Author: dhsully
Company: US Army

Werewolf of Misty Valley

One

Chuck Davis and Danny Pickett were lost in the deep woods.  A bright full moon shown down from a cloudless sky, but only a small amount of the light filtered through the tree tops to help light up the gloomy forest floor.  The two men were trudging through the sparse underbrush trying to find their way back to the hiking trail.  
Chuck and Danny, both in their early twenties, were avid hikers.  They were experienced, but Misty Valley Trail was a new one for them and they lost their way when they came to what appeared to be a fork in the trail.  They took the wrong fork, and by the time the trail was starting to peter out they realized their mistake.
To make matters worse, Danny fell in while crossing a stream.  They crossed on several rocks in the stream, but Danny slipped and fell.  He was unhurt, but lost some of the contents from his backpack that had scattered when he fell.
"We'll have to backtrack to pick up the main trail," said Chuck, "but we've already lost a lot of time.  It's already dark, and we still have to get back to where we parked the pickup."
"Funny how the fork we took lasted so long before it ended," said Danny.  "It looked like a part of the trail we were following, too."
Chuck nodded.  "Yeah, it sure did.  It must have been an old Indian trail."  He laughed.  "We probably weren't the only ones fooled.  They ought to put up a sign or something warning people."
"Well, to be fair, the park brochure did say that it's in an unimproved area and that trail maintenance is only minimal," Danny observed.
Chuck laughed.  "Well that's what we were looking for, wilderness.  Misty Valley is near one of the wilderness areas in Western North Carolina, and this trail is near the area."
~~*~~
The hikers backtracked and then continued following the main trail until they reached the paved county road.
"I can see the truck," said Danny.  "We're on our way home." 
As they approached the pickup Chuck stopped. "Go ahead and start the truck, Danny.  I gotta take a leak.  I'll be right with you."
Danny hopped in the truck and started the engine.  He glanced in the rear view mirror and saw that Chuck had finished and was walking toward the truck.  At the same time he saw a figure emerging from the woods behind Chuck.  
"Run, Chuck.  A bear's behind you!"  Danny reached for the 9mm in the glove compartment as he yelled.
But it was too late; the creature was already mauling Chuck.  It dropped Chuck's body and turned toward Danny as he stepped down from the truck.  A glance at Chuck showed that he was still moving, trying to get up.  The creature slowly advanced toward Danny.
Good Lord! That's not a bear, but what the hell is it? 
In the bright moonlight he could see a creature that could be mistaken for a man, but its body was covered with fur and it had hideous animal-like features.  He decided that it was probably a deformed bear.  He aimed the pistol and fired at the charging creature.
He got off several shots as the thing approached.  It seemed to slow down, but kept advancing, ignoring the shots.  He was sure most of his shots were hitting the animal; he saw it jerk several times as he fired.  He could have sworn that one of his shots tore of a piece of the creature's face.  It stopped for an instant, and when it continued coming toward him he saw that its face was undamaged. He emptied the 9mm.   It suddenly lunged forward and he barely managed to jump back into the truck and slam the door shut.
He stepped on the gas and the pickup lurched forward, but he was shocked to see the creature was running alongside the truck.  It suddenly jumped on the hood of the moving vehicle.  He panicked as he looked the horrible creature directly in the face as it peered at him through the windshield.  It snarled, showing its teeth. He had an eerie feeling that the thing had been toying with him, actually trying to terrify him.  
He quickly recovered and had the presence of mind to slam on the brakes.  The sudden stop caused the creature to slide off the hood, falling directly in front of the pickup.  Danny gunned the vehicle, and was jolted by the thumps as the truck ran over the creature.
He glanced in the rear view mirror and was astonished to see the creature jump up and resume chasing him.  It grabbed the tailgate, trying to pull itself into the bed of the pickup. He sped up and swerved at the same time, causing it to lose its grip. He continued to pick up speed, leaving the nightmarish thing behind.
Damn!  That thing was trying to scare me for sure, but in so doing it let me escape.
He waited until he figured he should be far enough away and stopped the pickup.  
He fished through his backpack but couldn't find his phone.  
He cursed.  It must've spilled out when I fell in stream.
He remembered they'd passed by a town on the way here.  It shouldn't be far.  Maybe I can find help there. If Chuck somehow survives he'll need help.  But in his heart he knew the chances of his friend surviving were slim.  He didn't doubt the thing would go back for Chuck, and it would probably be enraged that that its second victim had escaped.
Maybe, just maybe, Chuck managed to find a place to hide while the creature was chasing me in the pickup.
A few minutes later he came to a side road on his right.  A sign at the intersesection read: "Arcos  ½ mile."
He turned and headed toward Arcos.
He arrived to find that there wasn't much to the town.  The welcome sign said Population 352, so he didn't expect much.  There were perhaps a dozen or so houses on each side of what appeared to be the main street.  On the farther end of the street was a small grocery store sitting between a tavern and a gas station…all closed.  It was 11:05 PM, and he saw only four houses with lights still on.
No point in looking for help here.   I'd best follow the county road to a more populated area.
He turned around, but as he did so his headlights illuminated a sign on one of the houses with the lights on.  He stopped and read the sign.  "George Dunny, Mayor and Chief of police"
He decided to at least give it a try. 
His knock on the door was answered by a tall but slightly built man.  "Good evening, Sir.  Please come in."
The man held his arm, almost pulling him in.  He noted that the man wasted no time in locking and bolting the door.
He extended his hand.  "George Dunny.  I'm mayor and chief of police here."  
Danny shook his hand.  "Danny Pickett."
The mayor indicated a plump, middle aged woman who had just entered the room.  "This is my wife, Mrs. Dunny."
Danny nodded and she smiled.
"What brings you here?" The mayor asked.  "How can I help you?"
"It's my friend," said Danny.  "He was attacked by a bear…at least I think it was it was bear.  I'm hoping that he survived, and if so he needs help."
"Can you tell me the circumstances of the attack?"
Danny explained all that had happened, including the strange appearance of the animal.  He noticed that the mayor and his wife looked at each other sharply when he described the animal.
"Please, Mayor, is there any way we can get help for Chuck?  I know it's a late hour but this could mean a life or death situation for my friend."
"Mr. Pickett, I know how you must feel.  But let's be realistic.  This town has little more than three hundred people and I have one other man that makes up the entire police force.  I can depend on but very few of the citizens here to summon for help, but a town of this size will seldom if ever have such a need."
"But Chuck may still be alive…"
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Pickett, your friend would need a miracle to…I mean if it's as you have described, the bear must surely have returned to finish off your friend."
"But you can't know that, Mayor.  Can't we at least try something?"
"I'm truly sorry, but there's simply nothing I can do.  We can wait until morning and then go out to the scene of the attack…"
Chuck turned and went to the door.  "Good night, Mayor.  I'm sorry, but I'm wasting my time here, and my friend may be needing me."
~~*~~
Marie Dunny immediately bolted the door after Danny left. “You should have warned him not to go back," she said.  
"I thought about it, Marie.  But in his frame of mind, do you really think he would have listened?  And on top of that, if I had mentioned a werewolf he would have dismissed me as a superstitious kook."
"George, I still think you worry too much about the outside world finding that we have a werewolf in the valley.  I just don't understand why you feel the way you do."
"It's not really that I want to hide the fact that the thing roams the valley, it's just that if word got out people wouldn't really believe it, but instead would think that we're just superstitious yokels.  Nobody living in Arcos, or anywhere else in the valley, cares to discuss it with outsiders."
"I suppose you're right," she said.  "What if Mr. Pickett goes back and somehow avoids getting attacked by the werewolf?  He'll be sure to tell people about the strange creature he encountered."
"Then it will be him that people think of as a kook…who'll believe him?  But given the werewolf's past behavior, it will probably seek him out.  It has an uncanny way of knowing when a human anywhere in the valley is exposed and vulnerable during a full moon.  None that I know of who have been foolish enough to venture out have survived."
"This case is a little different from previous cases, so how will you handle it?"
"Simple.  If they both disappear, I'll report the abandoned truck, and authorities will list them as lost in the forest or as missing persons.  If both bodies are found, I'll report probable bear attacks.  If only Pickett survives, he'll simply report what he saw happen.  No way will they connect it with a werewolf."
"But there is the legend that some people have heard of," she said.  "It's been mentioned a time or two in our ladies club meetings."
"Yes, and there's been books written about it.  But a legend is just that…a legend."
~~*~~
Danny was angered to the point that he was determined to go back to the scene himself. He was having feelings of guilt now. 
 I shouldn't have left Chuck in the first place.   That bear…or freak bear…would have no reason to hang around.  The least I can do is check and see if Chuck's still alive, and if so I can try to get him to the nearest hospital.  And maybe there's a chance that the thing was killed.  I know I hit it several times.
He thought of driving to a hospital for help first, but by the time help got here it would probably be morning.
As he was driving back to the scene something occurred to him.  The mayor had made no attempt to call 911, or even to mention it.  
Surely his phones were working.  The citizens of Arco must certainly have some sort of arrangement for rescue service. They have helicopters to service remote areas. It's like he was trying to avoid helping me.
He arrived back at the scene of the attack.  He got out of the pickup and looked around.  There was no sign of Chuck or his body.  He was sure this was the location…if it not it was surely nearby.  
He wandered along the road searching for Chuck, calling out in case Chuck was hiding in the brush.  Preoccupied with his search, he had not realized that he was some distance from the truck now.  He turned back toward the truck, and had no sooner reached the vehicle when something exploded from the trees on the side of the road. He turned in time to see the horrible creature almost upon him. 
He jumped into the truck just in time to avoid the creature, and for a second time barely escaped with his life.  
~~*~~