In the small town of Slough, the Howlers gang was back to the constant developing they had been doing so far. They worked around the city, protected and helped the people, and improved their image with the locals.
It was a plan set up by Kai, and it was working well. In some ways, the local people who lived in Slough were seeing the business tycoon known as Gary Dem and the Howlers Corporation as the ones who ran the city.
The general standard of living had improved for all. Crime rates were down, and even employment as well as immigration from other towns were on the rise. These were all things that the Mayor had promised, but none of them were the result of the Mayor.
For the core members of the Howlers, though, the mood was a little somber. For the first time in a while, all the core members were at the Wolf's Pool Club. Well, not all, as Gary had already left, and for some reason, Innu hadn't arrived even though he had been invited.
"What has that guy been doing these days?" Austin asked. "I mean, heck, even Olivia is here. She's been coming here more often these days, and we've been seeing Innu less and less."
"Do you not like Olivia being here or something?" Kai smirked.
"Originally, no," Austin replied. "But after meeting Midwak, I have the feeling that she is the lesser of the two evils, and I guess the fact that she has gotten closer with Marie isn't so much of a bad thing."
It was due to Olivia being close with Marie that the two of them were appearing more often together and that Olivia was attending more of the events.
As for the reason for the get-together, everyone had felt a little strange after meeting Midwak. They had managed to solve one of the bigger problems they had, but the larger issues at hand were still there.
Because of this, all of them wanted Gary to stay for a bit. It was hard for them to explain, even though Gary didn't seem to do much and wasn't in charge of leader-like things. They were motivated by him just being around. Maybe it was because he was so motivated to keep moving forward and was the type to never rest.
Regardless, they thought that Gary would have stayed for a little longer, maybe at least until the next full moon, so they could be sure that the Vow had worked, but he had returned to the Altered Academy.
He had been away for a long time and needed to get back. Once he was done, he would return to the others anyway. They were just getting a little impatient.
"Have you been looking into that other request I asked?" Kai said.
Austin took a big gulp of his drink, finishing it on the spot before placing it back down on the table.
"We practically know everything there is about Slough. We have asked all the members to inquire about him. They've talked to local businesses, and we even looked through card transactions. There's no one that goes by that name. Heck, I even asked all of those at the schools if they had ever heard of this person.
"The whole thing is strange. If he used to live in this town, then someone should know about him, right? And that letter that Amy got, we found out it was hand-delivered, which means someone must have done it in person, maybe the one you're looking for."
The person they were talking about was Gary's father. Ideally, Kai would have liked to have gotten some information by the time Gary had returned, and he was finding it very hard to believe that they were unable to find one person.
"Usually, in a case like this, if it's so hard to find someone, it means that they don't want to be found, but I wonder why? Just who is Gary's father… to be on the run, and from whom and what."
"There is one person in Slough that we still haven't asked who might know something," Kai suggested.
Austin thought about it for a while, but a name didn't come to mind.
"He's useless in most situations, but I have a feeling that he might be handy."
Upon hearing this sentence and the word 'useless,' someone did come to mind.
"The Mayor?"
"Bingo!" Kai smiled, and the two of them laughed for a bit.
"I'll go pay a visit to the Mayor. I'm sure he'll be happy to see me."
Austin was confident he could deal with the Mayor on his own. What surprised him, as well as the others, was the fact that the Mayor had never retaliated since the last time. Was it because he realised the Howlers were doing a better job than him, or was he just biding his time? Either way, Kai didn't think he was a big enough problem to worry about, especially as they would enter the next phase of their plan.
What they did have to be careful of was making too many enemies. Right now, there were enemies working for them, such as Midwak and Ben Clove, but at any point in time, if they turned around while the enemy was attacking them as well, it could be disastrous for the Howlers.
"We need to find as many people who are loyal to the Howlers, and only to the Howlers. That is how we will be able to create a gang that rises to the top."
There were a few people that came to mind, people he would like to invite to live in Slough. Recent individuals that Gary had become quite close to.
In the middle of their conversation, Kai felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it out, he read the message and was surprised at who it was from.
"It looks like we might actually get to see Innu today. Maybe he will tell us what he's been doing this whole time," Kai stated.
****
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