Chapter 8: A Wolf Unleashed

Chapter 8: A Wolf Unleashed

I was woken up by the feeling of cold water splashing my face. I was in a different room now. I was tied to a chair and the person standing in front of me was the girl. " Oh," I said. " It's you again." I said. " Hell yeah." Said the girl. " Now let's pick up where we left off. Were you spying on us?" She asked. " What's it to you, B****!?" I said. And once again, I received a hard slap across my face. I laughed. " What's the matter? Can't take 'no' for an answer?" I said. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides. " Why you insolent bastard. I'm gonna ask the questions and you'll answer. Understood?" She said, her voice raised. " What? I wasn't listening." I said. I received a kick in the gut. I groaned in pain. " Alright. I didn't know about your presence in the alley. So The answer is no. I'm a klutz when it comes to spying on people." I said.  I laughed. " Stop laughing." She said. I stopped. " Why were you in the alley?" She asked. " That I can't say." I said. She punched me in the face. " Alright I'll tell you. I received a call. Someone told me about a certain syndicate's drug trafficking activities. I was once victimised by this group and I sought revenge." I said. "Last question Wolfe," Said the girl. She took out a knife. " Should we let you go?" she said. " Of course you should. It's against the law to violate my civil rights." I said. She walked behind me. " Wrong answer." She said. Then she hit me on the head with the knife handle. I fell into unconsciousness.

2 hours later...
I woke up in a room with white walls, floor, ceiling, table, and chair. on the table was a pen and paper. There were no visible doors and only a large mirror was present on the far wall. " Hello?" I said aloud. I assumed that there would be cameras around this room. " Hello!?" I said, louder. I walked toward the mirror. I knocked on it. " I know you're behind this one way glass. Let me out!" I shouted. I pounded on the glass. "Let me out!" I shouted. I walked toward the chair, grabbed it and threw it at the glass. The glass was undamaged. I grabbed the chair again and hit the glass with it. Not a single crack appeared on the glass. After a while, I gave up. No use hitting the glass. There's no way out.

I gave up and started writing on the paper with my left hand. I wasn't writing anything specific. I wasn't even looking at the paper. I wasn't even sure what I was writing about. I was thinking. Thinking about escape. I needed a way out. I was looking around the almost bare room for an escape. But the only things present in the room were the table and the chair that I was sitting on. The now very battered up chair. I was practically in mental anguish. Mental and physical anguish, to be precise. I sighed and looked down at the paper. what caught my attention first was my hands. I was writing with my left hand but the strange thing is, the pen is in my right hand. And the second thing was what I had written. I had written 'WOLFE' 90 times.

Chapter 7: A Vigilante

Chapter 7: A Vigilante

So here's how the months passed. Pay bills, go to work and of course, get bored. Quick. I've been itching for something a little... exciting. Yes, I might get in trouble. No, I don't think it's a waste of time. So yes. I shall find adventure. And I have a few plans for that. I was informed about a group of gangsters and their activities by an anonymous caller.

The next night...
I was told that a group of gangsters do their drug trafficking in the morning at a part of  the neighbourhood that I am coincidentally familiar with. And so here I am, about to commit an act of heroism. I was walking down the alley where the syndicate was thought to be. And sure enough, I heard voices. I pulled on a ski mask onto my face and put on a pair of gloves. I was wearing an overcoat and trousers with sneakers. " I'm a vigilante now." I said to myself. Then, I looked around the wall where the voices were coming from. And immediately, I got a punch in the face. I staggered back and rubbed my face. I faced my attacker. And I was surprised to see two people. both were dressed in business suits complete with black ties. They both had opera masks on and they were both holding guns in their gloved hands. The only difference between the two people was that one of them was a female. She seemed to be 19 years old. " Now what're you supposed to be?" I asked them. " Question is, What're you supposed to be?" Asked the girl. She laughed as I remained silent. The girl looked at the man. "Shall we dance with him, Alphonse?" She asked him. " We shall, Isabel. We shall." Said the man. And then they sprung at once. Like a viper would spring upon it's prey, they struck. They were using some form of martial arts. One that I did not recognise. I defended their attacks the best I could, but they were quick and brutal. I was shot a few times and I felt one or two ribs crack. I was thrown against the alley wall. Immense pain shot through every bone in my body. My head was lowered and as I raised it, a fist met my face. I heard the girl giggle. " Shall we dance with him again, Alphonse?" She said with glee. " No, Isabel. The leader asked us to immobilize the enemy and bring him in for questioning." Said the man. " Aww, but I'm not done yet." Said the girl. " Done or not, we can't disobey direct orders." Said the man. " Alright." Said the girl. Then, I was hand cuffed and had a bag put over my head and I'm guessing that I was put into a car boot after that.

A few hours later...
The boot was opened and I was lifted out of the car. The bag was lifted off my head and I saw my surroundings. Desert. Nothing but desert. Then the ski mask was pulled off my head. The man and the girl grabbed my arms and dragged me toward a tree that I didn't notice before. The girl leaned me against the tree. The man was digging a hole in the sand to reveal a trap door. he yanked it open. The girl dragged me toward the trap door. " Ladies first, Isabel." Said the man. " Whatever." Said the girl. Then she jumped into the hole and the man pushed me in. I was sliding down a chute. I was practically screaming my head off now. Then, a trap door opened up in front of me and I fell through it, landing on a hard tiled floor. " Ouch." was the only word I could utter at that point. Then I saw the girl walking toward me. She grabbed me by the collar of my coat and dragged me toward a door locked by a coded lock. She punched in some numbers and the door swung open. What lied before my eyes was what appeared to be a large room with screens lining the wall in front of us. Multiple images were shown on the screens. I was dragged toward another door which led to an interrogation room. I was seated on a chair and the girl sat on the opposite chair. I watched lights on the cameras wink on. The girl cleared her throat. " Okay, vigilante. I want you to answer a few questions. First question, what's your name?" She said. " What's it to you?' I said. " Your name, criminal. Or I cut your fingers off." She said. " Fine. Andrew Graystone." I said. " Okay, Andrew. Why were you in the alley?" She asked. "Huh? Why are you asking these questions? Is this some kind of sick joke? Answer me!" I demanded. The girl slapped me across the face. " Don't ask the questions, Mr. Graystone. just answer them. Why were you in the alley?" She asked. " Why should I tell you?" I said. She slapped me across the face again. " Were you spying on us?" She said. I laughed. " You remind me of my old rival. His name was Jacob Gray. Back then I was known as Gregory Wolfe." I said, bringing up a fact about my past. She punched me in the face. " Were you spying on us?" She asked. I spat out a tooth. I laughed. " Did you know I have split personality syndrome?" I said. I was slapped across the face again. " Answer the question, Graystone." She said. " The name's Wolfe." I said, laughing. I had no idea why I was laughing. This time, the girl got up, walked behind me, took off her mask, slammed my head on the metal table and brought a knife up to my throat. "Answer the question, Wolfe."  She said. " Well I, being the victim here, have to give you an answer and my answer is, no. I had no idea there were a bunch of lunatics in the alley and I had no idea that I'd be tortured by a crazy, murderous girl with a knife. Would that answer suffice?" I said. And not surprisingly she hit me on the head. This time, I fell into unconsciousness.

Capter 6: Lost

Chapter 6: Lost

I looked at the unfamiliar trees and houses. I was definitely lost. I tried to remain calm but my body was still trembling from fear of being lost and excitement of fighting. There weren't that many street lights on this street. I squinted into the darkness trying to adjust my eyes to the dark surroundings. When my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, I recognized the street(well, maybe being able to read what the sign board said helped) I was on. It was the same street that the girl I saved lived on. I walked along the street looking for her house to try to get help and a few bandages if possible. The pain began to return to me now so I began to limp toward the house. The knife wounds bled and every single bone in my body felt as if they were pulverised into fine powder. My whole body ached painfully. I was almost there. Just half a block away. When I was a few feet away from the house, someone screamed a scream of attack. I turned around and saw one of the gangsters who was armed with a baseball bat with nails. He swung once and hit me while I was still surprised by his scream of attack. I fell down to my knees. He kept hitting and laughing like a madman. I was in real pain now. He must've been high, I thought to myself. I avoided one blow and took the opportunity too hit him in the gut. My fist met his gut and it hit hard. He jumped back in pain while clutching his stomach. then I got up and hit him in the face until he passed out. Then I kept limping toward the girl's house. I had reached the door but after knocking, I collapsed to the ground. I had blacked out(again).

 * * *

6 hours later...

I woke up on a sofa in front of a fireplace in a room that I didn't recognize. I looked at a wall clock over the mantle piece and read the time. 12.00 a.m. I tried getting up but my body was invaded by a sharp pain from all sides of my body. The wounds haven't healed yet but were neatly bandaged. I took some time to look around me for a second. It was an old house, I thought to myself. The wallpaper was old and faded and in some small areas of it they were torn. The photos were old and brownish in color and the wall paintings were cracked and some of the paint was practically chipping. Then, I tried to stand on my feet but, as I took the first step, pain shot up from my leg I almost fell down but luckily, I grabbed the sofa and prevented myself from falling down. "You're not healed yet." said a voice from the doorway I looked up and saw the girl. "You collapsed at my door, so I decided to bring you inside and treat your injuries." she said. I still tried to stand up but, it hurts every time I tried. So I decided to sit down instead. "Who are you?" I asked her. "Well, my name is Catherine Ravenwood." she said. "But, who are you?" she asked back. "Andrew Graystone. I live a little further up the street." I said. She was holding a bottle of red fluid. "What's that?" I asked about the the liquid in the bottle she was holding. "It's tree sap from the sangra de drago tree in my backyard. It makes good antiseptic medicine." she replied. She came closer with the bottle. "I collected some of the sap to try to heal you." she said. I only lied down and let her tend to my injuries even though her methods were painful. So I spent the night there. I was feeling very tired and I needed to rest. I didn't sleep well that night. I couldn't sleep feeling so uncomfortable because of the pain. I woke up early that morning but I was still tired. Catherine had made some breakfast which consisted of porridge and toast. I ate at the table in front of the sofa. The breakfast was washed down with a cup of tea. My knife wounds started to heal where the tree sap was rubbed on. But unfortunately, my legs still ached so my steps were unsteady but at least I was able to walk slowly. I steadied myself and tried not to fall over. I was walking toward the kitchen to see where Catherine was. She was at the table quietly eating her breakfast. I walked back and almost tripped over the table I ate at but eventually I was able to walk back to the sofa without breaking anything. I wondered how long I would be here.

2 weeks later...
I received another call from Catherine. "Hello." I said into the receiver. "Hi. Listen, can you uh, help me with something?" she asked through the  other line. "Alright. Name your problem." I said. "Can you come over? It's something serious." she said in an almost nervous voice. We had become close friends now and she usually asks me for help when she needed it. "okay." I said. "Thank you. Bye she said as she quickly hung up. But the strange thing about this call is that she sounded almost nervous. Usually, she would sound calm but today was a bit stranger. It could be something important I thought to myself. I walked leisurely toward her house then I knocked on the door. "It's not locked!" she shouted from somewhere in the house. I opened the door and gasped at what waited for me inside. A group of people were gathered inside the living room. "Surprise!" they cried. Then I suddenly remembered. today was my birthday and these ere all Catherine's relatives. I greeted them all warmly. Then I saw Catherine. I gave her a friendly hug. "I couldn't believe it! You actually did all this for me?" I said. Then she nodded twice. I hugged her again. "Thank you." I said. Then we joined the party.

Chapter 5: Trouble

Chapter 5: Trouble

30 men stood before me wielding all kinds of weapons but the one that made me worry was a baseball bat with nails in it. "Oh, so it's this bum again. Haven't you learned anything? Don't mess with us or," he  said as he snapped his fingers and when he did that, the other people raised their weapons. "We beat the lights out of you." as he said that, the men swung their weapons. I tried dodging the baseball bats and crow bars but some hit me in various places. I grabbed a baseball bat from one of them and swung it at the others. I was able to hit one of them, but the rest kept fighting like berserkers. Pretty soon I was on the ground cowering from their attacks. They hit hard but when I spotted an opportunity, I stood up and grabbed a crow bar to get them as far away as possible from me. When they stepped back, I spotted a way through the crowd and dashed for it. I was making a quick escape. I ran out of the park into the now empty and silent street. I kept running even though the men were far behind. I ran and didn't stop at my house. I ran away from everything, afraid that they would eventually find me. When I had reached an unfamiliar street I slowed down and stopped to observe my surroundings. The gangsters were definitely gone but now I had a different thing to worry about. Where am I?

Chapter 4: The Second Attack

Chapter 4:The Second Attack

3 weeks later...
My arm has fully healed and now I am able to use it as I used to(For writing). I am now having another evening stroll in the park. My fear of the gangsters had passed(for some reason which is still unclear) and so, I can walk without fear. The sun was setting as it did on the day I saved that woman. I only realized it now though, that I didn't even know her name. I stopped for a while to admire the beautiful sunset. It seemed more beautiful than it had ever been before. When the sun had finally sunk beneath the horizon, I continued to walk down my usual path. The cool night air made the park seem like as if it had entered an early winter. The nocturnal birds began to make their unique sounds to signal the beginning of the night. I walked as a man enjoying the natural occurrences of the night. I was happy that I was able to live normally again. The night seemed calm and peaceful for once in my life. However, the quiet night didn't last long. When I reached the area where I was first attacked, I heard the sound of some people yelling. I looked at where the noises came from. There before my very eyes were the gangsters running after another figure who was also running. Since my fear of them had disappeared, I chased them. I followed them to an area that was overgrown with vegetation. This place must've been an abandoned part of the park, I thought. They were beginning to get a little bit farther away now. I decided to rely on my sense of hearing instead of my sight. I heard their hurried footsteps clearly and followed them. When they stopped, I reached an open area that had overgrown grass and no trees. There were at least 5 of the gangsters and they were all armed. I turned my eyes toward the figure they were chasing. It was a woman wearing motorcyclist wear and a helmet . I could tell they were trying to harass this woman like they did to the other many weeks ago. I tried to keep quiet. Then I jumped toward them ant attacked. They were surprised at first, but then they reacted by swinging whatever weapon they had in their hands. I swiftly avoided their blows and landed some of my own on them. Some of them were able to land a blow or two on me but they were later dealt with. when most of them were down, I grabbed the woman's hand an ran. I could hear them following me close behind so I fastened my pace. Then, when the footsteps of the gangsters stopped, we had already reached the path that I walked on. The woman took off her helmet and to my surprise, it was the same woman I saved weeks ago. "thanks." she said. "youre welcome" I said, panting. Then she ran off toward the street. I was about to head back to my home, someone grabbed me by the throat. He pulled me toward the area where I had fought the others. When we reached the place, There weren't 5 of them. There were 30 of them.

Chapter 3: Healed

Chapter 3: Healed

On Sunday morning the week after the incident, I was released. I was able to walk now but my arm still needed a few weeks for healing before it can work again. I took a taxi back to my house. The taxi ride was  long but at least I was able to return home. When the taxi stopped in front of my house, I paid the cab man the amount of money for the trip plus a few more Irish pounds. "Here's your change sir." said the cab man. " keep it." I said. A smile formed on the man's face. "Thank you sir." he said as he drove off. I walked towards the door and picked up the daily news paper on the mat and unlocked the door. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. I went toward an armchair in front of the fire place. I sat down and read the news paper. I looked at the headline that read, 'Gangsters Numbers Increase' . I read the article. 'A certain group of gangsters have increased in numbers lately. The origin of this group and their activities still remain shrouded in mystery. Reporters from various sources claim that they  have seen these gangsters in drug trafficking activities late at night when these reporters take an evening stroll. It is also said that...' I stopped reading. I began to think about the gangsters that beat me up last week. I wondered if the article was referring to these gangsters. These thoughts raced around in my mind and then I fell asleep. I dreamed of what those gangsters could've done to me if they were high. They could've killed me. The dream was very unpleasant and I woke up a few minutes later. Either I was shivering from the cold autumn air or it was the thought of those merciless gangsters. I decided that I needed to take a walk to calm my nerves. I put on my coat and went outside. The air felt cold on my skin. I headed toward the park. Then I started to walk slowly when I reached the park. I was feeling cautious now. I walked along my usual path but then I stopped. In front of me was the location where I was attacked. I kept my distance from that place and began walking again. The memory of me being attacked played around in my mind like a horror movie. Fragment after fragment, the memory of it returned. I was walking along another path now which was quite far from my original path. I was very cautious for I wasn't sure wether the gangsters were here. I kept walking and tried to forget about the attack but my efforts to forget the event were futile. I was entering an area with trees on both sides of the path with branches that curved on each other forming a tunnel. There was little sunlight that burst through the trees. I walked while observing my surroundings. The air was colder around this area. I fastened my pace. I heard a soft rustling noise from the bushes in front of me. I stopped walking. I slowly approached the bush. I looked into the bush and was relieved to find a squirrel collecting nuts. I felt foolish that I mistook a squirrel for a threat. I turned back home.