We had been home for several hours. I was doing my best to go about the day as if nothing had happened and keep Isidra’s mind off of the situation. I must not have been doing a good job. Isidra was a mess. She couldn’t keep still. We tried to sit and watch a movie, but her hands kept fidgeting and she would bounce her leg. At one point she asked about Sheila and Mike. I hadn’t heard from Mike in a while and that bothered me. He’d told me that he was going to meet up with me after he went home to grab a few things. I sent him a text. He’d probably had to convince Sheila to let him come. I had a thought.

“Let’s go out”

“Are you serious? At a time like this? Should we even be out in public with those psychos out there?”

I reached out and held her cheek in my hand.

“They most likely know where I live. At least in public there’s less chance they will make a move.”

“Where we live.” She corrected.

“I guess you’re right though. Can I pick where we go?”

“Sure, honey. Where would you like to go?”

“I need a good drink and to dance. Relieve some of this stress. Oh, let’s go to Swabbies!”

Now for those of you who don’t know, Swabbie’s is a bar out on the Sacramento River. It’s way out past our airport, in the middle of nowhere. It’s a safety nightmare, but it would make spotting a tail much easier. With backup from the Deputy posted outside and Mike, we could pull it off.

“Ok, babe, we’ll go to Swabbies. Go get dressed.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.

As she was walking into the bedroom to shower and get ready, she yelled back to me.

“You should invite Sheila and Mike. I could use a friend right now and I’m sure you could too.”

At that moment I heard Mike’s text tone. I checked my watch and read his text. “Sorry bro. Must’ve fallen asleep when I got home. I texted him back and invited them to the bar.

Forty minutes later, we were finally on our way. Mike and Sheila would meet us there. I walked my beautiful lady to the car, opened her door for her, and told her I would be right back. I walked over to the Deputy’s car and told him what was going on. He wasn’t happy when I told him where we were going, but his job was to go where we went so he didn’t put up much of a fight about it. It was around 21:00 hrs when we left the house.

The Deputy came in with us and sat at the bar in a place where he could see the front door. We ordered a couple of drinks and found a place to sit. There was a band setting up on the stage outside. We must’ve come on a special night. Usually, the bands play on the weekend. We didn’t have to wait long for Mike and Sheila to arrive. Sheila is half black and white. She has a very light complexion with curly hair. She’s around 5’5”, 135lbs. Tonight she was in some form-fitting jeans and a black top with some serious cleavage. Isidra always jokes with her that most of her weight is in her boobs.

Mike saw me when he entered. He and Sheila headed over to where we were seated. We all said hi and hugged then the ladies split off to go talk.

“Any sign of a tail?” Mike asked.

“Nah. It’s been pretty quiet.”

“Where’s your shadow?”

“Deputy Polseneli is over at the bar.”

“Bro, I’m sorry about earlier. I don’t know what happened. One minute I was getting prepped and ready to come to your place and the next, I was waking up to Sheila and the girls coming home.”

“Don’t worry about it, man. Isidra and I are fine. You didn’t miss anything.”

“But still, I should’ve responded. If it had been you who wasn’t responding, I'd have had the whole team out looking for you.”

“Forget about it. Now let’s get a drink.”

More and more people were pouring into the bar. Mike and I kept our eyes on the front and on the girls. Nothing popped out at me as suspicious behavior. I heard the band start up, so Mike and I made our way outside. It was a Journey tribute band playing. They opened with “Any way you want it”. I grabbed Isidra by the waist and pulled her close. She didn’t know I was behind her, so as she turned around she had her fist up ready to punch the asshole who thought it was ok to grab random women.

“Whoa, there chica!”

She stopped just before her swing got going.

“You almost got your teeth knocked in. You know I’m on edge. Why would you do that?”

“I had to make sure you had your wits about you,” I teased.

“I always have my wits. Now dance with me.”

We danced for a few songs. Mike and Sheila dancing close by. Deputy Poseneli caught my attention as my vision went over where he was seated at the bar. I excused myself and headed over to him. I sat next to him, facing the bar and he was facing the dance floor outside. Mike wandered over and sat on his other side. Without looking at either of us, he started talking.

“You have a few admires tonight. They are trying to look inconspicuous but I have them pegged. 2 males and a female. All taking turns keeping an eye on you. Never for more than a minute or so.”

Mike spoke up.

“Should we engage them?”

No. There may be more of them I haven’t spotted yet. I text the on-duty Sergeant and she’s sending a couple of patrol cars out here. Should be here already. Grab your girls and head to the parking lot. They must’ve followed us here somehow, so they are good at what they do. They’ll follow you out.”

“Copy that.” Mike and I both replied

Mike and I went back outside and grabbed the girls. I didn’t tell Isidra what was going on because It would only worry her. I told her I was hungry and we were going to meet Mike and Sheila at Mikuni’s in Midtown. It was one of the only places open this late on a Wednesday night. As we were walking to the car, I spotted the 2 patrol cars that had been dispatched to assist with our followers. There were a few people walking toward the building and a few others just standing around chatting amongst each other. We got in the car and Isidra looked over at me.

“What’s going on?”

I thought about playing dumb, but I knew better.

“Poseneli spotted 3 people watching us. The patrol officers are here to run interference while we make our getaway.”

“Damnit Alan! Who are these people and what do they want?”

“I don’t know any more than I did this morning when you asked me that question. Hopefully, these 3 will give us something.”

She sat there looking at me but said nothing else. As I started the car I looked into my rearview mirror and saw Poseneli stop a woman who had just walked out. I guessed that she was one of my watchers. I pulled out of my space and left the lot. As we drove out, I saw Mike pull out behind me and a white truck behind him. The Deputies had stopped our followers, so I was hoping it was just another group of people who had decided it was time to go.

We pulled onto N. Bayou Rd which runs parallel to the freeway. Both Mike and the strangers followed. There was a car pulled over on the right side of the road but given our current situation, I didn’t think tonight was a good night to be a good citizen, I kept driving. As we passed by, I saw someone sitting in the front seat on a cell phone. It made me feel slightly better, at least they could call for help.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

We had gone less than a half mile when I saw two cars coming toward us. Suddenly the first car turned into my lane and stopped at an angle. The other car did the same on their side of the road. I slammed on the brakes. I pressed and button on the steering wheel and told my Bluetooth to call Mike. I threw the car into reverse and looked in my rearview mirror. Mike had the same idea, but the truck hadn’t caught on and another two cars were blocking the road going in the other direction. Mike picked up.

“What the fuck is going on Alan?”

“Not sure, but we need to get out of here. This has to be more of those assholes from the bar. Are you carrying?”

“Do nuns wear black?”

“Okay, I’m going for the ones in front, you go for the ones in back. Be careful of whoever is in the truck. We can’t be sure if they are innocent bystanders or with these fuckers.”

“Isidra, you should come back to my car. When Alan gets out run as fast as you can and get in the driver's seat. If things go bad, I’ve got a 4-wheel drive, you and Sheila can make a getaway. When I hang up, Sheila is going to call 911. Those two deputies should be able to respond quickly.”

“All right. Let’s do this.”

I ended the call and pulled my .45 from its holster. I always kept a round in the chamber, but out of habit, I checked to make sure. I saw the occupants getting out of the two cars. I checked the rearview and saw the same thing. I looked over at Isidra, and saw that she was terrified. I leaned over and kissed her.

“Everything is going to be alright babe. Run as fast as you can and don’t stop. I love you.”

I didn’t wait for her to say it back. I opened the door and knelt behind it. The sound of cars rushing by on the freeway filled my ears. I could barely hear Isidra open her car door and start running. One of the guys on my right moved and was gone. It was like he vanished. I glanced to my right a little further but didn’t see him. I looked forward at seven men standing there. I was at a loss for what to do. I had silver rounds, but that would only incapciatate them for a bit. All I could hope for was that Sheila had called for backup.

After a few seconds, I realized I hadn’t heard Isidra get in Mike’s car. It could be because of the freeway noise, but I had to be sure. I took a chance and looked behind me at Mike’s car. The driver’s seat was empty. Sheila was in the passenger seat and had a look of horror on her face. I turned completely around and looked over the area trying to find a sign of Isidra. I saw Mike facing eight men, his gun drawn and pointing at one of them. I called out to Isidra, but she didn’t answer. I kept searching the area from where I stood. The truck door opened and Romulus stepped out. He started walking toward me. I raised the .45 and aimed at his chest.

“Where is Isidra?”

He nodded in the direction of the men behind me.

“Alan!” Isidra screamed.

I turned around and saw one of the men standing behind her, with his left hand on her throat.

“So his name is Alan,” said the man.

Let her go! I yelled at the man.

He just stood there watching. In my peripheral vision, I saw the man from the truck come up on my left. I glanced over at him. He had his hands in his pants pockets like he was taking a stroll in the park.

“I wish I could say it's good to see you, Jack,” the wolf said to the man holding Isidra hostage.

“It’s always good to see you Odon, or are you going by a new name now?”

The stranger looked over at me.

“Your girlfriend is already dead. You need to get to your buddy’s car and drive away. I’ll take care of this and find you afterward.”

Before I could say anything, the other man spoke up.

“You aren’t going to take care of anything mutt. There are sixteen of us and only one of you. You’re a dog walking”

I heard gunfire and knew that Mike had engaged the men. I stared into the eyes of the love of my life. I had a clear shot to the head on this asshole and I was going to take it. I moved my finger inside the trigger guard, but before I could pull the trigger, the man's face changed and he bit Isidra on the right side of her neck. I pulled the trigger and put one in the top of his head and he dropped. I moved to shoot another of the men, but they were gone. I ran over to Isidra.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear sirens, but I paid no attention to them. I bent down to grab Isidra but was knocked off my feet by an unseen force.

“Leave the boy alone before I get angry,” Romulus growled.

I looked around from my place on the ground and saw him standing where I had been a moment ago. He still had his hands in his pockets. He took a deep inhale through his nose, as if he were sniffing the air, and looked up at the moon.

“You think because the moon is waning you have an advantage.”

He looked at me and his eyes were glowing gold.

“You should run Alan,” He said to me.

His voice had changed to something guttural, then he changed into the biggest wold I had ever seen. He had dark gray fur and his shoulders had to be about 6 feet high. I came to my senses when I heard someone calling my name. I looked around and saw Mike at his car door. He was bleeding from his right arm.

The sirens I’d heard were the other deputies. I could see the lights from their patrol cars, but I couldn’t see past the 2 cars that were blocking the road. I didn’t hear any gunfire. Mike yelled at me again and waved for me to come to him. I tried to crawl toward Isidra, but the wolf moved in front of me. I tried to go around, but then he began growling. He just stood there, blocking my path to Isidra. I stood up and started toward Mike. The next thing I knew, I was off the ground, being held a few feet in the air with Jack’s hand around my throat.

The wolf came at us from the right and took Jack with him, I was dropped. The two of them went tumbling away toward the shoulder of the road. I started toward Mike again. Four of the men were converging on Mike and Sheila. I still had my gun in my hand somehow, I ejected the spent mag and slammed another one in. I raised the .45 and put two rounds into each. I dropped the mag and slammed in my last. All four men were still standing, but I knew the silver was affecting them.

A fifth man went over to Sheila’s side of the car and broke the glass and tried to pull her out. Mike dove in the car to help and I emptied my mag into the man. Then I felt a sharp pain in my left side. I looked and saw a wrist, but the hand was between my ribs. I looked up and saw the face, of Jack. He had claw marks across his face now and a chunk missing out of his neck. I didn’t understand how he was still standing. He twisted his hand and I screamed in pain. I remember hearing the screech of tires and knew Mike had chosen to save his wife. I was surprisingly relieved. I hoped they would make it out. I knew I was a dead man. Jack pulled his hand out of my rib cage and let me drop. He stood over me.

“I’m not sure why you’re so important, but when my guys finish with the mutt, we're going to take you somewhere we can find out more about you. I’d just turn you, but I was told you must be untainted.”

“Well you fucked that up didn’t you?” I gasped as I struggled to breathe.

In the distance, I could hear growls and the sound of fighting. With this many vamps, Romulus didn’t stand a chance.

My vision was starting to blur, and I felt weak, my head loling to one side.

“Oh, don’t pass out on me human. You must witness the fall of a legend. The beast responsible for my master’s imprisonment.”

“I’m dying you idiot. We humans bleed to death,” I said weakly.

He looked me over.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

He looked into the darkness of the field on the other side of the road.

“Finish it. We need to leave, the boy is dying.” He spoke into the darkness.

“Stop calling me boy. I haven’t been a boy for a long time,” I spat

“Should I call you woman then? Are you transgender? Gender fluid? Do you identify as a mountain panda?”

“Fuck you, necro.”

“Aww Alan, you hurt my feeling.”

He looked into the darkness and spoke.

“What’s taking so long? It’s one wolf a few days away from a new moon.”

No response came for a few moments. Then I heard a howl. The sound sent chills up my spine and a look of terror came across the face of the vampire in front of me. He stood and looked around. Romulus came out of the dark. He was naked and bloody, but I was too out of it to tell if he was injured. I did notice something shining around his neck.

“Run back to your boss and tell that traitor that I have claimed the boy,” said Romulus.

I have no boss and I don’t take orders from you.

Don’t bother lying to me. I can smell him on you, you idiot and he will smell me on you and know you only live to deliver a message. I am coming for him and I will do whatever is necessary to ensure that your master never rises again. Now go before I decide to just send an email instead.

The man stared at Romulus for a moment longer and then disappeared. Romulus stood next to me.

“Isidra.” I barely whispered.

“Check on Isidra.”

“Your girlfriend is gone. She was bitten. Jack has taken her.”

“We have to go after them,” I said as I tried to get up. The exertion took way more out of me than I thought it would. I was bleeding out faster than I thought. I should’ve probably already been dead.

“Alan. Look at me.”

I looked into the eyes of the stranger.

“Alan, I can save your life, but it comes at a cost you know all too well. I need a yes or no.”

“Will I be strong enough to take revenge on Jack and whoever he answers to?”

“You’ll have power and a pack.”

“Do it,” I said without hesitation.

He bit me on my right forearm, without having to change, which isn’t possible to transfer Lycanthropy. He looked at me, his eyes glowing gold again, and then ran away into the darkness. Molten-hot lava started coursing through my veins from where he bit me. It moved quickly up my arm to my heart. When the pain reached the hole in my left side, it was so intense that I passed out. I could hear a familiar voice, but I couldn't remember where from.

“He’s been bitten by Romulus. We need to get him out of here”

“Romulus doesn’t turn people ma’am.”

“Obviously that has changed.”