Shifter Vengeance (Appleton Wolves Book 1), page 7
I put my face into the palms of my hands when I found page after page of shapeshifters in fiction and mythology. I also found several episode articles about shapeshifters in Derek’s favorite TV show, Supernatural. I found nothing about shapeshifters in real life. I was annoyed as hell, but it didn’t prevent me from trying again.
I tried a different approach. I typed up several keyword strings into the search bar. "Shapeshifters in real life" was one of them. ‘Shapeshifter strengths and weaknesses" was another. I knew I hit a dead end on both keyword strings when the first result of the first page was the wiki page of Supernatural listing the strengths and weaknesses of shapeshifters.
My frustration reached a peak point. I clicked ferociously out of the Google site in anger while my face got blood red. The visible look of rage on my face was observed by other library-goers sitting near me. Some of the library staff working on shelves near where I sat also saw how upset I was. It was only for a split second, though, and they went back to work when I shot them all angry looks.
An idea popped into my head after this miniature episode of temper. I was really stupid for not thinking about it earlier. I was in a damn library. It was the internet before the internet existed. Since this 21st-century crap didn’t help, I figured maybe there was a book of non-fiction here on monsters that would help me in my desperate search for any answers.
I huffed and released a sigh of stress. I got up from my chair, feeling sore in my lower back and upper butt cheeks. I stretched from side to side while other people working near my table looked at me for a brief second. They wanted to see what the wild movements they saw from the corners of their crusty red eyes were and where they came from before returning to work.
I wasted valuable time on Google when I could’ve used that time wisely by scouring the library for something useful. There were a gazillion books here on every topic fathomable to humans. There must be something about monsters and the supernatural here. I hurried to the non-fiction section of the library with no time to waste.
I looked at shelf after shelf of books in numerous categories: photography, biographies and memoirs, humor and entertainment, cookbooks and food, health and fitness, religion, parenting, sports, and outdoors. The list goes on. There was no whiff of anything about the supernatural. Nothing at all. It was all in the fiction section, in books with plots about girls falling in love with monsters, monster hunters, etc.
Screw my life.
I couldn’t help but feel my emotions welling up inside me. I couldn’t find any books about monsters or how to kill them. I felt like an utter failure, lost in a maze made out of haystacks in which I was trying to find a golden needle. Oh, and while unicycling and trying to catch lightning in a bottle. It was impossible and entirely hopeless.
My heart felt like a sponge filled with water, waiting to release some of the soaked-up tears I gathered from the tragic, unfortunate events in my life. I could feel some of those tears trying to climb up to the lids of my eyes, and I immediately tried to clear them before anybody could see me. I rushed over to my laptop and grabbed it along with my other belongings. I placed everything inside my backpack before any more tears tried to come into my eyes.
I hurried to the exits of the library while trying in vain to suppress how upset I was. It didn’t take long for me to find my blue Nissan Altima and I unlocked it while I was about twenty feet from it. I swung the door open once I got to the car and slammed my backpack with my precious little laptop into the passenger side. I plopped into the driver's seat before slamming the door extra hard.
I planted my face into the steering wheel. I felt my face getting red and sore from how hard I was squeezing my jaw to block all my rage from getting out. It felt good to be in my car alone so nobody would see me all angry. I wanted to cry so bad. It would feel good to release all that anguish from off my chest. But I didn’t. I needed to remain strong.
I didn’t take comfort in solitude for too long as I heard a knocking on the window.
“Ericka?”
Ahh, now that’s a voice I’m familiar with.
Derek’s voice vibrated in the air because of the way it carried through the window. I took my face off the wheel and maintained control of myself before I could look at Derek through my window. I could see the painful look of concern on his face when he looked into my eyes and saw just how red with fury they were. I rolled the window down while giving an extra effort not to cry in front of him.
“Hey, Derek.”
“Are you alright? What happened?”
“I’ll explain to you everything. Just get in the car.”
Derek hurried to the passenger seat and I unlocked the door for him. Once he got into the car, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him before I could say anything. I wanted to pull away based on all the suspicions I had about him. I tried to cut to the chase with everything that’s happened and interrogate the shit out of him to get the information I wanted. But…
I couldn’t do it. His large stature provided me with so much warmth and comfort. He provided me with a shoulder to lean on. I wrapped my arms around his shoulder blades. It was like Derek let me know it’s alright to lean on him and release all my feelings and emotions to him by hugging me. But I didn’t want to take advantage of that to cry or even attempt it. He was like a support system that I badly needed right now because I felt so lost, confused, and filled with frustration and rage.
Derek finally let go of me and rubbed my back. I could see the extremely worried look on his face as he moved his hands to my shoulders and rubbed them, too.
“I’m so sorry for not being here sooner. I’m so angry at myself right now. I feel like a douche, Ericka. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. Thanks for the hug. I sort of needed it.”
Derek nodded and donned a lukewarm smile on his face.
“Where were you?”
“I was doing homework at the cabin and I had to go to the grocery store to fill up the kitchen. There was a lot of traffic on my way over here, and I couldn’t get here fast enough. I was about to go inside the library when I saw you here.”
I looked down at the steering wheel and nodded about what Derek told me, seeing there was no way not to believe him. It’s not like I had any evidence to prove he was lying about where he was. But I was waiting on other crucial pieces of evidence to back up what my guts felt.
I looked up at Derek and saw that he maintained the same puppy look of concern on his face for me.
“I’m so sorry for not being here earlier.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to keep apologizing. I understand.”
“Tell me what happened. Why do you look like you want to cry right now?”
I sighed and looked at Derek’s bright green eyes, the same eyes that laid the foundation of my instincts about his true identity. I rattled with nervousness when I looked into those eyes, but I managed to calm my nerves and before I knew it, my lips parted.
“I was in the library researching shapeshifters and how to kill them, but I couldn’t find them on the stupid internet. So, I tried to find any book in the library about the supernatural world and monsters to see if maybe there was something about shapeshifters. I tried so many damn keywords, but nothing came up except results about that stupid show you watch. I hit a dead-end and I ran out of the library, trying not to cry until I came here. It seems like everything about monsters is fiction, but I know what I saw.”
I observed Derek bow his head down and start to rub the back of his neck. He maintained that same worried look on his face and then bobbed his head back up to face me.
“What? Derek? Is there something you have to say?”
“Yes. Every result you found about monsters is fiction because it’s fiction to the human world. Had I been here earlier, I would have warned you about that. But basically, everything regarding monsters is mere fiction to humans. But you and I are not just any humans. We know monsters and there’s only one source of information that will reveal all the answers you’re looking for.”
A look of shock formed on my face.
So, I wasn’t stupid.
“One source? Where is it? What is it?”
“Before I tell you what it is, I need to reveal to you a little story.”
I sat up in the driver's seat in anticipation because I knew Derek was going to lay some deep revelations on me. I needed to brace myself and I did. With all my attention on Derek and my wide eyes looking at him, I began to listen to what he said.
“There was a legendary hunter named Bartholomew Ramsey who lived in the 1800s, but he went by the nickname Bart. Bart is said to have killed every monster of each race on this planet, including shapeshifters. Bart never shared his knowledge of monsters and how to kill them to maintain their existence a secret.”
The surprised look on my face grew as I continued listening to Derek.
“But towards the end of his life, he did write all of his knowledge about every monster race and how to slay them inside a book, which he entrusted to a good friend of his, who happened to be a witch.”
“Holy shit, are you serious?”
“Yes. Why would I be telling you this story if I was bullshitting you? I’d be wasting your time.”
“Ugh, just get to the good part already.”
“Bart died in 1874. Ever since his death, no one has known the whereabouts of this book except for his witch friend.”
I placed my hands on my lips. A muffled “Oh my gosh!” came out, to which Derek replied by nodding.
“That’s why you couldn’t find anything on monsters in the library or the internet. Because all the knowledge about monsters and how to kill them is inside Bart’s book, and it simply doesn’t exist in the human world.”
“How do you know about Bart Ramsay and his book?”
“Josh told me. Like I said, only monsters know about the existence of this book. Every monster race in America has been trying to find this book to destroy it and its knowledge, but obviously, they failed.”
I sat back in my chair and rubbed my brain to grasp what Derek told me. I turned back to him and looked at his green eyes.
“How the hell are we supposed to find this book?”
“We need a plan. But first, we need to weaken this shapeshifter.”
“Any ideas?”
“From what Josh told me, shapeshifters are weakened by silver and iridium. So, we need to gather weapons made out of those things and use them against the shifters. Also, I had this idea that maybe you can wear this silver necklace so the shifter can’t come near you or touch you without being weakened by the necklace.”
I nodded my head and managed a soft smile. Despite my suspicions about him, Derek made me smile and it was something I could use right now.
“Sounds like a good idea. But we need to talk about something before you leave.”
Derek turned his entire body towards me and perked up his ears. I would take this opportunity to get some things off my chest since I had Derek all to myself in my car.
“I should’ve said someone. It’s Josh.”
“What about him?”
“When can I meet this friend of yours? Where does he even live?”
“He’s not exactly a people person. He lives in an isolated cabin of his own, not too far from mine. I talked to him about it but he flat-out refused because he feared you would tell the public and cause a scare in the town. He didn’t want to be exposed and hunted down.”
I opened my lips to the fullest extent, wanting to say something at that moment, but it didn’t come out until seconds later.
“It sounds like you’re describing yourself. You remember when I threatened to find a way to expose you as a wolf when you didn’t believe me about my aunt’s death?”
“Yes, and I was beginning to forget about it until you just brought it up. Josh is the wolf, not me. But you need me to promise me something.”
“What’s that?”
“You can’t tell a living human soul about Josh’s existence as a werewolf. You need to promise me that you’ll keep everything you know a secret. Please, Ericka. You have to. He’s my best friend. He saved you from that shifter, so the least you could do is keep it a secret. I don’t want my best friend to be hunted down and dead.”
I huffed and nodded, looking down at my steering wheel before looking at Derek again.
“I promise not to tell anybody. You have my word.”
I was back in the forest behind Derek’s cabin with him and the same setup in front of us. Derek had me grip the gun with only one hand today, and I shot so many missing bullets that I just felt like giving up and not using a gun anymore.
“Come on, Ericka. Don’t beat yourself up over it too much. It’s okay if you miss it. You’re in the second day of training.”
“I just don’t know why I feel so weak and horrible, then!”
“You’re none of those things! Just keep trying! Grip the gun with confidence and aim at the target with ease. You can do this.”
I did what Derek advised and took a tighter grip on the gun. I aimed at a scarecrow to my right using my dominant eye. I pressed the trigger, and it went straight into the stomach of the scarecrow, an effort that impressed me after a tough day.
“There you go! You got it!”
I shot a few more rounds at the scarecrow and all of them landed in its torso. It was then that I learned the keys to using a gun for me were to grip the gun with confidence and use my dominant eye for better aiming. I felt like I mastered it today, after which Derek and I moved onto the machete.
I gripped the machete in one hand and tried to slash at the scarecrow, but the blade got stuck on it again. I pried the machete off the scarecrow and tried again, more determined than before. I wanted to feel discouraged so bad, but I looked at Derek, and he gave me a small smile of encouragement to keep going.
I gripped the handle of the machete better and tighter while I readjusted my back muscles. I figured I would get much of my energy and accuracy from the muscles in my back, and I re-aimed the machete at the scarecrow. With more confidence streaming through my veins and gathering all my power and strength from my shoulders and back muscles, I slashed so many times at the scarecrow and they all landed on its torso.
“Yes! You got it, Ericka!”
I was so proud of myself for all the hard work I put in to master the machete with one hand. Derek’s encouraging words and excitement also made me feel really good about myself, as I felt like the sweat I shed was well worth it.
“So, I have good news for you.”
“What is it?”
“We won’t practice the bow and arrow today!”
“Yes!” I said with a fist pump.
“But we are practicing something else.”
The excitement had disappeared. I was afraid it was something more complicated than a bow and arrow, like an axe or a sword, or maybe even a flamethrower.
“Oh gosh, what is it?”
“Follow me.”
Derek started walking back to the cabin and I followed him with uneasy steps. He walked to the outside cellar door and unlocked it with a key from his pocket. Derek opened the cellar and motioned for me to come into it. I walked up to the door and saw a few steps. I walked down the steps and was greeted by a blue punching bag along with a pair of boxing pads and two pairs of boxing gloves.
“What is this?”
“We’re going to learn something that’ll substitute a bow and arrow – hand-to-hand combat.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
I got a little happy and excited as Derek put the boxing pads on. He tossed me the boxing gloves, which were also blue.
“Put those on and let’s begin.”
I did as Derek told me and I put the boxing gloves on, feeling their snug, warm texture against the palms of my hands. I walked up to Derek and he put both of his hands up with the pads facing me.
“I want you to punch these pads as many times as you can and as hard as you can, too. The more you punch the pads, the more you’ll get used to throwing punches in general. I want you to be very aggressive. Think about all the tragedy you’ve faced and think about everything bad that’s happened in your life. Release all that stress and anger with every hit, okay? Let’s do this.”
I prepared to punch the pads had Derek had up. I jabbed each pad with as much fury and aggression Derek wanted, fueled by the thoughts of my mom and aunt’s deaths, but more my aunt’s death. Derek’s hands were bouncing back as I hit the pads with all my might while my mind was churning with memories of that fateful night and my aunt’s body in front of me…the shapeshifter in front of me eating my aunt’s heart.
“Good, Ericka, good! Keep going!”
I felt sweat drip down my forehead as I kept punching Derek’s pads. But I soon lost my energy and I stopped throwing any strikes. I leaned down and grabbed my thighs, inhaling and exhaling so much. Derek leaned down to look at me with a big smile on his face.
“You did very well today, Ericka. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
9
It was four in the afternoon and I started my third day of training with Derek in the cellar. We planned the session at four because Derek had school and homework to do. I started the day off throwing strikes at the pads Derek wore before he had me practice on the punching bag. I landed several kicks and strikes at the bag for twenty minutes, taking a couple of breaks in between.
Derek and I moved on to weaponry practice after the hand-to-hand combat session was done, and we started with the bow and arrow.
“Remember, stand upright, place the arrow on the shelf of the bow, pull the string back with the back muscles, and aim with your dominant eye before releasing. It’s sort of like the gun and the machete. You can do this.”
I nodded at Derek before turning my attention back to the bow and arrow. I concentrated my efforts on aiming using my right eye. I took my eye off the target to make sure that the arrow was secure on the shelf and the string was tightly drawn. I then went back to aiming with my dominant eye and released the arrow. I was ecstatic when it hit the torso of the middle scarecrow, and it encouraged me to do two more arrows.
