Five - Under the Full Moon

Under the Full Moon

Abbie's head felt heavy, like a thick fog had settled in her mind, blurring her senses. She forced her eyes open, but everything around her was fuzzy and spinning. The rough feel of the ground scraped against her skin, and she realized someone was dragging her through the forest. A vague memory started to come back—she'd been talking to him just a few minutes ago. That's when he must've done it. He'd handed her an already-open beer, which had felt off, but she hadn't questioned it at the time. Now, a soft groan slipped from her lips, startling him.

"How are you not knocked out?" he muttered, sounding annoyed. His breath came in shallow gasps, a mix of adrenaline and exertion weighing on him. She could tell he was running out of strength, and while that might give her a chance, she also knew what it meant when they finally stopped.

He leaned over her, resting her head against an old tree. "It's nice here, don't you think? Quiet, no one around for miles." His voice dripped with something dark and twisted as he brushed a finger down her cheek. Her vision was clearing now, and she could see his face. Looking at him made her stomach turn, so she shifted her gaze upward, catching sight of the full moon. It shone through a break in the trees, casting her in an eerie silver light.

The boy leaned in, pressing his lips to her neck. "This'll all be over soon," he whispered, ignoring the disgusted look on her face. She clenched her jaw and whispered, "No." She wasn't done, not by a long shot. Her body seemed to be shaking off the drug faster than he'd expected. He ignored her again, continuing his twisted attempt to be gentle. "No!" she said louder, her voice filled with defiance. He paused, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you some kind of superhuman? You're processing that drug way too fast," he said, almost amused.

That was all she needed to hear. She shoved him off with a surge of strength, adrenaline flooding her system. He stumbled back, but was quick to respond, swinging a fist into her face. Pain flared, but she didn't let it stop her. She tackled him, the two of them hitting the ground hard. They wrestled in the dirt, throwing punches and clawing for control. Abbie was winning. She pinned him beneath her, fueled by pure, unfiltered rage.

With each punch, she felt a strange, unsettling satisfaction. He deserved this—every bruise, every bit of pain. She kept hitting him, barely even feeling her raw knuckles, her mind blank except for the need to make him pay. Finally, she glanced down at her hands, now sticky with blood, and reality crashed over her. She pulled back, breathing hard, her hands trembling.

"What am I?" she whispered, horror mixing with the adrenaline. She'd lost control, and she'd liked it. Tears stung her eyes as she forced herself to touch his chest, feeling for a heartbeat she wasn't sure she wanted to find. It was faint, but it was there. She wanted him gone, but she couldn't bring herself to let him die—not like this, not by her hand.

"What do I do?" she whispered, the words barely audible. Her hands were shaking as she dug into her pocket, pulling out a pager. She needed help, and the only person nearby that she knew was Kai. He'd given her his number earlier that night, joking about how cool it was: 555-HYA-KAI.

Quickly, she punched in on the pager, hoping he'd get the message. She stayed by the boy's body, listening to his heartbeat slowing, wondering if help would even come.

It wasn't long before Kai showed up, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene. "What's going on?" he asked, but his gaze fell on the bloodied boy beside her, piecing together the story without words. Abbie turned to him, her face streaked with tears. "I... I think he... I think he just died," she said, her voice breaking. Before she could say another word, a sudden, sharp pain exploded in her arm.

"Aaaah!" she cried out, clutching her arm as it twisted at an unnatural angle. She fell to the ground, the pain spreading, bones snapping and shifting under her skin. "What's happening?" she screamed, looking up at Kai, who watched with eerie calm. "Interesting," he murmured softly, more to himself than to her.

Abbie's hand stretched before her, morphing, fur sprouting as her fingers curled into a paw. Fear took over, raw and primal, more intense than anything she'd felt before. Not the time a man had threatened her in Chicago, or the night she'd been held at gunpoint in a 7/11. This was something else—a transformation she couldn't stop.

A deep, instinctual howl ripped from her as her body completed its shift. She was a wolf now, her fur a rich, dark brown, her eyes glinting gold in the moonlight. Driven by fear and confusion, she bolted into the forest, leaving Kai and the boy behind.

Kai watched her go, his eyes narrowing in intrigue. He couldn't let the body just lie there, not when dawn was close. Fortunately, he remembered an old shack not far off, likely stocked with tools he could use. Slipping through the trees, he hid behind a trunk when he heard voices—partygoers who'd wandered too far. He waited, holding his breath until they passed.

Back at the body, Kai took a shovel and started digging, the rhythmic scrape of metal against earth giving him time to think. Did Abbie even know she had werewolf genes? Her reaction suggested she was just as clueless as anyone else, and that knowledge gave him an advantage. She had no idea about the world she'd just entered. And werewolves—they were magical. A slow, sly grin spread across his face. If she had magic, he could siphon it. She'd never even know.

But as he continued to dig, the self-serving thoughts faded, replaced by an unease he hadn't expected. He recalled the way she'd looked at him tonight—trust and suspicion warring in her eyes. She'd been so raw, so confused, yet brave enough to face what had happened. Kai knew that look; he'd seen it in others who didn't survive the supernatural secrets they stumbled upon. It wasn't his problem. It never had been.

And yet... he felt drawn to her, more than he wanted to admit. Protecting her, teaching her to harness the werewolf inside—that wasn't his responsibility. He could walk away and let her fend for herself. So why was he still here, digging a grave for a boy she'd nearly killed, covering her tracks like he cared?

Kai leaned on the shovel, breathing deeply as he tried to shrug off the thoughts creeping into his mind. He wasn't supposed to get involved. He'd survived by staying detached, keeping his head down, and watching his back. That's how he stayed in control. But Abbie—she was complicating things.

A sigh escaped his lips as he tossed another shovel of dirt aside. This wasn't the kind of responsibility he'd ever wanted, but as much as he liked to think of himself as detached, he couldn't ignore that he cared about her. The way she'd looked at him tonight, her trust lingering under that veneer of suspicion—it got to him. He didn't want to see her hurt, didn't want her to end up like others he'd known who'd found out too much, too quickly.

Kai felt a sense of resolve settle over him. He glanced up, his gaze drifting toward the dark line of trees where she'd vanished. Tomorrow, he'd make sure she knew he was there for her—no strings, no games. Just him, sticking around because he wanted to, because he needed to. Abbie might not realize it yet, but he was going to be by her side through all of this, come what may.

With dawn creeping closer, he tossed the body into the freshly dug hole, covering it quickly and scattering leaves to make it look untouched.

Abbie staggered through the dark, her body aching, her mind still hazy from the transformation. The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting fragmented shadows over the forest floor. Bare branches clawed at her arms as she pushed through, her bare feet sinking into the cool, damp earth with each step. Her skin prickled in the chill of the night, and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, shivering as she moved.

Up ahead, she saw a faint orange glow and heard a soft rustling in the underbrush. A figure emerged—a young guy, maybe in his twenties, with glassy eyes that widened as they landed on her. He blinked in disbelief, pulling a half-smoked joint from his lips.

"Dude, I'm so high, I'm seeing a naked woman running through the woods," he muttered, eyes wide and unfocused.

Abbie froze, their eyes meeting for a split second. She was aware of how she must look—disheveled, barefoot, and wrapped in dirt and grime from the forest floor. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, without a word, she darted away, her heart pounding. She could still hear his baffled voice muttering into the distance as she disappeared deeper into the trees.

Finally, she reached the clearing where she had left the boy's body. Her chest heaved as she took in the scene, expecting to see him sprawled out where she had left him. But instead, the ground was bare. She crouched low, panic flickering through her as she searched the clearing, scanning for any sign that he had been there. The faint scent of blood lingered, but there was nothing else—no trace of him, not even a dark stain on the ground.

"Kai?" she called softly, her voice a trembling whisper. The darkness pressed in around her, silent and cold. She felt the weight of the night bearing down on her, and dread began to settle in her stomach. Just as she was about to call out again, a figure stepped out from the shadows behind her.

"Yeah, I'm here." Kai's voice was calm, almost reassuring, as he approached her. The suddenness of his voice made her jump, and she spun around to face him. His expression was unreadable, a faint smile on his lips as he held out a rough wool blanket, its edges fraying. Without waiting for her response, he stepped closer and draped it over her shoulders. The blanket smelled faintly of gasoline and old pine, but the warmth was a relief against the biting chill.

"Thought you might need this," he said with a shrug, his hands lingering on her shoulders for just a moment before dropping to his sides. Abbie's pulse steadied, though an odd mix of gratitude and suspicion churned within her. His calm, almost nonchalant demeanor felt surreal, unsettlingly out of place against the grim reality of the night.

"Did you... bury him?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She could hardly believe the question was hers; it sounded foreign, distant.

Kai nodded, holding up his hands, the skin stained and rough with dirt. She swallowed, feeling a chill creep up her spine. There was something about the silence between them, thick with things left unsaid, that made her skin prickle.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Why do you seem so chill about me turning into a wolf?" she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. Her eyes searched his face, looking for a flicker of shock, maybe a flash of fear. But Kai only raised an eyebrow, his grin twisting into something unreadable.

"I've always believed in werewolves. Just didn't think I'd see one in real life." He shrugged, brushing dirt from his hands as if he'd just finished a casual chore. Abbie frowned, sensing he wasn't telling her everything. But her mind was too fogged with exhaustion and disbelief to push further.

She tightened the blanket around her shoulders, feeling its rough fabric brush against her bare skin, and looked down at her muddy feet, the damp earth clinging to her toes. "How are we getting back?" she mumbled, her voice barely cutting through the stillness of the night.

Kai tilted his head slightly, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he scanned the shadowy woods around them. "Guess we're walking," he replied with a resigned sigh. "Josette left ages ago. Something about being embarrassed by a boy or something," he said, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Abbie couldn't help but chuckle, the sound breaking the tension that had settled like a heavy fog between them.

As his words lingered in the cool night air, Kai turned back to her, his eyes softening in a way that made her feel momentarily at ease. "You can stay at my place. If we cut through the woods, we can be there in twenty minutes," he offered, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You can borrow some of Josette's clothes."

Abbie hesitated, studying his face for any hint of insincerity. She had never stayed at a boy's house before, and the thought sent a flicker of unease through her. Yet, with the night closing in around her and the raw air biting at her skin, she knew she didn't have much choice. Finally, she gave a small nod.

They walked in silence, the only sounds their footsteps crunching over fallen leaves and the distant rustle of the wind. Abbie's mind buzzed with unease, her thoughts flitting back to the night's events, her transformation, and the lingering fear gnawing at her. She stole a glance at Kai as they walked. He seemed completely unbothered, as if this were just another ordinary night. But there was something in the way he moved—effortless, calm, his gaze flicking over the trees with a watchfulness she couldn't quite place.

As they walked, her doubts about him intensified. He'd been too quick to bury the body, too collected in the face of her transformation. She remembered the story she'd heard about him at the gym—how he'd handled the weight with an almost unnatural ease, something she'd brushed off as exaggerated gossip. But now, she wondered if there was more truth to it than she'd thought.

She risked another glance at him, watching the sharp line of his jaw, the faint smirk playing on his lips. There was a darkness to him, a kind of calm that bordered on unsettling. She'd seen plenty of dangerous people in her life, and maybe she didn't mind being around them. But tonight, after everything, she wasn't sure which one of them was the real monster—Kai, the boy she'd left behind, or herself.