Into Darkness

"I don't think We should be here, Danny." I said a little panicked as we walked deeper and deeper into the forest. "I feel like something bad is going to happen to us." I said. "don't be so dramatic." Danny said. "we'll be fine, ok?" he finished. I still felt uneasy, almost like someone, or something, was watching us.

My breathing picked up and I could feel my asthma start to become a factor. I reach into my pocket and pull out my inhaler, and I began to shake the bottle. "look, this will be our only chance to see a real body." Danny said with a smile. "but what if we're caught?!" I said in an angry, yet hushed tone. "we won't be." he said when we found some rocks to hide in between.

The cops are out looking for it too, so we want to remain hidden; especially from Danny's dad, Mr. Bodwell. "Stay here, and when I find it, I'll call you." Danny said. i took a deep breath from my inhaler and watched as He crept into the night; looking for the famed dead body of the young girl.

"what are you doing, Danny?" the familiar voice forced him to turn. I hide in the brush and listen. His dad stood behind him. "uh... I.... I..."
"looking for the body?" he said. "where's Ryan?"
"uh... Ryan? Oh he is at home. I-I came here by myself."

"uh huh... Sure. Ryan? You out there?! Ryan!" Mr. Bodwell said. "well, i guess i'll have to trust you. c'mon, let's get home." he said. "damnit..." I whisper silently. I look passed the tree and they had vanished. I put my hoodie on my head to get some kind of warmth and headed back to Danny's jeep. It's eerily quiet; no crickets chirping, just silence. I started to get really nervous, and I look over to my right to see big red eyes coming towards me.

My own eyes widen in terror and I run the other way. I run as fast as I can; small branches and leaves are hitting me in the face as I run further and further into the darkness. I hear it's thumping steps as I try to outrun it; my heart racing at full speed as it tries to pump blood through my body. I look behind me and it continues to follow. I turn my bean and I felt a branch trip me and I fell to the ground. My inhaler falls away from my hand and lands somewhere I can't see. The pair of eyes gets closer and I start to scream. It lunges towards me and I raise my left arm to protect myself. It takes a bite out of my arm.

"AAAH!" i yell as the sharp teeth pass through my skin. I try to get free, but i feel suddenly weak. It looks at me and then takes off running. I roll up my sweatshirt sleeve to see deep bite marks from what looks to be a wolf. "I hope I'm not rabid." I thought to myself. I climbed to my feet, grabbed my arm to stop the bleeding and carried on through the woods. I soon reached Danny's jeep and I saw Danny waiting for me. "hurry up dude! My dad-- what happened to your arm?"
"I don't know. I was walking back here and I was attacked by... By a wolf or something."

"a wolf? There hasn't been wolves in Massachusetts for like 20 years." Danny said. "well, it was too small to be a bear." I said. "look." i said rolling up my sleeve. "does this look--" it was completely healed. "what the hell?" I whispered. I look at my arm that was completely healed and wondered why. All the sudden, a cell phone rings loudly. "ugh!" I cover my ears. "turn it off, Danny!"

"m-my phone isn't on. See?" he said showing it to me. "what the hell is wrong with me?!" I yelled. "there is only one explanation." Danny said wide-eyed.
"what?"
"....your a werewolf."
"dude, your crazy. There is no such thing--" I heard howling in the distance. I look to my right; trying to find the source. I shook it off and told Danny to take me home. "dude, don't leave the window open." Danny said as he drove off. I climbed the stairs and went into my house. I locked the door behind me and said goodnight to my mom, then I went into my room and got changed into some sweatpants and an undershirt. I turn out my light and climb into bed.

*******

Another howl fills the air; I wake up. I look out my window and see a guy in his early twenties looking at my window. I shake my head; trying to figure out if he was real, but then he disappeared into the night. I turn around and he is standing in my room. "what the..."
"ssh!" he said covering my mouth. "my name is Dylan. I'm going to be watching over you."

"I don't need any watching over. Besides, why--"
"just trust me!" he said. I was quickly silent.
"go to sleep." he said jumping out my window. I lay my head back on the pillow and sent to sleep.

**********

"McCall Get in there!" coach Mulcahy yelled. I hopped onto the ice and skated around trying go get the puck. People were cheering and yelling. "go ryan!" my mom yelled. I was on the fourth line; my dream is the first line, but me and Danny arent "competing hard enough" to be on the first line.

The puck is passed to me and my heartbeat starts to race. I can see in my visor that my eyes are a golden yellow, but my eye color is Brown. My vision is red; and I skate down the ice as the clock runs down. 30 seconds left. We need to score in order to win. I hit everyone out of the way, and I shoot the puck through the goalies glove; winning the game. My heartbeat is beating faster than ever before, and my breathing quickens.

I go down on both knees and Danny skates over to me. "are you ok?" he asked me. "it's happening. It's happening Danny." i said as my teammates celebrate behind us. it took him a few seconds, then he responded. "oh. No no no no no... Not here. Come on!" he picked me up and brought me into the locker room and he locked the door. I fell onto my hands and knees again and start to groan. Immense pain fills my body. "dude, what's going on?" I groan more; I look at my fingernails which are now longer, and more like claws.

I see Danny kneel down in front of me. "Ryan? Ryan can you hear me?" he said. I can feel fangs on both my top teeth and bottom. My vision turns red. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!" I yell at him. I see the fear in his eyes as I get to my feet. Primal instinct to kill takes over. I see danny no longer as a friend, but as my prey. "R-Ryan? Buddy? Are y-you ok?" i slowly raise my head and our eyes meet. "oh my god..." he says when he sees my teeth.

I flick my wrists and my claws get longer and sharper. I step towards him; i can smell the fear that he is feeling and it drives my hunger for his blood. "w-what are y-you going to do to me?" he says in fear. "i dont mind the teeth. But the pointy ears are freaking me out, bro!" i give him a low growl and his eyes widen. I lunge for him; He runs and I miss my chance. I jump up on top of the rafters for a better vantage point; watching my prey move.

I jump down onto the tops of the lockers and stalk him from above. He tripped over something and is doing a backwards crab walk to get away. I growl as I watch him try to get away from me; but I have him I my sights. snaking through the rows and maze of locker hallways, I jump from locker top to locker top; listening to his heart race in fear. onto the floor I go and take a few steps towards him. "Ryan... It's me, your buddy Danny." I tilt my head and show my fangs. "oh good god... I'm going to die. Your going to kill me aren't you?" I growl more; totally unable to control myself.

He hits a wall and he is now trapped. "oh god... Please no..." i lunge for him again and listen to him whimper. He hits me across the face with something and i go flying a few feet. I hear the door open as my vision returns and i follow my prey out into the hallway of the school. He runs into the coaches office and closes the door. I kick open the wooden door and i watch as he ransacks through the desk behind him and pulls out a whistle, he blows it and the sound Echoes in my head. I cover my ears and fall to my knees. I feel my fangs disappear and my vision is no longer red. "ugh...." I say in a low tone.

Danny rushes to my side. "what happened?" I whisper. "y-you tried to kill me. Nothin' much other than that." he said in a frightened yet sarcastic tone. "still don't believe your a werewolf?" he asked. I was breathing heavily and almost crying. "wait a minute." Danny said. He ran over to his locker and pulled out his phone. "I'm locking you up tonight." he said.
"why?"

There was an eerie silence. He slowly looks up at me; "it's a full moon."

********

"Hey buddy." Danny said with a huge duffel bag on his shoulder. I sat quietly in my chair. "ready for tonight?" "I'll be fine."
"but, you gotta see what I bought. I mean, this stuff will keep us safe. You said that you don't wanna hurt me right?"
"yeah." I answer quietly.

"well, I don't wanna see you hurt, so I bought this." he pulls out a chain and what looks like a choke collar and showed it to me. "I'm not putting that on."
"oh yes you are, wolfie. You have to."

I sat next to the radiator and looked at him menacingly. "o-ok. I guess we don't need the leash. I'm sorry." he said extending his hand. I took his hand and in one motion, he handcuffed me to the radiator and got up. "it's for your own good, Ryan. I don't want to see you hurt... Or worse." he said shutting the door. "DANNY! Let me OUT!" I said pulling on the handcuff. I look at the moon and see that the clouds are almost clear of it. "no..." I whisper. "DANNY! Help me! Get me out! GET ME OUT!" I cried.

The moon shined in my eyes. It was too late. I look at my hands and the nails are growing; so is my bloodlust. My teeth get longer; and my eyes are yellow again. I see myself in the mirror and cower away. My screams transform into roars. My vision is red. "Ryan? You ok buddy?" I hear Danny say. I break out of the handcuffs and jump out the window. I land on the ground and I look at the moon and howl.

I run into the woods faster then ever before. Trees are blurs; the air flows by me. I'm alive. I hear a thud and I stop. I look on the ground and see a cylindrical object. It explodes; blinding me. I hear an arrow and it hits me in the arm; I let out a bloodcurdling scream In pain. The arrow is pinning me to the tree next to me. I see a man in his thirties with a shaven head, a five o' clock shadow, and standing at 6 feet tall stand before me. 3 other men were there as well.

I see him look into my eyes just as a figure jumps over me and screams at them, then rips out the arrow. "run!" he yells. I do what he says and run away into the woods and I fell next to a tree. He stood above me. "who were they?!" I said in pain And breathing heavily. "Hunters. The kind that have been hunting us for centuries."
"how did I get here?" I yell. "you ran."
"but... I don't--"
"remember? I kinda figured that." he said helping me up. "let's get you home." he finished. He walked me to his car and I got in the passenger side. "I wanna know something." I said. "why did you bite me?! I don't want this life. I hate it."

"you say that now."
"no, I mean it!" I said. "I wasnt the one that bit you. Only Alphas can turn people. You and I, were Betas. We're part of his pack."
"I don't wanna be a part of any pack!" I yelled. "I wanna be Ryan McCall!" I said.

"well, we both know that THAT'S not going to happen." I sat back in my seat and remained quiet. He dropped me off at my house and I went into my room to find Danny sitting on my bed with the broken handcuffs. "your a bad doggie." he said with a cheeky smile. "Very funny." i said. "did you sniff another werewolf's ass?"
"stop it."
"I'm just messing! So, what do they smell like?"

I give him a reply by changing my eye color back to golden yellow. "I-I'll shut up now." he said looking away. I give him a cheeky smile and sit down on the chair. "what's it like?"
"huh?"
"what's it like, You know, being a werewolf?"

"oh... I don't know." I shrug. It was all so new to me. All of a sudden, I smell something really good. "is that... Cologne?" I said. "I'm not wearing any. Why, you a gay werewolf?"
"what?! No I'm not gay! The smell just... came out of nowhere." I stated. Whatever it was, it smelled really good. "I gotta go to bed." I said. "yeah, I do too. See ya, Fido!" I let out a slow growl and turn my eye color back to golden-yellow. "well bye!" he said in a quick manner. I laughed silently and crawled into bed once again.

*My vision is red. I've gone to that place once again. I run through the forest on all fours and come across a house. I slowly walk up to it and turn the doorknob. I slowly enter it and hear shouting coming from the bathroom. I jump up the stairs and find the bathroom. Someone is being drowned in the tub; it was Danny! I grab the guy and turn him around and it's... Me!*

I finally wake up. I look at the clock. "shit! It's time for school!" I say to myself. I quickly got dressed and rode my bike as fast as possible. I quickly arrive at school and lock my bike up on the bike rack, then finally, I walk into the school. But I overhear one particular conversation. I quickly find the people involved and I listen from behind a wall. "dude, did you see McCall's eyes yesterday? They were creepy."

"I know. He's probably some freak. We shouldn't waste time on it. Besides, who cares?"
"I do. Did you see how fast he was skating?!"
"yeah, but he isn't the biggest guy so."

"no. That wasn't possible. Not that fast." I quickly turned away and headed to my first class. I sit behind Danny and wait for the teacher. "alright class... You have one hour to complete the test on your desks. Go!" he said. I picked up my pencil. It soon got really quiet. I can hear loud clicking and scratching. I can hear gum popping.

Again, someone's phone went off. I look around and I concluded that it must be the Incredibly... Attractive guy out there talking on his phone. He hung up and looked through his backpack. "shit, I need a pen." I quickly pulled out a pen and I watched as he walked into the school and into the room. He sat behind me and I turned around and handed him the pen.

He gave me a smile and said thanks. I give him a shy smile and turn around and started to finish my test. *Click....click.....click* I look up at the clock and the ticks get louder. I try to concentrate, but they get louder. *tick tick tick.* louder and louder. "ugh..." I grunt as I shake my head. *tick tick tick* I quickly get up and leave. I sit next to the wall with my head in my hands. "what's wrong? You going to turn?" Danny asked. "no. It's just so loud in there."

"but--"
"werewolf's hearing is 16x more sensitive to--" the bell rang. I cover my ears as it echoes through the halls. "noise than humans." I finish. "I could tell." he said. I got up and walked to my next class which was gym. Great, that was all I needed. A place where my heart rate can spike and I'll turn into a werewolf and kill everyone.

But luckily it isn't a full moon tonight. I walked into the locker room and went over to my locker. I opened the door and I felt a hand grab my shoulder. It was Billy. "hey fag!" He yelled loudly. I turn around so I'm facing him completely. "who did you suck off to win last nights game, Huh fag boy?!"

" isn't that your mothers job? To suck people off?" I said. He got furious and shoved me back onto my locker. He had me by the throat. Danny walked in and saw what was going on and He quickly locked the door; and my eyes started to change. "what the hell?!" he said as he released his grip. "next time, leave me alone."

"you might he a freak but I'm not scared of you." he yelled. "oh yeah, one more thing. My fangs descended and my claws became exposed. Danny was laughing at Billy's terror. I grabbed him by the throat. "if you don't leave me alone. I'll rip your throat out..... With my teeth." I said. "and keep your mouth shut about this!" Danny yelled. "or I'm gonna.... Let him eat you." he said realizing that I was more capable than he. I unlocked the door and changed back to normal.

I got changed into my gym clothes and went out into the gym. We played so many different games and learned new sports that I forgot what most of them were. The funny thing was, Billy didn't even look at me the whole class.

***********

[Mr. Sampson]
"the one last night was definitely young. He was quick, and agile. Plus, he screamed in pain, not discomfort."
"so what?" one of the men said. "their beasts one way or another, right?"
"we have a code!" Mr Sampson said. "Werewolves that young can't be killed on a whim. There must be irrefutable evidence that they spilled human blood."

"we had it last night. And we should have killed it." said the man. Mr. Sampson walked around the table thinking about the encounter. "no... I saw what he was thinking. He was scared, not violent."
"there is no way to know that for sure." the other man said. "he could have killed every one of us if we didnt stop it." he finished.
"I didn't see that. I saw a person looking for answers. Did you see his wrist? I think he was tied to something. So clearly he was trying not to hurt people." Mr. Sampson said.

*********

I saw the new boy walking down the hall, so I went over to talk with him. "hey." I said looking at his pretty blue eyes. "hey uh... Ryan right?" "yeah." I answer. "I'm Josh. Josh Sampson." "nice to meet you." I said. "so, where are you from?" I asked. "im from ohio, and my dad moved out here because of his job." he said as we left the school.

A red suburban pulls up and out steps the man from last night. I freeze, not knowing what to do. "well, that's my dad. See ya." I couldn't speak; my eyes were locked on him. What do I do? He looks at me, and then gives me a smile as I turn around and walk back into the school. "does he know?" I thought to myself. "will he kill me? WOULD he kill me?"