Caesar regarded all the men sitting on the chairs, chatting excitedly in the well lit training facility room in one of the sections of his mansion and inclined his head. Just as he had requested, the men were thirty in number. They were tall, powerfully built and beefy. Their faces were hard as granite and their eyes, beady and expressionless. Sheriff Hatton had done a good job. Caesar turned to Hank Woodman, Hatton and his deputy, Drew, who were standing beside him.
“They all looked good, what do you think?”
Hank stroked his heavy beards and folded his arms across his massive chest.
“They are a whole lot of mixed bunch, but I’ll say they will do alright,” he grunted and turned to Hatton. “Well done, Hatton. You really outdid yourself on this one.” His eyes were staring at Hatton appreciatively.
“Good fine work, boss.” Drew chipped in, his black face full of smiles.
Sheriff Hatton was smiling sheepishly. He was not used to getting a lot of compliments.
“Just doing my work,” ‘he beamed. “Are you sure you are okay with them?” He asked, facing Caesar .
Caesar said he was impressed with the men and dragged eyes back to the group. They had stopped chatting and were all waiting for him now, their eyes curious and expectant. He once again regarded their tough faces and smiled inwardly. He had a feeling that we were going to win this fight against the werewolves. No doubt about it.
“Listen up," he began. "We all know why we're here. No need for nonsense. Sheriff Hatton picked each of you carefully," he paused as some men argued about Hatton's bad behavior. "Quiet!" he yelled, and the noise died down. "Part of your training is respect. Along with learning to hunt werewolves, you'll learn manners and obey orders from me and Mr. Woodman here," he nodded to Hank. "Everything you learn is to become better Fur Hunters. I'm generous, so this team isn't just for fighting. It's also to help our town," he noticed everyone leaning forward, so he continued. "Men who follow orders will be rewarded, families taken care of. We want everyone to excel and become a Fur Hunter. We won't send anyone away; we need all the help we can get against these beasts. But good behavior still matters. Hunters who do well and kill werewolves will be rewarded. Understand?" he asked loudly.
“Yes sir!” The men growled in unison.
“Good! The training has commenced now,” he turned to Drew. “Please turn the projector on.”
Drew went to a mini projector connected to a Mac laptop which sat on a table facing a big white screen. He switched it on. The image of a monstrous creature appeared on the screen. Caesar picked up a stick lying on a table and came over to where the white screen stood. He pointed to the creature with the stick in his hand and turned to the men “Remember those scary creatures in the newspapers? They killed Bill Castle and his family, and your friends in the gambling place? Those were werewolves," he paused, continuing, "They're like shapeshifters. They have a human side and a beast side. When the full moon rises, they turn into these monsters," he tapped the creature on the screen. "Werewolves are big, hairy beasts that run faster than horses, strong enough to flip trucks and bikes, and tough enough to survive most weapons, like pistols and rifles," he took a breath, "But a shotgun can really hurt them, especially if you aim for the head. But it's hard to do, because they're super fast. Only I can do it," he grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes, "Any questions before I go on?"
“Mr Castle blew out the brains of one of those animals,” A man boomed from the group. “Its brain was all splattered all over the wall. I saw it,” he was talking excitedly now. “Ain’t that right, Hogan?” He turned to another man sitting beside him. “Ain’t it?”
“Yeah I saw it alright,” the friend, whose name was Hogan, drawled. “It’s brain was everywhere. Mr Castle was really good with ‘em guns. He’s gonna make a fine Fur Hunter, that one.”
“Alright, Where is Bill Castle now?” Caesar glared at Hogan. He hated the way he had praised Bill.
Hogan didn’t say anything for a long moment.
Caesar snorted.
“"I thought so," he said sharply. "Let's keep going. Werewolves have claws that can cut through steel. They have super senses and can kill two to three men in seconds," he explained. "But with these weapons," he pointed to a box, capturing everyone's attention. Caesar opened it and revealed a huge gun, like those in Gears Of War. "This is the WolfStopper. Made for me in Russia. It's expensive, but the damage it does..." he grinned, watching the men's excitement. "What's great about this gun is that it senses werewolves nearby. When it does, it lights up; it senses their blood, fur, anything werewolf," he pointed to a part of the gun. "This neon LED is your guide," he told Drew. "Put the blood on the table."
Drew nodded and scurried to a part of the room. He picked up a big glass container filled with red substance and carried it to one of the tables in the room.
“Thank you,” Caesar said to him.
Drew came over to where Hatton and Hank stood watching and folded his hands behind him. The men watched all these eagerly and with rapt attention.
“Inside that container is the fresh blood of a werewolf. We got it from the werewolves that killed Bill and his families and also our gambling parlor friends. Now, please, pay attention and watch this little demonstration.” Caesar said. The Wolf Stopper cradled in his hand, he began to walk stealthy towards where the container was. But the snub nose of the gun was pointing to the men deliberately.
The men all watched him, their faces questioning and confused.
As he got a few meters away from it, the neon lead on the gun turned full green. “You see, this green here means a werewolf or anything werewolf is nearby,” Caesar said pointing to the green light on the gun. Still the snub nose of the gun was still pointing to the men. “Now watch this,” As he drew closer to the container, just a little closer, the neon led turned a bright red. The gun started to jerk vigorously in his hand. He held it tightly.
“You see! You see!. It can sense the blood. The blood of the werewolf. It can sense it somewhere in this room. Watch this! Watch this! I’m holding the gun at you but watch where it’s diverting my hands to!” Caesar was screaming excitedly. The gun jerked so hard in his hand, propelling his hands and body to where the container was; it was as if the gun in a way was saying ‘Caesar this exactly where you should point me, not that way you are pointing me’ the snub nose of the gun was facing the container now.
All the men in the room stared at Caesar in awe, the expression on their faces magical.
All of sudden, the Wolf Stopper gives a whirring sound and shoots out a ray flash that looks like a laser beam. Caesar didn’t even press the trigger. It fired at the container. It shattered, splashing blood everywhere. All the men scampered up from their seats, frightened and bewildered. The gun in his hand stopped vibrating and the whirring sound automatically went off.
Caesar laughed at them, enjoying the entire show.
“Calm down, calm down people,” he said lightheartedly. “This right here is a masterpiece. Y’all would love this. Those bastards got no chance against this beauty right here. It’s going to stop anything big and furry with two legs.”
Hatton who had watched the whole thing interestingly but yet terrified, scurried to his side and whispered;
“Don’t you think this gun would be too powerful for them? Can’t you get something of lesser velocity but adequate violence?”
Caesar turned on him like a cat. The amusement in his eyes vanished.
“This is what they will use. It’s either this or they go into that fucking woods wearing some damned leopard skin like the fucking Shaka Zulu and picked out those psycho werewolves with their fucking assagai,” he snarled into the sheriff’s white face. Hatton nodded stupidly and scurried away. Caesar hissed and faced the men “Are you guys enjoying this?” Are you entertained?”
“Yeah, yeah!” They all growled as they returned back to their respective seats.
“Good! Now, tell me what do you y’all think about this?” He said and raised the WolfStopper, so that its snub nose was facing the ceiling.
A big muscular man stood up.
“My name is Bud. I’ve got a question sir.”
“Go ahead, Bud”
Bud cleared his throat.
“If there are two or three werewolves in a particular vicinity. What happens? Can it kill those werewolves simultaneously?”
"Have a seat, Bud," Caesar said, and Bud sat down. "Listen up. This gun's special—it's got a werewolf detector. It aims and shoots for you. Let's say there are two or three werewolves here, at 3 o'clock, 9, and 7. This gun points you to them all at once. It can take down a werewolf with one shot. It’s loaded with acidic, mercury chemicals. Once hit, those werewolves burn up fast." Caesar paused, then continued, "This gun does the heavy work. You just need to hold it steady. Look around—there's a reason you big and strong men are all here. You were specifically chosen for this in regards to your physical appearances and strengths.. Now, onto Mr. Woodman—he's a pro, knows this town and the woods inside out. He'll teach you everything you need to know about hunting werewolves. I will wrapped up here, leaving the training to Mr. Woodman” he finished.
The men in the room began to clap thunderously. Hank Woodman came over to where Caesar stood. The two men shook hands, then Hank stepped forward and began to address the men. Caesar went over to where sheriff Hatton and his deputy stood. He faced Hatton.
“How’s the collection going, sheriff?” He said scornfully. “I haven’t got my money.”
“We’ll give you, Caesar,” Hatton babbled. “You should get it this week.”
Caesar peered his face into Hatton’s.
“Get it and get it fast. I’m not procuring any weapons if I don’t get my money.” He snarled and stomped off, ignoring the white shock expression on Hatton’s face. When he got outside, his cellphone rang. He took it out and stared at the screen. His face screwed up when he saw it was Marianna. He slid his thumb on the screen and barked into the cellphone.
“What is it now, Marianna? What………” but the sudden wailing sound coming from the other end cut his words off. A cold fear gripped him. He had a feeling something bad had happened to her.