SilentCreekPack {Origins}

Chapter 12

That same night, Lucaine and Cynthia were at it again, as it was 5:54pm Dianna had not come home as yet. "Cynthia, she's fine! I just saw her not too long ago." "How long Lucaine?!" Cynthia snapped back. "She came home at four today, tossed her school stuff inside, took a shower and headed back out." Cynthia was furious. "Two hours ago?! Really!?" Lucaine walked away from her and proceeded to open the fridge door. "You can call her if you want." Cynthia did just that, yanking out her cell phone and beginning to dial. She waited for the ring, only for Dianna's phone to started ringing right there on the living room coffee table, until it vibrated off the edge of the table and onto the plush carpet below. "She didn't even take her phone." Cynthia added in a lower tone, going over to the kitchen cabinets, and took an aspirin. "Cyn, She's oka--"

"PROVE IT!" Cynthia barked again at her ever so calm husband cutting him off. Sighing, he walked out of the house and into the yard. "Were do you think you're going?" She called after him and not receiving an answer. Standing out in the cool night air Lucaine cupped his hands around his mouth and attempted to imitated a wolf howl as best he could in that form.

Miles away, It was heard. Ashen, Bolt and Dianna rested near a large tree, for a quick nap. Ashen awoke, rather disgruntled at the noise. "What on God's Green Earth is that?" She grumbled, flattening her ears to block out the noise. "D-Dad?" Dianna said looking up at the sky as the sound continued. She recognized Lucaine's voice, but he sounded awful. "He must be looking for me--" "That's too bad! You're staying the night. Now hurry up and answer him so he can Shut Up!" Ashen growled, while Bolt whined in discomfort placing his paws over his ears. "He sounds like a pregnant cow!"

Dianna giggled at Ashen's irritability. "He kinda does..." Tzuma replied. She happened to be nearby, and heard the adolescents conversing. "Human lungs are good for many things, but howling isn't one of them." Tzuma chortled at the horrid noise. "Ain't that the truth!" Ashen snorted. Tzuma spoke again. "You're mother must be around, so he can't shift. Why don't we both answer him so He'll know that you're safe?" Dianna smiled. "Good idea!" She and Tzuma howled their replies, relieving Ashen and the rest of the pack of the disturbance.

Hearing the replies, Lucaine stopped. "Tzuma..." He said in relief, as he identified the howl accompanying his daughter's. He walked calmly back into the house. "She's at a friend's house." Cynthia seemed to calm down. "She must be at Tony's then."

"Tony?" Lucaine's jaw dropped. Who was this, Tony? Hmph. Whoever he was, she seemed to trust him. "Yeeah... Tony..." Lucaine replied, awkwardly. "I'll call and make sure she's okay." Cynthia added. Lucaine's heart skipped a beat. What now? However, it wasn't long before he could breathe once more, because when Tony answered his phone, Lucaine could hear him say that Dianna was there across the phone. He chuckled a bit. "Smart kid." He said under his breath pretending to walk up stairs, but staying close and keeping his ears alert for anything else that might be said. Cynthia continued to talk to Tony afterwards. "Tony, everytime I see you, you always have in these silvery-grey contact lenses and--" She was cut off as Tony began to stammer, as if he was panicking. "Oh yeah those those are just to help me see I've worn glasses since primary school but I traded them in for lenses when I started to get bullied about those big blocky things just hangin' around my face you see? HAHAHA! Kids these days I need to keep them on at all times and only take them out at night I'm legally blind you know!" He blurted out awkwardly with absolutely not a single pause in between. Cynthia stood blankly staring into space trying to make sense of the garbage this young man just put into her ears. "Legally blind.." Lucaine said to himself on the staircase. "Sure, that's exactly why."

However, things weren't going as well in other places. Desmond stood on a side walk in the deserted part of town. He held Minson's business card in front of his face, staring at it in the moonlight. "Well, this looks like the place...." He mumbled putting the card down revealing a Gloomy two storey building built out of red bricks. A white rat with neon blue eyes stared Desmond for a brief moment before darting away behind a dumpster. "What the--" He gasped as the rat locked eyes with him. "Desmond," The cold voice of Professor Vincent Jaye Minson, causing Desmond to jump. "I see you honored my invitation." Desmond let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, Mr. Minson--" Proffessor Minson stopped him. "Vincent." He said in a more friendly tone. "Please, come in." He said leading him through the door of the building. As he did so, a curious figure watched both men enter the building, and proceeded to investigate after the door was closed. What was seen inside was a scene out of a science fiction horror movie.