I swirled the Coke around in the can, not wanting to drink it, but I didn’t have anything else to do. Shelby looked at me irritably, I guess she was mad because I’d stolen her drink.

“Adrienne,” She whined. “Come to the party with us!”

“I’m not dressed right,” I said, looking at my plain jeans and t-shirt.

“Doesn’t matter.” She insisted, pushing me out the door and quickly bolting it behind her.

“I really don’t want to go.” I said.

“Oh, please!” She begged, her eyes widened about to go all teary.

I sighed. “You are a sick person, do you know that?”

She laughed, joyfully. “Yep!”

I climbed in her car, annoyed. I knew I shouldn’t go, for some reason I just knew, I shouldn’t be at this party. Did Shelby care? No. She squealed, cranking up the radio, her voice yelling out the words to some puff song I didn’t know.

I leaned against the window, brooding for all I was worth. This was a bad idea, I was sure of it. Streetlights blurred against the window as we sped past them, making it almost impossible to see the full moon.

My stomach knotted up as I looked at the blue sphere, just hanging there, seemingly innocent. There were very few things that scared me, the full moon was at the very top of that list.

I tried to concentrate on the leather interior of the seats in the car, but my eyes kept flittering back to the sky. The ride to the party seemed endless, my skin getting clammier with every mile.

Shelby pulled past the teens wandering around aimlessly, getting a few shouts of indignation as she almost ran them over. She ignored the street and pulled up onto the grass. Shutting off the engine, she beamed at me

“Isn’t this exciting?!”

“Is there a second option?” I asked, glumly.

“Don’t be a bum,” She pouted.

“No promises,” I answered, climbing out of the car.

The drive-in-theater was bustling with action, everyone running around like idiots and littering the streets. I grimaced as I watched one guy throw plastic straws to the ground, seeing which one could go the farthest.

“It’s disgusting isn’t it?” A males voice inquired behind me.

I spun around, not having heard anyone come toward me. The guy was tall, broad shouldered with just a hint of a tan. His jaw was chiseled in a way that made him look rather boyish, sandy hair falling across his forehead completed the look.

He raised his eyebrows quizzically, and I remembered he’d asked me a question.

“Oh, yeah.” I said with a frown. “They’re all Neanderthals.”

He laughed. “I’m Chander.”

“Adrienne.” I replied, managing to smile at him.

“Well then, Adrienne. A couple of us are going to hang out at the edge of the woods, do you want to come along?”

Something in me urged against it, but I couldn’t be rude. I nodded slowly, following behind him as he led the way.

The path was rocky, and I continuously stumbled, nearly falling on my face. The light shined through the trees less, and less. I walked around blindly, holding my hands out in front of me so I didn’t run into a tree.

Chander had disappeared, and I scolded myself for following him like an idiot. I was as bad as the people at the party, just in a different way.

I continued in the same direction, and after a few minutes I finally broke out of the foliage, stepping out into a large field. The moonlight lit over the tall grass, illuminating the emptiness.


A howl echoed through the air, making my hair stand on end. The bushes shook as something moved around in them, an animal smell invading my senses.

The wolf walked out, his teeth bared as he approached me. My heart hammered in my chest as he got closer.

He gave up the normal pretense, walking on his hind legs like a human. Then suddenly, he was human.

Chander smiled at me, making my blood run cold.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to follow a stranger into the woods” He asked, tilting his head to the side like a hunting dog.

“Yeah,” I said, taking a step back. “It’s right up there with; don’t leave the house during a full moon.”

“And why don’t you leave the house during a full moon?”

“That’s when the creatures come out.” I whispered, falling back a little more.

“What kind of creatures?” He asked, doing a ‘go on’ gesture.

“Vampires. Faeries. Werewolves.”

I ran, not looking back to see what was happening, but I could hear it. As he changed back into a wolf, I could hear the growl ripping through his throat, then he let out another howl.

The call of the hunt.

The sound of pursuit made me run faster. I ignored the stones that hit my feet, and the thorns that tore through my flesh, I had to keep moving.

My feet pounded against the dew wet ferns, soundless except for the occasional snap of a twig, but I knew he could hear everything. I tried not to scream as I once again lost the light of the moon. Trying not to cry as everything became black and ominous, every tree holding a different horror.

My head pounded with the sound of Chander’s breathing, as it got closer to me with every second. I ran blindly, not really caring if I ran into a tree, or fell into a ditch. Maybe if I did, I’d finally wake up from this nightmare.

A sliver of light showed through ahead of me, and I picked up my pace. I was almost there, when I realized the sound of pursuit had ceased. I came to a stop, listening. There was nothing but the wind. Not a bird or any other creature made a sound, it was just silent.

I backed up to a tree slowly, no longer trusting any direction. My back pressed up against the warm bark, my cold skin enjoying the heat. I slowly let myself relax, maybe he had lost my scent and went back to the party. As a human he could easily find someone who knew me, and find out my location.

A thought flashed through my mind, and my eyes widened in panic.

“Shelby,” I whispered.

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about her,” Chander said, suddenly behind me. “It’s you I’m after.”

I turned around just as he lunged at me, my blood curdling scream fading into the night.









~~~




I woke up quickly, the covers wrapped around me protectively as I sat up. My alarm clock read four am, flashing lights signaling my pre-set wakeup.

I hit the snooze button, leaning back against my pillows with a sigh of relief. It was all a dream. I couldn’t believe my imagination had come up with that, and it had felt so real…..

I shook my head, a smile lighting up my face. I was home. I was safe. And there was absolutely, no such things as werewolves. I went and brushed my teeth, ignoring the lingering parts of the dream. And after washing my face, I realized I was hungry.

I made my way down the stairs, in search of a pop tart. I pulled out a strawberry, nibbling on it slightly, wondering where everyone else was.

I finished breakfast and decided to search around the house, making sure to check every room, but no one showed. I couldn’t help the frown that pulled at the edges of my mouth. Something was wrong.

“Mom?” I called, going back downstairs. “Dad?”

No one answered, and my worry for them increased. Why weren’t they here? It was Saturday, which meant no work.

Maybe they went out….. My mind reasoned. I nodded slightly, that was probably it, they were aloud to leave the house.

I started biting my lower lip, and picking my phone up off the counter, I hit Shelby’s number. It continued to ring, until finally her voicemail came up.

“Hi, This is Shelby. I won’t be answering my phone for the next month in honor of Adrienne, her death will not go unnoticed by my friends or family………”


The phone fell from my hand, landing on the ground with a thud. Dead, they thought I was dead? I looked around desperately for some sign that this was a practical joke, it had to be, I wasn’t dead.

“What is going on?” I whispered.

Chander’s laugh came out of nowhere. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re no longer human, ergo, you’re dead.”