Chapter 4

“What the fuck?” the look in his eyes told me that I didn’t just imagine the voice I heard. But the way he was looking at me, did it really come from my lips?

He glared at me for what felt like minutes before I heard the voice again.

“Untie me and let me go!” it demanded. Strong and confidently.

I didn’t understand, it was my voice, with something else coming through. I wasn’t speaking yet, I was.

Catching himself again, Winston took a breath, “You almost had me there! For a minute I thought you were possessed.” He laughed before he continued trying to undo my button.

A scream left my lips as pain I’ve never felt before radiated through me. From my head to my toes, to my fingertips.

My fingertips. I looked up to my hands where I could feel the pain, and fear and shock overtook me.

Winston, following my eyes, looked up. “What the fuck is that?”

My hands weren’t my hands. Where my fingernails should have been there were claws. Long and sharp as if my nails grew into razorblades in the minutes I’d been restrained.

Winston was frozen in fear and I used this to my advantage and I bucked my hips as hard as I could. Sending him flying towards my now clawed hands and with one swift motion I brought the claws down, slicing through the cord that bound my hands and down Winston’s face.

I heard his scream, followed by his blood splashing over my face. “You fucking bitch, you fucking monster!”

Getting up quickly and running past him, I sprinted into my room, quickly grabbing clothes and changing. I filled my backpack with as much as I could and grabbed the stash of money I had hidden behind a broken beam. I heard footsteps in the hall and my door bang “You’re in for it now, the police are on their way. There is nowhere for you to run. I don't know how you done that but you will regret it”

My blood ran cold and all I could think about was that I would be portrayed as the unhinged crazy orphan who attacked my carer for no reason, I need to get out!

‘I can help’… A whisper, I could barely hear it, but the words were there, they happened. Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone in my small room so, figuring it was just a voice from the tv or something, I went back to packing my things.

I heard footsteps receding from my door. Winston has probably gone to make it look like an attack, I thought.

This may be my only chance. Throwing the door open, I made a run for the front door as I heard thundering footsteps behind me. I just made it and got out when he snagged the hood of my jacket. “Shit” I screamed, unzipping it as he tugged and he fell backwards giving me time to run.

I let my feet guide me, taking me as fast as I could down the road that led away from my current accommodation. Looking back, realising I wasn’t being followed, I slowed down and my heart sank. I hate that place, but if I leave will Kevin being there be enough to stop Winston going after Susan? It’s too late to think of that now, I can’t go back, they wouldn’t let me after he says I’ve attacked him.

My thoughts were cut short at the sound of sirens coming towards me. “Shit!” I muttered out loud. “I’ve got to get out of here.” Turning towards the forest that was on the edge of the small town I was in, I decided my best chance was staying hidden among the trees until I made it to the bus stop and caught the first bus out of town.

After about 20 minutes of walking, I realised I didn’t know where I was going. I had strayed too far from the road and now didn’t know which direction I was heading.

“Well, this is just great! It is getting dark and I’m alone, lost and walking through the woods. Hello, every horror movie ever!”

A few more minutes of walking and I heard footsteps a little way behind me. I jumped behind the closest tree, glancing slyly behind it when the noise stopped. There was nobody there, was I hearing things? “I’m getting so paranoid” I breathed.

Gathering myself, I continued until the sun started to set and darkness started spreading across the sky. Grabbing a jumper from my bag I threw it over my head.

“I’ll need to find somewhere to sleep, I can’t keep walking through the night” I murmured through the fabric. Pulling my head through the top something in the distance caught my eye, it was just a split second, but it looked like eyes in a bush up ahead.

Probably a fox, I thought. “Oh god, the night life is going to freak the shit out of me”.

Walking on a little more I notice the sounds of the night-time forest was much different than the day. It was more eerily soothing. I could hear the scream of the owls out hunting, the sound of critters that scurried about the ground, rustling through the leaves and dirt, and I could hear the flapping sound of bat wings flying overhead . I love being outside and to be honest the thought of sleeping under the stars was kind of exciting.

In my daydream I didn’t notice, until it was too late, there was once again footsteps coming up behind me. At the last second, I heard a twig snap and turned around quickly, catching the eyes that I saw looking at me earlier from the bushes.

It was not a fox, this was bigger. A lot bigger.

This was a wolf. Bigger than any wolf I’d ever seen, and it stood less than 10 feet away from me, just watching me.

It must have been a few minutes that we just glared at each other, but it felt like hours, until I unknowingly took a step back. My body moved on its own. As I did it glanced at my foot and shook its head.

Wait, did this wild wolf just tell me no?

I took another small step and it seemed to roll its eyes at me.

‘Trust him’ the whisper came again, and I looked frantically around.

“Whose there!” I screamed. This was getting too much. Looking back to the wolf it seemed to be walking away. Letting out a breath of relief, I loosened my tense shoulders.

I took this as my time to leave while I could. I took one look back, watching the wolf walk behind a tree. As I turned away to start running, I heard a sickening crack, then another.

It sounded like bones breaking. I looked towards the wolf and stepped forward.

Is it okay? Did it get trapped? That’s when I noticed from behind the tree, the hand of a man grabbing the tree and as he stepped out, I saw fur receding into his skin.

It took a few seconds for me to come to terms with what was happening. For a moment I just stood there staring at this naked man. His dark brown, tousled hair hung over his forehead just above the sparkling deep blue eyes that looked like I was looking into a lagoon at midnight, the eyes that I had seen in the bushes earlier.

My cheeks heated as I took in his form.

About 6'2 with a chiselled jaw and a smile that would take your breath away. He didn’t look much older than 20, though his body was built as if it was sculpted by a god.

“Who are you?” He spoke, tearing me from my thoughts and back to what just happened. I couldn’t stop the scream that left my lips, or the fear that overtook me. What the hell is happening. I turned and ran again, as fast as I could.

“Wait.” I heard him shout, but my legs didn’t let me stop.

Up ahead I heard cars and my stomach had butterflies at the thought of help being so close. I broke through the tree line, ready to wave down a car before I realised it was too late. I couldn’t stop.

I didn’t feel anything, but my vision was spinning. Blurs of colour flashed as if I was on a funfair ride that was spinning too fast. Then all of a sudden it stopped and I was looking at the sky.

My eyes started to cloud, and I looked towards the forest in time to see the strange man sprout fur and change into a wolf and run off before darkness overtook me.