A Grim Problem

Detective Grim sat at his desk looking rather... well dead. And frightened. He looked up at James, who sat in front of the desk looking just as frightened. "You're sure you saw a chip in the door to..."

"I am sure sir. They've been pounding on the other side so much..."

"I know, son." Grim folded his bony hands. "If they escape... Everyone will be in danger."

"I know... Last time they wiped out the whole town before your boss was able to force them back in." James shivered a little.

"Yes. That worked last time... But this... They've been in there for almost ten years. They are angry, hungry, and evil. They won't be as easily stopped. And the poor regular everyday citizens will be helpless... The whole country might even be in danger." Grim sighed and stood up. "And you know my boss doesn't want anything to do with me after I gave you a chance."

James looked down. "I never wanted to become one of them... I just wanted to have my own life." He looked at his paws and held one up. It flickered a little and darkness rose from his fingertips. "And besides, your boss made it very clear about how he felt about me. He trapped me here. I can't leave town..."

Grim went over to James and patted him on the shoulder. "And I have treated you like my own son since then. And I will make sure nothing happens to this town, or to you. Okay? Now we need to think of a way to stop this." He went to his filing cabinet and pulled out a scroll. "The shadows are literal embodiments of death and darkness." He opened the scroll on his desk. "The only things that have ever stopped them are light, magic, or more death."

James looked down. "Well besides your boss, we don't know anyone that can help with the first two. And we don't even know how long it'll take to get ahold of him..."

Grim sighed and put his face in his hands. "I can gather the strongest of us to hold them off when the time does come... But I don't know how long they'd last."

James looked down. "What do we do then?"

The door crashed in and a big burly werewolf covered in dirt and a little blood. "Detective Grim."

Grim stood up and took his scythe out. "Who are you?"

The werewolf shrunk down as he transformed into a border collie. "I... have... news..." He passed out on the floor of the office.

"Klyde!" James ran to the fallen collie. He picked up Klyde. “We need to get him to the hospital.”

Grim looked down at the unconscious boy. “Umm… I am not very good at the whole healing thing.”

James gave him a look.

Grim chuckled. “I’ll call an ambulance…”