Chapter 3

Tom stood up and brushed himself off. He looked down at his watch and saw that several hours had passed since he had first entered the park. He had no memory of what had happened in the intervening time.

As he made his way back to his car, Tom couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He felt as if he were being watched, and he kept looking over his shoulder. When he finally got into his car and started the engine, he let out a deep breath of relief.

He drove back to the station, his mind racing. He had to find out what had happened in the park, and he had to do it fast. He knew that he couldn’t do it alone, so he called Jane and asked her to meet him at the station.

When she arrived, Tom briefed her on what had happened in the park. Jane listened carefully, her face grave.

“Do you think it was the werewolf?” she asked.

Tom nodded. “It’s the only explanation. I think it attacked me.”

Jane frowned. “But why would it just leave you there? Why didn’t it kill you?”

“I don’t know,” Tom said, frustration creeping into his voice. “But I do know that we have to catch it before it attacks again.”

Jane nodded. “Okay. What’s the plan?”

Tom leaned back in his chair, thinking. “We need to set a trap. But we have to be careful. This thing is dangerous.”

She nodded again. “I’ll start working on it right away.”

Tom watched as she left the office, feeling a sense of pride in his friend. She was smart and capable, and he knew that together, they could catch the werewolf.

Over the next few days, Tom and Jane worked tirelessly on the trap. They scouted out locations in the park where the werewolf was most likely to appear, and they set up cameras to monitor the area. They even enlisted the help of a few of Tom’s colleagues at the station, who were more than happy to lend a hand.

Finally, everything was in place. Tom and Jane took up positions in a nearby van, watching the camera feeds on a laptop. They waited for hours, their eyes glued to the screen, until finally they saw movement in the park.

The werewolf appeared, moving cautiously through the trees. It was huge, even bigger than Tom had imagined, and its fur gleamed in the moonlight. Tom felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched it approach the trap.

And then, suddenly, everything went wrong.

One of the officers had accidentally tripped a wire, setting off an alarm. The werewolf snarled and turned, its eyes locking onto the van where Tom and Jane were hiding. Before they could react, it charged toward them, smashing into the van with incredible force.

Tom felt the impact as the van was pushed backward, its wheels spinning on the grass. He heard Jane scream, and then everything went black.

When he woke up, he was in the hospital. His head was pounding, and he could barely move. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, and saw Jane sitting in a chair next to his bed.

Tom tried to speak, but his throat felt dry, so he cleared it and tried again. “What happened?”

Jane looked up from her book and gave him a small smile. “You were attacked by a werewolf, Tom. Do you remember?”

Tom nodded slowly, the memory of the attack flooding back to him. “Yeah, I remember now. Did we catch it?”

Jane’s smile faded, and she looked down at her hands. “No, we didn’t. But we will. I promise.”

Tom tried to sit up, but his body protested, so he settled for propping himself up on the pillows. “What have I missed? How long have I been here?”

She looked up, concern etched on her face. “You’ve been out for a day. They had to give you a blood transfusion because you lost so much blood.”

Tom frowned. “What about the other victims? Were there any more attacks?”

Jane shook her head. “Not that we know of. But we’re still investigating. I’ve been doing some research on werewolves, and I think I might have found something.”

Tom raised an eyebrow. “What have you found?”

Jane reached into her bag and pulled out a book. “According to this, werewolves have a pack mentality. They usually travel in groups of three or more. That means the one that attacked you might not be working alone.”

Tom nodded slowly, his mind racing with possibilities. “That’s good work, Jane. We need to follow up on that lead.”

Jane’s face lit up, and she looked at him with pride. “I knew you’d like it. I’ll get on it right away.”

Tom settled back into his pillows, feeling grateful to have such a smart and resourceful friend. He knew they were in for a tough fight, but he also knew they had to stop the werewolf before it could harm anyone else.

As he closed his eyes, he couldn’t help but think about the woman he had met in his office. He had a feeling she was connected to the case in some way, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He made a mental note to follow up on her lead as well. He was already getting tired of all these werewolf encounters; it was overwhelming him, and now, here he was in a hospital bed.

He had risked his own life for the safety of his city, but what could he do? He was the sheriff, right? He was doing his job, and he believed that his efforts would be rewarded. He was a man of pure and good intentions, a made man. However, the only problem was his rebellious teenage daughter, Emily.

But for now, he needed to rest and recover. They had a long road ahead of them, and he needed to be at his best if they were going to catch the werewolf and bring it to justice.