Page 17 of His to Possess

The victim was well dressed, in a rather expensive suit, if I knew anything about men’s attire, although it was difficult to tell what brand given the amount of blood. I studied the slash marks covering the man’s unrecognizable face, my stomach churning from the stench. While the carnage had all the indications of a brutal animal attack given the level of violence inflicted on the body, I knew better. My gut told me that every single one of the murders had been calculated, not random.

I’d bet my badge on my instinct.

However, my views weren’t widely accepted. Everyone in my department believed we had a bear or perhaps a pack of wolves on the loose, animal control officers scouring the local parks and other areas of heavy foliage. That’s why the public hadn’t latched onto the term ‘serial killer,’ the limited reports barely denoting any occurrence at all. For that I should be grateful since reporters had yet to camp out at our precinct or the murder scenes. I lowered my hand, extending my fingers as I kept it hovered over the man’s face. Granted, the slash marks were crude and jagged, much larger than any human hand, but they were from no animal in existence.

For some crazy reason, my thoughts drifted to a legend, one my grandmother had told me about when I was a small girl. The Wolfen. Half man, half wolf, but not just an ordinary beast. They were primal wolves, said to be the oldest continually living mutated species in the entire world. Mutated. From what? I’d read enough werewolf stories to understand the disease of lycanthropy, but I’d grown out of believing in fairytales and ghost stories when I was ten. However, the Wolfen were also said to be extremely powerful, their predatory skills and ability to shift at will widely accounted for but a single specimen had never been captured.

My grandmother believed the Wolfen were true monsters, their hunger and mating instincts often turning them rogue. When I was eight, the stories had terrified me.

Now that I was an adult, I laughed at her utter belief in them.

And her need for protection.

I glanced at the wounds again, studying the angle, forced to admit that the horrific slash marks appeared to be made by sharp claws. I closed my eyes, praying exhaustion was the single reason I’d even consider the option. I was a woman of science and information, requiring solid answers in order to solve a case.

Not some Halloween tale meant to terrify children.

Whoosh.

What the fuck?

Sucking in my breath, I shifted the flashlight toward the trees, scanning the area once again, listening for any other sounds. I’d never felt this raw fear in any of my other cases over the years.

Until now.

An eerie feeling slithered down my spine, my stomach rolling.

This particular location in the park was isolated, a solid one hundred yards from any of the walking trails, but it was obvious the body had been dragged at least a hundred feet if not more. The slither of blood leading up to the body indicated the attack had occurred elsewhere. As I reached for the gloves in my back pocket, a second cracking sound occurred less than twenty feet away in the dense patch of trees.

I swung both the beam of light as well as my service weapon in the direction of the noise, calming my nerves. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was being watched. Every instinct kicked in, telling me in no uncertain terms that I was in danger. The hair stood up on the back of my neck, my throat constricting. I moved to a standing position, taking cautious steps in the direction of the trees. My flashlight was powerful, but the eerie darkness kept goosebumps popping along every inch of skin—clothed or otherwise.

Another sharp crack drew my attention to the right and for a split second, I was able to shine my light on a pair of eyes.

Only they weren’t human.

They couldn’t be, the sharp yellow irises almost iridescent in nature. I took a step back, my foot catching on something slick. Within seconds, I went down hard, immediately sliding down the rain-soaked hill. I tumbled several times, losing my grip on the flashlight. When I slammed against one of the few light posts, the pain was almost blinding, stealing my breath.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I shook my head, trying to remove the cobwebs before scrambling up the hill. Shaking, I hunkered down, reaching for the light. Then I heard a keening cry followed by a primal growl unlike anything I’d ever heard before.

“What the…” The words died in my throat as some creature lunged for me, the uncanny snarl erupting as if the beast was coming from several directions. I managed to get off a single shot before my survival instinct kicked in.

I didn’t want to die out here in these fucking woods and the fucker had cornered me. There was no way I could make it to the car.

After cutting off the beam, I took off running, my heart racing and every nerve standing on end. The darkness was overbearing but I couldn’t afford to take the chance on using the light. I was a sitting duck where I was.You can do this. Go, girl. Go.I heard snapping and crunching behind me as I raced through the darkness, the husky growl turning into an actual howl. This wasn’t any kind of bear. After jumping over several fallen limbs, I dropped onto all fours, taking aim.

Pop! Pop!

The creature issued another howl, only this time out of pain. Then the sound stopped, as if cut short. At least I’d managed a direct hit. After a few seconds of nothing but quiet, I rose to a standing position, taking careful steps in the direction of the beast. When the hairs stood up on the back of my neck once again, I felt its presence only closer this time and from an entirely different direction. This time the creature’s growl was more… personal.

The moment I took off running, I realized the fucker was trying to corner me again. I was being herded toward the river. Oh, fuck me. The bastard wasn’t going to get the better of me. I zigged and zagged as I raced through the woods, swearing I could feel hot breath on my heels. This was insane. I had to find somewhere to hide in order to regroup.

Think. Think!

I knew this damn park. I’d enjoyed jogging through almost every section over the years when I lived close a few years ago. There had to be somewhere safe. I was near the river. I remembered seeing an old abandoned caretaker house, but that was years ago. What were the chances the place hadn’t been torn down? I had to take the chance. The fucker was getting closer.

I weaved through a series of fallen trees, the terrain becoming almost impassable. When I stumbled, I heard the creature’s snorts and snarls, as if frustrated he couldn’t find me. I hunkered down, catching my breath, swallowing bile as the fear threatened to close off my air supply. Suddenly, everything was eerily quiet once again, only the sounds of crickets and other night creatures.

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