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The Big Bad Wolf

Lawrence Vernon

    The Check Engine light flashed on the dashboard of Ellen’s ancient Dodge. Puffs of steam billowed from under the hood. Like an old man, the car wheezed, gurgled, and then died. After cursing her bad luck, Ellen drummed her fingers on top of the steering wheel. A narrow dirt road, lined with pine trees and damp from a recent rainstorm, stretched out into the darkness before the car.
    Groaning, Ellen ran her hands through her curly black hair as she thought of the events that had led up to this moment. As part of a divorce settlement, her mother had received a cabin, a place where Ellen and her family had spent many summer vacations. Her mother said Ellen and Terri, Ellen’s older sister, could hang out there. Never one to turn down an opportunity for some drunken debauchery, Terri, her new boyfriend, and some of her friends elected to stay at the cabin for the weekend.
    Because Ellen’s twenty-first birthday had passed recently and she wanted Ellen to meet her new boyfriend, Terri invited her to the party. Bored with spending lonely weekends at college and looking forward to boozing it up, Ellen accepted her sister’s invitation.
    After driving south for half an hour on Highway 31 and into a dark woodland, Ellen turned left onto the dirt road to the cabin.
    Then her Dodge broke down, delaying her dream of intoxication heaven.
    Sighing, Ellen pulled the hood release and got out of the car. She opened the hood and a great blast of steam assaulted her. The hood light didn’t work, and she didn’t have a flashlight so she couldn’t see what happened with the engine. However, a sizzling sound like frying eggs and an acrid smell made her suspect a leaky radiator was responsible for her problem.
    She approached the passenger door and opened it. She grabbed her purse and pawed through its contents. When Ellen found her cell phone, she flipped the top open and the liquid crystal screen flared on. A few seconds passed before the screen displayed an unwelcomed message: NO SIGNAL AVAILABLE.
    “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Ellen cried.
    Snapping her cell phone shut, she returned to front of the car to stare down the dirt road.
    Maybe I can walk to the cabin.
    Ellen trembled as if a ghost had given her an icy massage. Although she normally didn’t surrender to fear, trekking alone though a dark woods had little appeal.
    Grunting with frustration, Ellen continued to gaze down the road which glistened like a poisonous snake. The road seemed to issue a challenge, daring her to tread upon it.
    Maybe I can wait at the car. When the party starts and I’m not there, Terri will come get me.
    Part of her shrieked with laughter at that thought. Yeah, right! On a Friday night, drunk out of her mind, and probably banging her new boyfriend, Terri will notice her younger sister hadn’t arrived and come get her. Get real! Ellen might as well wait for a fairy to appear and fix the car by waving her magic wand.
    Sighing, Ellen hooked her fingers through the belt loops of her blue jeans while a cool autumn breeze rippled her dark red blouse. She studied the road, wondering if she should accept its dare.
    Unless she felt like spending the night in the car, she had no other choice. She was going to have to walk. It wasn’t far, two, maybe three miles. She had nothing to fear in these woods either. Only deer and rabbits lived here. Besides, she’d have a great time once she reached the cabin.
    Ellen smiled as thoughts of the wonderful party danced seductively through her mind. She and Terri could get a tow truck for her car tomorrow. Right now, she would walk down that road, enter that cabin, and enjoy that party!
    After locking her car, she headed down the road.
    During her journey, Ellen calculated how long it would take for her to reach the cabin. Assuming she was three miles away, she should reach the cabin in a little under an hour so she’d probably get there by–-she checked her watch–-10:30.
    Ten minutes later, the woods became surreal and sinister-looking like a dark, demented fairy tale. Instead of cheery pine trees growing along the edges of the road, gnarled and twisted trees dominated the sides. A pale, full moon bathed the woods in an eerie, yellow glow. The atmosphere tasted thick and heavy. The woods themselves grew very quiet as if the place was holding its breath.
    The woods reminded Ellen of her father reading the story of Little Red Riding Hood to her when she was a child. The story came with a number of frightening illustrations. One particular, scary picture had burned itself into her memory like a brand.
    The big bad wolf was hiding behind a tree, gazing at Little Red Riding Hood skipping down a trail to Grandma’s house. With the exception of a small white diamond of fur between its eyes, the wolf’s black fur shone like coal. Its eyes glinted yellow. Foamy drool dripped between its gleaming white teeth. Its sharp white teeth.
    Ellen shuddered as her mind fixated on the image of the wolf. This past summer, she and her ex-boyfriend, Paul, had visited a zoo. After viewing exhibits like the House of Reptiles and the Den of Monkeys, they had stopped at an outdoor wolf pen.
    Ellen gasped when she saw the wolf. It strongly resembled the one in the illustration down to the white diamond on its forehead. The shining sun painted the huge wolf’s fur with its rays, giving the animal’s coat a radiant glow. Powerful muscles swelled under its flesh, making it look bold and dangerous. She could have sworn the wolf had a nasty grin as it sat on its haunches and stared at her with its grim, yellow eyes as if it personally knew her.
    (What big eyes you have, Grandma.)
    (All the better to see you with, my dear.)
    The wolf flicked one of its ears.
    (What big ears you have, Grandma.)
    (All the better to hear you with, my dear.)
    The wolf opened its mouth.
    (What big teeth you have, Grandma.)
    (All the better to . . .)
    While a gentle breeze rustled his blond hair, Paul whistled when the wolf bared its rows of spiky teeth. “Damn! Look at the teeth that thing has.”
    (Daddy, can you please stop reading that story? I’m getting scared.)
    “You wouldn’t want that thing to take a bite out of you.”
    (Daddy, please stop reading that story.)
    “If that thing ever got its chompers into you, you could kiss your ass goodbye.”
    (Daddy, please!)
    Before she and Paul left the pen, Ellen thought the wolf had winked at her.
    (Hey babe, I’ll see you again real soon. Oh yes, I will.)
    (Daddy, stop reading that story!)
    (ALL THE BETTER TO BITE YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!)
    A loud snap returned Ellen to the present, and she froze as if her muscles had transformed into strands of ice. Her heart pounded. Her mouth went dry. Her eyes widened.
    What was that noise? Where did it come from? Behind her? Ahead of her?
    Emerging out of darkness, a big bad wolf loomed over her. It walked on its hind legs like a man would. Its yellow eyes gleamed in the dark. With a deep, ugly growl, it blew its fetid breath into Ellen’s face making her gag.
    The wolf grabbed Ellen and sunk its teeth into her shoulder. Ellen reared her head back and screamed in pain and terror. The creature then released Ellen and swiped at her side causing her to tumble into a ravine to the left of the road. She crashed onto the leaf-coated ground, and it broke away under her body. She then tumbled into a dark cavern.
    Facing upward, she smacked into a muddy surface that did little to cushion her impact. Her back and ribs exploded in agony. Sharp pain sliced through her head. Her consciousness wavered between reality and darkness. After a fierce battle, Ellen maintained a flimsy grip on her consciousness.
    The wolf was gazing down at her through the hole she had fallen through. Because the moon shone with sufficient light, she saw the wolf had blackish-brown fur. Large breasts also dangled from its chest like hairy punching bags. Ellen studied the wolf’s forehead to see if she could detect a white diamond of fur. She saw none.
    A werewolf? Ellen thought with fear and wonder.
    With a low rumble, the wolf departed from the hole.
    Taking a deep breath, Ellen sat upright. Her head ached as if she had a vicious hangover. Her shoulder, back, and ribs throbbed.
    She lowered the shoulder of her blouse and examined the bite. Although blood still flowed from it, the wound didn’t look too serious. It would probably leave some nasty scars though.
    If that thing was a werewolf and it bit me, does that mean I’ll become one?
    Ellen pulled the shoulder of her blouse back up. She didn’t want to think about that now. The implications were too terrifying for her to contemplate at the moment. Besides she had to focus on making sure she was all right and then getting herself to safety.
    She raised the lower half of her blouse and inspected her other injuries. While she couldn’t see her back, she did examine four slashes, surrounded by a blotch of purple, across her ribs. As far as she could tell, the wounds looked nasty but not serious. She lowered her blouse.
    Ellen took in her new surroundings. She had fallen into some kind of a cavern. Because of the darkness, she could only make out a few details: a muddy ground, some water puddles, tree roots crawling down the walls like slithering snakes, and a tunnel shining with flickering lights.
    A tunnel?
    Feeling hope sweeping over her like sunshine, Ellen rose on shaky legs and hobbled over to the tunnel’s entrance. The tunnel stretched off into the distance and curved to the left. Candles burned within holes dug into the walls; its flames resembled watching eyes.
    Breathing harshly, Ellen struggled down the tunnel before it ended in a room of some kind. Someone had put up cinder blocks for walls. Patches of straw lay in clumps around the room. A strong smell of feces caused her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. An entrance to a second tunnel branched off to her left.
    A chorus of yips sounded to her right. With her heart pounding, she twisted around to behold two smaller versions of the animal that had attacked her.
    The two creatures stood on either side of a rickety table boasting a few candles radiating feeble light. Their jaws dripped red as they shoved hunks of raw meat into their mouths. Measuring three feet in height, both creatures had black fur and yellow eyes. Like scientists who had discovered a new insect, they studied Ellen.
    The creature on the right of the table had a feature that demanded Ellen’s attention. Gasping, she blinked to ensure her eyes hadn’t deceived her.
    Its forehead had a white diamond of fur.
    The creatures stepped toward Ellen and growled. She backed away from them. When they took another step, she turned and bolted for the second tunnel. She ran as fast as her aching back and injured ribs would allow. During her run, she glanced over her shoulder to see if the creatures were pursuing her. They weren’t.
    At least as far as she could tell.
    Her injuries forced Ellen to slow her pace. She noticed the second tunnel resembled the first with its earthen walls and flickering candles in its man-made holes. She could only detect one significant difference; this tunnel was longer.
    Thirty minutes passed before Ellen saw a ladder reaching for a trapdoor outlined in the wooden ceiling. Like a drowning woman eager for air, she scaled the ladder. The agony of her wounds tried to convince her to stop climbing, but she ignored them and pressed onward.
    She pushed the trapdoor open and entered the musty interior of what looked like a shed. The moon shone through a dusty window. Garden tools glinted. A workbench held up rusty tools. Sliding doors beckoned.
    Ellen charged forward to wrench the sliding doors open. The sight of a cabin with bright interior lighting welcomed her. A line of cars were parked in front of the cabin. Terri’s silver SUV sparkled near the center of the line.
    “Terri!” Ellen dashed to the cabin’s porch.
    To her immense relief, the front door was unlocked. Stumbling into the main section of the cabin, she looked wildly around like a lost child looking for her parents. A collection of beer bottles littered the top of a scarred wooden table. An old couch struggled to stand to the right of an archway to the kitchen. She saw no one.
    “Terri!” Ellen screamed, fearing something had happened to her sister.
    “In here.” Terri’s voice emanated from the archway.
    Ellen rushed to the kitchen. Terri sat alone at the table. Black hair hung limply from her head. A long-sleeved, black blouse with a pattern of white diamonds clung to her thin frame. Her skin tone resembled the color of curdled milk. Her brown eyes looked plastic like the eyes of a ventriloquist’s dummy.
    “Terri!” Ellen grabbed her sister’s shoulder to shake her. “We’ve got to get out of here and call the police.”
    Terri didn’t respond.
    “Terri, we’ve got to go.”
    Either ignoring or unconcerned about her sister’s urgency, Terri gazed at Ellen’s blood stained blouse. “What happened to you?”
    “Something attacked me.”
    “What attacked you?”
    “This thing did. Look, we’ve got to get out of here. Right now!”
    “Beverly attacked you?” Terri raised her eyebrows. “She wasn’t supposed to do that. She was supposed to watch Roy’s kids. Her bloodlust must have really gotten to her.”
    “What are you talking about? Who’s Beverly? Who’s Roy?”
    “Roy is my new boyfriend. Beverly is his sister.”
    “What?”
    “Remember the zoo you and Paul visited this past summer? They own it. Remember that wolf you saw? That was Roy. He and his kids had a bad case of bloodlust so Beverly had to keep them locked up at the zoo until it passed. Now Beverly is getting it so Roy is going to have to lock her up.”
    “You mean your boyfriend, his sister, and those kids are . . . werewolves?”
    When Terri didn’t answer, Ellen became aware of the deathly silence of the cabin for the first time.
    “Terri, what happened to all of your friends?” Ellen asked.
    Something glistening near the refrigerator caught her eye. When she discovered the identity of the item, her stomach lurched violently as if a mule had delivered a powerful kick to her abdomen.
    “Oh my God.” Ellen clamped a hand over her mouth.
    Next to the refrigerator, a severed arm lay in a puddle of blood.
    The memory of the wolf children eating the raw meat exploded within her mind, almost causing Ellen to retch.
    “You should see the backyard,” Terri said. “What a mess.”
    “Oh God,” Ellen cried.
    “Oh don’t fret, dear sister. Everything will be okay. Tomorrow morning, we’ll call the police, tell them a bullshit story of how some rabid dogs killed everybody, and then we’ll get everything cleaned up.”
    “What? No . . . Terri . . . no . . .”
    “Oh, I got some great news for you. Roy proposed to me and I accepted. We’re going to get married. Isn’t that wonderful?”
     “Oh God.” With her fingers squashed against her temples, Ellen dropped onto her behind and pressed her back against the wall.
    This can’t be happening. My sister is going to marry a . . . werewolf? A fucking werewolf?
    “Not only that, but I’m pregnant too. Isn’t that great? I’m going to be a mommy and you’re going to be an aunt.”
    Ellen felt herself sinking into a void. She felt empty, dearth of emotion and thought. Nothing looked real anymore. Everything seemed fake like the setting of a doll’s house.
    Terri rose from her chair and approached Ellen. Kneeling, she cupped her sister’s face and asked, “Will you please snap out of it, Ellen? You’ve got nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine.”
    Terri’s sleeve had slid up her arm a little, revealing the tip of a peculiar shaped wound. Ellen grabbed her sister’s wrist and rolled the sleeve further up. A series of red puncture wounds in the shape of a pie wedge was on the inside of her forearm.
    A bite mark.
    Ellen’s shoulder wound ached, reminding her that she also had a bite mark.
    Oh dear God, please no. Not that. Anything but that.
    A scratching at the back door drew Terri’s attention. She rose and walked over to the door to open it.
    A big bad wolf that walked like a man entered the kitchen. Its eyes glowed yellow. Its sharp teeth gleamed. Its thick coat boasted a shiny black darker than midnight. A white diamond shaped patch of fur glittered on its forehead.
    Terri hugged and kissed the creature. “Hey, hon, are you all done eating your fill?”
    The thing grunted.
    “Great.” Terri gestured toward Ellen. “That’s my sister, Ellen. She saw you at the zoo last summer. I don’t know if you remember seeing her or not.”
    Grunting again, the creature padded over to Ellen, knelt, and sniffed. A spark of recognition gleamed in its eyes. It remembered her all right. Oh yes, it did.
    Like a noxious mist, a coppery smell wafted through the air, and Ellen noticed the creature’s snout was thick with blood. Something white and stringy also dangled from one of its whiskers.
    Oh dear God, is that human flesh?
    Terri stooped over to pick the arm off the floor. She straightened herself, held the limb up, and said, “I’m starving. How about you, Ellen? Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat.”
    Ellen arched her head back and screamed.

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