Werewolf Winter: A Short Story

By Walter Lazo

Galein, the Terrible Man, fearing the darkness he sees in his own soul, has retreated into the monastery of Sheogarath, hoping to find solace and peace. But a new evil has come to the land of Uruad, a creature of such malevolent hatred that threatens to consume the earth. It is a werewolf. Galein will have to confront more than the darkness he sees in himself, or watch the world die.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Walter Lazo
• Release date: Jul 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476341507

Walter Lazo

“Our free short stories are intended as a doorway to our more mature premium works. Their purpose is to showcase the author’s writing style and use of evocative imagery. Although these are his earlier works—he has gotten much better since—they serve as a nice introduction to his thematic concerns as well as to his belief that a story has to be believed in to be effective. Therefore, what he presents in these stories are situations and the reactions of characters within those situations.”Walter Lazo was born in Cambridge, MA, and now lives in North Carolina. As a child he discovered his love of Weird Fiction and large, epic, heroic stories, as well as German and Greek mythology, devouring the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen King, the Grimm brothers, Bram Stoker, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.Walter grew up reading the short stories of Richard Matheson, and later discovered the works of the great science fiction writers of the 20th century; namely, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov.He enjoys writing horror and science fiction stories with an occasional martial arts story thrown in for good measure. He is currently obsessed with the short story form and hopes that it will make a comeback in popularity. As an adult he has tried to create his own mythos, writing about the Demon World and other creatures that torment men’s dreams.He is a longtime fan of Stephen King and of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.! ! ! A T T E N T I O N ! ! !Our Forums Are Now OPEN!Join us at: http://werewolfwinter.com/forum/

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Werewolf Winter

A Short Story

by

Walter Lazo

• • • • •

ISBN 978-1476341507

Published by Lazo Consumer Products, LLC.

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Chapter I

The earth was covered in snow, and the snow was drenched in blood. Body parts were scattered everywhere, beyond the boundaries of sight. Even though the body parts were numerous – arms, legs, heads, and torsos – they were not enough to justify all the blood, which seemed to be ubiquitous, turning everything red. Into this rode three men upon nervous steeds: two priests and the Terrible Man, who thought he knew evil because he had seen his own soul. In the distance they heard a savage howl, as if hatred itself had finally found a voice.

The Terrible Man, whose name was Galein, had seen many awful things before, from corpse strewn battlefields, to torture chambers, to the grotesqueries of religion. Yet this seemed somehow different to him, not so much in the degree of carnage but in its quality. The arms, legs, heads, and torsos had been fed upon by something whose hunger was not physical. The three men moved on, in the direction of the howling.

...

To love nothing, ultimately, to be nothing, that is the goal, said the One.

That’s just awful, said the Other. Without love life is quite pointless.

The One smiled. He was a tall man, completely bald, with dark eyes, and sharp features, dressed in a brown tunic and pants, with a red belt around his waist for the sake of a little color. If he had a proper name, few men knew it. The Other certainly did not. The One carried with him a metal staff, a bow, and on his back a quiver of very strange arrows of a rather peculiar design and metal. His face was hard, as of someone who has lived perhaps too long, but devoid of cruelty.

The dreams of love are those of youth, he said, as of a dancing with beasts. As we grow we must go beyond them, or remain mere beasts.

The Other, whose name was Gregory, pondered the words of his mentor, as he always did, suspecting a hidden truth somewhere in them. The One’s words always baffled him, always left him questioning everything he believed in. Not for the last time he wondered if that was the One’s intent, to get him to question everything, to look deeply into himself.

Gregory was a tall, robust man, though not quite as tall as the One. He wore armor of Megrii design and underneath it a shirt of mail. He had red hair, a thick beard, and was very broad at the shoulders. With him he carried a shield and an axe.

When does the darkness come? he asked.

It is already here, answered the One.

Does it lie within our power to stop it? asked Gregory.

This evil may be beyond us, said the One.

It is fantastic, almost impossible to even contemplate, said Gregory, like something from an old tale, stories of men who turn into wolves, silly tales to frighten children.

This is not a tale, said the One, nor is this creature truly a wolf, or anything natural for the matter, but a terrible demon from the nether regions who fancies to assume the form.

Yet he is also a man, said Gregory.

Demons cannot enter our world save through a host or through a portal opened by a blood sacrifice; even then it happens rarely.

Why do we wait in this tower? Instead, we should hunt this creature down, said Gregory, walking to a window.

We cannot hunt the werewolf down, said the One. Its strength exceeds ours.

Do you then believe that the armies of Harold will hold this doom? asked Gregory.

No, said the One. "Eight cities have already fallen, and the kingdom of the Pyr lies in ruin.

Reviews for Werewolf Winter

[bellamore_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! really deep. Not your typical werewolf story. I went in thinking it would be a retelling of the old myth, but it completely through me off. Had to read it twice so it could sink in. I would highly recommend it if you're looking for something different than what's out there...