Legacy Of The Wolf

The sound of an alarm clock bounced off the walls of a small run-down studio apartment tucked at the back of a building that should have been condemned and torn down years ago if it weren’t for the fact that the greasy landlord still made money off of those who couldn't afford anything else.  A sleepy Mj rolls out of bed and sets her feet on the floor. “COLD,” she gasps before pulling her feet back under the covers. “OOOh so warm” was the only thought that trickled through her mind as she lay back down and drifted off to sleep once again.  The blare of sirens and yelling through thin walls jerked her awake. Mj sat up with a start and looked at her alarm clock “s**t”. She drew out as the clock read seven thirty, indicating she was already over half an hour late for work on a normal day, but today she was supposed to be up extra early. "Great", Mj grumbled as she rushed to pull on her shirt and pants, then stuffing the wild, dirty blonde hair on her head into a messy bun and rushed out the door.   MollyJay was a woman lost in the world around her, at almost thirty years of age she lived on her own with no family to speak of and very few friends, if she could even call them that, as they were all the people she worked with. She was an ordinary enough girl, only a few inches over five foot with dull blue green eyes, neutral skin tone and dirty blonde hair. She was the poster child of forgotten, and for the most part that was ok by her. Mj watched people run aimlessly up and down the street as she made her way toward the center of town past all the hustle and bustle. It seemed hard enough for these strangers to live day to day with the crap around them let alone trying to involve someone in their mess she thought, watching as people scolded their kids for being late for school. Or as a couple had a very public argument about someone cheating on someone else while clothes and dishes were hurled from a nearby apartment window to the unlucky adulteress below.   Mj shook her head, thankful she didn’t have to deal with anyone else’s life. Just her own inability to wake up on time. When the f**k am I gonna grow up, she huffed to herself with the realization she was now in her very late twenties, working in a s*******r house in the same town she had been in for most of her life.  Mj had little education outside of high school and had no other real world experience. So in Mj’s mind doing anything else with her life didn't seem possible anyway. Mj hung her head as the depressing thought lingered while she made her way to work. Mj worked three jobs at the moment, one part time job at the slaughterhouse, another part time job as a butcher’s assistant and a night job as a bartender. It kept her fairly busy so a more social life wasn't something she missed. But on mornings like this one, sometimes she wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to while she walked.  The town of Lowder wasn't very big so Mj never bothered with a car. She would have had to maintain it plus pay for insurance and buying new shoes every couple months seemed more cost effective and much less headache to deal with.  She reached the butcher shop and took a deep breath before pulling the door open “that better be one MollyJay Bijou” a yell came from the back room. As an older man who looked to be in his late sixties poked his head around the door jam and threw one hand up in the air. “What the f**k,” he exclaimed,“You were supposed to be here at four to approve the new shipment of cutlets but instead I have a sorry we missed you note hung on my door this morning, care to explain?” Mj hung her head, of all the mornings to oversleep it had to be the morning Lou was getting a new shipment. “I'm really sorry Lou” Mj mumbled as she stuffed her hands in her pockets “I hit the snooze on the alarm clock and fell back asleep”. Mj felt extremely guilty, Lou was a really easy going boss, and an even better person. Lou didn't have much family aside from his sister Beth, as far as MJ knew or if he didn't like to talk about them or spend any time with them at all. Mj had worked for Lou for almost three years and he was always at the shop. Even on holidays, it was one thing Lou seemed to like about Mj, that she would work any day of the week no matter what time of year, but every holiday season Lou would give Mj a primo cut of whatever new meat he was hooked on that month and always made the excuse that a customer special ordered it and never picked it up. “Punk kids and their damn prank calls!” Lou would grumble and hand her a neatly wrapped package that lasted Mj until the next holiday. Mj had caught on to what Lou was doing about a year ago and confronted him about it. She didn't think it was a big deal to ask him why he gave her things but Lou, the normally gentle giant of a man he was, absolutely lost his mind.  He yelled and screamed and broke the front door to the shop. He bellowed and wagged his finger in her face,“I never gave anybody anything in they whole damn life MollyJay, what the hell makes you think I would start now.” It was true that Lou was a large man both in stature and girth, but he was such a solitary man one could almost forget how terrifying he could be, even for his age. Although Mj had never truly been afraid of Lou. Be it that his outbursts were far and few between or that they were usually caused by peculiar or silly things and the only objects that ever suffered any physical wrath belonged to the shop itself. “Look Lou, if you want I can take the truck down to the slaughterhouse and pick up the shipment right now”, Mj said while looking at the ground, “you can even take the gas money out of my pay,” she offered as a way to help sooth the irritated man that was now engulfing the doorway he had peeked out from. “Fuckin aye right you will missy!” Lou said as he crossed his arms and pointed his chin at her, “and after that you will wash the front windows and the sign.” Mj rolled her eyes and nodded as Lou tossed her a set of keys. Mj fumbled to get her hands out of her pockets as the keys hit the floor.  “Could you be any more clumsy?” Lou said, through a belly laugh that made Mj giggle a little. She only shrugged, “don't have to be quick to cut up what's already dead, and don't call me MollyJay, old man.” Mj hated her name, and not just her first name but her last name too. What the hell kind of person names their kid MollyJay Bijou anyway she used to wonder to herself. She would have changed it but for the fact that she had been found after a flood when she was about four years old and was afraid that if she changed it at all and her family ever came looking for her they wouldn't know who to look for. But she was almost thirty now and had still not found or been found by anyone. After all, she thought to herself, how many people could have that kind of name anyway. Mj wasn't even positive it was her real name it was just the only name she could remember. Mj could recall a vague vision of her mother sitting with her under a tree stroking her face and singing to her “MollyJay Bijou, little bird I love you,” the fuzzy figure would sing but nothing else after that. “Alright Moll just get ur ass movin we got lots of work ta do” Lou said in fatherly tone that made Mj smile, she wasn't really fond of being called Moll either, but Lou was the only one who did and it was better than the alternative so she let it slide “you got it boss” she chirped as she bent over and scooped up the keys. //