Finding Audrey

Growling low in his throat, Michael began running, as normally as he could at first, towards the woods that were not far from his house. It was because of this forest that he had bought his house so that he could be close to it and could run wild anytime he pleased. Naturally, the people of this town were very unfriendly towards werewolves and every other supernatural creature, but Michael had first come here on a mission, and had not planned to stay long at first, but had eventually fallen in love with the place, so he had stayed on for a little bit, and then found his house and bought it.

He had blended in perfectly, thinking that no one knew what he truly was, but apparently, he had been mistaken, because why would anyone kidnap his flirty neighbor as a way of baiting him or getting him to come to see them? Why couldn’t they just come up to him and say whatever they needed to say?

Once he had entered the woods and was sure that no one was around, he let himself go, partially shifted, and began to run as fast as possible through the thick forest. It was not difficult to follow Audrey’s scent, which was quite pungent in the forest as she had been wearing an overbearing perfume earlier, which he could swear that she had worn just for his benefit. The sun did not permeate this part of the woods, making it seem as though he had been transported into another world, but it was one he loved regardless. He moved easily through the forest, dodging trees and sometimes partly jumping on them as he pursued after Audrey’s abductor. Audrey did not deserve any of this. He did not know her well but knew that it was because of her fleeting association with him that she had been abducted by whoever that asshole was, and that asshole was going to be really sorry when he finally found him. If anyone had any beef with him, then they should take it out on him, and not on innocent people like Audrey.

This thought reminded him of his family, and what had happened to them, probably because someone had had a beef with his dad. They did not just take out his dad, whom they had a beef with, but had taken out all the innocent members of his family, and by some sheer luck … or curse, had left only him alive. Enraged, he let out a loud growl, followed by a howl, and ran faster, pushing well past his endurance limit. It would be easier to run faster than this if he were in wolf form, but he did not intend to go back to his house naked, and neither did he intend to blow his cover. He kept running, feeling the breeze across his face, moving his whiskers this way and that, and his hair streaming behind him.

The forest was green, with the smell of nature very pungent in it, and on a normal day, Michael would have taken some time to appreciate its serenity and beauty. Today was not a normal day, though, and it was better that he concentrated on what had brought him here, which was rescuing Audrey and finding out what her abductor wanted from him. Soon, he was in the heart of the forest and was beginning to wonder if he was walking into a trap when he stopped abruptly. He could feel it… they were close. He paused in his tracks immediately, listening in the mostly silent forest, trying to sieve out the sounds of frogs croaking, birds chirping, and other sounds, including the sounds of the insects. As usual, whenever he was in the forest, these animals seemed to know that a predator was around and quickly reduced the tempo of their cries, or stopped altogether. Concentrating as much as he could, he tried to relegate the noises of the animals that he was hearing to the background, and focus more on the one that he had thought he heard earlier… the sound of heavy breathing.

Surprisingly, the sound was closer than he had realized, and turning on his heel, he stealthily made his way in its direction to find a small ramshackle shack, one that he had never noticed on his earlier runs in this forest. Studying his surroundings, he did not notice anything amiss, so raising one foot, he kicked at the rickety door of the shack with such force that it detached from its hinges immediately, so that it flew off and landed with a thud against the wall opposite it and then bounced back. There was a muffled scream, and he swung his head in the direction from which it came, to see Aubrey sitting in a chair. The uprooted door had missed her by mere inches, so it was not a wonder that she had screamed, or at least, tried to do so. She was bound to the chair on which she was sitting, partially gagged and blindfolded, and there was a man who was holding a knife to her throat. A quick look around the room showed that the man was alone.

“Let her go this instant!” Michael commanded angrily, immediately shifting back to his human self. There was no way he would blow his cover to the humans among which he lived, no matter what.

“Oh, my God! Michael, is that you? Yes, it is. Thank God you came. This guy is really crazy. He kidnapped me and drugged me. One minute, I was leaving your house to go back to mine, and the next, this animal was placing a handkerchief over my face and bringing me here. I only just woke up to see myself here and bound to this chair. Are the police here? I want him prosecuted for this.” Audrey spoke, as fast as she could, apparently not minding that the man held a knife at her throat. She was quickly reminded when he gave her a sharp tug and spoke gruffly.

“Keep your mouth shut, bitch! It’s you I need to talk with.” The man said, but the last sentence was meant for Michael, who was still standing in front of the door that he had kicked in and trying to figure out the man. He had never met this person before, of that he was certain, so he did not know what on earth the man could want with him. Good enough, the man did not look threatening, but even if he did, Michael was sure that he could take him on. If anything, the man looked really scared, as though he was not exactly sure what he was doing, and now that Michael really looked at him, he realized that this person was not a werewolf. In fact, he seemed to be a regular human, or maybe not so regular because there was something about him that Michael couldn’t place his hand on, at least not at the moment.

“You have her bound to a chair and gagged. Step out like a real man and let us go and have the conversation outside.” Michael challenged, not missing the way the man gulped at this suggestion and went even paler than he already was. He was an average-sized man, with dark hair and a somewhat slender build.

“You heard the man. Go outside with him and have a conversation with him like a fellow man, not like a coward who kidnaps unsuspecting women.” Audrey added her input, regaining her confidence now that Michael was around. Apparently, Michael’s presence filled her with false confidence.

“Audrey, please keep quiet and let me handle this,” Michael told her, so she grudgingly kept her mouth shut, but not before having a final say.

“Fine. I don’t like being told to shut up though, just so you know, in case of next time.” She finished, pouting, but Michael did not even spare her a glance. Instead, he was more focused on the man, who was now visibly sweating. It was very easy to see that he was quite nervous.

“Who are you and what do you want with me?” Michael asked the man.

“I know who killed your family and I’m here to help you get your revenge against them.”