Blue Eyes, White Lies

Chapter 8

(Might have to put a mild warning, mentions of death and dead bodies)

All I could see was the trees and Eric's eyes. Amber glowing eyes and claws that could rip someone to shreds. 

An eight foot tall shadow of silver-blonde hair. Teeth like razor blades. A scar on his left leg, healed over, but with no fur covering it. 

I go back to the blonde boy in the woods that I'd been told about. Came in one night, came back a beast with the next moon.

Of course, it takes a second to process in my thick skull that Julian was just hinting at where Eric really was last night. Here.

He was the howl I heard. He was the wolf-beast of the story that I'd been told. He was another living legend. Just like Julian was, he'd been ostracized for something that wasn't under his control.

So that's what these woods were. A home for the lonely. A home for the rejected. People like Julian and Eric.

Even in this form of his, I can't say I was scared of him. I knew him. He was Eric, the chef from Georgia who told me about his trauma in a supermarket. If he wanted to hurt me, he could've done it already. 

The scar must've been a bite wound. It showed up in the same place, didn't it? Cars don't have teeth, as far as I'm aware. Shrapnel can't do that.

I'm almost certain he didn't spend months in the hospital. Putting the pieces together, he got bit, realized the fact he could easily go on a rampage, decided to get the fuck out, and found himself in the woods of a random Pennsylvanian town. 

Julian carries me bridal style as we follow Eric through the icy woods (he's one hell of a lot faster than I am). He's on a scent of some kind, one that can't possibly be good. 

A few minutes of running later, he abruptly stops, standing dead still in front of something I can't see. Julian sets me down. He can see better than I can.

"Stay by that tree. I'm not sure if this'll be any danger to you." He commands, and I stay put just where I am.

I can't hear what they say, but a rancid smell creeps into my nostrils. It must've been what Eric smelled that brought him here in the first place. I can't place the smell, but it's reminiscent of death. A dead body or a dead deer, I don't know. 

I can hear murmurs of a conversation. I can't pick out words but by the tone alone something is very, very wrong. Wrong enough they've decided to keep me from it (which I'm a little bummed out about).

Julian moves from the scene, looking at me.

"I've decided it's safe, we owe you an explanation once we get home."

He grips my hand tight, leading me to it. 

"Just know if any of this becomes too difficult for you to handle I can and will bring you back home."

I'm not sure if he means the cabin or my dorm room. 

I put on a brave face, the smell of death creeping closer and closer. I pull my jacket over my nose and mouth to avoid the smell. It's one of the worst things I've ever smelled, if not the worst. 

My suspicions are confirmed when I see it. Eric is standing back, Julian is as close as I am, less than three feet away.

A body. A corpse would be the right term, actually.

But not one dead naturally.

There's marks on it only a human could make. Wounds that were inflicted by someone else. 

It's not just a death. It's a murder case. Maybe even a missing persons case. 

In woods this thick, nobody would've found it. Nobody but Eric, who's sense of smell was better than that of the local department's search dog. A wolf with a mind.

A circle laid on the chest of the man. A silver circle, made of what looked like recently hardened metal.

If I remember my wolf lore correctly, it's the only weakness of a werewolf. Silver.

A corpse only he could smell, something only he was weak to. 

Someone or something was either after him, or just really, really, hated him.

"Is this... the only one...? Or are there multiple?" I ask hesitantly. 

"It's happened thrice. This is our third. Always under a full moon like this one, always having a silver component."

"To keep him away?"

"Exactly. I assume you know what he is?"

I nod, taking another look. I wasn't very educated in the realm of being a detective, but with enough effort, I hoped I could deal with this. 

"Do you happen to have a camera?"

"Why would you need one?"

"Photos. Court evidence. I'm looking to convict the fucker who did this. Block it off with something. Fishing line would do, if we have anything thicker, I'd prefer that."

He nods, taking some line, a stick, carving a notch in the stick. "Put this where you need it. I'll make the other few." He starts carving again. "Eric, do you have your phone?"

Unable to speak properly, he nods, taking something it off what was once his coat pocket. 

The camera isn't damaged, and I quickly snap a few photos. Nothing much, just what I can do.

I have a feeling what's here won't be tomorrow. 

Julian and I get our stakes into the ground, threading the string. He seems grossed out, staying as far from the body as he can. Hell, he looks paler than he usually does.

Eric backs up as we finish. I snap a few more photos of what I can, keeping the silver cap in mind. .

We leave the woods for the night, photos in Eric's phone. I leave more shaken then they do, the adrenaline of my first real case slowly leaving my body with the realization of what I was really in for.

A mythical creature for a friend, and three dead people only we knew about.

Under my breath, I promised myself I'd bring them to justice. I'd find their killers. It was my little mission. 

I made new plans.

Finding the killers, telling the truth about Julian, and bringing Eric back to where he loved to be. College. I swore it. 

We walked in silence until that same cracking sound was made again. Eric. I closed my eyes, freezing in place and turning my head down. I only look up when I hear him speak.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Kei." He sighs.

"It's alright, Eric. I didn't see much, I didn't mind it."

"That's a rarity. Not many are as calm as you are, Kei. Listen, this is going to come off as the cheesiest bullshit you've ever seen, but if you couldn't tell, I'm a werewolf."

I chuckle. "I could tell, don't worry."

"I'm surprised you haven't asked the stupid questions yet, ya know, the usual "do you live in a pack or have a weird love triangle with a vampire and a sixteen year old girl."

I laugh. "You really get that?"

"Got it once, decided never again. That guy's the only one who knew besides you and Julian."

Julian stays silent, looking exhausted. Eric smiles, starting again. "I'm not sure what's been after me. Whatever it is, it knows what I am. I see you want to help catch them?"

I nod. "I'd want nothing more than to catch them. Justice is a calling of mine."

"Then we can team up. The three of us on this case. It's obvious you're interested."

He extends a hand to shake, and I return the handshake.

We're a team now.