October 4, 2025 • 50 mins
When a mysterious curfew grips the small town of Grove City, Ohio, young Sean discovers during his Halloween weekend visit that the recent string of vicious attacks might be connected to local legends about monsters lurking in the shadows.
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Weird Darkness©, 2024
Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids™, 2024
https://weirddarkness.com/grovecity
Visit our website: https://MicroTerrors.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/microterrors
Other stories, novels, and more from author Scott Donnelly: https://amzn.to/3LymHaU
Other narrations, podcasts, and audiobooks from voice artist Darren Marlar: https://WeirdDarkness.com
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Weird Darkness©, 2024
Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids™, 2024
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
August was in full swing in Grove City, Ohio. A
late October chill creeped through the night air, stirring up
leaves and rustling the naked branches of the trees. And
Andrea Cordle's backyard. Sitting by her crackling fire pit and
wrapped tightly in an Ohio State football hoodie, she typed
on her laptop, putting the final touches on her Trick
(00:23):
or Treat safety tips article for the Grove City Messenger,
the local publication she worked for. Her phone rang, silencing
the crickets in her backyard, and she answered it. Hello,
She said, Andrea, I just wanted to check to see
how the werewolf article was coming. A man's voice said.
Andrea sighed, I told you I'm not doing the werewolf article.
(00:46):
I don't believe in things like that. And I feel
like this town has gotten itself worked up into a
little panic over nothing. It's the spooky season, she said.
Of course something like this would be trying to make
headlines around town. Sounds like a fluff piece to me, Andrea.
The man said, I think we need to cover it.
There's a curfew in effect. The police don't put a
(01:08):
curfew in effect for fluff pieces. Andrea sighed, but before
she could respond, she heard something in the trees her backyard.
Hugged to the edge of a small wooded area. Hold on,
she whispered into the phone. Andrea held the phone down
by her side and tried to focus her eyes on
the dark tree line ahead of her. Everything went silent
(01:30):
aside from the crackling fire. Then, without warning, a vicious
arcane howl erupted from the woods. Andrea panicked and jumped
to her feet. She ran for the back door of
her house. That's when she heard the heavy, persistant gallop
of a large animal behind her, clamoring through the backyard
after her snarling wickedly, she blew through the back door
(01:52):
and slammed it shut. As Andrea tried to settle her
nerves and catch her breath, she heard the haunting howl
of the unseen beat again, echoing in the cold night outside.
After the forty five minute trip, Sean Dyer's family car
finally came to a stop. With his father behind the
(02:15):
wheel and his mother and the passenger seat. They pulled
into the driveway of a small little house off Kingston
Avenue in Grove City, Ohio. Shawn's dad turned the engine
off and opened his door. His mother did the same,
but Sean remained seated, strapped in with his seatbelt, nervous
to leave the comforts of the family car. You coming,
(02:35):
His dad called back, in a cool rush of the
crisp autumn air, slipping in through the open door. Sean sighed,
even though he didn't want to, Even though he wanted
to go with his parents to North Carolina for the
weekend instead of staying with family that he barely ever saw,
he knew it was a lost cause. The plane tickets
(02:56):
were already paid for, only two of them, and his
aunt and uncle were expecting them. Chances were they had
probably already noticed the car pulled into the driveway. Shawn
glanced out the window and up to the house. His
aunt and uncle, who he hadn't seen in about two years,
were standing on the porch waving with huge smiles on
their faces. Yep, they already knew. It didn't take long
(03:23):
for Sean's parents to get him settled in, unpacked, and
re acquainted with his dad's brother and his wife. Uncle
Curtis was a good man for a good job. He
liked bad movies even worse music, and still favored the
video games of his youth to the ones of today,
well into his thirties. His wife, Aunt Jade, was as
friendly as someone could be. Sean hadn't been in their
(03:45):
home for two minutes before Aunt Jade had offered to
make him hot chocolate and homemade pumpkin cookies. As much
as Sean wanted to feel comfortable, he struggled sullenly for
the weekend. He told himself, then Mom and Dad, I
will be back, and I'll be heading home just in
time for Halloween. Sean's parents had been gone for only
(04:07):
an hour when Sean felt the first nervous butterfly in
his stomach. It was like the butterfly was lost, tying
aimless knots inside of him. He was homesick. Sean found
his way outside and sat on the porch steps. He
breathed in the cool autumn air, watched the leaves trickle
(04:28):
down from the trees, and took a gander at the
Halloween decorations his aunt and uncle's neighbors had on full display.
It was the first time he felt like smiling, but
still couldn't muster up the energy to do so the
front door behind him opened, and Uncle Curtis came out,
sitting down next to Sean with a cup of steaming
hot shy tea in his hands. Do it okay, he asked.
(04:52):
Sean nodded. Uncle Curtis took a small sip from his
tea and looked around the neighborhood. I love this neighborhood
hallowed time, he said, looking at the blowing spider web
decorations across the street, the inflatable vampire bluey next door
to it, and the skeletal spider that had been fastened
atop a nearby mailbox. It provides me of the neighborhood
(05:14):
your dad and I grew up in. Uncle Curtis looked
down to Sean and, after another sip of tea, said,
I still can't believe he's moving you all to North Carolina,
and I wish he wasn't. Sean said, I like Ohio.
Uncle Curtis took a deep breath. Me too, especially Grove City.
(05:35):
I've lived here with that jade for nearly a decade now.
It's the perfect small, towed feel but close enough to
everything big. It's the best of both worlds. Sewan didn't
saym interested, and Uncle Curtis noticed. He smiled, I'll take
you for a tour tomorrow, Uncle Curtis said, Just you
would be. Jade has some work stuff to do. Anyways,
(05:58):
I'll show you all the cool things. Right there's a
comic bookstore, parks some of the best pizza you'll ever have.
Uncle Curtis trailed off on his pizza comment, and Sean
couldn't tell if it was because he was trying to
think of other places to mention, or that he now
had a hankering for a pizza. Just then, the sound
of footsteps crunching through leaves caught Sean's attention. He looked
(06:21):
up and saw a mail carrier, a middle aged man
dressed in the standard blue uniform and carrying a satchel
filled with letters and small parcels, walking through the neighbor's
yard and into his aunt and uncle's. Uncle Curtis stood up.
Good afternoon, Jeff. He greeted his neighborhood mailman with a smile. Jeff.
The mailman briefly eyed the sky. The sun was already
(06:42):
heading toward the horizon, leaving a bright orange glow in
the sky. More like evening, Jeff said, handy Curtis a
handful of letters, just trying to get done before dark.
Shaw noticed something strange in Jeff's tone when he mentioned
trying to get done before for dark, it didn't seem
to come from a place of work related distress, but
(07:05):
from somewhere else. Curtis's demeanor changed as well. His friendly
greeting trailed off, just as his pizza comment did moments earlier.
Be safe, Jeff, get back. You get home as soon
as you can'd. Jeff nodded with a smile. This is
my last street before I'm done, so I think I'm
in the clear, hopefully. Curtis smiled. See you to borrow
(07:29):
here too. Jeff smiled and then nodded in Sean's direction
before moving on to the next house. As Curtis sat
back down on the porch step, Sean kept his eye
on Jeff hurrying through the leaf covered yard. Jeff's bid
our bail carrier for years. Curtis said to Sean, good guy,
he just lost his brother a couple of weeks back.
(07:50):
He hasn't met himself since then. I can't imagine losing
someone that close to me. Sean didn't verbally respond, but
just watched Jeff cross the yard into the next one.
The neighbor's front door opened, and a dog rushed out
to greet Jeff with a friendly wag of its tail.
A man appeared at the door next. He looked to
be in his late twenties. The man accepted a handful
(08:13):
of male from Jeff before the nervous mailman hurried on
his way again. The neighbor then turned and waved to Sean.
Sean hesitantly waved back, and Curtis noticed that's Reese. Curtis said,
he's lived there since before Jade and I moved in.
Nice guy. He's doing some work at his attic that
he keeps asking by help with, but I keep finding
(08:33):
new ways to blow him off. Rhese rounded up his
dog and the two of them disappeared back into their house.
He's got a nice dog, Sean said. Most dogs I
know hate the male man. Yeah, Buggo is what of
a kind? Bongo? Sean laughed, realizing that he had finally
(08:54):
broken a smile and it felt good. Curtis, noticing this
as well, decided to capital on a craving that had
been building within him. What pizza for dinner? He asked?
There's a place on Broadway called Tabby's Pizza. It's the
best you'll ever have, I promise. Sean smiled again. I
could eat some pizza. Pizza it is, Curtis said, standing
(09:16):
up and swallowing the last gulf of his tea. He
looked to the sunset and his tone slightly changed again.
Oh we'd better hurry, though, it'll be dark, sued Sean
couldn't help, but wonder why did everyone seem so nervous
about the dark. Uncle Curtis pulled his car along the
(09:41):
curb a Broadway, right in front of Tammy's Pizza. The
establishment was much smaller than Sean would have predicted, but
he'd always been told the smaller the place, the better
the food. I'll be right back, Curtis said, turning off
the car and taking the keys with him. As soon
as he opened the car door to leave, Seawan could
all ready smelled the pizza, and it smelled incredible. While
(10:04):
his uncle went inside to pick up and pay for it,
Sewn looked out the windows, getting his first real look
at downtown Grove City. He did have that small town feel,
like his uncle had said. Shops, restaurants, and businesses lined
both sides of Broadway. Festival fall flags hung on the
light poles and Halloween decorations sat inside the glass windows
(10:26):
of the businesses. The orange glow in the sky had
become blinding for a moment and then dulled. The sun
had set, and the lingering light made the sky look beautiful. However,
it wouldn't last long. It was just after six pm
and it would be dark very soon. There was a
knock on the passenger window, which startled a gasp from Sean.
(10:49):
He looked up and saw a uniformed police officer. Once
Sean caught his breath, he cracked the door open, a
familiar knot of nerves running to his stomach. Yes, he
asked where your parents. The officer asked, My uncle's in there,
Sean said, pointing behind the officer to Tammy's pizza. He's
getting our dinner. The officer turned around just in time
(11:11):
to see Curtis coming out with two large pizzas in
his hands. Is there a problem, officer, Curtis asked, sun's setting.
The officer said, there's a curfew in effect. Unless you
have to be on the road, you shouldn't be I understand,
Curtis said, we're on our way home now. Actually, the
officer nodded. He looked back down at Sean and then
(11:32):
addressed Curtis. Keep your kniff you safe, he said, I will,
Curtis replied. The officer then walked away, and Curtis sat
the pizzas in the back seat of the car. He
climbed into the driver's seat and started it out. Why
is there a curfew? Sean asked curiously. Curtis didn't answer
(11:52):
for a minute. There's there's just bits of strange things
happening around here lately. He turned to Sean and faked
a smile. Nothing to worry about. Curtis faced forward and
stepped on the gas. He pulled out into traffic and
drove the two of them home. Oddly, he didn't mention
anything else about the curfew, which only made Sean more curious.
(12:24):
A little over an hour later, across town Grove, City's
coolest store, Skylarks Toys and Comics, saw its last customer
of the night leave. Darren Neff, the store's bearded, humble owner,
adjusted his ball cap, which sported the Skylark's logo, and
then locked the door. He peered out into the night,
but couldn't see much because of the glare from the
(12:46):
light inside the store. He turned off the buzzing open sign,
locked the door, and then returned to his place behind
the counter. The cash register opened and Darren began to
count the drawer. Then something in his peripheral vision caught
his eye. Ahead of him, down an aisle of vintage
Ninja turtles and Power Rangers toys, and out the front windows,
(13:08):
a large shadow passed by. Darren waited to see if
whoever it was would walk back again, but things out
in front of the store seemed still. He went back
to counting his cash drawer. Suddenly he was interrupted by
a sharp, strident scratching sound on the glass, as if
someone were dragging the ties of a metal rake across it. Hey, here,
(13:31):
you stop it, Darren shouted, rushing out from behind the
counter and to the locked side of his door. The
scratching sound had come to an abrupt stop. Darren squinted
and peered outside, but the store's lights still made it
hard to see anything in the night. Suddenly, Darren watched
us out of piercing yellow eyes a knight on the
other side of the glass, and then narrow into a
(13:51):
menacing leer. He saw a flash of sharp teeth next,
and then crash. The window exploded inwards. A massive, very
beast cloud through along with the shattering glass. It snarled,
gnashed its jaws, and thrashed its claws. The attack was quick. Afterward,
(14:19):
Skylark's toys and comics sat in an eerie silence. Only
the scampering, galloping footsteps of the beast could be heard
fleeing from the scene. Then it released a horrible howl
into the night. Sean awoke the next morning, having surprisingly
(14:44):
slept soundly all night long. His first thoughts were of
Tammy's pizza. Could that pizza have been so good that
I forgot all of my troubles? He thought? As he
rolled out of bed, he looked around the room he
was in. It felt strange to him. It wasn't here's room.
It was a spare bedroom at his aunt and uncle's
house in Grove City. The more he thought about it,
(15:05):
he didn't even have a room anymore. His old one
didn't count since his parents were in North Carolina signing
the final paperwork on a new house. That's why he
was forced to spend the weekend with extended family that
he didn't know very well. Sean heard the muffled voices
of his uncle Curtis and Aunt Jade down the hallway.
(15:25):
He went to the door and put an ear to it,
but still couldn't make out much of what they were saying,
so he cracked the door open about an inch. That
was enough to catch the last moments of their conversation
down the hall. It's never attacked anyone before. Don't you
find this concerning, Jade quietly said. There was silence from
Curtis for a moment, but then he responded, I can't
(15:47):
believe this is actually happening. A mounster it grove city.
Curtis led out a quick, nervous laugh. Who would have
ever thought, huh that, poor man, Jade said, I know.
Curtis responded, and I planned on digging Sean to Skylarks today.
Guess that will be happening. Uncle Curtis and Aunt Jade
(16:10):
went silent after that, so Shawn emerged from his room
and crept down the hallway. The floorboards creaking beneath his
feet gave him away, though. As he turned the corner
into the living room, he saw his aunt and uncle
sitting around the TV. Drinking coffee. On the TV was
a news reporter standing in front of a local Grove
City business. At the bottom of the screen were the
(16:31):
words Grove City business owner attacked by local legend police. Baffled.
Uncle Curtis was quick to turn off the TV as
soon as Sean made his creaky entrance into the room,
and Jade stood up and put on a forced fake smile.
Good morning, Sean, Did you sleep okay? Yeah? Sean coldly replied.
(16:54):
He'd quickly grown tired of his aunt and uncle's secrecy
and whatever it was that had been going on in
Grove City, a curfew, a monster, Sean wanted answers. After
breakfast in the shower, Sean followed Uncle Curtis out the
front door and was immediately stung by the brisk temperatures
(17:15):
of the late morning hours. I was going to show
you the Coviic bookstore today, but Curtis searched for the
right words. They're closed. Sean rolled his eyes. Did his
uncle really think he was that stupid? He saw the
TV screen he heard his and aunt Jade's hushed conversation. Instead,
(17:37):
I'll take you back down to Broadway, Curtis said, jingling
the car keys in his hand. The library is amazing.
We could get some ice cream at Strauser's afterwards. Oh,
at the Grove City Visitors Center. That's where we should start.
There's so much local flare in there. You'll really see
what this town is all about. Oh, you mean, aside
(17:58):
from monsters and secrets, Sean thought to himself. He just
nodded along as his uncle lunlocked the car. Morning neighbor.
A man's voice shouted from behind them. Sean turned around
just as Curtis did. They saw Reyese, the young twenty
something next door, raking his yard boardd Reese. Curtis smiled
(18:19):
and waved. I see he got some company there, Curtis,
Reese said, taking a break from his autumn chore. Bongo
lay in the leaves nearby, with his head up, alert
as dogs always were. This is my dep you showed.
He stayed with us for the weekend. Reese waved again.
Hi Sean, I'm Reese. Nice to meet you. Sean nodded shyly.
(18:41):
You too. I like your dog, Reese laughed, Oh, Bongo here. Yeah,
he's a good boy, very loyal. That's the best quality
of a dog. Reese then turned his attention back to
Curtis and changed the subject. You know I could still
use a little help in the attic, Curtis, think you
have an Hourisota spend this weekend? Sean watched his uncle
(19:03):
panic and scramble for an excuse. Uh uh, baby, I'll
let you know. I'm taking Sean around today. Not sure
what tomorrow's going to bring. Reese nodded. He wasn't stupid.
He knew Curtis was trying to avoid helping. It wasn't
very neighborly. Well, you guys had a good day, Reese said,
(19:25):
you too, Reese, Curtis said as he climbed into the
car Sean got into, and then they drove off. The
Grove City visitor Center on Broadway was smaller than Sean expected.
When his uncle said visitor center, his young mind immediately
went to the finale of Jurassic Park. But this place
(19:47):
was more like a gift shop. A woman on the
shorter side, wearing a sports jacket and a friendly smile,
greeted Sean and Curtis when they entered. She said, in
a sweet voice, what brings you guys in today? Curtis
put his hand on Shawn's back. My nephew is fromout
(20:07):
a town. I'm just showing you what Grove City is
all about it. I figured this would be a good
place to start. Absolutely, I'm Teresa Breckinridge, she said with
a smile, shaking Shaan's hand and then Curtis's. She looked
down at Sean. Grove City has been named the best
hometown in Ohio two years in a row now, so
you're definitely in the presence of comfort, hospitality, and monsters,
(20:32):
Sean impulsively said out loud, although he initially intended for
it to be an inner thought. The two adults went
quiet and just looked at each other. You we'll just
look around, Curtis finally said. Teresa nodded. I'm sure as
to how to continue the conversation. Let me know if
you have any questions. Curtis began to show Sean around
(20:55):
the store, completely ignoring the monster comments he had just
blurted out. They looked at Grove City t shirts or
made gifts, books by independent authors who lived nearby, and
local baked goods. It gave Sean an idea of the
tight knit community that Grove City was by the pictures
on the wall and the books and pamphlets scattered about
(21:15):
the store. It looked like it was a town rich
in history. He also saw a blue and white sign
proudly displayed that read Grove City Best Hometown twenty twenty
three and twenty twenty four by Ohio Magazine. Curtis's cell
phone rang, and he looked at the screen. It's your aunt, Jade,
he said, give you a bit at Sean. Curtis answered
(21:38):
the phone and stepped away, speaking softly as to not
disrupt the quiet atmosphere of the store, even though there
was no one else in there. Teresa walked up to
Sean with her hands in the pockets of her sports jacket.
Monster huh, she said. Sean turned and faced her. Finally,
he thought someone actually acknowledged the elephant in the room. Yeah,
(22:00):
Sean said softly, So his uncle wouldn't hear him. What
is going on in this town. There's a curfew, weird secrets,
something about a monster attack last night. Well, what's it
all about? Teresa smiled and then whispered. Don't tell your
uncle I said anything, She said. He clearly doesn't want
you to worry, But there have been some weird sightings
(22:22):
around town lately. People say they've seen a giant wolf
standing upright on two legs. A wolf standing on two legs,
Sean whispered, back, you mean, are you talking about a werewolf?
Teresa nodded. There have been stories of were wolves in
Ohio for a long time, and it's always been speculated
(22:43):
that we had some here in the area. But lately
that speculation became more of a truth. People have seen
it in every part of town. Something seems to have
stirred it up, rustled it out of hiding, and now
last night it attacked that poor skylark guy. It never
attacked anyone before. That would explain the secrecy and curfew.
(23:04):
Sean said, why will my uncle just tell me all that?
Then he's just trying to keep you safe, to keep
you from worrying, Teresa said, she took a deep breath.
We just hope it doesn't get worse. We have no
idea why the sightings and activity have escalated so much lately.
A werewolf is a predator, Sean said, probably top of
(23:26):
the food chain. What would have it all riled up?
Teresa shrugged, leaving the haunting answer to the question lingering
in the air. Once Curtis was finished, with his phone call.
He and Sean left the visitor center. They grabbed ice
cream across the street at Strawser's Ice Cream, Pop and
Candy Shop, and then drove around town as Curtis pointed
(23:49):
out places he found interesting or worth showing off, but
Sean wasn't paying much attention to any of it. He
was focused on what Teresa Breckinridge had told him. Grove
City had a werewolf, and for some reason, that werewolf
had been triggered and turned into an aggressive, dangerous threat.
(24:10):
The day came to an end, and once the sunset,
the curfew took effect. Storefronts displayed there closed for curfew signs,
Shoppers scrambled for their last second purchases, and a heavier
police presence patrolled the streets. Teresa Breckinridge walked out of
the visitor center and closed the door. After arming the
(24:31):
security system, she made sure the door was locked. She
pulled her coat tightly around her body and slung her
purse over her shoulder. Broadway was silent. A cold breeze
blowed down the street. Dead leaves scratched across the road.
The festival fall flags and the light poles fluttered gently
Teresa felt a chill of unease. Something made a noise
(24:54):
behind her, and she spun around. There was nothing, no
one on the sidewalk in either direction. A police car
turned off a Broadway and onto Park Street, only a
block away. Other than that, there wasn't another car in sight. Hello,
she called out, knowing that she heard something. That A
(25:15):
howl erupted in the night, and it was close. Teresa's
heart dropped. She turned and ran, cutting down the narrow
alley between businesses. Suddenly, the howl ripped through the cold
night air again. Teresa stopped at the end of the
alley by a public parking lot. She looked up. Perched
upon the top of the building, with the full moon
(25:36):
at its back, was the werewolf. It stood on its
hind legs, arched its back and howled again. Then it crouched,
locked its hungry eyes on Teresa, and pounced. There was
(25:59):
no hiding it now. Neither Uncle Curtis nor Aunt Jade
could ignore the questions and quote unquote elephants in the room.
There was a werewolf in Grove City, and it had
attacked another person. Teresa Breckinridge, the sweet woman who worked
at the Grove City visitor center. Seawn and Curtis had
just seen her the previous day, so when Sean woke
(26:22):
up again to a deja vu image of a reporter
on TV talking about a vicious attack the night before,
he was naturally unnerved, scared, and worried. You're not leaving
the house again, Jade insisted, when she noticed Sean creep
into the living room, not until your parents get back
tomorrow morning. Even though Jade acknowledged Shawn's presence, Curtis hadn't.
(26:48):
His attention was glued to the TV, never wavering. They
couldn't even try to hide it now if they wanted to.
The madness was too public. Over an easy breakfast of
brown sugar o meal and milk, Curtis and Jade finally
filled Shone in on everything they knew. There had always
been rumors and sightings. Just as Teresa had indicated, there
(27:10):
were reports of eerie howells in the night, some of
which were even caught on security footage and ring cameras
around town. They'd become more frequent lately though. People were scared.
Parents were afraid to let their kids outside, especially at night.
That's why the curfew had been put in place. Now
the sightings and scary sounds had escalated into brutal attacks.
(27:35):
The humble comic store owner and the friendly face of
the visitor center had fallen victim to the werewolf. The
big question now was why why had the werewolf become
so violent and enraged? Something must have happened to trigger it.
The legends always describe werewolves as men or women who
(27:56):
have been cursed. Jade said they transformed into the beast.
Otherwise they looked like normal, average people. Sow the werewolf
could be anyone, Sean concluded. Curtis nodded, Yeah, absolutely it
he would. What could have stirred the creature into a rage, though,
Jane wondered, up until now, it's always just been rumored
(28:19):
to be around, nothing aggressive, just alleged sightings. Why the
sudden change to violence. It must feel threatened, Curtis said,
something Ye towned must have changed. Curtis couldn't help but
look up at Sean. The attacks didn't happen until Sean
(28:39):
went cold. There was no way his uncle was about
to blame him for the attacks. He was innocent. Whatever
was happening was a Grove City thing. It had nothing
to do with his arrival. It couldn't. There was a
knock on the front door, startling all three of them
at the breakfast table. Curtis caught his breath and stood up, crossed,
(29:00):
saying through the house and opening the front door. From
where Sean and Jade still sat. They couldn't see who
Curtis was talking to. Then Curtis and the man at
the door both appeared in the kitchen. Sean stood up, Hey, Sean.
The man said it was Reese, the next door neighbor.
Sean hesitantly waved. His uncle stepped in and said, sids,
(29:22):
the police are urging people to stay inside today. Reese
was wondering if you'd like to help him clean out
his attic. It'll give you something to do. It'll also
give you fifty bucks, Reese added, with a generous smile.
Fifty bucks. Sean mumbled. He thought about it for a moment,
and then the fifty bucks that bounced around inside his
(29:44):
head won him over. He sure, Sean agreed a little
while later, Curtis walked Sean next door, saw he'd made
it inside safely, and then returned home to do whatever
it was that Uncle Curtis was going to do. Reyes
stood in his living room with his hands in his pockets.
Bongo sat next to him, panting. Is it okay if
(30:05):
I pay you what? We're all wrapped up? Reese asked.
Sean nodded great, follow me. Reyese led Seawan down the
hall and then directed his attention to an attic hatch
on the ceiling. Reese pulled the cord and a wooden
ladder unfolded, lowering to the floor. After you, Reese said,
(30:25):
Shawn never realized attics made him nervous until this very moment.
He swallowed and took a deep breath before he ascended
the wooden steps. The attic was messy. It didn't take
Sean long to realize why Reese was so needy for
his uncle's help. There were boxes, bags, piles of clothing,
(30:46):
a tall antique mirror, and a mannequin in a corner
covered in a pretty extensive collection of dust and spiderwebs. Man,
there's stuff everywhere, Sean said, secretly, disgusted by the mess.
It was in complete contrast to the neat and presentable
way in which Reese was dressed and acted. Ryese laughed, Yeah,
(31:08):
I haven't trying to get your uncle to help me
for a little while, but between you and I, I
feel like he's blowing me off. Sean didn't respond. He
knew the truth, and obviously Reese did too. How long
have you lived here, Seawan asked, a grove city. Riese
pondered with a sigh, A long time, Sean laughed, You know,
(31:30):
look old enough to have been anywhere for a long time.
Yese didn't respond to Sean's speculation. He just stuffed his
hands in his pockets and looked around the attic, finally
landing his gaze on the far corner there. Rees said,
we'll start by cleaning out over there. That's where I'm
gonna put it. Put what Yese smiled again. I have
(31:52):
an important delivery coming this afternoon. The mailman should be
delivering it fairly soon. Actually, Jeff, Sean remembered the mail
man's name. Riese seemed surprised. Yeah, that's right, Jeff. You
have a good memory. Isn't today Sunday? Sean asked, there's
no mail delivery on Sunday? A good memory and a
(32:14):
keen sense, Riese smirked, Actually, the mail does deliver some
priority packages on Sundays. He patted Sean on the back,
start moving some of those boxes, and I'll grab a
broom and dustpan from downstairs. We can try to tag
team this thing and get you out of here a
little quicker. Reese descended the wooden steps, leaving Sean alone
(32:34):
in the attic. He shuffled through the hot mess, first
moving the tall antique mirror out of the way. Once
that was settled along the wall, he started moving boxes
out of the corner. He lined them up around the
mirror first, and then just started putting them wherever he
felt like it. In the kitchen, Reese opened the closet
door and pulled out a wooden broomstick. He reached in
(32:54):
further to find the dustpan. Once he found it, he
closed the closet door and turned around. Bongo stood in
his way. Riese could tell something was wrong. What is it, boy,
Reese said, kneeling down and petting his nervous dog on
the head. Bongo was shaking. Something had him rattled. Reese
stood up and froze. He felt it now too, something
(33:18):
was wrong. A cool breeze blew through the house, letting
him know that a window or door was open. There
was someone in the house. Reese looked to his left,
where his knife block sat on the counter. If there
was an intruder, he could reach the knives. Their steel
blades would certainly help fight off an attack. They just wouldn't. Suddenly,
(33:41):
the werewolf jumped up from behind Reese, raging and mashing
its teeth. Reese dropped to the ground Bongo skittered backwards,
his nails frantically clicking against the tile floor. Reese struggled
to stand up, using the wooden broomstick as leverage, but
the werewolf yanked the broomstick out of his hands and
ferociously snapped it over his hairy knee. Rhys's eyes widened
(34:03):
as they focused solely on the broken, splintered ends of
the broomstick. The werewolf lunged forward, with the broken ends
of the broomstick stabbing downward, but Reese was quick, too
quick for the werewolf. He rolled wildly until he was
in the clear. He stood up and faced the hulking,
hairy beast. The monster, now angered, tossed the broomsticks away
(34:25):
and charged Reese. GeSe backed up, but the wall stopped him.
The werewolf opened its mouth, its teeth glistening with thick saliva.
Reese had nowhere to go. He had no time to scream.
(34:46):
Sean had stopped working in the attic. He cowered behind
the tall antique mirror, listening to chaos unfolds downstairs, the
crashing sounds, the snarls and growls. Sean knew it had
to be another werewolf attack. He closed his eyes tightly
and tried to control his breathing, thinking of poor Ree
(35:07):
as the house below it went silent. He waited for
what felt like hours but was maybe only five minutes.
He didn't hear Reese. He didn't hear Bongo. He didn't
hear a monster. He thought of his aunt and uncle
(35:27):
next door, and wondered if he'd be able to make
a break for it, to make a push for help.
Otherwise he'd be trapped in the attic. Sean came out
from behind the mirror and crept across the attic floor.
The wooden planks creaked beneath him as if the house
was groaning in pain. He slowly made his way down
the steps of the pull down ladder and cautiously turned
(35:47):
the corner and into the kitchen, where he assumed the
chaotic struggle had taken place. He was right on the floor.
Bunched up against the far wall was Reese. He was
surrounded by broken glass and covered in deep lacerations. Sean
covered his mouth, trying not to scream or throw up,
(36:07):
and spun around, rushing through the house for the front door.
He threw it open and was stopped dead in his
tracks by Jeff, the mealman, who was setting a large
package down on the front steps. Jeff, just as startled
as Sean was, jumped back and grabbed his chest. Whoo.
Jeff gasped, I didn't know you were I didn't expect.
(36:29):
He looked next door to his aunt and uncle's house.
Are you in the right house? Behind Sean? Echoing through
the house was the sound of a door opening, the
back door in the kitchen. Perhaps. Sean looked back to
Jeff panicked. The werewolf is here, Sean exclaimed, it killed Reese.
It's suddenly. Jeff was attacked from behind, but it wasn't
(36:51):
from the sharp claws or razorlike teeth of a werewolf.
It was from Reese, smacking him over the back of
the head, where he splintered broken brooms. Jeff crumbled to
the ground, and Sean watched the mailman fall unconsciously. Sean
looked up at Rhees, who was smiling maliciously. The deep
lacerations that covered his body all healed before Sean's very eyes,
(37:14):
like a magic trick. Sean fell weak faint. It was
all too much for him. His eyes rolled into the
back of his head and he collapsed to the floor
just inside of the house. When Sean opened his eyes,
he was back in the attic, laying on an old
(37:34):
mattress atop a pile of musty sheets and blankets. His
eyes opened in heavy blinks, his surroundings coming back to
him as blurry images and muffled noises, almost as if
he were underwater. He heard something metal clanging. He heard
scampering and thrashing. Sean rolled over, opening up his vision
to the entirety of the attic, and what he saw
(37:57):
bade him sit up as quickly as he could and
press his back against the wall. It was the werewolf,
the vicious beast that had been terrorizing Grove City. It
paced back and forth, puffing angrily within the claustrophobic confines
of a shimmering silver cage. Next to the cage on
its side sat the box that Jeff had sat on
(38:17):
the porch. It was open, with smaller boxes and instructions
from inside of it pouring out. Sean could see that
the instructions were on how to put together the large
silver cage that now took up a good portion of
the attic, in the exact spot where Rehyese wanted Sean
to start cleaning up. God the werewolf, noticing that Sean
(38:39):
was now awake, lowered its head and leered at him
from across the attic with its piercing yellow eyes. It snarled,
fixed saliva dripping from between its teeth. Oh stop it,
A voice said. Yes. Stepped out from the shadows from
behind the antique mirror and stood in front of it
as he smacked the silver cage as hard as he could. Bongo,
(39:00):
his loyal dog, was at his side. The werewolf cowered
and slunk back into a sitting position. Sean stood up
slowly and stepped off the mattress. You were dead, Sean trembled.
I saw you in the kitchen. AB been dead for
(39:24):
a long time, rhese said, with a sarcastic chuckle, hearkening
back to their earlier conversations. Undead to be exact, the
word undead bounced around briefly in Shawn's head before we
landed on another word, vampire. Sean now noticed something else.
Rees didn't display a reflection, and the tall antique mirror
(39:48):
he now stood in front of Shawn's heart skipped a beat.
Of course, he thought were wolves and vampires. One of
the world's oldest rivalries was playing out right here in
Grove City. You look like you have a lot of questions,
Reese said, don't worry, You're not in danger. Jeff, on
the other hand, hyes. Turned back to the beast. It
(40:11):
cowered lower and then began to transform. Its fur receded,
as did its snout and teeth. Within seconds, Jeff was
the one within the silver cage. Crouched and afraid in
torn clothing, He stood up and gritted his teeth, taking
a step forward, but careful not to come into contact
with the silver bars of the cage. He glared at Reese.
(40:34):
You killed my brother, Jeff growled. Breese smirked. I wish
it could have been sooner, but I must give credit
where credit is due. You and your brother were hard
to track down. Nice choice by staying in the shadows
all these years. If it wasn't for Bongo, I wouldn't
have had the help needed to really narrow you guys down.
(40:56):
A dog can always track A dog even picked up
his eyes narrowed. I didn't realize losing him would send
you into this sort of animalistic rage, though, rhese laughed.
It's a good thing I'm stopping you now before you
hurt someone else. How many people would have to lose
their lives because you're upset, Jeff? Jeff slunk back further
(41:20):
into the cage, shadows crawling over his face. We both
can't live here, Jeff wear Wolves and vampires. We just
don't mix, you know that, Reese said. But after striking
up a relationship with my loyal Bongo here, who effortlessly
helped me to snuff you two out, I began to
wonder what if? What if a vampire could domesticate a
(41:46):
were wolf and use it to his advantage. What if,
under the right circumstances, a vampire and a werewolf could
be the ultimate team up of horrors. Sean just stood back,
watching him listen. At first, he believed Reese when he
told him he wasn't in any danger, But now, as
he watched Reese discussing teaming up two monsters for a
(42:09):
rain of horror. He wasn't so sure what would those
horrors consist of. Sean was convinced now that he was
in danger, just as all of Grove City was. Sean
tried to quietly shuffle himself toward the attic door, but
stopped when he cackle from Reese sent a cold shiver
through his body. You might not be able to see
(42:30):
me in the mirror, but I can see you, Reese said.
He spun around and faced Sean, now bearing a set
of fangs and black eyes. He hissed and raised his
arms up. It was now or never. Sean bolted for
the open attic door and dropped down into the house.
He didn't stick the landing and crumbled to the floor.
(42:51):
Scrambling to his feet, he raced for the kitchen, but
a heavy gust of wind whirled up beside him, cutting
him off and manifested itself as Reese fan is still showing,
his eyes still as black as night. Sean stopped and
looked around for a weapon or anything to defend himself,
but came up empty. Sad, I've lived here a long time, Sean,
(43:14):
this is my town. G Reecee hissed, and now with
the werewolf population and Grove City under my control, I
don't see why I can't help myself to a celebratory feast.
Rays raised his hands up limply in front of his body.
I think I'll start by tapping your neck, he malevolently said.
(43:37):
That's always a classy move. As Reese took a step
towards Sean, a knock on the back door shattered the tention.
Sean prayed it was salvation. Reese was annoyed by the interruption. Bongo, however,
raced into the room and wagged his tail vigorously at
the back door. Reese's entire body turned around as if
(43:58):
he were on a swivel and faced the door. After
a moment of unnerving silence, Bongo's tails stopped wagging and
he backed away. The door then lasted in off its hinges,
crashing into Reese and knocking him to the floor. Two
large werewolves stood intimidatingly in the doorway and then made
their way in. Sean backed up and hid underneath the
(44:19):
kitchen table. One of the werewolves, heaving its body up
and down with each massive breath it took, grabbed Reese
by the neck and slammed him into the wall. The
second werewolf grabbed the closest wooden chair and smashed it
into a hundred pieces on the floor, only keeping one
(44:40):
of the splintered legs in its grasp. Everything happened so
fast Reese barely had time to react. With one last
hiss from the vampire, the werewolf plunged the broken chair
leg deep into Terese's chest. As of course, a wooden
stake threw the arch was the only way to eliminate
(45:02):
such a threat. Teresa's body turned black like ash and
spilled to the ground in a dusty cloud. Both were
wolves then began to transform back to their human forms,
right in front of Shawn. When he saw who they were,
he was stunned at first surprised, but then it all
made sense. If you're bitten by a were wolf, you
(45:26):
become a were wolf. Teresa Breckenridge stood in the kitchen
along with a bearded man sporting a Skylarks Toys and
Comics ball cap. Teresa extended her hand and helped Shawn
out from underneath the table and to his feet. She smiled,
You don't look that surprised, she said, you both were
(45:47):
attacked by a werewolf. Sean said, now you are were wolves.
Teresa nodded, as did Darren Neff, the humble owner of Skylarks.
It was pretty mad when Jeff attacked me, but now
I understand why he did, Darren said. Being the lest
of his kind in the area, he knew there was
a chance of permanent extinction. He was recruiting help of
(46:10):
future and honestly, Darren said, looking his body over, this
is pretty darn cool. I mean, who doesn't dream of
being a werewolf. The morge is gonna realize our bodies
are gone soon enough, Teresa said to Darren, But also
for Sean's sake, we need to get Jeff and leave town,
to settle somewhere else, somewhere safe where no one will
(46:32):
recognize our faces. Jeff's locked in a silver cage, Sean said, bah,
but I can help get him out. Teresa smiled, Thank you, Sean,
that would be wonderful you saved me. Sean said, let
me save you guys. The next morning, a new mystery
(46:54):
around Grove City began to spread like wildfire. Two corpses
from the Morgue, both victims of werewolf attacks, had disappeared,
and the locals now began to fear the walking dead zombies,
while others were closer than they thought, suggesting the two
corpses were now where wolves themselves. There was simply just
(47:14):
no sign of them, and Sean knew why. Teresa Breckinridge
and Darren neph had left town along with Jeff the mailman.
He wasn't sure where they would end up, but he
knew their goal was to live peacefully somewhere hidden away
from any other vampiric threats. Uncle Curtis and Aunt Jade
(47:35):
remained oblivious to the horrors that had transpired right next
door to them, and although Reese's sudden absence was certainly
strange to them, they just assumed it was another example
of a young man moving on to bigger and better
things with his life. It's that inter debt, Curtis vaguely said,
without much explanation behind his re svanishing theory, but it
(47:57):
was enough to satisfy him and Jade. When Shawn's parents
picked him up, they thanked Curtis and Jade for their
hospitality and said their goodbyes. Shawn settled into the back
seat of the family car for the drive home before
eventually heading down to North Carolina forever, planning to keep
the identities of the Grove City werewolves a secret. After
(48:18):
a couple of weeks in North Carolina, Shawn received a
copy of the Grove City Messenger and the mail from
his uncle with a handwritten note that said.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Thought you'd like this to remember your time here in
Grove City. Fun fact, the sightings seemed to have stopped.
Now there was a front page article written by Andrea
Cordle titled Grove City Home of Monsters. Skimming through the article,
Sean read about the sightings, the mystery and intrigue that
(48:49):
surrounded the recent werewolf activity, plus a whole slew of
other unknown horrors that may have lurked just beneath the
surface of the town. And it seemed that Andrea really
did her research on the local ominous goings on, because,
based on what Sean could tell from the article, Grove
City may have had even more than just a werewolf
(49:12):
and vampire problem. Now, Sean was very curious about the
ghosts that were said to haunt the Grove City Library
after hours, but that would have to be a story
for another time.
Speaker 1 (49:27):
The end micro terroers would like to thank Darren Neff
from Skylark's Toys and Comics, Teresa Breckinridge from the Grove
City Visitor Center, Andrea and Deborah Cordle from the Grove
City Messenger, Mike Strausser from Strausser's Ice Cream, Pop and
Candy Shop, Tyler and Heidi Walker from Tammy's Pizza, and
(49:51):
Casey Cox and Meredith Wickham from the Grove City Library
for letting us use their likeness and mention their businesses
in our story. By the way, there are no werewolves
or vampires in Grove City, Ohio that we are aware of.
I'm your micro Terrors narrator Darren Marler from me and
(50:12):
Scott Donnelly, we hope you have a very happy and
safe Halloween
August was in full swing in Grove City, Ohio. A
late October chill creeped through the night air, stirring up
leaves and rustling the naked branches of the trees. And
Andrea Cordle's backyard. Sitting by her crackling fire pit and
wrapped tightly in an Ohio State football hoodie, she typed
on her laptop, putting the final touches on her Trick
(00:23):
or Treat safety tips article for the Grove City Messenger,
the local publication she worked for. Her phone rang, silencing
the crickets in her backyard, and she answered it. Hello,
She said, Andrea, I just wanted to check to see
how the werewolf article was coming. A man's voice said.
Andrea sighed, I told you I'm not doing the werewolf article.
(00:46):
I don't believe in things like that. And I feel
like this town has gotten itself worked up into a
little panic over nothing. It's the spooky season, she said.
Of course something like this would be trying to make
headlines around town. Sounds like a fluff piece to me, Andrea.
The man said, I think we need to cover it.
There's a curfew in effect. The police don't put a
(01:08):
curfew in effect for fluff pieces. Andrea sighed, but before
she could respond, she heard something in the trees her backyard.
Hugged to the edge of a small wooded area. Hold on,
she whispered into the phone. Andrea held the phone down
by her side and tried to focus her eyes on
the dark tree line ahead of her. Everything went silent
(01:30):
aside from the crackling fire. Then, without warning, a vicious
arcane howl erupted from the woods. Andrea panicked and jumped
to her feet. She ran for the back door of
her house. That's when she heard the heavy, persistant gallop
of a large animal behind her, clamoring through the backyard
after her snarling wickedly, she blew through the back door
(01:52):
and slammed it shut. As Andrea tried to settle her
nerves and catch her breath, she heard the haunting howl
of the unseen beat again, echoing in the cold night outside.
After the forty five minute trip, Sean Dyer's family car
finally came to a stop. With his father behind the
(02:15):
wheel and his mother and the passenger seat. They pulled
into the driveway of a small little house off Kingston
Avenue in Grove City, Ohio. Shawn's dad turned the engine
off and opened his door. His mother did the same,
but Sean remained seated, strapped in with his seatbelt, nervous
to leave the comforts of the family car. You coming,
(02:35):
His dad called back, in a cool rush of the
crisp autumn air, slipping in through the open door. Sean sighed,
even though he didn't want to, Even though he wanted
to go with his parents to North Carolina for the
weekend instead of staying with family that he barely ever saw,
he knew it was a lost cause. The plane tickets
(02:56):
were already paid for, only two of them, and his
aunt and uncle were expecting them. Chances were they had
probably already noticed the car pulled into the driveway. Shawn
glanced out the window and up to the house. His
aunt and uncle, who he hadn't seen in about two years,
were standing on the porch waving with huge smiles on
their faces. Yep, they already knew. It didn't take long
(03:23):
for Sean's parents to get him settled in, unpacked, and
re acquainted with his dad's brother and his wife. Uncle
Curtis was a good man for a good job. He
liked bad movies even worse music, and still favored the
video games of his youth to the ones of today,
well into his thirties. His wife, Aunt Jade, was as
friendly as someone could be. Sean hadn't been in their
(03:45):
home for two minutes before Aunt Jade had offered to
make him hot chocolate and homemade pumpkin cookies. As much
as Sean wanted to feel comfortable, he struggled sullenly for
the weekend. He told himself, then Mom and Dad, I
will be back, and I'll be heading home just in
time for Halloween. Sean's parents had been gone for only
(04:07):
an hour when Sean felt the first nervous butterfly in
his stomach. It was like the butterfly was lost, tying
aimless knots inside of him. He was homesick. Sean found
his way outside and sat on the porch steps. He
breathed in the cool autumn air, watched the leaves trickle
(04:28):
down from the trees, and took a gander at the
Halloween decorations his aunt and uncle's neighbors had on full display.
It was the first time he felt like smiling, but
still couldn't muster up the energy to do so the
front door behind him opened, and Uncle Curtis came out,
sitting down next to Sean with a cup of steaming
hot shy tea in his hands. Do it okay, he asked.
(04:52):
Sean nodded. Uncle Curtis took a small sip from his
tea and looked around the neighborhood. I love this neighborhood
hallowed time, he said, looking at the blowing spider web
decorations across the street, the inflatable vampire bluey next door
to it, and the skeletal spider that had been fastened
atop a nearby mailbox. It provides me of the neighborhood
(05:14):
your dad and I grew up in. Uncle Curtis looked
down to Sean and, after another sip of tea, said,
I still can't believe he's moving you all to North Carolina,
and I wish he wasn't. Sean said, I like Ohio.
Uncle Curtis took a deep breath. Me too, especially Grove City.
(05:35):
I've lived here with that jade for nearly a decade now.
It's the perfect small, towed feel but close enough to
everything big. It's the best of both worlds. Sewan didn't
saym interested, and Uncle Curtis noticed. He smiled, I'll take
you for a tour tomorrow, Uncle Curtis said, Just you
would be. Jade has some work stuff to do. Anyways,
(05:58):
I'll show you all the cool things. Right there's a
comic bookstore, parks some of the best pizza you'll ever have.
Uncle Curtis trailed off on his pizza comment, and Sean
couldn't tell if it was because he was trying to
think of other places to mention, or that he now
had a hankering for a pizza. Just then, the sound
of footsteps crunching through leaves caught Sean's attention. He looked
(06:21):
up and saw a mail carrier, a middle aged man
dressed in the standard blue uniform and carrying a satchel
filled with letters and small parcels, walking through the neighbor's
yard and into his aunt and uncle's. Uncle Curtis stood up.
Good afternoon, Jeff. He greeted his neighborhood mailman with a smile. Jeff.
The mailman briefly eyed the sky. The sun was already
(06:42):
heading toward the horizon, leaving a bright orange glow in
the sky. More like evening, Jeff said, handy Curtis a
handful of letters, just trying to get done before dark.
Shaw noticed something strange in Jeff's tone when he mentioned
trying to get done before for dark, it didn't seem
to come from a place of work related distress, but
(07:05):
from somewhere else. Curtis's demeanor changed as well. His friendly
greeting trailed off, just as his pizza comment did moments earlier.
Be safe, Jeff, get back. You get home as soon
as you can'd. Jeff nodded with a smile. This is
my last street before I'm done, so I think I'm
in the clear, hopefully. Curtis smiled. See you to borrow
(07:29):
here too. Jeff smiled and then nodded in Sean's direction
before moving on to the next house. As Curtis sat
back down on the porch step, Sean kept his eye
on Jeff hurrying through the leaf covered yard. Jeff's bid
our bail carrier for years. Curtis said to Sean, good guy,
he just lost his brother a couple of weeks back.
(07:50):
He hasn't met himself since then. I can't imagine losing
someone that close to me. Sean didn't verbally respond, but
just watched Jeff cross the yard into the next one.
The neighbor's front door opened, and a dog rushed out
to greet Jeff with a friendly wag of its tail.
A man appeared at the door next. He looked to
be in his late twenties. The man accepted a handful
(08:13):
of male from Jeff before the nervous mailman hurried on
his way again. The neighbor then turned and waved to Sean.
Sean hesitantly waved back, and Curtis noticed that's Reese. Curtis said,
he's lived there since before Jade and I moved in.
Nice guy. He's doing some work at his attic that
he keeps asking by help with, but I keep finding
(08:33):
new ways to blow him off. Rhese rounded up his
dog and the two of them disappeared back into their house.
He's got a nice dog, Sean said. Most dogs I
know hate the male man. Yeah, Buggo is what of
a kind? Bongo? Sean laughed, realizing that he had finally
(08:54):
broken a smile and it felt good. Curtis, noticing this
as well, decided to capital on a craving that had
been building within him. What pizza for dinner? He asked?
There's a place on Broadway called Tabby's Pizza. It's the
best you'll ever have, I promise. Sean smiled again. I
could eat some pizza. Pizza it is, Curtis said, standing
(09:16):
up and swallowing the last gulf of his tea. He
looked to the sunset and his tone slightly changed again.
Oh we'd better hurry, though, it'll be dark, sued Sean
couldn't help, but wonder why did everyone seem so nervous
about the dark. Uncle Curtis pulled his car along the
(09:41):
curb a Broadway, right in front of Tammy's Pizza. The
establishment was much smaller than Sean would have predicted, but
he'd always been told the smaller the place, the better
the food. I'll be right back, Curtis said, turning off
the car and taking the keys with him. As soon
as he opened the car door to leave, Seawan could
all ready smelled the pizza, and it smelled incredible. While
(10:04):
his uncle went inside to pick up and pay for it,
Sewn looked out the windows, getting his first real look
at downtown Grove City. He did have that small town feel,
like his uncle had said. Shops, restaurants, and businesses lined
both sides of Broadway. Festival fall flags hung on the
light poles and Halloween decorations sat inside the glass windows
(10:26):
of the businesses. The orange glow in the sky had
become blinding for a moment and then dulled. The sun
had set, and the lingering light made the sky look beautiful. However,
it wouldn't last long. It was just after six pm
and it would be dark very soon. There was a
knock on the passenger window, which startled a gasp from Sean.
(10:49):
He looked up and saw a uniformed police officer. Once
Sean caught his breath, he cracked the door open, a
familiar knot of nerves running to his stomach. Yes, he
asked where your parents. The officer asked, My uncle's in there,
Sean said, pointing behind the officer to Tammy's pizza. He's
getting our dinner. The officer turned around just in time
(11:11):
to see Curtis coming out with two large pizzas in
his hands. Is there a problem, officer, Curtis asked, sun's setting.
The officer said, there's a curfew in effect. Unless you
have to be on the road, you shouldn't be I understand,
Curtis said, we're on our way home now. Actually, the
officer nodded. He looked back down at Sean and then
(11:32):
addressed Curtis. Keep your kniff you safe, he said, I will,
Curtis replied. The officer then walked away, and Curtis sat
the pizzas in the back seat of the car. He
climbed into the driver's seat and started it out. Why
is there a curfew? Sean asked curiously. Curtis didn't answer
(11:52):
for a minute. There's there's just bits of strange things
happening around here lately. He turned to Sean and faked
a smile. Nothing to worry about. Curtis faced forward and
stepped on the gas. He pulled out into traffic and
drove the two of them home. Oddly, he didn't mention
anything else about the curfew, which only made Sean more curious.
(12:24):
A little over an hour later, across town Grove, City's
coolest store, Skylarks Toys and Comics, saw its last customer
of the night leave. Darren Neff, the store's bearded, humble owner,
adjusted his ball cap, which sported the Skylark's logo, and
then locked the door. He peered out into the night,
but couldn't see much because of the glare from the
(12:46):
light inside the store. He turned off the buzzing open sign,
locked the door, and then returned to his place behind
the counter. The cash register opened and Darren began to
count the drawer. Then something in his peripheral vision caught
his eye. Ahead of him, down an aisle of vintage
Ninja turtles and Power Rangers toys, and out the front windows,
(13:08):
a large shadow passed by. Darren waited to see if
whoever it was would walk back again, but things out
in front of the store seemed still. He went back
to counting his cash drawer. Suddenly he was interrupted by
a sharp, strident scratching sound on the glass, as if
someone were dragging the ties of a metal rake across it. Hey, here,
(13:31):
you stop it, Darren shouted, rushing out from behind the
counter and to the locked side of his door. The
scratching sound had come to an abrupt stop. Darren squinted
and peered outside, but the store's lights still made it
hard to see anything in the night. Suddenly, Darren watched
us out of piercing yellow eyes a knight on the
other side of the glass, and then narrow into a
(13:51):
menacing leer. He saw a flash of sharp teeth next,
and then crash. The window exploded inwards. A massive, very
beast cloud through along with the shattering glass. It snarled,
gnashed its jaws, and thrashed its claws. The attack was quick. Afterward,
(14:19):
Skylark's toys and comics sat in an eerie silence. Only
the scampering, galloping footsteps of the beast could be heard
fleeing from the scene. Then it released a horrible howl
into the night. Sean awoke the next morning, having surprisingly
(14:44):
slept soundly all night long. His first thoughts were of
Tammy's pizza. Could that pizza have been so good that
I forgot all of my troubles? He thought? As he
rolled out of bed, he looked around the room he
was in. It felt strange to him. It wasn't here's room.
It was a spare bedroom at his aunt and uncle's
house in Grove City. The more he thought about it,
(15:05):
he didn't even have a room anymore. His old one
didn't count since his parents were in North Carolina signing
the final paperwork on a new house. That's why he
was forced to spend the weekend with extended family that
he didn't know very well. Sean heard the muffled voices
of his uncle Curtis and Aunt Jade down the hallway.
(15:25):
He went to the door and put an ear to it,
but still couldn't make out much of what they were saying,
so he cracked the door open about an inch. That
was enough to catch the last moments of their conversation
down the hall. It's never attacked anyone before. Don't you
find this concerning, Jade quietly said. There was silence from
Curtis for a moment, but then he responded, I can't
(15:47):
believe this is actually happening. A mounster it grove city.
Curtis led out a quick, nervous laugh. Who would have
ever thought, huh that, poor man, Jade said, I know.
Curtis responded, and I planned on digging Sean to Skylarks today.
Guess that will be happening. Uncle Curtis and Aunt Jade
(16:10):
went silent after that, so Shawn emerged from his room
and crept down the hallway. The floorboards creaking beneath his
feet gave him away, though. As he turned the corner
into the living room, he saw his aunt and uncle
sitting around the TV. Drinking coffee. On the TV was
a news reporter standing in front of a local Grove
City business. At the bottom of the screen were the
(16:31):
words Grove City business owner attacked by local legend police. Baffled.
Uncle Curtis was quick to turn off the TV as
soon as Sean made his creaky entrance into the room,
and Jade stood up and put on a forced fake smile.
Good morning, Sean, Did you sleep okay? Yeah? Sean coldly replied.
(16:54):
He'd quickly grown tired of his aunt and uncle's secrecy
and whatever it was that had been going on in
Grove City, a curfew, a monster, Sean wanted answers. After
breakfast in the shower, Sean followed Uncle Curtis out the
front door and was immediately stung by the brisk temperatures
(17:15):
of the late morning hours. I was going to show
you the Coviic bookstore today, but Curtis searched for the
right words. They're closed. Sean rolled his eyes. Did his
uncle really think he was that stupid? He saw the
TV screen he heard his and aunt Jade's hushed conversation. Instead,
(17:37):
I'll take you back down to Broadway, Curtis said, jingling
the car keys in his hand. The library is amazing.
We could get some ice cream at Strauser's afterwards. Oh,
at the Grove City Visitors Center. That's where we should start.
There's so much local flare in there. You'll really see
what this town is all about. Oh, you mean, aside
(17:58):
from monsters and secrets, Sean thought to himself. He just
nodded along as his uncle lunlocked the car. Morning neighbor.
A man's voice shouted from behind them. Sean turned around
just as Curtis did. They saw Reyese, the young twenty
something next door, raking his yard boardd Reese. Curtis smiled
(18:19):
and waved. I see he got some company there, Curtis,
Reese said, taking a break from his autumn chore. Bongo
lay in the leaves nearby, with his head up, alert
as dogs always were. This is my dep you showed.
He stayed with us for the weekend. Reese waved again.
Hi Sean, I'm Reese. Nice to meet you. Sean nodded shyly.
(18:41):
You too. I like your dog, Reese laughed, Oh, Bongo here. Yeah,
he's a good boy, very loyal. That's the best quality
of a dog. Reese then turned his attention back to
Curtis and changed the subject. You know I could still
use a little help in the attic, Curtis, think you
have an Hourisota spend this weekend? Sean watched his uncle
(19:03):
panic and scramble for an excuse. Uh uh, baby, I'll
let you know. I'm taking Sean around today. Not sure
what tomorrow's going to bring. Reese nodded. He wasn't stupid.
He knew Curtis was trying to avoid helping. It wasn't
very neighborly. Well, you guys had a good day, Reese said,
(19:25):
you too, Reese, Curtis said as he climbed into the
car Sean got into, and then they drove off. The
Grove City visitor Center on Broadway was smaller than Sean expected.
When his uncle said visitor center, his young mind immediately
went to the finale of Jurassic Park. But this place
(19:47):
was more like a gift shop. A woman on the
shorter side, wearing a sports jacket and a friendly smile,
greeted Sean and Curtis when they entered. She said, in
a sweet voice, what brings you guys in today? Curtis
put his hand on Shawn's back. My nephew is fromout
(20:07):
a town. I'm just showing you what Grove City is
all about it. I figured this would be a good
place to start. Absolutely, I'm Teresa Breckinridge, she said with
a smile, shaking Shaan's hand and then Curtis's. She looked
down at Sean. Grove City has been named the best
hometown in Ohio two years in a row now, so
you're definitely in the presence of comfort, hospitality, and monsters,
(20:32):
Sean impulsively said out loud, although he initially intended for
it to be an inner thought. The two adults went
quiet and just looked at each other. You we'll just
look around, Curtis finally said. Teresa nodded. I'm sure as
to how to continue the conversation. Let me know if
you have any questions. Curtis began to show Sean around
(20:55):
the store, completely ignoring the monster comments he had just
blurted out. They looked at Grove City t shirts or
made gifts, books by independent authors who lived nearby, and
local baked goods. It gave Sean an idea of the
tight knit community that Grove City was by the pictures
on the wall and the books and pamphlets scattered about
(21:15):
the store. It looked like it was a town rich
in history. He also saw a blue and white sign
proudly displayed that read Grove City Best Hometown twenty twenty
three and twenty twenty four by Ohio Magazine. Curtis's cell
phone rang, and he looked at the screen. It's your aunt, Jade,
he said, give you a bit at Sean. Curtis answered
(21:38):
the phone and stepped away, speaking softly as to not
disrupt the quiet atmosphere of the store, even though there
was no one else in there. Teresa walked up to
Sean with her hands in the pockets of her sports jacket.
Monster huh, she said. Sean turned and faced her. Finally,
he thought someone actually acknowledged the elephant in the room. Yeah,
(22:00):
Sean said softly, So his uncle wouldn't hear him. What
is going on in this town. There's a curfew, weird secrets,
something about a monster attack last night. Well, what's it
all about? Teresa smiled and then whispered. Don't tell your
uncle I said anything, She said. He clearly doesn't want
you to worry, But there have been some weird sightings
(22:22):
around town lately. People say they've seen a giant wolf
standing upright on two legs. A wolf standing on two legs,
Sean whispered, back, you mean, are you talking about a werewolf?
Teresa nodded. There have been stories of were wolves in
Ohio for a long time, and it's always been speculated
(22:43):
that we had some here in the area. But lately
that speculation became more of a truth. People have seen
it in every part of town. Something seems to have
stirred it up, rustled it out of hiding, and now
last night it attacked that poor skylark guy. It never
attacked anyone before. That would explain the secrecy and curfew.
(23:04):
Sean said, why will my uncle just tell me all that?
Then he's just trying to keep you safe, to keep
you from worrying, Teresa said, she took a deep breath.
We just hope it doesn't get worse. We have no
idea why the sightings and activity have escalated so much lately.
A werewolf is a predator, Sean said, probably top of
(23:26):
the food chain. What would have it all riled up?
Teresa shrugged, leaving the haunting answer to the question lingering
in the air. Once Curtis was finished, with his phone call.
He and Sean left the visitor center. They grabbed ice
cream across the street at Strawser's Ice Cream, Pop and
Candy Shop, and then drove around town as Curtis pointed
(23:49):
out places he found interesting or worth showing off, but
Sean wasn't paying much attention to any of it. He
was focused on what Teresa Breckinridge had told him. Grove
City had a werewolf, and for some reason, that werewolf
had been triggered and turned into an aggressive, dangerous threat.
(24:10):
The day came to an end, and once the sunset,
the curfew took effect. Storefronts displayed there closed for curfew signs,
Shoppers scrambled for their last second purchases, and a heavier
police presence patrolled the streets. Teresa Breckinridge walked out of
the visitor center and closed the door. After arming the
(24:31):
security system, she made sure the door was locked. She
pulled her coat tightly around her body and slung her
purse over her shoulder. Broadway was silent. A cold breeze
blowed down the street. Dead leaves scratched across the road.
The festival fall flags and the light poles fluttered gently
Teresa felt a chill of unease. Something made a noise
(24:54):
behind her, and she spun around. There was nothing, no
one on the sidewalk in either direction. A police car
turned off a Broadway and onto Park Street, only a
block away. Other than that, there wasn't another car in sight. Hello,
she called out, knowing that she heard something. That A
(25:15):
howl erupted in the night, and it was close. Teresa's
heart dropped. She turned and ran, cutting down the narrow
alley between businesses. Suddenly, the howl ripped through the cold
night air again. Teresa stopped at the end of the
alley by a public parking lot. She looked up. Perched
upon the top of the building, with the full moon
(25:36):
at its back, was the werewolf. It stood on its
hind legs, arched its back and howled again. Then it crouched,
locked its hungry eyes on Teresa, and pounced. There was
(25:59):
no hiding it now. Neither Uncle Curtis nor Aunt Jade
could ignore the questions and quote unquote elephants in the room.
There was a werewolf in Grove City, and it had
attacked another person. Teresa Breckinridge, the sweet woman who worked
at the Grove City visitor center. Seawn and Curtis had
just seen her the previous day, so when Sean woke
(26:22):
up again to a deja vu image of a reporter
on TV talking about a vicious attack the night before,
he was naturally unnerved, scared, and worried. You're not leaving
the house again, Jade insisted, when she noticed Sean creep
into the living room, not until your parents get back
tomorrow morning. Even though Jade acknowledged Shawn's presence, Curtis hadn't.
(26:48):
His attention was glued to the TV, never wavering. They
couldn't even try to hide it now if they wanted to.
The madness was too public. Over an easy breakfast of
brown sugar o meal and milk, Curtis and Jade finally
filled Shone in on everything they knew. There had always
been rumors and sightings. Just as Teresa had indicated, there
(27:10):
were reports of eerie howells in the night, some of
which were even caught on security footage and ring cameras
around town. They'd become more frequent lately though. People were scared.
Parents were afraid to let their kids outside, especially at night.
That's why the curfew had been put in place. Now
the sightings and scary sounds had escalated into brutal attacks.
(27:35):
The humble comic store owner and the friendly face of
the visitor center had fallen victim to the werewolf. The
big question now was why why had the werewolf become
so violent and enraged? Something must have happened to trigger it.
The legends always describe werewolves as men or women who
(27:56):
have been cursed. Jade said they transformed into the beast.
Otherwise they looked like normal, average people. Sow the werewolf
could be anyone, Sean concluded. Curtis nodded, Yeah, absolutely it
he would. What could have stirred the creature into a rage, though,
Jane wondered, up until now, it's always just been rumored
(28:19):
to be around, nothing aggressive, just alleged sightings. Why the
sudden change to violence. It must feel threatened, Curtis said,
something Ye towned must have changed. Curtis couldn't help but
look up at Sean. The attacks didn't happen until Sean
(28:39):
went cold. There was no way his uncle was about
to blame him for the attacks. He was innocent. Whatever
was happening was a Grove City thing. It had nothing
to do with his arrival. It couldn't. There was a
knock on the front door, startling all three of them
at the breakfast table. Curtis caught his breath and stood up, crossed,
(29:00):
saying through the house and opening the front door. From
where Sean and Jade still sat. They couldn't see who
Curtis was talking to. Then Curtis and the man at
the door both appeared in the kitchen. Sean stood up, Hey, Sean.
The man said it was Reese, the next door neighbor.
Sean hesitantly waved. His uncle stepped in and said, sids,
(29:22):
the police are urging people to stay inside today. Reese
was wondering if you'd like to help him clean out
his attic. It'll give you something to do. It'll also
give you fifty bucks, Reese added, with a generous smile.
Fifty bucks. Sean mumbled. He thought about it for a moment,
and then the fifty bucks that bounced around inside his
(29:44):
head won him over. He sure, Sean agreed a little
while later, Curtis walked Sean next door, saw he'd made
it inside safely, and then returned home to do whatever
it was that Uncle Curtis was going to do. Reyes
stood in his living room with his hands in his pockets.
Bongo sat next to him, panting. Is it okay if
(30:05):
I pay you what? We're all wrapped up? Reese asked.
Sean nodded great, follow me. Reyese led Seawan down the
hall and then directed his attention to an attic hatch
on the ceiling. Reese pulled the cord and a wooden
ladder unfolded, lowering to the floor. After you, Reese said,
(30:25):
Shawn never realized attics made him nervous until this very moment.
He swallowed and took a deep breath before he ascended
the wooden steps. The attic was messy. It didn't take
Sean long to realize why Reese was so needy for
his uncle's help. There were boxes, bags, piles of clothing,
(30:46):
a tall antique mirror, and a mannequin in a corner
covered in a pretty extensive collection of dust and spiderwebs. Man,
there's stuff everywhere, Sean said, secretly, disgusted by the mess.
It was in complete contrast to the neat and presentable
way in which Reese was dressed and acted. Ryese laughed, Yeah,
(31:08):
I haven't trying to get your uncle to help me
for a little while, but between you and I, I
feel like he's blowing me off. Sean didn't respond. He
knew the truth, and obviously Reese did too. How long
have you lived here, Seawan asked, a grove city. Riese
pondered with a sigh, A long time, Sean laughed, You know,
(31:30):
look old enough to have been anywhere for a long time.
Yese didn't respond to Sean's speculation. He just stuffed his
hands in his pockets and looked around the attic, finally
landing his gaze on the far corner there. Rees said,
we'll start by cleaning out over there. That's where I'm
gonna put it. Put what Yese smiled again. I have
(31:52):
an important delivery coming this afternoon. The mailman should be
delivering it fairly soon. Actually, Jeff, Sean remembered the mail
man's name. Riese seemed surprised. Yeah, that's right, Jeff. You
have a good memory. Isn't today Sunday? Sean asked, there's
no mail delivery on Sunday? A good memory and a
(32:14):
keen sense, Riese smirked, Actually, the mail does deliver some
priority packages on Sundays. He patted Sean on the back,
start moving some of those boxes, and I'll grab a
broom and dustpan from downstairs. We can try to tag
team this thing and get you out of here a
little quicker. Reese descended the wooden steps, leaving Sean alone
(32:34):
in the attic. He shuffled through the hot mess, first
moving the tall antique mirror out of the way. Once
that was settled along the wall, he started moving boxes
out of the corner. He lined them up around the
mirror first, and then just started putting them wherever he
felt like it. In the kitchen, Reese opened the closet
door and pulled out a wooden broomstick. He reached in
(32:54):
further to find the dustpan. Once he found it, he
closed the closet door and turned around. Bongo stood in
his way. Riese could tell something was wrong. What is it, boy,
Reese said, kneeling down and petting his nervous dog on
the head. Bongo was shaking. Something had him rattled. Reese
stood up and froze. He felt it now too, something
(33:18):
was wrong. A cool breeze blew through the house, letting
him know that a window or door was open. There
was someone in the house. Reese looked to his left,
where his knife block sat on the counter. If there
was an intruder, he could reach the knives. Their steel
blades would certainly help fight off an attack. They just wouldn't. Suddenly,
(33:41):
the werewolf jumped up from behind Reese, raging and mashing
its teeth. Reese dropped to the ground Bongo skittered backwards,
his nails frantically clicking against the tile floor. Reese struggled
to stand up, using the wooden broomstick as leverage, but
the werewolf yanked the broomstick out of his hands and
ferociously snapped it over his hairy knee. Rhys's eyes widened
(34:03):
as they focused solely on the broken, splintered ends of
the broomstick. The werewolf lunged forward, with the broken ends
of the broomstick stabbing downward, but Reese was quick, too
quick for the werewolf. He rolled wildly until he was
in the clear. He stood up and faced the hulking,
hairy beast. The monster, now angered, tossed the broomsticks away
(34:25):
and charged Reese. GeSe backed up, but the wall stopped him.
The werewolf opened its mouth, its teeth glistening with thick saliva.
Reese had nowhere to go. He had no time to scream.
(34:46):
Sean had stopped working in the attic. He cowered behind
the tall antique mirror, listening to chaos unfolds downstairs, the
crashing sounds, the snarls and growls. Sean knew it had
to be another werewolf attack. He closed his eyes tightly
and tried to control his breathing, thinking of poor Ree
(35:07):
as the house below it went silent. He waited for
what felt like hours but was maybe only five minutes.
He didn't hear Reese. He didn't hear Bongo. He didn't
hear a monster. He thought of his aunt and uncle
(35:27):
next door, and wondered if he'd be able to make
a break for it, to make a push for help.
Otherwise he'd be trapped in the attic. Sean came out
from behind the mirror and crept across the attic floor.
The wooden planks creaked beneath him as if the house
was groaning in pain. He slowly made his way down
the steps of the pull down ladder and cautiously turned
(35:47):
the corner and into the kitchen, where he assumed the
chaotic struggle had taken place. He was right on the floor.
Bunched up against the far wall was Reese. He was
surrounded by broken glass and covered in deep lacerations. Sean
covered his mouth, trying not to scream or throw up,
(36:07):
and spun around, rushing through the house for the front door.
He threw it open and was stopped dead in his
tracks by Jeff, the mealman, who was setting a large
package down on the front steps. Jeff, just as startled
as Sean was, jumped back and grabbed his chest. Whoo.
Jeff gasped, I didn't know you were I didn't expect.
(36:29):
He looked next door to his aunt and uncle's house.
Are you in the right house? Behind Sean? Echoing through
the house was the sound of a door opening, the
back door in the kitchen. Perhaps. Sean looked back to
Jeff panicked. The werewolf is here, Sean exclaimed, it killed Reese.
It's suddenly. Jeff was attacked from behind, but it wasn't
(36:51):
from the sharp claws or razorlike teeth of a werewolf.
It was from Reese, smacking him over the back of
the head, where he splintered broken brooms. Jeff crumbled to
the ground, and Sean watched the mailman fall unconsciously. Sean
looked up at Rhees, who was smiling maliciously. The deep
lacerations that covered his body all healed before Sean's very eyes,
(37:14):
like a magic trick. Sean fell weak faint. It was
all too much for him. His eyes rolled into the
back of his head and he collapsed to the floor
just inside of the house. When Sean opened his eyes,
he was back in the attic, laying on an old
(37:34):
mattress atop a pile of musty sheets and blankets. His
eyes opened in heavy blinks, his surroundings coming back to
him as blurry images and muffled noises, almost as if
he were underwater. He heard something metal clanging. He heard
scampering and thrashing. Sean rolled over, opening up his vision
to the entirety of the attic, and what he saw
(37:57):
bade him sit up as quickly as he could and
press his back against the wall. It was the werewolf,
the vicious beast that had been terrorizing Grove City. It
paced back and forth, puffing angrily within the claustrophobic confines
of a shimmering silver cage. Next to the cage on
its side sat the box that Jeff had sat on
(38:17):
the porch. It was open, with smaller boxes and instructions
from inside of it pouring out. Sean could see that
the instructions were on how to put together the large
silver cage that now took up a good portion of
the attic, in the exact spot where Rehyese wanted Sean
to start cleaning up. God the werewolf, noticing that Sean
(38:39):
was now awake, lowered its head and leered at him
from across the attic with its piercing yellow eyes. It snarled,
fixed saliva dripping from between its teeth. Oh stop it,
A voice said. Yes. Stepped out from the shadows from
behind the antique mirror and stood in front of it
as he smacked the silver cage as hard as he could. Bongo,
(39:00):
his loyal dog, was at his side. The werewolf cowered
and slunk back into a sitting position. Sean stood up
slowly and stepped off the mattress. You were dead, Sean trembled.
I saw you in the kitchen. AB been dead for
(39:24):
a long time, rhese said, with a sarcastic chuckle, hearkening
back to their earlier conversations. Undead to be exact, the
word undead bounced around briefly in Shawn's head before we
landed on another word, vampire. Sean now noticed something else.
Rees didn't display a reflection, and the tall antique mirror
(39:48):
he now stood in front of Shawn's heart skipped a beat.
Of course, he thought were wolves and vampires. One of
the world's oldest rivalries was playing out right here in
Grove City. You look like you have a lot of questions,
Reese said, don't worry, You're not in danger. Jeff, on
the other hand, hyes. Turned back to the beast. It
(40:11):
cowered lower and then began to transform. Its fur receded,
as did its snout and teeth. Within seconds, Jeff was
the one within the silver cage. Crouched and afraid in
torn clothing, He stood up and gritted his teeth, taking
a step forward, but careful not to come into contact
with the silver bars of the cage. He glared at Reese.
(40:34):
You killed my brother, Jeff growled. Breese smirked. I wish
it could have been sooner, but I must give credit
where credit is due. You and your brother were hard
to track down. Nice choice by staying in the shadows
all these years. If it wasn't for Bongo, I wouldn't
have had the help needed to really narrow you guys down.
(40:56):
A dog can always track A dog even picked up
his eyes narrowed. I didn't realize losing him would send
you into this sort of animalistic rage, though, rhese laughed.
It's a good thing I'm stopping you now before you
hurt someone else. How many people would have to lose
their lives because you're upset, Jeff? Jeff slunk back further
(41:20):
into the cage, shadows crawling over his face. We both
can't live here, Jeff wear Wolves and vampires. We just
don't mix, you know that, Reese said. But after striking
up a relationship with my loyal Bongo here, who effortlessly
helped me to snuff you two out, I began to
wonder what if? What if a vampire could domesticate a
(41:46):
were wolf and use it to his advantage. What if,
under the right circumstances, a vampire and a werewolf could
be the ultimate team up of horrors. Sean just stood back,
watching him listen. At first, he believed Reese when he
told him he wasn't in any danger, But now, as
he watched Reese discussing teaming up two monsters for a
(42:09):
rain of horror. He wasn't so sure what would those
horrors consist of. Sean was convinced now that he was
in danger, just as all of Grove City was. Sean
tried to quietly shuffle himself toward the attic door, but
stopped when he cackle from Reese sent a cold shiver
through his body. You might not be able to see
(42:30):
me in the mirror, but I can see you, Reese said.
He spun around and faced Sean, now bearing a set
of fangs and black eyes. He hissed and raised his
arms up. It was now or never. Sean bolted for
the open attic door and dropped down into the house.
He didn't stick the landing and crumbled to the floor.
(42:51):
Scrambling to his feet, he raced for the kitchen, but
a heavy gust of wind whirled up beside him, cutting
him off and manifested itself as Reese fan is still showing,
his eyes still as black as night. Sean stopped and
looked around for a weapon or anything to defend himself,
but came up empty. Sad, I've lived here a long time, Sean,
(43:14):
this is my town. G Reecee hissed, and now with
the werewolf population and Grove City under my control, I
don't see why I can't help myself to a celebratory feast.
Rays raised his hands up limply in front of his body.
I think I'll start by tapping your neck, he malevolently said.
(43:37):
That's always a classy move. As Reese took a step
towards Sean, a knock on the back door shattered the tention.
Sean prayed it was salvation. Reese was annoyed by the interruption. Bongo, however,
raced into the room and wagged his tail vigorously at
the back door. Reese's entire body turned around as if
(43:58):
he were on a swivel and faced the door. After
a moment of unnerving silence, Bongo's tails stopped wagging and
he backed away. The door then lasted in off its hinges,
crashing into Reese and knocking him to the floor. Two
large werewolves stood intimidatingly in the doorway and then made
their way in. Sean backed up and hid underneath the
(44:19):
kitchen table. One of the werewolves, heaving its body up
and down with each massive breath it took, grabbed Reese
by the neck and slammed him into the wall. The
second werewolf grabbed the closest wooden chair and smashed it
into a hundred pieces on the floor, only keeping one
(44:40):
of the splintered legs in its grasp. Everything happened so
fast Reese barely had time to react. With one last
hiss from the vampire, the werewolf plunged the broken chair
leg deep into Terese's chest. As of course, a wooden
stake threw the arch was the only way to eliminate
(45:02):
such a threat. Teresa's body turned black like ash and
spilled to the ground in a dusty cloud. Both were
wolves then began to transform back to their human forms,
right in front of Shawn. When he saw who they were,
he was stunned at first surprised, but then it all
made sense. If you're bitten by a were wolf, you
(45:26):
become a were wolf. Teresa Breckenridge stood in the kitchen
along with a bearded man sporting a Skylarks Toys and
Comics ball cap. Teresa extended her hand and helped Shawn
out from underneath the table and to his feet. She smiled,
You don't look that surprised, she said, you both were
(45:47):
attacked by a werewolf. Sean said, now you are were wolves.
Teresa nodded, as did Darren Neff, the humble owner of Skylarks.
It was pretty mad when Jeff attacked me, but now
I understand why he did, Darren said. Being the lest
of his kind in the area, he knew there was
a chance of permanent extinction. He was recruiting help of
(46:10):
future and honestly, Darren said, looking his body over, this
is pretty darn cool. I mean, who doesn't dream of
being a werewolf. The morge is gonna realize our bodies
are gone soon enough, Teresa said to Darren, But also
for Sean's sake, we need to get Jeff and leave town,
to settle somewhere else, somewhere safe where no one will
(46:32):
recognize our faces. Jeff's locked in a silver cage, Sean said, bah,
but I can help get him out. Teresa smiled, Thank you, Sean,
that would be wonderful you saved me. Sean said, let
me save you guys. The next morning, a new mystery
(46:54):
around Grove City began to spread like wildfire. Two corpses
from the Morgue, both victims of werewolf attacks, had disappeared,
and the locals now began to fear the walking dead zombies,
while others were closer than they thought, suggesting the two
corpses were now where wolves themselves. There was simply just
(47:14):
no sign of them, and Sean knew why. Teresa Breckinridge
and Darren neph had left town along with Jeff the mailman.
He wasn't sure where they would end up, but he
knew their goal was to live peacefully somewhere hidden away
from any other vampiric threats. Uncle Curtis and Aunt Jade
(47:35):
remained oblivious to the horrors that had transpired right next
door to them, and although Reese's sudden absence was certainly
strange to them, they just assumed it was another example
of a young man moving on to bigger and better
things with his life. It's that inter debt, Curtis vaguely said,
without much explanation behind his re svanishing theory, but it
(47:57):
was enough to satisfy him and Jade. When Shawn's parents
picked him up, they thanked Curtis and Jade for their
hospitality and said their goodbyes. Shawn settled into the back
seat of the family car for the drive home before
eventually heading down to North Carolina forever, planning to keep
the identities of the Grove City werewolves a secret. After
(48:18):
a couple of weeks in North Carolina, Shawn received a
copy of the Grove City Messenger and the mail from
his uncle with a handwritten note that said.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Thought you'd like this to remember your time here in
Grove City. Fun fact, the sightings seemed to have stopped.
Now there was a front page article written by Andrea
Cordle titled Grove City Home of Monsters. Skimming through the article,
Sean read about the sightings, the mystery and intrigue that
(48:49):
surrounded the recent werewolf activity, plus a whole slew of
other unknown horrors that may have lurked just beneath the
surface of the town. And it seemed that Andrea really
did her research on the local ominous goings on, because,
based on what Sean could tell from the article, Grove
City may have had even more than just a werewolf
(49:12):
and vampire problem. Now, Sean was very curious about the
ghosts that were said to haunt the Grove City Library
after hours, but that would have to be a story
for another time.
Speaker 1 (49:27):
The end micro terroers would like to thank Darren Neff
from Skylark's Toys and Comics, Teresa Breckinridge from the Grove
City Visitor Center, Andrea and Deborah Cordle from the Grove
City Messenger, Mike Strausser from Strausser's Ice Cream, Pop and
Candy Shop, Tyler and Heidi Walker from Tammy's Pizza, and
(49:51):
Casey Cox and Meredith Wickham from the Grove City Library
for letting us use their likeness and mention their businesses
in our story. By the way, there are no werewolves
or vampires in Grove City, Ohio that we are aware of.
I'm your micro Terrors narrator Darren Marler from me and
(50:12):
Scott Donnelly, we hope you have a very happy and
safe Halloween
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