Category : Stories

Sub Category : Thriller

He’s Jarred awake and fear has overcome him. Fear of what, he does not know. His heart is racing. He can hear the blood rushing in his ears. Looking about the room, it’s fairly dark except for the light of the full moon shining through the window. 
The moon! 
His breath is caught in his throat and his heart feels as though it might explode out of his chest. He’s trying to force himself to stay in bed. He knows what will transpire. The moonlight beckons him. The fear. The anxiety. So intense in his body to the point of crying out. 
He must answer the moon.
Getting up from the bed, he walks to the window. The moon is full and bright, almost burning his eyes. He shuts them tightly as he falls to his knees doubling over. Pain strikes like lightning down his spine as his back and legs begin to transform. The ache is deep in his sinuses as his face takes on its canine appearance. He’s wincing in the pain of his human teeth crumbling as the fangs push through. He sees in the window’s reflection his face cover in fur. The anxiety is even more intense now mixed with an animal hunger to feed. Jumping up, he crashes through the window. Throwing back his head, he howls his greeting to the night.

THE NEXT MORNING
The morning sun beating down on his face, Rod wakes up and finds himself naked on the front porch. Laying on his back for a moment, he runs his hands over his face, sighing.
“Not again,” he whispers, slightly shaking his head.
Getting up, he walks into the house. In the bedroom, he finds the window shattered from when he jumped out the night before. Getting dressed, he’s barely finished pulling up his jeans. There’s a knock at the door.
“Good morning, Sheriff.”
“Good morning, Rod. There was some activity near here last night. A wolf attack. Just wondering if you might have heard anything.” 
He suddenly feels his heart pounding in his chest.
“Sorry Sheriff. I hadn’t.”
The Sheriff left after a moment. Rod sat down on the sofa, leaning his head back, hiding his face in his hands in frustration. He knows it was him, whatever happened. What did happen? He wants to remember but all he recalls is the pain that comes with this wretched curse. Rod stood up and walked back into the bedroom. The broken window. Waking up naked on the front porch. He sat on the edge of the bed, trying to remember. But as any other time, he remembers nothing.

THAT AFTERNOON
It’s late. Rod had not eaten lunch yet. He’s walking to the diner and passes a news paper vender. His breath catches in his throat as he sees the front page headline. “”2 Teens Brutally Injured In Wolf Attack””. He hesitates for a moment, then buys a copy. He needs to know what happened.
“What did I do to these kids?”