THE GROVE CITY WEREWOLF: A Monster Lurks In Ohio’s Greatest Hometown

Darren Marlar (0:04)

Hello, Micro Terrors listeners. This October, Micro Terrors is bringing the Grove City horror saga to a shocking conclusion. Throughout this month, every Saturday, we are replaying the entire story from start to finish. We begin with the Grove City werewolf, then it's Krieger the Creeper and the Grave City Library. Then it will all culminate on October 24th and October 31st, Halloween, with the brand new two-part conclusion, the Blood Bats of Gantz Park. You won't want to miss how this story ends. We hope you all have a wonderfully spooky October.

Welcome to Micro Terrors.

Scary Stories for Kids.

Where it's always the spooky season.

Full of chills, thrills, and spine-tingling spooks. Micro Terrors are family-friendly freights for those ages 8 and up. And while our stories are for younger ears, we are still talking about things that go bump in the night. And some children may not be able to handle what others can. Parental consent is recommended. Now for tonight's Micro Terror.

August was in full swing in Grove City, Ohio. A late October chill creeped through the night air, stirring up leaves and rustling the naked branches of the trees in Andrea Cordle's backyard.

Sitting by her crackling fire pit and wrapped tightly in an Ohio State football hoodie, she typed on her laptop, putting the final touches on her trick-or-treat safety tips article for the Grove City Messenger, the local publication she worked for. Her phone rang, silencing the crickets in her backyard, and she answered it. Hello? She said. Andrea, I just wanted to check to see how the werewolf article was coming. A man's voice said. Andrea sighed. I told you, I'm not doing the werewolf article. I don't believe in things like that, and I feel like this town has gotten itself worked up into a little panic over nothing. It's the spooky season, she said. Of course something like this would be trying to make headlines around town. It sounds like a fluff piece to me. Andrea? The man said. I think we need to cover it. There's a curfew in effect. The police don't put a curfew in effect for fluff pieces.

Andrea sighed, but before she could respond, she heard something in the trees. Her backyard hugged the edge of a small wooded area. Hold on, she whispered into the phone. Andrea held the phone down by her side and tried to focus her eyes on the dark tree line ahead of her. Everything went silent, aside from the crackling fire. Then without warning, a vicious arcane howl erupted from the woods. Andrea panicked and jumped to her feet. She ran for the back door of her house. That's when she heard the heavy, persistent gallop of a large animal behind her. Clamoring through the backyard after her, snarling wickedly, she blew through the back door and slammed it shut. As Andrea tried to settle her nerves and catch her breath, she heard the haunting howl of the unsealing beast again, echoing in the cold night outside.

After the 45-minute trip, Sean Dyer's family car finally came to a stop. With his father behind the wheel and his mother in the passenger seat, they pulled into the driveway of a small little house off Kingston Avenue in Grove City, Ohio. Sean's dad turned the engine off and opened his door. His mother did the same. But Sean remained seated, strapped in with his seatbelt, nervous to leave the comforts of the family car. You comin'? his dad called back in, a cool rush of the crisp autumn air slipping in through the open door. Sean sighed. Even though he didn't want to, even though he wanted to go with his parents to North Carolina for the weekend instead of staying with family that he barely ever saw, he knew it was a lost cause. The plane tickets were already paid for, only two of them, and his aunt and uncle were expecting them. Chances were they had probably already noticed the car pull into the driveway.

Sean glanced out the window and up to the house. His aunt and uncle, who he hadn't seen in about two years, were standing on the porch, waving with huge smiles on their faces.

Yep, they already knew.

It didn't take long for Sean's parents to get him settled in, unpacked and reacquainted with his dad's brother and his wife. Uncle Curtis was a good man, with a good job. He liked bad movies, even worse music, and still favored the video games of his youth to the ones of today, well into his thirties. His wife, Aunt Jade, was as friendly as someone could be. Sean hadn't been in their home for two minutes before Aunt Jade had offered to make him hot chocolate and homemade pumpkin cookies. As much as Sean wanted to feel comfortable, he struggled. It's only for the weekend, he told himself. Then Mom and Dad will be back and I'll be heading home, just in time for Halloween.