Wendy and Her Lost Boys -- The Lost Boys 1987

Chapter 18: Santa Carla's Newest Night Creature

– David –

It had rained earlier in the night. Street lamps caught in the puddles and reflected their light.

We steered clear of well-lit streets and walked down the darkened roads of Newport, trying to find the police station.

This place was not unlike Santa Carla. A little coastal town hiding a twisted secret, with hungry monsters to match.

That's why we've come here.

We cannot hope to eradicate the monsters in the woods if we don't know the first thing about their particular brand of pest control.

In a strange way, their arrival in our town made sense. A divine retribution to be paid in blood. For all the lives we took, they would take from us, in turn.

There was a certain balance to be found in this arrangement, although most humans did not know they lived side by side with creatures such as these. It seems prey found it easier to go about their lives if they believed they were still at the top of the food chain, just as we had believed ourselves to be.

Rounding the corner, we see Newport's police station. It stood sheltered on a corner, facing outward with wide, inviting windows. Though they looked black in the low lighting, there was something altogether charming about the building, about this town. Wholesome in a way Santa Carla could never seem to manage, but reeking of death all the same.

We move to the front door. Wind catches our clothes and makes them ripple. I close my fist around the handle. My fingers tighten as I twist my hand sharply to the left, breaking it off at the joint and tearing the lock from its hinges.

I tuck the ravaged door handle into my pocket, leaving no evidence behind. With my other hand, I open the front door, pulling it wide and letting my lost boys trail behind me.

Once inside, we spread out. Unsure exactly what we are looking for, but hoping beyond anything that we'll find it here.

Paul takes to overturning file folders, dumping out their contents and sifting through them on the desk. Anything promising was handed to Michael, the rest was cast to the checkered floor.

Breaking away from the group, Dwayne moved further into the building. In the far corner of one of the back rooms I hear the clink of him opening the filing cabinets, sorting through their contents and looking at the years Ellie lived in Newport with her family.

I pause, listening. The moment his breathing stalls, I take notice.

I stride towards him, following the winding path as I hear him call, "I found something." Taking a flashlight out of my pocket, I turn it on to get a better picture of the little room we found ourselves in. Dust cycles around us, disturbing the beam of light and making it look watery in contrast.

Distant crashes and answering swears were heard from elsewhere in the building, breaking up the nervous tension and causing a smirk to tug at my lips, knowing Michael could raise hell just as well as any of us could.

My eyes fell back on Dwayne as he straightened. Holding up a worn newspaper clipping, he shows me what he found. He let out a ragged breath before reading the headline, "Newport's Five Year Reign of Terror!"

He goes on to read: 'The sleepy coastal town of Newport has had a strong dose of fear these last five years. With attacks that started in the woods before migrating to the suburban streets, many of our town's citizens feared so much as going out for a milk run.

Over the years numerous wildlife biologists and expert animal trackers have come to our town seeking answers to the puzzling situation we found ourselves in.