Chapter Two
Maisey
I leave the glittering metropolis of New York City and enter the eerie shadows of Central Park.It’s closed this time of night, the gates locked, but I find a gap in the fence and squeeze through.The trees melt into one another, a thick whispering barrier to the skyscrapers, and the stars suddenly have a chance to glow without the ever-present illumination of streetlights and shop windows.
I grip my phone in one hand and bear spray in the other.No sensible woman should be out here.No woman with an ounce of self-preservation would sneak into Central Park in the dead of the night, yet here I am.
I head east, my throat dry and my heart clattering along at a rate of knots.I’m on the hunt for an urban myth story, or at least that’s what my boss Paul has instructed.We have a new column starting up, and apparently it will be putting the “real” into reality.
A spate of attacks and two murders have left the police stumped and conspiracy theories are raging.Strange scratches and teeth marks indicate the culprit could be a wild animal.But the zoo has no report of an escapee, so perhaps some collector of exotic animals has let something go—something big and dangerous and with a taste for human blood.Perhaps it’s a giant vampire bat, or a werewolf, or some monster that’s risen from the rocks in Central Park.
I shiver and pull my coat a little tighter around my neck.A promise of frost hangs in the air and my breath plumes in front of me.
A sudden earsplitting screech to my right.I spin around, phone at the ready to hit “record,” bear spray about to dispense.Fear spikes in my blood and my knees shake preparing for fight-or-flight.
A huge owl swoops overhead.
“Thank fuck for that.”I press my hand to my heart, fearing for its survival, it’s beating so fast.After a few moments I carry on toward the lake.My soft sneakers are silent and my senses are on high alert.
I want to find something to show Paul, of course I do, but equally if I make it home alive with no story, that will also be a good result.
After covering about a quarter of a mile, I hear voices, low, deep male voices.Other than the owl, it is the first sign of life I’ve seen at three a.m.so I stop, half hidden behind a rhododendron, and peer into the shadows.
There’s a bridge that spans a higher walkway, its arch in blackness.And in front of it stand two men.Utterly naked.
One is lean with silver-kissed long hair, the other is chunkier and his black skin almost blends him into the night.Their conversation is being played out in hushed angry tones.It’s clear they know each other and are not happy about something.
I hit “record” on my phone.I’m not sure why, but maybe they are linked to the murders.Who knows?New Yorkers can be an odd bunch.
And then the black guy grabs the other around his neck and draws him close.The act is so intimate that I hide a little further behind the bush knowing I’m being voyeuristic but unable to stop myself.It’s the journalist in me.
The kiss is wild and passionate and they explore each other’s bodies, cocks, butts, and shoulders.They almost meld together, become one, and it’s clear this isn’t the first time they’ve known each other this way.
My heart rate picks up again and heat forms between my legs despite the cold middle-of-the-night air.They’re hot together, seriously sexy, and watching is yanking my chain in a way I never would have expected.
Their breath clouds the air and I check my phone is still recording.It is.And things are heating up.The one with moonlight in his hair is touching the other’s cock.Working him with firm strokes and extracting long deep groans from the dark guy.
“Jeez,” I mutter, wondering just how far they’ll go out here in the park.
But then suddenly the older man snaps away as if electrocuted.He says something in a low deep voice that I don’t catch.My mouth is dry and I gulp as the tension simmers between them, words are exchanged, and then a punch.Another punch, and now they are fighting, rolling on the floor, except they’re not human anymore.One is a sleek black animal, a panther perhaps, and the other a huge dog with snarling sharp teeth.
“Oh, my...”I press my fingers to my lips hardly able to believe what I’m seeing, unable to comprehend what I have stumbled upon and am now witnessing.
The fight is continuing, fur flies, and scary fangs snap.Then they stop suddenly, and I have the distinct impression they sense my presence.My hair flutters in the breeze and I realize I’m upwind of them.
“Damn it.”Quickly I shove my phone into my pocket and back away.Within seconds I’m on the path and running for all I am worth.I imagine I’m being chased by big wild creatures and about to be mauled to death the same way as the previous victims.Deep jagged wounds and multiple bite marks leaving me unrecognizable.
