"The frozen lake cracked beneath his feet"

 

A short story

 

Author: Neale Holden

(Gavin Hill)

 

 

   "The frozen lake cracked beneath his feet!" Officer Richard Steel said to his colleague Ian Payne.

It was a bitterly cold evening down by lake and the sound of the lunes could be heard in the distance. What seemed to puzzle both men was the lack of footprints leading to the edge of the lake.

  The man's body which had been recovered was naked and covered in dirt yet still with enough pigment colour in the skin to imply his death must have hours ago. 

   A howl could be heard from the surrounding trees causing both officers to flinch.

    "Did you hear that!?" Stuttered Richard.

     "I sure did it sounded like a wolf! I didn't think we had any left in this area!" 

 Ian shone his torch over the undergrowth towards the direction of the noise. The beam picked out the outline of a creature in the form of a wolf standing on its hind legs. With a snarl across its face the Werewolf advanced towards the recovered body.

   "That's it I'm off!" Shouted Richard.

    "Wait for me!" Ian screamed.

Both men fled around the opposite end of the lake stumbling across upturned roots. The moon seemed to peek through the clouds giving them a better view of what was hunting them. Growling noises were getting closer now reducing the distance on the men.

   "How far to the car!?" Richard shouted feeling out of breath.

   "We are nearly there just keep running!" His colleague shouted.

   The sound of a body crashing through the undergrowth was getting louder now. Fortunately the squad car came into view and both men made a mad dash for safety. Fumbling in his pocket for the car keys Richard dropped his torch on the ground.

   "Leave it!" Shouted Ian as he could see his partner make a desperate attempt to pick them up. Richard agreed and they dashed the last couple of yards.

   "What about the body we were meant to be guarding?" Richard asked.

Ian didn't bother to reply being too busy starting the car. As the engine roared and they pulled away the werewolf was caught in the headlights.

   "Are you going to explain this one to the boys at the station or am I?" Ian asked.

 

Watching the car headlights disappear into the distance the creature turned and headed back into the forest. Blood was still dripping from its fangs and it was hungry for food. 

The fresh body of the man it had chased onto the frozen lake had now been recovered giving it an opportunity to eat.

 

Gordon Hall who was the chief of police was staring out of his window when the police car pulled up. Even in the moonlight he could see how shaken up the men looked.

  "Is everything alright officer Steel?" He asked Richard as he staggered into the office.

   "We had to come back I'm afraid sir as Ian wasn't feeling very well. We managed to retrieve the body from the frozen lake"

   "So it's still there now?" Gordon asked. 

   "Sorry sir but we had no choice" Ian babbled.

   "Never mind I will send another unit out to guard it until we can get it to the morgue. Go and get some rest officer Payne you look like you have seen a ghost!" The chief shouted. Little did he realize how close to the truth he was and to make matters worse it happened to be Halloween.

As both men walked towards their cars a howling sound came from somewhere in the distance.

 

Shortly after the officers pulled out of the car park a new vehicle pulled up. As both men climbed out they shivered in the cold night air.

   "Are you smoking again Jake?" The older man who had been driving asked.

   "You wouldn't believe it but I gave it up last week boss" he grinned.

Jake Wheeler and David Bolton both lived in the same area of town which was convenient for sharing the driving. Often being volunteered for what was affectionately known as the 'graveyard shift' neither man grumbled as they loved their job.

Chief Gordon Hall was was sitting in the office with a big grin on his face as they entered the room.

  "Good news the body has been recovered" The chief said.

"Why do I get the feeling that we aren't going to like what you are about to say chief?" David asked studying his superior's features.

  "We need a couple of volunteers to watch over the body" 

Jake laughed. "Awesome we finally get some real work to do"

   "They don't call us the graveyard shift for nothing!" David groaned.

The chief laughed at his little quip. " Your colleagues had to leave early due to sickness" 

   "No problem we will be on it right away sir" Jake said enthusiastically.

   "Excellent" David muttered.

 

It took half an hour's drive to reach the pull in close to the pathway that led to the lake. As they got out the car the smell of burnt rubber still lingered in the air and they could see the tire marks.

  "It must have been an emergency" Jake said with a sigh.

Leaving the patrol car behind they cautiously followed the route. An eerie silence descended over both men. After they turned the final bend they could see the lake lit up in the moonlight.

   "Will you look at the ice covering the surface! It's a cold one tonight!" Jake said shivering he was starting to feel the cold biting at his fingers.

   " The body must be over on the far shore, come on let's keep moving as it's bitterly cold!" David moaned.

Frost  had formed on the long grass giving it a look of glistening crystals. Reaching the place where the body had been left there was now only frozen clods of earth.

  "It's gone!" Jake shrieked.

In the distance they could hear the howl of a wolf. The sound sent shivers down their spine as reality dawned on them why their colleagues had left early.

Shivering and aware of something sinister living  in the forest they made a joint decision to return back to the station. It was decided that it was going to have to wait until daylight to continue their search.