"Promise me, Shawn," he begged. "Swear by everything holy that you'll keep that poor innocent girl safe from a terrible…" He realized to his horror that Topanga had entered the room. "Hi, Topanga," he muttered quickly to her, before turning to Shawn with a fearful yelp. Please, Shawn, he begged silently. Save her from the beast I feel inside of me.

But to his despair, his best friend simply walked out of the room. "I'll just leave you two alone," he said with a smile. "Have a good time." He let out a mocking howl and was gone, door shut behind him.

Shawnie! He silently screamed for his best friend to return, but of course he did not. Instead, he found himself face to face with the girl he knew he would kill tonight. She looked beautiful too, something that made his upcoming crime seem all the more cruel.

"Hi, Cory," Topanga greeted him innocently.

"Topanga, I warned you not to…" he broke off as he took in her outfit. She wore a pretty pink princess dress – the perfect victim for a werewolf! "Oh, boy, why'd you have to wear that?" he asked, backing away as he felt his wolfish desires flare up. Why did Shawn leave? he cried to himself. Is this how he treats his best friend!

"Because I'm a damsel," she stated matter-of-factly. "But not the distressed kind. One who's very together and in complete control of her own destiny."

He nodded absently. "Great. Look, I think you're a terrific person, I like you a whole lot, and I never want to see you again." He stepped over to the window and peered up at the moon. It looks nearly full…

"But Cory," Topanga said from behind him, "I don't understand!"

He quickly walked over to his desk, and grabbed the journal. Handing it to her, he started nudging her over to the door. "Listen, everything you need to know is in here. If it's ever published, I'd like the royalties to go to the ASPCA. Now, out, out!"

Not understanding, Topanga simply set the journal on his bed. "But, Cory–" she started to say.

"Topanga," he interrupted her, franticly trying to explain. "I'm not like the other guys. I've got… needs and desires, and I'm not sure I can control them!" He nervously glanced out the window, and gaped in horror. "The moon!"

When the moon is full, the old fortune teller's voice echoed in his head, you will kill the one who cares for you! "Alright, you gotta go! Please get out before it's too late!" He pushed her over to the door. He gave the clock a quick look, and was relieved to find it still 8:59. But then, to his abject fear, the clock blinked to 9:00!

"It's too late!"

----

In the Matthews' living room, Shawn helped himself to candy from the large bowl provided for the trick-or-treaters. I think I like the Reese's best, he thought to himself as he waited for his friends to come down. Cory's delusion had amused him at first, but now he worried about his friend. Cory really seemed convinced he was cursed to kill Topanga.

He had decided to leave Cory and Topanga alone together in the hope that Cory would overcome his fear, and realize that the 'werewolf' urges were just part of being a teenager. As 9:00 comes and passes, he'll calm down and we can go enjoy the party, he thought. Cory can handle it. He reached for a Nutragous.

As he began to tear off the wrapper, he heard a girl scream at the top of her lungs. Realizing it had come from upstairs, he dropped the candy bar and automatically rushed toward the source. He hesitated when he reached the door leading to Cory's room, before opening the door and stepping inside.

His first thought was one of revulsion, but it soon changed to pure horror. On the floor in front of him, lay the gruesome remains of what was once Topanga Lawrence. Shawn turned away from the mutilated corpse, fighting to keep his food in his stomach. He froze as he saw a dark form crouched nearby; it had a humanoid appearance, yet was more covered with hair than his Aunt Delilah. The head was pointed, like that of a dog, and possessed fierce yellow eyes. "Cory?" he asked tentatively.

"Shawnie…" The werewolf growled, dark liquid dripping from his muzzle. He glared at Shawn, and began to approach him slowly.

My, what big teeth you have! "Cory," he began nervously, "You remember me, don't you? We're best friends. You wouldn't hurt your best friend, would you?" With a snarl, Cory crouched as if preparing to lunge upon him. Shawn closed his eyes, waiting for death. Suddenly, from outside the room, he heard someone coming.

"Is everything okay?" Mrs. Matthews called.

He opened his eyes in time to see a dark blur vanish through the window. He then turned to see Cory's mother staring at the body with terror.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her face turning white. "Shawn!" Her voice rose into a shriek. "What happened?" she screamed.

There's no way she'd believe the truth… "There was a man," he lied, the words spilling out easily. I am, after all, a master liar, he thought bitterly. "He killed Topanga and kidnapped Cory."

"My baby…?" her voice trembled, and for a moment, Shawn thought she might faint on the spot. But then, she managed to recover her focus. "We need to call the police! Shawn, don't leave my side."

"No problem," he agreed quietly. But before following her down the stairs, he grabbed the journal Cory had written before his transformation. If anything could help him understand this, it would be his own words. Oh God, Cory…