Two years prior to the story, The Magnificent Charley was a criminal; a low-life dastardly fiend of a human being. You get the picture.
One night at dawn, he attempts to mug and rape an unsuspecting woman, but his efforts fail when a werewolf comes to the rescue and chases Charley away. Just as Charley is about to become werewolf chow, the sun appears in the sky and the wolf shrieks and shrivels back to human form. Charley takes the man hostage and becomes rich by creating his own traveling freak show and using the werewolf as his star attraction. He keeps the creature chained up inside of a steel cage. People were paying big money to watch the wolf transform live in front of their eyes.
In addition to the werewolf (whose human name is Noah) the freak show features other animals (including a chimp named Cheeto) and orphaned children. There is evidence that Charley abuses the young children. It is also hinted at that he molests them. (Like I said, Charley is lower than the scum of the earth). But he does have charisma – a manipulative smile and the ability to fart in even the most tense situations.
Eventually, Noah, the children and the animals have had enough and develop a plan to kill Charley and find freedom.
This story has gotten plenty of laughs. I wrote the first draft back in 2014, but then rewrote it two more times. Each version of the story was different, and in the end I combined the best parts of each of draft. The result is a roller-coaster of a story with plenty of unpredictable twists and turns.
Without fail, I get asked the same question after a person reads the story. “Was Noah the werewolf a good guy?” That is part of the fun of the story. I'll let you read the story and draw your own conclusions. But first hear this.
For him to be the good guy, he had to be in some kind of peril. Sure a werewolf could tear you apart within seconds, so how could he be controlled?
There are several occasions when he saves someone's life. You could argue that the werewolf in this story is a Batman-type of vigilante who hides in the shadows and puts an end to crime attempts. (An example of this is when he foils Charley's attempt to rape that woman before he was captured). But at the same time, would you trust a huge blood-thirsty werewolf huffing and puffing as it growls looking at you?
Everyone with malice in their heart is killed by the wolf if he gets the chance. But good people and innocent characters are spared. Coincidence? Maybe. Whether the creature was a good guy or not, I wanted to put him in the anti-hero position, instead of being the usual murdering antagonists that they are normally portrayed as.
I wanted you to feel real sympathy for him and hate Charley's guts. One thing is for sure; when Noah's eerie howl pierces the air, someone is going to die. The question is....will it be you?
Other stories in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr include...
“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband.
“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods.
“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician.
“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement..
“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price...
“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last.
“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he?
“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine...
“Mail-Order Bride.” – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice.
“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think.
"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick.
“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night.