This story takes place between Batteries Not Included and The Next Stop: Lakewood.
Wolf Moon Rising
Chapter 1
The monster moved quickly on all fours through the forest, past trees and over logs and fallen branches, the smell of human flesh thick in its nostrils.
The monster glanced left and right cautiously, for any danger such as a falling tree, which its nose would not pick out.
Everything the monster saw was in black and white, like a vintage film, and seemed slightly blurry to it, but it could smell the three humans a mile away.
Their scent was thickening. The monster knew it was getting closer.
Its eyes caught a steep fall of land up ahead, and its ears, the faint noises the humans make.
The monster lowered itself as close to the forest floor as it could, and moved close enough to the edge to just peer down at the road below.
At once, the monster saw its three newest preys, just at the edge of the road, each with a super soaker in their right arm.
One had coarse, brown hair, another had half-dark skin, rectangle-shaped glasses, and jet-black hair, and the third had long, blonde hair.
The humans appeared to be arguing. The monster could not understand the humans' languages, but it could make out the words.
"Okay," the curly one said, "why are we using super-soakers against a monster?"
"It's a Werewolf," the half-dark one replied.
"They're filled with water mixed with silver dust," the blonde one explained. "Silver eats through Werewolf flesh like acid."
"It what?" the curly one exclaimed in awe.
The humans were distracted. Now was the time for the monster to attack.
And, at once, it leapt from the edge of the fall of land, and touched down on all fours at the bottom.
The half-dark one noticed it at once. "Look out!"
The other two humans spun round.
"SHAZOW!" the half-dark human yelled, and in a flash, raised his super-soaker and squirted a jet of dull, chrome water at the monster.
The monster swiftly raised a muscular arm, covered in thick fur with clawed fingers, to its face and as the chrome water splashed onto it, the monster felt a searing pain shoot up its arm as the silver in the water ate into it.
Quickly, the monster shook the water from the bubbling crater of muscle and flesh in its forearm where the water had touched it, lowered itself back on all fours, and burst, full speed, for the humans.
It dodged their jets of silver water, and in seconds was on top of them, viciously clawing and biting at them.
Pain shot through Jake's forehead as he slowly opened his eyes.
Everything looked blurry, but began to solidify.
Jake's looked around, and saw a tall, half-dark man in an expensive-looking suit, with short, black hair standing over him.
"Mr. Stockley?" Jake managed to murmur.
"Jake, you're awake!" Mr. Stockley exclaimed.
Jake glanced around. He was in the med bay of the Troop HQ, Hayley and Felix each on another bed, sitting up, groggy-eyed.
All their clothes were torn to reveal claws and bites and slashes in their flesh, most of them shallow and already healing.
"What happened to the Werewolf?" Jake asked, blinking himself awake.
"I'm afraid it's still out there," Mr. Stockley said calmly.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Jake exclaimed. "Let's go bust this monster!"
Jake quickly slid off the med bed, hungry to make the Werewolf pay for knocking him out.
He was about to burst for the weapons room full speed, when Mr. Stockley replied in that calm voice, "I'm afraid you're all going to have to take your Monster Plankton first."
"Monster Plankton?" Jake cried. He hadn't the faintest idea what that was, but it sounded disgusting.
"Yes," Mr. Stockley replied quietly, his eyes shifting between Jake, Hayley and Felix. "The Werewolf infected all of you during the attack."
"Infected?" Jake thought aloud.
"Yes," Mr. Stockley replied. "Werewolves reproduce by infecting humanoid victims they don't kill with venom through a bite or a scratch."
Jake looked down at his torn clothes and shallow claw marks and animal bites, and felt a slight shudder run down his spine.
"The venom's activated by the moon's gravity when it's full, and when it is, the infected victim transforms into a new Werewolf," Felix continued as he and Hayley slid off the med bed.
Mr. Stockley pulled out three plastic tubes between Jake, Hayley and Felix, and said, "Drink down."
Jake popped the top off his tube, and at once saw the gross, dark-brown stuff inside.
If Jake felt like retching at the sight of the Monster Plankton, how would it taste?
Before another dark thought could creep into Jake's mind, he raised the tube to his mouth, tilted back his head and gulped the stuff down.
Jake had expected himself to be sick the moment it touched his tongue, but surprisingly, it tasted better than it looked.
It tasted virtually the same as cold coffee to Jake.
Jake lowered the tube from his face and glanced at Hayley and Felix as they gulped down their Monster Plankton too.
As soon as they were done, they turned their backs on each other and pulled themselves into some new clothes Mr. Stockley had laid out for them.
Jake was the first to speak when they were all dressed. "Let's go bust some monsters."
And without another word, he took off for the weapons room, Hayley and Felix close behind.
Well, that's the first chapter. Chapter 2 is coming soon.