SNAFU: Wolves at the Door

“All I know for sure is he sounded sincere. And I think if he wanted everyone dead, he could have saved himself a lot of trouble. He gave them an out. Maybe not much of one, but he gave them something.”

“What I don’t get is he said his daughter went back to her human form when she… when they killed her. So why not report it to the police?”

Scott shivered a bit and coughed a plume of steam into the air before he answered. “Too many questions.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t mean official questions. No matter what shape she took, it would have been easy enough for him to find the evidence. He could have said he was an eyewitness and I bet most of the people in this county would take one look at his record on the highway patrol and side with him in a court. But if they’re trying to hide what they are, and George and the others said they hit a wolf and we’re so sorry and all of that crap, it would have made somebody look twice, maybe a reporter from a piece of crap like the Enquirer or maybe someone from the local news. Whatever the case, it might have started rumors.”

“No one would believe them.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t think I’d take chances like that if I was a werewolf, or whatever.”

“Given this a lot of thought, have you?” He looked at Scott and gave a small grin.

“Not really a lot else to do right now.”

“You think they have a chance in hell, Scott?”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been giving that a lot of thought too, and I don’t really know if I care anymore.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Dead serious, dude.” Scott looked at him hard, and the innocent expression he was used to seeing was completely erased, covered over with anger. “I don’t care if they started on a wolf or not, they killed a pregnant woman and then they hid that fact away. That makes them about as low as anyone can get in my book, Eric.”

“What about George?”

“What about him? He should have stopped it from happening and he didn’t. I don’t care if they were both bigger and meaner than him, Eric, and you know he could have at least taken out Cullie. He should have stopped them and instead he went where he didn’t have to watch.”

Eric nodded. Much as he felt like he was betraying his friends, he also understood exactly how Scott was feeling.

“Okay, so even with the risk of being marked as a werewolf, he could have reported the murder.”

“Let’s forget the fact he was stuck for two days in the woods while he healed himself. Let’s forget all about that and pretend he was just a witness. Have you noticed what happens to a lot of the murderers out there, Eric?”

“A lot of them get the chair, especially for murdering and torturing a pregnant girl.”

“A lot of them get to sit on death row for fifteen or twenty years and their families get to reflect on why the asshole who murdered their loved one isn’t dead yet.”

“But they get killed eventually.”

“And a lot of them paint pictures, and write books and get released from death row because the laws were changed.” Scott shrugged.

“I thought you were opposed to the death penalty anyway.”

“I am. Mostly. If someone’s innocent, they shouldn’t fry. If a society convicts and then kills an innocent man, then the society is no better than the person who committed the crime in the first place. But this is different.”

“How is it different?”

“They all confessed. They tortured a pregnant woman to death.”

“You sure you aren’t letting Allison’s pregnancy color your views?”

“I don’t really care if I am. All I have to do is think of her in the same boat and I know I’d want all three of them dead myself. Especially if I watched them do it.”

“So you think he just doesn’t like the chances of all three of them going to death row?”

“He’s not after justice, Eric. He’s after revenge. I can’t blame him. I wish I could, but I can’t.”

Eric sighed and headed for the door. “Neither can I, damn it.”

Not a person inside had left their seats, but the tension he’d felt earlier seemed to have gone away. If the people were waiting for him to make a break for it, he guessed they felt a little more comfortable about his staying where he belonged now.

Part of him still wanted to find his wife and kids, but he decided he could wait it out for now. In the long run, he didn’t really have much choice in the matter anyway.

All he could do was wait, and wonder whether or not he should pray for the safety of his friends.

* * *

Cullie was panting like a dog when the howls started up. He was taking a much-needed breather and trying not to freeze his balls off when the sound hit him and sent feverish chills running down his back.

“I get out of this alive, I swear I’ll kill George.” It was a hollow threat, but it made him feel better. George was always trying to do what he thought was right, like narcing them all out at the diner, which had led Cullie to his current predicament.

Well, okay, and killing the wolf when it turned into a pregnant girl.