heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind. She slowly turned and was greeted by a large hulking form that was covered with hair. It let out a vicious growl as it loomed over her and came even closer to her. Maleva stiffened herself as she glared at the beast in front of her and did her best to muster her courage.
"I should have known it was you." She said, earning a snarl in response. "There will be a special place in hell reserved for you when the time comes." She said as she loosened the collar of her blouse and exposed her neck. She continued her defiant stare as the beast exposed its teeth and raised its claws. "Get it over with."
John woke with a start as his ears were assaulted by the noises of all the horses and the various smells that threatened to curl all the hairs inside his nostrils. He sat up and felt sore all over as he saw that he had spent the night laying in the straw. It looked like he had tossed and turned all through the night. He looked down and saw that he had ripped his shirt open and there were a few scratch marks all over his chest. He looked at the area where the amulet was and saw that the skin was pink again, but it still itched a little. He stood to his feet and felt his shoulders and elbows popped as he did so. As he popped his neck, he saw Fritz open the stable doors and made his way to John. As he did so, he noticed that the horses were actually calmer than they were the previous night. Almost like nothing was wrong.
"You look like a mess." Fritz said as he unlocked the stable door.
"I feel like a mess. Has there been any word from Mim or the others?"
"Not yet. You've got some fresh clothes in the house. I figured you could wash up, then we can head into town."
"Good idea. I feel like a need a bath."
"Not to mention you smell like you need one. If I hadn't cleaned out that stall myself, I would have thought you slept in a manure pile."
"Thanks for the compliment." John said with a mild hint of sarcasm.
"I do aim to please." Fritz said and chuckled at the look Jonathan gave him.
John and Fritz arrived into town on the wagon and saw that everyone in town had gathered outside the doctor's office. Everyone seemed to be talking a mile a minute and sounded both worried as well as scared out of their minds. The two immediately disembarked from the wagon and made their way where they saw Slim and a distraught Miriam. Worried, John made his way to Miriam as fast as he could.
"Mim! Mim, are you all right?" he asked her.
"I'm fine." She reassured him.
"What happened?"
"Several idiots when looking for that damn thing. Only one made it back. The doc's looking after him now, but it isn't good." Slim said.
"John, it was Joseph."
"Mankey? He went after that thing?"
"It looks like it." Slim said.
"Wait a minute. Mim, where's Maleva?" Fritz asked.
"I haven't seen her since yesterday." Mim answered.
"Wasn't she at the church with the rest of you?"
"I don't remember seeing her there. Uncle Tim?"
"I don't remember seeing her at the church at all." Slim said.
"I'm going to go check on her." Fritz said as he made his way towards her house.
As Fritz made his way down the street, the door to the doctor's office opened as Dr. Norton quickly stepped out. He flagged Slim over to approach him quickly. Slim quickly approached the man and listened as the doctor whispered something into his ear. Slim nodded and returned to John and Mim as Norton went back inside his office.
"Mankey's awake, but barley. He wants to see you, Mim."
"Why me?"
"I don't know. It's your choice, Miriam. But Joseph may not have that much longer." Slim said. Mim looked down for a moment before looking back at John.
"It's your choice." Jonathan said.
"I'll see him." Mim said.
Tim put his arm around Miriam as he led her to the door. John was going to stay where he was, but Mim grasped his hand firmly and began to pull him along with her. John didn't object or say anything but went along with Mim as they went into the doctor's office. Inside was a little musty as they looked to the far end of the office and saw a heavily bandaged man laying in a bed with a small chair next to it. His chest was heavily wrapped in so many bandages that he almost looked like a mummy from ancient Egypt with many blotches or red of various sizes and shapes. His left hand was missing three fingers and the right side of his face was completely covered in bandages that were almost completely red. His lower half was covered by a thick blanket, but he was obviously having a hard time breathing as every other breath sounded like a gasp.
"What the hell happened to him?" John asked aloud.
"Multiple broken bones, contusions, bite trauma to the hands, legs, and neck. He's also suffered massive lacerations across all four limbs, his face, and his abdomen. The lacerations were so deep that I had to practically piece his intestines back together. Frankly, it's a miracle that he's lasted this long." Dr. Notron said. "When they found him, he was holding this." The doctor said and pointed to a dirty pistol sitting on the corner of his desk.
"That's my pistol. That's the one Sean gave me that night."
"Makes since. They were in the same area you were."
"Has he said anything about – what happened?" John asked.
"Nothing. He's been mumbling Miss Sarah's name. But he wanted to speak to Mim." Norton said.
"How much longer does he have?" Mim asked.
"Not long. His pulse is erratic."
"We'll wait here, Mim." Slim said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Mim walked to Joseph and took a seat in a chair that was beside his bed. She reached over and brushed a few stray sweat soaked hairs that were matted to his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked at Mim for a moment, squinting as he did so in order to try and focus. As soon as he recognized her, he seemed to relax a little.
"I didn't know – if you'd show." He said; his voice weak.
"I almost didn't. You really hurt me, Joseph." Mim said.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to end things sooner, but I didn't know how. I was – was selfish." Joseph said as his breath became stuck in his throat for a moment.
"How long were you and Sarah – how long were you two together?" she asked.
"Right before Joss went missing. We both tried to fight it, we really did. But – we couldn't help it." He said.
There were so many things she wanted to say to him, most out of anger and spite. She held her tongue as her sympathy for his current state outweighed her anger.
"What were you thinking? How could you go out there with those idiots?" she asked him.
"That thing killed Sarah, and I wanted to kill it. Plain and simple." He said as he stiffened. "We went to the same clearing where Bellamy and the others went to. It came out of nowhere. The - the damn thing must have followed us. It must have."
"The others?"
"Dead." He moaned as he began to wince and his breathing hastened. One of the blood stains began to grow ever so slightly as he grasped Mim's hand and forced himself to talk again. "It was – trying to kill me. I thought it would. B-but I found a pistol in the dirt. I – I was able to shoot the bastard in its left eye. You know, an eye for an – an eye." He said as began to gasp even more and the stain on his chest bandages began to grow bigger.
Dr. Norton rushed to his side and began to listen to Mankey's vitals through his stethoscope. Joseph's gasps began to sound more like he couldn't catch his breath as his fist began to tighten. His face was twisted to such a state that the pain he was suffering was intolerable before he began to relax and lay still. Norton placed his stethoscope onto one part of his chest before quickly placing it on another corner. The doctor's face became very solemn as he removed the stethoscope and stood to his feet.
"He's gone." Norton said as he closed Mankey's eyes. He then took the blanket in his hand, raised and pulled it upward, and covered Joseph Mankey's head.
Mim sat in shock as she continued to look at Joseph for a few minutes longer. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she slowly stood to her feet and walked back to John. Norton was talking to Slim as Jonathan approached her.
"Did you hear all that?" Mim asked him.
"I did." John said.
"Is he really dead?" Mim asked.
John looked up and saw Mankey's spirit standing beside his body while looking down at it in disbelief. He looked up at John with his own tears forming before another form appeared behind him. It was Sarah as she placed her hand on his shoulder and turned him around. Despite her horrific state, Mankey's face lit up as soon as he saw her and embraced her in his arms and held her tightly like there was no tomorrow. She gladly returned the hug and placed her hand against the back of his head. At least he wouldn't be alone and in torment like the others John had seen.
"I'm afraid so, Mim." He said to her.
"I hated him. I truly hated him after what he did. But I never wanted anything like this to happen." Mim said as she leaned into John.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her.
"I feel sick. I never imagined watching someone die like that would be so – horrible."
John held her close when he heard something from outside. It was Fritz shouting at the top of his lungs, screaming for help. John turned to look out the window and saw several people in the crowd outside begin to look towards the edge of town and soon began dashing off in a run. From the tone of Frtiz's voice, something was wrong. John wasn't the only one to notice as Slim, Dr. Norton, and Mim began to notice the crowd's commotion begin to grow louder as they began to move away. They had all begun to move to the door when they heard people shouting from up the street and growing closer.
"SLIM! SLIM!" Fritz shouted as he burst through the door and looked as he had just seen a ghost.
"Fritz, what the hell is going on?" Tim asked.
"M-Maleva." Fritz said as he tried to regain his composure.
Slim and the doctor were confused with only John and Mim realizing what he was trying to say to them.
"No." Mim whispered.
"There was – there was so much blood. It just – I need to sit down." Fritz said as he collapsed to the floor.
"Doc, you go ahead of me. I'll get the sheriff." Slim said as they both ran out the door. As they ran, Fritz seemed to be on the verge of vomiting while he tried to catch his breath.
"Fritz, are you sure it was her?" John asked as he and Mim knelt down in front of him.
"I'm sure. There was enough to –to – Oh God." Fritz said as he turned and proceeded to vomit.
Mim and John backed off from the man as he emptied his belly. As soon as he was done, they helped him to his feet and helped him to a set of chairs on the other side of the building and helped him sit down. As he began to regain his composure, Mim began to inform him of what Mankey had told her shortly before he died. As soon as she was finished, Fritz had an angry but determined look on his face.
"I didn't know Maleva well, but; I know that she didn't deserve to be killed like that. If I could, I'd put a bullet in that thing's head with a double barrel shotgun."
"If I could, I'd load the rifle for you. Right now, we're still at square one. We still don't know how we're going to find this thing." John said.
"Actually, we do." Mim said as Fritz and John looked at her. "Joseph said that he was able to shoot it in its left eye."
"That means they're going to have a bandage over it. So all we have to do is look for a person with one eye." John said.
"And the crowd is the best place to start." Fritz said.
"And everyone will be at the church tonight for safety. I can look there." Mim said.
"All right. Fritz and I will go scout out the crowd." John said.
"I've got to get to the church. I promised Vee that I would help with clean up and preparations again." Mim said.
"Okay. We'll meet at the Harbinger Hotel around lunch. Be careful." John said.
Miriam had spent the pass hour and a half helping clean the sanctuary and getting it ready for that night. Thanks to the help of Mim, Vee, and so many others, you couldn't tell that anyone had been in the chapel, let alone several dozen people having had slept in it the previous night. Several of the ladies were leaving to go freshen up and to spend some time in their homes before returning later tonight. Miriam popped her neck and rotated her shoulders as she began to follow everyone out when she noticed that one person in particular was Father Wagner. For the majority of the day, she hadn't seen him anywhere. It was a little odd since he was very hands on and had helped with much of the preparations yesterday. She glanced around the chapel before turning back to the women that were leaving.
"Has anyone seen the father?" she asked.
"He's out back in his garden again." One lady said.
"If he spent as much time preparing sermons as he does in that garden, more people would probably be awake during Sunday mass instead of catching up on their sleep." Another said.
"Oh, you are the worst." The first woman replied. "Coming Mim?"
"In a little bit. I'm going to go see if there's anything else he needs help with." Mim answered.
"All right. Just remember that the front doors stick when they close. You might need some help opening them."
Miriam nodded in response as she made her way to the back of the church and out the back door. A large area of the backside of the church was fenced in with a picket fence that had a coat of whitewash applied to it a few weeks ago. Inside of the fenced in area was a large assortment of vegetables growing on the left side while on the right side was a wide assortment of various flowers and other plants. In the center of the garden was a large willow tree with wide outstretching branches.
During the spring and summer, the tree was beautiful when its leaves were full and bountiful. During the fall, the season that had started not too long ago, the branches were mostly bare that made it look like it should be growing in the center of the cemetery than in the middle of a beautiful garden like this. Trimming some of the various flowers stood Father Wagner with his back to her. She opened the gate and made her way to the skinny young priest while being careful to watch her step. Everyone had ways to relieve stress, and everyone knew this garden was Father Wagner's.
"Good Morning, Father." Mim called out.
"Good morning, Miriam. How are you?" he asked as he turned his head to the right, glancing at Mim with his back still to her.
"I'm fine. I was just wondering if there was anything else that you needed help with."
"Not right now. Thank you, though." The Father said as he returned his attention to his plants and trimmed a few more of them. "What about you? Is everything okay with your uncle and your friend?"
"For now. I think we're just on edge right now. With everything that's been happening, I think everybody just feels helpless." Mim said.
"Don't worry, Mim. It's always darkest before the dawn. Before we know it, everything will go back to normal."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Of course I do. God always has a plan for everyone." He said.
"I'll see you tonight, then." Miriam said as she turned to leave.
As she did so, her foot stumbled over a small clod of dirt. She began tipping forward as she lost her balance and quickly shot her arms out in front of her to break her fall. She felt a hand grasp her by her bicep and quickly halted her fall. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was the Father's hand. She quickly straightened herself with the man's help and gave a small chuckle.
"Thank you, Father. I guess I should pay more,"
Mim's small smile quickly disappeared as she gasped and her eyes widened in shock upon looking at the Father's face. Over his left eye was a large bandage with a small hint of brownish red in its center.
"Pay more attention." She finished as she gulped a lump down her throat.
"Are you all right, Mim? You're trembling." Father Wagner said.
"J-just a little shaken from falling. W-what happened to your eye?" she asked him.
"It was my clumsiness again; as usual. I came out here earlier this morning to tend to the garden with my head down. When I looked up, I walked right into a tree branch." He said with his own chuckle and looking rather sheepish.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Mim said as she cleared her throat and began to walk away. "I better head back to the house. I think Uncle Tim needs me to help Vee with a few things." Mim said and quickly walked back into the chapel.
She walked as fast as she could to the main doors, not bothering to look behind her as her pace quickened. She tried to pull open the main door and found that it wouldn't budge. She pulled it a few more times, but it still refused to open.
"It sticks. Damn! Why didn't I just go around?" she whispered to herself.
"I'm sorry, Miriam." She heard Father Wagner say behind her from the back of the church.
She quickly turned around and saw Father Wagner removing his gloves and placing them on a choir bench.
"I wish I could have believed you. But I did see you talk to Maleva yesterday. I might be clumsy, but despite what people think; I am not an idiot."
"It is you. It's always been you." Mim said.
"I'm afraid so. I do hope you believe that I would never willingly hurt anyone."
"You've killed innocent people!"
"I am only acting out the Lord's will. It is the Lord our God that has chosen me to be his arm and to carry out his wishes."
"You actually believe this is God's will? What about Sarah? What about Joss?!"
"Joss? It was the only way to save her virtue, Mim. You may not have seen it, but Joseph had set his eyes on her. He may have acted like a gentleman, but he fallen under the sway to the sin of lust. She was sneaking off to the fair to meet him. I couldn't let her fall under the control of the same sin, and she was also disobeying her father's wishes. Thou shall honor thy father and thy mother."
"And Sarah?"
"I do regret that. But she was about to kill herself, Miriam. If she had succeeded, her soul would be burning in the pits of hell right now. I may have physically taken her life, but I saved her life eternal." Wagner said as he began to walk forward. As he did so, Mim could see his remaining eye starting to change its color into a golden yellow.
"W-what about the others?" Mim asked; hoping to buy herself some time and figure out a plan of escape.
"The others? They had sins longer than the roads from here to the nearest city. Bellamy had some of the worst sins I had ever heard in my life. They may have asked for forgiveness, but I could clearly see that none of them were ever truly sorry in the slightest for what they had done."
"What about Maleva? You sent John to her."
"Jonathan needed to understand the gift he had been given. He needed to accept that God had chosen him to carry out the Lord's divine work, like myself. I didn't have the answers he needed, but she did. I had no problems with that. Then she tried to spread her heathen ways across the town. Silver and wolfs bane and all that blasphemy. I was not about to let a false prophet steer my flock from the path of righteousness." Wagner said as he came closer.
As he did, Mim inched away from the door in hopes she could possibly run around the pews over climb over them. If nothing else, she was moving herself near the bowl that held the Holy Water. If needed, she could hit him in the head with it and buy herself some time.
"Don't you see how everything goes according to the will of God? Do you see?!" he asked, raising his voice as if he were giving a sermon.
"You're insane." She whispered. "If there is a God, then I beg you. Help me. Please!" Mim thought to herself.
God seemed to be listening to Miriam at that moment. As if a part of divine intervention, the main door to the church finally opened from the outside. One of the ladies that had left earlier entered the chapel with a smile on her face and not a care in the world. As soon as she entered, Miriam quickly slipped out. As soon as she was outside the church, she began to run to the Harbinger Hotel as quickly as she could. She entered the doors and found John and Fritz sitting at a table, waiting for her. As soon as they saw her, both stood to their feet as she quickly walked to him, terrified.
"Mim, what's wrong?" John asked her.
"We have to go. We have to leave, right now!" Mim said.
"Mim?" Fritz asked, noticing the tremble in her voice.
"I'll explain everything later, but we have to leave. Now!"