Upside Down

(30) Finding The Monsters

Chapter 30

Being A Werewolf : Awesome :: Hunting Monsters : Not So Awesome

I had no idea how long it has been since we left our homes in search of the monster but I knew it had been a while because we left before it was dark and now I wouldn't be able to see my hand in front of my face if I didn't have night vision.

Can I just say I love being a werewolf?

Because I do.

So we've been searching for hours upon hours, me, my father, and a group of our best fighters (which, yes for you feminist, it does include women). None of us wore bright clothes or carried flash lights, since yeah we have night vision and don't want to give our position away. We were like ninjas in dark clothing, creepily making our way through the woods.

Okay so yes I'm rambling a little right now so that right there should tell you how freaked out I am ...

I guess this is a little weird for a werewolf since I have night vision (but it wasn't as strong as real wolf's night vision) ... I'm afraid of the dark. Our werewolf night vision was just like having a wee bit of light in the dark and only being able to see a foot in front of you and when I was little it was worse because that little bit of light only let me see the shadows from in the closet and under my bed and in the shower ... yes, in the shower. After watching Zombie Land when I was twelve every time I went to the bathroom I had to check every place before doing my business.

So anyway, yeah, even though some of us have knives and other weapons we weren't all like an angry mob with pitch forks and fiery torches angrily marching after the beast to smite thee and rescue the damsel in distress ...

No, this was a hunt.

I think hours had passed when we heard it, a blood curdling scream that echoed around us making us freeze in our tracks.

Hmm, I guess there was a damsel in distress!

"That sounded like Allise!" Grant growled beside me, having met the sweet tempered girl before. "She must be in trouble!"

No shit.

So we began running and running, past hundreds of trees, dodging bushes and it never felt fast enough because I knew whatever it was could have gotten to her by now and I kept thinking of what it could do to her.

What would it do to her?

We heard snarling, vicious, carnivorous snarling ripping through the forest as if there were two monsters tearing into flesh. Ugh, I felt like I could puke. I brushed away tears trying not to focus on the cries of Allise.

We broke through to the trail Allise was walking but ... nothing was there. It was a little fork in a trail and just like all the others, surrounded by trees with only the moon and stars to light it and the girl shivering between the roots of the trees. Tears ran down her face from her wide dark eyes, her teeth chattering and sobs wracked her body.

"Emerson! Emerson!" She cried when she saw me and I rushed towards her. "Emerson, Emerson," She cried and I held her in my arms as best as I could with her expanding stomach.

"Shh, it's okay, Al, we're here and we won't let anyone hurt you. You're safe, you're safe." She whimpered into my shirt and I called someone over to watch Allise. "Allise, this is Jerry and he's going to watch you while I get the monster, okay? Jerry won't let anything happen to you, I promise." I kissed her forehead, gave Jerry a curt nod then ran off after the monster. Everyone scattered in different directions looking for the two monsters that had come, tracking them down as if their lives depended on it and I ran on the first trail I found to find it.

I had to catch this monster, it's taken too much already. I could still feel the anger coursing threw me. How dare it come into MY territory and threaten MY people! How dare it touch any of them! How dare it harm Allise!

As I traveled away, getting farther and farther from my pack, I smelt it, that dazzling smell of lavender that I had grown so used to loving everyday. I followed it in a daze, my mind hazy trying to remember where it was from because at first I didn't recognize it but as I followed I realized what-er, who it was.

It was Kriss.

Kriss always smelled of jasmine and lavender and honey. She was out here, alone, in the dark woods, alone, and with a monster on the loose. And from the footprints I found on the ground this beast was following the scent, following her.

Stalking her.

Hunting her.

I snarled and took off, the smell of Kriss getting stronger and stronger. And as I followed the footsteps ... they seemed to be getting ... smaller ... and smaller ... and smaller, as if the monster was shifting back to human form. And the smell, the smell of jasmine and lavender and honey was mixed with blood, as if it was wounded ... or Kriss was wounded but it seemed fresher so I was guessing the monster was wounded. Good, that made it all the much easier on me.

By the time the footsteps seemed in possibly small for a man, I heard a small whimper and Kriss's scent had grown strong and the footsteps were completely human by now leading towards a bush. The blood pools were the largest here and yet the footsteps were so ... small, almost ...

"Kriss?" I whispered and pushed away the bush's branches.

Just as I pushed the bush over, I saw the tracks lead to the small figure laying on the ground, her naked body bleeding and huddled.

"Emmie?" Her head turned and I saw the last of the fur on her face disappear, her nose still misshapen but returning to normal just as her large teeth became small and round but still covered in red. She had a lazy smile on then looked down at herself then back up at me with horror in her eyes because she knew she had been caught.

Kriss was the monster.

How, I didn't know but I knew what I saw and I saw the footprints lead to her, footprints that now fit her feet perfectly.

Kriss was the monster.

Kriss is a monster.