Wolf's Bane

"Did you hear? They found another dead body by the riverbank again. This time, it was missing its limbs, all of its internal organs and its head." "That sounds brutal. It's probably that serial killer again. He's probably planning to turn that head into some sort of trophy. Geez, reports like that makes me want to move away from this place anymore. I tell you, Blackwood is cursed. The only reason why I continue to stay here is because of how cheap the rent here is." "Is that all it takes for you? If I were you, I would have left ages ago." "Then why don't you leave already." "It's because I have a family here, dumbass. I can't leave them behind and save myself. Besides, I heard a rumour that the serial killer only goes after people that meet his requirements." "Hoh, is that so? Tell me, what are they? And, where did you even hear that from? Is it from a reliable source?" "Don't worry, it's from a friend of mine who works at the local police station. He heard his superiors talking about it on the phone while he was on a coffee break. They didn't notice he was in the hallway so he eavesdropped on them. So, what do you think he heard?" "Just tell me about it already. The beer won't taste any good, so just tell me what he heard." "It seems like all the victims have something in common and that they were all college students or people who are affiliated with one. From what he heard, all of those who died in the past year or so were all students who were either with friends or with their family members. Not only that, all of the deaths happened on a full moon." "Then, why don't the police just try to set up a trap for the killer. If it always happens on the full moon, then, it should be easy for them to ensnare this murderer." "Well, that's the thing. Even though they know when the murder is being made and who the targets are, they don't know where it's being held. Not only that, it's also possible for them to find the bodies of the victims a few weeks later after a full moon. They guessed that the murderer might be killing their victims on the day of the full moon and disposing the bodies at a later date." "Well, s**t man. I feel bad for those students. No wonder plenty of my friends' kids are choosing to study somewhere else that's far from here." "Yeah, right? Anyways, it seems like a total of fifty people have been killed, give or take. The latest victim was only one person but those that came before it were groups of at least three to four people." "Geez, it sucks to be them." Grabbing the bottle of beer on top of their table, one of the men who was discussing the town's serial killer began to fill his glass to the brim with the bitter yet refreshing liquid. Adding in a few cubes of ice, he leaned back into his seat and began taking large gulps of his beverage before letting out a refreshing sigh. Currently, the two men were seated in a pub that was commonly found in dark alleyways. It was the type of place where the only people one could find there were either burly men who used their bodies for a living or, drunkards who didn't have a job but still wanted to enjoy a glass of alcohol to drown their problems away.. That's why, the appearance of a young man who was in his late twenties surprised the regulars there. Almost everyone inside that pub glanced at the newcomer, even for a few seconds, before they went back to their beers and dinner. To them, there was nothing to take note of the pub's new customer besides the fact that he was extremely attractive. Most of the customers there might be men but they can't help but admit it to themselves that the stranger was someone who would make any woman swoon based on looks alone. "Do you think he's some sort of model?" "i***t, what makes you think that a model would come visit a shabby place like this? Besides, I haven't seen him before." "Probably someone's cousin who came for a visit. Maybe he wanted a drink and was recommended this place by chance." The two men from earlier had now shifted their topic from the town's serial killer to the pub's newest customer. In their minds, nothing beats a good meal with a friend than a lively discussion and it seems like tonight, they might have another topic to talk about. "Hey, do you think he's the serial killer?" "Him? He looks like a twig compared to us. Just look at him. He's built more like a runner than someone who lifts weights at the gym. Besides, we all know that pretty boys like him don't amount to much in a fight." "Hmmm, you're right about that…hey, look!" At his friend's sudden suggestion, the man turned around to face the direction that his friend was staring at and saw that the man who just casually walked inside the pub earlier had pulled out a handgun and was pointing it at the owner. "Hey, dude! Chill out! Put that gun down and we won't call the police on you!" One of the pub's regulars shouted at him but the young man didn't show any signs of stopping at all as an audible click could be heard. "H-Hey now, don't you think this joke is going too far if that's what your aim is?" The pub owner said, clearly distraught behind the counter. With his eyes darting from side to side, he was trying to find the opportunity to escape but was stopped when the beer bottles to his right exploded into a hundred pieces. "Hey! One of you, call the police! We have a crazy psychopath here with a gun!" "First the serial killer and now, this?! This town is truly cursed I tell you!" "Should we just tackle him to the ground?" The customers from earlier were all speaking at the same time but they all started to think the same thing in their minds, and that was to stop the stranger from firing his gun anymore. "Hey man, just relax. You probably have some trouble at home but we can listen to you. Just, put that gun down so nobody gets hurt, okay?" "Yeah, that's right. Life sucks and all but that doesn't mean you should take it out on someone else. Like, chill for a second." Bang! Bang! Bang! Three warning shots went off from the man's gun, all aimed at the pub's ceiling, hitting a few light bulbs in the process. If the pub was already dimly lit earlier, now, it was dark in certain areas, with only the neon lights behind the owner shining brightly. "Shut the hell up." It was a simple order without much emotion put into it. And yet, the intensity of those words were cold and heavy. He wasn't simply ordering the pub's customers to just keep quiet, he wanted them to shut up, and that they did, for reasons they can't tell until much later. One would later describe it as someone drilling an order straight to their skulls with the barrel of a gun shoved into their mouths. It was an absolute order that held no room for arguing. "It was like being in the presence of someone who had faced the devil itself and came back alive. There was nothing we could do earlier but to do what we were told. Actually, we were forced to do what we were told because we felt that if we didn't, we were next." These were the exact words provided by one of the pub's customers, who witnessed the entire scene go down, to a police officer. Right now, barely thirty minutes had just passed since the stranger arrived at the pub and left after killing the owner. "Man, we already had our hands full with this town's serial killer and now, we have another psycho on our hands. I tell you, the world is slowly becoming more and more like hell with each passing day. What do you think, Rick?" One of the police officers at the scene said to one of the customers involved in tonight's shooting, the man who was talking about the town's serial killer earlier. "Heck if I know Jim! I thought that I was going to die tonight! I mean, who the hell would suddenly visit a pub and start shooting at the owner! If you were there with me earlier, you would be pissing your pants off as well!" Rick exclaimed, clearly distressed about what just happened. Giving his friend a gentle yet strong pat on the shoulder, Jim told Rick that he was glad that he didn't get hurt in tonight's shooting. "Still, to think that there would be someone so bold as to shoot a man down in front of thirty other people. The young are fearless," Jim said with a sigh. As the two of them were talking, one of the younger police officers came up to them with wide eyes, telling Jim that they found something unbelievable in the pub. "What is it?" Jim asked curiously although, looking tired. It seems like he didn't want to hear any more surprises tonight. "Well, it's better if you follow me sir," the young police officer said. So, Jim apologised to Rick for leaving him so suddenly in the midst of their conversation, and followed the young man into the pub. During days when Jim was off work, he would sometimes spend some time here at the pub, chugging down a glass of beer or two while spending time with friends. So, to see the place in such a mess was quite saddening to him. "So, what is it that you want me to see?" Jim asked. "When the body was being moved earlier, the rug underneath it shifted slightly, so I was about to put it back in place. But then, I noticed that there was a groove engraved onto the floor. So, I made the call to have the rug pulled away," the young man said. "What did you find?" Jim asked. "A rickety door which leads to a hidden basement sir. So, we went down to check what was there and one of us almost puked at the sight," the young man said, clearly nervous, as if he didn't want to remember what he just saw. "Stop stalling! What's in the basement?" Jim asked, clearly furious at how the police officer was skirting around the question. "Well…it's better for you to see it for yourself sir. I don't think you will believe me even if I did tell you what it was we saw," the young man said. And so, exasperated, Jim barrelled his way through the other men that were crowding around the counter and saw that there was indeed a hidden basement and stairs that lead all the way down. Immediately, he asked for someone to lend him a flashlight and once he had one in hand, he carefully descended down the stairs. Turning the flashlight on, the bright light suddenly shone onto the first thing it was directed to, and what he saw made him scream like a little girl. The officers upstairs couldn't help but feel sympathy for Jim, as they too reacted the same way he was right now. Immediately, Jim stood up and all the nerves and muscles in his body were screaming for him to run back upstairs but he didn't. I need to see this through. And with that thought in his mind, he immediately searched for where the light switch was. Luckily for him, it was near the stairs so he didn't have to look for that long. The moment the lights turned on and flooded the basement in this bright luminescence, everything became clear to Jim and everyone else who was looking into the basement from above. And as if on cue, they started vomiting, unable to hold back their breakfast, lunch, and possibly tonight's dinner down their stomachs as the scene before them was horrific. "God, this world has become the devil's playground."