“Nothing, I…just…thought I heard someone calling my name.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
I turned to look at her and she seemed confused by my behavior. “Maybe…I thought someone called out my name, that’s all. Let’s just go inside.”
She nodded and I followed her inside without glancing back.
***
On Saturday night, the girls and I were at The Shack partying just as we’d planned to be. Alexis very reluctantly stayed home and waited for me to call him when the party was over or whenever I was ready to go home. The event turned out to be incredibly fun and, just as Tracy promised, there were no alcoholic beverages served and no strippers, much to Claire’s disappointment.
Tracy’s aunt and cousin included us in all the activities despite the fact that we barely knew them. But since we were Tracy’s best friends, we were treated like part of the family. I was having so much fun I didn’t want the night to end.
Around midnight Tracy’s cell rang. Her new beau, Mike, was calling to check on her. She was extremely happy that he’d called her and she asked him to stop by briefly so she could kiss him goodnight before the party ended and she had to drive home. Apparently he agreed, and she waited anxiously for him to stop by.
When Mike arrived, he texted her and she excused herself and ran outside to meet him. After about half an hour, she ran back inside and sat next to me. I took one good look at her and started laughing. Claire turned toward Tracy and did the same. Rosa soon joined us.
“What the hell is so funny?” Tracy asked, completely oblivious.
“Did you even look at yourself in the mirror before you stepped inside?”
She looked at me and shook her head. “There are no mirrors outside, why?”
“I guess not, since you haven’t noticed that you’re not wearing your bra, your shirt is on backwards, and your pants are unbuttoned.”
Tracy let her gaze travel down to her attire and started laughing with us. “Oops, I guess I wasn’t as presentable as I thought I was.”
“Thank goodness this is a girls-only event.” I said.
Tracy smiled good-humoredly and shook her head. She stood and started to pat her jean pockets then cursed aloud.
“What’s wrong?” I asked when I noticed her irritation.
“My keys. I must have dropped them outside. If not, I’ll have to call Mike and ask him to check his car to see if they’re there.” She started for the back door.
“Wait, I’ll go. You go to the bathroom and straighten yourself up, ’cause you look like you’ve been humping in the back seat of a car.” Claire reached out for her drink and took a sip.
“I was.” Tracy announced proudly.
I shook my head. “I’ll go check the parking lot for you. Where were you guys parked?”
“Next to Aunt Lisa’s car, at the back of the restaurant.”
“I’ll be right back.” I hurriedly headed out the back door. There were only two cars parked out back, Tracy’s and her aunt’s. The rest were at the front of the restaurant. Tracy’s car was parked a few feet away, near the woods, and her aunt’s car was some twenty feet or so behind the restaurant.
It was eerily quiet and dark behind the establishment when I stepped out. A soft, light breeze had picked up while we were inside and I shivered slightly when a sudden gust rushed over me. I ran my hands up and down my arms, willing the goose bumps to go away. I was feeling suddenly very alone and vulnerable standing out in the open. My eyes darted from one side to the other, roaming the vast emptiness that surrounded me for any sign that would alert me to any presence besides mine. There wasn’t anything to indicate anyone was around and that helped calm my nerves somewhat. You’re being paranoid, Marjorie.
Letting the full moon above me guide my steps, I headed toward Lisa’s car. I searched the side of the car facing the restaurant, squatting down in order to see if there were any items on the ground, but there were no keys. I walked over to the opposite side of the car, which faced the empty parking lot, and once again squatted down to see if there was anything on the ground.
Since it was so much darker in this part of the lot, I took out my cell and pressed on the green send button to turn on the light. I used the light to illuminate the asphalt pavement just enough so that I could see if anything was lying there. I immediately spotted Tracy’s keys lying next to the back tire. I grabbed them and started to rise when a sudden noise stopped me.
A loud clanking sound emanated from the dumpster that was a mere twenty to twenty-five feet away from where Lisa’s car was parked. The sound chilled me to the bone. I had the sudden feeling that I was no longer alone. Still in a squatting position, I placed both hands on the car and slowly pulled my body into an upright position. Not quite standing but no longer in a fully crouching position, I peered at the dumpster through the windows of the car.
The big green dumpster was barely illuminated by a dull street lamp above, but I could still make out the outline of it and several smaller garbage cans to the sides. A few full, black garbage bags sat next to those. Since the dumpster was considerably full, I decided that the noise might’ve just been some stray dog or even a raccoon looking for food. Relieved that I saw nothing, I let out a gush of air and started to relax my tense limbs.
That’s when I saw a large black garbage bag move. My heart skipped a beat as I realized that the black shadow was no garbage bag at all. The silhouette moved to a crouching position and one large, glowing green eye glared back at me. I almost swallowed my tongue in fear. I would recognize that eye anywhere. It was the same werewolf that killed my favorite horse and one of my dogs back home.
Dear God! How is it that I always find myself in these situations? I’m like a damn magnet for werewolves.
When the crouching form of the werewolf jumped into a standing position, I jerked up and took several steps back. The werewolf growled menacingly, showing rows of razor sharp canines. The worst part of all was that, given the loud music from inside the restaurant, I doubted anyone would hear the growling beast, or my screams for that matter.
My head started to race as I weighed my options. I couldn’t run toward the restaurant because I would pass terrifyingly close to his massive frame. My only available option was to run to Tracy’s car and try to drive away before it reached me. If I was lucky enough I would both lure it away from my friends and maybe lose it somewhere in the process. I doubted I would be successful completing both, but hey, one out of two wasn’t bad.
While I was still debating my next move, the werewolf made the decision for me. He started sprinting toward me at a relatively fast pace. That’s when I clutched Tracy’s keys in my hand to make sure I wouldn’t lose them as I ran. I dropped my cell phone in the process. Even though I wasn’t looking back, I knew it was following me. I had mere seconds to reach the car and drive off.
Luckily for me, in order to unlock the doors all I had to do was press a button on the car’s remote control, which was attached to the keys, and the doors would automatically unlock. Running as fast as I could without glancing behind me, I pressed the button and heard the car doors unlock. I rushed toward it, opened the driver side door, and practically threw myself inside. As soon as I shut the door, I placed the key into the ignition and was just about to start it when the door suddenly opened.
Damn, I forgot to lock the stupid door!
Trying to get away from the blood-hungry beast, I started to scramble over to the passenger side seat but was abruptly stopped by a massive hand. Grabbing the passenger side seat in a desperate attempt to remain out of the werewolf’s clutches, I grasped it with both hands and held on for dear life. I tried pulling free of the enormous hand pulling me backwards but it was useless to even try. My strength was no match for that of the beast. I screamed in terror as I felt another hand grab hold of my hair and pull me back and out of the car. Fear unlike any I’d ever experienced before seared through me, so much so that I could literally taste it in my mouth.
When my eyesight started to clear up, I could visibly make out the outline of five fuzzy male figures just above me.
“Hello, Marjorie!”
That voice…where had I heard it before? I struggled to fully focus on the men surrounding me.
“What…do you…want?” The world was spinning and shaking and I had to close my eyes briefly to tune out the nauseating sensations.
“Why, you, of course,” the voice replied in a sneer and my blood froze from fear.
Santos! It was Santos!
As soon as my vision returned to normal, I was finally able to fully focus on Santos’s ice- cold eyes.
“You didn’t actually think I would forget about you, did you?”
The rest of the group laughed. As my eyes roamed their faces I was able to recognize them immediately. It was the same bunch that were with Santos the day Tracy and I were shopping.
Santos leaned down and grabbed a handful of my shirt in his huge hand. I flinched at the contact and tried to release his hold of me by pulling on his long fingers. He merely laughed and in one single movement yanked me up to a standing position, pulling me uncomfortably close to his large frame. I winced as he encircled my waist with one arm and crushed me to him. I planted both hands on his chest and tried shoving him away from me, but there was no way I could move him at all.
“We have a score to settle.” He hissed.
I knew then I was in serious trouble.
“Let me go!” I struggled against him but there was no way I could move a mountain.
He was amused by my futile attempts at trying to free myself from his grasp. “Enough of this! We have a full moon tonight and we can’t waste it. Let’s move!”
Santos turned me over in his embrace and that was when I saw Jack approaching. He was walking toward us and, unlike the rest of the pack, he was wearing nothing but a pair of blue jeans. I was surprised to see him there but I was more shocked to see him up close. Jack was missing one green eye.
Comprehension dawned at once. I shook my head in denial and disbelief. I’d met Jack a little over four years ago when he moved to Wolf Creek Hollow from Texas with an older brother and a cousin. How could he do this to me?
Jack stepped in front of me, staring back with one emotionless green eye.
“Jack…” My voice was but a whisper.
“I’m sorry, Marjorie, but this is survival of the fittest. It’s nothing personal, really.”
Without thinking over the consequences, I brought my tiny fist straight into his face. How could he say something like that and expect me not to be mad? My fist hurt like hell after it made contact with his face though but I didn’t care.
The group just stood there and watched the interaction between Jack and me. “It’s personal to me!”
Jack rubbed his jaw slightly with one hand. His sudden evil-looking smile caused shivers to run down my spine and my blood to run cold. In a movement so fast I barely saw it, he grabbed hold of my neck and squeezed slightly. My eyes widened with the knowledge that he could squeeze the life out of me right then and there and no one would stop him.
“If that’s the case, then it’s personal for me too…” He pointed to his badly battered eye. “You left me with only one good eye.”
“That’s enough, Jack! Don’t forget that she’s mine. We have to leave now. We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s move out.” Santos snarled at Jack, who immediately dropped his arm and stepped back away from me.
As I realized they had every intention of dragging me to my death, I screamed as loud as I could, hoping someone would hear me. Santos immediately covered my mouth with his large hand and sneered at me.
“Don’t you ever try that stupidity again or I’ll end this before I even start it!”
His warning was as clear as daylight to me and I knew he meant it. So having no choice in the matter I followed Santos as he practically dragged me toward a solitary road at the back of the parking lot. I saw a black SUV parked in a clearing just ahead of us.
“Oscar, Johnny! Take to the woods and meet us back at the campsite. If you detect anything, send a signal!” Santos ordered two of his companions, who nodded and soon disappeared through the thick grove.
Santos opened the back door and shoved me inside. The moment my body touched the back seat of the SUV, I lunged toward the other passenger door, hoping to escape. I was stopped short by a menacing figure that opened the door and peered inside with a very ugly grin on his face.
“Going somewhere?” He leered at me and I shrank back in my seat.
Defeated for the time being, I settled back as Santos climbed in next to me. His massive arm encircled my shoulders and I had to fight back the urge to shrug his arm off. Jack got into the driver’s seat and started the car. Another man seated himself on the remaining passenger seat in the front, and we were soon driving to an unknown destination.
Santos’s possessive arm pulled me closer to him as we drove the solitary roads in the mountains. He reached down to touch my face with one of his huge hands. It was warm and rough, and it only served to fuel my terror. The way he caressed my cheek caused my anger, fear, and revulsion to grow. It took a lot of effort on my part not to start crying or pass out from fright. I continued to stare out the window without reacting. After a little while, he dropped his hand and settled on the seat next to me.
After observing the familiar tree lines, signs, and roads, I recognized where we were. For some reason, I doubted the werewolves were aware that I knew this area well. We weren’t too far from my house. This was the same road my friends and I were on when we got into that bad car wreck right after I spotted a werewolf dash into the middle of the road a little over a year ago.
Once we reached a spot where the pack could hide the SUV so it wouldn’t be seen from the road, they stopped and parked. My heart started to race all over again as I realized we’d reached our destination. The pack members all exited the SUV and removed their jackets, placing them neatly inside the vehicle. Up until that point, I hadn’t taken great care in noting what they wore because I didn’t think it would be of any importance. But after Santos took off his sweatshirt and placed it on the seat right next to me, my heart grew cold.
Recognition dawned at once. I recognized the black hoodie as soon as I saw it. Santos! It was Santos this whole time, the one at the diner, and at the school’s parking lot. Jesus! He had been following me for some time and I hadn’t even noticed.
Not yet recovered from the shock of what I’d just discovered, I shrieked in startled surprise when Santos yanked me out of the back seat of the black SUV and forced me to stand before him. Knowing that fighting wouldn’t get me anywhere, I complied as he grabbed my wrist and started pulling me into the dark woods with him. The rest of the pack followed. The two remaining werewolves started to run ahead of us and soon they were out of sight. I had a feeling they were scouts keeping watch.
It seemed we walked for hours. My feet were getting tired. My head still hurt from where Jack had pulled on my hair, and my neck and back were sore too. Most of all, I was scared shitless as the feeling of impending doom kept crawling up my body, letting me know that these mutants from hell had plans for me that I was sure involved some kind of bloody ritual or something similar. I wished I’d asked the Rousseau’s how exactly one becomes the lifelong mate to a werewolf, but I was afraid it was too late now—since I was about to find out anyway.
I practically had to will one foot in front of the other to keep from falling or to keep from being dragged. When I couldn’t walk anymore, I stopped and Santos practically dragged me a grand total of five feet before stopping to assess me.
“Walk!
” he commanded in a tone that unwillingly caused me to cringe.
“No! I’m too tired. Let me rest!”
His eyes glowed in a silent warning. Before I knew what he was up to, he picked me up, draped me over one shoulder, and started to run through the dark woods so fast nothing was visually prominent except for blurs of dark shadows. When dangling upside down for too long, a person tends to lose consciousness and that’s exactly what happened to me.
The bliss of darkness didn’t last very long, though. I awoke as Santos splashed my face with water taken from a nearby creek. Startled, I opened my eyes only to find that the nightmare I was having was no nightmare at all. I really was in the middle of the woods with two hungry-looking werewolves.
“Wake up, girl. We’re almost there.”
“I’m awake, you stupid jerk!”
Santos laughed at my reply, his laughter ringing in my ear like a death song. He grabbed me by the arm then yanked me up so hard it felt as if my arm had been wrenched straight out of its socket.
I yelped in pain and surprise. Helpless, I could only glare at him as he watched me with eyes gleaming with an evil luster.
The very distinct sound of voices caught my immediate attention. I turned my head in the direction where I thought they were coming from and could see a small clearing ahead. Those voices I didn’t recognize, but I had the strong feeling they were human and not werewolves.
“We have guests for dinner.”
My heart sank at those words. “No…” I whispered helplessly.
The voices sounded happy, excited, undisturbed, but that was about to change very soon. Santos took hold of my arm and started to pull me toward the clearing ahead.
“Please don’t do this. I’ll do anything you want, just please don’t hurt them.”
Santos laughed again. God, how I hated that laughter of his. It sounded so dark and evil, much like I assumed he was.
“You have it all wrong, sweetheart. You will do whatever I want anyway. The food is just a bonus for us, you know, like a celebration of sorts.”
Secrets of the Moon Page 35
