AS THE NIGHT DRAGGED ON THE condition of the other victims of the wolf attack began to worsen. In a matter of hours, most of the wounded broke into fevers, sweats and even started to shake and foam at the mouth like the first patient had earlier in the evening. Whatever ailment that the beast was suffering from, it had passed it onto every one of its victims. The doctor did whatever he could to treat the patients, but nothing seemed to work. No herb or medicine made any difference and a few hours after the first patient seized, the same man stopped breathing and passed on. The doctor has committed a few minutes trying to resuscitate the man, but it was a futile effort. The man was gone, and that was possibly a preview of what was going to happen to the others if he didn’t figure something out. The doctor left the bar to head back for his office and try to find anything else that might help his patients, but he also wanted a bit of fresh air. He needed to clear his head so he could try to figure out what he could do and what hadn’t been tried yet.

Alfred tried his best to help but was growing more frustrated as the night went on. He sat by his wife’s table and held her hand while she slept. She had a little foam on the corner of her lips, but she wasn’t shaking or sweating just yet. He didn’t know if it was a mild case compared to the others, or if it was just a matter of time before Elena’s condition worsened. He kept using a cold cloth to try to fight her fever, but it didn’t seem to help. She was also shaking with chills meaning that her body was trying to fight off what was bothering her, but it wasn’t working. She was going to die like the others, as more than half a dozen of the wolf’s victims had passed away before the sun started to rise. Alfred was trying to keep a calm face but, on the inside, he was beginning to panic and didn’t know what to do. The doctor was also at a loss.

“Al,” She softly whispered.

“Yes, my love,” Alfred said, leaning into to her so he could hear what his wife was trying to say. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m dying,” Elena said to him, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“I know,” Alfred said, as this wasn’t the time to sugar coat it.

“I don’t want to take the baby with me,” his wife added, “I think you need to remove her from the situation before it dies too.”

“What?” Alfred said, as he wasn’t prepared to have this talk. He was praying and hoping she’d get better so they wouldn’t have to have this conversation.

“You need to cut the child out, and I mean right now.” Elena repeated, “Get it out of me before this illness takes us both.”

“It’s not ready,” Alfred said, as he didn’t want to do it.

“It’s been eight months,” Elena reminded him, “That’s close enough. I know you’ve done this before, and you don’t have to worry about me because this illness is going to take me very soon. Don’t let it also take our baby.”

Alfred was in tears, as this wasn’t the way he wanted to become a father. This was supposed to be a happy moment for them to share together. Yet he understood what his wife was asking of him. That damn wolf had already taken his wife, and she didn’t want it to also murder their child.

“Save the child,” Elena begged, “And you’ll see me every time you look into its eyes. I’ll be here haunting you through them.”

“You promise?” Alfred asked, hoping she was right.

“I do,” Elena confirmed, “No get this out of me, right now.”

“Alright,” Alfred said, as he stood up and went to fetch the doctor. He informed the doctor what needed to be done, and the doctor offered to help. Alfred had already done this procedure before when he was traveling in the war, but that time he had done it alone. Having the doctor around would make it an easier experience.

“We need to make her sleep,” the doctor said, “Let me get the ether.”

“Al,” Elena called out.

“Yes, my love.” Alfred said, returning to her side.

“In case I don’t wake up,” Elena started, “If it’s a boy, you can name him whatever you want.”

“I appreciate that,” Alfred said, “But what if it’s a girl?”

“Please name her Calissa,” his wife requested, “After my mother.”

“If it’s a girl, it will be done.” Alfred said, stroking her cheek. “But please wake up so you can at least meet the child before you go.”

“I will try,” Elena said, “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Alfred said, as he kissed her brow again. He wanted to kiss her mouth but was afraid the foaming of the mouth from earlier might transfer the wolf’s disease. The doctor cautioned him against doing that, so he had to be careful not to make their child an orphan that night.

The doctor came over and placed a small mesh over her mouth and waited for the woman to fall asleep. The procedure last over four hours, and the doctor was there to assist and even lead sometimes when Alfred got tired. With their combined efforts, they managed to use the primitive tools they had on hand to perform the surgery to what was a successful result. The baby was born just before noon, looking nice and healthy as well. There were no signs of distress or any symptoms as the doctor slapped the child’s backside and back to eject the remaining fluid from its lungs. The sound of its first cry brought relief to Alfred’s heart, as the child appeared to be in good shape and unaffected. The doctor took a towel and began to clean the child before removing most of the umbilical cord. He looked back up at Alfred with a smile on his face.

“It’s a girl, Alfred.” He said just before handing the newly wrapped child over to her father.

Alfred took the child into his arms and then turned back to tell his wife the good news, but it was too late. His wife had stopped breathing during the procedure and was already dead. She had slipped away in her sleep and didn’t suffer at all in the end, which was more than what they could say for the rest of the wolf’s victims. Alfred stood there, crying as he realized what had happened.

“I’m very sorry, Alfred.” The doctor said, “I’m going to clean up and take care of the people who are still here. Concentrate on caring for the child.”

“I will,” Alfred said, looking back at the doctor.

“I’ll get a nurse to try to pump out whatever milk we can,” The doctor also suggested. “We should be able to get a few pints out before she stops producing. From there we’ll have to get another lady who just delivered to help out. I don’t mean to sound morbid, but your girl is now our top priority.”

“I understand,” Alfred said, “Thank you for your help.”

“What is the child’s name?” The doctor asked.

“Calissa,” Alfred replied, “Her mother insisted, so I will honor her.”

The rest of the victims had all passed away the next day, not a single person who was bitten lasted more than a day after their attack. No one survived. They were all buried two days later, and it was difficult for Alfred to believe that his beloved Elena was gone, but she was right about one thing. Those blue eyes looking back up at him from his daughter were his wife’s, and she was haunting him through her as promised. He kissed the small child on the brow, as the casket was lowered into the ground.

“It may be just us, Calissa,” He said to the child, “But I will make sure you are prepared for anything, even that ferocious beast. I will make sure that damned thing never takes anyone away from me ever again. You have my word, little one.”

Alfred took Calissa back to his house and did his best to raise the child on his own. The village went out of their way to support him in anyway they could. Other women who had recently given birth provided spare milk to feed the child, while some nurses volunteered to watch the child to help him get sleep whenever she was crying too long. Their efforts were not surprising, as the town would often come together to help one another out, whether its to help with childcare or all the men repairing a farmhouse that was torched by wildfire. The people were dedicated to one another, and this situation was no different, especially for the people who lost also lost a loved one to the wolf’s dreaded attack. To the widows left behind, Calissa was the one good thing that came out of that tragedy, so they focused their pain into helping Alfred and the young girl as their tribute to the person they lost that fateful day. Alfred knew what they were doing, and let it happen. He understood their pain and knew that letting the people help him and the child distracted them from the same grief he was also trying to avoid. Alfred used the child to bring people back from the brink, often visiting them, and using the cute baby to cheer them up and remind them that there is a reason to keep living. To many people in the village, Calissa was the blessing that helped many town folk with the grieving process.

The fact that the young girl was never affected by the disease that had killed all the other who were attacked, including her own mother, was looked upon by the village as a miracle. That made the young girl special in everyone’s eyes, and the village kind of adopted Calissa as their own and took pride in her progress as she started to grow. Rather than grieve on the anniversary of the attack, the people chose to instead celebrate since it would always be Calissa’s birthday, using her to bring happiness and joy to a day that would have usually been dark and depressing.

It was during her second birthday, the second anniversary of the attack that something happened that shook the village and its people to their very core. As people were drinking and being merry, there was a loud howl that forced everyone to stop what they were doing. They had not heard that sound in years, but they all knew immediately what it was. The wolf had returned. Alfred was hoping that the wolf had succumbed to the disease it had spread, but it appears the wolf was stronger and able to fight it off and was coming back to the village to attack again.

Alfred grabbed one of the town’s women who was unsure where to go and led her back to his house with the child. Once inside he put Calissa into her crib and turned back to the woman.

“Care for the child,” he ordered, “Lock the door behind me. There are no windows on the first floor for a reason, I have been preparing for this day.”

“Alright,” the woman said, as she watched Alfred start to put on his armor.

Alfred had used a lot of his time to save money for a new set of armor, specifically fashioned for himself to battle wolves. He determined to make sure that if he ever encountered the wolf that took his wife again, he’d be prepared to not only kill it but avoid being infected by its bites so that Calissa wouldn’t lose her only parent to the same damned beast. It took only minutes for Alfred to armor up and was out the door. He could hear the woman barricade the door behind him, and he felt content to do battle knowing his daughter was safe and unable to be harmed. As he marched back out towards the sounds that pierced the village again, Alfred was ready to look the same beast in the eye and this time he wouldn’t hesitate.

When he came upon the scene, the wolf looked to be the same size and was snapping at two guards that were trying to stab it with their spears. Alfred made his move and came closer to the beast with his sword drawn and a sturdy shield to fend off anything the wolf threw at him. Once the beast knew he was there, it lunged at the new target, but Alfred wasn’t in the mood to play. He used the shield to push the wolf back, and then swung the shield at the wolf’s head, giving it a robust knock to the head. Alfred used the few second the wolf was dazed to make his move, taking a mighty cut with his new sword which was very sharp. The blade had no trouble cutting through the wolf this time as Alfred managed to behead the creature after just one slice, killing it instantly.

The guards watching were all shocked to see Alfred take care of it so easily. The body laid on the ground under a massive puddle of blood. The battle was over, and the beast had been vanquished.

“That was rather easy,” One of the guards noted.

“Was it weaker than last time?” another asked, looking down at the corpse.

“This wasn’t the same wolf,” Alfred said, as he leaned over to inspect it. “The paws are smaller, but not by much. And the coat is a different shade, as the previous wolf was lighter and grayer. I’m afraid to say our adversary is either still out there or he really did succumb to the illness that took our loved ones.

“It doesn’t’ matter,” The guard countered, “At least this one’s dead, and we’re ready to take on any wolf that comes our way.”

The doctor came running back with Grayson who went to fetch him when the incident started, afraid more people might be hurt.

“Are there any injured?” The doctor called out.

“Not this time, fellas.” The guard replied for him. “The only fatality this time was the damn wolf.”

“Is it the same one?” Grayson asked.

“I don’t think so,” Alfred said, but unwilling to go into detail this time.

“Are you sure?” The doctor asked.

“Pretty sure,” Alfred confirmed, “You guys clean this up. I’m going to check up on Calissa.”

As Alfred walked back to the house, the day’s events had made him realize something very important. There was going to be a day when he wasn’t going to be around to protect his child from the wolves. There was going to be a time when he wouldn’t be able to armor up and defend the girl that he would lay down his own life for. The little girl with Elena’s eyes. When that day came, he was going to have to make sure Calissa was ready to take care of herself. In order to make that happen, Alfred was going to have to write a letter to an old friend and call in a favor.