The Werewolf of Fever Swamp

by sweetie buttons

Grady Tucker moves to Fever Swamp with his family. There are rumors about the mysterious swamp, but he finds himself drawn to it, as well as the strange, mysterious hermit who lives there. But is the hermit hiding something, and is as scary and dangerous as everyone says he is? Are the rumors true?

2. Chapter 2

The swamp was hot and humid. It had been sunny outside, and Grady had wanted ice cream as well, but it seemed even warmer in there. It felt like he was in a sauna. A damp, sticky sauna. He wiped sweat off his forehead and swiped his dark bangs away from his eyes.

He could hear frogs croaking and birds chirping. The trees were so close together that the bark brushed against him as he walked. So did the tall grass. He wished he had worn jeans instead of shorts. He jumped as he stepped in something. Looking down, he saw a shallow green puddle. It looked like a pea soup.

He then jumped as he heard a particularly loud croak. He saw a toad next to the puddle, staring up at him. He quickly took a picture with his camera, causing it to leap away from the flash. Thankfully, he managed to get it in the picture before it left. Maybe he'd sketch it later.

He felt mosquitoes buzzing around him. He slapped at one. Too late. It bit his neck. Looking down at his ankles, he saw bumpy red marks on them. It must've been the grass, or more mosquitoes.

He walked further into the swamp. It grew darker, and the trees grew higher. He took pictures with his camera. He spotted more frogs and mosquitoes. At one point, he stopped and traced leaves and ferns with his notepad and a piece of chalk. It looked pretty good. Maybe he'd make a poster about the swamp later, he thought excitedly.

He did more leaf rubbings and took more pictures. But after a while, he got bored. He could feel sweat on the back of his neck. The heat was increasing, and he was starting to wish he had accepted the ice cream from Emily. He held his camera in front of him and pretended it was a gun. He pretended he was an explorer, traversing through the deadly swamp.

"Watch out," he muttered. "I'll shoot any deadly animals in my way. Grady Tucker, the famous junior scientist, is on an expedition."

If Emily saw him, she'd laugh at him and mock him relentlessly, calling him a geek. But he didn't care. He opened his notepad and pretended it was a journal documenting his previous expeditions.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab him from behind, causing him to drop his belongings in surprise and let out a cry, which was quickly muffled when they placed a hand over his mouth.