Bravo Four — Mike Oliveri

Set in the world of Mike Oliveri's werewolf noir series, The Pack, this short story takes us to wartime Vietnam, where a young U.S. soldier, John Roundtree, is forced to make a decision that will pit him between his country, the Viet Cong, and the supernatural secrets he has tried to keep.A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:This is a short story exploring the history of the Tyler clan, a family coping with the werewolf curse, and the central characters in my werewolf noir series, The Pack (Book One: Winter Kill; Book Two: Lie with the Dead???both available now).I took a long look at their history. How did they come to live at the lodge? What happened to the boys??? father, and what kind of challenges did they face growing up? If the Tylers are born werewolves, then what about their family histories? What kind of lives did the Tyler ancestors lead, and where are they now? The comic miniseries, Werewolves: Call of the Wild, establishes there are other werewolves in the world of The Pack. Where did they come from? What is their story? How many others are out there?In the context of the series, where did werewolves come from?Before long I had a very rich history to complement the events central to The Pack, much of it more than just mere backstory crammed into the subtext of a novel or relegated to flashbacks. The Tyler???s history grew rich with stories I wanted to tell.???Bravo Four??? is the first of these stories, a brief glimpse into the history of the patriarch of the Tyler clan. At the same time it scratches an itch I???ve had for a long time as a horror writer: what would happen if a werewolf were turned loose in the Vietnam War?For those of you new to The Pack, I think you???ll find this a solid introduction to the series and we???ve provided an extended look at the first novel, Winter Kill, after the story. For those of you who have already read Winter Kill and/or Call of the Wild, you may leave ???Bravo Four??? with a few more questions.All in due time. This is a series, after all, and I???m in this for the long haul. I hope you will all join me for the ride.???Mike Oliveri