Sheep's Clothing by Gary Lewis (dark books to read TXT) 📗

safety of his truck could at least offer a peaceful shelter for him to die, he thought. Blood continued to flow onto the brown leather seats as he curled into fetal position and cried.

Glass exploded through the cab. A dark, hairy arm busted through the window, reaching to snatch him from his sanctuary. Danny scurried to the other side, kicking and screaming. He watched as the monster shoved its head through the window, letting out an ear busting roar. It stared at him with ferocious, bright yellow eyes, baring drool-dripping fangs before pulling its head back out into the darkness.

With a tremendous tug at the door, the truck shook. It rocked back and forth as Danny's shouts could be heard for over a mile away. But not a soul would ever hear them as they traveled through the night until they stopped. The shadows of Pine Bluff had once again become soaked in blood, stained with the death of one of its own while its residents slept soundly through the night.

Chapter 3

The sun crept slowly over the horizon, illuminating the skies of Pine Bluff with a crimson hue that penetrated glass windows to invade offices, living rooms and stores. Business ran as usual in town, but the eerie glow spread like the blood that had been spilled, breaching the souls of the inhabitants to cast light on the fears that they shared.

#Janice#

Janice rejected the plead of her mattress and pillows to remain sunk into their comfort. As she rolled over to sit up and planted her bare feet into the carpet, she looked across to the half open closet. Images of today's wardrobe weren't conjuring into her thoughts.

After struggling to pick out a simple, light blue V-neck shirt and comfortable black pants, a loud knock came from downstairs.

She looked down from the top step and the carport door became visible across the dining area. Vance's outline behind the thin curtains gave her a burst of enthusiasm. Her feet pounded down the stairs and she gave the door a rapid swing before throwing her arms around him.

"You finally got my messages," she said.

"Babe,” he said, pulling away. “Did you hear what happened?"

"My Peetie died. Of course I know. I'm the one who told you."

"When did that happen?" Vance asked with a pause before continuing. "Danny was killed last night. They're saying it was a homicide, but nobody really knows what's going on."

Janice's eyes filled with sadness as she stared at him for a moment. He didn’t even read my messages.  

"Babe, are you listening?" he asked.

"Of course I am," she said. "I just can't believe this is happening."

"No idea what's going on," Vance said. "But Tony said to meet him and the others over at Sarah's today. Seems they have something figured out."

"But what could they know?" she asked.

"Don’t know...” he said. “But David is going to be there too."

She sighed and looked up at him. "David is a good friend. You have to stop worrying about that."

"Oh, I'm not worried,” he said, head tilted back toward his truck. “Just saying."

"Let me get ready," she said, returning upstairs to her room while Vance waited outside.

###

The short trip to Sarah's house was prolonged by Vance's drawn-out conversations about himself. "You know, I'm benching two-twenty now. Guess what my squat is." He continued on about getting ready for the upcoming senior year football season and everything he was proud of himself about. She wondered if he was ever this proud of her.

"Whoa," Vance said as he stopped at Sarah’s driveway and turned his face toward her unmowed yard. “She really lets this place go, doesn't she?"

"Think so?" Janice smiled. "Wait until you see how nice it is inside."

"If you say so," he said with a half grin. "Guess I'll do her a favor and park on the grass." He squeezed his truck into the tall turf that Tony and David had left between their cars.

Maybe Sarah likes her yard this way. If she does, then so do I.

As the front porch creaked to their presence, the door swung open from inside. "Get in here,” Sarah said with bright eyes as she waved them inside. “Check this out."

"Get ready to eat your words," Janice said under her breath. But as they rounded to the dining area, a cluttered disaster awaited them at the table. Maps with thumbtacks, scribbled papers, a laptop, books, and an ashtray filled with Sarah's cigarette butts all littered the room. Vance turned to Janice, cracking a long grin across his face before turning to strut toward the table where everyone stood.

Janice followed him, counting empty cans of energy drinks and beer, some with ashes on top of them. Her eyes darted to a book about werewolves open on the table among the rest of the clutter.

Waiting to hear what they had to say, she took note of David sitting on a stool, Tony standing with his arms crossed and Sarah speaking at the same rapid pace as her steps took around the room. She went over every event in chronological order, pinpointing each location along the way.

Her rant was cut short by Vance. "So, what exactly are you getting at? That there's some kind of monster roaming the backwoods of Pine Bluff?" He picked up the werewolf book and turned it to face the others with a chuckle.

"We didn't rule that out,” Sarah said. “But everyone has their own theories.”

"Come on, Sarah." Vance's continued to snicker as he smiled behind the fist he pressed against his chin.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Will you just shut up already and listen?" The pitch of Sarah's voice turned Janice's stomach as she continued.

"Ms. Tanner said she saw a monster at the barn fire. Something attacked Brad and killed him at the cliffs. The police aren't telling us anything except that they don't want to hear any more wild stories about howling and wolves. Danny's truck was literally ripped apart and we're hearing they only found pieces of his-"

"And we have this." David's voice interrupted Sarah from the other side of the