“Didn’t you hear what I said on the phone?” asked the old man as he stood in front of the entrance to the cave. “No one has ever come out of there.”
Todd Keller fought to remain calm. He didn’t like old people; he especially didn’t like them to tell him his business. “Listen,” he said, checking over his shoulder to be sure that his Danny Greer wasn’t rolling with the camera. “We’re professionals, and we’ll take it from here. Thank you for your concern, really. Now, if you don’t mind?”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” spat the old man.
Todd had heard enough, he brushed past the old man without another word to him. He’d seen a thousand caves in his lifetime and this one looked no different than any of the rest; unless you considered the steel bars and heavy padlock that prevented access. Keller had come prepared and he attacked the padlock with a pair of bolt cutters. He just wanted to get inside, shoot some footage and get back to the motel. Werewolves, he thought, bitterly. He had graduated college with such high hopes. He never would have imagined himself stooping so low to earn a buck.
Twilight had fallen and the sound of chirping crickets filled the sultry air. Todd hadn’t remembered it being this warm the last time he’d spent time in Minnesota. He and Danny Greer had their own cable television show called Detectives of the Supernatural. Their specialty was debunking urban legends and rural folklore. Neither man had ever encountered anything that couldn’t be explained using good old fashioned science. The cave was well off the beaten path and a good hike from where they’d parked the Suburban. Danny Greer set his gear down next to the mouth of the cave and offered Todd a mining helmet.
“Sure looks dark in there,” said Danny.
“Will you hold me?”
“You’ll never come out of there alive,” replied Danny and he followed that with a fit of hysterical laughter. He then picked up his camera and turned on the powerful halogen lights.
The old man watched as Todd delivered his opening monologue as the other guy taped him with the bulky camera. They didn’t look frightened, or even the least bit concerned and that puzzled the old man. He’d wanted them to be frightened, adrenaline was tasty.
“Ready?” asked Todd.
“Let’s do it,” replied Danny.
The old man watched as they walked inside the cave as if they owned it. The cave was far deeper than either of the men knew and it’d take hours to explore. He then looked up at the full moon rising in the purplish sky. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, hanging it on the limb of a nearby pine. He then sat on a rock and untied his boots. He took them off and tucked his socks inside them. He was soon naked to the world, his trousers folded neatly on the rock he’d been sitting on. He’d learned much over the years; especially that waking up naked was embarrassing and that clothes were expensive. He looked up at the moon again and resisted an impulse to howl. The change would be upon him soon.
“What was that?” asked Todd, looking directly at the camera.
“I don’t know,” replied Danny. “It sounded like a wolf.” The howling sounded again, much closer this time.
“You didn’t bring any silver bullets, did you, Danny?”
Danny backed away, keeping the camera trained on Todd. He was on autopilot and filmed what were Todd’s last moments on this earth. Despite the screaming, the ripping, the biting; Danny Greer remained the consummate professional. The ordeal seemed to last a lifetime. Danny’s mouth was as dry as sand and he resisted the urge to run as the creature turned its attention to him.
“Your arm!” howled the beast.
Gingerly, Danny set down the camera and held his arm out, expecting it to be torn from its socket. Danny did scream when he felt the fangs pierce his flesh. Mercifully, he passed out a second later.
The sky was a shade of orange as Danny Greer staggered out of the cave carrying his camera. He was shirtless, having used his cotton shirt as a makeshift bandage. His eyes were bloodshot and his face looked much older than it had the previous evening. He shuffled out into the pale morning light and nearly collapsed. The old man was still there, waiting for him with sympathetic eyes.
“What did I tell you?” the old man asked.
“Todd…” stammered Danny. “He’s dead… Eaten…”
The old man nodded. “Yep, and he wasn’t half bad, either. Listen, you and I have got to have a little chat. I’m gettin’ too old for this shit, I’m gonna hang up my fangs and retire. I might head down to Florida. What do you know about being a werewolf?”