I rushed forward, pressing myself against the wall, out of sight.
I inhaled.
I exhaled.
The moon whispered, run shift run little prince run with your paws on the ground and the wind in your hair run run run
My claws pierced the wall. Plaster trickled down.
Loud music blared from one of the vehicles, harsh and grating. It made my head pound, and I gritted my teeth against it.
Hair began to sprout along my neck and face.
Light filled the windows as the vehicles began to pull up next to mine. The music continued to blast as the engines revved.
I heard voices above the noise.
Human voices.
The music switched off.
The vehicles switched off.
The lights stayed on.
I peered around the edge of the doorway.
Against the bright lights, I could make out figures climbing out of oversized trucks. Someone was laughing, his voice deep. I saw the flash of metal in his hand, the unmistakable shape of a gun. He walked toward my truck, scraping the barrel of his gun along the side. He looked inside and then toward the house. He was older, his face heavily lined, white hair hanging down around his shoulders. He wore jeans and an old leather jacket, the collar popped up around his neck. He had rings on three of his fingers, the stones large and gaudy.
“This it?” I heard him ask one of the others. I counted ten of them, eight men and two women, all packing. “This the truck?”
“Think so,” someone replied. “Same one Barry described.”
The man nodded and started to turn toward the house. I jerked my head back, breathing in and out through my nose.
The man raised his voice. “Hey! Are you in the house? Why don’t you come out here where we can see you.”
I kept my mouth shut, listening for every movement they made. If they were smart, whoever they were, they’d surround the house. Block all the exits.
They gathered together in front of the house instead.
Either they were fucking stupid, or they were cocky.
It almost didn’t matter which. They’d cornered a werewolf on a full moon.
“We know you’re in there,” the man called out. His voice was even, almost cheerful in its long, slow drawl. “You don’t know how hard it was to track you down.” I heard him spit onto the ground. “Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call and was told about an Omega attacking people at a bar. An Omega, of all things. Been a while since I’d seen one of those, especially since word on the street is they’re all under control of some Alpha in Oregon. You lost, Omega? Why don’t you come on out before I huff and I puff and blow your fucking head off.”
His group laughed darkly.
“Nothing?” the man said. “That’s disappointing. You trying to get to that Alpha, Omega? Trying to make your way west? We tend to avoid that place, if I’m being honest. A big group of hunters went there once, few years back. Raised some hell, or so I’m told. None of them were ever heard from again. I’m many, many things. But I ain’t an idiot. It’s best if I pick off the stragglers like you. Tell me, Omega. How far gone are you? Do you feel it eating away at your brain? What are you thinking about right now? You want to kill me? You want to close those big teeth of yours around my throat until you swallow down my blood? Come on out! I’ll give you the chance.”
I looked at the picture on the wall.
The boy so familiar and yet still a stranger. His face was illuminated by a pair of headlights.
“Tell you what,” the man said, almost conversationally. “I’ll give you until the count of five. If you don’t show yourself, we’re gonna have a problem. And my daddy taught me that any problem could be solved by shooting it. Good man, my daddy. A bit foolish. Got his arms torn off by a wolf. Died screaming. But he knew what he was talking about, for the most part. Shooting always does seem to solve the problem, so long as you keep your arms attached to your body. And believe me when I say we’ve got a lot of ammo, all of it silver. Perfect for a rogue wolf. Gotta do our part, you know? Keep the good, innocent folk safe from the monsters.”
A hallway stretched out in front of me, but part of the ceiling had collapsed into it, blocking my way. A window to my left, near the fireplace. One to my right, and I could see the trees beyond it.