Walking through the woods at night as a wolfman was quite the experience as he could alter his sense of smell, sight and hearing at will though he had no time to be fascinated. He had to get back to his wife and daughter. He had to save them. He had to find out why Woodsman was doing this. Thinking about this, his nose picked up a familiar yet not too familiar scent. It was not something or maybe someone he knew, but he remembered smelling it before. It was one of the lingering scents left behind at his family’s country home. He followed his nose while also listening closely to a faint voice. 

“Why do I have to be all alone out here in the woods? It’s dark, cold and kind of scary.” the lanky deputy looked around him in the deer hide while holding his walkie talkie. 

“What’s the matter, Strauss? You afraid that that the wolfman is gonna come and get ya?” the deputy in a hat back at the cabin pulled up a kitchen chair to sit across from the basement door. 

“Not funny, Styx! I’m serious here!” Strauss whined. 

“And so am I. Quit yer belly achin’ and remember, if you see Mr. Crescent, shoot’ im. Say he was havin’ one of them schizophrenic episodes and ya had to defend yerself. Got it? We’re gettin’ paid good money for this.” Styx reminded him. 

“Ok. Ok. I know what to do. I just... hope he comes soon. I don’t like it here.” Strauss looked around again not realizing Carl was right under the deer hide. 

“And I don’t like your complainin’. Radio back when the job’s done or if you got a real problem.” he shut off the walkie talkie “Damn fraidy cat.” 

Strauss took a deep breath and resumed looking through the night vision goggles, then bolted up upon hearing a knock beneath him. He got his gun ready and turned around in various directions like a turretthough the only thing he saw was a rabbit. He chuckled in relief, but then heard a growl behind him. He trembled and whimpered while turning around slowly to face Carl as he now was. 

Carl tore the nightvision goggles off “You were expecting me?!” 

Strauss screamed while pointing his gun, but because he ran backwards while doing so, he would up stumbling right out of the deer hide falling into the ground face first and losing his rifle. He scrambled around to find it, but Carl found did first and broke it in half over his knee like a twig. The crooked deputy began crawling backwards away while trying to radio in his partner. 

“STYX!! STYX!! THERE REALLY IS A WOLFMAN!! HE’S HERE!! HE’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF-” Strauss was cut off when Carl grabbed the walkie talkie and crushed it while growling “P-Please! Don’t eat me!” 

“I wouldn’t eat you if I was starving, but if you don’t cooperate, I’m gonna hurt you as bad as I can!” Carl grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up off the ground “Why are you and the others working for Woodsman?!” 

“H-He paid us! G-g-good money! L-Lots of m-money! F-Five h-hundred th-thousand!” Strauss stammered through sweating. 

“And this job involves holding my friend, daughter and wife hostage?!” Carl growled. 

“Your f-friend? D-Daughter- Wait, YOU are C-Carl Crescent? YOU are the wolfman? Does th-that mean-” Strauss’ eyes widened. 

Carl pulled him close “I ask! You answer! So answer!” 

“Yes! Yes! Yes! It includes kidnapping the kid, driving you as crazy as possible then killing you and eventually silencing that other guy now that he knows too much while making sure your wife is ok!” he confessed while being on the verge of tears. 

“What do you mean making sure my wife is ok? Isn’t she a hostage too?” Carl was confused. 

“N-No. She ain’t. I don’t know why. I didn’t ask.... Please don’t hurt me...” Strauss begged. 

“It looks like I’m going to have to talk to Woodsman himself.” Carl’s expression calmed down a bit as he lowered him but then jabbed him in the neck with the tranquilizer dart. 

Strauss yelped and whimpered again before going limp. Carl then put him back in the deer hide tying up his arms and legs before resuming his trek towards the cabin. 

“Whaddya mean there really is a Wolfman?” Brick laughed while smoking his cigar. 

“I mean that kook Strauss called me up screamin’ bloody murder that there really is Wolfman and while he got cut off, I think he was also tryin’ to say it was right in front of’ im. He hasn’t called in since and won’t pick up when I call him.” Styx shrugged. 

“Did he also mention if this Wolfman’s bringin’ over the Frankenstein Monster and Dracula too?” Brick laughed before shaking his head “This is Strauss were talkin’ about. That darn fool thought our jail cells were haunted. Probably saw a shadow and then fainted.” 

“Then it’s up to you to do your jobs if you still want to get paid.” Woodsman interrupted them. 

“We’ll do it. We’ll do it. Wolfman. Hahahahaha!” Brick sat in the chair to stand guard of the basement door. 

“I say Strauss doesn’t get no cut no more. I’m sick of that guy.” Styx grumbled while going outside. 

In the basement, Katie sat on the floor next to Joe who was handcuffed to the metallic shelf. Joe looked around and noticed the chickens going in and out. 

“Katie, do you see the chicken shelter there? Go look at the tunnel they use and see how big it is.” Joe suggested. 

Katie did so despite being confused “It’s... not that big. Why?” 

“Is it big enough for YOU to fit?” Joe then asked. 

“Yeah. It is. You want me to go through?” she asked nervously. 

“Yes. Take the flashlight here, and go to Lisa’s. She’s closest. Nobody will see or hear you. The tunnel leads behind the house.” Joe instructed her. 

“But what about you, Joe?” she was scared. 

“I’ll be fine. Just go, Katie. These villains must be stopped.” Joe urged her and she complied taking the spare flashlight from the shelf and began crawling through the tunnel. 

Outside, Styx was about to light a cigarette when he heard a crackle. He looked around carefully but saw nothing. Next, he heard a knock around the side of the cabin and ran over only to see the empty rocking chair rocking itself. 

Styx frowned hard “It’s YOU, isn’t it?! Carl Crescent?! You think you scare me?!” 

“I had no trouble scaring Strauss.” Carl’s voice answered from somewhere close. 

Styx turned shot a round “Big deal! Strauss is scared of everythin’! I ain’t scared of nothin’!” 

“You look scared to me.” Carl replied again from a location that could not be seen. 

Styx shot two rounds this time hitting one of the old pots causing it to explode into pieces “I ain’t in the mood for games! Come out and fight like a man!” 

“Don’t talk to me about being a man, you sleaze.” Carl replied while staying as hidden as ever. 

Styx turned and shot two more rounds causing Brick to be annoyed “What the heck are ya doin’ out there, Styx?!” 

“He’s here! Carl’s here! I’m tryin’ to shoot’ im!” he called back. 

“Then shoot him already, ya idiot!” Brick called back. 

“I’m tryin’! I’m tryin’!” Styx pointed his gun and looked around “Where are ya?!” 

“Guess.” Carl only replied and Styx began shooting everywhere in a fit of anger until his gun was empty. 

As he looked down to his belt to get more bullets to refill his gun, he noticed something through the old floorboards of the deck. He paused to look and while it was too dark to make out any detail, it was most definitely a face that looked off with two glowing yellow eyes. 

“Hello?” Carl waved causing Styx to jerk back and drops his bullets all over the deck. 

The crooked deputy cursed as he tried to collect whatever bullets didn’t fall through the floorboards while Carl rolled out from beneath the deck and jumped up. 

“DEAR LORD!!” Styx gasped just before Carl threw a tranquilizer dart into his shoulder “AH!! Dammit! You are real!! There really is... a... Wolf.... man....” 

Carl stood over the now unconscious Styx as he heard a voice behind him “Dad?” 

He turned his head and saw Katie looking at him “K-Katie, don’t be afrai-” 

“LOOK OUT!!” she screamed, but she was too late as Brick came up behind Carl and clubbed him behind the head. 

He fell down letting out a yelp and got back up staggering “Katie, get back!” 

“Son of a one eyed mule! There really is a Wolfman and he was you the whole damn time! No wonder you’re crazy!” Brick laughed and grinned sinisterly “I wonder what kind of reward there is to reap for slayin’ the Wolfman?” 

“Shut up!” Carl got up, but froze when Brick brandished his handgun. 

“Down, boy! Ahahahahaha!” Brick then turned his head towards Katie who was crouched down “And how in tarnation did you get out?” 

She turned and ran. 

“Hey, come back here, you brat!” Brick hollered while turning his gun towards her. 

Carl lunged at him, knocking him off his feet while making him drop the gun before wrestling him. Carl had strength, but his opponent was still armed with a club that he had no trouble using. He tried to reach for the tranquilizer darts, but he wound up dropping them during the brawling. After getting hit in the face for the third time, Brick managed to knock him off into the grass. He could not find his handgun, so he took the pitchfork instead. 

“So this is the big bad wolf around these parts? Hahahaha! I ain’t impressed!” Brick mocked him while walking towards him. 

“I never cared for impressing anyone.” Carl growled. 

“Well, that along with the obvious explains why your little woman don’t care for ya.” Brick mocked him further before attempting to stab him with the pitchfork. 

Carl managed to jump away and raced right behind him to tackle him. Brick fell face forward, before Carl turned him over and punched his lights out. Before he could even stand, he heard a click while a light shone on him. 

“Hands or whatever I should call those now up. Now.” Woodsman commanded and Carl complied “Now turn around.” 

Upon doing so, he saw that Woodsman was holding Katie hostage and had a flashlight pinned to his trenchcoat. 

“I never liked you, Rich.” he growled. 

Woodsman studied him and smirked “I can’t tell if this raises more questions or explains everything. No matter. The plan about you dying stands. Maybe I’ll sell your body to the army to study and dissect you considering how well you fight. Any last words?” 

“Why are you doing this and where’s Veronica?!” Carl glared at him hatefully. 

“I’m doing this because I want these lands. They are the perfect place to build a beautiful resort and then some, but as long as you own them, I can’t. However, if Veronica was to become a widow, everything would become hers by default.” Woodsman explained. 

“And you think that Veronica would be more cooperative than me or cooperate at all after everything you’ve done here and intend to do?” Carl scoffed. 

“Veronica is my partner in all of this. We’ve been planning this entire operation for months, but we just needed a proper middle of nowhere to do it, and your childhood home is just perfect. Her role was to get you alone out here and separate you from your medication. Then, Strauss, Styx and Brick would drive you even crazier after she induced panic in you, then... we’d kill you passing it off as self-defense while claiming you did all the damage to your own home while having a really bad episode.” the businessman explained further “Except it turns out that you’re not crazy. Just a freak. All the same, I still come out of this as the winner and you the loser you’ve always been, Carl.” 

“Why would Veronica be your partner in all of this?! Why would she even be in on this?!” Carl was in disbelief. 

“You don’t, get it, do you? Veronica and I are in love. We have been for three years now.” Richard laughed. 

Carl was stunned “... So those business trips...” 

“Were not just business. Unfortunately, divorcing you was not an option because the courts would be against her, she would pay damages and pay child support, and who knows how much her reputation would suffer no thanks to you being the city’s beloved DIY Guy. However, being a widow solves everything.” Woodsman smugly went on. 

“And what about Katie? What were your plans with her?” Carl dared to ask. 

“Oh, you know how kids are and their wild imaginations, especially when it comes to traumatizing events. At least, that’s how our word against hers would work. Don’t worry, we intended to raise her right while sending her to one of the finest boarding schools.” Woodsman then cocked his gun “Anyway, I think this concludes our conversation.” 

Carl did not flinch “I agree.” 

It was then that someone stabbed Woodsman in the neck with a tranquilizer dart. Katie ran from him as he fainted, revealing that Joe was the one who did it. 

Joe winced while putting his dislocated wrist back in place before sighing in relief “It’s not the most pleasant trick for getting free, but it’s effective. I thought I told you to go to Lisa’s, Katie.” 

“I-I heard guns and dad....” she turned to Carl while keeping her distance “Dad? Is that really you?” 

“It is. It’s me. It’s a very, very long story, but it’s still me and-” Joe got shot from behind and crying out before falling. 

“CAAAAAAAAARL!!” Veronica roared while brandishing the rifle from the deck. 

“RUN, KATIE!!” Carl commanded Katie as they both ran.