Hudsonville: Tales of the Hunted

Chapter 16: Curfew

The city was ominously quiet by the time Andy arrived.

The trio of him, Davis and Tanya emerged from the forest onto the outskirts of town.

There was hardly a sign of life in the sleepy city besides the occasional call of a loudspeaker, announcing some kind of curfew or lockdown—Andy hardly paid attention, not because he didn't want to, but because his mind had been fixed on how uncomfortable he'd been in the current moment. The rain gently pitter-pattered on the cobblestone streets, some surfaces growing slick. Andy had a hard enough time keeping his balance—this only served to put him further on edge. Speaking of...the boy was absolutely nauseous. His head throbbed, a dull ache blossoming behind his eyes and pulsing in time with his heartbeat.

Though he tried to will the pain away, it only seemed to get worse with each passing moment. While Davis kept his eyes ahead on the streets, scanning for any signs of life, Tanya kept an eye on Andy. Clumsy as he may be, she got the feeling that there was something wrong beneath the surface.

As they turned a corner onto the main thoroughfare, Andy stumbled, his vision blurring at the edges. He caught himself against a rough brick wall, his claws digging into the mortar as a wave of pain washed over him.

Tanya was at his side in an instant, her hand on his shoulder to keep him stable. Her eyes shifted down and back up, brows knit together with concern. With her free hand, Tanya knocked on her thigh twice to grab Davis's attention—the man turned, his expression dropped, and he quickly joined them.

Sweat pooled at Andy's forehead, dripping down his face in droves. He tried to take a deep breath in—choking a bit on the air. The boy tried to swallow, but his mouth was deceptively dry.

"Are you alright?" Davis asked. Tanya's expression mirrored his concern.

Andy tried to speak, but all that came out was a strained groan. He gripped the wall even harder—blood oozed from his fingernails. It felt as though something was trying to claw its way out from underneath his skin. Every muscle in his body burned.

He could barely hear what Davis was telling him through the roaring in his ears. His senses were going haywire. Every raindrop was like a symbol crashing in his ears, every scent overwhelmingly pungent. The boy's vision blurred and swam before his eyes.

Davis gripped Andy's shoulders, trying to steady him. "Andy, listen to me. You need to breathe. Focus on my voice."

He tried to listen, but Andy was very quickly slipping away, lost in the storm of sensations assaulting him. His body shuddered violently as another wave of pain crashed over him. He fell to his knees, gasping for air. The burning feeling suddenly gave way to a freezing cold. Though the pain would subside for now, the overwhelming nausea lingered.

Davis and Tanya exchanged a glance before helping Andy to his feet. The boy swayed unsteadily, leaning heavily on the both of them for support. His breaths came in gasps, then slowly, over time, they transitioned back into a steady in-and-out.

"What was that?" Andy asked, trying to regain his bearings. Davis sighed and crossed his arms.

"It's the full moon tonight. Your body is making final preparations for your transformation."

"But I thought...I thought I had more time," The boy hoarsely replied. His face paled, his stomach churning—Andy gripped at Davis's arm tightly, his claws digging in as another wave of dizziness struck his head.

"You have until moonrise to find some place safe." Davis said. The pale man paused to look around, his thick neck struggling to make any kind of rotation without the rest of his broad body following. "Do you have any idea where your friends might be? We shouldn't take too long on this."