Onto the road and into the depth

You went back to your Sentinel outside and started the engine. Valerie slipped into the passenger seat naturally, while Grace went to the back seat to keep an eye on her every move. You were not surprised, so after they had buckled their seatbelts, you hit the gas and drove off.

In truth, you haven't really thought of what to talk to her about at all, and neither has Grace, so you just drove on in silence for several minutes. Strange that you found yourself trusting her, a werewolf, as much as you trusted May, a vampire. Or the other way around. You were not sure. You began to believe that maybe not all of them were evil.

"Do you really want to talk, or do you want to do something else? It's a little bit crowded, but I don't mind." Valerie kept looking at you for all this time before she gave you a wicked smile.

You could see that she was slowly moving her hand down between her thighs. What was that supposed to mean? You didn't dare dwell on it, so you gave your head a little shake to clear your mind a bit.

"Okay... So, do you want to tell me more about yourself?" You casually asked while driving, "It's okay if you don't."

The smile faded on her face. She rolled down the window and took a breath of fresh air before she finally decided to talk.

"18 years ago, a pure werewolf attacked the village I lived in, killed my parents, and infected me." She said, looking outside the window.

"The mayor knew it, and he was going to prevent me from turning... by killing me. Professor Jones... well, Nathan's dad, took me in and tried to cure me, and... I had been injecting myself with monkshood solution for nearly a decade, but I couldn't take it anymore after that. I stopped doing it one day, isolated myself in the woods, and finished the transformation on the next full moon." She was talking about it so calmly that it sounded like a story rather than her own life.

"Nathan became a doctor and continued his dad's research after the professor died of cancer, and I have learned to enjoy the new perks of my new body. I hunted animals in the woods, had sex with Nathan and other people while trying not to hurt them... It felt good, sometimes." She smiled faintly, "But I keep reminding myself that I did all those terrible things to keep myself alive and sane long enough to avenge my family. I have to kill that pure werewolf that killed my parents and made me a monster. Then I can finally kill myself and rest in peace."

"So here we are." She turned to you with a smile, "You don't know how excited I was when I learned that you had been attacked by a pure werewolf. I need to kill it. I need to feel its blood on my hands."

"I don't think it's the same werewolf, though. If it really is the same one, why would it wait 18 years to come back?" Grace said exactly what you had been wondering.

"It is. It has to be." Valerie paused for a moment, "I'm sure of it."

You noticed a sliver of uncertainty in her voice. You knew that she wasn't sure at all. She was just saying that to keep her mind intact, to convince herself that this was it, that killing this werewolf would be her last mission and she could finally be free from this living hell. You were scared, not only of what she had become, but also of what you would become.

"So, you and Dr. Jones are very close." You shifted to other topics.

"He's more than just a friend to me, and I know he feels the same way about me. But there can never be anything between us. He's a good guy, and I'm a monster." She sighed helplessly, "I think you understand as well."

"What do you mean by that?" You frowned at her.

"You have a girlfriend, Francesca, right? But I saw how you held Grace's hand back at the gas station. You wouldn't do that to just a regular friend." Valerie smiled at you, "You're using Grace as a tool to indulge your urge, so that you won't hurt Fran, aren't you?"

"That's not it at all. I truly love James." Grace argued.

"Say what you want. I can tell that he doesn't love you as much as he loves Fran." Valerie turned around and sneered at her.

"I know, but that's not what love is about. What matters is I love him, and I will do anything to help him." Grace replied firmly.

"Is that it? What would he do if he finds himself beyond saving? Will he stay with you even though he could lose control at any moment? Or will he just leave you?" Valerie asked the difficult question as she looked at you.

You were speechless. That was a question you were afraid to face, and you could only pray to Lady Fortune that you would never have to. Valerie knew exactly what you were thinking, so she didn't press further. Neither did Grace, as she understood the weight of your burden from your silence.

After driving for nearly ten minutes, luck finally found you. You saw a car parked quietly by the side of the road, and it was none other than the mayor's Chevrolet. You quickly parked your car behind it and went to take a look.

You didn't find the mayor or his wife inside. The driver's side door was bent out of shape, and there were bloodstains beneath the driver's seat. It looked like something had hit the car from the left, and the driver was hurt. The mayor's couple must have left from the passenger's side door after the accident. But what hit them? Where did they go?

"Here. These are footprints." Valerie walked to the right side of the car, and saw a trail of bloody footprints leading into the woods. "Why would they go into the forest? Shouldn't they call an ambulance or something?" She was confused.

"The thing that hit them isn't here, either." You looked at the deformed door. You suspected that it was an animal, and it chased them into the woods. But, what kind of animal could survive the hit? A terrible thought crossed your mind.

Could it be... it?

"That's weird. James, take a look here." Grace waved you over. She had checked the car's gas tank and found that there wasn't a single drop of gasoline left. But the gas gauge still had a reading, which meant that someone had emptied the tank after the accident. Who was it?

"We should call the police. They might send someone to help." You picked up your cellphone, only to find you had no signal, "Damn it..."

"What now?" Valerie asked nonchalantly.

"Well... Maybe we should search the woods." You hoped that you could find them still alive.

"Hmm..." Grace stood still, gazed into the pitch-black forest, and lost in thought.

"Grace? What's going on?"

"Well, I've been thinking, why did the mayor turn onto this side road in the first place?" Grace said, "Also, the crash didn't damage the car badly enough to keep it from going. The mayor must have deliberately stopped the car here and run into the woods."

"So," She shared her guess, "what if the mayor was planning to go somewhere in the forest all along?"

"What do you mean, somewhere?" You were curious.

"I heard from some old miners that there is an abandoned moonstone mine deep in this forest. One of the oldest mines, which dates back to the founding of Howland Town." Grace said more excitedly, "They said the mine has been locked for more than a decade, and only the mayor has the key."

"Why would the mayor want to go there all of a sudden?" Valerie didn't follow up.

You had a vague guess. After the incident at the mansion, everything the mayor did and the way he acted showed that he had a complicated history with werewolves. Could it be that he had once hidden something connected to werewolves in there, and was now trying to retrieve it?

"We should go there and take a look. Grace, can you lead the way?"

"I'll try my best." Grace gave you a happy grin.

You ventured deep into the east forest with Valerie at around 15:00. The forest was filled with vast stands of western larches. Their foliage was so dense that even the sunlight was blocked out. It was as dark as night when you walked beneath them, and the deeper you went, the darker it became. Fortunately, you had a flashlight.

You have been thinking about what Valerie had asked you before. You have been fighting this lycanthropy, and you knew your limit. Grace has been there for you every time you needed to indulge the urge. You could never win this without her. But you knew that your condition would just drive you to hurt her again and again. Could your conscience truly be at ease?

You knew Valerie and Nathan, a werewolf and a clinic doctor. Valerie has been fighting her werewolf nature, and she has isolated herself for most of the time, so that she wouldn't hurt the ones she cared about. And Nathan has always been looking out for her, caring for her, even though he knew that there would never be anything between the two of them.

But you also knew May and George, a vampire and a bookshop owner. May claimed that she has never killed or turned anyone in this town, and she has been living a peaceful life with George as his wife. George knew what she was, and he accepted her anyway.

You couldn't help but wonder, could there truly be love between humans and non-humans?

While Grace cautiously advanced in the direction she had heard the mine was in, the sound of water gradually reached you from somewhere to your left. You made a detour and went to the forest's left edge, only to find yourself standing at the brink of a cliff. Below, a river flowed out of a cave and passed.

"This must be the source of the river that flows along the east side of town." Grace looked at the cave and said, "I've never been here. We must have gone pretty deep."

"Yeah." You nodded. You remembered how Fran had once told you about walking with you along this river. You didn't know whether that day would ever come anymore. "We should keep going." You turned around and went back into the woods.

You haven't gone much farther north before you reached the abandoned mine Grace had mentioned. The entrance was half-hidden beneath a tangle of trees and vines. It was easy to miss unless you looked closely. Seeing that the gate had been opened, you felt both surprised and delighted.

"The mayor has definitely been here, and he's very likely still inside." You looked at the lock discarded carelessly on the ground, and wondered whether the mayor had been running from something.

"There's blood on the floor here. A lot of it. It looks like it was left last night." Valerie noticed the bloodstain on the ground just outside the gate.

"Let's get in and have a look." You led the way inside.

Grace came in behind you, and Valerie followed. A few meters in, you reached the mine elevator. You checked the control panel and realized that it had no power.

"Looks like we have to climb down the maintenance ladder." You couldn't imagine how the mayor was able to climb all the way down with his leg injured.

"Okay." Grace casually went ahead, but Valerie abruptly halted, as if she had struck a wall.

"What the hell? I can't..." Valerie was punching the air in front of her.

You grabbed her arm and pulled her toward you, but no matter how hard you tried, she couldn't move one step closer than two meters from the elevator. "Damn it... What's going on here?" You gave up after a few attempts.

"It's just a guess, but, no offense," Grace glanced at Valerie before she continued, "could it be that werewolves can't get inside the mine? That's why the mayor had been so desperate to get here."

"Bullshit. Are you telling me there is some kind of magic down there?" Valerie looked at the two of you in disbelief.

After having encountered vampires and werewolves, you didn't even doubt for a moment that magic existed. "Whatever it is, Grace and I are going to get to the bottom of it. Valerie, take my car and get back to town to inform the police. We found the mayor's car. They could at least send someone to help." You tossed Valerie the car key.

"Fine..." Valerie sneered at you as she caught the key, "Don't be too reckless, James."

"I won't." You smiled, "And, Valerie..."

"What?" She looked somewhat impatient.

"I was thinking, maybe you could have dinner with Dr. Jones tonight, when you get back to town."

"Why would I do that? It's not like we enjoy the same food." She frowned.

"I still don't know the answer to your question. If I couldn't find the cure in the end, maybe I'll leave those I love before I turned. Or maybe I'll stay, I really don't know." You said calmly.

"So?"

"But that doesn't mean the same goes for you and Dr. Jones, too." You continued with a more determined look on your face, "I don't want them to spend the next 18 years in suffering and enduring, but that's what he has already done for you. He has been your friend for at least 18 years, and he has never left you. You know he cares about you. I don't know what you plan to do next, but you should at least cherish the time you have with him."

Valerie lowered her head and remained silent for a few seconds. "I don't think you know what you're saying, but... fine..." She sighed, turned around, and ran out of the mine.

"I'm not leaving you. Just so you know." Grace smiled and went to the open hatch after Valerie left.

"I know." You returned a faint smile and went after her.

You climbed down first, and Grace followed from above. You estimated the shaft to be about ten meters deep. You climbed down cautiously, one careful step at a time.

"Okay, it seems safe down here." You went to the bottom and looked around.

You spotted a walkie-talkie lying on the ground not far from the elevator shaft, secured with foam packing. It still had power, which was odd, because it meant that it couldn't have been there long. From the packaging, you guessed it had been thrown down from above the elevator.

"Mr. Wilson, are you there yet?" A young, energetic male voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"Who is this?" You cautiously picked it up and asked. You were certain you had heard that voice before, but you couldn't place it. Grace just landed on the ground, and you signaled to her to keep quiet for now.

"Finally. I'm getting bored." The man smiled, "You've been getting in my way this whole time, Mr. Wilson. I don't like that."

"Since you put it that way, why don't you come out so we can talk face to face about how to settle this?" You had no idea what he meant, but you had a bad feeling about this.

"I'm sorry that I can't. Although, I'd appreciate it if you could just stay down there like a good boy." The man said mockingly.

Just when you were going to continue questioning, you heard an explosion coming from on top of you. The old cables of the mine elevator had been blown apart by something, and the whole elevator was falling toward the bottom.

"Grace, get out of there!" You shouted and grabbed Grace's arm, shielding her in your arms.

"James! Watch out!" Grace screamed in panic.

A moment later, the falling elevator exploded behind you, and the shockwave knocked you unconscious.