The New Werewolf

Just another werewolf story, NOT!

~ Todays Werewolf ~

The rising sun was reflecting off the waves as they softly lapped against the waters edge. I could hear the peaceful sound of birds and felt a cool breeze against my skin. My skin?? My eyes flashed open as I jerked my head off the ground. Oh holy crap I'm outside!  And damn I'm  NAKED!!   There was a man jogging down the shoreline right towards me! I curled myself into a fetal position and put my hands over my face. I could hear the footsteps getting closer.

"Miss, are you OK?" the man inquired as he caught his breath.

"No, I'm not OK." I slowly picked myself up, attempting to hide the obvious. "This is so embarrassing! Please believe me, I have no idea how I got here."

He looked away as he cleared his throat.

"Those are some nasty scratches on your back. You probably feel a little disoriented, but that's to be expected. This must be your first time."

"First time? First time for what!"

"Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

And off he went as quickly as he came. I squatted down as low as I could, hoping no one else could see me. There was nothing around to hide behind. Do I just say ‘screw it’ and make a mad dash for cover? In a moment the man returned holding a flowered sheet. Stopping a few feet from me, he held it out, looking away as I reached to take it. I quickly wrapped myself and thanked him. As I stood up, I noticed how tall he was, maybe four or five inches over me. His muscles embossed the white tee shirt he was wearing. Tight faded blue jeans were low on his waist and his brown hair moved with the breeze.

"Hopefully those people won't miss their sheet. I think you need it more than they do." he chuckled.

I forced myself to smile.

"My name is Rex, Rex Bennet. I know this is a strange way to meet, but I knew something must be wrong."

"Wait a minute, now I remember!"

“What do you remember." he said as he scratched the back of his head.

"This is a camping trip! I came here to go camping. There were four of us. I remember it was getting dark, but the full moon was so bright you almost didn’t need a flashlight. After sitting around the fire for a while, we decided to call it a night. Amy and I were in one tent, and the guys were in the other. We had just zipped up the sleeping bags when we heard this dreadful screaming. We peeked out into the moon light and saw something huge rip through the other tent. We bolted out and ran towards the road, but whatever it was quickly caught up and knocked us both to the ground. I heard a painful scream. It had sunk it's teeth into Amy! I managed to break free with just these scratches on my back. I wanted to help her but it was too late. The thing was tearing her to pieces. I ran away as fast as I could. It felt like my heart was going to explode. But that's all I remember. Maybe I passed out or something." Rex put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes.

"I can't imagine how terrified you must have been. I feel just awful about your friends, and, I believe I know what happened."

"How could you know?"

"You were probably infected by those scratches on your back. Have you ever heard of a, werewolf?"

"You're crazy, that's just in stupid movies!”

"Listen, I know, because it happened to me too.”

"What are you saying? You think I changed into one of those things?" I said in unbelief.

"Do you have another explanation for waking up like this?  I'm sure you don't normally run around naked. You should stay away from your camp site. You don't need to see that. Let's go over to the cabin I rented, and I'll try to explain.

"This is unbelievable." I said. We were walking close to each other, and even though we had just met, I could feel a strange attraction. My mind was racing, but I had no idea what to say to him. We walked without speaking until we arrived at group of rustic cabins, then he broke the silence.

"So what's your name?"

"Carrie Edwards."

"Carrie... That's a cute name." His hand brushed across my forehead and tucked my hair behind my ear. Without warning he leaned in to kiss me. I wasn’t expecting that, but instinctively put my arms around him. That was a big mistake, because the sheet fell to the ground. He paused just short of the kiss.

"Gosh we better get you inside." he said as he quickly snatched the sheet, throwing it across my shoulders. The door was held open for me as we entered the cabin. "Here, please sit on the couch, I'll get you something to drink."

He came back with a Pepsi and an oversized shirt that I quickly put on.  He sat sat down beside me.

"There are a lot of things you will have to get used to. Lights will appear brighter, sounds will seem louder, and heightened emotions. You will have to learn how to control them."

As I stared at him, I was already finding that hard to do. "Will it happen again? I mean, will I change again?" 

He put his arm around me and whispered, "Every time there is a full moon."

"What can I do? I don't want to hurt anyone!"

"That's why I am here at this campground. When there is a full moon, I try to get away from the city. The first thing you should do is buy a lunar calendar, so you know just when it will happen, because there is nothing that can stop it. It really helps to have a mentor, someone like me. At least until you get a handle on things.”

"You mean you will help me?" I pleaded.

"Of course I will! The full moon lasts three or four nights, and it just started last night when you were infected. Oh, and a word of warning, there are hunters out there. The b******s want us exterminated. We need to stick together to be safe.”

"So how will it happen?”

"You mean when you change?"

"Yes"

"It will seem like the lights just fade out. And the next morning you will wake up, exactly like you did today.”

"Naked?”

"Yep that's the way it usually goes, but you won't remember a thing. And like I said, it's best to keep yourself away from other people if you can. Oh, and there's one more thing that works well. If you are with another werewolf of the opposite sex, gosh how can I say this, well... you might be too interested in each other to go out on the prowl."

"If it means keeping others safe, would you mind if I stayed with you tonight? I just don’t want to hurt anyone."  He looked me in the eyes.

"Are you positive?"

"I don't think I have any choice. And what are those hunters you were talking about."

"Unfortunately that’s the biggest danger. There is a secret society that have been hunting werewolves since the dark ages. And it's not just a bunch of villagers with torches and pitchforks. These are professionals, with the latest infrared night vision, and military grade weapons."

"S**t! I'm definitely staying with you!" He pulled me closer,

"Now I'm not trying to scare you, but you just need to know the facts. Let me fix us something to eat. It's best to start out with a full stomach. I don't want you hungry and decide to take a chunk out of me, because things can get a little wild."

"So you've done this before? I mean, with another female?"

He didn't answer me, but just got up and looked out the window. We spent the rest of the day playing board games and watching TV, just waiting, waiting for the change. I was terrified but I kept concentrating on him, hoping he could help me through it. As the final twilight left the windows, Rex turned on some lights and I began to cry. "I don't want this to happen!" He put his arms around me.

"Please don't cry, I won't let anything happen to you. It's really not so bad, you will just fall asleep."

And just as he said that, everything faded to black. I tried so hard to maintain my grip on reality, but I just slipped away into darkness.

~ ~ ~ ~

I opened my eyes to the morning light, finding myself on the couch with that familiar sheet over me. I could smell bacon and eggs and sat up seeing my new friend at the stove.

"Well good morning sleepy head!" he said.

He was wearing a funny kitchen apron, but, that's all he was wearing. "Did it happen?" I said. He looked at me and tilted his head.

"Did you think I was joking? Look at this place! I tried to pick up most of the mess. The poor TV had to go in the dumpster. We must have had an interesting night. Look there, see those scratches on the wall? I don't know if you were trying to get away from me, or maybe I was trying to get away from you!"

We both broke into laughter. It was like a feeling of relief. I made it through the night! He gave me a few more things to wear. Of course they didn’t fit, but I wasn’t about to complain. Later we went for a walk by the lake. I stopped and stared at the place where Rex had found me.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I don't know, nothing I suppose. It's just hard to believe so much has changed."

"You will get used to it, I promise”

"Rex, will you hold me." He put his arms around me. It seemed like the kiss lasted 20 minutes. Was I falling in love with a wolf? Just then I heard police sirens. Had someone discovered the campsite? S**t! I was so caught up in things, that I forgot all about it. Rex grabbed my hand.

"We need to get back to the cabin!"

We began to run. Damn I could go like the wind! As soon as Rex shut the cabin door he said we better leave. I helped him throw a few things in his Mercedes and we were gone. I felt like a criminal on the run, what kind of a life will this be. I sat there quietly watching  the telephone poles go by. "Rex, if they search the camp site they will find my things. My drivers license, home address, s**t, everything!"

"Please will you just relax, they won't find you. They will never find you. For all they know, you died with the rest of them. It will be on the news, group of teens tragically killed while camping, by a bear or something."

"But where will I go, what will I do?" Rex reached over and took my hand. He had a calming tone to his voice.

"I have a friend that can get you a new identity. And if you wish me to continue as your mentor, I would be happy to provide you with anything you need. Do you like to travel?"

"I always wanted to, but I could never afford it."

"How about Paris."

"You're kidding!!"  

"I own a small jet that can get us there in a few hours. Your life is not over, it's just beginning."

~ Todays Werewolf ~