The Secret Pull

Chapter 5 - Trouble

"Why are you driving so fast?" Jessica questioned between bites of a big fat pickle in her hand. I was speeding, but she was so engrossed in her little midnight snack I didn't think she noticed. We were on our way back to her home after her craving for pickles turned into a whole grocery list of items. I grumbled at the fact that it was so dark. I was used to the brightly lit big city streets. With only the light of the moon illuminating the winding road in front of me, I was unnerved. I wasn't exactly sure why. I just felt that we had to get home quickly.

"I just want to get back to bed. Can you please not spill any of that pickle juice in my car?" I replied, trying to keep the uneasiness out of my voice and sound as light as possible. Jess rolled her eyes at me but closed the pickle jar and stared out of the window. I was nervous now. I recognized this feeling. This was the same anxious feeling that took hold of me whenever Paul Bennett was near. How could I sense him when I am careening down this winding road in the middle of the woods? The moon was out. Could he be out there in wolf form? Was he stalking us from alongside the road? My mind was filled with so many questions. I didn't want to alarm Jessica but my feelings were never wrong. Every time I felt this way, he was there. I was doing eighty miles an hour and I still felt his presence. He was chasing us, I was sure of it. And I was obviously not going to outrun him. I had to take a stand.

Without warning, I slammed on the brakes and my jeep skidded. It was slightly twisted away from the road towards the trees as it came to a stop. I quickly turned off the lights and glanced toward a shocked Jessica crying out "WTF!"

"Jess, I need you to shade the vehicle now!" I yelled. She turned to look at me with shock and nervousness in her eyes. Without hesitation she leaned forward, clutching her pregnant belly with one hand and grasping for the dashboard with the other one. In an instant, we seemed to be surrounded by a slightly hazy bubble. I looked out of the windshield just in time to see a large black and gray wolf run out from behind the trees onto the road.

This wasn't a regular wolf. It was too big. It was almost 4 feet tall. Its eyes were red and they seem to have a demonic glow in the dark. Its hair looked prickly and dirty. This was a werewolf. It growled in a low rumble that reverberated in the air. It felt as if it was right next to me. It stood in the middle of the road and tipped its head to the sky and sniffed the air. Although I knew it couldn't see us I was starting to feel the panic creep up from my stomach to my chest.

I knew this would happen. I always felt that the wolves would come for me eventually. Paul would bring the danger right to me. But, I was ready. I looked toward my sister-in-law with her face twisted in a state of fear at the sight of the huge werewolf in front of us. I reached out to grasp the arm she used to hold her pregnant belly before bringing my index finger to my lips signaling for her to stay quiet.

In an instant, another wolf emerged from the trees. This wolf was just as big if not bigger than the first. Its fur was jet black and its eyes glowed in an almost neon green color. I could see the strength in its strained muscles and the anger in its eyes. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I knew instantly this was Paul Bennett. It was something in the neon eyes. Those were the same eyes that were revealed to me at the gas station. It was a quick moment, but one I would never forget.

Even though I have never seen him in his wolf form, I knew it was him. Everything inside me told me it was him. I marveled at his sheer size and was shaken at his ferociousness. I was frozen in fear but neither wolf seemed aware of our presence. They seemed to be more agitated with each other. I had a brief moment of relief. Realization hit me that maybe I was not the one being pursued, but rather these two werewolves were chasing each other.

The black wolf lifted his head and let out a sinister howl to the sky. I felt an odd tug in my chest. I felt an unnatural urge to run towards this beast calling out into the night. Almost immediately, it lunged violently toward the gray wolf. Jessica and I watched in shock as the two wolves tumbled over each other on the asphalt. Each wolf clawing and biting at the other trying to land its ferocious teeth on the other's neck. This went on for a few more painfully long seconds before Paul's wolf gained the advantage and sunk his teeth into the other wolf's neck. His wolf swiftly jerked his head and I heard a loud yelp as the wolf in his mouth was tossed against a large tree. What followed was a loud snap as the black and gray wolf's back snapped against the tree and it fell limp to the ground. The black wolf circled the other wolf's lifeless body and almost abruptly looked up. It was staring straight in the direction of my jeep. I froze in place. My eyes snapped towards Jessica praying she could read my thoughts. She instinctively knew what my eyes were asking and shook her head rapidly. We were still invisible to them.

Despite the thin haze over the vehicle giving proof that we were still being hidden by Jessica's power, Paul's wolf slowly started walking in our direction. My mind refused to believe that it could sense our presence. Terror bloomed as the wolf lowered his head and focused his bright green eyes in our direction. He made almost no sound as he continued to slowly approach my hidden car. Something inside nagging at me, telling me he knew I was there. Then out of nowhere, the large black wolf was side-swiped by two other wolves running at full speed from the trees. They were not as large but they tackled him to the ground with the element of speed and surprise.

They knocked Paul's wolf into the ditch alongside the road but he quickly recovered and charged them. The two new wolves jumped on top of him and suddenly there was a pile of wolves snapping at one another. It was hard to keep track of what was going on as they formed a large mass of fur and claws. The snarls were vicious. One wolf was tossed out of the pile, high into the air, and slammed against a tree. I could hear the tree crack on impact. It landed hard at the edge of the woods and wasn't moving. Soon the second wolf had its neck snapped by Paul's large black wolf. Suddenly three more wolves appeared out of the woods to attack. I brought my hand to cover my mouth as I realized Paul was being ambushed.