The Curse of 1977 (Book 2)

Assembled Downtown that following morning was a modest gathering of city officials and Cypress residents. Though not required to do so, the onlookers stood in the baking sun awaiting words from the podium ahead of them from their city's leaders.

Through the throngs of humanity came Akoni on a wooden crutch appearing as if she were as crippled and broken down as an old woman just released from the hospital. Her tattered blue jean bell bottoms and white tank top shirt reeked of must and mildew, while her unkempt, rust brown hair sprung out from just about every direction. Her swollen facial features gave her the appearance of a person who was suffering from an illness, while the rest of her body remained perfectly thin, fit and tall.

Her nostrils kept flaring in and out as she passed by each and every person on her way towards the front of the crowd. The blaring scent of hot, sweaty flesh was always a sweet aroma to Akoni, much like blood to a mosquito. The woman just couldn't help but to sniff each individual, young and old. The overwhelming sensation was slowly causing her fangs to extend.

Unexpectedly the woman stopped short of the marker where police were standing before she caught herself and covered her mouth with her free hand in order to suppress her burgeoning desire.

Approaching the podium was Lieutenant Mayor Colleen Henderson, as well as a host of other city officials, including Leonard Fulton. Colleen stood in front of the microphone before checking to make sure the thing was on.

"Good morning, people of Cypress!" She said out loud. "I am here on behalf of Mayor Findlay, due to the deaths of his sons, to inform the citizens of this city of a very pertinent issue that is currently plaguing our very town! Over the course of the past few days, a very toxic situation has emerged! These animal attacks have not only taken this city under siege, they have also brought understandable fear and panic to our town! But I am here to inform you that our police force has everything under control!"

At once, the crowd began to murmur and holler at Henderson in an obscene manner. Colleen gathered herself and said, "Please, I realize that these attacks are frightening, but hysteria and vigilantism is not the way to go about this situation! Self-imposed, trigger happy hunters are not the answer!"

"What is the answer then?" A male voice shouted from the crowd.

"The answer is calm and allowing our police force to handle this situation the best they know how! The attacks at Topaz and the women's shelter yesterday were very tragic, but this is not New York City, this is Cypress, Ohio, and we shall overcome this, too! Anarchy and chaos are not this city's ways! Law, order and civility are what make each Cypress citizen triumphant! Please, I urge you to obey the mandatory curfew, and by all means do not, I repeat, do not take the law into your own hands! Our city's police force can and will handle this matter to the utmost degree! Thank you all!"

Still, the masses would not be silenced, they continued to rant and groan which in turn only caused Colleen to spin around and study each and every member of her cabinet in dismay.

Leaning hard on her crutch, Akoni stubbornly made her way up the podium steps until she was within earshot of Colleen.

"Captain, please tell me that your people have something on this fucking thing." Colleen stood beside Captain Brickman.

Brickman only scratched at his mustache before saying, "Mrs. Henderson, we're doing everything we can to hunt these things down."

"Things," Leonard nearly chocked. "You never mentioned that there was more than one of these animals! What are these people supposed to

Captain Brickman only gave the man a sharp glance before focusing solely upon Mrs.

inform everyone that there was more than one

gotta be kidding me!" Leonard loudly

there is a whole pack of these things running around. You saw what it did last night at that shelter." She stared hard into Brickman's fidgety, blue eyes. "I don't need to stand here and tell you the price we had to pay." Her voice began to break in mid-sentence. "I think I can speak for us all when I say we could care less what the Mayor has to say. I and every citizen is saying find these things and fucking kill them. I don't care

swallowed heavy and replied,

taken off guard by Akoni who just happened to be standing

pardon, young lady." Colleen

only leaned against her crutch while examining the woman up and

"I am glad to see you in de light

for a brief second before looking back at Akoni

down the steps that led to the crowd. As she fought her way past the humans amongst her, a sudden whiff nearly

searching and sniffing, her senses eventually locked eyes with a face that was standing only ten feet ahead of her. One person

she actually forgot she needed a crutch. Her entire body,

another Akoni couldn't help but to grip her crutch even tighter. The way her aching body

actually here." Akoni said in

"It was not very hard to locate you." Cloyse responded

bottom up. "I see you have cut your hair. Did de old man do dat

Cloyse only remained stalwart against the unraveling crowd amongst him. "My

out stated. "Look around you. Dese people are so ripe. It makes my

not care about dese people. But I do see someting." Cloyse suddenly cocked