Chapter 11: Part One
Playing Dead
Chapter 11: Playing Dead (Part One)
“I can’t believe they torched the place,” Aurora said, looking at the burned remains of the lyc chaser house.
“I can,” Wendell said grimly, picking his way around the charred ruins. “It would’ve been too easy if they kept Stevie and Cayden locked up here, especially when they probably found out that Cayden and I got the address and went through the house ourselves. The girl, the lone wolf, she was probably able to sniff us out.”
“It doesn’t look like they worked with a fire elemental,” Aurora said, examining the blackened foundation, “so at least we’re only dealing with humans and lone wolves. Can you imagine if we had to field elemental magic on top of everything else?”
“Stop! I don’t need you to manifest that into existence,” Wendell groaned.
“It doesn’t work that way, Wen!” Aurora said reassuringly. “I’m just saying, it could be a lot worse.”
“Five innocent people are dead, and Stevie and Cayden were abducted and are being held for ransom under the condition of my death. I don’t know how much worse than that we can get,” Wendell deadpanned.
“Sorry, bad choice of words,” Aurora winced. “We’ll find them, Wen. Violet is already on it, right? If anyone can track them down, it’s her. Did you check your phone to see if she called or texted you?”
Wendell held up his phone, “Not a word. Let’s get out of here. There’s nothing for us here.”
Aurora nodded and led them back to her car. “Breakfast for dinner?” She pitched.
“I couldn’t eat even if I wanted to,” Wendell sighed, “But I can go for a ginger tea.”
At the Crescent Diner, Aurora ordered a Coke, and Wendell ordered two bags of ginger tea in a single cup.
“It’s a double bag day,” Wendell told Dani.
“More like a double bag month,” Dani said.
“Cheers to that,” Wendell said cheerlessly.
“We need to talk about the latest note that creep sent Violet and the pictures they sent you,” Aurora started. “What do you think they meant by saying you’re returning to the scene of the first kill? Are they talking about where the pack of werewolves killed your troop?”
“It seems like it. They want me to go back to Wonder Hills Fun Park after all,” Wendell said.
“I knew they couldn’t be talking about you. You didn’t kill anyone!” Aurora said happily.
“Actually,” Wendell started as the realization jogged by the retrocognition Aurora put him through a few weeks earlier dawned on him, “I did.”
“What?” Aurora gasped.
“I killed one of the werewolves with darts from an old balloon popping game booth. He killed Rodger right in front of me, and then he tried to come after me. I stabbed him in the eyes,” Wendell admitted with a wince. “They must’ve been made out of real silver because his body reacted like he was being poisoned.”
“Gruesome,” Dani cringed.
“It was self-defense,” Wendell insisted.
“We’re not judging you, Wen, I promise,” Aurora reassured him, “Dani, that kid at the booth over there is throwing croutons again.”
Dani swore under her breath and made a beeline for the crouton thrower.
“Dirk and I went through all of Wonder Hills Fun Park, and it’s clean,” Violet said, pulling a chair over to the booth. “There’s no sign of Stevie or Cayden or anyone who’s holding them captive.”
“Hello to you, too. I can’t believe you drove there and back in less than a day,” Aurora marveled. “From how Wen always described it, it’s far out in upstate Connecticut.”
“Oh, it’s definitely far. Dirk’s a fast driver,” Violet said simply.
“They’re really making us wait a whole week until the Super Blood Moon,” Wendell said glumly.
“But, Wen, isn’t that going to be a problem? You and Cayden are going to, you know, transform,” Aurora whispered.
“The moon won’t be at its fullest until 8:15 that night. They want me and Violet to get there for 7:30, so they want me to get there before I transform. Although I don’t think they care whether she kills me in human or wolf form,” Wendell said bluntly. “What I want to know is why they dragged Stevie and Cayden into this. Is it really just because of the sick lone wolf and the lyc chaser house? That can’t be motivation enough.”
“If you’re talking lyc chasers, I do have some news on that front. There’s word in lyc chaser circles that there’s a rogue lone wolf inhabiting the Wonder Hills Fun Park. It’s deep in the dark web, so not just anyone could find out about it,” Violet said.
“A rogue lone wolf?” Wendell asked. “How does that differ from a lone wolf?”
“A rogue lone wolf is a lone wolf that kills other wolves,” Violet explained. “How do you not know that?”
“Being a werewolf doesn’t make me an expert on everything werewolf, Violet,” Wendell sighed.
“That changes things then, doesn’t it?” Aurora asked.
“I knew someone had to be lingering at the old amusement park,” Wendell said.
“It was clean when Dirk and I went through it. Too clean. Suspiciously so,” Violet said. “Whoever is living out there doesn’t want us to know about it.”
“And you’re absolutely sure that it isn’t Rodger who’s been hiding out there and blackmailing you all this time?” Aurora asked.
“If it is Rodger, why would he go to the Wolfinger-Hedlund packlands? Why would he kidnap Stevie?” Wendell protested. “If anything, the rogue lone wolf is someone from the pack that killed my friends.”
“I still can’t believe they restarted that camping trip. Did you know, Wen?” Aurora asked.
“It’s been almost twenty years, I didn’t expect them to stop it forever,” Wendell said heavily.
“Why didn’t Stevie tell you he went there when you saw him?” Aurora asked.
“We were talking about so many other things that day, Auri. Plus, knowing Stevie, he probably didn’t want to upset me by telling me he went there, especially if he had a good time. Stevie is a sweet kid,” Wendell said.
“What do you think happened while he was out there?” Aurora asked.
“Knowing Stevie, he probably went off exploring on his own, like Rodger and I did,” Wendell continued. “If he heard rumors about a rogue lone wolf still prowling the abandoned amusement park, he’d want to go check it out for himself. And let’s say that rogue lone wolf was actually there. What if Stevie promised him a place in the Wolfinger-Hedlund pack? He’s a purebred and the son of the alphas. The rogue lone wolf would believe him.”
“But you said Lupa and Dacian hated lone wolves with every fiber of their beings,” Aurora said.
“The rogue lone wolf wouldn’t know that,” Wendell said, “Unless he secretly scoped it out for himself and found out what kind of welcome Lupa and Dacian would give him, he’d know that Stevie lied to him.”
“Could he have someone on the inside at DONHE poison them?” Aurora asked.
“He must’ve. Who else would be holding a grudge against them and have the means to get to them?” Wendell said.
“But how do the lyc chasers factor in?” Aurora asked.
“Maybe he didn’t trust Stevie to follow through. So he started to build his own pack,” Wendell said. “And when Lupa and Dacian rejected and killed a few of the lyc chasers, the rogue lone wolf took it personally enough to kill Lupa and Dacian himself. Not just to hurt Stevie, but also because without Lupa and Dacian standing in the way, Stevie would be forced to let the rogue lone wolf and his lyc chasers into the Wolfinger-Hedlund pack.”
“You think Stevie said no, and that’s why he was kidnapped?” Violet asked.
“He must’ve. Why else would the rogue lone wolf take him?” Wendell said.
“But I still don’t understand what you have to do with it, Wen,” Aurora shook her head.
“I was meant to die like the rest of my friends,” Wendell said grimly, “If one of the werewolves from that original pack is still sticking around, he’d have a reason to want me dead.”
“Why would he be all alone, though? Where’d the rest of the pack go? Do you think DONHE had the power to put them down?” Aurora frowned.
“I never asked,” Wendell said, “After those two agents came to my house that afternoon in August and told me and my parents I was a werewolf after I was bitten, we didn’t stray to any other topics… but now that you mention it, since an entire pack aggressed against innocent humans, DONHE probably did take lethal action.”
“If that happened, why would they wait until now, Wendell? Why not go after you when you were still a kid and more vulnerable than you are now? The person targeting you would’ve been able to take you out like that,” Violet snapped her fingers.
“Something must’ve changed,” Wendell said.
“Or maybe it’s as simple as it being the anniversary of the attack syncing up with another Super Blood Moon,” Aurora offered. “We might be overcomplicating their motivations.”
“Hear, hear!” Dani returned with the drinks.
“There’s another thing. There was a werewolf that was in wolf form when Rodger and I were exploring the abandoned amusement park… he was the one who killed Rodger and the one I killed in self-defense. I can’t believe I didn’t question that sooner. Was he able to shapeshift at will?” Wendell wondered aloud.
“He, or she,” Dani winked, “probably already went through the transformation to stay a wolf, Wen. You said Cayden’s parents did that when they ceded the pack to you and Cayden. Maybe other werewolves could decide to stay in their wolf forms too.”
“But what if … well… we know the video that Cayden and I found in the lyc chaser house was staged, but what if I can transform into my wolf state even when it’s not my moonset?” Wendell said, stirring his tea, “What if the rogue lone wolf was also bitten on a super blood moon? And please stop saying he’s Rodger. Please.”
“If that’s true, then why haven’t you, Wen?” Aurora asked.
“Because I never considered it. I never thought to try it.” Wendell said honestly.
“And you want to try now?” Dani asked skeptically.
“I wish I never had to wolf out ever again,” Wendell admitted. “But maybe we should see if there’s any truth in that video.”
“Not here, you’re not,” Violet said.
“It’s just a thought,” Wendell said hurriedly.
“Here’s another thought, Wen,” Dani said, “The Midnight Market. I can see if there’s anything there that can trigger a werewolf’s transformation without a full moon. I was planning on stopping there tonight to grab a few … things.” Dani said vaguely. Wendell knew she didn’t elaborate because Violet was there.
“I know the fae can use glamours. Is there anything comparable to that for werewolves and other monsters?” Violet asked. “Any way to instantly change your appearance?”
“A transfiguration potion might work,” Dani said, “But it’d be expensive. With DONHE potions and regulation standards being what they are, there’s no way the average person could afford to buy one, let alone a rogue lone wolf that’s probably penniless from living in the woods and an abandoned amusement park for decades.”
“Unless it was bought from an illegal or unregistered potion lab,” Wendell said with dawning horror. “Just like the one Odd Todd busted before he was killed.”
“Wen, maybe Odd Todd didn’t just die because he was your case manager. Maybe they had more incentive to kill him because of what he saw,” Aurora gasped.
“Or who he saw, like the lone wolf who gave him the address to the lyc chaser house,” Wendell agreed.
“If they were talking at all,” Violet said. “I think that note you ‘found’ was planted on Todd’s body, Wendell. It’d be easy enough to break into your garage to put it there for you to find. You don’t have your garage armed with an alarm or have cameras pointed at it, do you?”
Wendell sadly shook his head.
“I could be wrong, but I’m just saying. You’re a perceptive guy, Wendell. Give yourself more credit. I think you would’ve noticed that torn note immediately. Not days later,” Violet said.
“I said it was fishy from the start,” Aurora agreed. “I’m with Violet on it being stuck on Odd Todd after we moved his body.”
“So whoever is doing this probably got their hands on one of the illegal wolf transfiguration potions to make that fake video in the lyc chaser house. The lone wolf is dead, so it’s not like we can ask him if he was forced to drink them,” Wendell mused.
“If the videos are a hoax, then the lyc chasers are bound to find out they’re being tricked. What do you think will happen when they find out?” Aurora asked.
“I have no idea,” Wendell shrugged, “But I do know the longer whoever is doing this is keeping the lyc chasers in the dark, the bigger advantage they have. Most lyc chasers will do anything if it means they’ll get bitten.”
“Even kill for it?” Violet pitched.
“Especially kill for it,” Wendell said grimly. “Speaking of that, Auri, did DONHE ever find anything suspicious with Silvia?”
Aurora shook her head. “Silvia was just another ordinary human woman, and her Silver Linings Therapy was an ordinary therapy clinic. Wedge said DONHE partnered with the human police to clean it up and investigate. The last thing I heard from her about it is that they were conducting a dual inquiry.”
“She was my therapist. The one who was killed with one of your silver bullets,” Wendell explained to Violet. “Maybe it was that lyc chaser and fake DONHE agent, Gideon Crow, who was waiting for me in the parking lot. He was already on the scene.”
“He’s totally the most obvious suspect, but why would he be running around shooting up your innocent therapist?” Dani asked.
“That’s easy, Dani. Three reasons,” Wendell held up three fingers and ticked them off. “One, because he was promised the chance to become a werewolf and offered to do ‘whatever it takes’ to get a bite, two to scare me, and three to make me believe a monster hunter was coming after me.”
“And I was,” Violet said, “Just not in that moment.”
“The rogue lone wolf and his lyc chasers were definitely the ones that hired you to come after me, Violet, they have to be. Have they put any pressure on you to know why you haven’t killed me yet?”
“No,” Violet said, “But they’re setting it up so we’re going to come together at that old amusement park. Either they think you’re clueless about me still pursuing you, or they know about our little alliance and are trying to test me.”
“I bet they want there to be a fight to the death between us,” Wendell said grimly. “And that’s exactly what we’re going to give them. I’m going to rescue Cayden and Stevie and we’re going to stage Violet trying to kill me at Wonder Hills Fun Park.”
“You can’t be serious, Wen!” Aurora gasped.
“Wen, this idea can go wrong in so, so, so, so many ways,” Dani groaned.
Wendell only had eyes for Violet. “Violet, are you going to be okay coming solo?”
“Werewolves aren’t the only ones who hunt in packs,” Violet smirked. “Get ready to die, werewolf.”
Does Wen’s story give you the warm and fuzzies? Or maybe scares the living daylights out of you? If yes consider telling a friend, family member, or long-time nemesis about Millennial Monsters. If you’d also take it a step further to “like” this chapter or leave a quick comment, I’d be over the moon! 🖤🐺✨