Sheerfield City

Fifteen year old Tiara Winters was missing. Her parents last saw her three days ago when they locked her in her bedroom as punishment for her involvement with a local boy. The next morning, the maid found the room empty and the French window pushed opened.

“This isn't the first time we've had to deal with a rebellious teenager," Sheriff Wayne Tilbert had stated earlier to a Sheerfield Bugle reporter. "Whatever it takes, we'll find her," he concluded.

Rose Tilbert, Wayne's wife, sat across from him at breakfast listening to the morning news.

“Isn't it just awful about that Winters girl?” Rose said, shaking her head.

“We’re not giving up just yet,” Wayne answered.

Their daughter, Veronica, seventeen, playfully punched the arm of her fourteen year old brother, Christopher. They sat at the table giving each other teasing stares; and then like little angels they closed their eyes and bowed their heads while Wayne said grace.

“Mighty and Merciful Father, we thank you for this food we are about to consume for the nourishment of our bodies. We thank you for this land, the plants and the animals upon it. Bless the farmers, the merchants, and the hands that prepared this meal. So shall it be.”

“So shall it be,” Rose and the kids repeated in unison.

Wayne was a descendant of the Dominions, the last human group of immigrants to settle in New Berwick.  The Dominions arrived a little over two hundred years after the Coven. This group came to escape religious oppression and settled in the middle of the region, creating Sheerfield City. The group got its name from their late founder, James P. Tilbert who said God told him to dominate the earth with the Word of God…that there was only one God and one Book for the world, but that all other religions should be tolerated, because people deserved the right to make their own choices.

Nevertheless, new-comers or troublemakers as they were sometimes called were discouraged from practicing paganism. They were also warned by the authorities to stay in Sheerfield City and away from the neighboring areas where use of strange rituals were suspected.

Half-way through breakfast, Wayne’s phone vibrated on his waist band.

“Yeah, Ken,” he said, getting up from the table and walking a few paces to talk in private.

“Bad news,” Deputy Ken Carter exclaimed.

“The Winters’ kid?”

“I’m afraid so, sir. Looks like some kind of wild animal just ripped that poor kid to shreds.”

“Wild animal? There hasn’t been anything bigger than a jackrabbit around here for decades.”

“I know, but bears and wolves have been known to travel for miles looking for food.”

“Where was she found?”

“South of Greyscott Falls, in the Norwick forest.”

“What the devil was she doing out there?”

“You got me,” Ken said.

“Dear God!”

“Kids…who knows why they do anything these days.”

“Ok, bring her into the coroner and let’s find out what did this. And keep this quiet until we're sure it’s her. If it is, I don’t want the girl’s parents hearing this from anyone else but me. Make that clear to everyone.”

“Will do!  But it’s her all right. We know by the description of the clothing Mrs. Winters gave us.”

“All the same, let’s make it official,” Wayne said; he snatched the phone from his ear and then quickly spoke back into it.  “….and thanks, Ken.”  Wayne clicked off and straightened his face before turning around.  He stopped by the table and took a last sip of his coffee. 

“Is everything all right, Dad?” Veronica asked.

“Yes, Sweetheart.” He kissed Veronica and Christopher on the top of their heads and went around to Rose. She searched his eyes and then frowned. “Have a good day, dear,” she said, lifting her cheek to his lips.

“I will,” he responded; he gently touched her chin with his finger—a gesture that he appreciated her not asking about the phone call. Official business.

***

Wayne tried to force Ken's description of the young girl's body from his mind while walking to his car. As he drove, he clenched his teeth like he was going to be sick. There hadn’t been any kind of killings by people or animals in Sheerfield that he could remember. He had attended funerals of people who had lived a good life and simply died of natural causes, sickness, or accidental deaths, but not killings. He made a few official stops along Kingston road before reporting to duty.

After more than thirty minutes of driving, the quiet ride suddenly changed as Wayne turned the corner and was within blocks of the police station. He saw absolute chaos generating in front of the building. Wayne pulled up to the station, turned off the car and slumped down in his seat. A large group of people flocked and surrounded his car.

“What the hell?” he said.

Wayne pushed the door open and forced his way through the crowd. His every push was accompanied by town folks yelling­­­­—microphones pushed in his face from every angle and questions flying from more than two dozen reporters' lips.

“I have no statement!  Please!” Wayne yelled as he forced through and got within a few feet of the station door. One of his deputies opened it as he got close; hands reached through the slim opening of the door, grabbed several parts of his clothing and pulled him inside. The deputy quickly slammed the door in their faces. Wayne leaned against the wall and panted heavily. He turned around, spotted Ken and walked towards him. "Did you...?"

“No, and don’t ask me how they found out," Ken said. He looked down and then up into Wayne’s eyes, “I know you said you wanted to be the one to tell them. But they called and I had no choice.”

“Who called?” Wayne asked, resting his butt on the edge of his desk.

“The Winters,” Ken answered—his expression saying, who do you think?

Wayne blew a sigh. “How did they take it?” Ken didn’t answer and lowered his head.

“God help them,” Wayne said. He flopped down in his chair and tossed his car keys on the desk. Wayne watched the faces of his office staff as they continued their duties in silence.
 
***
It had been twenty-four hours since Tiara Winters' body was discovered. Close to midnight several hard bangs came on Dex Porter's back door.  He stumbled down the back stairs to the kitchen barefooted, clicked on the light and opened the door. Three of his neighbors stood like clay statues.

“What’s going on?” Dex asked, his voice gravelly.

Bret, Pete, and Jim rushed by him and stood near the kitchen counter.  Bret's temples were beaded with sweat and Pete and Jim had deep frown lines across their foreheads.

“Sorry to wake you at this hour, Dex. But this can’t wait,” Bret said. Pete and Jim nodded in agreement.

Dex pushed the door closed. "Ok, let's have it."

“It’s about that Winters kid,” Bret said.

Dex shrugged. “What about her?”

“It was no animal attack.”
 
Dex bit his bottom lip, and searched Bret’s face.

“It was Debra Carter’s boy, Raymond.”  Bret waited for a reaction from Dex.

“Keep talking,” Dex said.

“Deb is an alcoholic, everybody knows that. She ain’t been right since her old man drove a silver dagger through his heart some while back. She can’t be trusted to see to it that that boy of hers is chained down during a full moon.”

“This ain’t the first time he ran free after his transformation,” Pete said.

“What the hell do you mean this is not the first time? He’s killed before?” Dex voice rose.

“No!” Bret said quickly. “Before, it was just farm animals. People thought it was bears or mountain lions that crossed into our region. Of course we knew better, but like I said, it was only animals. So ..."

“Great Jupiter!” Dex said, running one hand over his face and pulling his chin. “How many others know this…and why wasn’t I told Deb wasn’t chaining the boy?”

“Because it was only animals at first.”

“But you must have known something like this could happen,” Dex said, looking from one face to another.

Matt was standing at the top of the stairs in his tee-shirt and briefs listening. He could have easily gone downstairs and filled in the blanks. Debra Carter was, indeed, stoned the night of the full moon. But the killing of Tiara was not entirely her fault. Raymond and Tiara had fallen in love. Or, at least they thought they were. He had revealed his dark secret to her. But to his and Matt’s surprise, she said she didn’t care that they were werewolves; she thought it was pretty cool. Tiara swore to keep their secret. Matt seriously doubted if she even believed it. Most humans didn't.

Matt told Raymond he was fooling himself if he thought he was no danger to her. Raymond said he would never harm Tiara.

“But it won’t be you harming her,” he told him, “but the thing you will become—the thing we all become.”

This strange fascination Tiara had for the dark side of her lover must have compelled her to meet Raymond in the forest that night. Perhaps he frightened her and she ran, but not far enough and certainly, not fast enough. Matt had tried so hard to stop her from meeting Raymond that he barely made it back in time to chain himself.

Matt shook his head listening to them trying to figure things out. He went back to his room and closed the door.

***
Meanwhile, the men grew nervous by the minute.

“Something has got to be done about that boy, Dex."

“Yeah, and what happens if the Northern pack finds out?” Pete said.

“You boys go on back home. I’ll think of something.”

“Well, I hope you do. The Northern pack’s been waiting for something like this to happen,” Jim said.

“Don’t worry. You boys go on, now.  I said I’ll take care of this.”

The men mumbled their thanks to Dex for agreeing to handle the problem as they filed out of the house.

“And remember, don’t say anything to anybody about this,” Dex warned.

Pete never turned around, but threw up a hand as acknowledgement of Dex’s warning.

After the dark SUV pulled off, Dex eased the door closed and flipped off the light. He stood with his back against the kitchen door and forced his head back hard against it. Raymond, you fucking little idiot. What have you done?

***