Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
“ F uck you, Hendrickson! Your boy was just as responsible for last night as my brothers were.” It took every ounce of willpower in Colt’s body not to pounce on this pompous asshole.
After surveying the results of the bar brawl last night, Colt was certain he’d get a visit from Rolf Hendrickson, one of the town’s council members who was in charge of enforcing the laws of Serenity Falls. Rolf was not a fan of the Black family and Colt suspected it stemmed from a grudge carried over from when his parents were still alive.
There were rumors that Rolf had something to do with his parents dying but Colt could never prove it. Besides, his priority became his two younger brothers.
Rolf Hendrickson’s eyes flashed bright red and he bared his lengthened canines. “Yet, my boy is the one who’s dead.”
“You’re the one who pushed to make these challenges legal. You said that it would keep the peace if things are settled the way nature intended them to be. You did it because those boys of yours were gutting residents with impunity.”
“Now just wait a minute. My boys?—”
“Are dangerous. In fact word around town is that Darren had planned on challenging Leland to a fight. You know my brothers rarely go to that bar anymore yet from what I heard, they received an invitation from one of Darren’s cronies about some information he heard about our parents.”
A rush of red covered Rolf’s entire face going to top of his gray roots. “Now don’t go lying on my boys or their friends. Everyone in town knows it’s your brothers with the reputation for destroying things. They have a higher body count than anyone in Serenity Falls.”
“Every single one of those deaths were a result of a challenge. You know, the challenges you and your buddies on the council made legal. You know the town rules as well as I do. You may be on the council but that doesn’t mean you and your family gets special privileges.”
Rolf advanced on him and stabbed his forefinger into Colt’s chest. “My boy didn’t deserve to be put down without just cause.”
Colt who had the older man by nearly a foot stared pointedly at the boney finger pressed into his chest. He released a low growl that made his entire body rumble. “Do I by chance take this as a challenge?” The heat in his eyes and the thick coarse hair that popped up through his pores signaled that he was very close to unleashing a side of him he’d fought hard to suppress.
He wasn’t as eager to fight as Leland and Zeke but he never backed down from a fight if it meant protecting his own.
Rolf may have been a calculating weasel, but he wasn’t stupid. He immediately backed away with his hands up. “No challenge has been issued. But hear me out, Black, there will be retribution for what your family has done to Serenity Falls, you mark my words.”
Colt raised a brow. “Is that a threat?”
The other man took several steps backward. “Just pointing out that karma comes in many forms. Besides, it’s come to my attention that your brothers are on the cusp of turning if they don’t find an acceptable piece of meat—I mean mate, this year. Would be a shame if all the prey gets eaten before they can claim one.”
Rolf grinned smugly and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he continued to back away. “All my boys are participating in the hunt as well. Good luck this year.”
Colt’s claws extended as the blood rushed to his ears. His gums itched as his incisors lengthened. The beast within threatened to burst free but he fought to keep it at bay. This was exactly what that asshole wanted. For him to lose control.
It was only when Rolf had driven away, was Colt able to regain his calm with slow deep breaths. It was now clearer than ever.
The injections were no longer working.
It was a miracle they’d worked this long. If he were to lose himself to his animal instincts it wouldn’t be long before his brothers followed suit and the council could claim their land.
Colt suspected that some of the mindless ‘zombeasts’ in the tank were victims of the council’s machinations but he couldn’t prove it. With Rolf and his buddies in charge they would destroy Serenity Falls by allowing the residents to run wild just for them to remain in power.
But as one of the handful of residents who was permitted to leave town to make a living in the outside world, besides the caretakers, Colt understood that if the wrong people became aware of Serenity Falls’ existence, then it would be the end of everyone who lived here.
His parents had drilled the town’s history into his head from the moment he could form words. Harlen Black wanted his eldest in particular to take pride in this heritage and be ready to lead the family in case anything happened to him.
Serenity Falls was founded by accident shortly before World War I when the government was looking to create the perfect super soldier. All kinds of experiments were done on the volunteers who the government considered perfect physical specimens. The experiments took place on a secret military base that was even more top secret than Area 51.
Their genes were spliced with animals and they were injected with a special serum that would make them stronger and faster but the result was something none of the scientists could predict.
They created real life monsters. Monsters too powerful to control. Thousands of these test subjects roamed the base, wild and unfettered. Wanting to keep these experiments under wraps, those in charge of that projects planned to destroy the base by bombing it. But that planned was 86’d when the country went to war and they couldn’t afford to give up precious resources on a failed experiment.
Were it not for the a group of scientists, doctors, nurses and their families who decided to remain on base and become caretakers for what they called at the time beast people, these experiments would be unleashed on an unsuspecting world that couldn’t handle them.
Serenity Falls eventually evolved into a self-sustainable town with its own businesses, restaurants and schools. And it was completely off the grid from the rest of the world. The only people who knew about it were people with high level clearances in the government. Not even the President of the United States was allowed to know about it.
The residents were allowed to govern themselves as long as the non-authorized didn’t step foot outside of town. In exchange for providing the residents with the supplies they needed such as fuel and its own electrical grid and cellular tower, some residents were offered up for the occasional experiment. It was usually from the pool of residents sent to the tank, Serenity Falls’ form of jail.
And on occasion when the government wanted to disappear certain person, they’d dump them off near Serenity Falls where the human reapers like Otis Smith and Terry Woods, patrolled the surrounding area for people who found themselves too close to their town.
Serenity Falls was a picturesque slice of Americana to the any outsider who stumbled across it but the residents were anything but. About two thirds of the residents looked human and could mask amongst the average human, but there were also members in the community with deformities that made it impossible for them to ever leave town without instantly being labeled mutants.
But beyond appearance, most residents were ruled by their animal instincts. Some were able to control them better than others while the rest became what Colt and his brother labeled ‘zombeasts’. Zombie like beast creatures who could think of nothing but feasting on fresh meat.
And then there were those like Colt and his brothers who were on borrowed time. They had what the scientist called beast regression where they would eventually give in to their animal instincts completely unless they found a compatible made with blood that would reverse the effects of their condition.
Colt didn’t understand the scientific explanation for it but there was something in the life essence of humans, like their blood and other bodily fluids that had a calming effect to the animal threatening to burst free.
The condition was escalating quickly in Leland and Zeke, while for him, he was taking injections that were supposed to help calm him down. But each time the effects wore off quicker than the previous time. Colt feared by the end of the year he would be one of the zombeasts and his brothers would eventually follow suit.
That’s what Rolf was probably counting on. That fucker.
It was why the hunt this year was more important than ever.
The front door of his house opened and a shirtless Leland stepped out on the porch with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “I thought I heard voices out here. Who were you talking to?”
Colt sighed, racking his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Rolf Hendrickson came by for a visit as expected. You knew he’d make a fuss over his son’s death.”
Leland snorted as he cupped the lighter in his hand to guard the flame as he lit his cigarette. He squinted as he took a deep drag and then exhaled a puff of smoke. “Hmm, he didn’t seem to mind when his boys wiped out the entire Jones family last month, in the name of self-dense. Isn’t it convenient that the council was able to claim the Jones land after that and guess who’s living there now?”
It wasn’t lost on Colt that Rolf’s eldest two boys were staying on the former Jones property. There was no doubt he and his brothers were also being targeted. “Yes. That’s why we can’t give him and those bastards a reason to come for us.”
“Fuck them.”
Leland’s chest and arms were covered in a light coat of russet hair. But it didn’t hide the multitude of scars covering his body from the many scuffles he’d gotten into recently.
Lately, the smallest things set his brother off. The once good natured boy was now an ill-tempered man who was ready to fight at the slightest provocation. It wouldn’t be long before he would be completely feral.
“I thought you gave that shit up.” Colt pointed to the cigarette.
“It’s the only thing that’s calmed my nerves lately. I’m not a huge fan of it either but there’s a reason why this is the number one drug in the world. Besides, it’s better than the shit you’re injecting yourself with,” Leland said in between puffs.
Colt sighed. “You’re probably right. It’s not working like it used to. I nearly ripped Rolf’s head off.”
“Oh yeah?” Leland took one final puff before tossing the cigarette butt to the ground and squashing it beneath his heel. “It would save a lot of us the trouble. He’s gonna end up getting on someone’s wrong side eventually and not be able to talk his way out of it.”
“He’s managed to worm his way out of situations before. I guess only time will tell.” The more Colt thought about that pain in the ass Hendrickson, the more his blood boiled. His beast stirred once again so he quickly changed the subject. “Are you going in to the shop today?”
Leland planted his hands in his jeans pockets and leaned against the pillar. “I might go in a bit later to finish up that project I’ve been working on for that out of town order.”
From the time they were younger, Leland had always been good with his hands. He’d whittle things out of wood. Their father had helped him to hone his craft which had manifested into him making his own custom furniture and woodworks. Colt helped him set up a connection out of town so that his items would sell.
Unable to ignore the elephant in the room any longer Colt decided to tackle the topic head on. “So, last night…”
Leland shrugged. “What about it? They started it. Zeke and I finished it.”
“There’s no getting through to you is there? You know there’s a target on our backs the size of a planet. You can’t keep giving them ammunition to make things harder for us.”
Leland’s gaze narrowed. “When did you become such a pussy?”
“What?”
“You had the worst reputation in town. Starting fights, taking down anyone who challenged you. You used to be a God in this town. And now you’re just a shadow of the man you used to be. Those injections stole your manhood.”
Colt clenched his fists at his sides. The muscles in his jaw flexed as he grinded his teeth together. The familiar rumbling in his chest squeezed his insides and the beast within him fought to break free. He took several calming breaths before he spoke.
“I know you’re just trying to provoke me and it’s not going to work. I’m trying my best to keep you and Zeke safe and to make sure the two of you don’t share the same fate as our parents.”
Leland stepped off the porch and slowly advanced. His pupils narrowed and his eyes turned red. “You and I both know why our parents died, no were murdered. You would rather stick your head in the sand and pretend that’s not what happened but the whole town knows what that snake did to Mom and Dad. But no one is doing anything about it because they’ve given the council too much power.”
Colt remained still not wanting to escalate what was quickly becoming an argument. “I agree but nothing is going to change if we’re not smart about it.
Leland flared his nostrils. “Then what do you propose we do?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“We’ll have to take out the mastermind. But we have to be smart about it.”
Leland’s pupils shifted back to their circular form and his irises returned to green. “You mean Hendrickson?””
Colt snorted. “He’s trouble but he’s a puppet. There’s something much more sinister going on here but like I said, we have to be smart about it. And most of all, we have to be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“The hunt tomorrow. It’ll probably be my last one. The injections aren’t helping much anymore and I need to find the perfect mate this time around or I’ll lose the last of my humanity.”
“Fuck, are you sure?”
“I’m positive. I’m hanging on by a thread.”
“You shouldn’t have started those damn injections in the first place.”
“They’re what’s helped me for so long. But my biggest fear is that you and Zeke are heading down the same path at a faster rate than even I am. That’s why Hendrickson and his cronies try to provoke you at every turn. They know each time you give in to your baser instincts they can push you closer to becoming one of those mindless beasts they keep in the tank. I don’t want that for the two of you.”
“Then I suppose the hunt tomorrow is important for the three of us then.”
Colt raised a brow at the calmness of his brother’s words. It was almost as if Leland knew something he didn’t. “You don’t seem that concerned.”
The corners of his lips curled. “When I walked home last night something was different.”
“What are you talking about?”
Leland turned and headed back to the house. “That’s why you should have never started taking those fucking injections. They’ve dulled your senses.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Colt demanded again.
Leland tilted his head to the sky and inhaled. “Otis brought in a fresh batch of meat last night.”
“And?”
Leland looked over his shoulders and licked his lips. “And it smells delicious.”