Hair, Greg - Werewolf 01 (10 page)

“Why are you asking about werewolves?” asked the Russian.

“So someone here does speak English. I’m Landon,” Landon said, extending his hand.

The Russian, smiling, took Landon’s hand and said, “You’re not welcome here.”

The Russian clamped down on Landon’s hand and, lifting him, tossed the American across the bar. Landon crashed through a makeshift shrine dedicated to the former Soviet Union at the other end of the tavern.

“If it’s a werewolf you’re looking for, you found one,” said the Russian, slipping away from his human skin.

“This is not what I wanted,” said Landon. “I’m only looking for answers. I only want to talk.”

The large yellow werewolf paid no attention, quickly launching into his attack. Landon became the werewolf, and the two creatures met in the center of the bar.

The Russian werewolf picked up Landon, body slamming him through the bar to the floor. There were now two bars in the one tavern. Landon stabbed the attacker’s shin with the claws on his foot, the larger wolf letting out a piercing howl.

Landon jumped up, swiped at the Russian’s stomach, leaving three long gashes, and pushed him back into the antiquated jukebox. Immediately, a warbled version of the Soviet National Anthem began playing.

Landon stood back as the Russian werewolf rose slowly, almost in a patriotic stance, his red eyes bright as the sun. If werewolves could speak, it was here that one would have heard Landon say, “Oh, shit.”

The yellow wolf, nearly completely erect, walked slowly toward Landon and, with a powerful forward kick, ejected Landon out the back of the building. Exiting through the large hole, the Russian found Landon lying on the ground. As he approached, Landon wobbled to his feet and stood there, waiting for another hit. The Russian werewolf stopped and changed.

“You cannot beat me, yet you prepare yourself for more. I admire your courage. Come, have a drink with me.”

Landon, exhausted, dropped to his knees and reverted back to human form.

“I had to drink some vodka with him,” said Landon, continuing to LillyAnna and Jamie. “He could have killed me. So I thought,
Okay, I can handle a shot of vodka
. Well, he didn’t mean a shot; he meant the whole damn bottle.

“Two hours later, I was stumbling down the street drunk and following this huge Russian that I had just met, named Vladimir, to his house. When I got there, I met his beautiful wife, Natalia. She had some of the darkest hair I’ve ever seen, and her Russian accent was simply hypnotic. She then offered me more vodka, which I felt compelled to drink, and she then left Vladimir and me alone. Honestly, Russian women are some of the most incredible in the world. Anyway, he built a fire and told me I could stay the night. As we warmed ourselves, he told me pretty much the same information that Finian had.

“We are part of a specific branch of werewolves that began in central Europe,” began Vladimir, “but that is all I know. I do, however, know where to find the answers you seek. You can find them in Germany, though I forget the exact place.” Vladimir swayed slightly from all the vodka he’d been consuming.

“I was in World War II at the Battle of Kursk,” he said. “That was the largest tank battle of the war. I was separated from my unit in the woods when I was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of damn Nazis. Then the damndest thing happened; they turned into werewolves. Can you believe it? Hitler had a bunch of damn Nazi werewolves. So what did I do, my American friend?” he asked, leaning closer to Landon. “I killed them all.”

“And that’s when I passed out,” said Landon, looking back out over the Atlantic. “The next morning I got up, thanked him for his hospitality, and left for Germany.”

He grew more tired.

“So I journeyed to Germany, and in an effort to speed up the process, this time I traveled as the wolf. Consequently, not long after crossing the border, another werewolf found me. He saw me in the woods and approached slowly. I was sure something bad was about to happen until he suddenly transformed. Since he no longer seemed a threat, I did the same. Turned out his name was Brian, he was American, and he had a car parked on a nearby road with clothes. He told me that he was sent there to retrieve me; that I was among friends. He didn’t say much more during the ride. It wasn’t long before we reached Burghausen Castle in Bavaria.”

Landon continued, “The castle is beautiful, a medieval fortress sitting atop a hill. As I entered the door and walked into the great hall, I was met by my now best friend, Ryker. He was joined by his wife, Annelise. They were my introduction to vampires. I was led down the hall and into a large room with two oak thrones, flanked on each side by a semicircle of smaller seats. No one but us was present. I was told that room was called the Chamber.

“Then I was shown out a side door and into a smaller room with several soft chairs and a fireplace, which was already going. That’s when my hosts sat me down, and Ryker explained that he knew who I was because I was expected by the head werewolf. And I do mean
the
werewolf. Not the first, no one knows who the first was, but the current leader. Don’t worry. You’ll meet him. Finally, I learned the history of my line.

“I’m one of the most recent descendents of Thiess. He lived in the late seventeenth century in Livonia, which was broken up into present-day Latvia and Estonia. Thiess believed that he was created by God to be a werewolf, and to use his power to fight evil. Being his descendent, I like to believe that maybe he was right. That doesn’t mean, though, that I don’t have a choice. Everyone has a choice. I could choose to commit evil just as easily. I choose to believe, however, that Thiess was right. I also do what I do to seek redemption.”

“Redemption for what?” asked LillyAnna.

Landon looked out the window, continuing with his tale and ignoring her question.

“I remained there for about a year, training under Ryker and others. Now I hunt those who harm others and deliver them to a higher justice. And that’s most of my story.

“There’s more to tell, but it’s late and I’m tired. We need to rest. The sofas on each side of the plane pull out to become beds. I’ll take the chair.”

LillyAnna and Jamie each pulled out a sofa and lay down. Landon reclined the chair, staring out at an ocean too black to see. All three fell asleep over the Atlantic for the remainder of the flight.

11

Jerry waited at the counter of the San Antonio cutlery store for the manager to return from lunch. The doe-eyed girl behind the counter turned the pages of her magazine, Taylor Swift occasionally peeking out from the cover, giving Jerry a wink and a smile. He tried to avoid making eye contact with the teenager, yet kept looking at her to see if she were looking at him.

“Are you sure there isn’t something I can get you?” she asked. “A drink or something?”

He watched her mouth as it moved, the cherry lip gloss shining in the fluorescent light of the shop, asking if he wanted a drink while she lifted a soft drink bottle with a straw to those perfect, full lips and, so subtly and softly, drew the air out and the liquid up. He imagined other questions those lips could be asking him.
Are you
single? Do you live around here? Are you a virgin? Do you like
cherries?

The young teen with blonde pigtails, still in her Catholic schoolgirl uniform from earlier that day, was ripe, and he could feel an instant attraction toward him as soon as he walked in the store. He knew she was into him, and he was into her. Jerry could easily picture her leaving work, taking him by the hand, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the San Antonio River Walk.

Then she’d take him back to her house, because her parents were out of town, and they’d have a little wine. Finally, she would walk backwards down the hall, pulling him along, biting her bottom lip and smiling so flirtatiously, Sammy Hagar’s “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” playing in the background. Then he would give her what she was really wanting. He’d whisper in her ear about forbidden fruit, and she’d whisper in his something about cherries not being forbidden. His hands would slide down her inner thigh, grasping her panties—

“Hello?” she said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, Mandy,” he said, snapping back to reality, reading her nametag through his thick black coke-bottle glasses. “I was thinking about something else. No, thank you, I’m fine. Are you sure the manager will be back soon?”

“I’m pretty sure. My dad doesn’t like to leave me at the store alone for too long.”

“Your dad?” asked Jerry with a surprised look. “He’s the store manager?”

“He’s the owner,” said Mandy, looking out the window toward the River Walk. “Here he comes now.”

The bell at the top of the shop door rang as Mandy’s dad walked through. Jerry noticed the man look at his daughter and turned around in time to see her rolling her eyes. He felt that he wasn’t exactly wanted there.

“Hi. Jim. What can I do for you?” asked Mandy’s father.

“Hello, Jim. My name’s Jerry,” he said, extending his hand, feeling a tighter than usual grip from Jim. “I’m a new traveling cutlery salesman and was wondering if you’d be interested in helping out a fellow businessman. I travel from city to city to spread the word about this wonderful, handy-dandy set of knives.” He opened a suitcase to reveal an almost complete knife set.

“You’re missing one,” said Jim, glancing down into the case, then looking up as the bell rang. In walked a young couple. “Good afternoon, folks. Looking for something in particular?”

“We just got married a few weeks ago,” said the young man, “and I was looking for some good barbecue utensils. I got a new grill as a wedding gift.”

“He got
himself
a new grill as a wedding gift,” said his wife, smiling, throwing her arms around his waist.

“Well, over here is a nice set, on sale actually,” said Jim, moving away from Jerry.

Jerry looked into the case and noticed that Jim was right, there was a knife missing.

“Where’d the other one go?” asked Mandy, standing on her toes and bending down from behind the counter to see inside the case.

Jerry stared at her with a
mind your own business
look, but tried to look down her shirt at the same time.

“I used it last night,” he said dryly, unblinking.

Mandy backed down and looked over at her father, who heard Jerry’s response. The young couple also heard.

“Well, we’re just looking. We’ll keep this place in mind. Thanks for your help,” said the young man, leading his wife out onto the River Walk.

“Sir, I think it’s time for you to go,” said Jim.

Jerry closed the case, gave Mandy another look, and walked out the door, the bell above ringing as he left. Down the River Walk he strolled, watching the people on the boats wave as they went by, listening to the Spanish guitar playing a couple of shops down. The flowers resembled mini versions of the colorful umbrellas that shaded the many tables outside the restaurants and cafes. The smell of Mexican food permeated the air. The sweat from his forehead dripped off his face.

Jerry couldn’t get his mind off the missing knife. Not only could it possibly have cost him a sale, because there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that there was nothing wrong with his sales tactics, but also because he was missing
the
knife, the one he’d been using to kill his victims, the one he’d been washing and polishing diligently and putting back in the case to present to possible clients, the one that had his fingerprints.

He was so focused on the last city he’d visited, Seattle, that he didn’t notice the waitress standing in front of him as he walked past one of the tables with the colorful umbrellas. The drinks went everywhere.

“Oh, sir, I’m so sorry,” she said, grabbing the towel tucked into the apron string tied around her waist.

“Why don’t you watch what the hell you’re doing,” he screamed at her.

The patrons gathered outside quieted their conversations to watch the scene play out. The waitress bent down nervously to pick up some broken glass, not thinking that she should sweep it up instead. She winced, drawing her hand back quickly, blood running down her fingers.

“I’m sorry, sir. It’s my first day,” she said, beginning to cry.

A couple of the male bystanders stood slowly, watching and listening to Jerry’s next move. He clutched the case ever tighter.
You’re only alive because I’m choosing not
to kill you
, he thought.

“It’s fine,” he said with furrowed eyebrows. “Just be more careful next time.” He looked around at the people looking at him.

“Yes, sir,” the waitress said as one of her coworkers brought out a broom and dustpan, rubbing her on the back in a reassuring gesture. The second waitress squinted, giving Jerry the kind of look that told him to get lost.

He obliged, taking his case full of handy-dandy killing utensils with him. The new waitress disappeared later that night.

12

Landon, LillyAnna, and Jamie awoke to the pilot’s voice over the intercom letting them know that the plane was approaching the tiny German airport. Upon landing and exiting the aircraft, the three were escorted into a hangar where a car was waiting for them, the keys in the ignition. Jamie again sat in the back seat.