This is a lighthearted short story I wrote for the Halloween contest being held by  bngfox featuring his character Jessie, along with my characters War Wolf and Spectra. I hope you all enjoy, and BnGFox, I hope you like what I did here!

Happy Halloween everyone!

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War Wolf and Spectra belong to me

Jessie and Lupe belong to  bngfox

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Grant City’s Newest Hero


Dusk had just begun to bathe the rural outskirts of Grant City in a deep amber glow when two motorcycles pulled up to a dirt driveway. The fierce growl of their engines calmed to a throaty purr, and finally silenced as the two riders killed the ignition and stepped off. This far into the countryside, with the gleaming city skyline set back like a postcard scene miles away on the horizon, crickets had free reign instead of engines and horns. But villainy was not contained to the city limits. This Halloween night, a very real evil that transcended ghouls and goblins had brought these two caped heroines to a lonely pumpkin farm.

War Wolf’s masked eyes narrowed as she surveyed the dark farmhouse a few hundred feet up the dark road, a thriving pumpkin patch flanking the driveway all the way there. Her sidekick, Spectra, stepped beside her, the lioness’s gold-furred face mostly obscured beneath her hood. She crossed her arms over her chest, likely more to warm herself in the chilly autumn evening than to appear menacing.

“I think I’m going to start wearing my winter costume a little earlier this year,” she grumbled, pulling her cape tighter over her bare arms and neckline.

War Wolf glanced sideways at her with an amused grunt. Though her own costume rendered her arms bare, she barely noticed the weather. One of the hard-earned perks of her previous military life. “Don’t worry. If this is the right place, things might heat up fast. Keep sharp.”

War Wolf led the way up the road, taking deliberate strides, her eyes alert to any movement in the one-story farmhouse or large garage, yet only a hushed breeze and the rustle of leaves in the chilly wind could be heard. She feared they were too late to catch this villain, a new face of crime in the city who went by the alias “Lupe.” Most of the night had been spent aiding the authorities in disposing of hundreds of deadly pumpkins. Just that morning, the villain had contacted the police with a list of demands, claiming that he had spent all of October selling booby-trapped pumpkins to innocent people, waiting for the blissfully ignorant denizens of Grant City to carve their jack-o-lanterns, light them up, and place them on their stoops on Halloween night. Give in to his demands, he said, and he’d tell the authorities exactly how the pumpkins had been made lethal, as well as how to neutralize them. If not…

“Looks empty,” Spectra whispered, the encroaching night making her almost invisible in her black hooded cape and deep purple garb. “Maybe he’s out trick-or-treating.”

“Let’s make sure it’s safe before the GPD shows up.” War Wolf gestured toward the garage at the end of the drive. “You check in there. I’ll take the house.”

As Spectra crept around the side of the garage to find a less conspicuous way in than the large bay door, War Wolf flanked the house from the other side, her cape brushing over the unkempt grass that sprouted through the cracks in the cement walkway. She pulled open the rust screen door with a creak and leaned close to the front door. The glass in the panes had long been broken, giving her ample view of the dilapidated interior. It looked like no one had lived there for years. If this was the right place, Lupe just wanted it for the fertile fields.

Not seeing any telltale wires rigging the threshold, War Wolf stepped back and delivered a solid front kick to the door, knocking it clear off its rusted hinges and into the middle of the former living room with a crash. Her boots crunched on the gritty carpet and her eyes snapped to the right, where the patter of hurried footsteps retreated down a dark hallway.

“Lupe!” War Wolf shouted, rushing to the hallway. She flattened herself against the wall and peeked around, wary of possibly being led into a trap. “Give it up! It’s over! We know you laced the pumpkins with a heat-reactive nerve agent! Your distributor sold you out!”

Silence…but only for a few moments.

From further down the hall where the corridor split in two directions, a deep sigh rose over the whistle of the breeze, heavy and doleful as the icy outside wind.

“It would have been the greatest trick of all. And a treat for me.”

War Wolf crouched low and crept down the corridor toward the melodramatic male voice, using his words as cover for her footsteps. She had to keep him talking. “People light candles in the jack-o-lanterns and unwittingly release the gas. A plan as smart as it is sick.”

“Can you fault me for trying to spread a little terror on Halloween? I’m in costume and everything.”

War Wolf leaned forward on her toes, her teeth clenched, getting ready to leap around the corner. “Don’t worry. You’ll be given a state-issued costume to wear in jail for the next twenty years.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Wolfie.”

War Wolf hesitated. His voice sounded different. Muffled, distant. The hesitation cost her the chance to attack first as he leapt from a side room in a sweep of shadow and flowing black fabric, sprinting down the right turn at the end of the hall. War Wolf gave chase and was almost near enough to grab his black coat when he burst through a doorway into the garage. War Wolf halted at the doorway, taken aback by the cobbled-together lab equipment and tables spread around the room, wreathed around a parked and unmarked delivery truck.

“Careful!” Spectra, standing beside one of the tables at the rear, held out her hand to halt her partner. “This stuff is fragile! He’s our guy all right.”

“You’re cornered, Lupe,” War Wolf growled. “Don’t make this harder on yourself.” In the dim light from the dirty overhead bulb, she could finally see the villain well enough to at least identify him. True to his word, he wore a costume, a black and fashionable suit with a red velvet vest and a black high-collared cape clasped about his neck. War Wolf wondered if even the real Dracula could match this villain’s evil intentions. But as she squinted at his gray and white face, she realized that his piercing eyes were looking at her from behind something obscuring most of his muzzle…a gas mask.

“You two must be tired after a long day of getting in my way,” Lupe said in that muffled voice. Somehow, War Wolf could feel his evil grin even if she couldn’t see it. “Why not take a little nap?”

War Wolf followed her gut and grabbed the thin rebreather from her belt pouch, turning to warn Spectra as she did so. But before she could utter a word, two bursts of white smoke erupted from devices on Lupe’s wrists, filling the garage in the blink of an eye. War Wolf stuck the rebreather in her mouth but not before catching a whiff. The gas went straight to her head, dropping her to her knees in a wave of dizziness.

“That’s not fair, Wolfie. Go to sleep like a good girl.”

As Lupe neared to try and take the rebreather from her mouth, War Wolf mustered her strength and lunged for him, forcing him to stumble back. She gripped the doorframe and struggled to her feet, her head swimming, fighting to keep conscious.

“Be that way then,” Lupe grumbled, dusting off his velvet sleeves. “I can make do with one hostage if you wish to my messenger instead.” He stepped to the rear of the garage, where Spectra lay having succumbed to the gas, and hefted her up over his shoulder. After opening the rear doors of the delivery truck, he flopped her inside and slammed them shut again. “I’ll take good care of her so long as you and the police steer clear of me. If I so much as catch a whiff of spandex or coffee-stained GPD blue, then…well, the young lioness will become yet another Halloween ghost.”

Lupe climbed into the driver’s seat and revved up the old truck. Desperate to retrieve her friend, War Wolf stumbled into the garage and strained to get her hands on the rusty metal. But just as she thought she was going to succeed, the vehicle crashed through the dilapidated garage door and sped down the dirt drive, leaving a cloud of brown dust in its wake. The thick smoke billowed out behind it, clearing the air.

War Wolf fell to her hands and knees upon the cool grass, spitting out the rebreather and gulping breath after breath of fresh air into her burning lungs. She gritted her teeth, fear for her captured partner rising in her chest. She swallowed the fear, keeping her mind focused and on task. He intended to keep her alive, at least for now. So long as he didn’t find the tracking beacon in her utility belt, War Wolf would be able to find her. She just had to hope she could get to her before Lupe decided she was no longer useful.

Struggling to her feet, War Wolf hurried toward the road. There wasn’t a moment to lose.


-


Jessie’s legs ached from so much walking, his arms were tired from lugging around his full candy sack, and the cold was beginning to chill him to the bone.

But none of that mattered, not to a superhero!

He just wished superheroes had warmer costumes…

Jessie traipsed down the suburban sidewalk dressed as his favorite hero, complete with gloves, ankle-high boots, and a cape, all in blue. His top was short sleeved and white with a large red X over the chest. He’d been complimented all night for the great costume from the houses he’d trick-or-treated at, and probably managed to entice a few extra pieces of candy because of it.

But the night was growing late and he had reached the end of the neighborhood. Only a few other costumed trick-or-treaters could be seen on the sidewalks, and most turned back before the final cul-de-sac, figuring a few extra houses weren’t worth the trip. Jessie considered turning back as well, but this was the one time of year he could pretend to be a superhero. He might as well be true to the role and do what few others were willing to! Hefting his candy sack over his shoulder, he marched on to the cul-de-sac.

To his surprise, the house at the end of the road had a beat up old truck parked askew in the driveway, and he could swear a light was glowing from inside. Strange…he thought the family that lived there moved out a month ago. With shrug, Jessie hurried up the front walk and bounded up onto the porch, hoping that the last house he’d visit this Halloween gave something great, like a full size candy bar. Anything but apples and pennies…

Knock knock knock

“Trick or treat!”

Jessie waited patiently, a broad smile on his muzzle, and heard the rustling of movement from inside. But when no one came to the door, his smile began to fade. He knocked again and shouted louder, “Trick or treat!”

“Go away!” replied a gruff voice from inside.

Jessie frowned. “But it’s Halloween!”

Heavy footsteps clumped over the wooden floor and the door creaked open only a couple inches, allowing a tall gray wolf to peek out at the fox.

“Trick or Treat!” Jessie proclaimed for a third time, holding out his bag with a smile.

“A superhero costume, eh?” The wolf grinned coldly. “How amusing.”

“Yep! Great, don’t’cha think? Worth a big candy bar?”

“Candy,” the wolf uttered in a bitter tone. “If it were up to me, you and everyone else in this city would’ve got a lot more than candy tonight.”

“Aw, that’s nice!”

The wolf frowned, uttering something unintelligible under his breath as he began to rummage through his pockets. The door opened wider, allowing Jessie to see his clothes.

“That’s a great Dracula outfit,” the fox said. “You should be at a party or something tonight to show it off.”

“Oh, I’m hosting my own little party here,” he replied with a chuckle. He dropped a twenty dollar bill in her bag. “Here. Now go bother someone else.”

“Wow!” Jessie stared with wide eyes as the bill fluttered into his bag. He couldn’t accept such a generous treat, even if his superhero costume was the best in all Grant City. Thinking for a moment, he snatched a Three Musketeers from the treasure trove of candy and chased after the wolf before he could close the door, wedging himself through the door and leaning into the foyer. “Wait, mister! Here, this is for you. For your great Dracula costume.”

The wolf whirled around, an alarmed look on his face at the intrusion. In the momentary silence, Jessie heard something from her left, like muffled grunts. Looking over into the dim, bare living room, she saw a pretty lioness garbed in a fabulous superhero costume of her own…but she was tied up! She lay on her side, her hands tied behind her back and another rope binding her arms and chest. She struggled against the bonds, kicking her tied feet, trying to speak through a cleave gag that had been pulled between her teeth.

“Wow,” Jessie breathed. “Th-this is your party?”

The wolf scowled and narrowed his cold eyes at him.

“This is great! Can I join too?”

The wolf cocked an eyebrow and even the bound lioness stopped struggling for just a moment to blink in surprise. The former uttered, “What?”

“I love roleplaying parties! Everyone does costume parties, but the ones where you act like the character you are, those are the best! You’re the villain and you captured a superheroine, right? I love it, and I’m already all dressed for it.” Jessie tossed his candy bag into the foyer corner and rushed into the room, kneeling beside the lioness. He looked her over, disregarding the struggles and desperate warning attempts from her pleading eyes and muffled mouth. “Wow, you tied her up tight. She doesn’t mind, does she?”

“No…she doesn’t mind at all.” The wolf chuckled again, his alarmed demeanor having turned to one of amusement. “I’m sure we’d both be delighted if you joined our party. After all, a pesky little ‘superhero’ like you can’t be allowed to leave after seeing this. You may call me Lupe. And that is—”

“Spectra, I know! I watch the news sometimes.” Jessie looked the lioness’s costume over closer. “This costume’s great! The colors, the belt, it’s all really detailed. You make a great Spectra, I bet the real one would even be impressed!”

Spectra groaned through her gag and rolled her eyes.

“Do you have someone playing War Wolf who’s going to come in later?” he continued. “If not, I might know someone who—”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be surprised if War Wolf is foolish enough to come after me.” Lupe showed a small device in his hand and gestured toward the living room’s back wall. Sitting beneath a window was a cluster of dangerous objects, from corked vials of some strange blue liquid to a yellow block with the black letters “C4” on it. “If Wolfie does show up, all I need to do is push this button and everything not blown up within fifty yards will be covered in nerve toxin.”

Jessie smiled gleefully and nudged Spectra’s bound arm. “He’s great at this, isn’t he?”

The lioness sighed.

With a dramatic flourish, Lupe retrieved a coil of rope from a nearby card table, the same rope he’d used to tie up Spectra from the looks of it. He cut away a few long lengths and grinned at his new victim. “Yes, I am, which you’ll soon see.”

Jessie squealed in delight upon seeing the rope. “Yes! Tie me up next to Spectra as if you’ve caught us both! It wouldn’t be fair for me to play the rescuing character, after all, if War Wolf is going to show up soon.” He laid down flat on his stomach and crossed his hands behind his back. “Don’t be afraid to make it tight, like you did with her. I want it to be realistic for the person playing War Wolf.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll find it quite realistic,” Lupe cackled, lowering to one knee beside the fox. He wound the rope around his wrist and began to loop it again.

“You know,” Jessie said, “It’s more secure if you alternate directions. Like, loop it around, then go up and down, so it ties the wrists from both directions.”

“Whatever you say,” he replied beneath his breath with a smirk, following the captive’s directions. Sure enough, the bind was tighter. When he was sure the fox’s hands were secure, he moved on to his ankles and began looping the next length of rope around them, all the while Spectra struggling and shouting muffled something or others at him.

“You know,” Jessie said again. “After you loop it a few times, you should run it between the ankles and wrap it around the rope down the middle, then tie it off. It makes it much harder to squirm a foot free. Impossible maybe.”

Lupe scowled in annoyance. “I know how to hold people captive. I’ve done it before.”

“I’m just saying…a real villain would tie up a captive like this.”

Grumbling under his breath, the wolf knotted off the ankles and took Jessie’s shoulders, hauling him up to his knees. He began winding the rope around his arms and chest, pulling as tight as he could.

“You know…”

Lupe bared his teeth.

“If you just tie it around like that, it could slip down or be dragged loose as I struggle on the floor. A real villain wouldn’t tie it like that. What you want to do is—”

“I will do this as I see fit!” Lupe snapped. “I’m in charge here, you’re just the little tool in my plan! Now stay still!”

“All right, all right.” As his arms were knotted, Jessie grinned at Spectra and whispered, “He’s got the villainous attitude right, but his ropework needs some practice.”

“Now,” Lupe grumbled, “the part I’m most looking forward to.” He stepped in front of the fox with a shorter length of rope. “Keep your muzzle shut while I tie it closed.”

Jessie looked at the rope and pursed his lips in thought. “You know…if you—”

A growl rumbling in his throat and his hands shaking in anger, he looped the rope around the damnable muzzle and cinched it shut, tying it off tight. With the fox finally silenced, he pushed him back onto his stomach and walked away to toss the rest of the rope back on the table. Soon, he was smiling once more, reveling in the fortune that delivered him a second hostage to keep War Wolf and the authorities at bay if they found him.

Soon, this city will know my wrath, he promised himself. Soon, all will tremble at my name and fear the very mention of my deeds! I will bring this city to its knees! I will—

“You know…”

Lupe blinked.

“See, a more secure gag would have been better. Like a cleave gag, the one you gave Spectra here. All I had to do was rub this one against the ground a bit and it came loose and rolled off my muzzle. Now, some other options that any real villain would have used also include—”

“You!” Lupe spun to face him, a murderous glint in his insane eyes. “Forget being a hostage! I’m going to shut you up permanently!”

The fox’s eyes widened. “Ohh, you did that well. Is this the part where War Wolf comes in?”

“No…nobody can save you now.”

The wolf managed two deliberate steps toward the bound fox before the front window shattered with a sudden crash, a caped figure diving through. She rolled and hopped to her feet, facing the villain in a low combat stance.

“War Wolf!” Jessie cried. “I knew that was your cue.”

“I told you not to try and follow me, Wolfie! Now all you little treats disappear in my final trick!” Lupe raised the detonator in his hand, but War Wolf was ready for it, spinning into a high kick that struck the device from his palm and sent it spinning across the floor to the other side of the room. “No! You—!”

War Wolf interrupted him with a swift punch across the muzzle that dropped him cold to the dusty floor.

“Wow.” Jessie blinked at the unconscious villain. “Did you really punch him?”

War Wolf furrowed her brow at the fox as she knelt beside him and untied him. “Who are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m Jessie. This guy let me be a part of your roleplay party. Here, I can help.”

“Party?” War Wolf knelt beside her partner and removed the cleave gag, allowing Spectra to take a deep, clean breath, as she took a blade from her belt and used it to cut away the ropes binding her hands and arms. All the while, Jessie was at her feet, untying the ankle bonds. “What are you—?”

“You did excellent,” Spectra interjected, standing up and rubbing her wrists. She leaned close to her lupine partner’s ear and whispered, “He thinks this was a costume party. Go with it. No need to traumatize the guy by telling him he was two seconds from dying.”

War Wolf’s confused face endured for a few seconds before she shrugged and said, “Um…thanks for the help, Jessie?”

“And that’s a great costume,” Spectra commented with a smile.

“Thanks!” Jessie twirled to show it off. “Not as good as you guys, though. If War Wolf and Spectra were here, I don’t know if I could tell you apart!”

“Why don’t you head out?” War Wolf suggested, eyeing the explosives against the wall. “We need to…clean up.”

“You sure you don’t want me to help clean?”

“We’re sure.”

“Don’t forget your candy,” Spectra reminded him.

Jessie hefted up the sack again and turned to wave at his two new friends with a smile. “Thanks for letting me join in! Will you be doing this again next year?”

War Wolf chuckled under her breath. “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Jessie hopped off the porch back into the cold night, a satisfying feeling rising in his chest at the best Halloween ever. Even if it had all been pretend, getting to be a superhero for just one night was well worth that extra trip into the cul-de-sac. Maybe one day, he’d meet real heroes and help foil a real villain!

Of course, he’d have to be careful. A real villain would know how to properly tie up someone, after all.


The End