911, This Is an Emergency - The Mad Wolf (Chapter 2)
This was going to be a long, dark night. Hunted. Surrounded. Frightened. Then a visitor appears at our door.
A short fictional story about a family moving to the country, seeking peace and rest, only to find ourselves being hunted and having to fight for our lives by something lurking in the dark.
If you missed the first chapter of the Mad Wolf story:
Something terrible happened
I can’t sleep. It’s too damn quiet here, especially tonight. No birds. No crickets. No deer. Nothing. All I can hear is the wind howling in the night. The trees dance with it. This house is old. There’s always some creeks in the wood and scratches on the roof. Not tonight. It’s eerie. I miss the city. The noise. The life in the night. The city never sleeps, and now I can’t.
I know something else isn’t sleeping tonight. When I close my eyes, I still feel its heartbeat. Like we’re connected somehow. It’s stupid, but it’s real. Perhaps it’s all in my head. I hope it’s all in my head. Fuck. I still can’t sleep. I decide to get up and take a peek through the window. I should have stayed in bed.
I walk down the stairs, all quiet like. I don’t want to wake the girls. They’re firm asleep. Lucky them. It’s for the best. I feel I have to stay awake. Someone has to be on the watch. I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling. The stairs squeak. I can’t help it. It’s an old house. I check the door again. Still locked. Still safe. I walk over to the window and peek through the curtain. It’s a bright night. A cold night. I throw some wood on the fire. I love fire. Fire is warm. Fire is safe.
I walk toward another window. I carefully remove the curtain, and our eyes meet! I stare into its gaze for what feels like an eternity. I see only the eyes that are reflecting the moon. It doesn’t move. It doesn’t blink. It’s just staring at me. I stare back. In my mind, I tell it to go away. To leave us alone. I want to scream and throw rocks at the beast hidden in the bushes! Go away! I don’t want to wake the girls. I use my inner voice.
I blink, and I can’t find the beast anymore. It disappeared. The glowing orbs have gone dormant. Where is it? I switch the window, frantically seeking to catch another glimpse. Somehow, it felt safer when I could see it. I saw nothing. It could have been my imagination. It wouldn’t be the first time. I check the third window. Nothing. Where is the bloody beast?
I go back to the first window, and I scan the area. I won’t give up until I find it. I know it’s out there.
Suddenly, I feel someone’s breath on my neck. I startle and don't dare move an inch. How the fuck did it get in here? I’m frozen. The panic has taken over. I feel paralyzed. Then I feel hands around my waste. Her warmth calms me down. I must have woken up Maria.
“What is it, honey? Can’t sleep?” she asks.
“I saw it,” I reply.
“You saw what? What did you see?”
“I don’t know. Eyes. It’s still out there. Waiting.”
“Is it a wolf? A bear?”
“I couldn’t see. A wolf. I think.”
“Come back to bed. It can’t get in here. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
“You’re right. Come on,” I answer, and we head back to bed.
As we lay in bed, she puts her head on my chest. I try to calm her and whisper, “It’s going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.” Not because I believed it. I felt it was my job to be brave and stay strong. I was tired and zoned out soon after. As I suddenly awoke, I found her shaking me.
“What is it?” I ask, half asleep.
“Something is scratching at the front door,” she replies.
“What?” that woke me up!
“I think it’s trying to get in.”
“It’s just an animal. What kind of an animal does that?” I ask, not wanting to know the answer.
“Go check it out!” Marie said.
“Fuck!” I replied and got out of bed.
I walked down the stairs and turned on the light in the living room. I turned the corner. The door is still closed. I want to check again but I don’t want to get closer. I’m scared. Mortified. The scratching continues, and it’s getting frantic. For a moment there, I think I hear squealing.
“What the hell?”
I peek over the window to try and see what’s going on. That’s no wolf scratching at my door. It’s a dog. It looks familiar. I think it’s my neighbor's dog. The one who doesn’t talk to us. A lovely sheepdog. What’s it doing all the way here?
“What is it?” Marie asks from the stairs.
“It’s a dog. I think it’s that neighbor's dog. The one with the sheep,” I answer.
“Are you going to let it in?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Is it possible that you saw this dog before? Outside? In the bush?” It was a logical question.
“No! That was no dog!” I was certain. “That was pure evil.”
“Should we let the dog in?” she asked. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”
“I don’t know. It looks scared,” I reply.
The dog was still squealing and trying to get in. I felt it was afraid—poor dog. I decided to let it in. I opened the door, and the dog jumped on me, knocking me down! The door swung wide open.
Maria yelled, “Door!”
I couldn’t get the dog off me. It was a big old pup. I was covered in saliva. It was happy to see me. Finally, I roll it off me. As I look past the open door, our eyes meet again. The beast was close now. Closer than before. I still saw only eyes, but they were bigger now. Brighter, too, reflecting the light from the house. I just stood there waiting for my turn. To make a mistake. Expose a weakness. Show my back. I slammed the door and locked it in one move! Maria was cuddling the thankful dog. We did good. I think we saved the poor pup from certain death.
“It’s still out there,” I said to Maria. “Did you see the eyes?”
“I'm sorry, no. What do you think happened to the old man?”
“What do you mean,” I ask.
“Why is his dog here? It never came before. I think something must have happened to our neighbor.”
“What do you want me to do about it? I’m not going out there!” I replied.
“Call him. Check up on him,” she replied.
“I don’t have his number.”
“Call the police then!” she was determined.
“And tell them what? It’s midnight. Nobody wants to hear about a stray dog in the middle of the night,” I protested.
“Call them and tell them you think something bad happened. Send them to go and check on the old man.”
I knew there was no arguing with her, so I called the police and sent them to see about the old man. They weren’t happy, but they said they’d send a car. I didn’t mention the beast stalking us. I didn’t want them to think I was insane. Am I insane? Is it all in my imagination? Am I seeing things?
We couldn’t sleep. Maria made tea, and I petted the dog while waiting for news. It was going to be a long night. I had no idea just how long.
I heard a car in the driveway. Someone was coming. It was the cops. I don’t like the police. Tonight, they are like angels sent from the Lord above. I hear a knock on the door. It’s officer John and Jane. They might as well be “Doe’s” as they don’t introduce themselves. They look pale in the face. Their hands are on their sidearm. I sense fear in their eyes. Something bad happened.
“Are you the ones who called about the neighbor?” John asks.
“I am,” I confirm. “How is he?”
“We couldn’t find him,” Jane said and looked at me with questions in her eyes.
“Hm,” I grunt. “That’s weird. His dog came here, begging to come in. He’s never done this before.” I point at the dog in Maria’s lap.
“What else do you know?” John asked.
“About the old man?” I ask.
“About what happened?” Johns replies.
“Noting. What happened?”
“When was the last time you spoke to your neighbor?” Jane asks. John writes something in his notebook.
“Never,” I reply. “The most I got was a node of recognition from the man. He didn’t say much. At least not to me.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” John added.
Maria said she saw him at the market, delivering some sheep. A few days ago, it must have been. For me, it was longer. The cop writes it in his notebook.
“Seen anything strange around here?” Officer John asks.
“Strange?” Maria’s and my eyes meet. “Why?” I inquire, pretending to be surprised. They know something and aren’t telling. “What’s going on?”
The cops glance at each other, and John tells his partner to go and have a look around the house.
“Do you have any animals on the property?” he asks.
“Chickens. At the back of the house,” Maria answers.
Jane heard it and was on her way to check it out.
“Be careful,” I blurb aloud.
They both look at me with dark suspicion on their faces. Their hands move back onto their guns.
“Why?” John asks.
I look at Maria. How much should I say? I want to warn them of danger but don’t want to look like a fool. Maybe they scared the beast away. I hope they did. I felt safer since they came. Maria nods to me. To hell with it! Here we go.
“We noticed a dead deer nearby today. It startled Suzie,” I started explaining.
“Who’s Suzie,” Officer Jane asks.
“Our daughter,” Maria answers. “She’s sleeping upstairs.”
“It was a fresh kill. There wasn’t much left,” I explain.
“What do you think it was?” John asked me.
“I don’t know. A wolf, probably. But I’m no hunter.”
John notes it down in his little notebook. I feel like I’m being interrogated. I don’t like it. I take a step closer, look the man in the eyes, and ask again, “What happened to our neighbor?”
“Like I said, we didn’t find him,” Officer John explains. Jane has disappeared from my view. She went to check on the chickens.
“What aren’t you telling me, officer?” I ask the man.
I see fear in his eyes and disgust. He pulls me aside and quietly says, “We found blood. Lots of blood, but no old man,” he finally confessed. “And then there’s the animals.”
“What happened to the animals?” I ask.
“They were all slaughtered. All of them. Chickens, sheep, ducks, cows, and horses. It was a massacre. I have never seen anything like it in my life. This shit will haunt me in my dreams.”
“What could kill so many animals? Horses even?” I ask, afraid of the answer.
“Wolves, maybe. If they were big and a large pack. They get caught in a killing frenzy, killing everything in their sights. It happens from time to time. The last time was ten years ago. But not like this,” the officer explains. “Never like this.”
I look at Maria. She knew what was said. She didn’t need her super hearing for that. It was written on the man’s face. Terror in his eyes. Heaviness in his soul.
“You’re sure it couldn’t have been just one wolf?” I ask.
“No way. Not this. Why do you ask?”
“I know this will sound crazy. I think it’s been stalking us. Are we in danger? Do wolves attack people?” I ask.
“Rarely. They mostly keep away. Where did you see it?” John asks.
I point past his shoulder into the nearby bush. Into the darkness. He steps outside the house and asks, “When?” He shines his light into the forest. Nothing.
“About an hour ago,” I answer.
John unholsters his gun and calls his partner on the radio. No answer. He looks around. I don’t know if he’s hunting or scared. I’m just glad he’s here. And his gun.
“Wait inside. I have to check on my partner. I’ll be right back,” John says. He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I’m not going anywhere. I lock the door behind me.
A few moments later, I heard gunshots! It sounded like one of the cops emptied the entire clip. It was louder than I expected.
“If that didn’t chase the wolves away, nothing will,” I said aloud. I had no idea just how right I was.
Maria says, “Something bad happened.”
“Did you hear anything?” I ask.
“No. That’s the problem. No chickens. No fighting. No voices,” she replied. “Only quiet and then gunshots.”
She was holding hands over her ears, and I was holding her. The dog was squeezing between us. I hear something being dragged on the porch. We stare at the door from afar, afraid to know what it is. Then someone knocks at our door. Relief. It’s the cops. I opened the door, and Officer John stood over Officer Jane’s body. He looked terrified. She looked dead. Butchered. Half her face was eaten. What the hell is going on? What attacks cops?
“We have a problem,” John says, with terror in his eyes. “May we come in,” he asks.
I open the door. He squats down to pick up Jane’s body. Something big and black suddenly jumps from the dark! It knocks him down! John looks at me as if saying, “Help me” with his eyes. I was in shock. Frozen. He was dragged from the porch and disappeared into the darkness. I ran after him! I wanted to help him. Why did I freeze? Could I have helped him? Fuck!
I approach the forest. It's dark. I can’t see a thing. I scream the officer’s name. No answer. I walk forward. All of a sudden, I heard Maria yell out my name. Fuck! I left the door open.
“Maria!”
To be continued…
Read the next chapter now:
Wolves Are Inside the House! - The Mad Wolf (Chapter 3)
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If you missed the first chapter of the Mad Wolf story: