I’ve often found that true power lies in invisibility. I have money, but don’t get invited to elite events, unless I’m a bodyguard. I’m “closet rich.” Assets are hidden in enough investments as not to warrant much attention from the rest of the world. I also keep cash stashed around in case I need to skip town. I find that sometimes a bit of cash can get me access to places I would never be allowed.  

For a few years I worked as the right-hand man for a criminal mastermind named Professor James Moriarty until his untimely death. I’m currently a mercenary for hire. There’s no other way to describe it. If there was money involved, I would do it. Kidnapping, torture, theft or whatever needed done. I had quite a reputation after my work with Moriarty, and that led to plenty of work in the aftermath. 

The current target is a millionaire named Borland Bragg. He comes from old textile money. His family used to own plantations south of the Mason-Dixon line. He pivoted himself to private rehab clinics to make money in big cities. Word is Bragg has a kink streak a mile wide. He likes to have lavish parties where guests pay a fortune to consume exotic meats and indulge in other vices.  A ten-thousand-dollar meal.  

The Australian folks that hired me were upset he had a massive party last year with Tasmanian devil as the main course. It tastes like chicken, from what I heard. To be honest, I would have tried it. I have been on the carnivore diet for a couple of years. There must be a correlation between consumption of meat and having the killer instinct. Maybe a throwback to the era of hunting and gathering for survival? Meanwhile, in the modern era, people hunt for sport with full stomachs. 

My contact told me which catering company was going to handle the gathering for my latest target. He rarely uses the same company, often going with smaller operations that won’t cost as much. He seems to pride himself on discretion. I went to the site where a crew was loading up the vehicle with supplies. A young Black man with dreadlocks was placing some boxes into a van. He came in and out of the building, continuing to load the vehicle. He checked his watch, then paused to smoke a cigarette. He leaned against the wall outside the building and I approached him.  

“Hey, brother. Got a minute?” I asked. 

“I’m on my break, so I got fifteen. You sounding like Idris Elba. What’s up?” he replied. 

“I need your help. I need to get access to that party you’re catering tonight,” I reply.  

He rubs his chin and looks around, then sighs with a disinterested look.  

“Man, I ain’t got it like that. I’m just the hired help, ya know? Making a little cheddar, trying to make my life better.” he says. 

“Consider this a side gig and hiring bonus, yeah?” I tell him. I held up a couple hundred bucks and his eyes lit up. He pockets the cash and leads me over to the van. 

“My name’s Jay, bro. I got you. We got so many temps coming and going, they ain’t even gonna notice.” the man says.  He goes through a box in the van and comes out with a white cotton chef coat and a badge. He hands it over with a smile. 

“Put these on and that will get you access to the event. Be cool, though. The people running the event act funny style when the staff ain’t all white folks. I gotta keep my hair up in the chef hat at the event. You got that Obama fade and the British accent. Shit, your English is better than theirs. You’ll be good, bro. The event is only about four or five hours.” he says. 

“I appreciate your help, brother. Truly.” I say. 

Before taking off back to my car, I hear him retort, “I appreciate this little come up. ‘Bout to set it off at the club later!” 

I get back to the hotel, change clothes, load up my silenced gun, ammo and a backup piece. I have a couple of small knives as well. I put on a Kevlar vest underneath the chef’s coat. I also put on a pair of smart glasses to use the augmented reality feature. That can provide me some intel as I’m on the scene. Sundown was approaching and I wanted to get this job handled quickly and efficiently. 

Bragg’s property was known as the Playground Estate, located at the edge of town. The massive mansion had a couple acres around the building, where there were sheep wandering around the hilly area. The closer I got to the property, the more I started to hear what sounded like drums thumping outside. Towards the back of the property was a bonfire and a group of people drumming. The pattern was continual and rhythmic. I saw a man covered in blood, chasing after one of the sheep. He alternated between giggling and growling as he tackled the animal to the ground. I slowed down as I drove by the strange sight, noticing he held the sheep down and howled towards the sky. The moon hung in the air, full and bearing an eerie glow amid the growing night sky. There was a brief moment where the man and I locked eyes. 

“Bloody git!” I shouted. 

He had a big filthy grin at least until the sheep had wiggled free and run off. The man gave chase and I continued to drive onward. Upon arriving at the site, I parked where the catering van was. As I walked up to the property, I saw a well-lit silver statue in front of the mansion. It was a feral creature attacking a child. I stopped and looked at it, giving myself a moment to take in the strange beast. The look of terror on the cringing child’s face was familiar. I’d seen that look in people before I killed them. I saw the catering vehicle going into a side entrance. 

“The Beast of Gévaudan, a French cryptid. Supposedly killed over a hundred people in France back in the 1700s. Truly a beautiful work of art, eh? I find myself drawn to it. So primal. Ferocious.” a voice says. 

I hear howling in the distance as I turn to see a flamboyant man in a bright orange suit and tie standing behind me. He looks like a cross between a Batman villain and a pimp. He adjusts his purple tie and smiles. He flips his frosted hair back and looks at me the same way a wolf would gaze upon a sheep. In that moment, I know exactly what he was thinking. Yuck. I have to remind myself that on this particular mission, I might have to suffer some fools lightly until I get the job done. 

“It’s definitely something. As far as cryptids, I would lean more toward the Dullahán of Irish folklore. Headless Horseman, you know?” I retort. 

“Nice accent. Truth be known, I’m more of a Chupacabra kind of guy, if you know what I mean?” he says after making an effeminate moan.  

“Goat sucker. Got it.” I say. 

He gives me a longing stare, sucks his teeth, then strides away. I walk into the home and see he has a hallway that’s completely covered in artificial eyes. The place is clean but has an eerie quality; the sound of drums in the background. It sounds like a heartbeat. There are marble statues of the old Universal monsters placed around the mansion.  

The guests are a mixed bag of well-dressed dilletantes, talking loudly and some dressed outlandishly. The place is warm, as I find myself starting to sweat, and I notice some of the guests also glistening from the heat. As I look around the place, I realize there are no security cameras, no guards or anything else I would normally see at the residence of a millionaire. 

I find a tray of champagne and walk around getting a lay of the land. My smart glasses identify quite a few of the partygoers, most of whom are people in tech or philanthropists. It conveniently flashes up a little icon with their name and what company they’re with. As I mingle through the crowd, people grab a flute of the bubbly beverage and my tray gets lighter. I’m looking around for my target, who is conspicuously absent. 

I notice a pale man in a white suit that has followed me on the left as I walk around the room. He looks like David Bowie from the Thin White Duke era. The smart glasses give an error message when I look directly at the man. That’s never happened before. I turn towards him and hold out the tray to see if he wants a drink. He grabs one and takes a sip. He looks at me with pale blue eyes and smirks. Smacking his lips, he takes another sip and smiles. 

“Tonight’s a night of revelation and transformation. World’s changing, my friend. Be prepared.” he says. 

“Happy New Year to you, too.” I reply. 

“That’s not what I mean. I’m just saying tonight is a good night for a change in perception, is all. There are bad things in the dark and sometimes worse things in the light. Just looking out for you, friend.” he says. 

“You a guardian angel, eh?” I ask. 

“I’m a guardian for sure, but far from an angel,” he retorts. 

He takes out a handkerchief, points at it, then tosses it towards me. As I reach out to catch it, I look up and he’s gone. I look around the room, and he is nowhere to be found. This surreal moment sent chills down my spine. It’s suddenly interrupted by an elderly couple that comes and grabs some glasses from the tray. One of the caterers comes up to me, handing me another tray of drinks as mine had gone empty. I smile and nod, continuing to work my way through the party in the hopes of finding my target. In the pursuit of money, I’ve allowed myself to wade into quite a few dangerous situations.  

This one, I could say, was well beyond my pay grade. I spent several years in the military, getting promotions and medals for my efforts until my discharge. Due to my distaste for working a normal job, I got the idea of using the training I’ve applied towards the private sector. I guess you could say money was my God. It was my primary motivation in this existence.  

However tonight, after seeing what is obviously demonic, I’m rethinking my entire existence. As I entered the kitchen and wandered through the workers, I found my way to the walk-in freezer that had a sign on it labeled: DO NOT ENTER. I needed somewhere quiet for a moment, away from the strange drumming and even stranger people. When the coast was clear, I stepped in. Inside it, hanging on a hook next to beef, was a skinned humanoid figure with elongated limbs. The sinews and hyper-musculature look like this thing was strong as an ox. The entire carcass is covered in seasoning. Chunks of the creature have been cut away and are on a table adjacent to the carcass. 

They look like a pile of thick steaks. Next to it was the head of the beast that resembled a skinned wolf. Meanwhile, there is a large container under the body collecting blood. The thick, coppery blood scent had the hint of something else to it, like brimstone, giving the room a strange odor. Given this situation, I’m starting to realize that if demonic entities exist, divine ones must as well. They seem to go hand in hand. I’m not going to get any money for stopping these other people, just the target. However, I think every single one of these weirdos needs to be sent straight to hell.  

Before I go back out, I overhear two of these so-called elites talking in the hallway right outside the freezer. It sounds as if they’re snorting coke. The crux of their conversation was based on how much power they were going to have after the “Great Consumption.” I thought it was some kind of joke or code for something else. One of them mentions that becoming a werewolf was their great aspiration. Never in my life did I think this kind of thing existed. So here I am, a hired gun that is supposed to take out the host of the party.  

All of these folks are going to eat this dead creature in some strange occult ritual. It’s bad enough for these folks to spend the majority of their days feeding off the poor, metaphorically speaking. However, I find it very frightening they’re about to become creatures that literally feed off people. I cannot allow these predators to evolve. Walking around the kitchen, the staff were preparing other dishes and garnishing for the feast. I tried to make myself look busy, carrying around dishes and placing them in different spots. Keeping my ears open, they talked of how there were going to be two men with flamethrowers cooking the meat outside.  

I make my way outside, looking for the cooks. There are two men with flamethrowers standing at the ready while there is a pile of steaks atop an open grill. Knowing what needs to be done, I realize these men must be taken out. I shoot them both. Head shots. They fall. The sounds of drumming outdoors continue. I grab the flamethrower off the body of one of the men and proceed to burn the drummers outside. They scream and run off into the fields. Over the sound system, the sound of a gong rings, then I hear a male voice that sounds southern, pompous and overly friendly. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight you have the opportunity to become a different kind of elite. An apex predator, if you will. With the consumption of this most unique lupine flesh during tonight’s full moon, you will receive the gift of lycanthropy! Your investment of a million dollars grants you the strength, extended life, heightened senses, speed and stamina of the legendary werewolf! Once we have transformed together, we will slaughter all the sheep on my land and sate our feral desires in the unsuspecting town! Join me in the dining room at once, as we shall have appetizers before the main course of power!” Borland says. 

I gather myself and wait a few moments as the group all meet in the banquet hall. Behind me, I hear a noise. I turn and see the pale man again. He is picking up the other flamethrower and I aim mine at him. He smiles and drops it. 

“I always wanted to get one of these ‘Not A Flamethrowers.’ Compact design. Elon Musk design, right?” he asks. 

“Right. What’s your role in all this? I don’t even know your name, but you seem familiar. That usually doesn’t happen in my line of work!” I ask. 

Call me Duke. I’m not part of it, but I wanted to see. Thought I might disrupt things. This isn’t the kind of evil the world needs. You see the werewolf body in the freezer? That’s Keith Himes, a friend of mine that got killed by his so-called mentor, Borland. He was supposed to take the kid under his wing, not turn him into dinner! I don’t fancy the idea of them eating him, so I planted a bomb in the basement of the mansion. That’s why I ghosted you earlier.” Duke says. 

Okay. Well, I’m here to take out Borland, but his friends seem just as bad to be a part of this. We team up and go our separate ways after, yeah?” I state. 

Duke nods, picking up the flamethrower. I begin to use militaristic gestures for him to follow along, pointing for him to maneuver toward the other side so I can take the right. He understands and we enter the mansion, heading towards the banquet hall. I see Jay smoking in the hallway and I pause. He sees me and Duke holding flamethrowers and he freezes, the cigarette falling from his mouth. 

“Evacuate the staff, bro. It’s about to get hot,” I tell him. 

Jay snaps out of it and runs back towards the kitchen. We move into the banquet hall and, without a word, begin to burn the guests seated at the table. The table bursts into flames, as the glasses of liquor ignite. The elites scream and scramble, engulfed in flames. Duke sprays the other side with fire, watching them scream and scurry about.  

Sprinklers in the ceiling begin to activate. At the opposite end of the room from the head of the table, Borland whips out an Uzi and starts firing at us. I end up taking two shots to the shoulder, neck, and one in the chest. I hit the ground hard. I hear Duke scream as the gunfire continues. Suddenly there is the sound of a wolf howl above the roar of the fire and everything goes black.

I wake up cold, listening to the sound of thumping. Body is aching. I then hear the roar of the wolf. As my vision focuses again, I see Duke riddled with bullets and he is shaking me awake.

“I’m sorry to put you in this position, but we’re back in the freezer. Borland went berserk and turned into a wolf. He chased us down here. I barricaded the door but it won’t last forever. I can detonate the bomb, but we die with him. If not, there’s another way.” Duke says grimly. 

“What other way?” I ask. 

The thumping against the door continues. There is a muffled roar on the other side. Duke pulls the silver spike from the carcass in the room, grabs the bowl of werewolf blood. He puts the items in front of Sebastian. 

“You’re dying. Only a few minutes of life left. Drink the blood. The power is in the blood, just like vampirism. You heal and will be able to fight Borland. Aside from silver, werewolves can be killed by their own kind. This is our only chance.” Duke says. 

”What about you? How are you talking to me covered with bullet holes?” I ask. 

”Half-demon, on my mother’s side. We make our last stand here. Together.” he replies. 

”If we fail, hit the detonator.” I say sternly. 

I hand Duke my spare pistol, grab the container of blood and guzzle it. The salty copper taste is overwhelming. As I continue to drink I feel the cold leaving my body. My wounds spit out the bullets and close up. The pain goes away and a fire begins to churn in my gut. My muscles begin to swell and sinews stretch; the fiery feeling pumps through my veins and I see nails extending on my fingers and hair forming on my body. I can hear Borland’s breath outside and hear the hinges give way on the door, as he bursts in. 

“Thieves in the temple! My party is ruined! Stealing my dark gifts! You will suffer!” Borland roars in a guttural voice. 

Borland is in full werewolf mode; dark gray fur, fangs out lashing at us with his claws. Duke opens fire, shooting the beast repeatedly. It stuns, but doesn’t kill. That’s my job. I charge at him, clawing his side and kicking him. My movements are faster and stronger than I could imagine. He slashes back, strong but not as fast. I bite his arm, tasting the remnants of liquor, greasy food and strange drugs running through his system. I spit the blood in his face. We are wrestling and he wasn’t ready to face a fighter. I get behind him, putting him in a chokehold. Even werewolves have to breathe. Duke fires until he’s out of bullets, then throws the gun at Borland, who slashes him. When Duke hits the ground, he crawls to the silver spike. I tense my arms, cutting off Borland’s oxygen supply and he finally goes limp.  

“Finish him!” I roar out. 

Duke drives the spike into Borland’s heart; he screams in agony and claws at me as he dies. I snap his neck, then tear the head off. His body drops to the ground. Duke gives a thumbs up, then falls to his knees.  

“Can you get me out of here?” Duke whispers. 

I pick up my new friend and walk out of the cooler. Walking through the house, there are bodies everywhere. The flames have been put out by the sprinklers, which continue working. When we get outside, I go towards my car. I realize I might be too big to drive the car now. 

“Not sure I can drive like this.” I say. 

Duke replies, “Focus on the man, not the monster. Concentrate. We don’t need the monster, we need the man.” 

I do that. Deep breathing and I feel the feral snout go back to human proportions, my muscles contract back to normal. My clothes are in tatters, but my mission has been accomplished. I help Duke get in the car and we drive off into the night. As we left the property, Duke takes out a detonator and hits the button. Behind us, the Playground Estate erupts in a series of explosions. The final explosion sends the statue located in front of the property, rolling out into the road. We both look at each other and smile. There is a long silence between us as I drive and finally, Duke breaks it. 

“We actually did a good thing. Stopping Borland. He was bad news. I came out here to avenge my friend. What sent you out here, if you don’t mind me asking?” Duke asks. 

“A Tasmanian devil.” I reply. 

The two men share a hearty laugh as they head back towards the city.