The Night Wolf

Chapter 2

5 months later...

   When I heard stories about other people losing loved ones, I always thought that it could never happen to me. Never did I ever think about the chance of something like that happening. My side effects were different from other people's side effects. Other people would isolate themselves physically. Some would go to parties and try to forget about it. Some would do drugs. I did none of these things. I mentally Isolated myself for months after the incident. I didn't smile, or talk, or laugh, or feel anything. There was an empty feeling in my stomach constantly.

After a few weeks went by, I finally got some information about what happened to Marco's body. It was found 50 feet away from where she was hit. Body parts and extremities were lying next to her and scattered along the side of the road. There was no open casket at her funeral because of how mangled her body was. As for the car that hit her, the security cameras outside of the theater were too blurry to make out an exact license plate number. I was hopeless, It didn't seem fair. It wasn't fair. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. After a while I suspected something more was going on, something was off.

After five months, I started going to get groceries for my mother at the store. It was a small step towards getting better, but it did matter. I walked out of my room after putting some clothes on. "I'm going to the store again Mom!" I yelled. My mother was in the kitchen trying to figure out what she was going to make for dinner. My mom was a police officer, so she taught me all of the things that dads would usually teach their sons, like basic street smarts. She had to deal with paranoia every day when she would have to go to assist on a call.

"Ok baby, be safe! Love you!" she yelled back. I walked out the door and immediately put my hands in my pockets. It was freezing outside, my breath was seen going through the air since my nose was completely stopped up. After about ten minutes of walking, I finally arrived at the convenience store. The door made a jingle sound as I walked in and saw that there was no one else there besides the cashier.

I went to the back and got two half-gallon jugs of milk, then walked back to the counter. As I had my back turned to the door, I heard the jingle noise again. All of the hair on my body stood as I heard footsteps getting closer. my entire body felt numb. Something was wrong, I could just feel it. I just waited by the counter for the person to get their stuff so they could check out first. I just wanted to see who it was. The person stepped in front of me, and finally, I Could get a good look at their face.

It was a young man with extremely frizzy blond hair, it was like he had a tan bush on the top of his skull. He was wearing a green flannel with a black hoodie underneath and the hood was over his head. Not even the hood could contain his hair, it was almost comical. He also wore black cargo pants, with skating shoes to top off the outfit. He looked like he was at least seventeen, and about 5'10. The stench of cigarettes was extremely strong as he walked by, it almost gave me a headache. He glanced over at me. His eyes... were orange. It was like looking into the sun, his pupils were like giant balls of fire. I quickly looked away, trying to hide the fact I was staring at him. "That'll be $5.50, sir." The cashier said. The person put the money on the counter and began walking away. "Thanks, Mate. Have a good one." His voice sent chills down my spine. He had a husky voice with what sounded like an Australian accent. "Sir, you didn't give the right amount, you still owe 25 cents." The cashier said. The guy turns around and puts a quarter on the counter. He then slowly turns his head towards me. I look over at him, He is now gazing right into my eyes. My hands begin shaking and I drop my milk. I didn't even look down, I just kept staring. "Sorry mate. Math isn't my strong suit, I've always hated it." He says, still staring at me. I couldn't believe what I just heard.

He walked out of the store without saying another word. No, It can't be... He couldn't have meant anything by that! I was confused, but I figured that I had such an extreme reaction to his presence for a reason. I ran out of the store and tried to find him.

"Hey! Wait!" I yelled.

I saw his green flannel and I ran over to him. He didn't seem to have any reaction to my yelling. I finally caught up to him and tugged the sleeve on his flannel.

"Bloody hell mate, are you trying to get us shot?" He said, still walking, not looking at me. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Just look forward, don't look at me while you talk. Just pull out your phone and pretend you're giving someone a bell." He said.

"A what?"

"Just pretend you're calling someone!" he demanded. I pulled out my phone and put it up to my ear. He continued to walk forward and I began to understand why he was telling me to do this. In a game I played one time, there was a cutscene where one of the characters sat next to one of the other characters on a bench. He told him to look forward because "They didn't know each other" because they were being watched by cameras.

"So, are we being watched?" I asked him with my phone still on my ear.

"You figured it out, huh? Yeah, there are cameras everywhere, so no muckin' around." He said sternly.

"Did you say that on purpose? That you always hated math?" I asked.

"So you got that hint too, huh? What are ya, some kind of bloody genius?" He said sarcastically.

"Please, If you know anything about what happened five months ago, tell me. Please, I don't think it was an accident!" I pleaded.

"Listen, I'm going to 'accidentally' drop a card with an address on it. Pick it up and come to that address later tonight." He said. I stopped and waited for him to drop it, then he walked around the corner of a building. I saw a white card about 10 feet away from me. I walked to it and quickly put it in my pocket. What is going on?