by Remy Marie
“So it’s a haunted forest. Great, now I really don’t want to go.” Jason looked at his friend in the rearview mirror and shook his head. Mohinder quickly rose to defend himself.
“Ah, come on Jason, what’s the worst that could happen? Plus you heard Kyle, plenty of women for the both of us. I’ve been on a bit of a dry spell. This party could change it.”
“One would hope that you would save yourself for someone special,” Trini added. Jason looked back in the rearview mirror and noticed Trini gave a small smile towards him.
Was that message for me? Jason thought as he continued to drive.
“Yeah, don’t be a wuss, Jason,” Kyle added to the conversation. Jason looked at Trini for support, but she stayed silent after Kyle’s remarks. Jason sighed and realized that he lost the battle for not going to the party. He shook his head once more as he continued down the dark country road towards the forest.
The group made it to the old sawmill thirty minutes later. If it weren’t for the other cars, Jason would have missed the location on where to park his car. The abandoned mill looked disturbing in the pale light of the full moon. The shape of the mill reminded Jason of the old horror movies he used to watch with Trini. It was a lone building, surrounded by a thick ring of trees.
“We’re here,” Jason said as he got out of the car to stare at the rusty sawmill.
“Jeez, could you drive any slower to get us here. I could have sworn I saw a grandma on her electronic chair past us on the road,” Kyle said as he got out of Jason’s coupe. Kyle then moved his seat forward to let Trini and Mohinder out.
“I am just happy we made it here safely,” Trini said as she climbed out of the backseat. She smiled at Jason when they made eye contact, and air mouthed the words, thank you.
“Where’s this party?” Mohinder asked as he got out of the backseat, carrying his case of beer.
“According to my friend, there should be a trail to the left of the sawmill.” Kyle pointed towards a small clearing of the woods in front of Jason’s car. “After that, it should be a quarter mile hike to the bonfire.” Kyle then fastened his backpack and looked at the group with confidence.
“Bloody hell, you didn’t tell me there would be walking involved. I’m going to get all sweaty.”
“It’s so that no one would bother us. Come on, it shouldn’t be that bad,” Kyle said as he led the way. “It’s just like camping,” Kyle added as he found a large stick to use as a hiking cane. Kyle tested out his walking cane twice by putting weight on it. Once he was satisfied, he turned and smiled at the group as he led them into the dark forest opening. “It’s going to be fun,” Kyle repeated as he walked forward.
“Well, I hate camping,” Mohinder complained as he kicked the fallen pile of leaves in front of him. Jason rubbed Mohinder’s broad shoulders for support.
“Come on buddy, you wanted to lose some weight,” Jason joked as he followed Kyle down the dark trail. Trini smiled and gave a slight shrug to Mohinder. She then made her way down the trail, following Jason and Kyle. Mohinder groaned loudly once more as he followed Trini down the dark path.
The group made their way down the trail, using their flashlights on their phones as a light source as they walked down the darkened path. As they got closer, they could hear the loud music and saw the slight amber glow of the bonfire.
This should be fun, Jason reminded himself. At least Trini is here, he thought as he smiled at her. Trini must have noticed Jason’s glance and made a funny face using her flashlight. Jason laughed at Trini’s humor.
As Jason laughed, sudden screams started to drown out his laughter and the music from the party. Trini’s face grew serious as the group heard the multiple screams. Gunshots rivaled the screams as they filled the forest.
“What in the bloody hell is going on?” Mohinder quivered in fear.
“It sounds like they are shooting something. It could be a wild animal,” Kyle replied. “Let’s go and see if they need help.”
Kyle started to walk forward past the group.
“Are you taking a bloody piss?” Let’s go back to the fuckin’ car!” Mohinder yelled. “This party is clearly over!”
“Yeah, Kyle. Let’s go back to the car. In a horror movie, you don’t go towards the danger. You run away from it!” Trini said with a concerned look.
“Yeah, Trini’s right—” Jason started to reply before he saw a crowd of people running towards them.
“Run, it’s a pack of wild wolves!” a woman shouted as she pushed the group out of her way. The group stared at each other confused; in a few moments, the group realized the woman’s statement was true. The foursome turned and witnessed what the crowd was running away from. Three large wolf-like creatures, running only on their hind legs, made their way to the group. Jason noted that they ran similar to a human occasionally going on all fours like a wolf as they swiftly made their way towards the crowd of screaming coeds.
Jason squinted to see if he could get a clean look at one of the wolves. When the crowd began to thin out, Jason finally got the glimpse he was searching for. All of the creatures had ruby red eyes and had blood dripping from their jaws. Each creature had a different color of fur. One wolf was black; the other two wolves had fur of solid brown and pure white. The white wolf creature was the largest of the pack. Its snowy fur was stained with the crimson color of blood.
Jason’s concentration on the beasts was broken, when he heard another gunshot snap as a young male in a cowboy hat shot his pistol at one of them. The wolf with brown fur stopped in place and then went flying back as the bullet connected to the wolf’s head. The body of the animal went limp and then fell to the ground.
“You have to shoot them in the brain!” shouted the cowboy to his comrades as he reloaded his gun. When the wolf creature in white fur saw his pack member fall, he growled loudly and bared his white fangs towards the young cowboy.
In one quick moment, the ivory fur wolf pounced on the male and mauled his throat. Blood escaped the cowboy’s throat as he slowly died, gasping for air. The wolf howled once more and charged into another closer coed. The wolf in black fur followed the lead of the wolf in white and attacked another partygoer trying to take aim at the wolf in white with his shotgun.
Jason could not believe the sight before his eyes. These wolves don’t look like any wolves I’ve seen before. For one, they are running as humans on two legs. Could they be werewolves? Jason questioned to himself. He quickly looked up to the sky and was reminded of the bright full moon above his head.
They can’t be werewolves, though, because the one cowboy just killed one of them with a headshot. Silver bullets always killed the wolf, Jason reminded himself. Most bullets are made with lead, Jason added in his mind. But what if the movies and books had it wrong? A simple head blow could kill the beast. Mohinder’s loud screams broke Jason’s thoughts as he looked at his friend.
“Let’s get the fuck out here!” Mohinder shouted as he dropped the case of beer and ran away. Jason, Kyle, and Trini followed Mohinder, all running with a purpose to stay alive. The group of four ran with the large crowd that was ahead of them down the trail that led to their cars. Jason ran as fast as he could back to the parking lot. As he ran, he formed a tunnel vision as he only focused on getting to the end of the trail.
Packed with a crowd of twenty anxious coeds, Jason felt like a can of tuna stuck in the middle of everyone. As the fearful crowd made their way through the tight forest trail, Jason looked behind him as he watched a straggler get picked off by the werewolves. It was a scary fascination watching the werewolves as they catch their prey. It reminded Jason of when he watched the animal documentaries on the television. The duo of werewolves acted just like a pack of wolves. They both assisted each other as needed as they mauled countless coeds. As if they were two wrestlers in a tag team match, one would draw the attention of the victim, while the other attacked.
With the trees on both sides of him, Jason felt like a sheep being pushed through a ga
te at a state fair show as they made their way through the tight trail. Jason looked to see if he could see Trini in front of him, but instead, he just saw the scared faces of the crowd. Jason looked directly in front of him to see Mohinder. His pink dress shirt was covered in sweat, and he was wheezing loudly.
Jason was amazed on the pace that Mohinder had as they ran. He then looked to his left and saw a small blonde female. Her eyes were filled with tears and fear as she ran for her life. She must have noticed that Jason was staring at her, so she made eye contact with him. As the blonde continued her eye contact, the snowy fur werewolf leaped over Jason’s head and pounced on the blonde partygoer.
Jason gasped at the sight, but no sound left his mouth as he witnessed the werewolf tear the woman’s arm off with a clean swipe. This was enough to drive the terror into Jason’s heart.
“Fucking Move! Move Faster!” Jason screamed as he pushed his friend to go faster. “They are right behind us!”
Chapter 7
Trini’s small frame was pushed around by the massive crowd of party goers. She gasped for air as she was stampeded back and forth from the crowd. Trini felt claustrophobic in the crowd and ran left of the trail. The path she took wasn’t cleared out, and she had a difficult time going through the tree obstacles, but she wanted to get away from the crowd and the werewolves.
Trini knew that the monsters attacking them were werewolves; based on their appearances, the way they moved and hunted. A gamer girl knows these things after all.
Trini’s throat was dry, and she barely felt the oxygen reach her lungs and her thighs burned from exhaustion, causing her to stop and hide by a tree. She placed her hands on her knees and doubled over as she continued to gasp for air.
God, I hope Jason and Mohinder are okay. I missed them when we were running. Mohinder moved like a bat out of hell, and so did Jason. I should have grabbed Jason’s hand to stick with him when we were running. Why I didn’t think of that? Shit. Now I am stuck in the middle of the woods, with three werewolves. Some great odds. Trini thought as she pressed her back against a tree. Where the hell am I? Trini looked up to the sky to find the North Star when she heard the leaves shuffle in the background. Shit, they found me. Trini held her breath and remained still.
“Trini, its Kyle. I saw you run this way. Where are you?”
“Kyle, I’m over here.”
“Trini, you’re alive. I thought those wolves got you. Are you okay?” Kyle briefly scanned Trini for any visible injuries.
“I’m fine, just shaken up.” Kyle gently touched Trini’s elbow, but she brushed Kyle’s hands away. You lost the right to touch me like that, asshole.
Kyle ignored the gesture and gave Trini a concerned look. “Do you know how to get back? I tried using my phones GPS, but my service has been going in and out.”
“I was trying to find the North Star, but I don’t see it. Do you see the bonfire? Perhaps we could go the other way if we find the bonfire.”
“No, but—” The couple heard twigs break followed by a soft growl. The growl reminded Trini of a large dog. As the sound got louder, they both looked at each other frightened. Trini felt her stomach tense as she listened to the growls creep nearer. Her legs trembled as she was unable to move from the spot she stood in. Suddenly, the sound ended, and it was quiet.
“Do you think they left?” Kyle asked.
“Shhh,” Trini responded as she listened closer. There was a sudden howl, as the white fur werewolf appeared from the trees. His fangs were covered in crimson blood, and its ruby eyes glowed as it stared at its prey. The snowy beast moved slowly and snarled as it moved closer to the couple.
Strangely, Trini felt like the werewolf was baiting them. The animal moved about six feet away and then howled before it charged towards Kyle and Trini.
“Run!” Trini shouted as she pushed Kyle forward. Trini and Kyle broke out on a dead sprint. They were not paying attention to their direction as they ran. Trini could feel the fear in her chest as her heartbeat quickened. The roars and the growls from the werewolf were frightening enough to even scare a brave marine. The beast snapped and snarled as it chased their scent. Trini could feel the warmth of the werewolf’s breath on her back as she ran. As she placed her next foot down, she felt a sharp pain in her opposite leg. Her leg was numb from the pain, and she then felt the sense of weightlessness as she flew off her feet. Trini landed hard on the ground ten feet away from Kyle.
Kyle’s eyes were opened wide with horror as he witnessed the white werewolf upend Trini. His fangs were drawn as he inched closer to Trini preparing for a kill when a rock hit him in the face. A second rock was thrown as Kyle waved his hands at the beast.
“Hey ugly, over here. Come over here you lazy wolf. Get some real meat.” The werewolf’s attention turned to Kyle and emitted an angry growl. His attention was fully on Kyle now. He slowly walked towards Kyle and took its time before attacking. The werewolf bared its canines as it aimed its next attack.
“Trini, run get out of here!” Kyle shouted as he stared down the werewolf. Kyle did not back away as he accepted his fate.
“No, Kyle stop, let me help you,” Trini winched in pain as she looked down at her left leg. It was gashed open from the werewolf attack. The wound was deep, and wine-colored blood drained from her calf. Trini grunted with pain as she stood up on one leg, and looked at Kyle. Tears began to roll down Trini’s face as she realized Kyle’s sacrifice.
“No, I owe you this much. I’m sorry for making your life miserable; I should have fought harder for us. I should have been there for you. I love you Trini Davos. Now run,” Kyle said as he backed up. He trembled with fear until the werewolf snapped and dashed towards Kyle. His screams were filled with pain as the monster mauled his body. Trini watched with terror as Kyle’s body shook like a dog’s chew toy as the werewolf’s teeth dug into his skin. The sight was too much for Trini, as she turned and wobbled away from Kyle. As she ran, she could hear his muffled cries for help, until they became gargled by blood.
The wolf finished Kyle as it lifted its bloodstained nose at the scent of Trini. It howled and followed Trini’s path. Trini did not get far as she stumbled away. Using a skipping motion, she found herself back on an open path. In the distance, she saw the glow of the bonfire. Maybe someone is still alive over there? Trini thought.
“Help me,” Trini screamed as she painfully skipped towards the bonfire. “Can anyone help me?” Trini attempted to push her body to increase her speed, but her legs failed her as she fell to the ground, exhausted. You need to keep moving; don’t give up, Trini encouraged herself. Trini heard the violent sounds of the wolf on her trail. She crawled on her stomach as she tried to escape. I need to survive; I need to survive for Jason. I need to survive for Kyle’s sacrifice. Trini told herself as she fought to stay alive. As she moved her arm forward once more, her hand touched a cedar plank. She grabbed the plank and inspected it. It was 2X4 piece of wood, with a burlap cloth wrapped around the top.
“It’s a torch. Thank god for rednecks,” Trini exclaimed. The white werewolf appeared out of the bushes. Its fangs were raised as it crept closer. Trini knew this was her chance to fight back. She checked her pockets frantically, searching for her lighter. She pulled lighter out and lit the torch. The torch burned amber yellow as Trini stood up and moved the flame as if she was a batter in a baseball game.
“Come on motherfucker!” Trini shouted. “I got something for your candy ass.”
The wolf reacted to Trini’s challenge and charged towards her. With all of Trini’s might, she swung towards the werewolf’s snout. The blow connected as it sent the white werewolf flying backward. The werewolf cried in pain as it retreated away from Trini. As it ran away, Trini smiled, “That’s right motherfucker! JV softball squad of H.B Givens High!” Trini threw down the torch and hopped on the nearest tree. She winced in pain as she used her legs to push herself up higher on the tree. Her face showed determination as she climbed higher. Trini reached the apex of the tree an
d straddled her legs over a tree limb. In the distance, she could see the roof of the old sawmill. Trini, sighed as she looked out, and felt her self-breaking down at the thought of Kyle’s death. Tears uncontrollably streamed down her face as she remembered Kyle. As she wiped, the large droplets away, but more formed and Trini realized it was an unwinnable battle, and decided to let her tears continue to flow.
Kyle, you asshole, you gave your life so that I could live. I’m not planning on wasting it now. While your weakness brought us apart, your strength, keep me alive. Kyle, I’m going to miss you like crazy. Part of me still loves you. I’m so sorry this had to happen to you. I hope you’re in a better place now. You deserve it. God, there’s been too much bloodshed tonight. Please just let Jason, make it through the night
Chapter 8
Jason and Mohinder made their way to the makeshift parking lot. Jason noticed the multiple cars’ tires were spinning in the mud trying to head out to the main road. Jason continued to gasp for air until he saw his car. Jason felt a brief relief looking at his old coupe in the moonlight. Jason fumbled with his keys as he took them out of his pocket. His hands shook as he stuck the keys into the car door.
“You locked the fucking car!” shouted Mohinder out of breath.
“Yeah, I fucking did. Got a fucking problem with that?” Jason growled as he unlocked the driver’s side of the car. Jason hopped in the car and unlocked the door for Mohinder. Once the door was opened, Mohinder dove into the passenger side of the car. He slammed the door behind him.