Misery County

Chapter 1 - Part 2

The manager squealed in pain as he tried to shake the chain off. After an uncomfortably long moment of flailing about, he got it off his face and onto his lap. Eric wasn't sure whether that was an improvement, but he didn't care much for the creature's well-being, so it was all moot.

"Are you ready to try again?" Eric asked.

"I don't know anything about Missouri County, all right! I've only heard whispers."

"Then you do know something about it."

"No, it's not like that."

"So are you going to tell me what it's like, or do you want another dose of silver to the face?"

"No, no, look, a woman came by last month. She said she was recruiting. She seemed to know exactly what I was, even though it was nowhere near the full moon. At first I thought she was one of you come to kill me, but she had a different sort of air about her."

"Recruit you? For what?"

"I don't know. All she said was that she was building a base in Missouri County."

"A base? Like a physical base, or metaphorically speaking? And for what? Werewolves?"

The manager leaned forward as far as he could and forced out the next words. "I. Do. Not. Know."

"You need to understand something - the less information you give me, the less useful you are to me, and the less useful you are to me, the more reason I have to put you to sleep for good like the bad dog you are."

"Come on! I've told you everything I know! Don't do this!" the wolf cried out.

"And why not?" Eric's temper was now flaring, and he didn't bother to hide it. "What mercy did you show to all the people you killed? Did you say grace before you ate bits and pieces from them and dumped the leftovers in the woods?" He paused to take a breath and collect himself. "Allow me to be honest with you. The information you provided wasn't what I'd call good enough. In fact, and I apologize for repeating myself, but this whole experience has been rather underwhelming."

Eric pulled a silver knife out from his belt. It shone brilliantly in the stark light of the fridge.

The manager understood the significance of it immediately. His attempts at bravado and intimidation seemed to have run their course. "Please don't do this," he sputtered weakly.

"You know, I was initially planning on shooting you even if you did give me the information I needed."

The wolf opened his mouth to speak.

Eric cut him off. "And before you say anything, the silver bullets I've got loaded in my pistol would indeed do the trick."

The two men exchanged stares that harbored little love.

"But now," Eric continued, "I think I'm just going to carve you up instead."

*

By the time Eric had finished digging the grave and burying the manager's remains, the sun was up, the beautiful day standing in arrant juxtaposition to the macabre scene that had played out mere hours before. Or perhaps it was nature's way of signaling the end to the terror that had emanated out of the sleepy motel. Eric enjoyed it either way as he drove out of the motel's parking lot and down the winding state road. Down there he was greeted by no monsters nor mayhem, but instead by hills, trees, and finally, a large sign that read: Welcome to Missouri County.