Wolf's Moon --- ONC 2022 (LONGLIST)

Chapter 1

The sounds of the city roared around her, slipping into her car and making her ever growing headache worse. Callista Everhart sat in the bumper to bumper traffic after having just gotten off work. With daylight slipping away from her and night creeping up on the world, she wanted to lock herself in her apartment for the long night that stretched ahead. Her usual routine after dealing with rude and confrontational people in accounting. If she could afford it, she would quit her job and find a new one elsewhere. 

A soft sigh left her once tan painted lips, her lipstick having long since faded into her natural coloring. Reaching up, Callista tugged her long, golden blonde locks from the white scrunchy that bound it in the tight bun atop her head. She followed up by combing her fingers through the tangled locks, shaking them loose for the first time that day. The simple act easing the headache she had ever so slightly. 

Callista was sitting back in her seat, planning to sit out the traffic jam in some sort of relaxed state, but the driver behind her decided to lay on their horn. Her eyes widened as she nearly came out of the driver's seat. As she came back down, thankful she hadn't slammed her foot down on the accelerator, one hand clutched at her chest where her heart was slamming around while the other grasped the door handle tightly as if it would save her. Her wide starlight silver eyes darted to the rearview mirror, catching sight of the angered driver behind her screaming. 

If anyone should have been angry, it should have been her. However, she was far too tired to fight, too tired to roll her window down and yell some form of obscenities at the man sitting behind her. Instead, she returned her hands to the steering wheel and calmed herself enough to look around for a quick exit off the main street. 

If she was going to get home before sunset, she would need to find an alternative route. . . and fast. 

Like a sign from the heavens above, Callista's eyes landed on a small corner store with a tiny corner parking lot in front. A smile quickly formed upon her lips, her silver orbs lighting up like shimmering starfire at the thought of getting away from the traffic she was stuck in. Her prayers had been answered, giving her that way out. 

When the first opportunity presented itself to her, Callista signalled out of traffic and carefully pulled away from the neverending line of cars. She crossed to the corner store parking lot and cut through it to the adjacent street, which thankfully was quite empty compared to the one she had just been on. She was finally back on her way home with nothing left to stop her this time. She was finally free from the constant blaring of horns and road raging drivers that she was forced to share the road with. 

The drive had been pretty quiet, the air conditioner blowing on her to cool her from the warm summer evening. Callista couldn't have been more than five or ten minutes from where her apartment was when her cell phone began ringing within her little black bag she carried around with her. With a quick role of her eyes while trying to keep her attention on the road ahead of her, she reached over with her right hand to shuffle through her bag. She hoped to find her phone quickly, not wanting to remain distracted while driving. 

Unable to find it, Callista only grew more frustrated and hoped that it wasn't her boss calling her to return to the office. She pulled her attention from the road and fixed it on her bag that rested in the passenger seat. Her starlit orbs spied the phone almost immediately causing her to snatch it from the bag. Of course, being as distracted as she was, she didn't see the car coming at her from drifting into their lane. 

The sound of someone laying on the horn pulled her attention back to the road ahead of her, her eyes widening when she finally spotted the car coming at her. 

Its bright headlights blinded her vision while her hand flew back up to the wheel, still clutching her ringing phone tightly within that hand. She tugged the wheel to the right, jerking the car from the oncoming vehicle. Her foot slammed hard on the break, the vehicle coming to a screeching halt. It managed to stop halfway on the sidewalk on her side of the street, but she managed to escape without ruining the car or losing her life. She was thankful that no one was walking there at the time as well. The very outcome could have been far worse. . . far more disastrous. 

As if just hearing the phone for the first time since it started ringing, Callista turned her wide eyes onto the small feral device in her hand. With a shaky hand, she slowly turned it over to reveal the caller ID, outwardly groaning with annoyance when she saw who was actually calling her. Of all the people, it had to be them that nearly caused her to be in an accident. She would have felt better if it had been work calling her back to the office, but it wasn't. 

Combing her fingers through her long thick locks, brushing the curtain of golden waves from her face, she answered the phone and pressed it to her ear. 

"About time you answered the phone!"