Excerpt: Fraternity Werewolves

I grabbed Amanda’s hand and bolted. I am not athletic – I am trim, but not really fit. I’ve never cared for working out and athletics, as I said before, was completely out of the question. But if there had been someone with a stopwatch out there that night, I’m certain that Amanda and I would have broken some world records. I could have won the gold medal in any race and Amanda could have gotten the silver – and that only because I have longer legs than she does.

The worst part was that we could hear them chasing after us. We could hear them gaining ground, huffing and puffing behind us like big bad wolves about to blow us down. I saw the lights of the student union glittering welcomingly across the fields, but there was at least the length of one whole soccer field between us and its relative safety.

I risked a look behind me and immediately wished I hadn’t. As long as I wasn’t looking I could pretend I hadn’t seen anything: I could pretend it was just some dogs who had broken their chains and were looking for a good run before going back home to a warm doghouse and a good meal. But once I looked, I couldn’t deny anything. Sure, it was dark, but the soccer fields had plenty of lights and the moon was full and bright in the sky, so I could see everything that I wished I couldn’t.

They were frightening – a full head taller than me when standing up, rising to my waist when down on all fours. They ran both ways, galloping along close to the ground for awhile before leaping to their feet and leaning forward to take a wicked swipe with their front claws. Their muzzles were huge and dripping saliva and so familiar but their eyes were human, wild and bestial but human, and their form was a horrible mix between human and wolf. There were at least six of them, and some extra sense told me that there were more just on the outskirts of my peripheral vision. One, bigger than the others, seemed to be in charge and was quickly closing the distance between us. The rest were still closer than I ever wanted them to be.

“What are they?” screamed Amanda as we ran, the wind whipping her words away.

“Ask me later!” I yelled back, and put on an extra burst of speed.

My legs were burning: I had never moved this fast for this long in my life. Amanda was keeping u as best she could but she was beginning to tire, too, and her faltering steps were beginning to trip me up. The student union seemed no closer than when we had begun.

“We’re not going to make it!” she cried, a half sob escaping through her ragged breath.

“Shut up!” I gasped.

I looked back again and almost lost my balance. They were so close I could almost see the individual teeth in the big one’s mouth.

“Kurt, I –“

“SHUT UP!”

The union beckoned but I knew we would never make it. We were still so far away – no one would hear us, no one would even find us until the next morning thanks to that stupid curfew. Our mangled bodies would be discovered by some screaming freshman, and we’d go down in history as two people that got killed because we were out in the woods at night. Little Red Riding Hood and her granny getting swallowed had nothing on what was going to happen to us.

I could feel the hot breath on my neck – a claw swiped at my back and I heard cloth tearing, felt a sharp pain sear along my shoulder blades.

“KURT!”

This was it – I was going to die. Well, at least I could go out in a heroic, romantic, and extremely memorable way. I skidded to a halt, grabbed Amanda, kissed her hugely, and shoved her towards the union, out of harm’s way –

-and directly into the arms of a very stern looking Mr. Clayton Berkey, Student Life officer.

“Mr. Bolton, what a pleasant surprise,” he said coldly. “And Ms. Parsons, you too, I see. You both realize you are breaking curfew?”

I whipped around, looking behind me wildly, chest heaving for air.

The creatures were gone.

“You,” said Mr. Berkey, “are in very significant trouble.”