by Wade Faubert
“Hey, guys. I think the old bag went inside to find the Janitor.” Max snickered. “She’s probably helping him mop the floor with her dress.”
“You’re just disgusting!” Lori said, rolling her eyes, unsure at that moment why she was actually friends with Max, but when a rustling sound captured her attention, she forgot all about him. Slowly she turned, listening and judging where the sound had come from.
“Over this way! Walk really careful so you don’t scare her.” Lori led the way, followed by Cindy then the two boys. They made their way down the small path, through the brush, and around more Maple trees. The woods thickened and darkened with each step they took. It was as if the trees were crowding closer, huddling against the frightening darkness. They were twenty feet from the forest edge when Max came rushing past, almost knocking Lori off the pathway as he sprinted on ahead.
Lori saw the white patch of fur flash across the path and watched, surprised at Max’s sudden burst of bravery. He seemed to be suddenly sparked with life, a welcome change from his normally nervous behaviour.
For a moment, Max disappeared behind a stand of high weeds, emerging, panting for breath, holding a struggling bunny by the scuff of the neck.
“You’re a fast little bastard.” Max raised the bunny to his face, staring into its eyes. “But you’re no match for me.” The bunny tried to run but its feet only stirred the air. “Hey, I caught him!”
“It’s not a him. It’s a her.” Lori carefully stepped off the path and into the deep greenery. “And I’m going to name her Rosy and keep her in my garage, and—”
The forest was suddenly lit, every tree and crevasse instantly illuminated in an eye-startling flash of lightning from overhead. Momentarily every shadow retreated to its hiding place, only to escape a few seconds later, growing stronger and darker in anticipation of the attack of thunder that was due. Lori heard a few startled screams from the playground, but they were muted when a deafening roar of thunder assaulted her ears, shaking the ground and her body, too.
She glanced at Cindy and was surprised to see her shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes were glued to something just over Lori’s shoulder. As a shiver raced through Lori’s body, she slowly turned to see what Cindy was staring at.
There, only a few feet behind, stood Max. The bunny was no longer in his hand, but hung, swinging back and forth, its teeth pierced through both of Max’s nostrils. Hands shaking, eyes crossed and wide, he stared down at the bunny. Instantly it dropped with a dull thud, scrambled to its feet then dashed away into the shadows. Instinctively Max cupped his shaking hand over his nose as the blood began to flow.
Now that the storm was overhead, the forest was as dark as night. A steady rain began to fall, pattering on the canopy above, releasing an array of multicoloured leaves, which fluttered down all around them. Lori reached out and grasped Max’s free hand then hurried him back to the pathway, past Randy and a pale looking Cindy. All Lori could think about was what Miss Hopkin would say when she found out they were playing in the woods.
“I knew…bad idea.” Max fought Lori’s help. He struggled, pulling free of her grip. “Never should’ve listened.”
“Come on, Max! Hurry!” Lori looked out through the clearing at the empty schoolyard. The last few stragglers were running for the door, heading for cover. Just then, a scent drifted on the wind. It was horrible, like that of rotting garbage, but worse—much worse. She turned back to Max, who was sitting on a decaying tree stump, trying to catch his breath. Maybe the smell had come from the stump?
“Tell Miss Hopkin that it happened behind the…” Her words trailed off seeing the dark shapes on the pathway behind. What were they waiting for? Didn’t they realize how much trouble they were going to be in? “Cindy, Rrr…”
Two faint red dots appeared from the darkness where Cindy and Randy had been. The sight triggered the memory from earlier when she thought the lightning had played a trick on her eyes. She’d dismissed it as nothing, but now, Nothing, was standing over a dark lump on the pathway.
“What? What’s the matter?” Max asked, struggling to get to his feet.
Lori ignored the question. She took a step toward the glowing red eyes in the darkness, wondering what was back there. It wasn’t until another flash of lighting pulsed across the sky, filtering through the small gaps in the branches, that Lori saw exactly what stood guard over the fallen body.
She gasped seeing its blood-soaked muzzle inches from Cindy’s mangled neck, while Randy meanwhile stood to the side, watching and waiting.
It all happened so quickly that Lori couldn’t get a warning out. The beast sprang from Cindy’s lifeless body and in one quick motion sank its teeth into Randy’s neck, ripping out his throat. Then it silently started back into the woods—even before Randy’s body began crumpling to the soft leaf-covered pathway.
“No!” Lori screamed, unable to stop herself. She froze in terror as the beast stopped. Its massive head jerked around in her direction, eyes glaring, burning like embers in a fire.
Lori felt a tremor erupt throughout her body. They had been safe. It was going away, leaving her and Max to survive, but because she couldn’t control her emotions, it was watching—No, coming for them!
Lori turned and grasped Max’s blood-covered hand then sprinted, pulling him down the path to the schoolyard. She didn’t dare look back, afraid that the beast would be nipping at their heels. Instead, she forced Max to run faster, but he stumbled and tripped on everything, finding it hard to keep up.
When they made the edge of the woods, Max tripped on a tree root, falling flat on his face in the soft mud. Lori stopped. She pleaded for him to get back to his feet and continue running, but he looked tired and defeated. His nose was still gushing blood, bright red against his ash-white face. She glanced back into the darkness of the trees and saw the red eyes closing in fast. Max turned to see what they had been running from and when his eyes fell on the charging monster, he scrambled to get to his feet.
“Go!” he yelled.
Lori obeyed. She turned her back on the approaching killer and ran as fast as she could toward the school—and help. Her only chance to live was to out run it. She was one of the fastest kids at school, but could she outrun a killing machine?
Twenty feet from the tree line, she heard the first shriek from behind. Her body shook. She couldn’t help it. She pictured Max back there and could only imagine what that thing was doing to him. He’d always been so timid and reserved, and now he was sacrificing himself so she could get away. She felt ashamed at leaving a friend behind. Felt torn about whether to flee or to fight. Lori remembered how easily that thing had finished both Cindy and Randy and realized that there was no way to win a fight against it. Her only chance was to run for help.
Another shriek came, this one more like an animal cry than a human. Legs trembling, unable to continue, she stopped and glanced back. Just past the trees, in the long grass, Max lay clinging to the rear leg of the beast. It continued on, struggling three legged to resume the chase, clearly angered at Max’s actions.
Lori couldn’t believe it. Max was still fighting for her. He was doing everything he could to save her, but she was stopped, watching and wasting precious time.
“Run, Lori!” Max screamed as the beast turned its attention to the parasite on its body. Max snatched a loose rock from the ground and slammed it into the approaching muzzle. It connected, splitting the beast’s lips wide open. The animal paused a moment, taken by surprise, and Lori prayed that it would change its mind and retreat from the attack. But after lapping at the gushing blood, it snarled, then in a fevered frenzy repaid the effort. Max’s grip loosened then his hands fell, twitching onto the damp leaves.
The beast stepped away from Max’s body and stood tall on all four legs. It was at that moment Lori saw exactly what she’d been running from—a wolf! But not an ordinary wolf. This wolf was huge. Its muscular body rippled under the tattered, matted fur as it slowly stepped toward her. There was somet
hing seriously wrong with this thing. Lori felt the tremble rack her body again. The colour of its eyes told her everything—it was pure evil!
The sky let loose as if at the command of the beast and the rain plummeted to the earth, stripping leaves from the trees. The roar of the downpour filled her ears, blocking the sound of the beast’s footfalls as it advanced toward her.
Lori spun, sprinting full out toward the school. Her legs burned. Her lungs ached. She knew that if she didn’t get to the school—and fast—she would die right here in the playground.
The pouring rain pasted her clothing to her skin, making it hard to get full strides. She couldn’t tell how much lead she had and didn’t dare glance back to check, fearing she might slow slightly. The glass door of the school was twenty feet away, illuminated in the darkness of the storm. She prayed for someone to be there to open it, allowing her to dive inside, but it remained deserted.
A flicker of red reflected off the glass door sending a shiver up Lori’s spine. It was right behind, chasing her down like an animal.
Five feet away—the rain fell like a waterfall, cascading down her face and into her mouth as she gasped for breath. The red eyes reflected high in the glass door—it was launching itself at her for the finish! There was no way it was going to let her escape.
Lori’s fingers wrapped around the cold steel of the door handle. She watched the red eyes grow larger and larger as the wolf sailed toward her back. Every movement slowed to a crawl. She pulled the door, which seemed to weigh a ton. Slowly it began moving on the hinges as the rancid breath of the beast filled the air.
The door was half-open, but the reflection in the glass was enough to make her stomach turn. The beast’s jaws were wide open. A mixture of saliva, puss and blood strung from the mangled lips, down to the darkness. Lori was on the threshold, trying to squeeze through the half-opened door, when its teeth pierced her flesh and the blood began to flow. Her left hand snapped protectively to the side of her neck and Lori released an ear-piercing scream…
Chapter 1
Lori bolted upright in bed, screaming at the top of her lungs, her hand clasping the scar tissue at the side of her neck.
“Wolf!” she screamed. “Help!” Then as she became fully awake and realized she was safe in her own room, hundreds of miles and four years away from the horror in the school ground, she broke down sobbing.
After a few minutes the tears stopped flowing and she was able to catch her breath. As her finger slid over the raised scar tissue, she whispered, “So lucky. So damn, lucky!”
She had after all gotten away. The wolf had taken a chunk out of her neck, but as it bit down, she’d slipped on the wet entrance mat and lost her footing, sending the wolf crashing over her head, into the brick wall. Then while it was dazed, Lori had jerked open the door and squeezed inside.
“So lucky to even be alive,” she said, but then her heart twisted with guilt. Cindy, Randy and Max weren’t so lucky. How could that have happened? Killed by a wolf in this day and age?
Lori glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 7:30. “Shit, I’m gonna be late for school.” She swung her feet onto the floor, hurried and gathered clothes then dashed to the adjoining bathroom.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Lori held the pendants from both necklaces together between her trembling fingers. The gold plating had worn off years ago, leaving the words looking old and tarnished. But, it didn’t matter because every time she rubbed the two words between her fingers, Lori felt somewhat closer to Cindy. It was, after all, the last thing Cindy had given her.
Lori wondered why the memory had resurfaced now. It had been years since the last time she’d woken up like that. Why now? Why the hell, now? She could still see Max holding onto the wolf’s leg—giving his life for hers.
Tears filled her eyes. She clenched them shut, praying that the image would disappear. With shaking hands, she reached for her prescription bottle of tranquillizers, popped the cap and swallowed two. Quickly she showered, dressed, then descended the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast.
“Hi, Mom.” Lori avoided her mother’s gaze. “How are you this morning?”
Her mother finished pouring the glass of orange juice then set it on the table. “Never mind me, I heard you scream. Was it the same nightmare?”
Lori nodded her head, dropping into the chair. “It was the same one I had back in Wampus Springs, before we moved here.”
“But it’s been—”
“Years. Yes, I know how long it’s been.”
“I could give Sara Parker a call. Maybe she can get you in to see Dr. Bruce this afternoon. He might be able to help sort out these nightmares.”
“This one’s not a nightmare, Mom—it’s a memory! It’s exactly what happened! It’s like I was right back there.” Lori saw the hurt look on her mother’s face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t take it out on you… But, Mom, it felt so real. Like I was really there again, back at the school.” Lori took a sip of juice. “I swear I could reach out and touch the others. I could even taste the rancid breath on that thing as it lunged for my neck.” Tears blurred her vision. “Those eyes, those red eyes…they seemed to bore straight inside me.”
Her mother stepped behind, placing her hands on Lori’s shoulders then whispered that everything would be all right and that they’d get through this together.
Pulling away, Lori looked up, meeting her mother’s gaze. “Mom… I still miss Dad.” Lori swallowed the lump that was stuck in her throat. “Why wouldn’t he come with us?”
“I wish I knew.” The tears were welling in her mother’s eyes but she blinked them away quickly. “I really wish I knew.”
After eating enough breakfast to satisfy her mother, Lori grabbed her purse and school bag then headed out the front door. Reaching the end of the crushed stone driveway, she glanced back. The old Victorian home was picture perfect, barely visible behind the shroud of mature oak trees. Lori could just make out the large hanging swing on the front porch. The one place she could really relax and think.
Four years ago they moved here, to Ridgeway, Ontario, a small town nestled in the countryside, on the edge of Lake Erie. With its sandy beaches and crystal-clear bay, it was an easy choice. But the true selling point was the fact that it was far enough away to settle a hysteric young girl who felt her attacker was lurking in every shadow, waiting to pounce when no one was around.
Lori swung her school bag over her shoulder then headed off down Hillcrest Street. She walked with her head down, watching the sidewalk while her mind replayed that horrible memory. The guilt of seeing Max sacrifice his life for her was gnawing at her stomach.
“Lori… Lori!” Jessica shouted from in front of the school, casting a scowl at anybody else who dared look her way. “Over here.”
Lori crossed the street, walking straight to Jessica. She didn’t feel much like talking right now, but Jessica wasn’t the type to let her alone to sulk. “Hi, Jessica. Were you waiting for me?”
“Of course I was, I’m always waiting for you,” Jessica said, raising Lori’s chin with one finger. “I’ve been watching you since you turned the corner down the street. You must’ve had a bad night, cause you look like shit.”
“Yeah, I had trouble sleeping.” Lori lowered her voice. “I had a nightmare.”
“So, you’ve had that same nightmare for the last three weeks. What was it this time, wandering through the woods or the farmer’s fields?”
“No, not that one!” Lori stepped away from the crowd, lowering her voice. “The other one I used to have.”
“The one where you were attacked?” Jessica whispered.
Lori nodded. “It’s been years, but it was exactly the same. Nothing’s changed. Nothing’s even faded with time.”
“Wow,” Jessica raised a manicured eyebrow, “I have trouble remembering last week, let alone years ago. But why would you have it now, unless—”
“It has something to do with my regular nightmares.”
&nbs
p; The bell rang.
Jessica grabbed Lori’s arm and escorted her inside. “You know you’re gonna have to get a hold of this thing before it destroys you. One day they’re gonna find you dead in your bed, with a scream stuck on your face.”
“I know. Dr. Bruce says it’s all in my head, but I’m still scared. What if it comes back for me? And what if something happens to you, like it did to my other friends?”
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me. Nothing I don’t want to happen. Besides, you don’t think I can kick some ass?” Lori followed Jessica’s gaze. It was directed at Jessica’s ex-boyfriend, Marcus and Crystal, the most popular girl in school. “Remember what I did to her last year?”
“I still can’t believe you broke her nose, and what for?” Lori said. “Because your stupid boyfriend was talking to her.”
“Talking?” Jessica laughed. “Half an inch closer to that bitch and they would’ve been tonguing each other. It serves that slut right for messing with my man.”
Raising an eyebrow, Lori said, “Well, you got the last laugh. You dumped him, right?”
“Um… right.” Jessica shook her head and stormed down the hall as Lori ran to catch up. “He’s a typical boy, follows his dick like a divining rod.”
“Well, I’m just glad you’re my friend,” Lori ran right into Jessica as she stopped suddenly, “and not my enemy.”
“Watch where you’re going.” Jessica drew a long ragged breath then exhaled deeply before turning to Lori. “Did you ask your mother about the dance Friday?”
“Let’s just say we had a long discussion about boys, sex and drugs. I didn’t think she was gonna give in and let me go, but after thinking it over for a few hours, she finally agreed.”
“That’s great cause Kirk just got his car running again. You know, the Buick, the one with the big back seat?”
“No, I wouldn’t know about that, but I’m sure you’ve checked it out many times.” Lori fell behind a step. “But I don’t even have a date. Who’s gonna want to go with me?”