A Wolf in the City

11. Confess to your sins.

Dante.

I walk into the theatre room where the TV conference is to take place, the theatre's white bricks are lit pink beneath the stars, and the sight of it enough to ignite a broad smile deep in anybody’s bones. Anybody’s bones but mine though.

I take my seat as quietly as I can at the same time that one of the reporters or journalists raise her hands up to ask a question, and even though she does not get chosen because in scenarios like this, the politicians already knows who to call and the questions to asked, this particular lady stands up without been called upon and I am impressed at her defiance.

“General Veer Arush sir, I have a quest...”

“I did not call you, lady, did I?” The man says and I chuckle when the journalist ignores him and continues to speak nonetheless, “well sir, what do you expect me to do when you have refused to call on my despite having my hands up even before the ones you call. That asides sir, my question is based on the military boots, do you know that over ten of the military men on field have had their legs amputated due to those boots and last I checked, these boots are manufactured by your company and from what I also heard, these accidents happen to our military men because you have decided to divert half of the funds allocated to you by the government for these needs and instead use low quality materials in your making. My question now is that what do you have to say to these allegations?”

I look away from the lady and back at the stage where Veer Arush stands and with a smirk, I take in his appearance. The man has the look of one who has grown too fast in his youth, his bulk never catching up to his bones. He has to duck as he stands at the stage, before edging toward his the microphones before him in his corduroy jacket and shiny trousers. I can not look at him without being reminded of Basil Fawlty. He has the same waning but wild brown hair and the way he holds his lanky frame and gestures with his hands screams comedy.

He has a hawkish air about him. Even hes nose is curved and beaky. He has eyes of palest blue that fixes you in ice should you dare disagree or talk out of turn. He is willow-wand thin, so stick-like that it is hard to imagine him eating much at all, at least not without wiping his narrow lips after every bite. His hair isn't so much color as a washed out brown, like it just can not be bothered to be any colour at all.

Like many men of his age, he has it cut short to hide its lack of volume. There is no way in the world this man has a happy home-life. If he has a wife, she would have been hen-pecked for sure. Every movement he makes betrays his internal frustrations that bounced inside him like sound in a deep cave. In the presence of the cameras, he is a chained monster, bound by rules and statutes. A century ago, he would have been brutal even in the public rather than privately, I'm sure.

“That is a weighty allegation, lady and I would watch what I say if I were you, we would not want to attract lawsuits to you Broadcasting station, will we? I am sure your bosses would not like that at all. So yea, that will be all, I will like t take my leave now.” He says dismissively as his aide takes over the program while his bodyguards leads him to safety.

I stand up from my seat and follow through another door, I watch from a corner as he walks into the bathroom and then I move closer to the two bodyguards and take them out silently, I take the place of one of them so as soon as Veer Arush was out, I start leading him out without bothering to let him see my face.

“We need to leave now sir, news reaching us is that some people are planning a protest concerning the boot case and it is said that they are going to be brutal about it...” I say in a practiced voice as I impersonate one of his men.

He follows me without as much as checking for the truth of my words and I almost chuckle at how easy this is, I look around as I put him into a luxurious car that I have hired, one that looks exactly like the one he had come in. And then I go to the driver’s side and touch the handle. The Tesla roadster recognizes my fingerprint and unlocks. I open the door and gracefully lower myself into the deep bucket seat.

“Those bitches called journalists or whatever never learn, they never do until they are taught important life lessons. And I do not know why everyone keeps fusing about these boots issue, it’s not like their legs do not get amputated on normal days even without my boots, they are the military after all. People really need to mind their business, the people affected don’t even care anymore, the moment their palms were greased handsomely well, they developed instant amnesia. Only the busybodies called the media won’t let it rest.” Veer Arush says as I drive.

And then I drive more aggressively until we are at least a mile from the venue, then I pull up by the side road close to the woods and stop the car. I put on a mask and then turn to the man in the back seat, and he is startled, “ why have we stopped here?” He asks and then he seem to finally get a good look at me and realize that I am not part of his security team.

“Who are you?” He asks and his shivering was very visible even without me doing a thing yet, how this sort of man became the Chief military is something that can easily be traced to yet another foul play.

“Your new nightmare and your worst. My name is Wolf.” I say in a dramatic scary tone.

He fiddles continuously with the door handles, “Look, I am rich, whatever it is that you want, I promise to give you, I am very capable, just name your price and it will be arranged instantly.” He starts negotiating and I chuckle.

I unlock the car and he gets out of it only for the i***t to stat running into the woods where it would be easier to get rid of him if that was my motive. I run after him, and soon he is cornered, easily.

“Hm... what I want is easy, Veer Arush. Confess publicly to everyone of your crimes, and this includes the one that you were involved in with five other one of your human friends. I will give you twenty four hours to do that and maybe when you do, I will change my mind about snapping your head off your neck. Want to see proof?”

I shift into my wolf form right before him afterwards and howl and he faints.