If you like it/hate it, please review! -Crews
Stupid dare. How could I let myself get drawn into the chaos of Jen and her clique? I must really be losing my mind. Miserably, I walked through the dark woods. If I hadn't, I would be nice and warm in my own room, curled up in my own bed, reading a book. But no, that would be too simple. Instead, I find myself out in the woods, in the dark, in the middle of winter. I must be mentally retarded, it was the only explanation.
The breeze picked up and I involuntarily shivered. Mad, mostly at myself, I replayed that conversation with Jen.
"Ty, I'm throwing a party at my house, want to come?" Jen asked. I had just opened my mouth in semi amazement.
"Me?" I asked. Why the hell would Jen even talk to me, much less invite me to her party?
"Yeah, you," she said. The friends that surrounded her were looking at her like she had grown an extra head and had possibly changed colors.
"What for?" Jen had never done anything to me personally, but I still wouldn't trust her farther than I could throw her. People talked.
"Just say you'll come. It'll be fun," she smiled. I could see why everyone liked her. She was pretty.
Against my better judgment, I simply nodded my head, dazed.
"Great! Be at my house at seven and dress warmly." That said, she gathered her group and left.
"We're going to have a scavenger hunt, she says. It'll be fun. You can go with Andy. Please. Jerk only stayed with me till I got lost, and then ditched," I grumbled. I hated fake people. Actually, I hated people in general. It really sucked to not have the best social life. I thought I managed well, just staying out of the way. Obviously I did something to piss Jen off. What, I don't know.
I continued walking between the trees. I knew that they eventually opened up near my friend Kevin's house, but I didn't remember just where.
The sound of running water drew my attention and I changed direction, heading for it. Maybe that would lead me out of this mess faster. I dodged beneath the trees and through the bushes, keeping an eye out for the water so that I wouldn't accidently step in it. It really was dark.
I reached a clearing, bright with the light from the full moon. It was nice to see the moon again. I had lost it while under the branches of the towering trees. The sound of the running water intensified. Finally, a steadfast point that I can follow out of here, I thought. This was perfect. I crossed the brief expansion of grass and found the water. It was almost sparkling.
"Wow," I whispered. I had never seen anything like this before. It was beautiful. A large tree stood off to the right of the creek, almost inviting me to sit beneath it. I sat down and leaned back against the bark, relaxing muscles I hadn't realized had been tensed. I wasn't afraid, especially of the dark, but something about these woods got to me, but I couldn't place it. I was probably just being paranoid. The worst thing that could live here would have to be the psycho squirrels, known to chase hikers which were actually kind of funny. Not that the squirrels were stupid enough to chase people, but that the people were stupid enough to run. I giggled out loud, contemplating whether or not I'd be able to find this place again.
A loud noise, made by something big crashing through the brush, made me jump. My heart started beating faster and faster. I tried to get up, but my muscles were locked in place. I couldn't even shut my eyes. I just stared at the spot, the spot where the sound was coming from and where no doubt it would come out at. Terrified, I waited.
The noise stopped as suddenly as it had begun, with one exception. Instead of being alone in the clearing now, there was also a guy. He wore pants, but no shirt, his hair, long enough to hang in his eyes, sticking up in many directions messily. He was holding onto his side and breathing heavily. He turned and glanced behind him. Whatever he saw must not have been good, because he bolted forward, moving away from the place he had entered the clearing.
The breeze stirred my hair, but I didn't move a muscle. I was statue-like, watching this strange guy running towards me. Suddenly he stopped. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air. Why the hell was he sniffing the air?
"Who's there?" he called. He looked towards the tree I was sitting under and seemed to narrow in on me with his eyes as his nose flared. Still grasping his side, he ran towards me.
The adrenaline must have finally kicked in because I was on my feet in a millisecond.
"Stay away," I said, wincing at how badly my voice wavered. He kept coming, ignoring me, and occasionally glancing over his shoulder. This action only made him move that much faster.
I sucked in a big lungful of air and prepared to scream with all my might. He stared at me, his face contorting in fear as he realized what I was about to do. I blinked.
I felt a hand cover my mouth and then I was roughly tackled to the ground, pinned under a massive body. The scream died in my throat. He didn't say anything, only gave me the shut up you idiot stare that I got a lot from Kevin. Afraid, I nodded, showing him I wouldn't scream. Instead of letting me go, he kept his hand pressed to my mouth, and my body pinned to the ground. He looked up at the trees, which I now could no longer see.
He didn't move for a long time, meaning that I didn't move in a long time. In fact, we stayed that way so long, that eventually the morbid thoughts of rape and being killed left my mind and my heart rate slowed. I still worried about what was going to happen, but I knew I couldn't do anything about it where I was now.
Another noise caused my heart to accelerate yet again. This noise sounded even bigger. The man pinning me to the ground tensed, and I saw his skin ripple. What the hell?! Once again, I blinked, and just as suddenly, cool air filled the places where the guy's body had been. For a moment I was too stunned to move, but just for a second. I was on my feet in no time, amazed to see that two wolves were fighting in the clearing.
The first wolf was huge and dark brown, almost black in the moonlight. The second was more slight, and also a light gray color with an even lighter patch in the center of his back. Both were snarling, teeth bared, attacking each other. The scene was amazing. Both wolves seemed to be dancing. One would lunge, while the other swiftly rotated out of the way. If it wasn't for the growling, there wouldn't have been a noise to draw attention to them.
As quickly as the fight had begun, it ended. The brown wolf swiftly lunged forward, jaw open, and clamped down on the other wolf's ear. The gray wolf cried in pain, disengaged from the battle and took off. The remaining wolf stood looking off after it, panting. Slowly, it turned and seemed to look right at me. Without another sound, it dashed off into the trees, disappearing from view.
I stood there a few seconds longer, trying to come up with a way that explained this rationally.
"Okay," I started. "There was a guy, who seemed to be running from someone or something, what I'm not sure. Then he disappears and is replaced by two fighting wolves." No matter how I tried to wrap my mind around it, I only seemed to confuse myself more and more.
"Alright," I said loudly. "Never happened." I looked at the creek with longing, wishing that I may find and come here again, but knowing I probably wouldn't, turned and followed the creek back into the woods.
At last the trees began to thin out and I could see lights from houses shining. I breathed a sigh of relief, when I recognized Kevin's house. I ran to it, jumped up the stairs and knocked on the door.
"Yeah." Kevin said, answering the door. It took him a minute to realize it was me. When he did, his look of confusion turned to concern. "Tyler, are you alright?"
"You would not believe the night I've had," I answered. "Can I stay here tonight?"
"Yeah, sure. Come on in," Kevin replied, stepping aside and motioning me in. Grateful, I entered and instantly relaxed when the door shut. I had felt eyes on my back, and was relieved to not feel them anymore.