animal’s giant body slumped to the ground, where it twitched then fell still. Then the craziest thing I had ever seen happened. The wolf’s body started to change. It was as if it were shrinking in front of my very eyes, as its fur disappeared and it changed back to its human form. Turning, I raced over to where the head had fallen. The long snout, pointed ears and teeth withdrew back into the giant skull which gradually grew smaller. I watched the transformation until it had finished and Drake was staring blankly up at me.
Reaching down, I picked up Drake’s head by the hair. It felt heavy in my hands as it swung against my leg. I went back to the bloody mess that had once been Madison. Bending down, I took the crucifix from beneath a lump of flesh. Holding it up before me, I watched the moonlight wink back at me as it reflected off of it.
“I’m sorry, Madison,” I said and like a distant memory, I had trouble remembering her face. Maybe that was for the best. Perhaps I should forget about what happened between me and Madison at the Wolf House. It would be our secret – my secret.
I put the crucifix in my pocket, turned, and headed back to the town of Little Hope with Drake’s head dangling from my fist.
22
I reached the Little Hope railway station just before dawn. With Drake’s head still swinging by the hair from my fist, I entered the car park. There were two vehicles parked next to one another. One was a Chrysler, the other a van, but both were black in colour. The headlights of the car flashed twice at me, and I covered my eyes with my free hand.
The passenger door swung open and someone got out. At first I couldn’t see who it was as I was blinded by the headlights. But as I got nearer, I could see that it was Harker who had gotten out to greet me. The way the dying moonlight glinted off his bald spot I would recognise anywhere.
“Have you caught this rouge Lycanthrope?” he asked me.
Without saying anything, I chucked Drake’s head at him. It bounced off the tarmac and rolled towards his feet.
Harker glanced down at it and said, “Drake?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure,” I hissed. “I don’t cut people’s heads off for the fun of it. That’s why you never caught him, he was working from the inside. He knew your every move so he could work around you.”
“Can I trust you on this?”
Lighting a cigarette, I said, “There’s a house on the other side of town. My guess is that by morning you will receive a call into the police station from the owners saying that they woke to find a huge hole in their daughter’s bedroom wall.”
“Constable Drake?” Harker asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“No, me.” I told him. “I followed him last night to the house. I saw him with my own eyes as he tried to take the little girl, so I killed him. You won’t have any more child killings in Little Hope.”
“Constable Madison?” he said.
“Dead,” I answered blowing smoke through my nose.
“How come?” he asked flatly.
“Drake killed her when she discovered he was the killer,” I told him.
“That’s a shame,” Harker said. “She was a good officer.”
“Was she? I wouldn’t know,” I said. “Where are my friends?”
Harker raised a hand into the air, as if giving a signal, and the side door to the van slid open. Luke stumbled out and fell to his knees. He was blindfolded and his hands were bound behind his back. Murphy followed as he was shoved from the darkness of the van. Like Luke, he was blindfolded and bound. He hit the ground hard and cried out in pain.
“I think that concludes our business,” Harker smiled and held out his hand for me to shake.
I looked at him and said, “You put a bullet in my sergeant, I won’t forget that. Watch your back, Harker.”
Without shaking his hand, I flicked my cigarette away and walked over to my friends. Kneeling down, I removed their blindfolds and restraints. I watched Harker pick up
Reaching down, I picked up Drake’s head by the hair. It felt heavy in my hands as it swung against my leg. I went back to the bloody mess that had once been Madison. Bending down, I took the crucifix from beneath a lump of flesh. Holding it up before me, I watched the moonlight wink back at me as it reflected off of it.
“I’m sorry, Madison,” I said and like a distant memory, I had trouble remembering her face. Maybe that was for the best. Perhaps I should forget about what happened between me and Madison at the Wolf House. It would be our secret – my secret.
I put the crucifix in my pocket, turned, and headed back to the town of Little Hope with Drake’s head dangling from my fist.
22
I reached the Little Hope railway station just before dawn. With Drake’s head still swinging by the hair from my fist, I entered the car park. There were two vehicles parked next to one another. One was a Chrysler, the other a van, but both were black in colour. The headlights of the car flashed twice at me, and I covered my eyes with my free hand.
The passenger door swung open and someone got out. At first I couldn’t see who it was as I was blinded by the headlights. But as I got nearer, I could see that it was Harker who had gotten out to greet me. The way the dying moonlight glinted off his bald spot I would recognise anywhere.
“Have you caught this rouge Lycanthrope?” he asked me.
Without saying anything, I chucked Drake’s head at him. It bounced off the tarmac and rolled towards his feet.
Harker glanced down at it and said, “Drake?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure,” I hissed. “I don’t cut people’s heads off for the fun of it. That’s why you never caught him, he was working from the inside. He knew your every move so he could work around you.”
“Can I trust you on this?”
Lighting a cigarette, I said, “There’s a house on the other side of town. My guess is that by morning you will receive a call into the police station from the owners saying that they woke to find a huge hole in their daughter’s bedroom wall.”
“Constable Drake?” Harker asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“No, me.” I told him. “I followed him last night to the house. I saw him with my own eyes as he tried to take the little girl, so I killed him. You won’t have any more child killings in Little Hope.”
“Constable Madison?” he said.
“Dead,” I answered blowing smoke through my nose.
“How come?” he asked flatly.
“Drake killed her when she discovered he was the killer,” I told him.
“That’s a shame,” Harker said. “She was a good officer.”
“Was she? I wouldn’t know,” I said. “Where are my friends?”
Harker raised a hand into the air, as if giving a signal, and the side door to the van slid open. Luke stumbled out and fell to his knees. He was blindfolded and his hands were bound behind his back. Murphy followed as he was shoved from the darkness of the van. Like Luke, he was blindfolded and bound. He hit the ground hard and cried out in pain.
“I think that concludes our business,” Harker smiled and held out his hand for me to shake.
I looked at him and said, “You put a bullet in my sergeant, I won’t forget that. Watch your back, Harker.”
Without shaking his hand, I flicked my cigarette away and walked over to my friends. Kneeling down, I removed their blindfolds and restraints. I watched Harker pick up
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