The Cactus Killer (The Inglewood Chronicles) by Jeremy Croston Page B

one I
knew quite well. It was coming from the north fast, but unlike this
creature’s smell, this was the scent of the Reds.
    “ Boys, I think the cavalry
is about to show up.”
    “ What are you talking
about; no one else knows we are here!” Reno was upset, but he
forgot about the folks who called us for help.
    The pack broke through
every entrance they could find. Some came in the door, others broke
through the windows. Soon the room was filled with fifteen angry
wolves, and they wasted no time. They pounced on the monster and
just by sheer volumes, were able to pin him down and proceeded to
tear him apart. There is a reason they say nothing is as strong as
a pack of wolves, and the three vampires got to see it firsthand.
Judging by Elizabeth’s look, I don’t think this was the first time
she had seen an angry wolf pack. Poor Reno though, he looked like
he was close to puking.
    After all the carnage
calmed down, there wasn’t much left except lots of little pieces of
monster. It was a shame, I wanted Dr. Tello to have a chance to
study this, but the alternative probably was us ending up as
monster food.
    One by one, the wolves
transformed back into their human selves and I thanked each one.
Most looked at my hands and I think it dawned on them just how bad
I had it. The ones who looked at me with contempt earlier now gave
me pity. I’d rather deal with contempt. Finally, the Alpha Josh
Greenfoot approached.
    “ Sheriff Inglewood, I am
glad to see you are safe. We were finishing our run when a strange
scent hit us all. Stars above, what was that
monstrosity?”
    “ Well it used to be a human
Chief, but not anymore. The smell you picked up on was something
I’ve come in contact with before, just not to the magnitude that
this thing produced. Also, the human who killed our fellow Red is
connected to what is going on up in my territory.”
    “ So whoever is behind this
foul evil is now coming into Texas. I pity anyone who tries to do
this to us again. Now we know what to expect, we will not be caught
off guard again.”
    “ No, I suspect you won’t.”
I looked back at the vampires; I think it was time for us to head
back. “Chief, I am very glad to have met you. Next time we meet, it
will be in a bar with beer, not a crime scene.”
    “ That is a meeting I will
be looking forward to.” 

Chapter 11

    It was well past midnight
and we were driving back. I felt better about being in New Mexico,
but dang, could a guy get a break somewhere. I had a feeling today
would be no better with the trip up to Elephant Butte
looming.
    “ Phil said that what you
did today was unusual, even for a vampire of your
vintage.”
    “ I thank you for your coy
way of calling me old, but yes, it was quite different than
anything I have experienced before.”
    “ To be honest, you looked
rather wolfish, with the yellow eyes and the claws growing out.”
Out of habit, I gave a quick look at mine and saw my hands overrun
with reddish fur. Uhhh…
    “ Considering most werewolf
blood is quite toxic to us, I am sure that was a first for the
record. I do think for the time being we need to keep this under
wraps. I would hate to think about other vampires wanting to use
you as some sort of cow.”
    That didn’t sound pleasant
at all. “Can we count on Reno and Phil to keep it to
themselves?”
    “ Those two are loyal to a
fault. Some question why I keep them around. I am sure you can tell
they march to the beat of their own drummer, however, they are very
good at protecting me from threats.”
    “ No offense, but I don’t
think you need a lot of help in that area.”
    “ Tonight was a straight
forward problem that needed a solution. Most threats in the vampire
world come from the shadows. If you cannot see the threat, you
cannot defend against it.”
    Huh, well said. Werewolves
weren’t sneaky creatures, so I didn’t think about it like that. “I
also wanted to talk about what happened right before we got the
call. I hope no