13. Fairies and Vampires

13

Fairies and Vampires

I t's only a few minutes before we return to Jack's place, but it seems to go by faster because I can't stop my mind from racing. A drop of water splashes on my nose, and I turn my gaze upward to the gray and angry clouds taking up the sky.

"A storm is supposed to be coming through," Jack says as he opens the door to his cabin and motions for me to enter.

It's Washington, what's new? But the wind hollowing through the trees and the darkness rolling in makes me think this storm might be a bit more violent than usual. It seems fitting after everything I just witnessed.

I can't see anything once the wooden door of Jack's shop slams behind us until he flips a switch, and the warm lights slowly flicker to life.

I follow him to the back of the store, to his living space. "Do you ever have customers?" I know it's a stormy day, but I still can't get over how dusty and untouched it looks in here. Not to mention, we're in the middle of the woods.

"No," he says plainly, not looking back and walking briskly.

Obviously, I could have guessed this, but it's odd that he says it so plainly. What's the point of all of this if he doesn't actually sell things? How does he make a living? I hope all these questions and more are answered soon.

He motions for me to enter his living room before shutting and locking the door behind me.

My heart skips a beat. I know Jack won't hurt me. He just saved my life, but there's a terrifying aura to him right now.

"Follow me," he orders as he walks back to his living room and down a dark hall off to the side.

"Where are we going?" I ask. He said that he would explain things to me. Why is he taking me on an ominous tour of his house ?

He doesn't answer; just keeps walking until he gets to the last door in the hallway. He pulls out a ring of keys from his pocket and selects an old-looking one before placing it into the keyhole. He holds the door open for me to enter, then shuts and locks it behind me. The darkness of the room swallows me whole. "Jack!" I cry in a pathetic tone. Okay, maybe Jack will hurt me. Why does the thought send heat to my core?

I jump out of my skin when he pulls the cord in the middle of the room, and the space is illuminated by a singular lightbulb dangling overhead. I see his face first, glowing from the light next to him, but his features are still dark and ominous.

"Where are we?" I ask as I whip around, taking in my surroundings. It seems to be a workroom with tools like saws and hammers on workbenches against all the walls, but as I look closer, I realize these aren't just tools; there are guns, knives, and axes. Dark cloaks with hoods, ropes, and chains hang from hooks in the far corners.

"Jack, what the fuck?"

He walks closer to me, and I back up.

"This is where my real work happens," he says.

"What does that mean?"

"I haven't been honest with you, Red. I don't think anyone really has. "

I continue backing away from him until I reach the far wall and spread out my arms to grab something. My fingers find a bat, and I swing it in front of me, making Jack back away. "Stop with the ominous shit. Tell me what the fuck is going on." I know trying to bat him away would be futile. I just witnessed him kill a giant wolf, for fuck's sake, but I'm not just going to give up.

He backs away, calming my nerves a bit. His face softens, and he waves his hands in surrender. "Calm down, Red. I'm not going to hurt you." He looks around as if realizing how creepy his "workroom" is for the first time. "I just brought you here because this room is soundproof. No one can hear what I'm about to tell you. Here." He pulls his knife from his pocket and slides it across the floor to me with his foot—the knife he used to kill the wolf. "Take this."

I don't take my eyes off him but scramble to the ground to pick it up.

"I'm just going to grab some chairs for us. I have a lot to explain, so this will take a while." He walks over to a desk in the corner and drags two wooden chairs into the middle of the room, setting them under the singular light.

He sits in the one closest to the door and motions for me to sit next to the other.

When I resist, still clutching the knife, he sighs. "Red, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you. Don't you think I would have had enough opportunities by now if that's my grand plan?"

He's right, of course, and his words do send a sliver of reassurance to my nervous system, but I don't relax completely as I sit in the chair across from him.

He gives me a soft smile, folding his large and bloodied hands on his lap.

It's the first time since the clearing I've noticed the blood all over him. I reach out and grab his hand. "Are you okay?"

He shutters at my touch and looks down. "I'm fine. This isn't any of my blood."

"Right." I pat his hand before pulling back, realizing I also have animal blood all over my hands. I look down the span of my body, realizing that I'm covered in blood, too, due to our steamy embrace. I need a shower, but it'll have to wait because I'm finally about to get answers. In fact, I have a feeling I'm about to get more than I bargained for.

Jack sighs. "Before I tell you anything, you need to promise you won't tell anyone this."

"Jack, I'm a reporter. This is why I'm here. You can't just tell me I can't write about anything."

He leans forward. "Red, this is serious." The fire heats in his eyes again, and my insides quiver. "This is bigger than some story for your job. This is your family history. People's lives are at stake. "

"Family history? What are you talking about?" I can't see how any of this has to do with me. Then I think of Granny's weird comments about my parent's death this morning.

"I can't tell you anything until you promise to keep it to yourself. After you learn everything, you'll understand why."

My recorder scorches my leg inside my pocket. I'll probably regret this promise later, but what more can I do? I need to know, and now it seems more personal than ever. "Okay, fine. I promise I won't tell."

Jack studies my face for a moment before nodding. He brings his hand to the back of his neck and rubs at it as he rolls his head back and forth. "Well, first, let's talk about what just happened in the woods."

"Yes, let's." I lean forward.

"Do you know what that animal was?"

"Some mutated wolf or something? Is that what killed all those people?"

"Not necessarily just a mutated wolf. It's a werewolf, and yes, a few of them killed all those people."

"Werewolf?" I sit back, studying Jack, unsure if he's joking or deranged. "You mean like from fairytales?"

He rolls his eyes. "Sort of like the ones from fairytales, except these are real. They change from humans to monsters. "

I can't help the laugh that escapes from me. "Jack, werewolves aren't real."

He leans forward, his expression growing more intense. "Red, yes they are."

My tone tightens. "Are you fucking with me? Are you still trying to get out of telling me the truth by telling me something ridiculous?"

"Red, you came here because the attacks were suspicious. You knew that there was something different about these animal attacks. What were you expecting to discover?"

I get up from my seat, treading to stop the energy bubbling inside me from bursting. "I don't know, maybe some sick bastard using animals as weapons or a murderer staging these kills as animal attacks. I sure as hell didn't come here to learn that fairies and vampires exist."

He sighs. "That's ridiculous. Everyone knows fairies don't live in this part of the world."

I stop and glare at him, my heart pounding in my head.

He just smiles.

"That's it. If you're going to fuck with me, I'm leaving." I charge toward the locked door, but Jack jumps from his seat and blocks me.

"Wait, Red, stop. Listen, I'm not fucking with you. Werewolves are real. I know it sounds crazy, but you saw that thing in the forest. You know that wasn't just a big, bad wolf."

He's so close to me. I look up at him and try to read his expression.

He places his hand just above my breast, over my heart. "This is part of your blood. I know you can feel it's true."

His touch sends shivers down my skin, but his words ring through my consciousness. "What do you mean it's part of my blood?"

"I'll show you." He walks toward a shelf and reaches for a book, blowing off a layer of dust before bringing it to me. "Look, this is my family history." I grab the book from him and sit in the chair closest to me.

It's a photo album filled with black and white photos and newspaper clippings. It seems organized by time, beginning with older-looking pictures and articles from the early nineteen hundreds.

"Ten Slain in Strange Animal Attack."

"Keep Out of the Woods."

"Another Mysterious Animal Attack."

All the headlines hold a similar theme.

The pictures show groups of men, all wearing matching black capes with axes raised over their shoulders. As time passes, the groups contain a sprinkle of women as well.

"Who are these people?" I ask .

"My ancestors. I come from a long line of Werewolf Hunters."

"Werewolf Hunters? So that's your real job. You hunt werewolves?" I don't know why this seems even more unbelievable than werewolves existing. Who's funding this shit?

"Yes. Look." He flips through the book until he's almost toward the end. He points to a faded picture of a tall and muscular man, his hand on the shoulder of a small red-headed boy. The pair wear matching capes with axes at their sides. "That's me and my dad. That was the day of my first kill. He was so proud of me."

I gaze up at him to catch the longing look in his eyes.

I'm still not sure if this album proves anything. They could just be weird cult members killing wolves and telling themselves they're defeating evil magic. But one thing's for certain, Jack isn't fucking with me. He truly believes what he's telling me.

I glance back at the photo album, flipping to the last page. Out of everything I witnessed tonight, I didn't think there would be anything to shock me anymore, but the moment I see the picture, my heart stops. I run my finger over the faded picture of the blonde woman wearing a cape and leaning against an axe.

"It's my mom."