War of the Wolves

WAR OF THE WOLVES

(THE DEMON GATEKEEPER: BOOK ONE)

russell brown

COPYRIGHT © 2019 RUSSELL Brown.

This edition published in 2019 by BLKDOG Publishing.

Covert art by Defiant Design and Print

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. The moral right of the author has been asserted.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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For Lewis. That was some walk in the woods.

Contents

THE DARK MAN

A COOL POOL AT MIDNIGHT

FOR WHOM THE SCHOOL BELL TOLLS..

WHO IS CALDER ROUGE?

THE SHOP OF CURIOUS INCIDENTS......

THE PLAN........................................

A WORLD FULL OF MONSTERS

HOW DID I GET MYSELF INTO THIS MESS? 

THE MASTER OF LOST PLACES

A RIDE IN THE DARK

ZANDER HEART

VICTORIA STATION

CINDY’S NOT COMING HOME

WHO IS MR. MONO?

AFTER THE CEREMONY

SLAUGHTERHOUSE 4

ON THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

SAVIOUR

THE HANGOVER

HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE

SOMETHING’S HAPPENING AT THE ZOO

BRING LOW THE SCHOOL

TUNNELS UNDER THE RIVER

THE ROTUNDA

THE SHOP OF HIDDEN TREASURES

THE BATTLE OF THE TWO ARMIES

HERE COME THE GIANTS

THE DEMON GATEKEEPER

EPILOGUE

THE DARK MAN

D

ressed in the colour of midnight, The Dark Man stood alone and smiled. Piercing red eyes, stared out through lank strands of black hair. Clouds of frosty breath whispered from grim lips. Fat droplets of water rolled over a grey face. Each one dropping slowly from a sharp chin. A ruby red tongue slowly licked moisture across stark white teeth. Sharp ears listened to the gasps of pain and fear echoing off the walls.

A jet of water arched gracefully upwards from the jagged teeth of a damaged toilet. A broken strip light swung softly, sending sparks of neon blue flashing across the floor. Cubical doors hung limply on hinges like broken arms. Cool water pooled across the tiled floor, mingling with blood and slowly turning the floor a rust colour. An air of menace circulated the room like a thick fog. 

Through the settling chaos the creature remained still, a dark statue with arms spread out. His left hand extended into a silver blade that seemed to grow out of him like a wicked claw. Blood dripped from its tip and landed in the shallow pool surrounding him.

On the other side of the floor stood two men. Both were panting from recent exertions and both sported a multitude of sword cuts. They stood ready for battle, their arms outstretched, their eyes boring into the quiet opponent opposite.

What are you against The Dark Man? the creature whispered, the sound brushing across the floor like dry leaves on an Autumn pavement.

I am the father of wolves, the mother of pain. You are nothing but playthings, a brief distraction.

The two figures growled deeply in response. Each taking a step back before crouching down onto their haunches. The sounds of breaking bones snapped across the room, followed by grunts of pain. Both men changed a deep shade of brown as course hair sprouted from their bodies. Snouts grew from their faces and sharp teeth protruded from their mouths. Their eyes turned yellow and their hands became massive paws ending in talons.

The Dark Man remained still, waiting for them to attack.

The first creature launched itself, its claws ready, its fangs flashing in the spitting light. A low growl erupted from its mouth, rising to a roar as it neared its prey. At the last moment, The Dark Man, casually stepped aside and brought the sword down onto the creature's exposed back. It let out a howl of pain and collapsed to the floor, sliding across the wet tiles and crashing into an empty cubical.

The second creature was more cautious. It stepped from one paw to the other, a deep growl of hatred vibrating from its chest.

You are nothing, the Dark Man whispered. You are an inferior breed. Come to me now and feel my blade. 

The creature launched itself forward, teeth bared, talons deployed. Once again The Dark Man remained still as it rushed forward. Just before impact the creature fell to the floor and bowled into The Dark Man's legs, sending him clattering across the tiles. Before he could recover his opponent was up and rushing towards the exit, changing back into a human as it went.

The Dark Man stood up and surveyed the scene of carnage around him, the dead body of a man now added to the destruction.

Round one to you, but this isn't a battle it's a war, he said to himself. He flicked the last droplets of blood from his sword and slowly walked out of the toilet, blue sparks following him as he went.

A COOL POOL AT MIDNIGHT

L

ewis saw the wolf because he couldn't sleep.

He’d suffered from insomnia from an early age. His brain deciding to go into overdrive the minute his head hit the pillow. Arguments he’d had with friends or scenes from his favourite movie. That difficult maths equation he just couldn’t get right, or the last line of that play he’d forgotten to memorize the day before. Nothing he did could stop it. He tried counting sheep, drinking warm milk and shoving his head under the pillow, but his mind whispered to him no matter what. After hours of turning and sighing he often gave up and went for a walk.

He knew he should stay in bed, but what else are you supposed to do when your brain won’t switch off and you live in a bungalow on the edge of the woods? So he climbed out of his bedroom window and went wandering through the trees.

He wasn't afraid, these were his woods. He'd grown up in them, playing armies and knights, slaying a million bush shaped dragons and storming a thousand tree shaped castles. Now that he was older the trees were just trees but they were as familiar as family, and he enjoyed his quiet walks amongst them, safe in the knowledge he was the only human around. He loved the gentle creaking of the tree and the wind as it whispered through the grass. He could name most of the trees in the place and knew where each hollow and hidden stump lived. Most of all he loved the peace the wood gave him. It was the only thing that allowed his brain to slow down.

The wolf was crouched next to a silver coloured pool gently lapping at the water. It was the sound that alerted Lewis to its presence. At first his brain refused to compute what he was seeing, deciding instead that it was a large shaggy settee someone had abandoned in the woods. But the tongue darting in and out if its huge mouth and the gentle lapping sound as it drank water told him otherwise.

‘What the hell is that?’ He asked himself as he knelt down on the damp earth. He knew there were wolves in the woods, they'd come closer and closer to civilisation in recent years as the lure of easy food took hold. But he'd only ever seen their tracks. Now here was the biggest wolf in the whole world taking a drink at his pool, in his woods. Lewis liked to think of the woods as his, especially at night. The pool lay near its center and few people came here during the day never mind at midnight.

Taking a deep breath, he began to crawl closer, never taking his eyes off the drinking wolf as he crept forward. He knew he should be trying to get as far away as he could, But a part of him had to get a closer look, just to make sure that it was real.

His hands shuffled through a million pine needles as he crawled, the cold ground quickly turning his fingers blue. Water began to seep through his jeans but he carried on, eager to get a closer look.

As Lewis drew near the beast reared up onto its hind legs, a torrent of water cascading from its jaws. It stopped for a few seconds, balanced on its massive back paws, its snout lifted into the air, sniffing at the light breeze as its massive tongue darted in and out of its mouth. Then it dropped back down onto the ground with a thud.

Lewis stayed frozen to the spot. For a few terrifying seconds he’d been convinced the creature had smelt him and was about to come crashing forward, ready to snap him in two. But the thing had returned to gently lapping at the water again and he let out a sigh of relief.

He watched in fascination as the animal continued to drink its fill. Its fur had a strange silver tint and its head was surrounded by a large shaggy mane of black hair, that tapered down its back. Its whole body was covered in bulging muscles, that rippled as the creature rocked on its hind legs. There was a deep musk smell emanating from it, that reminded Lewis the woods after a heavy rain shower. But most of all it was its size that amazed him. He’d read about wolves in the wilds of America growing to be as big as a Great Dane, but this creature was the size of a small car.

Just as he was contemplating a safe retreat the creature reared up on its hind legs once again. This time it lifted its head and let out a howl before falling back down and clawing at the ground. Its body began to tremble, its skin bubbling like hot water. The fur on its back whispering with the movement. It let out a low whimper of pain and began to bite the earth. Ripping up great clods of grass and dirt that it tossed into the pool. It let out another howl and Lewis looked on in astonishment as the fur began to retreat and its paws morphed into hands and its snout retreated into its face. Deep yellow eyes suddenly turned black, then blue and lips appeared in the center of the creature's face. Its whimpering turned to moaning as legs appeared below a pink and naked torso. Within seconds a man lay where a massive wolf used to be, his head resting on his arms, his chest heaving as he breathed deeply.

The twig snapped loudly, startling them both. The man raised his head with a jerk and looked straight at the spot where Lewis was hiding. Despite the fact he was human a low growl escaped from his lips.

Lewis stopped moving. One hand in mid-air, the other hidden amongst the moss and pine needles. Half his brain told him there was no way he had just seen a wolf turn into a man, the other half screamed at him to run away. For a moment they stayed like that, stuck in a moment of fear and uncertainty, then the man got up and staggered towards him.

That broke the spell. Lewis scrambled up off the ground and began to race away from the pool. He ran in blind panic at first, sure that he would feel the creature’s claws slice into his back at any moment. He ran around trees and over bushes, his face was whipped by branches and he stumbled to the ground more than once. He didn't care where he was going he only wanted to get away from the wolfman as quickly as he could. As the strength started to drain from him he slowed to a staggering jog, the cold air ripping through his chest like fire. He snatched a quick glance behind, half expecting to see the wolf tearing forward but all he saw was dark trees standing like silent witnesses, the wind gently speaking through their branches.

That was real, I didn’t imagine that, he muttered to himself.

Hello! he heard a voice shout from far away. Without a second thought Lewis turned on his heels and began to race through the woods once again.

Somehow he managed to stumbled onto the path that led to his home and stagger along it until he reached his house. He went around to the open window and climbed inside as quietly as his trembling body would let him, quickly closing and locking it afterwards.

He undressed quietly and dove under the covers, his body shaking in fear and dread. Every creak of a floor board, every drip of the tap sent shivers racing through his body. He told himself he was safe, that he'd gotten away, and besides he really hadn't seen what he'd seen. There was no way a wolf could turn into a man.

After a while he began to calm down and reached for his phone. He knew it was late, but he had to phone Charlie, she needed to hear this. After a few rings, a sleepy voice appeared on the other end of the line.

Hello.

Charlie it’s me, I’m sorry to wake you but something’s happened.

Lewis? What’s wrong?

Look you’re never going to believe this but I’ve just seen a wolf in the woods.

So, I see loads of them, they come into town all the time. They’re looking for food.

Yes, but I bet you never saw one of them change into a man?

What? Look Lewis, it’s late and I have to get up early tomorrow. Just because you have trouble sleeping doesn’t mean you can wake me up with your nonsense.

I know this sounds like a wind up, but I’m telling you the truth. I saw a wolf in the middle of the woods and it turned into a man.

Charlie sighed down the line. Give it up Lewis I’m not falling for it.

I swear on my Mum’s life, this isn’t a wind up. Why would I wake you up with a story like this?

I don’t know but I’m going back to sleep.

I can't believe it myself, but I saw it.

Thought you saw it. Maybe it was a bloke wearing a big shaggy coat and he took it off?

What! Howling at the same time and chomping on great big clumps of earth? Lewis replied.

He's probably a mentalist, the world's full of them, you remember Crazy Jean?

Yeah but this guy didn't chase buses he changed from a wolf into a bloke in front of me Charlie! Lewis hissed.

There was silence down the other end of the line

Are you telling the truth?

Yes! I can't believe it myself, my brain doesn't want to believe it but I saw him, and he saw me.

What, he saw you?

Yeah but I turned and scarpered as soon as he did. I lost him in the woods.

Yeah but he might come looking for you.

Lewis swallowed hard, he hadn't considered this.

No, he said shakily. He won't, he's probably racing over the Campsie Hills as we speak.

Or he might be looking for the only witness to his secret. Why don't you come over here? My Gran’s not here so we can talk.

No it's OK, I'm knackered, I’m going to get some sleep, and besides I'd have to go out there to get to yours.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that, Charlie replied laughing. OK, meet me before class then, you have to tell me all about it.

"Yeah sure, usual place, night.

Night.

Lewis pressed a button on his phone and everything went dark. He lay there for an age before dropping off into a fitful sleep, full of snapping jaws and eyes the colour of liquid gold.

FOR WHOM THE SCHOOL BELL TOLLS

T

he bell rang loudly, rattling through Lewis's head. He groaned at the sound and wished he’d gotten more than a few fitful hours of sleep. He’d just about managed to get through the day, with Charlie’s help. He’d met her that morning as planned and they’d gone over what he’d seen the night before. He was convinced that a big part of her didn’t believe him, and it surprised him just how much he needed to be believed. He’d intended to speak to his mum about it that morning, but she’d already gone when he awoke. Going over everything with Charlie had made him feel worse. It felt like he was telling a story even he didn't believe and her casual smirks and frequent questions only added to his frustration.

Look, admit it, you don't believe me! he had eventually shouted at her.

Look I do believe you OK? I believe you believe you saw what you saw, but look at it from my point of view, it's a hell of a story, she replied calmly.

You believed me last night.

Yeah well I’ve slept since then.

I saw what I saw. I wasn't sleep walking or anything, he definitely turned and he saw watching him.

She looked at him fiercely then let out a sigh. I believe you, thousands wouldn't, but I do. So what do we do now?

Simple, we go and find evidence.

Why?

I know what I saw, but I want to make sure I’m not mad and to prove to you I’m not mad. There has to be one hell of a lot of tracks around the pool.

But what will that prove except that there was a really large wolf taking a drink?

He changed into a human, we can see if there's any other tracks, he wasn't wearing shoes.

Oh I see, you mean we can see if both prints in the same place?

Exactly.

Well OK I suppose that'll tell us something.

It'll tell us I'm not totally mental at least.

The trip over to the woods was done in silence. Lewis was too nervous to speak and Charlie got that. They had to fight the horde of kids leaving school, then the cars and buses before walking down a million silent streets, each one as boring as the last. Lewis gave out a big sigh when they finally entered the woods and the familiar trees appeared before