*1*

Beep…beep…beep. The rhythmic beeping of some machine was pulling me back into consciousness. Beep…beep…beep. My eyelids are heavy, heavier than I remember them being. My mouth feels like someone has stuffed it with cotton. My eyes finally come unglued only to be assaulted by bright light. I slam my eyes shut, voicing a groan in complaint.  I turn my head, even that feels heavy, and I slowly open my eyes to a squint. I can’t see much but I can already tell this isn’t my bedroom.

The constant rhythmic beeping keeps me grounded. Beep…beep…beep. I open my eye a fraction. I can see the white walls. My walls are baby blue like my boyfriend's eyes. Beep…beep…beep. I open my eyes a little more and I can see a door ajar. It looks like it may lead to a bathroom. I can see another door but this one is closed. Beep…beep…beep. I'm feeling more awake now. I turn my head to my right. There is a monitor with lines and numbers and is the source of the beeping. 

It confirms what I suspected: I’m in a hospital. Why am I in a hospital? An image flashes through my mind. I don’t know what it means or exactly what it is. I try to moisten my parched mouth with my saliva, but it doesn’t work. Another image flashes before me. I still don’t know what it is but I was able to recognize some pieces, like fangs. I saw fangs. I think they were big, the palm of my hand kind of big, thick like that of a boar bit curved inward. I think I saw eyes, bright as if they glowed and colored like amber. 

It made little sense to me and I wasn’t feeling ready to give the effort it would take to understand the images, maybe once I’m not so groggy I’ll try again. For now my attention slide to the window. The plain white metal blinds were turned horizontal to let in the light, not that there was much to let in. The room didn’t appear to be nearly as bright as I had first thought, actually it seemed rather dark. A loud but low rumble rolled through the room. A storm was coming. That’s when it all came back.

—The loud clunk of the university library echoes through the silent night. Exhaustion weighs on me, forcing my shoulders to hunch forward. Not even the energy drink I took a half-hour could make a dent in the extreme tiredness pulling at me. I feel horrible, but it was a small price to pay to ace the exam and increase my chances of getting into the university's exclusive experimental psychology program.

Adjusting the strap of my messenger bag, I head towards my car. The only one in the brightly lit parking lot. Though, that is to be expected. It's a little past midnight after all. A soft, damp breeze sends a shudder through me. I look up into the dark sky as I stand next to my aged Honda. Clouds lazily move across the black sky practically glowing from the full moon's light.

Thank God, it had stopped raining. It had been raining for almost a solid month now. Something rustling in the bush startles me and sends my heart pounding. My eyes shoot down from the sky to where I heard the sound. The parking lot ends about fifty feet from me, and so does the lighting. Beyond it, I can't see anything but pitch-black darkness. I hear the rustling again, and my heart pounds even harder.

I lick my suddenly dry lips as I strain to see into the darkness, not daring to move from where I'm standing. I jump with a jolt with a gasp so sharp it makes my chest ache as two large tom cats burst into the lighted area of the parking, hissing, and yowling at each other before racing off and back into the night. "Jesus," I swear, holding my hand over my heart. Taking in a slow breath and letting it out, I unlock my car and get inside.

I really need to keep my late-night studying at home and not at the library. Tonight was an accident. I lost track of time. Well, no more accidents I tell myself as I pull out of the parking lot. I hope Kirk, my boyfriend, isn't too worried. Then again, he probably wasn't. Either because he is lost in his studying or he was already asleep. Like me, he was studying hard.

I drive home on a narrow, empty road. It’s surrounded by a thin strip of woods, eerily illuminated by the light of the moon and my headlights. The soft murmur of the engine is making my eyes heavy, like the sweetest of lullabies. "Damn," I say in a soft grumble, sitting up straighter and forcing my eyes to open as wide as they can. "No more, Oliva," I tell myself as I roll down the window.

The cold, moist air does little to wake me up, though. I turn on the radio, needing to break the silence. Smooth jazz filled the car, but that’s the last thing I need right now. I glance down to change the station. Where is that screamo metal when you needed it? Just as my fingers touch the knob of the radio, there is a loud bang and the car jerked. I scream, grabbing the steering wheel as the car spin.

It feels like I did a complete three-sixty. When the car slows to a stop, I can't move. The shock keeps me frozen in my seat. My heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears. It’s the only thing I can hear. Sweat prickles along my skin while my knuckles are white from my tight grip on the steering wheel. Swallowing, I get out of the car with shaky legs. I walk around to the front of the car.

“Oh God,” I breathe as I see the driver’s side of my Honda is completely smashed in. I lick my lips as I look around for what I hit. It had to be a deer. I've heard about the damage they could cause. My mouth pulls into a small frown as I don't see the animal or anything else that looks out of place. Turning back to the car, I then realize something is missing. If I hit an animal, there should be blood, but there isn’t any that I can see. I must have swerved and banged a tree.

I let out a breath as shaky as my legs and look around one more time. Whatever it was that I hit, it's gone. I turn to look at my Honda and sigh. I don’t need to be a mechanic to know it’s junk bait now. I need to call a taxi or Uber, whatever will be faster. No way I’m staying out on this road, alone, longer than I have to be. As I reach for my purse from where it fell on the floor of the passenger side, I hear a deep, rumbling growl that freezes me on the spot.

My heart once again pounds hard in my chest as I slowly turn to face whatever made that noise. Yellow eyes, glowing from some unknown light greet me from the darkness of the woods. A whimper slips from me as fear floods my veins. Another panicked sound bubbles out of me as the monstrous creature emerges from the darkness. Instinct screams at me to move, to run as fast as I can, but I have a feeling if I run it will chase me, and it will catch me then I'll be dead.

The wolf-like creature stands up on its hind legs, thick with muscle. The monstrous thing towers over me easily. Its form looks too close to humanoid to be natural. Furry fingers spread wide with long, black claws that reflect the moonlight. Its golden eyes still staring down at me with predatory dedication from a wolfish face. I see three things in those nightmarish eyes; violence, pain, and my death.

Suddenly it makes another rumbling growl, hunching down onto its legs, resting the hands against the pavement. It was going to jump or charge me. If I want to live, I need to do something, now. I turn and climb into the car, slamming the door shut. A roar slams into me, sending every cell in my body into a panic. A sob tumbles out of me as I reach for my purse. My phone and some pepper spray are in there. They are the only weapons I have on me.

I scream as the car rocks violently as the monster crashes into it. The car nearly toppling to the side. I look back over my shoulder and see the thing staring at me. It's thick, black lips curled back in a savage snarl. The sharpened white fangs drip with its drool. They're at least the size of my fingers. Its heavy panting breath fogs the glass. A crippling fear grips my soul, and every breath I take is an effort.

I swallow and turn back to the floorboards, grabbing the purse and pulling it open. “Come on,” I plead then scream as the beast hits the car again. I let out my own growl as I have to dig through all the crap in my purse. Finally, I feel my hand close around the cold metallic cylinder. “Thank you, God,” I breathe, but the sound of my door opening makes me freeze. I turn to see the beast was smart enough to work a car door.

“You've got to be fucking kidding me,” I yell. Unfairness and helplessness make me scream, and I try to scramble to the passenger side of the car. A furry hand wraps around my ankle in an iron grip. I scream yet again, praying someone will hear me as it drags me out of the car. My chin hits the pavement hard, making my teeth rattle painfully and my vision swims.

The monster roars again as it flings me skidding across the pavement, the friction taking off at least a couple of layers from my arms and palms. I cry out at the stinging, burning pain, tears blurring my eyes. I have seen enough movies to know how this was going to end. The smart, geeky girls always die first. The creature loped over to me, taking my arm in its jaws and clamping down.

Another scream rips through me. “Get off me, you son of a bitch,” I shout as I lift the pepper spray and hit it right in the eyes.

The monster let me go with a roar, rearing back up on its hind legs. Its hands over its eyes as it howls. As soon as it let me go, I get to my feet to make a run for it, but next thing I know, it's on top of me. My head bounces on the pavement. White-hot pain blurs my vision before it fades to black.—