Chapter 43-Clue…
“Son of a bitch! We missed them again! How the hell are they one step ahead of us?”
Josh was mumbling, as his men ravaged through what was left of that make shift base.
“I don’t know, man, but we need to find out who they are and put an end to this. They’re messing with our reputation . Boss won’t stand for it when he hears about our failure. ”
Another said, his voice tinted with a little fear.
Josh smacked a wooden plank into dush then continued,
“It seems like they have been tracking Chong for months. Every step we are getting closer, they keep slipping away. Damn! It’s like they know our every move.”
Just then they heard Ryan’s engine, tearing forward, slicing through the silence of the woods.
They ran outside, in hope of greeting him, but he was already standing at the door when they turned.
” Boss… ”
They bowed with amazement, wonder and shock.
Ryan smiled at their faces and walked slowly in and patted their backs.
” I leapt out of the car because Beck wanted some fun. I walked on all fours. ”
He winked at Josh as the other man gapped at the conversation. How could a man walk faster than a sports car?
But that was another debate which needed to wait.
“We need to be smarter about this Josh. We can’t just charge in and hope for the best. We need a plan better than the one they are following. ”
Ryan’s voice was calm. Like the sea. He walked in his perfect poise, touching everything that was lying about and sniffing in the air.
“Screw the plan! I’m tired of playing games with these assholes. We need to show them who’s boss and take them down once and for all!”
Beck was back in. Super excited like a pup.
” ! Calm down, man. We can’t let our anger cloud our judgment. That’s how mistakes happen. That’s what they want us to make. ”
Ryan grabbed him by his neck and shook him in a violent but friendly way. Beck seemed to enjoy it as he made a weird pout. It seemed like he was craving for some action and was disappointed at being nabbed.
“You’re right. I just can’t stand the thought of them getting away with this. We need to be more aggressive, more violent.” Beck said, licking his tongue.
“We need to be smart, not violent. Violence won’t solve everything. Not as humans, ” Ryan seemed too amused about the entire situation, enjoying repeating the calm aspect in his statements. It seemed like he already knew something that the others couldn’t see.
“We’ll find them, and we’ll take them down, but we need to be patient and calculated.”
Ryan walked over the planks that Josh had demolished with a loud crunch. He bent forward after taking a few more steps.
On the floor was a very small glass vial, without a lid.
Ryan pulled his handkerchief out and picked the vial and sniffed.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
A triumphant smirk brightened his entire face as if he got confirmed answers to his inner calculations.
He extended the empty vial towards the boys. Beck and Josh jumped forward and began sniffing. They looked confused after sniffing it for a while.
” Remember anything? ”
Ryan asked, putting the vial back inside his pocket.
” A masking perfume… ”
Josh answered, looking a little confused.
” And? ”
Ryan urged them on further, looking specifically at Beck.
” It’s not just any masking perfume. It’s the type used by the Purple Moon Pack. Beck observed with wonder, lingering in his eyes. It had been centuries since they actually saw or met another pack, let alone come across one they knew so intricately.
” Bingo! Right on point my boy. Right on point. It’s a masking perfume of the highest grade. The witches working along with the Purple Moon Pack, came up with this masking perfume because they were unable to contain their scents, unlike the other packs.
Not all were born genius, were they? ”
Ryan winked again. ” You over there, ” Ryan pointed at the only human member there , who was surfing from one face to the other with wide open jaws that refused to shut.
” Get me a glass of iced water please. ” Ryan ordered loosening his buttons and folding his sleeve.
” Right away boss! ” The man ran without waiting for another moment. Beck looked in his direction and asked,
“Hey, stop, wait! Where are you headed? Take a car! ”
But he was running faster than his legs could take his weight.
” Let him be. He doesn’t have much time left anyway… ”
Ryan sat down on the ground. Closed his eyes and folded his legs as if meditating.
” Does this mean the Purple Moon Pack survived? Why didn’t we come across any survivors then? ”
Beck wondered aloud.
” ! Boys, learn to keep quiet when it is required. You need to be alert and on your toes. ”
He said, without opening his eyes.
” Alert? ”
” On our toes? ”
” Why? ”
The chorus of their confusion was getting louder when Ryan yelled again,
” Sssssshhhhhh! Just set free your senses. ” Beck and Josh tried to obey, but they didn’t know what to do.
They sat, shaking their legs and looking here and there.
Suddenly they heard what felt like a muffled and faint sound, almost carried away by the wind.
Then it increased in pitch. A low moan, ragged and uneven, paused by heavy breaths. And it went off full blast.
A haunting, blood coiling yell for help from someone being mauled by an animal.
Beck and Josh looked at each other as Ryan flashed opened his eyes.
” Now, ” He yelled as the boys waiting for the signal tore their shirts open. Their bodies enlarged with thick body hairs as they instantly transformed into a feral animal with bipedal contour.
Their pants got shredded to pieces as their muscles developed into frightening, huge paws.
In the next moment, they were tearing through the trees, towards the source of that sound.