by R. L. Stine
“No, of course she wasn’t,” Aunt Margaret agreed. “But they got her, the same way they got your parents.”
“The same way they got—” Danielle stopped, horrified.
The newspaper story! Her parents had been torn to pieces by unknown animals. No wonder she couldn’t stop thinking about them. Somehow, all along, she’d known that the accident story was a lie.
And the same animals that killed her parents killed her aunt.
Werewolves.
The werewolves had killed them.
Aunt Margaret continued her explanation. “It was all part of the plan,” she told Danielle. “They had to get your relatives out of the way so I could care for you. So I could get you ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Ready for your husband!” Aunt Margaret leaned close to Danielle. Her steely blue eyes gleamed with excitement. “You’ve fought it hard, but you can’t win,” she whispered. “You’ll never win. And you’re almost ready. Almost ready to become his bride!”
“Whose bride?” Danielle cried. “What are you talking about?”
“A werewolf’s bride.” Aunt Margaret smiled triumphantly. “Our master. He needs a wife, Danielle, and he chose you.”
Billy! Danielle thought as a chill of horror swept down her body. They expect me to marry that creature.
Danielle crept backward, but Aunt Margaret shot out a hand and grabbed her tightly around the arm. She was a small woman, but her grip was powerful.
“Let go of me!” Danielle demanded. “I won’t be part of your sick plan. Let go of me!”
“It’s too late!” Aunt Margaret whispered. “Years too late.”
Danielle glanced around the room. How can I get out of here? How can I escape from her?
“Don’t try anything,” Aunt Margaret warned. “It’s useless, Danielle. I won’t let you go. I won’t let you spoil everything.”
Danielle jerked her arm violently.
“Stop it!” Aunt Margaret insisted sharply. “You’re just making it harder on yourself.”
“Hey, what’s going on?” a shrill voice demanded.
“Cliff!” Danielle cried. Her little brother stood in the kitchen doorway in his Power Rangers pajamas, blinking at them sleepily.
“What’s happening?” Cliff asked with a huge yawn. “I heard all this shouting and stuff.”
“It’s nothing, Cliff,” Aunt Margaret told him quickly. “Go back to bed.”
Cliff eyed them suspiciously. “You guys having a fight or something?”
“No!” Aunt Margaret snapped. “Now go back to bed!”
Cliff frowned. “Okay, okay. All I asked was—”
“Listen to me, Cliff!” Danielle interrupted quickly. “Run upstairs and call the police! Call 911.”
“The police?” Cliff’s eyes widened. “Hey, were we robbed or something?”
Aunt Margaret laughed harshly. “Your sister is trying to trick you, Cliff. You know how she likes to tease.”
“No!” Danielle shouted. “This isn’t a joke, Cliff. Please, get the police!”
Cliff hesitated. His gaze moved back and forth between his aunt and his sister.
“Cliff, do as I say and get back to bed,” Aunt Margaret ordered.
She moved toward him, and her grip on Danielle’s arm loosened. With a cry Danielle pulled free and shoved the woman away. The woman staggered, crashed into Cliff, and the two of them fell to the floor.
Ignoring their cries, Danielle dived to the back door, twisted the lock, and yanked it open.
Billy stood outside.
His eyes burned angrily into hers. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
Chapter 30
HELP
“Where do you think you’re going?” Billy repeated.
“As far away from you as I can get!” Danielle screamed.
Before Billy could react, she thrust out both arms and shoved him down the back steps.
He cried out in surprise. Grabbed for her.
But she leaped over him. She landed hard on her hands and knees, scrambled to her feet, and raced around the corner of the house.
“Stop her!” she heard Aunt Margaret shout from inside the kitchen. Then she heard Cliff’s frightened cries.
Would Aunt Margaret hurt Cliff?
No, Danielle told herself. The werewolves aren’t after Cliff, she told herself. They want a bride for Billy.
A bride for the werewolf.
Heavy footsteps pounded the ground behind her. Billy!
With a furious burst of energy, Danielle tore through the front yard and jumped into the van.
Her fingers felt thick and clumsy as she dragged the key out of the pocket of her shorts.
It slipped out of her hand. She ducked down and searched the grimy van floor.
Billy threw himself at the van. “Danielle!” he shouted. “Don’t run from me!”
She found the key and jammed it into the ignition.
Billy clawed at the driver’s window. “Danielle, open the door!” he yelled. “Don’t run. You can’t escape. You can’t win!”
Oh, yes I can! Danielle thought angrily. She pumped the gas and turned the key.
Billy’s fingers scrabbled at the window.
“Get away!” Danielle screamed.
The engine roared. She slid the van in gear and peeled away from the curb. In the rearview mirror she watched Billy chasing after her.
Danielle floored the gas pedal and tore down Fear Street. The van swung wildly, and the tires squealed as she steered it around the corner and onto the Mill Road.
Billy was no longer in sight.
I’m safe, she thought. At least for now.
Danielle let up slightly on the gas. She needed to think.
Where can I go? Who will help me?
I could go to the police station. But if they don’t believe me, they’ll take me home to Aunt Margaret. I’d never escape again.
Who can I trust? Who will help me?
As she sped north on the Mill Road, a face flashed into her mind.
Dr. Moore.
He said she could call him any time, day or night, if she needed help.
Well, she really needed help now.
Danielle wheeled the van around and roared toward Shadyside’s business district. The stores and offices stood empty and dark.
Moonlight washed over the darkened buildings.
The bad moonlight.
It changed Billy and the others into wolves, Danielle knew. And it almost made me one of them.
But how?
She had been outside under the moon hundreds of times in her life. And she had never felt strange or violent.
Until she joined the band.
Billy must have some kind of special power, Danielle decided.
The street suddenly darkened. Glancing up through the windshield, Danielle watched another bank of clouds rolling across the sky toward town.
Good, she thought. Maybe the clouds will block out the moon until Dr. Moore and I figure out what to do.
Dr. Moore’s big Victorian house came into view.
Be home. Please be home, Danielle prayed desperately.
She brought the van to a screeching halt and jumped to the ground. Gravel dug painfully into her bare feet as she ran across the parking area.
“Dr. Moore!” Danielle pounded on the door with both fists. “Please, it’s an emergency! I need help. I’m in danger! Open up!”
The old house remained silent and dark.
Danielle fumbled for the doorbell and jabbed her finger against it over and over. She heard it buzzing inside. She kept one hand on the button and pounded on the door with the other.
At last the outside light flashed on. A chain rattled, a lock clicked, and the door swung open.
Dr. Moore stared out at her, blinking with surprise. He wore rumpled pants and a loose-fitting sweatshirt. His fringe of gray hair lay matted to his head.
“Thank goodness!” Danielle gasped, pushing
her way inside. “I was afraid you were gone!”
“I fell asleep on the couch, reading,” Dr. Moore explained, rubbing his hand over his face. “What is it, Danielle? What has happened?”
Danielle slammed the door. “I don’t think Billy will figure out that I came here,” she said in a frightened whisper. She turned the lock and slid the chain into place. “But I can’t be sure, Dr. Moore. He’s got some kind of power!”
The doctor’s eyes widened in confusion. “What are you saying? Are you being chased?” he asked, studying her face. His expression changed. “You’re hurt, Danielle! Your face is scratched and bruised. Come into the office and let me take a better look.”
“I’m all right,” Danielle insisted as the doctor ushered her into his office. “The scratches don’t matter. Please! I’m in danger, and so are you—if he finds out I’m here!”
“Stay calm,” Dr. Moore urged softly. “You can explain it all to me in a moment. First, let me make sure all the doors and windows are locked.”
She watched him hurry out of the office.
At least I’m safe for now, she thought, breathing a little easier. But what can we do? What can he and I do against a pack of werewolves?
The doctor returned a few seconds later. “Everything’s locked,” he told her, shutting the door behind him. “And the alarm system is on. No one can get in.”
“They’ll find a way,” Danielle replied. “You don’t know them. Even if they don’t, we can’t stay in here forever. And they’ll be waiting for us when we come out!”
“Danielle.” Dr. Moore’s forehead wrinkled in concern. “Try to calm down and tell me what happened.”
“I can’t calm down!” Danielle cried, pacing the office again. “You don’t understand, Dr. Moore! You don’t know!”
“No, I don’t,” the doctor answered gently. “You have to tell me, Danielle.”
“They’re werewolves!” she burst out. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Billy and Caroline and Mary Beth—they’re all werewolves. Aunt Margaret, too, except she isn’t my real aunt. She’s—”
Dr. Moore held up his hand. “You’ve lost me. I’m sorry. Please. Take a deep breath, Danielle. Start at the beginning.”
Danielle forced herself to stand still. She took a deep, shaky breath, crossed her arms over her chest, and began to talk.
She told him everything, trying to keep it all straight. She kept her voice as calm as she could so he wouldn’t think she was crazy.
Dr. Moore listened without moving, without blinking. When she finished her story, he strode to the small refrigerator in the corner and pulled out a carton of orange juice. “Drink some of this,” he instructed, handing it to her. “You’re in shock.”
“No—I’m not!” Danielle declared angrily. “You’ve got to believe me! I’m not making any of this up! I’m not!”
“Did I say you were?” he replied. “You’re burning up too much energy too quickly. Your body needs the sugar. Or, if you like, I can give you an injection to help calm you down.”
“No!” Danielle grabbed the carton and tilted it to her mouth. “I have to stay alert.”
The doctor nodded calmly. “That’s fine. I want to help you, Danielle. But won’t you at least sit down? You need to rest.”
Danielle shook her head. “Billy might figure out that I came here,” she said. “So we need to think of some way to catch them.”
“A trap?”
“Yes.” Danielle drank some more orange juice. “It’ll have to be inside. If they’re out, under the moonlight, they’ll change into wolves. And then we won’t stand a chance.”
“Yes, I see.”
“You do?” Danielle asked. “Then you . . . believe me?”
The doctor nodded solemnly. “I believe you.”
“Thank goodness!” Danielle finished the juice. She felt better. Stronger. “Okay. So, let’s figure out how we’re going to trap them.”
A knock on the door made Danielle drop the juice carton. The orange juice puddled around her feet.
“Dad?” a voice called. “Where is she? Is she in there with you?”
Danielle recognized the voice at once.
Kit!
Danielle’s heart raced. Kit was alive!
“Yes, Kit, your bride is waiting for you in here,” the doctor answered. He pulled open the office door. “How did you let her get away?”
Chapter 31
NO ESCAPE
Kit stalked into the office. “Thanks, Dad,” he said solemnly.
His expression brightened as he turned to Danielle. “Here you are!” he exclaimed.
Danielle could almost feel the blood draining from her face.
I had it all wrong, she realized.
I made the wrong choice.
It’s not Billy. It’s Kit.
They want me to be Kit’s bride.
“I don’t understand how you could have let such a thing happen, Kit,” Dr. Moore said, shaking his head. “You’re very lucky that she came to me, or she might have gotten away.”
“Sorry, Dad. It couldn’t be helped.” Kit grinned at Danielle. “But she’s here now. So everything’s okay.”
“No!” Danielle whispered hoarsely. She backed behind the desk as Kit started for her. “Don’t come near me!”
“Danielle, listen—” Kit began.
Dr. Moore cut him off. “Leave her alone for a few moments, Kit,” he ordered. “After all, she’s had her share of shocks tonight. Give her a chance to calm down.”
Kit nodded. “No problem,” he murmured. He sat down in the deep armchair in front of the desk.
“How did you get away from Billy and the others?” Danielle cried.
Kit shrugged. “Simple. As soon as you took off in the van, I let the moonlight do its work. Billy and the others are no match for me.”
“You’re one of them,” Danielle said numbly. “All along, you’ve been one of them.” She turned to Dr. Moore. “And you’re Kit’s father, so you’re one of them too.”
The doctor nodded gravely.
“But I’m not just one of them, Danielle,” Kit told her. He leaned forward in his chair. “I’m the pack leader.”
“I thought Billy—”
“Billy!” Kit waved his hand as if swatting away a fly. “Billy does what I tell him to. Know why I made him band manager? To keep you from guessing the truth about me. But he and Caroline and Mary Beth—they are all under my control.”
“As you will be soon,” Dr. Moore told Danielle quietly.
Danielle shook her head furiously. “You’re both crazy! It’s not going to happen. You might think you can control me, but I won’t let you!”
“You don’t have any choice,” Kit told her.
“My son is right,” Dr. Moore agreed. “But there’s no reason to panic. You are already being controlled.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Danielle cried.
“Your therapy,” Kit said. “Your visits with my father.”
Danielle stared at the doctor.
“It’s really very simple,” Dr. Moore told her. “I haven’t been treating you at all. While you were hypnotized, I gave you suggestions. Planted ideas in your head that would make you fall under the spell of the moonlight.”
“You need moonlight to change,” Kit told her. “But it isn’t enough. You have to want to change, too. At least at first. So Dad gave you the desire.”
“Hypnosis is such a wonderful thing.” The doctor chuckled. “I even planted your songs in your mind, Danielle!”
The songs, Danielle thought. Weird songs about killing and howling and clawing and dying. Now she understood why she’d been writing that stuff.
“See, Danielle?” Kit said. “The control is already happening. It’s been happening for almost three years.”
“You’re lying!” Danielle shouted. “I didn’t even know you three years ago!”
“But I knew you,” Kit told her. “Maybe you don’t remember. But three years
ago you went to a rock concert in the park. A bunch of bands performed.”
Danielle did remember that concert. Not because of the music, though. She remembered it because three nights later, her parents died.
“Mine was one of those bands,” Kit went on. “Different musicians, but the same roadie—me. When the concert ended, I saw you hanging around, hoping to get autographs. And that’s when I knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That you would be my bride.” Kit’s pale blue eyes gleamed.
Wolf eyes, Danielle thought.
Danielle shuddered. How could I have ever thought his eyes were beautiful? she asked herself. They’re so cold. So . . . dead.
“Once I had chosen you, I worked out a plan to make you mine,” Kit continued. “First, of course, I needed to isolate you. To get you alone.”
Isolate. The word hit Danielle like a hammer. She knew what Kit was talking about.
“My parents,” she uttered in a voice filled with hate. “You killed my parents.” Danielle fought back the urge to hurl herself at him. Scratch and kick and bite. Anything to hurt him as much as he’d hurt her.
Kit nodded. “And your aunt. I had to get them all out of the way, or my plan wouldn’t work.”
“It isn’t going to work!” Danielle told him hotly. “I promise you that. You can kill as many people as you—” She stopped, remembering.
As if he could read her mind, Kit nodded again. “You’re thinking of Joey and Dee. You’re right, Danielle. I killed them too.”
Images of their bodies flashed through her mind. Shredded and torn. She blinked the ugly pictures away and stared at Kit. “Why?” she demanded. “They were part of your group. Why did you have to kill them?”
“Joey knew you belonged to me, but he flirted with you anyway.” Kit’s eyes glared angrily. “I warned him not to come on to you. But he wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t put up with that. Joey had to go.”
“What about Dee? What did she do, forget to bow down to you?” Danielle screamed.
Kit jumped up, clenching his fists.
“Kit,” Dr. Moore said. “Don’t let yourself get angry. We’re too close, son.”
“Right.” Kit slowly relaxed his hands. He advanced slowly toward the desk.
Danielle trembled.