Lone Howl - Chapter One

Connor Maiyun was alone in the gym, as it was nearly three o’clock in the morning. The last person to leave had done so nearly five hours earlier. The majority of the town had gone to sleep long before, but he remained awake, unable to sleep.  The headphones in his ears worked to drown out the noises around him – the heater, the still-playing television, the creaking of metal as he yanked down on the weight bar, his muscles straining. After doing his number of reps, he stood and went to the pull-up bar. Grabbing hold, he let himself dangle for a moment before pulling himself up, touching his chin to the top of the bar and then lowering himself. He counted each pull, the muscles in his back flexing and relaxing as he worked. Sweat glistened on his darkly-tanned skin and he dropped from the bar, falling into push-up position. Going to one hand, he continued to count. He switched hands and continued to count.
Connor then went to the inverted sit-up bench and swung himself in, resting back and crossing his arms before working to bring his body up. Lying down, it was easier. Hanging virtually upside down, he was forced to work much harder. Halfway through his reps, however, a noise reached out to him despite the headphones, a soft trilling. Climbing out of the machine, he looked over to where his bag lay on the ground. Going to it, he fished out his cell phone, removed his right headphone, and answered the phone. “Maiyun,” he said by way of an introduction.
“Connor, its Erin. Were you asleep?” The voice on the other end was very soft and light.
Looking around at the gym, Connor thought about lying. Normally, late night calls usually meant he was needed for something important. Still, he didn’t like lying to Erin. “No. I’m at the gym.” He answered.
“Oh, that’s good… Wait, you’re at the gym? It’s almost four o’clock in the morning. Please tell me you’re up really, really early and got plenty of sleep last night.”
Connor answered with silence.
“Oh, for the love of all that is holy… Look, Connor, you have to sleep.” She chided and, judging by how she spoke, she’d rubbed her hand down her face. “Anyway, Wilfred needs you to come in. The police are concerned about something.”
“Our police?” He questioned, grabbing his bag from the floor and going out into the chilled wind outside, earning gooseflesh along his arms. He walked over to the black two-door, off-road jeep. He tossed his back inside, climbed in, and cranked the engine.
“No, it’s the mundy police.” She clarified.
“What’s upset them this time?” He asked, pulling out of the lot and onto the highway.
“Wilfred wouldn’t say. Just…get here before he blows a gasket, ok?” She pleaded.
“I’ll be there after a quick stop.” He said, with a sigh tossed the phone into the passenger seat, shifted gears, and sped towards town. The wind whipped through his open window, tossing his black hair every which way. Cut short in the back and on the sides, it was longer over his face, brushed up out of his face. His black eyes were trained intently on the road.
He drove through town until coming out on the other side. Taking a small back road, he drove out into the farmlands. He stopped when he came to a cliff, the top of it overlooking the river far below. He’d first met her here… Looking to the sky, he let the full moon shine down upon his face. He used to think it was so beautiful, nearly as beautiful as she had been.
Taking the necklace from around his neck, he glanced down at it. He’d given it to her, and had taken it from her after…
With a pained, sorrowful noise, Connor turned back to his jeep and climbed inside. He revved the engine, turned back towards town, and floored the gas pedal. As he sped away, the sound of a lone howl snaked through his open window, filling his car and his ears. He shook his head in a vain attempt to drown out the deafening noise.


Rain poured from the heavens as Connor stepped into lobby of the AMAs headquarters. Inside, everything was white and black, save for the young woman sitting behind the desk. Erin Montebello was a ball of color with ringlets of dark red hair, grass green eyes, and a dusting of pale freckles across her pink cheeks. She wore a dark green tank top and blue jean shorts. He knew without having to look that she was shoeless. She looked up at him and smiled when he stepped up in front of her desk, shaking the headphones from her slightly pointed ears. “Took you long enough,” She teased.
“I take it he’s in his office?” Connor questioned.
“Yes, he’s up with the pol-”
A shrieking alarm cut her short and Connor winced. Erin clapped her hands over her ears and looked at the computer screen. “Left hall!” She called over the din. Connor stepped to his left and looked down the hall. There, barreling towards him on all fours, was a creature the size of a small dog, but covered in warty green skin pulled tightly over angular bones. Milky white eyes looked out of sunken sockets, above a bat-like nose and mouth filled with teeth stuck into gums like shards of glass. It hissed a wailing sound that made Connor wince again, tilting his head in an attempt to offset the noise.
The creature leapt into the air with each kick of its back feet. Connor squared off with it and waited, his eyes narrowed, the minutest trace of yellow slithering into his eyes. The goblin came within a few feet of Connor and, moving quicker than expected, he reared his leg back and then kicked the beast in the stomach, flinging it straight back through the hall. Arching, the beast hit the ground and rolled a good length before stopping near the feet of a young man with wide blue eyes.
Returning his black eyes to Erin, Connor found that her glamour had slipped. A pair of ivory horns spiraled up from her hairline, framing her face in a delicate swirl. Fawn ears poked out from her silver-blonde hair, and a little tail wiggled in her chair, the top cream color and the bottom white as snow. And, though she was seated behind the desk, Connor knew that her legs were those of a deer’s, attached to human waist.
“Erin,” He said, glancing back at the hall as the young man carted off the now-sedated goblin and the alarms were blissfully silenced.
“Hmm?” She asked, her leaf green eyes snapping over to him.
“Your glamour,” Connor gestured to the length of her body.
Erin looked down at her body and, with a little squeak, sat in her chair and closed her eyes. Her entire body shimmered for a moment before reverting to the form of a human. She blushed as she looked back up at Connor. “I’m sorry,” She said quietly, laughing softly.
“Sorry for what?” Connor asked, his eyebrows twitching together.
“I know I look…odd.” She explained.
“Just because you don’t look human, doesn’t mean you look odd.” He assured. Though his face remained as impassive as ever, his tone had softened. “Don’t degrade yourself, Erin.”
She smiled but nearly jumped out of her pale skin when the phone at her desk. She reached out and answered the phone, nearly dropping it before she managed to get it pressed to her ear. She nodded a few times, throwing in an occasional ‘Yes sir’, and then hanging up. “Wilfred would like to see you in his office.” She said quietly.
“Who else is there?” Connor asked.
“The mundy police,” Erin answered.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance before moving over to the elevator. Pressing the button, he waited ten breaths before the doors pulled slowly open and allowed him entrance. Inside, he hit the button for the top floor, and watched as the doors slid back, allowing him to gaze into his own reflection. His grey muscle shirt and jeans were plastered to his skin from the rain, revealing the toned muscles just beneath the fabric. His face was thin, almost gaunt, and trimmed in a thin layer of dark beard badly in need for a shave. But what caught his attention, as well as those of every person he’d ever met in the past few years, were his eyes – black as onyx, and absolutely devoid of any emotion.
The elevator dinged and deposited Connor onto the designated floor. Stepping out into the hall, he headed towards the door opposite the elevator. There were two rooms on the entire top floor. One room was Wilfred’s conference room, while the other was his personal office.
As Connor approached the door to the conference room, voices reached out to him. Whatever they were talking about, they were doing so in hushed voices. He only caught every other word but, judging by what he could hear, something very serious had brought the mundy police to the building.
Twisting the knob on the door, Connor stepped inside the conference room. Before him hovered the very young-looking Wilfred, flanked by two very-human men, one a police officer and the other a detective. The detective was tall and blonde while the officer was shorter, stouter, and had mousy brown hair.
“Mr. Maiyun, this is Detective O’Bryan and Officer Levoux.” Wilfred introduced.
“Hello, Mr. Maiyun. It’s…a pleasure to meet you.” The detective said, stepping forward and extending his hand. Connor eyed it for a few heartbeats before taking hold of it and giving his hand a single, firm shake. He was about two inches shorter than Connor, making him about six-two, and was almost as broad. Looking at Connor with intense blue eyes, he feigned a smile. “We have a couple of questions for you, considering your condition.” He said, faltering only slightly.
Connor let a trace of yellow seep into his eyes but Detective O’Bryan, unlike his partner, was unfazed. Dropping the shake, Connor leaned back against the table, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans.
Detective O’Bryan motioned to Office Levoux who planted himself in one of the leather chairs and removed a small notepad from him pocket and the pen from where it was tuck behind his ear. Without waiting, the detective spoke in a calm, serious voice. “Where were you last night, Mr. Maiyun?”
“At the gym,” Connor answered, already not liking the direction the questions were going.
“Can anybody vouch for that?”
“A dozen or so cameras,” he replied, keeping his unblinking eyes on O’Bryan. The scritch-scritch of the pencil Officer Levoux used, however, grated on his nerves.
“Do you know anything about the body that was recently found in Glory Park?” His pale brow arched almost imperceptibly.
“Only that it’s been on the bloody news for three days straight,” His tone was clipped and careful.
“Anything else?”
“Just that they’re saying she was killed by…some kind of animal.” Connor’s eyes had narrowed and Officer Levoux watched him nervously.
Taking a different course, O’Bryan crossed his arms. “How would you describe yourself, Mr. Maiyun?” He questioned.
“Pistanthrophobia,” Connor answered. The look on Officer Levoux’s face said that the poor guy had no idea how to pronounce the word on his own, let alone spell it.
“One last thing… The press hasn’t been made aware of this, but,” He paused, as if what he was about to say was crucial evidence. Connor pricked his ears slightly, keeping his eyes on the detective. “There was a note found in the girl’s hand. Any idea what it says?”
Connor kept his mouth closed. Three pairs of eyes were trained on O’Bryan, even those of the officer. Apparently even the local police hadn’t been informed of the note.
“Tell me, Mr. Maiyun, what does the name Aaliyah mean to you?”
Ice slithered through Connor’s stomach settling like a rock that threatened to drag him down. Immediately defensive, he stood straight. “We’re done here.” He said. He pushed past Detective O’Bryan and made for the door, ignoring when the men called for him to stay.
Rather than waiting on the elevator, Connor made for the stairs, taking them two at a time until he stepped out into the foyer. Erin called out to him but Connor made a bee-line for the front entrance, emerging into the absolute downpour just outside. In his ears, he could hear the wolf from earlier, howling in his brain. Dropping into the shadows, Connor all but vanished from sight.