Two women were talking on the porch, looking very serious.One older woman and one much younger.The older woman was wearing a coat and carrying a large bag as she prepared to leave. As for the woman in front of her, she looked tired, although she was neatly dressed in office clothes. "Remember, talk to Zoey carefully," the old woman said in a whisper. "I know." "Moving to a new school, of course there are things that will make her uncomfortable. At first." "Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Charlotte. I wouldn't have known what to do if you hadn't been there to help me." Old Charlotte patted Willow's shoulder lovingly. She had worked with the young woman since Zoey was only a few months old. She knew very well what Willow's life had been like, from being down and out to being more stable now. The problem Willow had to deal with lately was Zoey's troubling behavior. Her little girl had just started elementary school. Zoey often cried and whined, and Charlotte was often overwhelmed t
Suddenly she felt something jump onto her body and lunge at her.Alpha fought. He fought the furry monster and defended Willow. Willow jumped back in time to save herself."Zoey!" Willow cried, suddenly remembering her daughter.As Willow crawled to the stairs, she saw something very unnatural.Alpha's body was crackling, growing. It wasn't normal growth, but it was getting bigger and bigger. So Alpha's stature was exactly the same as the monster in front of her, the only difference being that Alpha's fur was completely white."My goodness!" she exclaimed in horror.All Willow could see were two mutant dog-like creatures.They attacked each other and burst into the house. Alpha tried to protect Willow, who was pinned helplessly to the stairs. There was a loud crash. The noise was deafening. The furniture was smashed and destroyed. Then there was the sound of their clawing and biting each other and the howling they let out to each other.As Alpha's body was dragged into the living room
"What are you doing here?"That's what Willow's boss, Erica, had said after closing her office door as Willow entered. The woman hugged Willow sympathetically; before, she had been the coldest and most heartless boss ever."I'm really in shock," Erica continued. "Are you all right, dear?"Willow just nodded awkwardly. "I guess."Erica gestured for Willow to sit down and then hurriedly took the chair behind the dark brown polished wooden table. The look in the superior's eyes was so worried when she saw Willow's condition, which could not be considered healthy. Willow's eyes were still puffy from crying last night. And she was dressed too casually for the office."Why are you going to work, you should be on break," Erica snapped."I don't know where else to go. I can't stay home because the police are still investigating." Willow tried to control her emotions again. She didn't want to shed tears for the umpteenth time."I understand," Erica nodded. "But you need to focus on the case. A
Willow got out of the car and breathed in the crisp afternoon air. The lodge was beautiful, overlooking the forest and the banks of the Lee River. A pang of sadness came over her, wishing she could have been there with Zoey.Two officers followed from the car, assigned to accompany Willow for the week. One was a woman named Chelsea. She was two years Willow's senior. The other officer's name was Derek. The officers were communicative and put Willow at ease during the drive to Riverlodge."Wow, this is amazing," Chelsea commented."How long do we have to stay in a place like this?" Derek chuckled."We're staying in the car, Derek." Chelsea cleared her throat quietly and then turned to Willow. "Mrs. Anberlin, we'll be in the car, so you don't have to worry," she said.Willow gasped in surprise. "But why, no, I don't want to be alone in there.""You need time to settle down, Mrs. Anberlin." Chelsea smiled. "We don't want to make you uncomfortable.""I don't mind, come on... it's going to
Willow didn't move, just stared at Kyler coldly, her arms still crossed. Kyler withdrew his hand and cleared his throat quietly, he was starting to get confused about how to explain everything to Willow. Well, not everything all at once, but the things Willow needed to know right now. "So what?" Willow asked, going straight to the point. "Your daughter was kidnapped by my pack, the Messer." The look in Willow's eyes turned to emotion and she immediately ran to the kitchen. She grabbed a knife and a handful of garlic, and with shaking hands she plunged the knife into Kyler. Even the garlic. "What was that for?" asked Kyler in a casual tone. "Calm down, Willow. I'll explain." "Your pack? Then you conspired with them, and now you want to blackmail me?" Willow shouted angrily. "How dare you! I told you, there are two officers here to arrest you right now!" "Put down the knife and the garlic. Are you going to cook me?" Willow looked confused, stressed, and tired. She sighed softly a
Willow shuffled along in the darkness of the night, entering an area of the woods that was so dark. They had been walking for over twenty minutes, which seemed like an eternity to Willow. This time her hand was so sore from Kyler's tight grip. Willow's mind was so frantic, it was like a nightmare.Who was hunting them? Kyler's pack? Or who? And what about the two officers who had accompanied Willow? Willow's head felt like it was going to burst and her chest felt tight. She was really tired."Stop," Willow pleaded and her body slumped to the ground."We have to get out of here," Kyler replied impatiently."I can't run like you!" she cried in frustration. "It's all dark, even my feet hurt from stumbling. I don't have LED eyes or anything like you!"Kyler sighed softly, though Willow thought it was a rude snort that made her even more annoyed with the man in front of her. Suddenly Kyler crouched down and his hands cupped Willow's lower body."
They walked on, and Willow followed what Kyler said. She never looked back. How could she consciously turn her head or look behind her shoulder when she found it so difficult to even look forward? Everything was pitch black. All she could do was trust Kyler's footsteps in front of her as he held Willow's hand tightly.Vaguely, Willow could hear the crunch of twigs breaking and bushes rustling. She tried not to peek behind her, but she knew whoever was chasing them was close.Guilt tore at Willow's heart; if only she hadn't been so slow, they might have reached the highway sooner. She cursed herself for never having exercised or warmed up so that at least Willow's body would have more stamina.Willow's eyes narrowed as she saw a faint point of light behind the trees about ten meters ahead. She also began to hear the sound of cars, though it was not crowded, but there were several passing by. Suddenly, Kyler let go of her hand."Go, now!" Kyler commanded hastily."What? What do you mean
"Mrs. Anberlin, you need to calm down," Shawn said. "Panic will only make your mind cloudier and more uncontrollable."Willow felt like punching the know-it-all, how could he give her advice when she was in a precarious situation. Shawn had no idea what creatures might be after them. If Willow explained, Shawn would just think she was nuts.But Willow didn't want to die stupidly with the detective."Just call the police in town. Then we'll wait somewhere. At least somewhere safe," Willow suggested forcefully. "I'm sure that's a wise move!""I assure you that -"Willow interrupted immediately. "It's blood! Dripping on the trunk of the car! Didn't you see it?""I know, and it's a situation I have to investigate." Shawn opened the car door. "Chelsea and Derek are my friends. If they're in danger, I need to help them."Without further ado, Shawn got out of the car, leaving Willow alone in the car."But, Detective..."All that could be heard was the sound of the car door closing and the si