Turn me. Part 1

Chapter 4

Kanny arrived in the territory in a borrowed private plane, It looked like a private retreat specially made for this. When he got out, a luxurious black BMW X6 was already waiting for him, it drove right up to the side of the plane.

«Konstantin Nikolayevich?» the driver asked him, not leaving the BMW, but only lowering the glass halfway.

«Yes, that’s me,» Kanny replied, nodding his head.

His rustic appearance did not inspire much confidence, since the driver looked him over, carefully looked at the plane, and only then said in a doubtful tone, pointing to the back seat, «Sit down»

Kanny calmly walked to the back of the car and relaxed with pleasure, as he leaned back in the car seat, it was really comfortable.

Looking at him in the rearview mirror, the driver asked, «Judging by the urgency of the call and the methods used to get you, are you some kind of important bird?»

Kanny smiled modestly and nodded slightly. He was accustomed to both luxury cars and simple and nondescript trucks. During his work, a variety of means of transportation were used, depending on the situation.

«Honestly, I wouldn’t say it,» the driver continued. «What is this? A conspiracy?»

Kanny chuckled a little. «Well, yes, probably to some extent.»

«And what do you do, if not a secret?» This man in a black suit clearly wanted to talk.

«Information,» the werewolf answered curtly.

«Hmm, that’s interesting. And, probably, judging by the situation, under the rubric… top secret?

«If I answer «Yes’, this implies, as you understand, that I can only say a little.»

«I understand,» the driver said with a sigh. «By the way, you never said «yes’ directly.»

They both laughed, and Kanny thought, «Observant type!»

«By the way, my name is Maxim Ildarovich,» the driver continued. «But for you it can be just Maxim.»

«Then I can be just Konstantin.»

«They told me to get you to Antonovka as quickly as possible. Kanny noticed the speedometer, which showed 210 km/h, and thought that in this car the speed was almost imperceptible, even though they were now driving along a country road.

«At the same time, they did not say, what should I do with cameras on the roads? Maybe you can tell me? It’s not that it’s hard for me to pay these fines, it’s just unpleasant when you get them in the mail.»

«Don’t worry, Maxim. While you are driving me, no camera will capture you.»

«How is that? Are you jamming the radar signal?»

No, but… well,» Kanny thought for a moment before answering, «yes, you’re right, it’s kind of like jamming a signal.»

«I shouldn’t tell him that my superiors can turn off any security camera,» the werewolf thought to himself.

«And he is a conspirator, evidently,» Maxim thought, glancing at his passenger through the rear-view mirror, and said aloud, «Apparently, you can’t give me this information, can you? As I understand it, if you work for who I think then I heard that these guys are almost ubiquitous. They can listen to any mobile phone, or get you even through TV, not to mention computers, or, for example, they can turn off the brakes on my car whenever they want.»

«And he knows something, looks as if he reads minds», Kanny thought. «I wonder if he is already at some level of initiation»?

«Do you think it’s real at all?» The BMW driver continued his inquiries.

«You have to be careful with him,» Kanny thought as he answered. «It seems to me that it is no longer a secret for anyone that every mobile phone is at the same time a listening device, and special services have the opportunity not only to hear all our conversations, but in general everything that is within the radius of a mobile phone at any point in time.»

«Even when it’s offline or turned off, right? And that he has an ultra-sensitive microphone, and the same is the case with the latest models of TVs and all without exception tablets, computers, and similar gadgets?» Maxim continued his questions.

«Do you want me to confirm this information, or are you just wondering if I know about all these points?» Kanny smiled back, looking at the driver in the rearview mirror.

«Yes… no… actually,» the driver laughed. «I understand that you won’t blurt out too much to me, and I won’t wait for a direct answer from you. And if for such a nondescript person like you, it was necessary to call a private government plane and turn off my car engine in order for me to answer a cell phone call… Of course, no one advertised to me that my engine was deliberately turned off. I was just driving on business, and did not want to be distracted by the call, and especially if the number was unknown. But when my car stopped, as if rooted to the spot, I had to answer. It turned out that you needed to be met, and moreover urgently. So… I understand that the choice fell on me not by chance, but because I was at that moment very close to that place, and I am one of those who are a little aware. This means that turning off security cameras on the road is also not a problem for you. So, you don’t have to answer. I am not a stupid person, and I am quite capable of building a simple logical chain from a sequence of events. Just wondering, who are these powerful people you work for? Masons? Illuminati?»

«You interestingly raised the question, as if YOU, taking me to the ordered place, do not work for these same people?» Kanny answered a question with a question.

«Hmm… you are right. But I only work indirectly, and you, apparently, directly. I was simply offered to meet you and take you to some godforsaken village for a good amount of money. I was told that my business would wait and I wouldn’t have any problem, showing a fair amount of knowledge about the deal I was going for. Moreover, I was assured that the deal would take place in any case, and I don’t even have to worry about it, because the immediate boss of the director of the company, to whom I was going to meet, is talking to me. Naturally, I agreed, who in my place would not agree? I was left with no choice. I understand perfectly well that a car like mine does not stall just like that. And what? I’m interested! I would like to get to know your superiors better. What do you say? Is it real? Or, when I take you, will I be paid what I’m promised and that’s all?»

Now it was Kanny’s turn to laugh. «You ask me as if I called you and turned off the car engine encouraging you to answer the call. If you hadn’t told me all this, I wouldn’t have known what happened.»

«Oh, so you are the wrong person to ask? Then… where should I turn to?»

Kanny thought for a moment before answering and said while still chuckling. «I think that after everything you have told me, following a simple logical chain, the conclusion suggests itself. You voiced your desire, and it was heard, because you yourself said that your gadget is also a great listening device. So, if you are interested in those whom you talk about, and they are in fact who you think they are, then an offer for cooperation will come to you from them by itself. But in any case, I have absolutely nothing to do with it.»

«Understood,» Maxim said disappointed. «Well, we’ve arrived. So, I did my part, and you didn’t tell me anything specific.

«I didn’t promise you anything,» the werewolf shrugged.

«Cunning!» Maxim thought and with annoyance said, «I agree, there’s nothing I can do. Well, it was nice to meet you.»

With these words, the driver stopped the BMW at the road sign that said «Antonovka’. At the same moment, a black Land Cruiser drove out of the forest and abruptly stopped next to the X6, door to door. The windows of both cars went down almost at the same time.

While Kanny was transferring, the man sitting in the passenger seat handed the limousine driver an envelope and said,» Mr. Andreev, as promised. You can count if you want. We will consider your wishes. Thanks for helping us.» The window closed and the Land Cruiser pulled away smoothly, picking up speed quickly and out of sight.

«Well, yes, I would also like to know who these „we“ he mentioned.», Maxim thought thoughtfully and, having counted the money, took up his mobile phone. Finding a missed call from the director of the firm he was supposed to meet, he held his breath and dialed his number, expecting to hear anything. However, after the first beep, on the other end answered the phone, and he heard a joyful voice:

«Maxim Ildarovich?»

«Yes. It’s me.»

«Yeah. I am glad. This is Konovalov… uh… Valery Petrovich.»

«Yes, Valery Petrovich.»

«Oh, yeah! Well, I got a call about you, so I’m in a hurry to announce to you that… uh… the decision on this matter has already been made. We will definitely work with you… yeah… and so, you can consider that our deal has already taken place. You just need to come and put your signature on our contract. And-and… take your time. The issue has already been finally resolved, so you can do it at any time convenient for you.»

«Hmm, some kind of fantasy!» thought Maxim.

* * *

During the entire journey, those two in front, the driver and the one who was next to him, did not utter a word. Kanny felt so constrained that he was afraid not only to say anything, but to make any sound at all, until the car stopped. It was as if words were completely unnecessary here in this black car. It wasn’t the first time. These men and others like them have always behaved in this way. The werewolf had no idea who they were, and what rank they occupied in the general system, and preferred not to interfere in their business. When they arrived at the place, the two remained motionless and did not even look in his direction when he got out of the car. As soon as he slammed the door behind him, the Land Cruiser moved away and drove back into the forest.

Kanny looked around. The red rays of the setting sun illuminated the tops of the trees, the weather was completely calm, and it was unusually quiet. This place was known to him from the very beginning, when he first experienced transformation. If he were now in the skin of a wolf, he probably would have flattened his ears and tucked his tail, so terrible were the memories.

«Probably, the master is already here and waiting for me,» he thought, and, moving on half-bent, went to the center of the circle, marked by several flat stones located along its perimeter. The feeling of the Spell was so obvious here, that he was ready to get on all fours without waiting for an order. Reaching the center, Kanny, as usual, stripped naked putting his clothes in a bag, lowered his head and froze. It is unknown how much time passed while he stood there. The concept of «time» was somehow lost in this place, and especially in the center of the circle. Five minutes could feel like an eternity, and vice versa, several days felt like five minutes. The evening was chilly, and Kanny was already freezing, when at some point the owner suddenly appeared out of nowhere and put a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch in surprise.

«Are you afraid?» the sorcerer asked in an ingratiating voice. That’s right. You need to be afraid. And even more so now, when we have some problems.» He made an impressive pause and continued with the intonation of the boa named Kaa from a famous cartoon, Jungle Book. «It’s a pity, of course, that we had to interrupt your vacation, but… this is partly your fault, little Kanny. Therefore, in order for us to correct the situation, you will have to stay here a little while.»

Kanny put his head between his shoulders and nodded like a little boy.

«This, apparently, is necessary so that your success does not inflate your head. Remember those two you left alive? So… they still give us problems, and I regret that I also did not remove them immediately because it has created this whole situation. But unlike you, I didn’t cancel them, because they have a relative from the special forces, and these guys are from a camp allied to us, and they need to be treated at a special rate. So, at first, I was angry with you, but then when I found out who their brother was, I was even glad and thought that we better clear their memory and everything, and deliver them to the edge of the field with your help, as you yourself know, otherwise he might come here, start prowling around and so on. We do not need that do we? Hm, yeah… and you know what? Now I regret not finishing them off. And that’s because one of them stole a special chip from my desk. You have one too, in order to keep you in touch with me. So… now, if he shows it to his brother, if he hasn’t shown it already, then they may suspect something, and return their memory to them by way of hypnosis. And they know how to do it in this fifth department of theirs.»

The sorcerer paused again, and spoke almost in a whisper into Kanny’s ear. «Anyway, listen to your assignment, kid. You will need to rush headlong into the village and kill these two. Everything should look like they were just torn to pieces by a wild beast. No suspicion or evidence. And one more thing, wolf cub… since you did an excellent job with the last task, there is a new order for you. You need to be raised one more level so that you become more independent, and you could now transform yourself. I would have done it before you took down this rebellious board of directors. Then you would have completed the task even better and, who knows, maybe you didn’t make this unfortunate mistake, but it’s not me who decides. So, what is, that is.»

The sorcerer fell silent, stroked Kanny’s head like a dog, and suddenly continued in a different, rather resolute tone.» So that’s what you’re here for. Today is your day, little wolf. I brought you here to initiate you into the next level. From now on, you will have the power to become a wolf, and return to a human again, whenever you wish. However, remember, I gave you this power, and I can take it away from you if you suddenly want to stop obeying me. So don’t forget that I need to continue to be afraid. Do you understand?»

Kanny obsequiously nodded his head, like a child, trying not to demonstrate his emotions, because what the owner said caused him great joy.

«Now get ready. Close your eyes and start casting the initiation spell. You still remember it, right?»

Of course, he remembered it. He had the feeling that he remembered it all his life. He obediently closed his eyes and began to recite the necessary words. As soon as he uttered the first sounds, the presence of the Spell enveloped his being in a dense thick fog…

Biting his lower lip with annoyance watching how the transformation of one creature’s flesh becomes another before his eyes, Alex thought, «How could I have made such a mistake? As if the mind was clouded. And after all, I pressed the same toggle switch. It is strange that he did not click to the end. Hmm… and Kanny… the puppy! It doesn’t look like him either. Remove three dozen bosses and slow down on two teenagers… Wow! Like some kind of obsession. It looks very similar to the machinations of the Enemy. The sorcerer spat in anger, and mechanically took a step back, because at that moment the werewolf was completely transformed, and he smelled of the sharp smell of a dog.

* * *

As Peter had said, as soon as they reached the wasteland, located at the very edge of the village, there was a noise of blades, the wind picked up, and a minute later a small military helicopter was already standing in front of them, rotating its propeller.

«Forward!» commanded Peter, and all three ran to the hatch of this reverently rumbling aircraft that opened its door in front of them. They jumped inside. Before the villagers could run to the noise, the helicopter took off into the air and disappeared behind the trees. However, none of those inside the air transport paid any attention to the man running after them screaming. Hoping to be noticed, he continued to yell and wave his arms until the helicopter was completely out of sight.

«Uh, what is it! That’s how! Didn’t I have time. That’s bad luck,» the man lamented, bending over and taking a breath.

«What, Uncle Venya, did not have time?» one village boy asked him, who, out of curiosity, also ran to the wasteland in the hope that he would have time to look at the flying miracle.

«I didn’t, you see. Ah-ah-ah, I didn’t have enough time,» Uncle Venya lamented, breathing heavily. He was dressed in a light khaki windbreaker, and on his head was a very real American hat, which cowboys have worn for years. Hunter Venya was very proud of this hat, because it was a gift from an real American who once, after visiting Russia, stopped by this place.

«What has happened, old man? Why were you running so hard?» asked his pretty blue-eyed neighbor Marianna, nicknamed «Dumpy», who had come up by this time.

«Well, is it… Strogin’s children who were found in a bale of hay? Now their brother has taken them somewhere.»

«To be honest, I don’t know, Venya,» the neighbor answered, straightening her blond curls, disheveled from fast walking.

«Well, it’s bad luck,» the old hunter said, agitated.

«You know what, let’s go for tea at Lyudka’s. She called me. The children have flown away, and she has no one to drink tea with. She’ll be happy to see you, too.»

«Oh! And you say, you do not know who was flying away»

«It’s about the bale of hay, Uncle Venya.»

«Oh, I see.»

«Well, will you come with me for tea, or not?»

«Why wouldn’t I, if that’s the case? Let’s go, of course, Maryanushka, let’s go, dear.»

* * *

Lyudmila Strogina was a very beautiful woman. she had black wavy hair, large expressive light-brown eyes, straight facial features, and a chiseled figure. What is more valuable, in addition to a beautiful appearance, she had a strong character and a surprisingly meek disposition. For many years she was considered the greatest beauty in the village, and many men would not mind hitting on her, if not for a very serious obstacle of her husband, whom Luda simply adored. He was a retired military officer due to a severe head injury sustained in an exercise. Yuri Fedorovich soon recovered from his injury, but could only continue to serve as a warehouse manager. However, he was a man of extraordinary strength, and rightfully could be called a Russian bogatyr, a short, large man, there were legends about him. From real stories, if he needed to change a wheel on his Fiat, he simply unscrewed the nuts with his fingers, without the help of a wrench, and removed and put on the wheel without using a jack, simply lifting the car with his hand. He could lift, without visible effort, two adult men each weighing one hundred kilograms, in outstretched arms, and once, on a dare, he raised a horse above himself. But, despite such strength, he was a kind-hearted man, with kind blue eyes, a disarming smile that immediately wins anybody over, and a voice that was not at all expressed in military intonation. However, the residents in Yuri’s village, of course, were afraid of him, and Lyudmila was bypassed by the tenth road.

Yuri Strogin died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 48, either because of the same injury, or for some other reason, but after his death, his wife did not want to marry a second time, although she was still very pretty, and to everyone who tried to look after her, she gave a firm, decisive and unequivocal rebuff.

The tea at Lyudmila was notable. What she mixed in there, and what seasonings she added were unknown, but the taste and aroma were such that the whole village dreamed of learning the recipe from her. However, Lyudmila Sergeevna knew how to keep a secret, and did not tell anyone how she made such a delicious drink.

Sitting at her table, and savoring every sip, the hunter Venya slowly began to tell what he had come with and why he was trying to catch up with the helicopter.

«Yesterday morning I woke up in Matveevka, where I spent the night after a hunt, with Mikhalych, the headman there. Well, so… I went to the edge of the forest to check the snares, I placed them there for hazel grouses. So, to say… Well… and so, I passed by the field and there my friend, a tractor driver, is working. Already a quarter of the field has been removed. Well, I told him: „how are you“, and he is like: „I’m great, Pavlovich, how are you.“ And… he made the tractor shut down in order to rest a little. He took out some tobacco, and we sat down there on a log, and talked a bit.»

Veniamin Pavlovich paused and sipped fragrant tea from a cup, smacking his lips with pleasure. «He told me «You know: this is a lucky day, this morning I almost hit two teens, a brother and sister. The tractor stopped five centimeters from her head. If,» he said: «the girl had not screamed, I would have killed them for sure.»

«I started asking him about details, and then, you know, I understand from the description, after all, that he is talking about your kids. And I think: «How did they end up in Matveevka?» And he says here: «they got lost,» and then: «Because of exhaustion they fell on a broken bale of hay and fell asleep.»

«Then I say to him: „Can you show me this… bale of hay.“ And he replied: „No, how can I show it to you? I removed it out already and mixed it with others at the very edge of the field.“ And I said, „But you still can show me the place, it’s painfully interesting to me how they ended up there.“ You know, I love all sorts of stories like that. And… well, my heart skipped a beat when he told me that. It was as if something unusual had happened.»

Venya paused to drink from the cup again and continued.

«Well, in general, he brought me to that place, and… I’m an old hunter. I started carefully looking all around, you know. In case that I would see something. I don’t know but for some reason I did not like the story. It’s like some kind of a bad feeling came from it. I walked there and thought: „I wonder how they fell down on a bale exhausted and did not reach the village?“ One can see the lights of it at night from that field. So… and a bale of hay, it’s not a downy feather bed. In short terms, I was looking and looking, but there were no traces of the guys around the place, none at all. You know, such a thing does not happen. If a person is walking even through the forest, there will definitely be a trace. But almost to the very place there was another trail… and you know what it was? It’s some kind of horror! The trace, it seems like a wolf. But only this size! I’ll tell you!» Veniamin opened his fist and showed with his fingers what the size of the footprint was. Judging by his story, the footprint was at least two, if not three times larger than that of an ordinary wolf, such that Lyudmila Strogina, the mother of the above-mentioned children, groaned and rolled her eyes. If it had not been for her neighbor Veniamin Pavlovich, a man of exceptional honesty, in the place of the narrator, she simply would not have believed the story.

«No, not really, Venya, do such wolves exist?» Mariana asked with doubt in her voice.

«No! The fact of the matter is that they can’t exist!» Veniamin exclaimed hotly. «If it’s not a kind of an evil scum.»

«O, my God!» Mariana crossed herself.

«What is this you are doing? Do you really think that crossing will help in such a case? Only God can help, but He must first really be in your heart», Veniamin waved at her.

«His is in my heart,» Mariana began to justify herself.

«Wait a minute,» Luda interrupted her, and asked the old hunter, «Would you please continue?»

«Well… you know… I started to follow the trails, and it was visible from the very field. And… there were no traces of the kids anywhere at all. But this one is deep. It’s a heavy animal. And kind of strange, as if he sometimes got up on two paws. And I thought: «What kind of a wolf is that then with such paws?»

«This is not a wolf, but a whole calf!» Lyudmila expressed her assumption.

«That’s what I’m talking about! But… you know… I mean, I follow the trail, and here it is ups… suddenly and completely breaks off!»

After a short pause, Veniamin took a sip of tea and said, «Well… I again started to walk back and forth, and there were no traces anywhere, yet only, at the place where the trail stopped, there were three other traces. Barely noticeable, really. Only the grass was crushed a little and… maybe barely the earth was crushed as well. I even filmed them on my cell phone. Look!»

With these words, Veniamin Pavlovich took out his rather large smartphone and showed a photo on it, in which three identical rectangular prints were not very clearly visible in the middle of the forest grass, located in relation to each other, as if they were at the corners of an equilateral triangle. Everyone listening began to look at the photos, passing the hunter’s smartphone to each other.

«But that’s not all. I also found something in the trees. Traces, like from a propeller, or from a spinning body. Apparently, when this thing landed, it somehow went with its sheathing through some places. Well, the fact is that if you don’t specifically look for something, you by no means will notice anything. But I am… a seasoned hunter. I know how to look.»

«And what kind of thing is this, Pavlovich?» the women asked almost simultaneously.

«Uh, this, girls, I myself don’t know yet. I think that is what they call UFOs. And that’s what I wanted to talk to your older son about. He is a knowledgeable person. What am I? Just a hunter.»

«Wait a minute, Venya,» Lyudmila said, alarmed. «That is, you want to say that Andrey and Lera not only got lost, but were abducted by aliens, and they experimented on them, and then threw them into a bale of hay?»

«Yes, and also, probably, their memories were erased. Only now, I don’t really believe that these were aliens. Although, who can say, who can say? Here, look, a trace. You see? Here is my hand next to it.»

He showed a picture on his smartphone, where a wolf print was clearly visible, almost the same size as the hunter’s palm.

«What a horror!» Marianna covered her lips with her palm.

«So, what are we going to do? We urgently need to call Peter,» said Lyudmila.

«You, call, neighbor, you call,» Veniamin took up the mug, «and for now I’ll savor your noble tea. Eh-eh-eh, Lyudmila, what secret thing are you putting in there, to get such a taste?

Usually, from such statements, the Lyudmila blossomed with pleasure, but now she was not up to it. With an anxious expression on her face, she dialed the phone of her eldest son.

* * *

As soon as the initiation rite was over, Kanny managed to independently turn into a wolf and return to human form several times in a row, a black raven, much larger than a normal bird, flew up to the sorcerer and dropped a note into his palm. After reading the note, the master spat and said gloomily, «This is bad. So, listen carefully, wolf cub. You may need a few more times to pass the spell, and then you will get used to it and be able to transform simply by the strong-willed order of your thoughts. And now, catch up with me, I’ll be waiting for you in the house. There’s something else that needs to be taught to you.»

With these words, the sorcerer disappeared right in front of Kanny, leaving behind himself in the spot where he had just been, a kind of bluish haze of a human form, slowly dissolving into the air.

«Master!» shouted the werewolf and took a few steps towards the place where his master stood a moment ago, and then, coming to his senses, confidently cast a spell and, in a completely eerie way, immediately turned into a huge wolf. He picked up the bag of clothes with his teeth and rushed into the forest in the direction of the forest-house, noting to himself that the transformation had become much less painful than it was before.

A great feeling of pride and malevolence filled his being. He is no longer a slave to the Spell. Now he can become a man at any moment, and at any moment, if necessary, become a wolf again. The feeling of power intoxicated and turned his wolf’s head. At the same time, he understood that something must have gone wrong, and he needed to hurry, because there were still a few kilometers to Alex’s house from where he was. He ran, crouched low to the ground, as if he were creeping along it, enjoying the inner feeling of flexibility and strength, while not forgetting to scan the area with his incredibly sharp sense. Intuition told him that the reason why the master was so upset was precisely these two teenagers whom he needed to kill, and that everything would not be as simple as it seemed at first glance. However, it was precisely this strange invulnerability of theirs, which he felt in an incomprehensible way, which challenged the very essence of his wolf nature, that forced him to bare his teeth and look forward to a possible future reprisal.