Hunting the Skinwalker

"Sorry I'm late." Krista sighed as she sat down beside him. She placed her purse on the table and pushed it aside.

"No problem," he assured her, falling in to her shimmering eyes.

"Okay, so I want to look through old newspapers from all over the county. I'm looking for stories about murders -- like what happened to Mrs. Lawton," she explained. "In case some haven't been solved, or seem suspicious."

Steven watched as she shrugged her coat off and hung it over the back of her chair, barely hearing her voice. As she moved he became keenly aware of how her firm breasts filled out the front of her blouse. No, they weren't massive like those on the women in the Penthouse magazines he'd seen while visiting Brian. But they were big enough, and nice. Very nice. Faint traces of her nipples appeared through the material clinging to them. Steven felt his mouth go dry as his cock hardened.

During the next several hours Steven and Krista poured over newspapers and fought vertigo as they scanned miles of microfiche. Occasionally one of them would spy an article about an attack on someone, or a murder that they thought might have been committed by a skinwalker. Each time their suspicions were quashed by another article telling of a culprit being arrested or convicted of the crime.

It was almost three-thirty when Krista leaned back from the newspaper spread out in front of her on the table they had returned to. Steven raised his head, looking across the table at her. She rubbed her tired eyes and stretched. He scanned her torso, noticing the curves that her blouse could not hide. When she relaxed and met his gaze with a smile he grew anxious.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

Krista leaned forward on her elbows, still smiling. "You want to know what a nice girl like me from Woodford Junction, Michigan is doing here hunting some sort of thing that might not even exist." When she finished her eyebrows darted up and she giggled.

"Yeah... something like that," he answered with a modest grin.

"My mother was part Cree. As a little girl I used to listen to her stories about the skinwalkers, wendigo and manitou. I was scared, but fascinated. She believed in them, just as much as her ancestors had for hundreds of years. When I was older, a little older than you, I asked her about those scary stories that she had told me as a child. I wanted to know if they were just her versions of fairy tales told to frighten children. That's when she told me more; things much too frightening to tell a little girl. That's why I got my Master's in Anthropology," she said. "They're real, Steven. They're not superstitions or folklore told by primitive people who roamed these lands for centuries."

Once Krista finished Steven let out a long, slow breath. "Wow... I always believed in that sort of stuff. Ghosts and all that, I mean. But I think it's good to be skeptical too. I'm sorry if I --"

"No need to apologize," she interjected. "You're here, helping me, aren't you? That says it all. Besides, skepticism is healthy too."

Steven smiled and nodded at her.

Krista folded the newspaper and placed it atop the pile to her right. She looked at her watch. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said eagerly.

"Come on, I'll buy you lunch," she said.

"No, you don't have to, Krista. I can buy my own."

"Don't argue," she joked. "It's the closest to any pay you're getting for this." She stood up, pulling the strap of her purse over her left shoulder.

Steven followed Krista out to where she had parked her car. He trailed behind her slightly in order to get a prolonged look at the flare of her hips and how her firm ass filled out her tight jeans. He smiled, feeling his cock thicken. She strode with confidence and her curly hair moved about, glistening in the afternoon sun. It made him crave her even more.

"So, where's a good place to eat around here?" Krista was driving down Somerset Street when she turned her head towards Steven as she posed the question.

"There's a McDonald's on Dorset Avenue," he said. "Take the next right."

Krista laughed. "No way, Jose! I've been eating junk food for the past week while I've been on the road. I want something a little nicer. Something that will help me keep my figure."

Steven shot her a glance, reflecting on her comment. His eyes moved down over her. When she turned and smiled he felt his cheeks grow warm.

"Don't say it!" she snapped, then laughed.

"Say what?" he asked.

"That it's too late for me to worry about keeping my figure," she said.

"No, Krista, that wasn't what I was thinking," he blurted out. "I was... nevermind." He frowned and stared out of the window.

"No, what? Say it," she insisted, almost pleaded.

"Well..." he began cautiously. "I was going to say you don't need to worry about that because you look great."

Krista reached out for his hand, resting just above his left knee and gave it a firm squeeze. "Thanks. You're sweet," she said.

Steven never replied, but he bristled. Her tone sounded condescending and he resented it. After a few moments he said "I meant it, you know -- about you looking great."

"I know. Thanks," Krista said with a nervous smile. "Maybe I should beware of you, instead of that skinwalker. So, where are we going?" she asked.

"Ah, there's Sarah's Kitchen on Brooker. Turn left at the next intersection," he said.

"Sarah's Kitchen?" she echoed with a skeptical look.

Steven laughed. "Don't let the name put you off. It's good, cheap food," he said. "About the best you'll get around here."

By the time Steven and Krista were sitting in their booth at the restaurant he was starving. Everything on the menu looked good, but he didn't want to take advantage of Krista's generosity. He looked up from his menu and said "Thanks a lot for buying me lunch. I was getting pretty hungry."

As though she were reading his mind or sensing his unease, she said "You're welcome. And get whatever you want. Once the book's published, this is a tax deduction."

"Well, hopefully you'll find a publisher," he said.

"Oh, I have," she replied with excitement. "They already gave me a small advance based on a twenty page submission I sent."

"In that case, congratulations!" He raised his water glass to her in a salute.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Actually, I have one published already. It's about the history of the Sioux and Lakota."

"I'd like to read it sometime," he said.

"I have a few copies back at my room. I'll bring one for you tomorrow." Krista could tell by the flicker in his eyes that his interest was genuine and not just politeness. It pleased her.

During their meal Krista told Steven some of the stories she'd heard at her mother's feet as a child and how that lead her on her academic path. She gave him a planned synopsis of her next book and promised to send him a copy once it was finished. She reached in her purse and brought out an address book and pen.

"Here, give me your address -- email address too. I'll keep you updated, then mail you a copy of the book once it's done," she said, handing him the pen.

Steven smiled as he wrote, hoping that she would keep her promise. When he was finished he asked "So, what are our plans for this afternoon? Looking through more newspapers?"

"I think that's a dead end," she lamented.

"Then what?"

Krista pushed pieces of fusilli through puddles of olive oil on her plate with her fork. She looked up at him. "I was thinking of going back to Mrs. Lawton's house for another look around," she said.

"Okay," Steven replied.

She peered into his eyes with a concerned look. "I didn't mean that you had to come along," she explained.

Steven sat back in his chair and drew in a deep breath. "When I asked if you needed any help I didn't just mean looking through moldy old newspapers," he said.

Krista laughed. "I know. But this may be more than you bargained for. It could be dangerous, Steven." Her eyes narrowed as her voice took on a serious tone.

"I know. But I don't care," he said. "I want to come along -- to help you. Unless you don't want me to, that is." His voice died out and his eyes fell towards the table.

"No, it's not that," she explained. "I just want to be sure you know what you're in for," she said. "I'd love your help, if that's what you really want. But I'd feel responsible if... if anything happened to you." She reached out to give his hand a soft squeeze of reassurance.

"Nothing's going to happen to me. This is what I want," he said assuredly, then gave her a brusk nod. "Besides, I'd hate for anything to happen to you either."

Krista smiled. This time it was a different smile from the others she had given Steven. It was full of emotions that she had not felt for a very long time. "Okay then, let's get going. We're burning daylight here. We've got less than an hour before it gets dark." She hoisted her purse over her shoulder and stood up.

Krista paid for their meal, then lead Steven out to where she had parked her car. During the drive to Mrs. Lawton's house they never spoke. Steven stared out the passenger side window, stealing furtive glances at Krista as she drove. Her jacket was unzipped and he noticed the swell of her breasts rising from her blouse. His eyes moved up from their contours to her black hair cascading down over her shoulders. His cock throbbed and he looked away, just seconds before her glimmering eyes moved towards him. She smiled and pressed down harder on the accelerator as her clit began to throb.

The weather had turned milder and some of the snow had begun to melt. There had been a light rain the night before, which helped to take off an inch or so of the frosty white ground cover. Krista brought her car to a halt on Beech Street. Steven peered out through the window to his right, past the bushes and trees towards Mr. Lawton's house. He gave a heavy sigh.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered, sounding resigned. "Are you?" He turned towards her, now worried for her safety.

"Yes. Ready as I'll ever be."

Krista and Steven climbed out of the car. He followed her through the snow-covered brambles and briars towards the cluster of spruce and pine. His steps were tentative, but she marched along through the few inches of snow that still covered the ground.

Steadily, they made their way towards the broken window of the house. The kitchen curtain still fluttered in the breeze. Steven's heart pounded in his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was out of trepidation or the burgeoning emotions he felt for Krista. He followed her with is eyes, noticing how her ebony hair moved and glistened and how the angles of her curved ass and hips filled out her jeans. He felt his cock harden until it strained the zipper of his jeans. It was then that he knew he wanted her -- really wanted her. If he could have pulled her down on the snow-covered ground and undressed her there without resistance, he would have. Instead, he trudged along, several paces behind her. When they reached the broken window, she paused.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"I don't know. Call it womens' intuition," she said with a shrug.

Steven watched as Krista's eyes moved from the broken window pane, then down to the ground, now just lightly covered by snow. The tracks left by them and the police the day before were barely visible in the snow. Krista turned and followed the footprints back towards where they had come from until they turned into the human footprints in the snow. Krista leaned over, pushing snow about with her boot, then she smiled. She reached down to retrieve something from the frosty ground.

"What is it?" Steven asked.

Krista stood up, looking puzzled. Clutched between her fingers was a gold ring. It had a square setting. In it, Steven saw a small diamond gleaming. "Take a look," she said. She passed the ring to him.

Steven turned the heavy gold ring over in his fingers. As soon as he saw the embossing he recognized it and gasped. In opposite corners, between the three point diamond, were the letters G and M.

"Gary Marsdon," he gasped as he examined the signet ring.

"What?" Krista asked as her dark eyes widened.

"Gary Marsdon. He's a deputy sheriff here. He's also the father of my best friend, Brian," he explained. "This is his ring. I've seen it on his finger dozens of times when I've been over at Brian's." Dread began to fill him.

"Then he's our skinwalker," Krista concluded, assuredly.

"What?" Steven's mouth fell agape and his hand went limp at his side, still holding the ring. He jerked his head towards Krista.

"Whoever... whatever, killed Mrs. Lawton turned back into human form here, or vice versa. This is where he would have dropped the ring," she surmised. "Whoever owns this ring is the skinwalker."

Steven examined the ring between his fingers once more. Doubt and guilt filled his mind. He could not, did not, want to think of Brian's dad as a savage monster -- a murderer. What's more, he knew that Krista intended to kill him. Now he felt sad. Confused. Still, the evidence was compelling, he reminded himself. He looked at Krista. "So, now what?" he asked.

Krista consulted her watch and looked up at the sky. It was growing dark. To the left the sun was falling in the sky. Soon it might not be safe to be here, she thought. "I think what we should do is get back to --"

She had not finished her sentence when the sound of a car entering the driveway interrupted her. She gasped and turned towards her right, then back again towards Steven.

"Let's get out of here," Steven said. He pushed the ring deep into the front pocket of his jeans.

Steven grabbed Krista by the elbow and began to race through the thickets towards her car parked on Beech Street. He heard the beep of someone turning on their car alarm, then walking through the crusty snow behind them. He panted and his heart raced as he urged Krista along with a frightened look.

Once they had passed the stand of trees and entered the thicket of brush Steven stopped, holding Krista to him. They breathed hard, filling the gathering dusk with the vapor from their lungs. Steven crouched down behind a patch of alders. He tugged at Krista's hand till she fell beside him on the frozen ground, leaning on his right shoulder. He pressed a finger to his lips and gave her a wide-eyed stare.

Through the alders and underbrush they saw a figure approaching. It was a man. He was tall and dressed in the uniform of a deputy from Putnam Falls Sheriff's Department. Steven suppressed a gasp of shock when he recognized Gary Marsdon. He could feel Krista's body pressed to his. Between them, her purse lay on the ground. He was still clutching her hand, but now it had fallen down to the inside of his right thigh. The sound of her heavy breathing filled the air. Her hand was lying limp against his right thigh, inches from his semi-erect cock. He felt his erection pulse in rhythm to his beating heart and he was very aware of Krista's gloved fingers, just inches from it now.

For what seemed like an hour, but was in reality only minutes, Steven and Krista watched as Deputy Marsdon searched through the snow. He kicked it aside, starting beneath the broken window, then leading up the path towards where Steven and Krista were crouched. Their hearts pounded. When they heard Gary Marsdon let out a breathy curse, then turn back towards the driveway, Steven and Krista both exhaled. The sun was beginning to sink in the sky and take on a fiery hue.

Krista's hand was now clutching Steven's thigh. Even through her glove he could feel her warmth. Her fingers were inches from the outline of his shaft and he was torn between pushing it away and drawing it higher. Minutes later they saw the gleam of car headlights as Gary Marsdon drove away.

"Shit, that was close." Krista breathed out the words as she slowly turned to her left.

Steven nodded. "Yeah," he said, still dumbfounded.

"Let's go." Krista stood up, tugging at Steven's wrist. She pulled him along through the frozen grass as she hurried towards her car. It was less than a hundred yards away.

When the sound of a menacing growl echoed amongst the trees Steven froze, panic-stricken. He could hear Krista panting beside him and see her breath. Then he heard the growl again. Krista did too and she cried out, either in shock or fear.

Steven turned just as an animal resembling a mangy wolf, only much larger, ran towards them. The muscles on it's legs and haunches rippled as it moved. It's bloodshot eyes seemed to glow and it's upper lip was pulled back in a snarl to reveal long, sharp teeth. Steven opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

Before either of them could run, the creature lunged towards them. Saliva dripped from it's fangs and it's predatory eyes fixed on Krista. Steven felt her tear her hand away, which had been gripping his left arm. He watched as the beast leapt towards her.

In a flash, Steven saw Krista pull a knife from her purse. The hilt was nearly as thick as his wrist and the silver blade seemed almost a foot long and nearly half as wide. With a shriek, Krista slashed at the animal's side, then drove the blade into it's sinewy shoulder twice.

The angry beast let out a loud, shrill cry, but never ceased it's attack. It swiped at the air in front of Krista with it's wide paw. Steven saw it's claws. They looked like talons. Krista backed away quickly, stumbling over a broken limb lying behind her. She fell backwards onto the hard ground and let out a frightened cry. Her wide eyes looked up at the creature. Lying on the ground almost six feet away was her blood-stained knife.

Steven filled his lungs with air and opened his mouth. "Mr. Marsdon -- NO!" he screamed.

The animal stopped and turned towards Steven. It's mouth gaped. For a few seconds the bloodthirsty look in his glowering eyes flickered with recognition as he regarded Steven. The beast's eyes locked on Steven's. For an instant they almost seemed human. It let out a sound that seemed like a whimper. Then he turned and ran off into the woods as quickly as he had appeared. Steven watched in near disbelief.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Steven said. He looked down at Krista, still sprawled out on the ground.

She rolled over to retrieve her knife and put it back in her purse. "Help me up," she said, clutching her right ankle.

He wrapped an arm around Krista's shoulders and helped her to her feet. She let out a soft cry of pain as she stood up. He slung her right arm around his shoulder to support her as she hobbled towards her car and safety.

###

"Where are we going?"

Krista was driving down Argyle Street when Steven asked the question. The car's headlights made the wet pavement gleam like obsidian. "I don't know," she replied with a laugh. "What time do you have to be home?"

"Not till ten or so," he said.

Krista glanced down at the clock on the console, then nodded to herself. "Would you like to stop in to The Elms for a while? It's still early and I don't really feel -- "

"I won't be able to sleep tonight either," he interrupted, giving a blank stare out of the windshield. His heart was still racing, sending adrenaline to every muscle.

Krista turned her head and smiled at him. She turned left at the next intersection and drove down Henry Avenue until it met Coburg Road. When she pulled up in front of The Elms she brought the car to a stop and turned off the engine. Her heart pounded in her chest. Slowly, she turned towards Steven and gave him a nervous smile.

Steven tugged on the latch and opened the car door. He stepped out and stretched, watching Krista limp around towards him. Her coat was unzipped and in the opening he noticed the faint ripple of her blouse as her breasts bounced. His cock throbbed and swelled.

"Are you okay? Need some help?" he asked.