Mayor Steve McLauren pulled out the newspaper from his drawer and slammed it on his table.

All the deputies were in his office. Kent and Patrick sat on the Chairs opposite his, while Larry, Donovan, and Brent stood at the back writing note.

The Mayor's secretary was also at the corner, taking notes, and for some reason, Larry Couldn't take his eyes off her.

"How the hell are we ever gonna recover from this mess?", He asked. "How?"

Kent lowered his gaze and read the headlines on the paper.


HORROR IN CHERRYWOOD VALLEY
Mangled body of 16 year old boy found in Local farm.

"It's on the front page", The balding man shouted. "My town is on the gaddamed front page".

The room was still silent.

"Just-Just listen to this", The Mayor said as he picked up the paper and held it up to his gaze. "Listen".

"There are also speculations of a connection between this case and the case of the three missing students from Johnson and Wales University whose Mangled bodies were found 24 hours earlier"

Then he dropped the paper back on the table like it was trash and glared at the people in his office for a while.

"Don't even get me started on the social media frenzy this is causing", the man said. "Facebook and...what's it called....Twinkler?"

"Twitter, sir", His secretary uttered.

"Thank you Daisy", He mumbled.

"Apparently", He said. "Hashtag, Cherry Beast is trending like crazy right now".

He saw Larry pull out his Phone from his pocket and began scanning immediately he had said those words.

"Our town has got to be the most popular town in the State right now because of this shit", The Mayor uttered as he began pacing from one side to the other. "Hell, maybe even in the entire country".

"..And to think that this year's J4 festivities are less that four weeks away", He hissed. "What the hell are we gonna do?"

The Mayor stopped moving and walked over to his window, and through his gaze outside, backing everyone for almost five minutes.

Then he spun, drew his chair out and sat, facing Kent and Patrick, with his fingers interlocked below his Jaw.


"I need solutions", He uttered. "..and I need them now".

Kent and Patrick glared at each other with Uncertainty.

The Mayor darted his eyes back and forth between Kent and Patrick and realised that they were as lost as he was in this entire situation.

"Parker", The man said face the zoo keeper. "What do we know about this....thing?".

Patrick stole another glance at the officer beside him, turned back to the Mayor and cleared his throat.

"Well-eh-", He started. "from what we've seen so far, you know, the time of the attacks, I think it's safe to say that the -eh- thing, is Nocturnal".


"What the hell does that mean?", The Mayor frowned.


Patrick sat up straight when he realised he had to explain further. "It's means that whatever it is", He Swallowed. "It's a night feeder. It's hunts at is only active at night, you know, like Owls and Bats".


The Mayor stared at Patrick for a while, Nodding his head slowly.


"Okay...Okay", He kept saying.


"So?", He said as he turned to Kent. "A curfew?".


Kent thought for a while an then raised his Shoulders in a slow shrug. "I guess", He said with a nod.


The Mayor saw the three deputies standing behind drop their shoulders in exhaustion as soon as Kent had agreed to his suggestion, because they knew a curfew meant they would have to patrol the town till late at night, making sure the curfew was being observed by everyone.


"Okay", The Mayor uttered as he slapped his desk. "Now we are getting somewhere. But ho do we kill it".


Patrick an Kent glance at each other again.

"Kill it sir?", Patrick said.


The Mayor nodded In response. "Mm-Hm?"

"But-but sir" Kent stuttered. "We don't even know what it is".


"Well a least we know it's not from outer space or something", the Mayor chuckled. "It's gotta be one of them critters from deep in those woods".


"That's the problem sir", Patrick said. "There are no Bears or Mountain Lions within at least Six miles from here. That's the reason why Cherrywood Valley is one of the safest places to camp in that state".


"But it's possible for one of them to wander down here, right?", The Mayor asked.


Patrick licked his lips and Swallowed, realising the possibility in McLauren's suggestion. "Yes sir", He answered.


McLauren stood from his chair and went over to his window again, with the air of silence in the room behind him.

"Get Dwane and his Boys on this", He said without looking back.


Patrick and Kent exchanged looks again. before Patrick sat up once more.

"With all due respect sir", He uttered. "I have a better Idea".

The spun to face the zoo keeper and raised his brows, and Patrick saw that as a signal to go on.

"I know someone whose the best at this", Patrick said. "He's studied Animals all his life and would probably smoke out this thing In a matter of days. He is station over in Africa and-".


Patrick stopped talking when he saw the Mayor raise his right palm to cut him off.


"We need people that know these woods,Parker", He said as he walked away from his window and moved towards the corner. "Someone who has stayed in Africa all his life may not know Shit about our forests".


"But sir-", Patrick Protested.


"Get Dwane and his Boys, Kent", The man ordered.


Patrick suddenly stood from his chair and leaned towards the Mayor's table.


"Sir, I have see those bodies, I have studied them", Patrick hissed. "The killing methods used by this animal are unlike anything I've ever seen before sir. This thing, whatever it is, it's vicious. It's ferocious".


McLauren walked back to stand behind his sit and stood there for a while, glaring at Patrick infront of him, with his hands behind him.


He then turned to Kent. "Get. Me. Dean. Now.", He said, before he walked past the officers.

"Gentlemen", He uttered with a curt nod as he made his way to the door, with Daisy, his secretary, hurry over behind him.

Kent turned back and faced Patrick.

The Zoo keeper stood still in his position, still leaning on the table with his jaws Clenched and his eyes closed.




Claire, Brent, Larry and Helen stood a few yards from Kent's office, observing from Kent's glass door. Five heavy set men stood in his office, along with one of them who sat opposite Kent, obviously discussing their reward options.


"What do you think there're talking about in there, Tactics?", Larry asked with his arms folded on his Chest.

"Who cares?", Helen sighed before taking a sip of her coffee. "As long as they end this shit".


Then she walked away, with Larry shifting his gaze to her backside, watching her as she left.


"Oh Come on man", Brent groaned. "When are gonna stop doing that, it's creepy".

Larry swiftly moved his head to face Brent. "Huh?"


"Stop staring at a woman's Ass in public man, that's disgusting", Brent said. "Ask her out if you want".


"I wasn't staring a-at her Ass", Larry stuttered as he tried, but failed to hide how nervous he was that Brent had called him out infront of Claire.

"I was just admiring her skirt", Larry said and then he looked over in Helens direction. "I really like her skirt".

Claire moved her eyes away from Kent's office and glared at Larry beside her.

The young Deputy turned and met her steely blue eyes and suddenly, the entire office became so hot. Larry became uneasy.


"I-I need to get a drink". He muttered, as he quickly walked away from the two people he was standing with.


Claire rolled her eyes and tilted her gaze back to Kent's office.

"Pervert".

She saw Brent watching her from the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore him.

"You Okay?", The deputy asked.

She turned to see the look of concern on the officer's face and then smiled.

"I'm fine, Brent", She sighed with lazy blinks.


"You sure?", He asked. "You look like you haven't eaten in days".

Claire rolled her eyes again and wondered why everyone was saying that.

Earlier that day, before she made her way to the station, Edith had placed the back of her palm on her forehead, saying she was checking if she had a fever.


"I'm a doctor Edith", Claire had said. "I think I would know if I had a fever".


"But look at you", Edith had said. "You look pale, and I haven't seen you eat anything in Twenty four hours".


Claire's grumbling belly pulled her out of her thoughts. She placed her hand on it and realised maybe she was actually starving.

After all the things she had seen in the past four days, it would be weird for her not to lose her appetite, hell, it would be weird for any normal human being.

She was about to turn to Brent and ask him what they had at their cafeteria, when suddenly, Kent's office door was pushed open.


Six huge guys stepped out of the office with Kent following them out and closing the door behind him.

Claire studied the men as the walked in the Direction of she and Brent.

"Who are these guys", Claire asked, as she studied them.

"The folks McLauren hired to-".

"No I know that", Claire hissed. "I mean, Where are they from? Who the hell are they?"

Brent shifted his gaze to the approaching men and Narrowed his eyes in thought for a while.

"Well, I know Manny", He said, point to a particular fat one. "..and Charlie over there, are Hunters, but the other four, I hear, are Ex marines that were stationed in Iraq".


Claire raised her brow and Nodded slowly, admitting the fact that, to an extent, She was impressed.


She then noticed one of the men staring at her as they approached. He looked like her had seen a ghost...or a celebrity. He was staring so hard, He slowed when eh got close the Brent and Claire.


"Why is that guy looking at me like that?", Claire asked.

"Dunno", Brent shrugged. "Maybe he knows you from somewhere?"

"I doubt that", She hissed.

As the men finally walked past them, the one staring at Claire came to a halt right infront of her with a smile on his face, like he was looking at an Angel or something.


"Hey Charlie", Brent uttered.


for the first time since he got there, the young man tore his eyes away from Claire and gave Brent a curt nod.

"How's it going Brent?", He said.


Then his gaze was back to Claire who was suddenly feeling defensive now.


"Can I help you", She glare at the man.


Charlie shook his head and chuckled, like he had just realised what he was doing.


"I-I-I'm so sorry", He stuttered. "I didn't mean to Stare like that".


Claire said nothing.


"You're Claire Hayes, Aren't you", Charlie asked.


Claire shot a look at Brent and then back at Charlie. "Yeah...yeah I am".


Charlie's smile the widened into a toothy smile.

"Sorry if I scared you", He chuckled. "It's just-well- My Daughter is a big fan of yours".


Claire shot him a Confused look and saw Brent give him one too from the corner of her eye. "Re-Really?".


"Yeah", He said and then he reached into the pocket of his Jacket and pulled out what seemed to be a picture.


He handed the picture to Claire and she took it and stared at a Pretty girl with Black hair and an Alice Band on her head, smiling up at her.


"Her name's Ruby. She's Thirteen", Charlie said.


Claire looked up and saw the pride in Charlie's eyes as he stared at the picture of his daughter in her hand.

Claire was thinking of a way to ask him why telling her all this. He had somehow touched a spot in heart now and she did want to sound like a scumbag.

"She wants to be a doctor like you", Charlie said with a smile. "Ever since she saw you at the Hospital the last time you visited, She has always admired you".


Claire raise her gaze to the man standing before, feeling a Lump form in her throat.


"We're-eh-getting Ten thousand dollars each, if we are able to catch whatever is out there", Charlie said, before he looked down at his feet, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "..and I'm gonna put mine in Ruby's College fund".


Claire smiled as she began to feel her eyes sting.


"Just to make sure my girl goes to Medical school", Charlie uttered and then he looked up at her and Claire's heart tightened when she saw his welling eyes as she was still smiling. "She's all I've got".


Claire involuntarily shot herself forward and pulled Charlie in for a hug, and felt him sobbing on her shoulders.


She pulled away and cupped the man's face in her palms.

"You do this?", She whispered to him, her face so Close, She could feel his breath. "..and I Promise you, Ruby will never stop Loving you. Never".


"Hey Charlie!", One of his colleagues Screamed from the station entrance. "Leave the lady alone, will ya".


The other laughed.


Charlie looked into Claire's blue eyes and Blinked rapidly while nodding quickly.


She handed him the Photo and watched as he walked over to his colleagues.


He stopped short and spun to face Claire.


"Thanks Doc",Charlie grinned at her.


Claire blew him a kiss that made his colleagues at the far end give loud 'whoas' and whistles as if they had seen a sexy lady pass by.


Charlie gave a shy smile and continued his stroll to the station Entrance as chief Kent tapped his Shoulder when they crossed paths.


"Hey Kent!", One of the boys shouted on his way out. "Start the fire, 'cos we're bringing home some meat tommorrow!"


Then they all Cheered.


"Yeah ...Yeah", Kent waved them away. "Whatever".


Claire still had her eyes on the entrance, even after the men had left, her thought revolving around Charlie and his daughter. Then she decided to ask Brent a question she forgot to ask Charlie.


"What about his wife? ", She uttered, eyes still on the door.


"She -eh- Died while giving birth to Ruby", Brent sighed.


Claire felt her stomach drop and tried to hold down the tears again.


"Brent", Kent called as he passed them by. "My Office, Now".


"Be right back", The Officer uttered as he followed Kent away.

Claire's eyes were still on the door. She closed her eyes and saw the smiling face that little girl she had seen in the photo some minutes ago.

"Ruby".


The doctor gave out the one prayer she had on her mind.


"God, Please bring him back.

Nice story. Its cool and interesting.... Keep it up.

Pls add me to ur WhatsApp group with 08181017179.... Thanks