Old Folks and Animation

It was the beginning of a new week. Everyone, being well into the groove of the semester, headed to their usual classes and work. Jeff was in the middle of a big project for class and was hoping to land an internship with this animation project. It was kind of a big deal.

Meanwhile, Katie was down behind the Religion and Family History help desk working with an older gentlemen who, as lovable as he was, was driving her nuts because he didn’t understand how to work the printer. All the while, Michael was having a rough day, studying away in the Law Library. 

Jeff was finishing up what he could do on his own computer before heading to campus to use their fancy-schmancy expensive animation software. He was on his way to the HFAC, but stopped down on the second floor first to get some old photos of church leaders to use in his project.

Michael, fed up with studying, decided to call it quits. He had had enough of this law stuff for today, and decided to go somewhere more peaceful. As the Provo temple came into view, he couldn’t help but feeling safe. “I think I’ll do a marathon session today and stay all day.” He just felt like it was a good idea. Sure enough, he was in there all day. 

Jeff found what he needed to get. It was a little distracting, he thought, since some worker at the help desk was throwing fit. She was so fed up with old folks that she snapped and ended up smashed that big fancy printer they have down there. People were starting to stare. Katie was huddled in a corner muttering something about the French Revolution when the library Rent-A-Cop hauled her away to the dungeons. 

With his book in hand, Jeff headed to the HFAC and was planning on staying in the animation lab until close. He was so close to finishing! It was 10:45 when he heard the door open. “I know, I know,” he said over his shoulder, “the building closes in 15 minutes. I’ll be out of your hair here soon enough.” 

The door closed and he started saving his project and closing up. He didn’t hear the six werewolves in the room with him, and no one else heard his screams for help as they attacked. It was only a few minutes later when the HFAC security actually did come, did someone know what had happened…

Victory!

 "…and you're sure you didn't have drugs on you?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I would know if I had 200 pounds of pot on me!"

"Very well." The officer stamped Michelle's file in red ink the word INNOCENT. "You're not going to be able to leave until tonight though after all the suspects have been interviewed.

Reluctantly, Michelle went back to the holding cell with all the other passengers on the bus. After all being arrested together for trafficking drugs, the cops realized that the one they wanted was the guy carrying a hockey bag full of marijuana. Yet, the stupid paperwork forced them to stay there all day. 

Luckily, since Michelle was on her way to school, she still had her backpack on her and was able to pull out some books to read. Some of the others weren't so fortunate, and were stuck playing Angry Birds on their phones. That is, until the batteries died. Lame. 

It was close to midnight and most everyone was asleep. Michelle was one of the only ones awake. Setting down her tome of a textbook, she looked around at everyone sleeping. Oh boy, she thought, this is what I've been waiting for! Who needs to hunt down prey, when they're forced in a room with me all day! I could attack all of them right now, turn them into werewolves, and we'd take over town!

Michelle was starting to drool at the thought of such a victory when she heard noises through the walls. It sounded to her like a muffled rock concert: she heard yelling, banging, and cheering. How, uncharacteristic of Provo, she thought. The ground shook though as the noises got louder. She could start to hear the sounds a little clearer now. She could almost make out what the people were saying when—

BOOM!

The wall of her cell fell to the ground with a crash! The small crowd of people on the other side set down the battering ram and swept in, taking Michelle. Those that weren't grabbing her were holding torches and pitchforks!

"Michelle, we've caught you!" yelled Scott. 

"Yeah," said Kassi, "you couldn't hide forever."

"I don't know what you're talking ab—"

"Of course you do," said Abbi. "You're the werewolf!"

"I—how do… prove it!" she stammered.

"Well, it was logical, really," said Gavin. "I mean, if you multiply your apartment number by the circumference of the earth divided by the square root of—"

"—What he means," cut in Susie, "is that we all think it's you. We've got you figured out."

Admitting defeat, Michelle started looking worried. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked.

"Oh, the worst thing we could think of," Jeff replied.


"…multiplied by a hundred!" continued Michael.

Sure enough, just a few hours later, the group was outside the Park Plaza office. Michelle was inside signing some papers. She came out looking thoroughly defeated.

"Well?" they demanded.

"It's official… They opened up a spot for me and…" she started to cry, "I'm moving to the third floor."

So that was it. Being werewolf free the townspeople rejoiced in their victory. Rid of the pests, they were safe in going out at night. They could take their tests in peace and drink hot chocolate without worries. They called up Kelly and invited her back, as well as Jared and Brianna. They even discovered Andrew was just asleep and Jeramy was hiding in the fort Scott made. Weird.

The only one looking slightly crestfallen was Gavin. 

"What's wrong?" someone asked him.

"That means I have to move up there too," he said sheepishly. "I'm not leaving my lover…"

                                                                     *   *   *

That's it!  The townspeople win! Thanks for playing everyone! I had a blast and I think a lot of you did too. I plan on starting another round with awesome new characters, sub-roles, 3rd and 4th parties all fighting to win, and about 2-3 times as many players. For now though, take a break, get ahead in homework, and I'll let you know about the next one sometime this week. Enjoy!

Stupid Freshmen…

This bus always takes forever to get here, Michelle thought as she sat outside the Wilk. She was surrounded by the usual crowd of UVU students, waiting for the bus to go to school. She saw a lot of familiar people, but also some new people as well. Oh well. There’re tons of students that go there. 

Meanwhile the lone werewolf was on campus. Having lost its two partners, it remains as the last one. As it took a look around, it saw countless dinners just waiting to be eaten. But no, I must resist, it thought, until the right moment…

The bus finally came and Michelle got on. She was jostled to and fro on the crowded bus, barely finding a bar to hold on. It wouldn’t’ve been so bad, but the traffic today was worse than usual. This is going to be a long ride, she thought. 

The werewolf was honing in on its next prey. It found the one that looked the most delicious and discovered a way to attack them while alone. It planned to follow them around campus, offer them a soda randomly, and when they get up to go to the bathroom during class, BAM! Dinner! Ooh, it was fool-proof!

To make Michelle’s morning even worse, there was a whole group of cop cars on University checking vehicle. That would explain the traffic, she thought. The next thing she knew, cops were boarding the crowded bus with dogs barking like crazy. They were clearly searching for drug trafficking. The cops couldn’t figure out who exactly was the guilty one since the bus was so crowded. So to make things easy, they arrested everyone on board and did individual searches at the Big House. Consequently, Michelle didn’t make it to school. She was stuck at the police station all day…

“Shoot! I lost them,” thought the last werewolf. “Why does this campus have to be so flipping crowded? It’s not even the passing time between classes!”

Sure enough, campus was completely packed with students. It was unusual for this time of day. The werewolf walked quickly to follow its prey. It surprised itself at its dodging skills by weaving in and out of students and teachers. It nearly tripped over the kid with crutches, but made a great recovery. But as soon as it got close, a whole swarm of freshman got in its way.

“So many stupid freshman! Next time, I picking them off…”

The crowd passed and the prey was far away again. The werewolf quickened its pace again. It was getting closer… 100 feet… 50 feet… 20 feet…but just as it got near, a snow plow came right in the way. 

“What the heck??” 

It passed, though slowly. It had to go back and forth along that path several times to make sure the snow was all gone. 

“Perfect timing for an OCD plow driver…”

Once again, the prey was a good distance away. Deciding to not lose it again, the werewolf set out on a full sprint. It got close and closer to the prey. A few steps behind it, it slowed down. It opened its backpack to pull out the bottle of soda it bought.

“Are you serious?” it said loudly.

The soda had exploded in the werewolf’s backpack and got all its contents soaked. More importantly though, it couldn’t offer it to the prey and therefore had no way to attack alone. 

The Prey turned around."Is everything all right?"

"Yes, leave me alone!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's all right, we all have bad days…"

Oh you wouldn't even know, the werewolf thought. There werewolf started to get nervous. Weird things were happening all over. Admitting defeat, the werewolf headed home. It decided to lie low for a while, lest other mysterious forces decide to intervene again…

The Surprise Call from HQ

The piano played its last chord and the crowd gave a standing ovation. The violin player took a bow together with the accompanist. Jared was in a show at the HFAC. He always enjoyed a night of cultural entertainment. As the performers bowed again, the crowed continued giving them a round of applause. Jared found the show exceptional. One of the best he had seen in a while.


Thinking of that last piece as he left the recital hall, he didn't notice the group of men in brown suits and sunglasses standing just outside the foyer. Before he knew it, he was being pulled into the elevator. 


"Whaddya think you're doing? Get your hands—"


"Detective Miller. We need your help. Stay quiet."


They hit the button and got off on the first floor. It was deserted, as usual. No one has actually stepped foot down there in years. The walked across the dusty floor into a tiny practice room that Jared was sure hadn't been used since the Ice Age. The piano in there was actually a harpsichord, it was so old. 


"Detective Miller. We heard about your success in finding a werewolf this week. We came to congratulate you. Well done."


"You guys brought me all down here to say 'way to go'? I know we like secrecy and all, but I think this was a little much, don't you agree?"


"There is, in fact, something else." The brown suited man took off his sunglasses and looked at him seriously. "HQ called. They need your help."


It took only a few minutes of explanation to describe the case. But it wasn't long enough to convince him to leave. 


"I can't go. I have… obligations here at school."


"You will be compensated for the rest of your life, and awarded an honorary doctorate from three Ivy League schools."


"Yeah, but… I still… I," he stammered.


Suddenly, to the surprise of everyone the room, the door burst open. Covered in dust from head to toe, and with a swollen ear from pressing it against the door, Brianna entered the cramped practice room. "Jared!" she cried, "don't leave me!"


"…you see," he explained to the men. "I'm in love. I can't leave her."


The men looked at each other nervously. Jared saw one nod to the other, who said, "Very well. She can come along. We will arrange everything. But hurry."


Without further ado, Jared, Brianna, and the men left campus, and 45 minutes later were on a place to somewhere where if I told you, I'd have to kill you. Jared was happy—with the job of his life, and the love of his life. Can things get any better?


On the plane, Jared and Brianna were together looking out the window. "So, now that we're in this together, you have to be able to keep this all a secret," he said to her. "This is all highly confidential stuff. Do you think you can do that?"


"I think I'll be fine…." She knew perfectly well she could hide a secret. After all, she was the werewolf he was trying to investigate the whole time. "You can trust me…"

Wolves Spotted on Campus

Ahh, Saturday morning. As children, we watched cartoons and ate cereal until noon. Now, as college students, it consists of sleeping in and not showering until noon. On a particularly rainy morning, the Park Plaza and Stonebridge residents gathered together for a delightful hot chocolate party. 


"Whoa, the heater actually works today," said a resident, 
walking in to the toasty room.


Nothing but happy sounds were heard: hot water being poured into mugs, the stirring of plastic spoons, and the chitter-chatter of dozens of people. One particularly interesting topic of conversation was heard amongst friends.


"Yeah, it said in the Police Beat last week that wolves were spotted on campus!"


"Really?"


"Yeah, I saw it at http://universe.byu.edu/index.php/2012/01/17/police-beat-10/."


"Oh, I've been to that site. It's one of my favorites!"


The party continued for a while, but finally people started to meander towards their homes to get started on homework. Some studied at home and others prefer at the library. Then there are the poor chaps that have to go take tests. Jeramy, unfortunately, was one of those. As she headed to campus, the rain gradually went from hail and then to snow, the ground turned white and fluffy. She saw Scott who was building a snow fort on campus and stopped to say hello.


"Hey, Scott, what'cha up to?" 


"Oh, nothing." he said. "I'm just building this snow fort for the snowball fight we're going to have later on."


"Uh, you know that's illegal right?" she asked.


"What, throwing snowballs? Nah, they'll understand it's just for fun."


"Okay…" 


She continued on to the testing center to do some last minute studying. She still didn't see why she had to study Sherlock Holmes so much. After half an hour of so, she noticed three student custodians huddled around a window. Through the window a and hidden under some leaves, she saw a crude trap that was made out of popsicle sticks and duct tape and rigged with beef jerky.


"Okay, we saw those wolves last week, they're bound to come this time," one of the students said, "and this time, we're gonna catch it!"


They continued to stand there, mops in hand, in case someone suggested they get back to work again. After all, the same officer that suggested that to them last week was just outside the window. He was in the process of arresting a student…


"—don't understand, sir. They're just snowballs!" Scott cried.


"They are projectile objects and are should thus be treated as lethal weapons. It's into the dungeons with you, buddy."


Jeramy, meanwhile, went upstairs, took the test, and did quite well on it. She was unaware of the situation below with the cops and Scott. As she walked home though, she noticed the unfinished fort and remembered talking to Scott on the way there. She started to send him a text, asking where he was. Distracted by her cold fingers and the difficulty to text, she didn't hear the twelve paws sprinting lightly on the snow towards her. She wasn't aware of she was walking off the path. Ten minutes later, the only thing the police could find leading from the paw prints in the snow was a magnifying glass—the mark of her favorite hobby—and cell phone with the unfinished text on the screen:

"Hey Scott. I saw your fort and wanted to see how it was com—" 

                                                *  *  *

Later that evening, three werewolves were basking in their victory. They had, after all, had a great day. They got free beef jerky, scared a bunch of people holding mops, and had a wonderful human dinner. Andrew however, wasn't feeling well.


"Guys, are you feeling all right?"


"Yeah, we're fine. What's up?"


"I mean, it's been a while since we've eaten a human. Maybe my stomach needs to readjust…"


He then turned a violent shade of purple, and started to gasp and choke. The other two werewolves, completely healthy, didn't know what to do. Before they knew it though, Andrew was gone. They had no idea what had happened. 


Then again, the witch had put something in his drink at the hot chocolate party…

Kelly's Farewell

"…and we now pronounce you, Kelly Jones, guilty of attempted murder while in werewolf mode."

"But, you're highness—"

"Enough!" interrupted the judge. He, Kelly, and the entire mob of townspeople were gathered in the Park Plaza Lounge on a Friday evening. Between ping-pong tournaments, P90X, and Gavin's dance parties, they managed to find some time to hold a little trial. "We hereby banish you from the Provo area and give you a (college) life sentence at Utah State. You're semester will begin immediately."

An hour later, with her bags hastily packed and quick letters to her elementary students sent, Kelly was sitting on a cramped bus on her way to Logan. Despite the scenery and the slight smell of manure as she approached the school, she couldn't help but thinking bitterly, "It's all because I was in Stonebridge, isn't it. Hm! Well, they'll be sorry. Sorry indeed…"

Meanwhile, the townspeople were gathered having a random dance party. Kelly had been long gone, but they were jovially celebrating and discussing what wonderful things they can do, now that the werewolf threat has been diminished. It wasn't until almost midnight when the crowd started to depart. It was also then that someone noticed a small, shiny object on the ground.

"What's this?" he asked, holding it up.

"Probably some werewolf thingamajig or whatever she left behind…"

"…worthless piece of junk, knowing whose it was…

"…probably stolen anyway…"

"No, wait, it's pretty shiny. Hold on." He whipped out a magnet and started to hold the small item near it. 

"Uhh, do you always carry a mag—"

"Not now… look! It's not attracting at all! This little thing is 100% sterling silver!" he exclaimed.

"Uhh... yeah—"

"How in the world do you kno—"

"…don't see what's the point of …"

"Don't you guys get it?" he asked, "This is silver. A silver bullet! Werewolves are killed if they get shot by a silver bullet—"

"—don't we all?—"

"—So why in the world would Kelly carry this thing around, knowing it'd kill her?" he asked.

 "…cause werewolves are stup—"

"—Because she's not a werewolf!" he yelled to the crowd. Everyone went quiet and even the music randomly stopped.  "Kelly was the silversmith!"

As comprehension dawned them, they slowly turned and looked down the road Kelly left just a few hours earlier. They just banished one of their own but she was innocent. What's more (the crowd started to look around incriminatingly at each other) is that there are still three werewolves among them. And having one fewer on the good side just made them that much stronger….

Werewolves' First Night on the Prowl

It was a dark and drizzly night (no, really, did you see the weather last night?) and Kassi was out late doing homework. She was behind on a paper that's due today and had so much other stuff going on that she didn't have time to eat. Preparing herself for an all-(until-mid)nighter at the library, she brought a thermos of hot chocolate and a George Forman grill to whip up some chicken. It was late and besides, no one's ever on the first floor anyway, right? Well, just as she was putting everything away with a steaming chicken sandwich that would make Chic-Fil-A jealous, a library Rent-A-Cop swooped down! 

"What do you think you're doing, young lady?" he demanded.

"Umm.. making dinner. What does it look like I'm doing?" Was this a trick question? How silly, she thought.

The rest though is history. A mark went on Kassi's permanent record and she was chucked into the BYU dungeons located in the underground tunnels infested with tunnel worms. Bummer. Luckily it was a small sentence of only a day. But shoot, we liked Kassi…

Meanwhile a trio of werewolves were huddled around a candle in a dark room. After years of pointless Werewolves Anonymous “Hi, I’m so-and-so and I’m a werewolf” garbage, they were through. It was time for them to step up and show the world who’s boss. So what if they eat humans for breakfast. Too bad for them! Hahaha!

“…and so we break the bedroom window, gobble’em up, and leave before the cops come. What do you think?” 

“I don’t know. I still think we could just go through the kitchen window. I mean if you just take off the screen you can—”

“Shut up, you fool! That’s how mere thieves get in. We’re werewolves and we do things our way!”

“…uh, a lot of people leave their doors open because roommates get home late. Why don’t we just do that. I mean it would be quiet, there’d be no mess…”

Obviously, the three were rather indecisive. 

Hours passed and the werewolves brainstormed ideas about how to perfectly execute their first night’s plan. But you see, werewolves aren’t the smartest creatures. They finally decided to go through a kitchen window. They chose the apartment wisely, making sure everyone was asleep. They Facebook stalked everyone to see who’d make the tastiest meal. They found their prey. 

At 2:13am, a werewolf repelled from the roof of the apartment complex. Another was dressed in all black and darting here and there, closing in on the target. 


The third pulled up in a light green SlugBug and walked up to the door. “What? They wouldn’t expect a werewolf to come like this would they?” the third one said, locking the doors with a *beep beep*, while the others slapped their foreheads and shook their heads. 

“Okay, you ready?”

“Ready.”

“Okee dokee.”

They silently pulled off the screen window. As they slowly slid the window open, they caught a waft of their next victim. Mmmm...

*thud*

“What? What is that?”

“NOOO! It’s one of those stick thingies on the window sill!”

“Yes, but didn’t you come up with a plan B?”

“There was a line at Outdoors Unlimited! I just barely got my repelling equipment!”

Distraught and confused, the werewolves couldn’t find a decent way into the apartment. Totally bummed out, they went home in the green Beetle. Their plan had failed. 

In the morning, as the apartment’s tenants were eating breakfast, one of them noticed something…

“Hey, since when did we get a stick thingie on our window?”

DUN DUN DUN!!!!

Background…

It was the year 857AD when a humble village woke up to the sound of a scream. Someone in that village was found dead, brutally killed by a pack of werewolves. Rage and horror struck, knowing that some of their own trusted friends had been hiding their secret from everyone, valuing their reputation more than the life of friend. Determined to put a stop to the killing, the townspeople gather each day and lynch whomever they feel is the werewolves until they’ve killed each and every one of them. This is where we step in and assume the roles of these meager townspeople…