Caleb put his cell back in his pocket, after attempting to call Stan three more times. He knew something was very wrong over at Stan's place. Stan had been calling him off the hook for the last two days, now he's too busy to chat. Something was wrong. But he had no time to think on it, Caleb had his own problem. Like the dead bodies in Freddie's living room?
One of the neighbors had called Freddie to ask about the commotion; the gun shots coming from his home. He made up a quick lie about his gun going off while cleaning it. They accepted the answer and passed the message to the other neighbors who were lurking around concerned about his well being.
Caleb called the Sheriff's station and relayed the message of the gun going off during cleaning to stop any patrol that may have been called. Thankfully every bought the lie, for the moment. But there was no way of knowing if anyone would show up to do a wellness check anyway. He could not have that. They needed to think quick.
The fact that Caleb had just killed three people and beheaded five hadn't really sunk in yet. He tried to keep his mind on Freddie. He had called Dr. Rhodes and told him he would be there with Freddie soon. He asked him to please keep this discrete and pretended it was official business with the Sheriff's department. The good doctor agreed, but knew there was more to the story. But he did not pry. Which seemed a bit strange to Caleb but there were more pressing matters at hand, no time to ponder.
Freddie laid on his side curled up in a ball, his body battered and bloodied. Pain not coming from just one area but all over. Every muscle, tendon, he had two bites and random gashes and scrapes that burned like acid.
He needed to heal, Caleb had been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off for the last ten minutes, calling Stan, calling the doctor, calling the station and grabbing every bed sheet he had out of Freddie's closet and of his bed. He was preparing to wrap the bodies up but hadn't yet brought himself to do it.
Caleb had started to pace in the bedroom, stomping back and forth, talking to himself, the man was freaking out. Which was understandable since he had just dismembered five people in Freddie's home. It wasn't a pleasant sight and not something you could easily shake off. The blood...the carnage... the sound of it. Caleb's hand shook.
Freddy was slowly bleeding out and needed help, now. He couldn't wait on Stan any longer. And the trash bag full of heads was beginning to give him the heebie jeebies. He needed to get back on his feet, neither of them knew if any others were coming to look for their friends. He was no condition to walk, let alone fight.
Only a few feet away from him was hunting knife one of the men had dropped. Freddie slowly crawled towards the blade on the floor, each inch felt like a thousand needles were stabbing him all at once. Once he had the knife in hand he continued to crawl at a snail pace to the closest dead body to him. One of the thugs laying next to Veronica, the vixen who liked to play a little too rough.
Slowly he sat on his knees staring down at the lifeless body, and began to cut the dead mans blood soaked shirt free from his torso. Every movement made Freddie wince and then wretch in pain. He didn't know any other way to stop the bleeding, at this rate he was going to die if he didn't do...what he really did not want to do.
Raising the knife high as his battered body would allow, he slammed the hunting knife into the man's chest, the serrated edges sliced into his chest cavity with ease. The blade was razor sharp, yet still managed to get hung up on hunks of muscle and tattered flesh as pulled the knife free. He stabbed him again, then again, trying to ignore the pain shooting through his body. Once he had created a hole big enough Freddie discarded the knife and punched his way threw the man's rib cage.
The first punch made him cry out clutching his sides. The second punched left him gasping for air as pain shot threw his own chest. His Wolf begged to be free, but he in was in such a weakened state, there was no way he would be able to transform, not fully.
Freddie punched, nails first deep into the man's chest, one more time, feeling around in the bloody void for his heart. Once he had a firm grip on it, he yanked once snatching it from of the headless body. The arteries stretching and then snapped back like bungee cord.
"Whoa, what the fuck are you doing?" Caleb said entering the room, his hand over his mouth, trying not to gag.
Freddie looked at him with cold dead eyes, trying to remain conscious and said nothing. Instead he bit down on the heart, ripping at the tough muscle with his teeth, a growl permeating from his chest. He chewed the large chunk of heart, rolling it around in his mouth before swallowing the piece nearly whole.
"Oh my god...that's disgusting." Caleb gagged turned away from him. "What the fuck?"
Freddie answered plainly ripping another bite and chewing intensely, like it was tough beef jerky. "I need to heal."
Without further information he understood. Caleb remembered being weak and his wolf killing that cow, he remembered Dean consuming the organs. He remembered the invigorating feeling he had during and after. He could taste none of it, but he could feel his body growing stronger. Seeing it now, in the light of day and not in quick images passed from his wolf to himself, Caleb was repulsed.
The coppery smell of blood in the room did nothing to settle his stomach. Dean had been there beside helping him as he had to dismember all of the bodies and he was hear now telling him to be stronger. But the last few days had been hell for him and today was turning out to be the worst one of all.
Seeing Freddie bruised and beaten, covered in blood using a headless man as a pillow to rest, while eating his heart like an over cooked hamburger... Caleb walked back down the hallway almost slipping in a puddle blood. The sight of it bringing back the memory of hearing a whimpering wolf beg for it's life. Stay strong, Dean shouted at him.
Caleb had to stay busy, he hopped on the phone again. It rang several times before there was finally an answer, "Hello?"
The voice that responded back sounded like a little boy, "Hello?"
Caleb paused, "Who...who is this?"
"Who is this?" The boy answered back cautious.
"I'm looking for Deputy Morris."
It was the boy that paused this time, "Um, he's not here right now."
"Rocco who are you talking to?" A voice on the other side of the phone asked.
He pulled the cell away from his mouth and replied in a loud whisper, "Someone keeps calling Stan's phone."
Caleb listened on as everyone on the other side of the phone spoke loudly at the boy. "Why are you answering his phone. I told you to look for Freddie's number..." Inaudible whispers. "Who the hell is it?"
"I fucking know Stella."
"What your goddamn mouth Rocco." A male voice butted in.
The boy corrected himself, "I don't fudging know Stella."
"Give me the damn phone... Hello?" Mica said not in the mood for bickering that was going on inside the car. "Stan isn't here right now, call back later." He was direct and to the point.
Caleb could tell he was about to hang up and quickly stopped him, "Wait, wait. When you see him please tell him to come to Freddie Turners place as soon as possible."
"Who is this?"
Though he didn't want to answer the question he did, "Caleb Talley."
"Is Freddie alright?"
"....No."
"We're heading that way, be there in 5."
"No that's not a good idea." Caleb urged, there were dead bodies piled up in the living room and the place looked like Slaughter house.
Mica could sense something was wrong, "Is Freddie alright?"
Caleb didn't know how to answer, he stared down the hallway into the living room at the injured Deputy chewing the last bite of the heart, his breathing now slower, his eyes were now closed. His short black hair was slick with blood and cling to her forehead, his hands clenched and released over and over as if he were trying to regain feeling in them.
"Caleb...who is that?" Freddie groaned.
There was a loud knock at the door.
The sudden rapping at the door startled them both. They froze staring at one another. Knock, knock, knock. Caleb tip toed down the hall, his heart pounding.
Freddie's tensed shoulders relaxed when he caught a familiar scent. "Open the door."
In a low whisper Caleb replied, his eyes as big as dinner plates, "Do you really think that's a good idea." He pointed to the headless bodies laid out on the floor.
"Open the goddamn door."
They knocked again, this time even louder. Caleb rushed to the door, looked through the peep hole. "Freddie, it's me."
Cracking the door Caleb looked out at three strangers, a grown man and teenage girl and a young boy. The man was large, his smelled familiar, he was a wolf, they all were. The man stared at him confused, expecting someone else to answer the door.
"Where is Freddie?"
"Let him in Caleb." Freddie coughed.
He shook his head in agreement but paused, "Tell them to wait out here. They can't come inside right now."
The young boy rolled his eyes and shoved past Caleb and barging into the house. "Bullshit, move."
"Rocco stop." The girl said trying to grab him by the arm but he snatched away to fast for her to get a firm grip.
The two youngsters stopped dead in their tracks. Rocco's eyes were stricken with fear. His jaw dropped nearly to the floor as he stared at the bodies that decorated the blood soaked living room. "Holy. Shit. What. The. Fuck?" The boy croaked putting his hand over his mouth.
"Sweet Jesus." Stella in a whispered tone, pulling Rocco into her arms. She cradled his head against her chest, shielding the boy from the horror scene before them.
Mica walked in stepping over the bodies and went straight to Freddie's side. "What happened?"
Freddie replied taking a deep breath, "We were playing Monopoly and things got out of hand."
Mica rolled his eyes taking in the full view of the mayhem. "You look like shit. Can you be serious for one second."
"I still look better than you. You will always be the ugly cousin." He chuckled still using the dead man as a head rest. The small gash across his chin was slowly stitching itself back together. Very slowly.
"In your dreams asshole." Mica smirked taking his cousins hand into his, clasping it firmly just before turning his attention to Stella and Rocco. "Take him to one of the bedrooms Stella. Then grab some trash bags." The girl gave him an irritated frown, she wasn't taking to kindly to being ordered around. "Please." He added with deep frustration.
"Sure." She nodded appreciative that used the magic word; please. She walked around the body in her way keeping the boys eyes guarded.
"No, I'm fine. I can handle it." Rocco spat trying to get free of Stella.
Mica shook his head trying to fight the urge to yell at them. "Handle it in the room. This is big boy shit, way above your pay grade. Go chill."
Quickly Stella yanked his arm and drug him off down the hall, only to be stopped by another dead body. Rocco froze once more, "Goddamn what the hell..."
"Language!" Mica yelled feeling more and more like a babysitter.
"Sorry." The boy sulked off to Freddie's room.
"That damn kid..." Mica cursed to himself.
Freddie began to breathe with more ease as his body tried to heal itself, "Where is Stan?"
This time it was Mica who froze, his brown almond eyes looked down and then away from him. His gaze turned sour. There was a story behind his look and Freddie wanted to know what it was.
"Where is Stan?" He pushed.
Mica stood up placing his hands on his hips, "The pack was attacked. Everyone is..." He didn't want to say it.
Caleb sat on the edge of the couch waiting for this man to explain, but he didn't speak. Slowly Freddie tried with everything he had left in himself to sit up, his ribs burned with every movement and the claw marks in his abdomen began to bleed again. He was healing too slowly to get up. "Mica! Tell me. Where is Stan? What happened to the pack?"
The small corners of his eyes gathered with tears, but none fell. "They're gone. They're gone."
"What do you mean gone?" Freddie coughed, his expression one of fear and not of pain.
"Another pack came... they killed everyone and set fire to..." Mica shook his head trying hard not to picture the roaring flames. "to everything."
"No."
Caleb knew without asking that it was Charlie who had acted against Stan's pack. It was his brother that had sent men to Freddie's place, to kill him. What the hell was he doing? Was his brother the murder that he appeared to be?
Quickly Caleb sent a text to Simona: 'Are you alright?'
His wolf growled thinking of Simona being in harms way again. Caleb looked at Mica with unanswered questions on his mind, "Where is Stan?"
"And who are you?" Mica's eyes narrowed as stepped back to take stock of the tall golden haired werewolf covered in blood in his cousin's house.
"Caleb...where is Stan. I'm supposed to meet him here."
"Well he's not coming."
Freddie jumped in, "Why?"
"The other pack, they shot him. I don't know if he got away but he wasn't looking good when I last saw him. He's not dead."
"How do you know that?" Caleb asked running his blood stained hands threw his sweaty blonde locks.
"If he were dead I would feel it." Mica could still feel the connection he had made with Stan earlier when he used his Alpha abilities of manipulation his will and make him forcefully leave his side. The distant thud of his Alpha's heat beat thumped in his wolves ears.
Though Caleb wanted further explanation but refused to ask any questions. There was so much that he didn't understand about this new world he was being introduced to. He hoped to understand and find answers one day.
"Do you know where they would have taken him."
Mica stared at Caleb with a clenched jaw and a tight fist, "I don't even know who did this. How the hell could I even begin to guess where the fuck they took him. If they took him at all. He may have ran away."
"Fuck." Freddie shouted, immediately gripping his side from the strain. "We need to clean this mess up and get out of here. They might send more men."
"Agreed. Where are we going? There is no where to hide or to plan. Home is gone."
"We'll worry about that later. First we need these bodies out of here."
Stella stood at the end of the hallway, her wild curls bushy around her face, "Um we could park your RV you have in the back yard by the front door, block the view of whatever or whomever comes in and out of here. So your of nosy neighbors are none the wiser. The RV will provide enough space for 5 bodies and us. Chop these guys up if we have to. Wrap them in plastic, dump them bags, roll them up in the carpet, whatever. Bleach and mop everything and then we bury their bodies in the woods." Her voice was soft and sweet, which threw them all off while listening to her explain the heartless disposal of human remains.
Mica clapped his hands together nodding, "Sounds like a damn plan. Lets get it done." He was a man of a few words and believed in taking action rather than talk about it.
Caleb's phone rang, it was Simona, without hesitation he answered. "Hey." He walked towards the kitchen which was open to the living room and offered no privacy.
"Caleb is everything okay, I have a bad feeling are you okay."
"I'm fine baby, how is everything there?"
"Quiet, my Grandma still isn't home. It's not like her to be gone like this. I need to go look for her, she's not answering her cell." Her voice was shaky, though she tried to hide it she sounded worried and afraid.
Quickly he replied, "No please stay there. I'll be there in an hour... with company. I will help you look for her then. I promise." The last thing he needed was her running around town and back roads while they were under attack.
"What? Company?"
"I'll have to explain later."
"Why can't you explain now Caleb? Something is wrong, what is it?"
"Trust me please. I will explain when I see you."
"Damn it." She whispered under her breath, just loud enough for Caleb to hear her. Her blood was boiling, all this secrecy was annoying as hell, all she wanted was for Caleb to be real with her. Why was that so hard for him? Simona wanted to scream, but Grandma Cade not coming home last night was weighing to heavily on her mind and she decided to let it go. "Alright."
"I promise I will fill you in when I see you, but I have..." Looking down at the ground at the blood splashed across the linoleum, making his shoes stick and sound like ripping Velcro. "pressing matters at the moment."
"Fine."
He could practically feel her rolling her eyes, "See you soon." She was not pleased.
She hung up without bothering to say goodbye. Throwing the phone in her purse she sat outside on her Grandmothers porch swing, impatiently waiting for her to return. Praying that she was alright. A part of her cursing everyone for the chaos that was now surrounding their lives. Though she and Rachel weren't on the best of terms, she hoped she was safe.
Her fingers circling the small heart tattoo that she and her best friend shared. They were going through a rough patch, this was true. Wolf or not, they swore they would have each others back until death. Rachel was wild and free, always had been but she was there when the rest of family; her sisters abandon her. They always had each other... until now.
Hanging up Caleb turned around to see Mica handing Freddie a fresh heart he had pulled from a different body. Freddie took the slippery organ with an appreciative head nod and began to chew.
Mica shook his head staring at the first heartless body with a look of disaproval, "See, if you cut along the sternum it's a lot easier. Less mess, look at this. A complete hack job." He points to the body, "You made such an unnecessary mess and used so much energy going this route, through the rib cage.
Stella stood with a box cutter in her hand shaking her head at them, "Really? Is this what you want to talk about right now?"
Closing his eyes, Mica sighed deeply, "No. Lets get this over with. Just trying to add some levity to an already horrible day Stella."
"Then you obviously didn't see everything I saw today. There is no good humor to be had, Mica." His name was spoken like it was a curse. Stella threw all three of the men a look of shame and then knelt down and began cutting into the carpet. "We need to move this furniture out of here and put it in the bedrooms, hallway and kitchen, whatever just use all those muscles and brawn to get this crap out of here. This carpet has got to go."
Caleb tucked his phone into his pocket and grabbed the trash bags from the counter. It was time for him to bag up those heads...
* * * * *
It took them 3 hours to get the bodies wrapped up. The used what they had plastic wrap, bedroom curtains, bed sheets and carpet. Then duct taped and wrapped the bodies up tightly like human cocoons. Mica had pulled the RV up to the door, blocking any view someone might have from the road and carefully they placed the bodies inside the small RV. Freddie had been moved to the bathtub to rest, once his adrenaline began to wear off he couldn't keep his eyes open. He was covered in blood and slowly healing.
Mica had stripped him down, threw him into the bathtub and left him to rest, threatening to kill him if he drown in the tub.
Caleb had been mostly quiet while working with these newcomers. Or was he the newcomer? He had known Freddie and Stan for almost a year and he was now realizing that all the years, he didn't truly know them at all.
The mood in the home was dark, somber, and it looked as if everyone wanted to say something, but the only words exchanged were about the clean up process. By the end of it all, the house looked like it had been demoed. The carpet was completely removed. The hall way was bleached, the living room furniture was either cleaned or broken down, ready to be hauled off. The shattered table had been thrown in the RV.
Mica and Caleb grabbed each end of the last body and shoved it on the top bunk of the RV's sleeping area. The small vehicle consisted of a built in table behind the passenger seat next to that was the tiniest love seat Caleb had ever seen, it too was built into the wall. After that was a sink and a mini refrigerator, no stove, just a hot plate and a mini microwave above the sink. The bathroom was a plastic folding curtain that hid a single toilet and mirror on the wall. Further back was a closet big enough to fit the woman's body in and nothing more. At the back of the RV were two bunks leading towards a small room with a full sized bed and nailed down bedside table, hidden by another plastic curtain. The basket under the table was filled with lotions, oils and a plethora of adult toys. It was clear Freddie used this RV for more than just camping.
"Stella, tell Freddie to get his soggy ass out of the tub...please. We need to dispose of these bodies as quickly as possible." Tip toeing over her emotions was beginning to get on his nerves but he played it cool and took deep breaths through the entire process of stripping this house from top to bottom while she continuously reminded him to be less abrasive.
Exhausted and ready for a nap of her own, Stella went stomping down the hall. She banged on the bathroom door loud enough to awaken and startled Freddie. "It's time to roll. Hurry up." She barked before going to check on Rocco.
The young preteen was laying on the floor of the guest room/home gym watching videos on his phone, as if he hadn't just seen 5 dead people. But Stella knew this wasn't the first dead body he had seen. Unfortunately. Though she hoped it would be his last.
"Hey, you doing alright?"
He didn't look up from his phone, "Fine." The harsh tone in his voice let her know he wasn't in the mood to talk. But that wasn't going to stop her.
"I'm sorry about everything."
"Why, you didn't make a bunch of psycho's show up and kill every one we know. Did you." Rocco paused his video and looked up at her, his hazel brown eyes more angry than hurt. "You didn't murder all those guys out there. Did you?"
"No." The question was rhetorical and she immediately regretted answering.
"Then why are you apologizing to me. I don't know those dudes out there. All I know is they were from the same pack of assholes who just burnt down our home. So I don't feel bad about shit that happened to them. Good riddens, and I hope their fucking friends are next."
With a sigh she rolled her eyes at him. "Language."
He flipped his wild main out of the way of eyes even more pissed off now, "My language seems fitting looking at the deep shit that we are in. Don't you think so Stella."
"True that. But watch your mouth anyway. No woman wants to marry a potty mouth."
"That's not true either. Ryan Reynolds swears all the time and women go crazy over his average looking ass. Look, I'll watch my language if you stop treating me like a regular 12 year old."
She wanted to protest. She wanted to shake some sense into him, how could he not be as upset or in a state of shock like she was? But she knew he was right as well, he wasn't an ordinary young boy. He was a Wolf and had been surrounded by death most of his life.
Instead she just replied, "Ryan Reynolds is hot, you're a hater and we're leaving. Get up, lets go."
"Fine."
"Hey Rocco, look I don't know who this Caleb guy is, but I don't trust anybody right now. Stan is gone and I don't know if he's coming back. If Freddie trusts him, that's enough for me...for now. Play nice. We are up shit creek with nowhere to go and zero options."
"Fine. Stan is coming back. He always comes back." Rocco needed his words to be true. But he feared that he might be wrong this time.
* * * *
To say Simona was frustrated was an understatement. She hadn't heard from Grandma Cade and she was beginning to worry it wasn't like her to stay away from home too long. And with Charlie on the loose causing chaos in every direction, she prayed that her Grandmother was okay.
"Damn it." She slammed her phone down on the wood railing around the edge of the porch.
Sitting on her Grandmother's porch she stared out at the nothingness in front of her. The green landscape and sweet gentle smell of Lavender and Daisies use to calm her and bring a smile to her face. But today it was the opposite. Caleb said that her senses would be heightened and could be disorienting. The smell was over powering. It made her eyes burn and stomach turn. The sun seemed brighter than usual, almost blinding. The birds chirping sounded more like a pack of screaming goats and the Squirrel's climbing the large Elm tree sounded like nails on a chalk board. The chewing and cracking of acorns sounded even worse. Her skin felt overly sensitive, like something was crawling underneath and the faint whispers were beginning to gnaw at her ears.
"Ssssh, please shut up." She groaned to herself, taking deep breaths to calm her mind.
The voice died down.
"Thank you."
The beast groaned back, sounding just as annoyed as she was.
A sudden smell hit her nose and made the hairs on her arm rise. The sound of crunching gravel and the hum of an engine hummed in her ears. Two seconds later a black car stopped directly in front of the house. Her hand gripped the revolver that Caleb had given her as she rose to her feet, slowly. She didn't know what to expect, but she knew whom she should expect. That familiar scent of unfamiliar spices. It was him.
Simona held the gun up ready to fire. Charlie opened the door and got out and began to walk casually up to the front gate and into her Grandmothers yard.
"Stop right there."
Charlie held up his hands, "I just came to talk."
"I got nothing to say to you. Get the fuck off my Grandmothers property or I will-" She froze in place. Unable to speak, unable to move. His power taking hold of her.
"Or you'll?" He grinned, his eyes darkening as he held her in place. Charlie came closer. "Please have a seat, lets talk Simona. We have so much to discuss."