Moonlight bay, p.24
Moonlight Bay, page 24
“I think it would be safe to say he went that way.”
Bartholomew pointed to the smashed doorway, leading down to the other end of the ship towards the crew’s quarters.
“You there, take them and follow the others, it is not safe here. There is a wild animal loose on the ship,” a member of the crew shouted at them.
Lazareth ignored the order and led Oleanna and Bartholomew through the busted doorway. They quietly descended the stairwell, reaching the crew’s level in the ship. There, more dead and dismembered bodies were scattered throughout the hallway.
A growl snarled from an opened door at the end of the passage. They stepped over bodies and dispersed appendages, when a flickering light glowed from the doorway. Then men’s haunting screams echoed through the hall, followed by a roar.
A man bursting in flames ran from the room, screaming nightmarish wails. The ball of flames darted towards them. Bartholomew tackled the man to the ground. Bartholomew’s shirt caught fire. He quickly ripped it off and began to smother the flames on the burning soul. He slapped at the flames on his own body when Lazareth wrapped him with a wet covering.
Oleanna tucked her nose in the crook of her arm to prevent the odor of singed flesh from turning her stomach any longer. Bartholomew rose off the burnt cadaver and assessed the burns on his own body.
“Are you all right?”
“The pain was excruciating, but it is fading and starting to itch.”
“Good, that means it is starting to heal. You should be fine in a few minutes.”
Lazareth heard another growl from down the hall. He continued to lead them towards the end of the passage. There was still a light flicker burning in the corner of the room. When they entered, the beast was crouched in the corner feasting on one of the men. The torch he had carried rested in the middle of the room while the flame slowly smoldered and gained momentum. Lazareth gestured for Oleanna to cover the flames. The beast looked up and roared when she stepped toward it.
“Hey, over here,” Lazareth shouted to divert the beast’s attention.
Bartholomew walked to the lycan’s other side and placed himself between the beast and Oleanna.
“Adolfo, I know you can hear me, listen to my voice. Focus on your breathing. You can control the beast,” Lazareth said, in a quiet and soothing voice.
He sat in front of the beast, continuing to speak softly. A light snarl rumbled from the creature when Lazareth had approached and sat. Lazareth responded with a yawn and then lowered his eyelids to calm Adolfo, further. Bartholomew stood still; ready to lunge if anything went wrong.
The beast finally became settled and started to show a human quality as it began taking deep breaths like Lazareth had instructed. The creature calmed itself and continued to breathe. Its eyes closed and the hair began to retract. The sound of cracking bones started and Adolfo’s human form slowly reappeared. After a few minutes, a nude Adolfo lay on the floor, across the room from the others.
“Bartholomew, get a blanket for your brother. We need to get him back to the room and figure our next step.”
He covered his brother and helped him to his feet with Oleanna gripping Adolfo by the other arm. Lazareth led them to the main deck and back down to their cabin. There were no obstacles on the way; however, he had noticed some injured passengers from Adolfo’s rampage.
Adolfo awoke to his brother looking down upon him with Oleanna kneeling by his head and applying a cold cloth to his forehead.
“How are you feeling?” Lazareth asked.
“My head is killing me.”
“That can be expected. We have a lot of work to do with you.”
“Sorry Lazareth, it just happened so quickly, it grabbed a hold of me and I could not control it. It was amazing, so much strength.”
“Amazing, are you insane? You killed several people.” Oleanna stood in disgust.
“I did? Why what did I do?”
“You broke through the door and feasted on the ship.” Bartholomew answered him, propping his head so he could rest in the haystack.
“I am sorry, I did not know.” Adolfo looked down at his palms, realizing he was a murderer.
“How long have I been out?”
“Only about twelve hours. It’s late morning.” Bartholomew took the cloth off his head and threw it in a pail.
“Well people are talking on the ship about this mysterious beast and you left many people injured. There is a full moon tonight and we have a lot of work to do,” Lazareth said, nodding to Bartholomew.
“What work do we need to do?” Adolfo sat up, confused by the conversation.
“We need to kill everyone on the ship,” Oleanna added.
“But why? Has there not been enough blood spilled for one day. I am sorry, but I did not know what I was doing. There shouldn’t be any more bloodshed. We should not be murderers. We are not monsters.”
“That is funny Adolfo, since you started this mess. We need to do this to conceal our existence. Besides, Lazareth said that the ones you bit will create some type of hybrid breed that cannot control the beast.”
“Oleanna is right Adolfo. In the next moonlight all of the injured will turn into the beast and they will just kill the remaining passengers anyway. I am sorry, but this is the only way.” Lazareth stood ready to exit the room.
“Wait, these beasts, are they… just like us?” Adolfo stood to stop them.
“No, well they look like us, but we are stronger. We can also turn at any time. They can only turn under the moon.”
Lazareth looked at Bartholomew, as they stood watching Adolfo think and construct a plan that left them having an uneasy feeling.
“Rather than killing everyone, what if we turn everyone?”
“Are you insane?” Oleanna shouted.
“You want an entire ship of beasts running around and you think that is a better idea,” Bartholomew said looking to Lazareth for assistance.
Lazareth held up his hand to calm them down.
“Tell me Adolfo, how is this a better solution?”
“Well, the obvious answer is that there will be no more killing on the ship, at least not by our hands. There is a large area for food and supplies under the main deck. We could empty that area and hold everyone in there so we do not have to police the ship.”
“You think throwing a load of beasts together is more humane?” Bartholomew argued.
“It is better than murdering them,” Adolfo replied.
“Death is better than being cursed, these people did not ask for this Adolfo,” Bartholomew argued.
“Cursed, how could you possibly call this gift a curse? We have been privileged with these powers. So, you think having the chance of living life with these gifts is worse than the chance to breathe the morning air.”
“But Adolfo, they cannot control the beasts. They are monsters. Lazareth said it himself.” Oleanna looked at Lazareth for his assistance.
“Lazareth, how many of these hybrids have existed over time?”
“Only a few Adolfo.”
“How many have been able to control it?”
“None that I know of, but I believe they are all dead. At least, that is what Petro has told us.”
“So you have never tried to teach them yourself? I wonder if Petro told the clan this to protect the bloodline.”
“Then I would say that he had a good reason to do so, brother,” Bartholomew said.
“Lazareth, if we kill all these people, there will be blood everywhere. The ship will be filled with a pungent stench. The possibly of disease will be too great.”
“We are lycanthropes Adolfo, we cannot catch a disease. Besides if you lock everyone down there, who will man the ship?”
“She is correct,” Lazareth said.
“Please, I am responsible for this. I think I should have a say here. I am responsible for several deaths last night. There are many innocent people on this boat. Please do not let me be the one responsible for the deaths of the entire ship. Please Bartholomew; I do not think I could live with that.”
Bartholomew looked at Oleanna, who was shaking her head no. He caught Lazareth’s eye. He had the same look of remorse as he felt. Bartholomew whispered into Lazareth’s ear and he whispered back.
“Adolfo, we will make you a deal. We will abide by your plans, but if anything goes wrong, then we flood the center cavern and drown all of them.”
Oleanna was disgusted. “Lazareth, that will not kill us, you said it yourself.”
“It will if we melt the silver on board the ship and pour it into the flooded cabin.”
“What would that do?” she asked.
“We are not indestructible. Silver can and will kill us.”
“I will take it. I will take the deal,” Adolfo interrupted before Oleanna had a chance to change their minds.
Throughout the early afternoon, they cleared the main cabin of all supplies and the remaining rations, storing them in smaller rooms. Then they began to set up beds and haystacks in the enormous center room. They fetched the injured passengers and led them to their new quarters, calling it quarantine. After the injured passengers were transported into the main room, Lazareth ordered Adolfo and Oleanna to attend to the injured while he and Bartholomew left to infect the remaining crew and passengers with the curse. Oleanna and Adolfo continued to wrap and dress the barrage of wounds, even though they knew they would be healed after their first change.
As they continued their aid, the door would occasionally open. More injured would enter; those who had not been wounded previously. They all seemed to have a bite on their shoulder. Lazareth’s plan was to have one of them creep up behind the victim and apply the bite, while the other could escort them to the chamber.
“The beast is still loose. Save yourself,” the most recent victim said as Bartholomew accompanied him to the room.
“Then your safest place would be in here rather than stuck out there with death.” Oleanna preached to the patients, assuring them that they were safe with them.
There didn’t seem to be any other suspicions until the room slowly grew crowded and the passengers began to think something was afoot.
“We need more bandages. I will be right back,” Adolfo whispered to her, before he exited.
“You there,” a crewman shouted. “Why is it that you and your friends happened to be the only ones not injured? It is strange?”
The man turned and began to stir the crowd into an angry mob. Four men stood to join him, beginning to circle Oleanna. She slowly began to back up to the door, which Adolfo had locked behind them.
“Where do you think you are going girl?” One man with a burn mark at the corner of his eye, whispered at her.
The latch on the door unlocked and it slowly opened. Bartholomew entered with a woman holding her child. Again, a bite mark appeared on the woman’s shoulder and a slash was on the baby’s arm.
“Why do you think this beast bites people on the shoulder, yet you boy are the only one who just happens to accompany the injured?” the burned man said.
“Get them. They are doing this.” Two other men grabbed hold of Oleanna while another charged Bartholomew.
Bartholomew shoved the woman aside, channeling the inner beast like Lazareth had taught. His open hand caught the man’s throat in one steady stroke and took him down. His fists clenched and eyes morphed to black as he watched Oleanna struggle between the two brutes.
“Let her go or breathe you last breath,” Bartholomew’s low gargled voice spoke.
“It is the devil. He is possessed,” the men said, releasing Oleanna.
Bartholomew stepped forward, grabbing her arms with rough hands and blackened nails. The passengers saw his face roughen like leather along with darkening to a brownish tone. A snarl formed on his nose as the muscles in his face pulsated.
“Are you still wondering what is happening out there? Ask me again boys. Every devil needs to feed,” his gargled voice growled at them. He exposed his fanged canines before they disappeared behind the locked door.
“Breathe Bartholomew. Slow your heartbeat. You had amazing control,” she said in the hallway. She watched him return to his human form.
The plan needed to be altered due to the chamber’s uprising. Lazareth decided that the lucky few who remained would have to be murdered and thrown overboard. They could no longer risk opening the locked door to the center chamber. It was almost nightfall and the passengers would begin to change into hybrid beasts. Bartholomew knew Lazareth had questioned his decision, to agree with Adolfo’s plan. He had already defied Petro’s orders, but the decision was made and it was too late to turn back time.
Adolfo walked with Lazareth to the captain’s bridge to steer the ship. Oleanna and Bartholomew remained on the main deck as the moon began its rise. Horrific sounds and painful screams rose from below their feet as the change had begun from within the center chamber. The howls began to spark Oleanna’s curiosity, tempting her to look underneath the deck floor. She stepped on to the wooded grate and eyed the iron latch that lifted the heavy door in the floor.
“Do not even think about it, Oleanna. You did not like this idea from the beginning. Opening that latch will only reveal the hideous torture we are putting those innocent people through and now I have to live with my this decision for the rest of my life. Petro always said I was the strong one, but I was too weak to put a stop to this.”
Bartholomew led Oleanna to the railing of the ship, leaving the torturous sounds behind them. Several stars in the night sky surrounded the moon. The stars seemed more beautiful over the ocean water. The vast space of sparkles lasted an infinity. That is when he kissed his lovely Oleanna for the first time.
The sound from the metallic clatter of the bars chiming in the jail pulled him back into the present. He was still smiling at the memories of Oleanna. She was the best part of his life. She was the only part of his life that made sense. She was the only one that ever made him happy.
CHAPTER 30
Bartholomew returned his treasured photo of Oleanna to the corner of his desk. The sun started to set. There would be another hour of daylight. He rose from the chair and made his way towards the jail, where the metallic clang of the bars vibrated. Ryan stood on the cot trying to free a cell bar from the plaster ceiling. Bartholomew laughed at the sight of Ryan attempting to escape. Ryan stopped pulling and wedging at the bar.
“What do you think you’re doing? You won’t be able to break free.”
“Then let me the fuck out of here already,” Ryan shouted at him, jumping off the cot.
“All right, fine.”
“What?” Ryan looked at him as if it was some sort of trick.
“I’m going to let you out today.” He headed back to his office.
“Wait, where are you going? You said you were going to let me out, then do it.” Ryan gripped the bars, looking like he was trying to squeeze through.
“And I am, but I can’t until five o’clock.”
‘What, why? Just let me out.” Ryan asked in disbelief.
“Listen it’s the town ordinance. Any overnight prisoners have to be released at five the following night. Besides, you get one last meal.”
“Oh great, more oatmeal and wine. I can’t wait.”
Ryan pushed the cot against the rear wall and fell back on to the mattress, not eager for the food for horses.
“Well since it’s your last meal, how about I go across the street to Moonshines and bring you back a steak bomb and a beer.”
The sheriff exited and the jail remained quiet except the humming from the lights above. Ryan could almost taste the steak sub and his stomach started to rumble. He didn’t trust the sheriff, especially anyone whose eyes turned to solid black. Once the sheriff brought dinner, Ryan contemplated trying to escape once he opened the door. The minutes slowly passed, while he waited for the sheriff to return. He knew these next thirty minutes were probably going to be the longest of his life.
Bartholomew barreled through the office door with a wrapped sub and a six-pack in hand. He opened the packing, exposing the hot steak sandwich, covered with onions, green peppers and melted cheese. The sheriff took a plastic bag half filled with white powder, sprinkled it on to the sandwich, and mixed it up until any evidence of the substance had melted. He took a tray and plated the can of cold beer and steak bomb neatly, in a way hoping not to attract the attention of his prisoner.
The jail door opened and Bartholomew entered with the prisoner’s dinner.
“Just like I said soldier boy, dinner fit for a king.”
Ryan was disappointed when the sheriff set the tray down outside the cell, in reaching distance to the prisoner.
“Now you eat and finish up. I got to fill out some paper work and I’ll be right back to let you out. You only have ten minutes left, so eat fast.” He disappeared back into the front office.
Bartholomew sat in his desk chair, reaching into his familiar plastic bag of fritters, enjoyed a can of beer and watched the clock. After ten minutes had passed, he decided that the prisoner would be at least drowsy by now if not passed out.
When he entered the jail, Ryan was on his side in front of the cot. Bartholomew thought he heard a light snore rumble from the cell. He unlocked the door with a smile, seeing the half-eaten sandwich resting on the floor by the sleeping soldier. The sheriff knelt behind the prisoner about to lift him. The soldier suddenly flinched violently, launched the cot over his body and knocked Bartholomew backwards with the spring and mattress toppling on top of him. Ryan bounced up and stepping on top of the mattress with the sheriff lying below it. He reached the hall with his hands on the door. As he was about to swing the door shut, Bartholomew stood in the door opening and grasped the soldier by the throat.
Ryan could feel the grasp around his neck and his feet left the floor. He watched the sheriff’s eyes fade to black again and a growl escaped his lips. Ryan was thrust up against the bars of the cell across the hall. The back of his head snapped back and his skull bounced off the metal bars. A flash of bright light penetrated his eyes at the time of the blow. Excruciating pain seized his head. The light dimmed and he dropped to the floor. Bartholomew held the soldier’s chin, tossed his head left to right to ensure that the man was unconscious. The sheriff hog tied Ryan’s hands and feet and tossed the prisoner over his shoulder.
