Chapter Four

I jump, startled, ready to fight.

And then, I hear Parker's voice. "It's alright," he says.

I stare at him, stunned.

"They're gone," he says. "For now."

He shifts from a wolf back into a man. I stare at him, tears running down my cheeks.

"I thought you were dead," I say.

He laughs. "It would take far more than that to take me out."

He turns to me. "But this isn't the end of it. They'll send more. We're not safe here. Not now. We have to go."

He walks inside and begins gathering supplies. He quickly gathers as much food as he can and throws it in a bag. Then he grabs his bow and arrows, pours some oil over a pile of wood, and sets it alight.

"We'll burn the place," he says. "They won't be able to track us if we destroy all of our scent."

I nod, impressed.

"We'll have to run," he says. "But we aren't going to stick to the woods. We're going to run on the ground. Hopefully, that will throw them off our trail."

"Alright," I say.

He smiles. I can tell he's trying to be comforting, but the smile does not reach his eyes.

"You're going to be fine," he says.

But I don't believe him.

"Just listen to me. I'll do the work. You just keep running. Understand?"

I nod.

"How far do you think we need to go?" I ask.

"At least two days."

I do not want to spend two days in the woods with Parker. I do not want to spend two minutes in the woods with Parker.

I want to be alone. But I have never been alone. Not like this. And as much as I don't want Parker, I know I need him.

For now, at least.

I follow Parker out into the moonlight. As I hear the leaves crunch beneath my feet, I tell myself this isn't forever. I will go out on my own as soon as I can. As soon as I know how to survive.

For now, I just have to live through it.

We begin to run.

As I run, I look around me. I see the trees, the ground, the hills.

I see the moonlight. I see the stars.

I want to stop and stare. To truly appreciate this moment.

Parker doesn't realize what he's doing to me.

He's making me remember. He's making me remember the good times, the times when Ben and I ran through the woods on full moons, when we talked and laughed and lived and loved.

He's making me remember Ben.

I run faster.

I feel Parker look back at me. He takes the lead.

I want to catch my breath. But Parker is too fast.

I do not know how long we run, or where we are going. All I know is that I am with Parker, and I have no choice but to keep on running.

After what feels like days, we finally stop. We stop near a stream, where we drink and eat some of our jerky. We both lie and just for a moment try to catch our breath.

I want to ask him when we are going to stop. But I don't.

I just lie there.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

I nod.

"I know it's been a long day, but you did well."

"Thank you," I say, trying to summon the energy to smile. I am not sure I'm successful.

"You look tired. You should get some rest. Get some rest," he says.

I do not think it will be possible. But I try to fall asleep anyway. I lie down on the ground and close my eyes. And just like that, to my surprise, I am asleep.

I don't know how long I sleep, but I am woken by the sound of a growl.

I open my eyes. I see Parker sitting upright, his eyes focused on something in the distance.

I sit up, too. I listen. There is a growl, louder than I have heard before. This is no wolf; this is something else.

"What is it? I ask him, but he does not reply. He simply shushes me.

I hear rustling in the trees. Whatever it is seems to be coming closer. I try to make myself smaller, more invisible.

Parker stands. The rustling stops.

He makes a motion for me to stay where I am.

The rustling starts again.

But this time it is coming from different directions.

He looks around and begins to walk ahead.

"Wait," I say.

He does not respond.

I follow him. He moves more slowly, and I match his pace.

I squint into the darkness, trying to identify the source of the noise. At first, I see nothing but inky blackness.

And then, in the distance, I see them.

I see the wolves.

They are massive. They are surrounding us. There are far more than I have ever seen before. There are more than a thousand. They are everywhere. There are more than I can count.

And they are waiting for us.

This is not a hunt.

This is a massacre.

"Run," says Parker.

And I do.

But they are too quick. They are too strong. And they are everywhere. There is no place to hide.

The wolves are surrounding me. I look to the right and see a wolf pouncing on me. I turn to the left and another wolf has me trapped.

I look up, and I see them all around me. I was thinking that if I could see the moon, I could dive into it. But there is no moon. There is just the darkness.

I am surrounded. I am surrounded, and I am going to die.