Wolf's Run
Chapter 1: Night Terrors
My heart was beating frantically. I had been dreaming. It was always the same. I was running from... something. I never could tell what sort of creature it was. The run always ended with me falling into a pit. A really deep pit. The pain my dream-self suffered told me that the fall had hurt. In the dream I always did a really curious thing. At this point, I would always pull a bow from my back. I didn't even know how to use a bow and arrows. As my dream-self tried to get an arrow out, the creature, whatever it was, landed in front of me, shrouded in darkness, and lunged. That was when I woke up. Every time. I never quite reached the death that was sure to come.
My heart calm once again, I got out of bed. It was still early, so my older brother was still asleep. Our parents had died a couple of years ago. Kristofer, who had just turned nineteen, became my legal guardian. I had been fourteen at the time. With the exception of the five years between us, Kris seemed to be a father in his own right. Not that I would ever admit it to his face. I padded into the kitchen of their two bedroom apartment and looked in the fridge. I needed to go shopping. I quickly scribbled a note on the pad on the fridge letting Kris know where I was going and headed out the door.
As I headed down the street, my mind wandered to what happened two years ago in late September. Momma and Papa had been on their way to a party that was being thrown by a close family friend. Momma had been a kind and loving woman, who was liked by all who knew her. She had adored her children along with her husband. Papa was a man of business, but had always managed to find time for his family. That night they had dressed in their finest. Our mother in a little blue number that made her blonde hair shine like gold and father in a suit that made his red hair glow. Our parents turned up later that night torn, bloody, and dead. They had been attacked by some sort of animal. The city didn't have wolves so the local law enforcement chalked the attack up to a stray dog attack. Kris and I knew that the story given didn't make any sense. The fang marks left on our parents were too big to be any dog, or wolf for that matter. For some reason, I had a feeling that our parents' deaths were more than just an animal attack.
An hour later, I walked into my apartment and called out to Kris. When I got no answer, I looked at the pad on the fridge.
Gone out to take care of some things.
There's money on the counter for dinner.
I won't be back 'til late, so don't wait up.
Love you,
Kris
He had to take care of some things? He always told me where he was going. Ah, well. I picked up the phone. Time for some Chinese food.
Kris still hadn't gotten back when I finished with my food, so I sat on the couch to wait for him, even though he told me not to. I fell asleep like that. When I woke up in the morning Kris still wasn't home…