Hairwolf
Chapter Twenty Six

Beverly’s Inn And Get Out is a modest motel far off of the beaten path. It’s a place for the

rugged traveler. There’s no continental breakfast here. A candy and soda machine are all that’s

available.Nothing fancy and no perks. There’s an empty, in-the-ground pool off to the side. It’s

currently serving as a place for kids and their bikes, skateboards and roller skates. Cable service lines hang disconnected from the poles. The windows are screened and opened with no air-conditioning available.

Lillian’s unimpressed with the motel. “You’re making a donation here, right? This has to be a soup kitchen of some kind.”

“You could sleep in the truck if you like,” Stef says, defending the motel.

“At least I won’t need any shots. Good thing we brought Brandy. I can self- medicate.”

“It’s clean and it has fresh paint.”

As the girls exit the vehicle, Lillian retrieves items from the rear of the truck. She can’t help but take another look at the structure. It’s a long, single-story building, with an attached porch protected by an over-hang that spans the length of the porch. Empty rocking chairs sit outside each room, facing a distant mountain view. The parking lot is empty of other vehicles.

“I’ve stayed here before,” Stef says. “It’s nice.”

“Well, it’s a wonderful view, I’ll give you that.”

The two enter the room to a double-bed set up with a bath and shower. Lillian drops her bag on the bed and retrieves a spray bottle of disinfectant and a rag from a side pocket. She sprays

everything on her way into the bathroom. She closes the door and continues spraying the

bathroom.

Stef crosses to the window and looks out. She notices a car passing by with a dear strapped to the hood. It’s a mature buck. As she watches, her mind drifts back to a time when she was younger,

not yet a teen.

Young Stef is walking away from a log cabin nestled along a dirt road.

It’s pretty secluded here. It’s early evening as young-Stef sets out for what appears to be a walk into the unknown. Every step, a new step, taken with numbness, caution and trepidation. Where ever she’s going, whatever she’s doing, it’s clear this is the only option available to her.

Her step-mom hurries from the cabin onto the porch looking like hell. Her hair is a mess, eyes, bloodshot, bandages and bruises cover her arms and legs. She’s holding a fanny-pack in offering to Stef. Stef turns back noticing the fanny pack. It’s unexpected, probably a last-minute thought. Stef takes the fanny pack and looks inside, finding a filled water bottle, snacks, and a first aid kit.

Her step-mom has no idea if this is the right thing to do or not and waits for Stef’s reaction. Stef reassures her with a hug.

Her mom makes adjustments to the fanny-pack and wraps it around Stef’s waist. She buckles

the clips together and takes a long look at Stef. She kisses Stef on the forehead and steps back, letting her go. This is very difficult for her but it’s clear there is no other way. Stef walks off.

A short while later, away from her mom and the cabin, Stef notices a foul smell coming from the forest. She finds a dirt road leading towards the smell. She’s hesitant at first but then follows the dirt road in. She happens upon a single campsite. There’s activity on the far edge of the camp.

As she approaches, she finds two men pulling a dead buck onto the back of their pickup truck via a winch. One of the men retrieves a large black duffle bag from the cab of the pickup

truck while the other cleans the tiny remains of the dears belly. Man 2 drops the duffle bag

at the foot of the bed and the two start pulling white bags of powder out of the duffle and shoving them into the dears stomach cavity. Stef has no idea what this is but it doesn’t look nice. Off to the side she notices the source of the smell. It’s the dears intestines.

“Hey,” she says approaching the men. “What are you doing?”

The men, startled at her presence, hurry to close the bag. They’re more concerned about who may be with her.

“What are you doing?” Man 1 asks. “You out here all alone?”

“I’m staying with – friends,” she says. “We’re looking for campsites. Why are you putting those bags into that dear?”

“Where are your friends?” Man 1 asks.

“They’re around,” she says, stepping closer to get a better look at the dear. “It’s not hunting season, you know. You could get in trouble for killing that dear.”

“Where’s your camping gear?” Man 1 asks. “That’s a pretty small daypack for a campout.”

Man 2 crosses back to the front of the truck and disappears from Stef’s view but she’s not concerned about him. She wants to know what they’re doing and why.

“At the campsite. So what are you doing?”

“I thought you were looking for a campsite,” Man 1 says approaching casually.

“We’re looking for another one. Closer to a water source.”

That paused any suspicions Man 1 may have had about her lying to him. There may in fact be others around. He proceeds carefully . . . “We’re prepping it with seasoning. Salting it. We didn’t shoot it. It’s road kill. We found it. How many’s in your group? Any adults?”

Stef notices some of the white powder at her feet.

“That isn’t salt. What is that?”

From behind her, and rather close, Man 2 says, “none of your business, is what it is.”

Stef jumps, having been startled. She backs away from the man and into Man 1.

“You’re out here all alone, aren’t ya. Don’t lie to me. What’d you, run away from home?”

Stef can see the dear inside the truck bed and she can also see the large wound from it’s neck. It’s clear the animal was shot.

“That dear was shot,” Stef says, angered. “It’s not road kill. You’re not supposed to shoot dear out of season. They need time to be dear.”

“I’ve had it with this bullshit,” Man 1 says and smacks Stef in the head. She goes down hard.

“Who else is out here with you? And don’t lie to me.”

Stef holds her head...the side where he made contact. That was mean but she’s dealt with worse. She keeps silent.

Man 2 picks her up and gets real close to her with, “You’re about to piss off my friend here somethin fierce. So why don’t you just answer him.”

She can’t answer him. She’s too scared.

“Who’s with you?” he asks again, this time grabbing her hair and shaking her head. He lets her go and she drops down to the ground, staring at him.

Stef looks to the east, through the break in the tree line and spies the moon rising. She then looks back at the man with an eerie smile.

“Smiling?” he asks. “You smiling? I got to hand it to you kid, you got more balls than a pool table but that ain’t gonna help you. Why don’t you tell us what you’re doin out here. If you’re a run-away, maybe we’ll let you join us. Make a woman out of ya.”

Stef looks back over at the moon as Man 1 approaches from behind with a black sack and pulls it tight over Stef’s head. Everything goes black for her. They bind her hands to her feet and drag her to the pile of intestines and leave her.

She hears them talking by the truck, hurrying to finish what they started with the packets.

“You got a problem with it?” Man 1 asks Man 2.

“It’s not like we didn’t give her a chance,” Man 2 says. “No, I ain’t got a problem with it. Wouldn’t want to be her though when the bears come around for those intestines.”

“I ain’t losing this deal for anyone. Not her, not you. Not anyone. This coke will set us up for life.”

“Like I said. It’s not like we didn’t give her a chance.”

Minutes later, the men sew up the dears stomach and sweep the coke spills from the truck onto the ground. Man 2 turns to check on Stef but she’s gone. “Where the hell did she go?”

Man 1 turns to look but is suddenly pulled under the truck and disappears, screaming for his life. And then there is silence.

Man 2 backs away from the truck, looking for signs of what took his friend. Then, from the front of the truck, leaping over its length, is the creature-Stef. She strikes man 2 and rolls to a stop on the ground, facing him, ready for another strike.

Man 2 is slashed from the top of his face all the way down his torso. He watches as his intestines pour through his shirt onto the ground. He then drops into them.

Stef is instantly brought back by Lillian wiping the window in front of her.

“You okay, Stef? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“. . .Oh, God, Lillian. I’ve done some bad things. But I gave those bruises to my stepmom. It wasn’t my my stepdad.”

Lillian stops her wiping and looks at her.

“That’s why he left,” Stef says.

“How do you know that?”

“I just had another trip down memory lane. How could I have blocked that all out? Lillian, remember when you asked me if I – she – ever killed anyone?”

“Yeah . . .” Lillian says, cautiously, without really wanting to know.”

“I was ten...”

“... Please tell me it wasn’t your stepmom,” Lillian says.

“No. Drug dealers. I found them stuffing a dear with drugs before the full moon. They were gonna hurt me.”

“Did they?”

“No. No.”

“Oh thank God. You know what? Let’s keep that your little secret. At least for now. It’s better if I don’t know. Plausible deniability. Let’s do a session. What do you say? Come on. Lay down.”

“I don’t know if I could do this, Lill. I don’t know if I want to. I feel horrible about what I did to my stepmom. She was covered in bruises - that I gave her.”

“Just bruises? No blood?” Lillian asks.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“We had a dog that used to drag me from room to room by my pj’s,” Lillian says. “I’d be covered in bruises and cuts but it was all in play. It was probably your way of showing affection.”

“You think?”

“Yes.”

The confidence in Lillian’s eyes is comforting. Stef relaxes but these little trips into her past are taking its toll.

“Lay down,” Lillian says. “Where do you want to go?”

“Back in my room. My dad. My real dad.”

“Alright. This time look around. Look at photos, toys, everything. Let me know what it’s doing outside. Raining, snowing, you know the drill. Take your time. Okay?”

“I like this approach.”

“Your safe word is going to be, motel hell. If I feel you’re in any danger, I’m going to call out, motel hell and bring you back. Okay?”

“Next time you can pay for the motel.”

“You paid for this. I thought you owed a debt. Okay, here we go, without the music. Time to relax. Close your eyes … Feel your toes. Relax your toes …

Stef relaxes, taking in several deep breaths, releasing them slowly.

“Where are you?”

“I can see the stars on my ceiling. . .”

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