The Wereing

by Rodman Philbrick

  I sighed, not sure how much I should tell her. “We went to Wolfe Industries. We couldn’t really get near the place but something weird is definitely happening there,” I said. “We heard werewolves. And then some of them chased us.”

  Kim’s eyes were wide. “How did you get away?”

  I told her about the boat, figuring she might need to know someday that werewolves can’t cross water.

  By the time I finished telling her about the red eyes glowing along the edge of the pond, her face was chalk white. For a few minutes she didn’t say anything. Then she cleared her throat and asked, “Did you, ah, see my dad?”

  I shook my head. “No.” I decided not to mention finding the ripped up jacket. No way I could tell Kim her father was a monster—at least not until I was absolutely sure. Maybe someone else was wearing his jacket. Maybe it got ripped up in some other weird way. Maybe—

  “Kids!” called Mrs. Parker. “You’ll be late for school!”

  Kim and I met Paul coming out of his room and all of us headed downstairs. Mr. Parker was waiting by the door, sipping a cup of coffee. He had black circles under his eyes. He forced a smile as Kim and Paul said good-bye and headed out the door. Did he notice that neither of them met his eyes?

  “‘Bye, Mr. Parker,” I said. But as I started to step through the doorway a heavy hand came down on my shoulder. I winced and jerked away, imagining claws ripping through the thin cloth of my shirt.

  “You all right, Gruff?” asked Mr. Parker.

  “Sure,” I said nervously.

  “How are you adjusting to life here in Fox Hollow, living among all us humans?” Mr. Parker’s shadowed eyes were boring into me.

  My mouth was dry and my heart was beating fast. Did he know I suspected him? “I’m fine, Mr. Parker,” I said, avoiding his stare.

  “You’re sure? You don’t find anything, well, strange about living with us?” It seemed like Mr. Parker was probing for something.

  “Y-y-yes. Everything is strange,” I stammered. “But I’m getting used to it.” I wanted to bolt out the door but my feet felt glued in place.

  Mr. Parker leaned closer to me and lowered his voice. “Maybe one of these nights we’ll do something together. Just you and me,” he said. “Know what I mean?”

  My throat felt like it was closing. “Yes,” I squeaked.

  The scary thing was, I knew exactly what he meant. He and I were the same. We were both monsters.

  Chapter 23

  The school day seemed to go on forever.

  Everything my teachers said turned into a drone that made me want to nod off. Paul would kick me when I fell asleep in class and I did the same for him.

  Just before the bell finally rang, Paul said, “I guess I can’t take these late night adventures. I’m going straight home and take a nap.”

  “Go ahead,” I said. “I’ve got something to do at the school library.”

  Tired as I was, I couldn’t help thinking how the werewolf book had saved our lives last night. Maybe there was another book that held the secret of what the werewolves were plotting—and how to stop them.

  The librarian greeted me from her desk as I entered. “Hello, Gruff,” she said cheerily. “Can I help you find something?”

  “Uh, no, Mrs. Bookbinder,” I said, shifting my feet. “I thought I’d just look around a bit.”

  She nodded, peering at me suspiciously over her glasses. I edged away and disappeared into the stacks as quick as I could. But I felt like her pebbly little eyes were following me, looking right through the shelves of books.

  I started scanning the shelves, looking for titles that had “werewolf” or “monster” in them. But I could feel Mrs. Bookbinder watching me. I kept shrugging my shoulders, as if that would shake off the eery feeling of eyes boring holes in my back.

  Was she one of them?

  She’s only a little gray-haired lady, I told myself. She has a nice smile and twinkling brown eyes and she likes to see kids read. What would a sweet lady like Mrs. Bookbinder have to do with werewolves?

  I slipped a book on mountain climbing off the shelf and hummed to myself, looking casually over my shoulder to see if Mrs. Bookbinder was watching me.

  I got a surprise—the librarian had left her desk. The door to the library was shut. She was gone!

  Maybe I could find another werewolf book and get out of there before she returned. I stuck the mountain climbing book back in its place and zipped around to the next stack.

  “Yaack!” I squawked, startled.

  The gray-haired librarian was standing there in the aisle, waiting for me. “I know what you’re afraid of,” she said, her eyes glittering strangely.

  “You do?” My voice cracked. I almost stumbled backing away from her.

  “The moon,” she whispered, searching my face. “You’re afraid of the full moon.”

  Her clawlike hand reached out for me.

  Chapter 24

  My breath stuck in my chest as if a fist had choked off my windpipe.

  Mrs. Bookbinder’s hand touched my shoulder. There were no claws. Her fingers were just fingers. “That’s when the werewolves come out in force,” she said, staring into my eyes. “That’s when they do their worst.”

  “Werewolves?” I squeaked. “You know about them?”

  Mrs. Bookbinder shuddered. “Fox Hollow is crawling with werewolves,” she confided. “I’ve seen them. Late at night they sneak through the streets to meet in the moonlight and undergo the wereing together. You must have seen them, too, or why would you be looking for books on the monsters?”

  Her piercing eyes challenged me to answer her. “I—I’m not sure what you mean,” I stammered.

  Mrs. Bookbinder frowned and sighed. “Unfortunately we don’t have any more books on werewolves in the library. They saw to that. They got rid of them all—except one. The best one. I hid that. And when they were gone, I put it back on the shelf, hoping someone would come along and find it. Somebody young and brave. Somebody who can find a way to save Fox Hollow.” She paused, her eyes gleaming behind the thick glasses. “Somebody like you.”

  Me? I wasn’t brave. The only reason I knew about the werewolves was because I was one of them. Did she know my secret? I wanted to run right out of the room but my feet seemed frozen in place.

  “Everything you need to know is in that book you found here,” she whispered, coming so close that strands of gray hair tickled my nose. “Read it carefully. Especially the ‘Rules of The Wereing.’”

  I nodded vigorously, unable to speak.

  “And remember, the werewolves are everywhere” she hissed, her breath hot on my face. “Turn around and they’re watching you from behind a human face.”

  My heart pounded.

  Suddenly there was a noise in the front of the room. Mrs. Bookbinder jumped back from me as if she’d been jerked away like a puppet on a string.

  The library door cracked slowly open.

  Chapter 25

  “Hello?” It was a kid’s voice. “Anybody here?”

  Mrs. Bookbinder stepped crisply out of the stacks. “Rick, how nice to see you,” she said. “And what a surprise. It’s not often you visit the library. Especially when school has been out for an hour. What brings you here so late?”

  Rick! The school bully. Not that he looked like much of a bully right then. He looked kind of sheepish and embarrassed. He caught sight of me and stepped backward, toward the door. “I remembered I had this book,” he said. “I thought I better return it.”

  Mrs. Bookbinder took the book from his outstretched hand. His other arm was hidden behind his back. “My, my,” said Mrs. Bookbinder. “This book isn’t due for another week. Now, that really is unlike you, Rick. But maybe you’re turning over a new leaf?”

  “Uh, yeah, that’s right,” said Rick. His eyes flicked at me then he ducked his head and edged for the door.

  Just then I had an idea. “Hey, Rick,” I called. “Wait up.”

  Big Rick wouldn’t have com
e to the library just to return a book that wasn’t even due. Maybe he’d come for the same reason I had—to find out more about werewolves. Rick knew what it was like to be in the clutches of those monsters. He had good reason to want to stop them—and Paul and I could use all the help we could get.

  I caught up with him in the hall. He still kept one arm behind his back. “Rick,” I whispered, looking around to make sure we were alone. “Have you seen any more werewolves?”

  “Werewolves?” He jerked away from me, narrowing his eyes in that mean way he had. “Are you jabbering about monsters again? Grow up, pig face, there’s no such thing as monsters!”

  For a second I just stood there, shocked, watching him stalking away from me. Then I knew what happened. Rick must think I was making fun of him, joking about monsters. I had to convince him I was for real. I ran after him and grabbed his shoulder. “Rick—”

  He spun around and shoved me. “Get away from me, dog breath, or I’ll flatten you good!”

  This time I didn’t go after him. I’d seen that arm he was hiding. It was bandaged. There was blood seeping through the bandage.

  He’d been bitten.

  Chapter 26

  Rick had been bitten by a werewolf! He was one of them. I hurried home, my spine tingling with fear.

  Mrs. Bookbinder was right—the werewolves were everywhere. They were getting to the kids now.

  Rick must have been sent to the library by an adult werewolf. Sent to see what I was up to!

  Beside me in the street a car slowed. I glanced over and two men were looking at me. They must be werewolves! They were going to drag me into the car and get rid of me! I took off running and was halfway down the street before I realized the car had just stopped at a stop sign and then gone on its way, paying no attention to me.

  My poor brain was overreacting, seeing monsters everywhere.

  I was so shaken I didn’t notice the knot of kids on the next corner until one of them called to me.

  “Hey, Gruff, where’s Paul?” he asked, waving at me. “He was supposed to meet us.”

  There were six of them, all boys from our class who got together after school to play baseball. They came up to me and stopped, all of them staring at me.

  “Hi, guys,” I said. “Paul’s gone home. He was tired.”

  A tall boy, Jim, whispered to his friend Bobby, who grinned. “That’s too bad,” said Jim. “Now we don’t have enough kids to play ball.”

  “Why don’t you play, Gruff?” asked a third kid, Greg. “You get the rules mixed up sometimes but at least you have a good arm.”

  “Yeah, come on,” chimed in the others.

  I felt flattered. I’d never been invited without Paul. It gave me a kind of warm feeling inside. Then they started edging around me, hemming me in. Jim looked at Bobby, Bobby glanced at Greg, Greg nodded at Billy and Stewart. They stepped in closer—close enough to grab me.

  My pulse started to race. I noticed Jim had a big Band-Aid on his elbow and Greg and Bobby were wearing long sleeves even though it was warm. Could they be werewolves? Secret glances passed between them again. “Come on, Gruff,” urged Stewart. “What do you say? Let’s go.”

  “No. I—I have a lot of homework,” I said. I spun around but they had me completely surrounded. There was no way out. Could they be werewolves, sent to lure me away from town? Paul and I had seen too much last night. Now the adult werewolves wanted to get rid of us, me especially!

  “Come on, Gruff, don’t be such a grind,” growled Jim.

  “You can do your homework later,” said Bobby. “We need you here.”

  I felt a clawlike hand grab my arm. “No!” I screamed, tearing my arm free. I dove between two of the boys and belted down the street, hearing their startled laughter ring out behind me.

  I didn’t stop running until I reached home. But already I was wondering if I’d been wrong. Maybe they were just being friendly. I cringed to think how silly I looked running away like that. Unless they really were werewolves. Then it wasn’t silly at all.

  Feeling totally mixed up, I headed upstairs. I was going to bolt my door and lock the window and take a nap. But when I passed Kim’s room I heard a sound that put all thoughts of sleep right out of my head.

  A noise that chilled me to the bone.

  Chapter 27

  I hesitated outside Kim’s room. The sounds of sobbing wrenched my heart. “Kim?” I called out quietly and knocked on the door.

  There was a pause in the sobbing, then a loud sniffle. “Come in, Gruff,” Kim said in a teary voice.

  She was sitting on the edge of her bed, on her frilly pink bedspread, her face wet. The sparkles in her eyes were dim.

  “What’s happened?” I asked, rushing over to her. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s Dad,” she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Something’s wrong with him!”

  Anger and fear surged up inside me. “What did he do this time?” I demanded.

  Kim shook her head, making her smooth hair spill over her face. I handed her a tissue from the box beside her. “Some of us kids are trying to get up a soccer league for this summer,” she said, hiccupping. “I went to ask him about being a coach. He growled at me to go away. Growled! He was almost snarling like an animal. It was horrible.”

  “Maybe it’s just that he’s been so busy at work,” I said hesitantly. “He’s probably just tired and irritable.”

  Kim looked at me wide-eyed, like I’d just failed her, too. “No,” she said forcefully. “That’s not it. He doesn’t listen anymore and he never wants us around. It’s like he’s someone else, not my dad at all.”

  Kim burst into tears again. I sat beside her and comforted her as best I could. Kim was so happy and full of energy all the time. I’d never seen her like this. I thought about all the afternoons she’d given up playing with her friends to help me learn reading and arithmetic for school, how she always stood up for me when other kids made fun of the wolf-boy who’d grown up in the woods.

  I looked around at the ruffled curtains and the hockey stick propped in the corner, the dolls arranged on a shelf and the baseball mitt under her desk. I had to find a way to help.

  But could anyone make her dad the way he used to be? Could anyone defeat the werewolves?

  I’d thought of a way to find out, but it was dangerous. So dangerous that thinking of it made my mouth go dry and my palms sweat. If I wanted to stop the werewolves I couldn’t wait much longer, no matter how scared I was. The moon was already showing in the afternoon sky. It was growing round.

  Every night danger moved nearer.

  I shuddered, gazing at the moon. The werewolves were so powerful. They were everywhere.

  Waiting, waiting.

  Chapter 28

  The time had come—I had to do something, even if it put my life in danger.

  I told Mrs. Parker I was going to bed early. She hardly heard me, she was so preoccupied. She didn’t say much, but I could tell she was almost as worried about Mr. Parker as Kim was.

  But I didn’t go upstairs. I sneaked out the back door and into the garage. Climbing into the back of Mr. Parker’s car, I scrunched down on the floor, getting as far under the seat as I could. I was wearing dark clothes but, still, if he looked in the back, he would see me.

  I lay there for a long time. My arm went numb and after a while all I could think about was stretching my legs. Then the car door opened. I closed my eyes tight and held my breath, certain I was about to be discovered.

  But Mr. Parker settled into his seat and put on his seat belt. I let my breath out. That was a mistake. Immediately I felt I had to sneeze. The carpet fibers were itching my nose something terrible. I rubbed my nose frantically but the sneeze kept building. I couldn’t stop it. My eyes watered and my chest burned.

  I pinched my nose and pressed my face into the floor. But nothing could stop that sneeze. It burst out of me—at the same instant that Mr. Parker turned the key and the engine sprang noisily to life. I was s
afe. My whole body sagged with relief.

  Then Mr. Parker tossed a paper bag onto the backseat. As he pulled out of the driveway, the package slipped off the seat and fell on me. A sneeze was nothing compared to this. My skin crawled with fear. As soon as he turned around to get his bag he would find me.

  Desperately I pushed the bag back onto the seat. It felt soft. I peeked into the top of the bag. Clothes! Mr. Parker was taking an extra set of clothes to work. I remembered the ruined jacket in the trash. He wouldn’t want to come home in ripped clothes again—clothes torn apart by the wereing.

  Shivering, I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. I wished I was home in my bed or playing a video game with Paul. I wished I was anywhere but in this car, heading for a place so dangerous I might not come out alive.

  In just a few minutes the car slowed, then stopped. A heavy gate clanked. Mr. Parker rolled down his window and said something to whomever was guarding the gate.

  “GRRRRRrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaawwwwwww!” the guard growled.

  At least that’s what it sounded like. Maybe I wasn’t hearing too well with my face pushed against the floor. Maybe.

  My blood thudded in my ears. I was sure Mr. Parker could hear my pounding heart. He drove through the gate and a minute later he stopped again and shut off the car. Now he would turn around to retrieve his bag and see a boy lying on the floor of his car. What would happen to me then?

  His hand came groping over the backseat. It almost landed right on me. Mr. Parker grunted. I felt his weight shift in the seat. He was turning to look!

  Without thinking my hand shot up, grabbed the bag and pushed it into his hand. I snatched my hand back and froze. Mr. Parker grunted again and the bag disappeared into the front seat. The car door opened. Mr. Parker got out and slammed the door behind him. I waited until the faint sound of his footsteps completely disappeared.